Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
This short book by John Reynolds Gardiner must have been a reader for my children when we were homeschooling, because I don’t ever remember reading it before this morning. Little Willy is concerned for his grandfather, who suddenly took to his bed and quit talking and laughing with Willy. Doc Smith says nothing is wrong... Continue Reading →
Coronavirus quarantine has me revisiting old friends. I pulled a box of books from the storage unit and my daughter went through it, looking for familiar faces she wanted to re-read. She can’t read them all at once, so I grabbed a few I wanted to read again from her stack. Detectives in Togas by... Continue Reading →
When Turtle’s mom gets a maid position with a woman who doesn’t like children, her mom sends her to her aunt’s house in Key West. In the middle of the Great Depression, you do what you have to do to get by. Turtle’s aunt and cousins aren’t thrilled to see her. And she isn’t thrilled... Continue Reading →
Kate, Michael and Emma grew up in orphanages, but they are not orphans. As the oldest, Kate remembers their parents best. She remembers her mother saying good-bye, promising they would be together as a family again. But that was ten years ago. Ten difficult years. Kate has done her best to keep the memory of... Continue Reading →
Do you need a good sobfest? Read The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin. Suzy has decided to stop talking. Something really bad happened the last time she talked to her good friend, so she’s not saying anything. Not to her mom. Not to her dad. Not to her brother. Not at school. Then her... Continue Reading →
Halima and Atiyah were pledged to each other at birth. Growing up together allowed their love to grow as their tribe traveled the desert. Then Atiyah is torn from his tribe and Halima to study at the great university in Fez. He misses the freedom and challenges of life in the desert, and he misses... Continue Reading →
A German Jew. A fanatic member of the Hitler Youth. Both were victims of the Nazi party - one more obvious than the other. Parallel Journeys by Eleanor Ayer, with Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck, tell the stories of these two young people, born just miles apart. Helen Waterford managed to escape Nazi Germany for... Continue Reading →
Fascination with the Tudors of English royalty seems to be the rage these days, but most books and TV shows are not appropriate for younger readers. Thankfully, author Carolyn Meyer also has an interest in the Tudors and has written books for young adult readers. Mary, Bloody Mary is about Queen Mary Tudor of England... Continue Reading →
The Minnipins live in a remote valley, cut off from the rest of their world. They remember how their ancestors got to the valley, but nothing that comes before that event. Why did they leave their former home? What were they fleeing? These questions feel irrelevant to the current inhabitants of the valley. Instead they... Continue Reading →
Mall Percival lives in England during the days of the devastating Plague of 1665. Her village is rather remote, with very little contact with the great London Town. Until the new minister's wife wants a new dress, cut in London fashion. So the tailor sends for patterns from a relative in London. And with the... Continue Reading →
