Most Americans, especially children, are familiar with the Disney version of the 101 Dalmatians story. But as with most movies based upon books, the book is so much better! Many of the characters - both human and dog - are the same in both the movie and the book. However, Perdita is not Pongo's wife,... Continue Reading →
Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place and Sherlock Holmes: The Legend Begins
I'm so excited to tell you about the newest books in a couple of my favorite series! The Interrupted Tale is the latest installment in Maryrose Wood's series The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place. Our favorite governess, Penelope Lumley, takes the children back to her school, the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females. The headmistress... Continue Reading →
Duke
Children and teens sometimes wrestle with the question of courage - what does it mean to be courageous? How can I have courage when I'm so scared? Hobie Hansen constantly asks himself those questions, especially since his dad is courageously fighting in World War II. He finds great comfort in his dog Duke, who accompanies... Continue Reading →
The Ranger’s Apprentice
So many people have recommended that I read The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan, I've quite forgotten who first mentioned it to me. But it wasn't until after reading book recommendations from my writing classes - almost a third of whom chose to write about The Ranger's Apprentice - that I finally picked up... Continue Reading →
The Mapmaker’s Sons
Tom Hawkins does not remember his parents. He feels compelled to climb around the buildings at his boarding school in England - especially on stormy nights. One night, as he climbs to the school's bell tower, he runs into trouble. He's not sure what kind of trouble, exactly, which makes it worse. Men in black... Continue Reading →
Little House on the Prairie
If your library does not include the Little House books, the semi-autobiographical novels by Laura Ingalls Wilder, put them on your Christmas list! Every home should have a set of these. The series start with Little House in the Big Wood, where Laura and her sisters live with their parents. She includes all sorts of interesting... Continue Reading →
The Lord of the Rings
Technically, JRR Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings as a sequel to The Hobbit. However, while The Hobbit is a great story for upper-elementary-aged children, The Lord of the Rings is a darker story, much more intense and scary. And like The Hobbit, learning how to read The Lord of the Rings will greatly increase... Continue Reading →
The Hobbit
I will admit to trying to read The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien many, many times as a preteen and a teenager. I could not get through the first chapter. It wasn't until I was an adult, and took a class on Tolkien, that I was able to force myself through the book. So why am... Continue Reading →
Emily of New Moon
If you love Ann of Green Gables, you will enjoy reading L.M. Montgomery's Emily of New Moon trilogy. Emily is a spirited, imaginative girl - quite similar to Anne. But while readers meet Anne as an orphan, readers share in Emily's shock when her beloved father dies. She soon discovers her lot is to move... Continue Reading →
The Golden Goblet
Ranofer dreams of becoming a goldsmith in Ancient Egypt. He was well on his way to becoming one too, until his father died. Now Ranofer lives with his truly awful half brother, and instead being apprenticed to a goldsmith, works as a laborer in a goldsmith's shop. He dreams of changing his destiny, but cannot... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 