Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
As a child, I read Beverly Cleary's books over and over and over again. I couldn't get enough of Ramona, Beezus, Henry Huggins and Ralph S. Mouse. Cleary's books reflect childhood wonderfully - a simple childhood, with simple problems, like what are the real words to the national anthem? How will I get this dog... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
The cover illustration of children riding stone winged lions through the air caught my attention. It looked interesting - and unusual. And Through the Skylight by Ian Baucom certainly was both interesting and unusual. Set in modern-day Venice, siblings Jared, Shireen and Miranda are stuck exploring every. single. art. exhibit. in this Italian city. Their... Continue Reading →
A fairy tale written by George MacDonald, The Light Princess has echos of Sleeping Beauty - a forgetful king does not invite a guest he should have invited to his daughter's christening. But there the similarities end. The king forgets to invite his own spiteful, but terribly clever, sister. She comes anyway. In her clever... Continue Reading →
Hillary is an ordinary girl, living an ordinary life - until her neighbor Sara-Kate tells her elves have built a village in her backyard. Could it be true? Hillary isn't sure, but the idea of elves is too interesting to ignore. So against the advice of her friends at school, Hillary ventures through the backyard... Continue Reading →
I just realized that I've been writing book reviews for nearly three years and have not written anything about one of my favorite series of all time - The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis. Perhaps it goes without saying, except it's worth saying again, how delightful these books are. Originally, The Lion, the Witch... Continue Reading →
I have to be honest. When I first finished My Happy Life by Rose Lagercrantz, I wondered, "What was that about?" It didn't particularly strike me as a great book. But the more I thought about it, the more the story grew on me and the more I liked it. Dani, the main character, is... Continue Reading →
Visits to great-grandparents can reveal a lot about children, and about the great-grandparent. In The Matchbox Diary, a young girl meets her great-grandfather for the first time. As she explores his library full of collections, he invites her to choose something and he will tell her about it. She chooses a cigar box full of... Continue Reading →
Jack Hawkins loves the Okefenokee Swamp in southern Georgia. He loves hanging out with Uncle Hamp, away from the bustle of his home in Atlanta, learning the ways of the swamp and exploring it on his own. He's even made his own canvas canoe, and takes it exploring in the swamp. Soon, things go wrong.... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 