Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
I love Shannon Hale’s books, but was reluctant to pick this one up. Book of a Thousand Days is written as a diary. Yawn, I thought. I was wrong. Dashti is a new lady’s maid to Lady Saren. As soon as she reports to her new mistress, they are whisked off to an isolated tower... Continue Reading →
Author Lauren Wolk returns to rural Pennsylvania, Annabelle McBride and her family in the beautifully written My Own Lightning. We first met Annabelle and her family in Wolf Hollow (read more here), and in this sequel, Annabelle is still processing the events that happened in that book. Life is slowly returning to normal - until... Continue Reading →
William, Edmund and Anna are in a predicament. Their grandmother has died. They suppose they should feel sad, but she was cold and distant and quite frankly rather mean, even though she cared for them since their parents had died. They’d like to stay with their housekeeper, but she’s not going to be staying in... Continue Reading →
A friend recommended Dragon’s Gate by Laurence Yep after reading it with her high schooler. I was about to hunt it down at the library when I discovered it on my own bookshelf. Apparently, Dragon’s Gate had been a part of our homeschool curriculum as an independent reader, so I had never read it. I... Continue Reading →
One of my favorite stories from childhood is Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John. This is a sweet, difficult story of families living on a mountain in French-speaking Switzerland. Hard feelings and frustrations lead to an unforgettable and unforgivable accident. How the two families, especially the children, work through the ramifications of the... Continue Reading →
When Roberto decides to sneak away to attend a movie one afternoon, he has no idea that it means he will never see his parents again. German soldiers raid the theater, round up the boys and send them to a work camp. As Roberto and his friend Samuele struggle to survive, they vow to stay... Continue Reading →
Lydia and her brother Charles were determined to keep their little farm going even after their father left to find work in the west and their mother took their younger sisters to their aunt and uncle’s house. Then their mother wrote to let them know she had hired them out to different places to pay... Continue Reading →
Tim loves his big brother, Sam. He knows Sam is smart, brave and always knows the right thing to do. Then Sam enlists in the Revolutionary Army, against the wishes of Tim and Sam’s father, who is loyal to the king. Tim is torn between love for his father and brother. How can he choose... Continue Reading →
Heads up! If you haven't read any of Robin Stevens’ Wells & Wong mysteries, you are missing out! First Class Murder is the third book in the series. While each book stands alone, you'll understand the characters much better if you start with Murder is Not Polite. (What a perfect title!) I love the developing... Continue Reading →
Sarah helps her father and brother run their small farm on Long Island, just before the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. The tensions between the Patriots and the Loyalists in her neighborhood come between her father and brother. When her father tears up the Common Sense pamphlet by Thomas Paine, the local Patriots come hunting.... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 