Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Action. Adventure. And a female protagonist!? Yes! Bird McGill has always wanted to fly an airplane. Her current obsession is a P-40 Warhawk, the plane the US is flying when it first enters World War II. Born to Fly by Michael Ferrari tells Bird's story of not fitting in with the other girls, of finding... Continue Reading →
Jonathan Capewell is a farm boy who loves to read about big-city detectives. While milking the cows, he dreams of going to the big city and solving crimes. Then suddenly he's sent with his grandfather, a photographer, on his journeys around Maine. Jonathan isn't sure why, but he thinks it has something to do with... Continue Reading →
A panda walks into the library, eats a peanut butter sandwich, shoots off a couple of arrows and leaves. The librarian shouts after him, "Why did you do that?" "Because that's what the book says I do," the panda replies. The librarian opens the book and finds a misplaced comma. "PANDA: Large black-and-white bear-like mammal,... Continue Reading →
Set in ancient Mongolia, I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade by Diane Lee Wilson follows the story of Oyuna, a young girl who brought bad luck to her family. How? When she was a baby, a horse crushed her foot. Now that she's nearly grown, she's determined to bring good luck to her... Continue Reading →
Some older elementary students will be too sensitve to read The Wreckers by Iain Lawrence. But those who love adventure stories will enjoy this action-packed book. John Spencer is fourteen-years-old and on his first voyage with his father, who is a merchant. They've been to Spain and are on their way back to London when... Continue Reading →
One of my favorite books as a child was Snow Treasure, about children in Norway who smuggled millions of dollars worth of gold out of the country under the nose of the Nazi invaders. Shadow on the Mountain by Margi Preus is also about Norway after the Nazi invasion, but it's not as innocent as... Continue Reading →
Greenhorn by Anna Olswanger is a deceptively small, short book. Although it has pictures on almost every page, and the story is short, it's topic is rather heavy. Aaron is a student at a yeshiva in New York in 1946. His classmates and he are asked to welcome nearly two dozen boys from Poland who... Continue Reading →
Rosalind wonders again and again, "How can kindness get you into so much trouble?" Her father is away at war, and her mother is sick, so Rosalind is left on her own. Well, not exactly her own. There are always plenty of servants around her house in British India. She gets rather tired of hanging... Continue Reading →
Jonah has always knows he's adopted. It's never been that big of a deal, until now. Jonah discovers that he and his new friend Chip have both been getting strange messages, the first of which says "You are one of the missing." The quest to decipher the meaning of these messages involve Jonah, Chip and... Continue Reading →
My family first discovered The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop as an audio book. We listened to it in the van, as we drove to church, on errands or trips. We all loved it. William does not want Mrs. Phillips to leave. His British housekeeper is going home to England after living with... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 