Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
I remembered loving Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo. However, I didn’t write a review the first time I read it. I reread it on Christmas Eve (20. I laughed. I got teary. I am continually amazed by DiCamillo’s ability to tell such a beautiful story with few words. I was excited to see DiCamillo wrote... Continue Reading →
Do you remember the Encyclopedia Brown books by Donald J. Sobol? I loved these books as a kid. Rereading the first one as an adult, I found it borders on cheesy. That does not mean even modern-day kids won't enjoy the little mysteries Encyclopedia solves for 25-cents each. Highly recommended for young readers - read... Continue Reading →
The Poet’s Dog is another beautiful tale from the author of Sarah, Plain and Tall, Patricia MacLachlan. Nickel and Flora are stranded in a blizzard when Teddy finds them. He takes them back to the cabin he shared with Sylvan, before he left. Teddy and the children get to know each other and begin to... Continue Reading →
I decided I needed to reread Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne after Masterpiece Theatre on PBS aired a mini-series based on the book. Well - loosely based on the book. The mini-series was fun to watch, but Phileas Fogg is nothing like the character in the book. In the book, Fogg... Continue Reading →
Judith goes by many different names. Aunt Cora calls her Jubliee. “You’re a celebration, my dear!” she says. Gideon, the ferry pilot, calls her Red, because of her red hair. The neighborhood boy, Travis, calls her No-Talk Girl, which she doesn’t really mind because she can tell he likes her. But Judith really wants a... Continue Reading →
Baseball is Jeremiah's life. He eats it, breathes it. So when the doctors tell him he can't play after a major operation, Jeremiah decides to shift his focus. He will coach baseball. His opportunity comes sooner than he expects. He and his dad move to a small town in Ohio with a great baseball tradition.... Continue Reading →
Jack Plank loved being a pirate. His fellow pirates liked him a lot too. But after a bit, it became clear to everyone that Jack was no good at plundering. That was OK, because someone needed to stay behind and keep the soup warm. But then hard times hit pirating, and the pirates couldn't keep... Continue Reading →
Pinmei's grandmother is the neighborhood storyteller and always has the perfect story for Pinmei and the villagers. But the emperor's soldiers break into Pinmei's house and kidnaps her grandmother. Fortunately, Grandmother was able to hid Pinmei in a large pot, so the soldiers didn't kidnap her. So Pinmei and her friend Yishan set out to... Continue Reading →
The subtitle is what really made me pick up The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz - Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog. Gidwitz tells the story of these children through the recounting from many different people, all gathered at an inn in rural France during the Middle Ages. It's a fascinating tale... Continue Reading →
Jane finds a strange coin on the sidewalk and sticks it in her pocket. She and her siblings are bored stiff that summer - all their friends are away in the country while they’re stuck at home. So she wishes something exciting will happen. And surprisingly, something exciting does happen - her wish is granted!... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 