Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Beatrice lives in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and everyone comments on how clever she is. One day, Beatrice’s mother sadly places the last bowl of porridge in front of her. Beatrice decides she needs to go into the north woods and make some money to help her mother. Her mother dismisses the idea. Beatrice certainly could... 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 →
Sit by Deborah Ellis Sit by Deborah Ellis is little book full of small, but mighty, stories. They all start with a child. Sitting. And all move and end differently. Only two of the stories have the same characters, the rest stand alone. They are moving - some hopeful, some heartbreaking. All are well-written. All... Continue Reading →
I finally had some time to read this weekend - and what a great book to spend that time with! Applewhites Coast to Coast is the third book in the Applewhites series by Stephanie S. Tolan and R.J. Tolan. (Surviving the Applewhites is the first.) Reasons to love this book: realistic look at homeschooling (the... 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 →
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 →
If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko Timely. Sensitive. Amazing. All describe If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko. I love this author (of Al Capone Does My Homework, etc.) and how she handles the subject of race, bullying and family in this book. The chapters are short, which... Continue Reading →
Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright is a lovely read / listen for all ages. Portia and her younger brother, Foster, visit their cousin Julian every summer. This summer Julian has moved to the country. Portia and Julian explore and find a row of Victorian houses bordering on a swamp. It's a former resort, occupied by... Continue Reading →
As I was scrolling through my new-to-me library's Overdrive collection, I found The Magic World by E. Nesbit. I have heard the author's name before, but couldn't place where (& still can't, tho Google tells me she wrote over 60 books - all children's literature). This book is perfect for shorter drives with children. Each... Continue Reading →
Finally coming up for air after several busy weeks moving to a new state. (This was written in 2017.) While busy packing and unpacking, I enjoyed listening to one of my favorite middle grade authors, Andrew Clements. He writes fun, and funny, books which are great for light reading - and for starting discussions, if... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 