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Gladys Hunt on Reading Together
Editor’s Note: Most of us don’t need persuading, but how do you find the time to read together as a family? Glady Hunt has some encouraging words. Read the Same Books Originally posted on the Tumblon website, March 24, 2009 “How do people know each other’s friends if they don’t read the same books?” That’s a good question, and the answer is even better. Read the same books! Most families stop reading aloud much too soon. We want children to read on their own, but we also need to be reading books together as a family. Why? For a starter, I can’t think of any single thing that does more…
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The Secret Keeper by Amanda James
Righting Wrongs And Healing Wounds The Secret Keeper by Amanda James is a wonderful contemporary romantic mystery which I loved. Set mainly in Tintagel, the scenery comes alive with Amanda James vivid descriptions. The reader ‘walks’ through the action, fully involved rather than a passive participant. Cornwall is a place ‘of mystery and magic.” The […]
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Boys Need Santa Claus Because … by Tonya L Matthews
The True Meaning Of Christmas Boys Need Santa Claus Because… by Tonya L Matthews is a lovely little book for the under tens showing them the true meaning of Christmas. It is aimed primarily at boys but girls would enjoy it too. We see a young boy who knows what he wants for Christmas. As […]
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A Girl’s Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong by Tonya L Matthews
The Real Reason For The Season A Girl’s Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong by Tonya L Matthews is a perfectly beautiful book that tells us the real reason for the season. It is for children under ten years old. In fact, whatever your age, it will draw your focus to Jesus. Portia is a young girl […]
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Curly Worm by Linda Sawdon
Very Charming Curly Worm by Linda Sawdon is a very charming tale for the under fives. It is a beautiful book as we follow the exploits of a worm who joins a dancing class. The story is written in rhyme and has a bouncy rhythm to it. This will make it easy for children to […]
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The Adventures Of Gorg by Julia Sawyer
Sound Advice The Adventures Of Gorg by Julia Sawyer is a powerful little book for the under tens to help them cope in the modern world. We learn that we all have the same primitive thinking – no one likes me; there’s danger; etc – and we have them same body responses – get ready […]
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Family Secrets At The Inglenook Inn by Helen Rolfe
Charming Family Secrets At The Inglenook Inn by Helen Rolfe is the most charming contemporary novel about family, love and support. It is sure to put a smile on your face as you read. A warm welcome awaits at Inglenook Inn where guests are treated to delicious treats and home-cooked meals. Nothing is too much […]
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*Berliners by Vesper Stamper
Berliners is the story of a family scarred by war, politics, and false ideology in postwar Germany. *Berliners by Vesper Stamper. Knopf, 2022, 413 pages. Reading Level: Teen, ages 15-18 Recommended for: ages 16-up A family divided Though they are twins, Rudi and Peter Moser-Fleishchman do not resemble each other in appearance or personality. Peter is the golden one, blonde and good-looking and talented, with theater ambitions. Rudi is short, blunt, and earnest, especially regarding the Marxist ideals of East Berlin, where they reside with their parents and paternal grandmother (Oma). Both boys lead their local chapter of the FDJ, or Free German Youth, the Deutschland version of Russia’s Young…
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Agent Most Wanted by Sonia Purnell
Virginia Hall, one of history’s most effective spies, is the subject of this engrossing biography. Agent Most Wanted: The Never-before-Told Story of the Most Dangerous Spy of World War II by Sonia Purnell. Viking, 2022, 188 pages plus notes, index, and bibliography. Reading Level: Teen, ages 12-15 Recommended for: ages 12-18 Virginia Hall knew her own mind from an early age. Unlike most Baltimore belles, she didn’t go in for fancy dresses and finishing school. Her father encouraged her independent spirit, allowing her to study abroad and eventually seek a diplomatic career. The early death of her father and the reluctance of the state department to appoint female diplomats didn’t…
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Unbreakable by Rebecca Barone
Unbreakable makes the complicated story of unlocking the Enigma code accessible for young readers. Unbreakable: The Spies Who Cracked the Nazis’ Secret Code by Rebecca E. F. Barone. Henry Holt, 2022, 239 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-15 If you know anything about World War II, you’ve heard of “Enigma,” the code system that helped Nazi forces, particularly U-Boats, wreak havoc among the Allies until its secrets were finally unlocked. Unbreakable fleshes out the mystery of Enigma with interesting personalities and little-known facts. I didn’t know, for instance, that Enigma was developed by the Germans an entire decade before the war began. Or that Polish…
