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Kitty Angel by Jane Daphne Knight
A Pure Delight Kitty Angel by Jane Daphne Knight is a pure delight and perfect to read to young children or for more confident readers to read themselves. Whatever your age, Kitty Angel is a perfectly charming read. We see that life has fractured a family, leaving Mum and two children out of sorts. Many […]
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Contending for the Faith by Joel Beeke and William Boekestein
Contending for the Faith takes readers back to the English Reformation and the origins of the Westminster Confession. Contending for the Faith: The Story of the Westminster Assembly by William Boekestein and Joel Beeke. Reformation Heritage, 2022, 34 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 8-12 The English Reformation is a colorful story featuring some of England’s most famous kings and queens, along with treachery, perfidy, and martyrdom. It culminated in a civil war that deposed and beheaded a king. Amid all this drama—even while war was raging—some of the most prominent Protestant ministers of the time gathered in London, at Westminster Cathedral, to hammer out a…
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The Girl I Used To Be by Debbie Howells
Breathtakingly Beautiful The Girl I Used To Be by Debbie Howells is the most beautiful contemporary book that will fill your heart with love. The book is a celebration of love. Love comes in many forms. True love requires self-sacrifice. True love sometimes means letting go. True love is what will always remain. We witness […]
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True Courage by Kathryn Barrett
A Dose Of Daily Courage True Courage by Kathryn Barrett is a compelling contemporary novel that is completely consuming. It was a cracking read. The action is set in the White House with a fictitious president who is a decorated war veteran. The walls are ingrained with past presidents who like to offer advice. The […]
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The Winter Garden by Nicola Cornick
True Treasure The Winter Garden by Nicola Cornick is a marvellous dual timeline novel that had me enthralled from the start. The book is set in present day and 1598 in the lead up to the Gunpowder Plot. Chapters alternate, as do the voices, with the action being seen through the eyes of the leading […]
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Lilac Skies by Shivani Bansal
Powerful & Heartbreaking Lilac Skies by Shivani Bansal is a powerful and heart-breaking historical novel that consumed me. Lilac Skies is a novel by a woman about women. It is set mainly from 1942 and onwards to the mid 1960’s as we follow a young Asian girl from her teen years to marriage and beyond. […]
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Wildoak by C. C. Harrington
Wildoak is a gentle story about a girl finding a voice and a cause in the natural world. Wildoak by C. C. Harrigan. Scholastic, 2022, 315 pages. Readng Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 8-14 Maggie has so much to say but can’t get the words out because of a bad stutter. The harder she tries, the heavier a block lies on her tongue, causing untold frustration. To make matters worse, her father doesn’t understand and most of her teachers have labeled her as stupid. She can only communicate with her small collection of animals, including snails, roll-up bugs, and mice—what passes for a wild menagerie in a…
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Reformation Day Holiday Traditions
Inventing a Celebration I’ve never had much use for Halloween. We didn’t celebrate it when I was growing up, substituting other family fun that day, and now I am simply turned off by the ugliness of the decor. But give me a reason to celebrate, and I love inventing traditions! Most conveniently, Reformation Day also falls on October 31st, so we use it as a day that varies the school routine, gives us an excuse to eat chocolate, and let the boys pick out their own gift. (I’m all about simplicity, since we also have an annual harvest party with lots of doughnuts around the same time!) Several years ago…
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The Empire by Michael Ball
A Dazzling Performance The Empire by Michael Ball is a marvellous debut historical novel from the actor and singer who proves he is just as talented as an author. The Empire gives a warm welcome to all who enter her pages. It is 1922, a new golden era for theatre. The First World War and […]
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*The Story of Us by Mitali Perkins and illustrated by Kevin & Kristen Howdeshell
The Story of Us tells the full redemptive story of Scripture in poetic form, using the classical 4 elements of earth, air, fire, and water. *The Story of Us by Mitali Perkins and illustrated by Kevin & Kristen Howdeshell. Beaming Books, 2022. 32 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 4-8. Recommended For: All ages. “One day, Creator came—to sort the mess…” So begins this poetic exploration of the grand story of Scripture: God, the Creator, made man to live in His perfect world. But sin entered the world, causing the entire creation to suffer (not just mankind). The Redeemer came to restore both people and creation itself. And one day,…
