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The Serpent Slayer and the Scroll of Riddles by Champ Thornton
The Serpent Slayer and the Scroll of Riddles adapts adult theology to a middle-grade audience, wrapped in an adventure story. The Serpent Slayer and the Scroll of Riddles by Champ Thornton and Andrew Naselli. New Growth Press, 2022, 136 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 8-12 “Tome” traveling While running from the town bully, Emmet and his twin sister Nomi discover a shed door behind a tangle of vines. Doors invite opening, so Noma finagles the lock and the two find themselves in a cluttered room where one particular object one object catches Nomi’s interest. It’s a wooden box with drawers, like for holding art supplies.…
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Alice’s Farm: a Rabbit’s Tale by Maryrose Wood
Alice and her brother Thistle try to save a human’s farm in this sweet animal story by the author of The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place. Alice’s Farm: a Rabbit’s Tale by Maryrose Wood. Independently published, 2022. 285 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 8-10 Recommended For: Middle grades, ages 6-12 (note considerations below) Alice and her brother Thistle are mighty curious about the family moving in to the old farm. Two kids, a dog (warning!), and two parents. Will the rabbits be able to continue their free-ranging enjoyment of the farm now that city folk are moving in? Carl is equally curious about their plans: his family has left…
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The Boy At The Top Of The Mountain by John Boyne
Corrupting The Young The Boy At The Top Of The Mountain by John Boyne is a powerful children’s historical novel that consumed me from the start. It is perfect for ages ten and over. The novel is written in the third person from the point of view of young Pierrot who is half French and […]
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Emberly: The Impossible Princess by Jonathan Grant
Oh How He Loves Us Emberly: The Impossible Princess by Jonathan Grant is a beautiful and unique way to tell our daughters about Jesus who loves them. Jonathan Grant has taken the bare bones of the Cinderella story and filled them with the truth of the Gospel. Seasoned Christians will be easily able to recognise […]
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Hilde on Record by Hilde Lysiak
Hilde Lysiak, whose doggedness as a 9-year-old investigative reporter made her a star of journalism, tells her own story. Hilde on the Record: Memoir of a Kid Crime Reporter by Hilde Lysiak. Chicago Review Press, 2022, 159 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 12-15 Get the story If your dad is a star reporter for the New York Daily News, what do you do? Tag along on his reporting gigs, of course. Hilde Lysiak, second daughter to Matt and Bridget, thought this made perfect sense, even though she was only four at the time. Her dad decided there wouldn’t be any harm in taking her along…
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Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies
Rannoch is marked from birth, a deer who faces his destiny in this Watership Down read alike for teens. Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies. Firebird, 2007 (re-issue). 512 pages. Reading Level: Teens, ages 12 and up Recommended For: Teens, ages 12 and up Rannoch is born a marked fawn, both literally and figuratively. The special leaf-shape on his forehead sets him apart, forcing him into hiding from birth, much like Moses. An adoptive mother guards him carefully, concealing his mark with mud, watching lest Rannoch’s true identity be discovered. Sgorr, the deer with ambitions to violently take over their herd, runs things with an iron hand, and he wants none…
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A Year Of The Teacher by Steve Logston
A ‘Wow’ Ending A Year Of The Teacher by Steve Logston is a compulsive read that drew me in from the start. The action is told in the first person enabling the reader to become intimately acquainted with the lead character’s thoughts and feelings. We follow him through his first year of teaching. Teaching requires […]
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A Ration Book Victory by Jean Fullerton
The Greatest Love A Ration Book Victory by Jean Fullerton is a marvellous historical novel. It is the final book in the East End Ration Book series but can be read as a stand-alone. The action takes place in 1945 as Britain is nearing the end of the war. This is interspersed with a backwards […]
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Victory Bells For The Harpers Girls by Rosie Clarke
Community Care And Compassion Victory Bells For The Harpers Girls by Rosie Clarke is a marvellous historical novel. It is the sixth book in the Harpers Emporium series but can be read as a stand-alone. The novel covers the year 1918, a year that everyone hoped would bring the end to the world war. As […]
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The Garden Of Lost Secrets by A.M. Howell
Searching For Answers The Garden Of Lost Secrets by A.M. Howell is a wonderful children’s historical novel, just perfect for ages ten years and over. The action is set in 1916, halfway through the first World War and seen through the eyes of Clara, a young girl. She is already scarred by events as her […]
