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Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A. F. Steadman
The much-hyped fantasy series opener Skandar and the Unicorn Thief breaks new ground in unicorn lore. Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A. F. Steadman. Simon & Schuster, 2022, 418 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 Mythical and Deadly Any reader who visualizes unicorns as sparkly magical creatures making rainbow poop will be disenchanted in the first few pages of this new fantasy series. Unicorns are indeed magical, but extremely deadly. And immortal, but rather than live eternally, they die eternally: skeletal beasts with rotting breath and savage teeth and hooves. That is, unless they bond and remain with their rider, the one human who…
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The Adventures Of Flora Bee: Saving Ruth Bee And Other Stories by Rhodri Davies
A Pure Delight The Adventures Of Flora Bee: Saving Ruth Bee And Other Stories by Rhodri Davies is an absolutely delightful book for young children. There are four individual tales which are totally charming and cleverly thought out. Adults reading the tales will raise a smile as we recognize several play-on-words. I particularly liked Red […]
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Your Pal Fred by Michael Rex
A fun graphic novel for young middle-graders, Your Pal Fred pictures a dystopian world startled by kindness. Your Pal Fred by Michael Rex. Viking, 2022, 257 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 7-11 To this grim landscape comes . . . Lots of bad stuff has happened in the world—big wars, aliens, robot, comets, and LOTS of cats, who stank up everything. The earth is a big rusty wasteland when siblings Pug and Plug go foraging for scraps and end up running from a conscription machine. Seeking refuge in a cave, they happen upon a cache of toys. From a box labeled “Your Pal Fred” steps…
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*Wonderfull: Ancient Psalms Ever New by Marty Machowski
Wonderfull is a guide to the Psalms that introduces young people to modeling their devotional life after that of the Psalmist. Wonderfull: Ancient Psalms Ever New by Marty Machowski. New Growth Press, 2020. 272 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 8-10 Recommended For: All ages Using a similar format as The Ology, with a frame story and an intriguing antiquarian book, Wonderfull is a softly illustrated walk through the Psalms with a boy and his grandfather. Rather than moving sequentially from one Psalm to the next, Wonderfull offers some thematic organization such as grouping 6-7 and 9-13 as “Prayers for Difficult Days” and returning to Psalm 8 with a reminder…
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The Adventures Of Flora Bee: Spies by Rhodri Davies
Timeless The Adventures Of Flora Bee: Spies by Rhodri Davies is an other charming book in the series for young children. The winning formula begun in book one continues – double pages with six rhyming couplets and illustrations. It appeals to all, with its’ familiarity. We know that the words will bounce along and the […]
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The Adventures Of Flora Bee: Bee School by Rhodri Davies
Delightful The Adventures Of Flora Bee: Bee School by Rhodri Davies is a delightful book for young children. It will bring a smile to the faces of those who are listening and to the adults reading it. It is a book you will never grow tired of. More experienced readers will be able to read […]
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Picture Books about Nature: Be Thankful for Trees, Yoshi and the Ocean, and The Whale Who Swam Through Time
The Blessing of a Tree Be Thankful for Trees by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Brian Fitzgerald. Red Comet Press, 2022, 80 pages. Reading Level: Picture book, ages 0-4 Recommended for: ages 2-5 The subtitle is, “A tribute to the many and surprising ways trees relate to our lives.” So let’s count the ways: trees contribute to our food supply, our comfort, our music, our art, our recreation, our homes, and our lives in general. Without them, would we have any of these things? Once you’re finished with this book, you’ll realize . . . probably not. This isn’t a science book about photosynthesis or the oxygen exchange. In some ways,…
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New From Here by Kelly Yang
New from Here looks at the recent pandemic through the perspective of an Asian-American family hoping to escape the virus in California. New from Here by Kelly Yang. Simon & Shuster, 2022, 368 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 Safety first Knox Wei-Evans was named for Knox Beach, in northern California. It’s an unusual name in Hong Kong, where he lives with his family, but his is an unusual family: Asian mom raised in the US, white dad, two siblings (big brother Bowen and irrepressible little sister Lea). The family spends much of every summer in the States, but Knox never imagined living there. However,…
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Trapped in Terror Bay by Sigmund Brouwer
Trapped in Terror Bay takes readers into the mystery of the ill-fated Arctic voyage of the Franklin Expedition, 1845. Trapped in Terror Bay: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Franklin Expedition by Sigmund Brouwer. Kids Can Press, 2022, 155 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-15 The quest What nonfiction fan could resist a title like that? The Franklin Expedition, launched in 1845, was one of many attempts to find a “Northwest Passage” from the Atlantic to the Pacific, a quest that had consumed European nations ever since the discovery of North America. Speculators were not wrong about the existence of a northwest passage, but fatally…
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Love At The Garden Tomb by R F Whong
Speak Softly Love Love At The Garden Tomb by R F Whong is a powerful contemporary Christian novel set in the 1990’s and 2010. The novel has God at its centre. We see the importance of putting God first and trusting His plans for our lives even when life makes no sense. A character is […]
