-
The Memory Keeper Of Kyiv by Erin Litteken
Powerful And Horrifying The Memory Keeper Of Kyiv by Erin Litteken is a powerful dual timeline novel that will educate and horrify you, whilst totally consuming you. The novel is set in 2004 in America and from 1929 into the 1930’s in Ukraine. The reader hears of Stalin’s program of collectivisation and his plans to […]
-
This House Is Haunted by John Boyne
Spellbound This House Is Haunted by John Boyne is a totally gripping historical novel that had me spellbound from the very first page. I just could not put it down. The novel is set in 1867, partly in London but mainly in Norfolk. There are cultural references of the day to author Charles Dickens and […]
-
Pets Aplenty by Malcolm D Welshman
Sniggering And Snorting Throughout! Pets Aplenty by Malcolm D Welshman is an absolutely wonderful account of the life of a novice vet. It is the third book in the Pets In A Pickle series but can be read as a stand-alone. This was a delightfully entertaining book that literally had me laughing out loud. I […]
-
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.…
-
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…
-
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 […]
-
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 […]
-
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…
-
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…
-
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 […]
