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The Chalet by Catherine Cooper
Marvellous Debut The Chalet by Catherine Cooper is a contemporary psychological suspense and an absolutely fabulous debut novel. My interest was grabbed and held from the very first page. The novel is set in 1998 and twenty years later in a French ski resort. There are multiple known narrators and one unknown voice. I found […]
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A Virgin River Christmas by Robyn Carr
Healing Hearts A Virgin River Christmas by Robyn Carr is a delightful contemporary festive offering. It is the fourth book in the Virgin River series but can be read as a stand-alone. I enjoyed my return visit to Virgin River and greeting old and new faces. Virgin River is a town with a huge heart. […]
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Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth Bunce
Premeditated Myrtle introduces a precocious 12-year-old Victorian detective with a trusty governess sidekick. Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth Bunce. Algonquin Young Readers, 2020, 355 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 Introducing Myrtle Hardcastle, age 12, daughter of a prominent public solicitor (and eligible widower). Myrtle loves her father’s profession: “the way he pierced together individual bits of evidence into a clear, undeniable picture. It was like the way the planets fit together in the heavens, or the sixty-six elements in the Periodic Table. A natural order to the universe, life and death, good and evil, law and order.” Obviously not the typical well-bred young lady of…
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Finally, Something Mysterious by Doug Cornett
Finally, Something Mysterious kicks off a middle-grader mystery series set in Bellwood, a small town with more than its share of eccentrics. Finally, Something Mysterious by Doug Cornett. Alfred A. Knopf, 2020, 242 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 8-12 “Strange but boring” is how Paul Marconi would describe his hometown, Bellwood. Seen from above, the town is laid out in a shape resembling a bell and is surrounded by woods, so there’s that. And the biggest deal of the year is the Bellwood Bratwurst Bonanza, where amateur chefs try to outdo each other with creative sausage recipes. But still, days and seasons turn pretty much…
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Have You Seen the Redeemed Reader Quarterly?
Remember the days of full-color, glossy-paged print magazines that would arrive in your mailbox every month? Recall that pleasant sensation of opening up the latest issue of content-loaded goodness and no (or very little) advertising. Saturday Review, American Heritage, Gourmet, and even Mad Magazine now reside in the journalistic trash heap of history, but– Redeemed Reader is going back to the future! We’re not talking about catalogues of ads with content you have to track down from page to page. Nor are we talking about weekly mags that stack up in forbidding piles because you don’t have time to read them. The Fall issue of Redeemed Reader Quarterly is 21…
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Machines in Motion by Tom Jackson and illustrated by Chris Mould
Machines in Motion is a fascinating picture book absolutely packed with interesting illustrations and trivia all about transportation. Machines in Motion: The Amazing History of Transportation by Tom Jackson and illustrated by Chris Mould. Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2020. 64 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 8-12 Recommended For: Ages 8-12 Do you ever think about the invention of the wheel? What about the many vehicles that take people from here to there? Did you know that the first man who attempted flying in a “rocket” was actually a Chinese man several centuries ago? Or that a monk tried to “fly” in the 11th century? Or that someone invented a hovercraft…
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The Bride Of Ivy Green by Julie Klassen
A Delightful Tale The Bride Of Ivy Green by Julie Klassen is a fabulous Christian historical novel set in 1821. It is the third book in the Tales From Ivy Hill series but can be read as a stand-alone. I enjoyed catching up with familiar faces and meeting new ones. There is a wonderful community […]
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There’s a Lion in My Nativity! by Lizzie Lafterton and illustrated by Kim Barnes
Rhyming text and colorful illustrations help children understand more about Jesus and the Christmas story in this new Christmas picture book. There’s a Lion in My Nativity! by Lizzie Laferton and illustrated by Kim Barnes. The Good Book Co., 2020. 24 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 4-8 Recommended For: Ages 0-8 Have you ever seen a lion in a church or school nativity play? A lion certainly doesn’t appear in Luke 2. But perhaps a lion does have a place in a nativity play. After all, the lion is an image used for Jesus in the Bible. A lion isn’t the only odd thing that appears in the nativity…
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*Hosanna in Excelsis by David and Barbara Leeman
Sing a new song every day of Advent with Hosanna in Excelsis, an Advent devotional that offers a different Christmas hymn each day of Advent. *Hosanna in Excelsis: Hymns and Devotions for the Christmas Season by David and Barbara Leeman. Moody, 2020. 128 pages. Reading Level: Adult Recommended For: All ages (families, schools, churches, etc.) Christmas hymns and traditional carols are among some of the most beloved songs in our sacred music tradition. Hosanna in Excelsis offers a magnificent collection of these beloved songs—some of which will be new to you and your family. Beginning with the first day of Advent, there is one song for each day until Epiphany…
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A Better Than Anything Christmas by Barbara Reaoch
Dig in to the Christmas story a bit more intentionally this year with A Better Than Anything Christmas, a family Advent devotional with interactive questions and journaling prompts. A Better Than Anything Christmas by Barbara Reaoch. The Good Book Company, 2020. 96 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 10-12 Recommended For: The Whole Family Most Advent devotionals can be used year after year: families read the selected portion of Scripture, read the reflection in the devotional, do an activity or sing a song or say a prayer (or all three). Not so with A Better Than Anything Christmas. In this devotional, families will be writing answers to questions and drawing…
