A conniving traitor who plots to overthrow the throne by dispatching one family member after another is threatened by a heroic young squirrel who drops out of the sky. *Urchin of the Riding Stars: Mistmantle Chronicles, Book One by M.I. McAllister.  Miramax Books, 2005, 282 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: Middle grades, ages 8-12, and up; makes a great read aloud I don’t know what it is about English authors, but they are brilliant creators of the coziest and most delightful animal tales that radiate Truth and Story. If you could draft squirrels and hedgehogs from Beatrix Potter, and otters and moles from Kenneth Graeme, then…

With humor and heart, Pie in the Sky explores the experience of a young Asian immigrant with much more than assimilation on his mind. Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai. Henry Holt, 2019, 327 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, 8-10 Recommended for: ages 8-15 Moving to Australia from China was Papa’s idea. Papa is gone now, but Jingwen’s mam decided to move to Australia anyway, so they’re here, and Ah-gong and Ah-po (grandparents) have been left behind, along with all of Jingwen’s friends. His little brother Yanghao is being even more annoying than usual, and Jingwen can’t understand or speak to anyone outside his immediate family. English may as…

Wren Clemmons learns much about herself, the desert, and true friendship during wilderness therapy camp in this engaging teen read about drug use. Wild Bird by Wendelin Van Draanen. Knopf, 2017. 340 pages. Reading Level: Ages 12 and up Recommended For: Ages 12 and up When police show up to take 14-year-old Wren Clemmons into custody, it’s 3:47 a.m. Hung over and frantic without her phone, Wren is led away from her family to destination unknown. Apparently, her parents had planned this in advance? They actually signed her up for a wilderness therapy camp? Do they really know just how bad this wilderness camp is? And that she has to…

Swing and Solo: two novels-in-verse for teens that grapple with music (jazz and rock and roll), baseball, young love, and what’s really important in life. Swing by Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess. Blink, 2018. 448 pages. Reading Level: Ages 12 and up Recommended For: Ages 14 and up Noah wants nothing more than for one of his best friends, Sam (short for Samantha), to fall in love with him. He’s pined after her for years. Noah’s other best friend, Walt, wants nothing more than to get on the varsity baseball team. But what’s a guy to do when the love of his life thinks of him as a brother?…

The Pearl Sister by Lucinda Riley is a marvellous epic historical and contemporary tale. In this book the reader follows Ce-Ce’s search for her roots. This takes the reader to the hot, dry climate of the Australian outback both in the modern era and a hundred years earlier. We ‘experience’ the unrelenting sun and the vast open spaces. The reader learns about the Aborigines and some of their traditions. They are fiercely loyal and dedicated to their friends. The native Australians suffer racial prejudice. Children of mixed race are rejected by white Australians. The novel examines the plight of orphans. There are some huge, kind hearts who open their homes to…

Dead Memories by Angela Marsons is a marvellous, well thought out contemporary crime novel. It is the tenth book in the D.I. Kim Stone series but can be read as a stand-alone. This was my first book by Angela Marsons and I was gripped – partly due to the action all being set in the Black Country which is where my roots are. I loved knowing and being able to picture the locations – especially the old Cradley Heathens Dudley Wood stadium where I used to watch speedway with my Dad and brothers on the back straight when our team Coventry were there. The familiar locations really helped the novel come…

Love’s Belief by Linda Shenton Matchett is a Christian historical novel set in Germany in 1943. It is the third book in the Wartime Brides series but can be read as a stand-alone. This is a powerful book about having the courage and faith to stand up against the forces of evil. We have to trust God’s plans for our lives in the midst of this evil. “I have seen the worst man has to offer.” We must trust that God will deliver us but even if He does not, we will trust Him anyway. Nazi Germany was a dangerous place to be. Walls had ears. Hitler must not be criticised…

An autistic girl and socially-awkward boy team up to solve a crime and absolve an innocent man. Me and Sam-Sam Handle the Apocalypse by Susan Vaught.  Paula Wiseman Books (Simon & Shuster), 2019, 309 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 When the tornado hit, Jesse was being bullied by the usual trio—Chris, Trisha, and Ryker, a.k.a. Jerkface and the Cockroaches.  Then the siren sounded and the sky went greenish and all heck broke loose— But back up one week, when the real trouble started.  Jesse’s mom is on deployment in Iraq, her great-aunt Gustine (Gus) is the resident mom, and Sam-Sam, her Pomeranian is her…

Graphic artist Don Brown give us a comprehensive visual account of the Apollo space program. Rocket to the Moon! (Big Ideas that Changed the World #1) by Don Brown.  Amulet, 132 pages including index, notes, and bibliography. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 8-14 The idea of rocket propulsion goes back several hundred years (think of the “rockets’ red glare” dating from 1814).  But the idea of traveling by rocket is only about a hundred years old, and one of the first to try it was Rodman Law of New Jersey.  He becomes our narrator for this graphic history of the Apollo Project, the first major goal…