I was expecting it, and sure enough it happened: my local library and all its branches is shut down until March 31—and very likely beyond. Here I sit with about 18 books checked out, some of which I can enthusiastically recommend. But how will our readers get to read them? Overdrive to the rescue—sort of. I have heard of it, and I’ve noticed that my library offers certain books in electronic editions, but never bothered to download them. I don’t like reading on a screen and I don’t think it’s ideal for kids either. But if that’s the only way I can get hold of a book I really want…

Home Library … for your Neighborhood? With libraries everywhere shutting their doors, we readers still crave something to read. Reading can offer legitimate ways to pass the time, take a break from the news headlines, and re-connect with people. If you have books on your shelves you’ve already read, consider loaning them to friends.* Perhaps you may be able to borrow some in return. *As of this writing, the NIH reports that the coronavirus can live for up to 24 hours on cardboard (longer on plastic/metal). To safely loan/share books, consider the following strategy: put books in a brown paper grocery bag and stick in garage/car/outside for a day. When…

Scary Stories for Young Foxes, a 2020 Newbery Honor Book, may be more disturbing than encouraging. Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian Heidicker. Henry Hold, so19, 313 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: hard to say. Deep in Antler Wood on a chilly, smoky autumn night, seven little foxes seek out the storyteller in Bog Cavern to put a shiver in their paws. Are they “brave enough to listen and wise enough to stay to the end”? The first story features Miss Vix, a bold and clever teacher who is suddenly beset with the Yellow (rabies, apparently), and attacks the litter who were formerly her beloved…

A month ago my mother was taken to the hospital with a serious infection and blood poisoning. The former threatened a sobering 80% mortality rate; the latter could have killed her in 24 hours.  To the astonishment of all, especially the hospital staff, God heard the prayers of hundreds of people around the world on her behalf and overwhelmed us with His goodness. She left without a colon, but gained a mission field.  I was there after the immediate crisis, during her week of accelerating gains in the hospital, witnessing her testimony. She demonstrated love for the nurses and cafeteria workers alike by asking questions about their families, their personal…

The Aggie Morton series introduces young readers to a young Agatha Christie, already solving crimes in her seaside home town. The Body under the Piano (Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen #1) by Marthe Jocelyn. Tundra (PRH Canada), 2020, 318 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 Though painfully shy, Agatha (Aggie) Morton has a lively imagination. And there’s plenty to occupy her time in the seaside town of Torquay (England), 1902. Her beloved father’s passing the year before has cast a pall, but Mummy and Grannie Jane take good care of her. Also, she’s just made a friend: Hector Perot, a Belgian orphan who shares her curiosity…

The Unteachables rounds up a class full of misfits and molds them into a prize-winning team. The Unteachables by Gordon Korman. Balzer + Bray (HarperColins), 2019, 279 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: Ages 10-15 When Kiana walks into her 8th-grade homeroom on her first day at Greenwich Middle School, the students are roasting marshmallows stuck on pencils over a trash-can fire. Then a (supposedly) responsible adult enters, carrying a coffee mug the size of a toilet bowl. His first act is to calmly pour the contents over the fire. “Good morning. I’m your teacher, Mr. Kermit.” Fortunately, Kiana doesn’t plan to be around long. This is…