The “last day of summer” turns into a literal race against time for two intrepid, legendary sleuths. The Last Last-Day-of-Summer by Lamar Giles.  Versify (HMH), 2019, 288 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 8-14 Octavius (Otto) and his cousin Rasheed (Sheed) are already legends in their hometown of Fry, Virginia: mystery-solvin’, adventure-lovin’, hard bike-ridin’sleuths rivaled only by the Epic Ellison twins.  As another legendary summer comes to an end, the boys set out to enjoy one last epic day of sunshine and adventure.  Then a man in a white suit with a Polaroid camera appears.  He tricks the boys into taking a picture of their home…

It’s time for summer reading! Do your tweens and teens have summer reading assignments for school? Perhaps a classic or two and maybe a contemporary “buzz” book? Summer Reading … Not Just for School Summer reading for school certainly serves a purpose, but so does summer reading that builds family relationships and family culture. When tweens and teens are already reading assigned books for school, we might hesitate to require more reading. After all, there’s a place for pool time and summer camp and visits with grandparents, too. But what if you asked your tweens or teens to read just ONE extra book this summer? A book of your choice?…

It’s time for a summer reading challenge! Redeemed Reader isn’t sponsoring a particular summer reading challenge this summer, but we’ve got some fantastic options in our archives. Even if you participated in one of these before, your kids are indubitably older than the first go ’round, so you can read different books on the list! Around the World in 60 Days Try our most popular, most extensive summer reading challenge and travel the globe, read old books, new books, graphic novels, nonfiction, fairy tales, and more. We’re in the process of updating this challenge so it’s more accessible and easier to use, but for now, you’ll have to follow the…

A disgruntled boy gifted with “time sight” discovers a way back into his own family’s history. *Time Sight by Lynne Jonell.  Henry Holt, 2019, 389 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-15 “Will wasn’t entirely sure why he was on a plane to Scotland with only his little brother and no parents at all.”  But he isn’t very happy about it.  His mother, away on a medical mission to some disaster-prone, third-world country, has run into some kind of trouble.  Political trouble, maybe involving soldiers and guns.  Now Dad has flown away to try and fix it and Will and Jamie are on their way to…

Moms need book recommendations, too! Those of you who enjoyed the Faith, Fiction, and Fellowship Read-Along in the spring read through Christina Fox’s Closer Than a Sister. She mentioned one of her new books in the video interview we did. Today, we look at both Idols of a Mother’s Heart and her brand new, out-today book, Sufficient Hope: Gospel Meditations and Prayers for Moms. Both of these books are outstanding reads and might be just what you need this summer as you sit poolside, watching your offspring frolic and splash. Idols of a Mother’s Heart Idols of a Mother’s Heart is a mix between a punch to the gut and…

“I’m reading a book that’s a little slow.” I told a friend. “Why not stop reading it?” It was a fair question, but it hadn’t even crossed my mind. “Because I like the author . . . and she has these wonderful sentences that make the rest of the book worth reading.” In a nutshell, that could describe much of Robin McKinley. Born in Ohio in 1952, McKinley grew up a navy brat —devouring Andrew Lang’s fairytales, T. H. White’s Once and Future King, as well as Lord of the Rings.  “When I was a child, back in the Palaeolithic Era, that was what there was after you’d read all…

Ronan Boyle is the hapless hero of this hilarious new fantasy series that pits special-unit Irish police against nefarious leprechauns. Ronan Boyle and the Bridge of Riddles by Thomas Lennon, illustrated by John Hendrix.  Amulet, 2019, 286 pages. Reading level: Teen, ages 12-15 Recommended for: 12-15 Ronan Boye, at 15, is considered the perfect size for recruitment to a special unit of Irish Garda (police), especially after he successfully carries out a skinny-guy mission.  That is, descend into a pit through an impossibly narrow opening to rescue a baby kidnapped by a disgruntled leprechaun.  Leprechauns, in spite of what you may have heard or deduced from St. Patrick’s Day logos,…