The Wimpy Kid’s long-suffering best friend takes the narrative helm in the latest from the wildly successful book franchise. Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal by Jeff Kinney.  Amulet, 2019, 217 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 8-12 For 13 volumes, Greg Hefley (a.k.a. the Wimpy Kid) has had his say about middle school, girl crushes, teachers, stinky cheese, and dumb kids.  Now it’s time for Rowley Jefferson to take the stage.  If Greg will let him.  Rowley, self-dubbed “the Awesome Friendly Kid,” knows he’s awesome and friendly because his dad routinely says so.  And Dad is 100% correct: if there was a…

The movie version of Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, which included some creative liberties, was faithful to the themes of the classic allegory and fueled a delightful family discussion about the differences between the book and the movie. Can a movie measure up? It can be difficult for me to watch a film version of a well-loved book, because usually the discrepancies are unbearable. My 7yo son expressed his reservations when I bought tickets, but we watched a trailer and I was fairly certain that these producers would handle the story carefully. After an introduction by Kristyn Getty, in which she briefly describes the historical context and the importance of sanctified imagination,…

The Collectors is the first volume of a duology that explores the limits of human responsibility for the destiny of others. The Collectors by Jacqueline West.  Greenwillow, 2018, 372 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-15 Giovanni (Van) is the only son of Ingrid Markson, a celebrated soprano who travels the world with him in tow.  Small, meek, and unassuming, he lives in her shadow.  Content to be an observer rather than an actor, he watches for the trinkets and throwaways other people drop in pursuit of their own lives.  With these he acts out scenarios with himself as “SuperVan,” protector of the weak.  One day…

Adulting 101: #Wisdom4Life by Josh Burnette and Pete Hardesty. Broadstreet Publishing Group, 2018. 192 pages. Reading Level: Ages 16 and up Recommended For: Ages 14 and up, especially recent high school graduates (and college!) “Adulting” is the new word for those ordinary life skills my generation learned from our parents along the way (and countless generations before us). I assumed I would go to college and then live on my own, in my own apartment or house, go to my own job, pay my own expenses, drive my own car, and do other responsible adult things like carry insurance. My parents were great at teaching my sister and me these…