Back Porch Book Chat: A casual, virtual conversation about books. Join us as we chat with book lovers like ourselves about a topic we all love! Our guest today is Josiah Pettit, director of Westminster Books. He chats with us about reading with his family, directing a bookstore, and more! Books are linked to RR reviews, where applicable. Interview conducted by Betsy. Getting to Know Josiah Pettit Before we begin, tell us what beverage you’d like as we sit in our (virtual) rocking chairs on this late spring day: Sweet tea? Lemonade? Ice water? Maybe you’re a milkshake fan like Lucy Gundersen? For me, the right beverage selection has everything…

Mothering Day Originally published on the Tumblon website, May 10, 2009 The British call it “Mothering Day”—the day they honor mothers. Adding that ing gives action to the noun. Our American Mother’s Day focuses more on being a mother, on the person, rather than the doing. But no matter. Mothers in their being are often also doing. Psychologists have had a heyday tracing adult oddities to early childhood training and blaming mothers for all irregular behavior. While it is true that we all leave our mark on those closest to us to some extent, we ought to have some doubts about the perceptions of people who too easily say, “Honestly,…

Make Way tells the story of a very famous family of ducks, the man who made them famous and the woman who made them a landmark. *Make Way: The Story of Robert McCloskey, Nancy Schön, and some very Famous Ducklings by Angel Burke Kunkel, illustrated by Claire Keane. Random House Studio, 2023, 42 pages. Reading Level: Picture Book, ages 4-8 Recommended for: ages 3-10 The beginning of an idea “In the beginning, a duck is an egg. A drawing is a blank page. A sculpture is a lump of clay.” A boy named Bob, growing up in Hamilton, Ohio, knows he wants to be an artist but can’t at first…

Abandon Ship! tells the little-known story of a World War II sea disaster with a surprising twist. Abandon Ship! The True World War II Story about the Sinking of the Laconia by Michael J. Tougias and Alison O’Leary. Little, Brown, 2023, 252 pages, including glossary and bibliography. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-15 A dangerous gamble The passengers of the RMS Laconia knew it was risky to set out from Egypt to Liverpool without an escort. World War II was well underway and German U-Boats plied the Atlantic looking for likely targets. The Laconia was a former luxury liner-turned-troopship, but was now carrying mostly civilians, some…

What if a book writes itself, but is determined that no one should actually read the final product? The Book That No One Wanted to Read by Richard Ayoade. Walker Books, 2023, 128 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: Ages 10 and up … I can say with all modesty that this might be the most important book of all time. Why? Because it’s the first book to have been written by a book. Most books are written by authors. Take it from me, authors can be quite annoying. They go on and on, filling up page after page, but they have no idea what it’s like…