Books
Christian Books
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Gladys Hunt on Award-Winning Books
Editor’s Note: On Monday, the American Library Association announces its annual Youth Media Awards But how many of the honored books will still be read 10 years from now? Over-booked! Originally published on the Tumblon website on September 1, 2009 Do you remember the hilarious story in Homer Price* about the doughnut machine that kept spilling out doughnuts faster and faster, a gadget with no shut-off button? It’s a favorite chapter in the book for most readers. Thinking of it makes me smile. That’s the way people feel if they want to keep up on children’s books—there is an endless supply of new ones. Someone recently sent me an email,…
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*A Dragon Used to Live Here by Annette LeBlanc Cate
In a whimsical tale within a tale, two royal children discover that their castle (and their own mother!) have a very interesting past. A Dragon Used to Live Here by Annette LeBlanc Cate. Candlewick, 2022, 256 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended For: ages 6-12 as a read-aloud, 8-12 independent readers Noble children Thomas and Emily are at a bit of a loose end. While the castle is busy preparing for a surprise party, it’s summer, and they have free time. Imagine their interest when they discover a mysterious door leading to a world of scribes and party invitations. Leading the scribes is the irascible Meg who claims…
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Newbery Buzz #3: Northwind
Might Gary Paulsen’s last novel be a sentimental favorite for Newbery recognition? The State of Nature Betsy: Janie, this is only the second Paulsen book I’ve read (the first was Gone to the Woods, his stark memoir published last year). Before reading Northwind, I read your review in which you compared this to Hatchet (a book I must read someday!). I can’t speak to its similarities to Hatchet, I enjoyed Northwind more than Gone to the Woods, simply based on the reading experience. It’s not as grim or despairing, although, as you point out in your review, the opening chapters “are unrelievedly grim, as death stalks all of Leif’s companions…
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Arranged With Love by Tracy Smoak
Utterly Beautiful Arranged With Love by Tracy Smoak is a beautiful devotional that will aid your daily walk with God. As you read, the heart of the Father will connect with your heart. The devotionals are all set around the natural world. There are beautiful photos of trees and plants. I only had a black […]
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The Testing Of Rose Alleyn by Vivien Freeman
A Window On 1900 The Testing Of Rose Alleyn by Vivien Freeman is a charming snapshot into bygone days. The novel is set in 1900 in a small town in the S.E. of England. It is written in the first person from the point of view of Rose Alleyn. The reader is given a window […]
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My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor
Extraordinary Bravery My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor is a comprehensive historical novel that will educate you as you read. The novel is set in occupied Rome in 1943. It has its’ roots in fact but is a work of fiction set around real life personalities. There are two alternating time periods – Rome 1943 […]
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Those People Next Door by Kia Abdullah
Wow – Top Notch Those People Next Door by Kia Abdullah is a totally gripping contemporary crime drama that consumed me from the start. Kia Abdullah is a marvelous author whose novels are always top notch. She writes gritty fiction that is always heart breaking. In Those People Next Door we witness, with horror, the […]
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Just The Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica
Wow – Jaw Dropping! Just The Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica is a marvellous psychological suspense that totally consumed me. The action is set in suburbia and seen through two different points of view, one on either side of the situation. The reader is completely immersed in the action. We believe what we are being […]
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The Flame Tree by Siobhan Daiko
Extraordinary Bravery The Flame Tree by Siobhan Daiko is a fascinating historical novel and part of the Hong Kong Collection. The story is fictional but has its roots in fact. It is set in 1939 and into the World War II years in Hong Kong. I was educated as I read about the brave people […]
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Your Place Or Mine? by Portia MacIntosh
Delightfully Fun Your Place Or Mine? by Portia MacIntosh is a delightful contemporary offering that made me smile from the start. I always adore Portia MacIntosh’s novels. They are very charming and make me feel good. Your Place Or Mine? is wonderfully light-hearted and highly amusing. I found myself chortling out loud at times. It […]
