Finally, Something Mysterious kicks off a middle-grader mystery series set in Bellwood, a small town with more than its share of eccentrics. Finally, Something Mysterious by Doug Cornett. Alfred A. Knopf, 2020, 242 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 8-12 “Strange but boring” is how Paul Marconi would describe his hometown, Bellwood. Seen from above, the town is laid out in a shape resembling a bell and is surrounded by woods, so there’s that. And the biggest deal of the year is the Bellwood Bratwurst Bonanza, where amateur chefs try to outdo each other with creative sausage recipes. But still, days and seasons turn pretty much…

Remember the days of full-color, glossy-paged print magazines that would arrive in your mailbox every month? Recall that pleasant sensation of opening up the latest issue of content-loaded goodness and no (or very little) advertising. Saturday Review, American Heritage, Gourmet, and even Mad Magazine now reside in the journalistic trash heap of history, but– Redeemed Reader is going back to the future! We’re not talking about catalogues of ads with content you have to track down from page to page. Nor are we talking about weekly mags that stack up in forbidding piles because you don’t have time to read them. The Fall issue of Redeemed Reader Quarterly is 21…

Machines in Motion is a fascinating picture book absolutely packed with interesting illustrations and trivia all about transportation. Machines in Motion: The Amazing History of Transportation by Tom Jackson and illustrated by Chris Mould. Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2020. 64 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 8-12 Recommended For: Ages 8-12 Do you ever think about the invention of the wheel? What about the many vehicles that take people from here to there? Did you know that the first man who attempted flying in a “rocket” was actually a Chinese man several centuries ago? Or that a monk tried to “fly” in the 11th century? Or that someone invented a hovercraft…

Rhyming text and colorful illustrations help children understand more about Jesus and the Christmas story in this new Christmas picture book. There’s a Lion in My Nativity! by Lizzie Laferton and illustrated by Kim Barnes. The Good Book Co., 2020. 24 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 4-8 Recommended For: Ages 0-8 Have you ever seen a lion in a church or school nativity play? A lion certainly doesn’t appear in Luke 2. But perhaps a lion does have a place in a nativity play. After all, the lion is an image used for Jesus in the Bible. A lion isn’t the only odd thing that appears in the nativity…

Sing a new song every day of Advent with Hosanna in Excelsis, an Advent devotional that offers a different Christmas hymn each day of Advent. *Hosanna in Excelsis: Hymns and Devotions for the Christmas Season by David and Barbara Leeman. Moody, 2020. 128 pages. Reading Level: Adult Recommended For: All ages (families, schools, churches, etc.) Christmas hymns and traditional carols are among some of the most beloved songs in our sacred music tradition. Hosanna in Excelsis offers a magnificent collection of these beloved songs—some of which will be new to you and your family. Beginning with the first day of Advent, there is one song for each day until Epiphany…

Dig in to the Christmas story a bit more intentionally this year with A Better Than Anything Christmas, a family Advent devotional with interactive questions and journaling prompts. A Better Than Anything Christmas by Barbara Reaoch. The Good Book Company, 2020. 96 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 10-12 Recommended For: The Whole Family Most Advent devotionals can be used year after year: families read the selected portion of Scripture, read the reflection in the devotional, do an activity or sing a song or say a prayer (or all three). Not so with A Better Than Anything Christmas. In this devotional, families will be writing answers to questions and drawing…

These three books are ideal for sharing and snuggling with a little one. Catch that Chicken! by Atinuke, illustrated by Angela Brooksbank. Candlewick, 2020. Unpaged. Lami is not the best in the village at spelling or braiding hair, and she is not brave around the bulls, but she is the best chicken catcher and boldest in her pursuit of them. After a chase goes awry, she can no longer catch the village chickens that elude her. What will she do? She can still use her head. Colorful, lively, full of interesting characters and an authentic sense of life in Africa, told in simple language and loaded with illustrations that will…