In Checked, one family’s deep involvement in hockey provides the background for life questions. Checked by Cynthis Kadohata.  Atheneum, 2019, 404 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-15, especially boys Connor McRae, age 13, has already lost two moms: his birth mother to an early death and his stepmother to divorce.  He didn’t really bond with the latter, and he understands that one reason for the breakup was him—that is, his obsession with hockey.  Hockey is a family sport by it’s very nature, because you can’t play it in the local sandlot or bowling alley.  In southern California, where ice doesn’t naturally occur, the sport requires…

A dauntless 11-year-old boy confronts a possible Russian spy in this Cold-War-era thriller. Spy Runner by Eugene Yelchin.  Henry Holt (Godwin Books), 2019, 343 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 12-15, especially boys It’s 1953 and there’s a war on in Korea, but Jake McCauley’s dad has been missing from the earlier war—the one against the Nazis—from before Jake can remember him.  “MIA” means he may still be alive—possibly in Russia, where the Commies could be torturing him or keeping him in a slave-labor camp.  Communism is the enemy now. Jake’s sixth-grade class knows all about it, especially when patriots like Major Armbruster, father of Jake’s…

Ladies, are you enjoying your chosen books for our Faith, Fiction, & Fellowship read-along?  Faith, Fiction, & Fellowship Discussion, Week 3 If you’ve purchased the official reading guide, you’ll have plenty of questions to help you think about the themes and connections in the books. But to help get the conversation going, here are a couple of week three’s questions that work for any of the books. (Feel free to answer in the comment section! We’re also going to dive into these in the Facebook group for the read-along.) Question 1: In what ways might you begrudge another sister? What about the characters in your book? Are their characters who are jealous…

Megan was refreshed after a day of listening to three wise women at a one-day retreat…and she brought home another booklist. Note the fairy tale motifs: Three wise women giving counsel. A few weeks ago I drove three rainy wee morning hours to hear Cindy Rollins, Angelina Stanford, and Renee Mathis speak at the CiRCE 2019 Kindred Retreat. I have been impressed with Stanford’s convictions about evidence of Truth in fairy tales and mythology, and was eager to meet her in person. Rollins is known for her Morning Time habits through years of homeschooling her children, and is the author of Mere Motherhood. Mathis is an interesting character: her credentials…

Naima loves to draw, but how can she use that gift to help her poor Bangladeshi family earn some much needed income? Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins. Charlesbridge, 2008. 96 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 8-10 Recommended For: Ages 8 and up (as a read aloud or independent read) Naima loves to draw, and she’s the best in her Bangladeshi village at drawing the traditional alpana designs on houses. Made from rice powder, the lovely designs wash away like chalk. Naima can’t earn money making alpana designs, though, no matter how talented she is. Naima can’t earn money doing much of anything as a girl in her village. But…

Chiko and Tu Reh learn to face challenges and love their enemies in modern day, war-torn Burma in this realistic fiction novel for teens. Starred review. *Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins. Charlesbridge, 2012 (reprint). 288 pages. Reading Level: Teens, ages 12-15 Recommended For: Teens (ages 12 and up) All Chiko wants to do is support his mother by earning a little extra money, preferably in a quiet, academic vocation. Ever since the Burmese government took his father for “crimes,” it’s been up to Chiko to be the man of the house. When he answers an ad for a possible job, however, Chiko ends up “recruited” (forcibly) by the Burmese government…