Books
Christian Books
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*Hope in the Valley by Mitali Perkins
Hope in the Valley captures one girl’s momentous summer as she processes grief, grapples with change, and finds her own voice along the way. *Hope in the Valley by Mitali Perkins. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2023, 301 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grade, Ages 10-12 Recommended For: Ages 10 and up Pandita Paul is adamantly against change: whether it’s the city demolishing the lovely abandoned property next door or her widowed father *gasp* starting to date. As the story opens, Pandita is turning 13 and looking forward to summer. School is done, and it will be easier to avoid her former best friend. Time to enjoy her secret spot in the…
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The McNifficents by Amy Mckechnie
The McNifficents are a family of rambunctious kids corralled by a perceptive and conscientious Schnauzer. The McNifficents by Amy Makechnie. Simon & Schuster, 2023, 310 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 (ages 6-10 as a read-aloud) Recommended for: ages 8-12 Lord Tennyson, a very distinguished schnauzer, has an important job: corralling the six rambunctious McNiff children while their mother keeps her show garden and their father pursues his theater career. Tenny is, in short, a nanny whose role model is Mary Poppins. But the McNiffs, ranging in age from 2 to 13, may be getting too much for a canine. After a disastrous beach afternoon, Lord Tennyson is chagrined…
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The Windeby Puzzle: History and Story by Lois Lowry
The Windeby Puzzle is half history and half story: Lowry allows young readers to peer behind the curtain into the process of creating a work of fiction grounded in history. The Windeby Puzzle: History and Story by Lois Lowry. Clarion Books, 2023. 224 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10 and up The History: A Bog Body Is Found Bog bodies are a thing: human remains found in peat bogs across Northern Europe that have been remarkably preserved by the bog’s micro climate. When the body of a young girl was unearthed in 1952, speculation swirled. Who was she? Why was such a young girl dead,…
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The Widows Wine Club by Julia Jarman
All For One The Widow’s Wine Club by Julia Jarman is a delightful contemporary novel which I really enjoyed. The novel follows three widows who meet as they are choosing their husband’s caskets. We see their journey through grief as they learn to live again. Sometimes there are shocking discoveries made after death, which raise […]
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Foul Play At Seal Bay by Judy Leigh
Amateur Sleuthing At Its’ Finest Foul Play At Seal Bay by Judy Leigh is a contemporary light-hearted crime novel that I really enjoyed. It is the first book in A Morwenna Mutton Mystery series which promises to be fabulous. I cannot wait for the subsequent books. Judy Leigh has once more created an eclectic mix […]
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The Lost Heir by Jane Cable
The Ties That Bind The Lost Heir by Jane Cable is a compelling dual timeline novel. It is the second book in The Cornish Echoes Dual Timeline Mystery series but can be read as a stand-alone. The novel is set in the early nineteenth century and 2020 as lockdown begins. It evokes memories within the […]
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Digging For Victory At Rookery House by Rosie Hendry
Keep The Home Fires Burning Digging For Victory At Rookery House by Rosie Hendry is a marvellous historical novel. It is part of the Rookery House series but can be read as a stand-alone. I recommend reading the previous books for maximum enjoyment. The action opens in December 1940 at the height of the Blitz […]
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Saving The Good News Gazette by Jessie Wells
Most Charming Saving The Good News Gazette by Jessie Wells is a most charming contemporary novel that made me smile. It is the second book in The Good News Gazette series but can be read as a stand-alone. This is a book about community and big, generous hearts. The Good News Gazette exists to bring […]
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The Cornish Rebel by Nicola Pryce
Live In Hope The Cornish Rebel by Nicola Pryce is a marvellous historical novel that consumed me from the start. The action is set in 1801 in Cornwall. It is a time of change as we hear about the prospect of new turnpike roads being built. The world is teetering on a new era with […]
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Every Tree Has It’s Place by Zach Wilson
Simply Beautiful Every Tree Has It’s Place by Zach Wilson is a beautiful book for the under fives. It is based on Ephesians 2:10. “For we are God’s handiwork. Created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The story has a simple message – we were […]
