Shine Global Network

The unspoken bond of family comes through in this gentle winter’s tale by Gary Schmidt and his late wife Elizabeth Stickney. *A Long Road on a Short Day by Gary Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin, Clarion Books, 2020, 59 pages. Reading Level: Chapter Book, ages 6-8 Recommended for: ages 6-10 “Early on a white January morning, Samuel’s mother said, ‘I do wish we had a brown-eyed cow to give us milk for the baby.’” That’s all Samuel’s father needs to get up from the table, pocket his best Barlow knife and tell Samuel to dress warm—they’re off on a long walk. First to the neighbors to trade…

With Willa the Wisp, Jonathan Auxier introduces a magical chapter book series . The Fabled Stables: Willa the Wisp by Jonathan Auxier, illustrated by Olga Demidova. Amulet, 2020, 96 pages. Reading Level: Chapter Book, ages 6-8 Recommended for: ages 6-10 “At the top of the world sat an island. And at the heart of that island lived a boy named Auggie.” Auggie’s gift is caring for animals, and his job as keeper of the Fabled Stables is both occupation and calling. All the animals of the Fabled Stables are fantastic beasts, like the Hippopotamouse and the Long-Beaked Curmudgeon. Auggie is good at his job but, like Adam in the garden,…

Are you looking ahead to a Christmas that doesn’t involve extra family and friends as much as previous years’ celebrations? Perhaps you usually travel, but this year you’ll be home. We know that Christmas vacation may look a little … empty this year. We spend a lot of time before Christmas meditating on Advent and looking ahead to celebrating the Incarnation. But the days just after Christmas? What will you do when you are stuck at home and the “weather outside is frightful”? When the hubbub of Christmas preparation has died down, the presents are opened, the feast consumed? Bookish Christmas Fun The 12 Days of Christmas, Book-Style is one…

In Bee Fearless, Mikaila Ulmer tells how she grew a multimillion-dollar business out of a lemonade stand–but not by herself. Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid by Mikaila Ulmer with Brin Stevens. Putnam, 2020, 219 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 8-16 Mikaila was only four and a half when she got her big idea. The stimulus was a bee sting—actually two stings, within a week! They made her paranoid about going outside, but her parents sensibly suggested she face up to her fears by learning about bees. She gained more than she bargained for, mainly a real sympathy for the tiny creatures whose numbers were…