When the time came for real fighting, Pvt. Reckless proved herself to be incredibly loyal and brave. Despite being hit above the eye and in her left flank with pieces of shrapnel, she made fifty-one trips up to the cannon, going a distance of thirty-five miles up and down steep terrain fully loaded, and carrying nine thousand pounds of ammunition. The impressive little mare helped to change the entire course of the war.
Author: Sara Masarik
Curators of things Good, True, and Beautiful
A Break With Charity
Rinaldi’s historical fiction invites the reader into true historical events with front seats to the action. She lets us see what is happening through the eyes of someone who was actually there. In Salem, however, none of the girls in the circle of accusers were sympathetic characters. Instead, Rinaldi scrupulously researched the lives of others in the town and allowed us to look through the eyes of Susanna English.
Straw Into Gold
I thoroughly enjoyed this tale and am glad to recommend it as a family read-aloud or to middle-grade readers. It is not as intense as most of his other books of this length, but it is as well written. I would especially recommend this book to those who are teaching writing or to aspiring young authors. This story is a brilliant example of how to take a known story, look at it from a different perspective, follow it down an unknown road, and come out with something new and compelling out of the deal.
Sarah and Me and the Lady by the Sea
In a style reminiscent of Hilda van Stockum or Alta Halverson Seymour, this story celebrates family life and friendship. The Abbotts do make friends on the Peninsula, and they do learn how to take care of themselves. More importantly, they learn important things about themselves and what they are truly capable of. This was a very enjoyable and quick read that would ideally suit our middle-grade readers. Girls of 8-14 might particularly enjoy this one.
Lines of Courage
Nielsen makes us care about each of these characters, and she connects them in ways that were, to me, plausible and interesting. I am the product of the schools of my time, and I was taught next to nothing about WWI. This book gave me a fascinating look into this confusing and tragic war. Like Nielsen’s other books that I have read, this book is squeaky clean, historically interesting, and well-told. I think that this could be a wonderful teen book club because there are a lot of layers to all of this.
Just Like That
ust Like That is hard. Not Okay For Now hard, but hard. It is also lovely. And tearful. And sweet. Typical Gary D. Schmidt, it has several key literary influences that are obvious, but it also reminds me of things that are not mentioned in the text. Diane and I both thought that this one had strong roots in Oliver Twist and maybe a little bit of David Copperfield. I also felt like it reminded me of the Anne of Green Gables books and the Kevin Sullivan mini-series – “Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel,” specifically the Kingsport Ladies College scenes. While this one can absolutely be read as a standalone, it makes sense to have at least read The Wednesday Wars so that you know who Meryl Lee is.
Hattie Big Sky
In 1918, sixteen-year-old Hattie receives a letter from her mother’s brother inviting her to take up his Montana land claim. By his own account, he has lived the life of a scoundrel, and that is why he didn’t ask for her sooner. But, the doctors have told him that he will not live long enough to see his claim proven. He wants Hattie to inherit the claim and all that he has in the hopes that she can finish the work that he has started and earn herself a future free of family charity. Hattie barely blinks before she writes to accept.
Sherry’s Teen Girl Book Picks
I have a lovely patron who is a voracious reader. She has read and re-read so many excellent books. At sixteen, a student in a classical school, and being raised in a faithful Catholic home, she is looking for books that are new to her, exciting, well-written, and morally on point. She reads quickly and…
B is for Betsy
I read B is for Betsy by the morning campfire with two cups of coffee. It is a perfect book. Perfect. I did not want to put it down, and I kept reading scenes aloud to my family. There is one scene with a dog that is utter perfection. (There I go using that word again…)
Book List: Parent Child Read Together American Revolution
Books that would be understandable to a young student and written in such a way that the young reader could be practicing his reading and strengthening his skills. Specifically, she was looking for recommendations in the American Revolution.
Book List: Action-Oriented Boys Who Want WWI and WII Books
Becca asked about recommendations for godson who is a middle-grade reader who love action-oriented reads. He is specfically interested in true history books set in WWI and WWII. We have some great recommendations! You can watch the video on Instagram here. You can watch the video on Mighty Networks here. WWI Fighting Father Duffy Landmark:…
Book Recommendations: Books for Young Ladies Who Want Something Substantial
She has a refined taste and wants recommendations that capture some of that elegant writing and have substantial writing. Light romance and historical fiction would be enjoyed. Here are some of our forgotten favorites that might fit the bill!
Sherry’s Landmark Book Reviews
Did you know that we have a page dedicated to all things Landmark Books? Take a look here. Our dear friend, Sherry Early of Meriadoc Homeschool Library, has been faithfully reading and reviewing her way through the Landmark books. We know that so many of our readers are curious about the Landmark books and we…
Trouble
Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt is a powerful and challenging story about racism and grief. Relatively modern (it seems to be set in the 1970s or 1980s judging by the prices of things in the diner), it reads like a modern book but not like The Wednesday Wars or even Pay Attention Carter Jones. Maybe this one is most similar to Just Like That (review coming soon), but even then it is considerably different. Instead of mixing humor and middle school antics with deep questions of identity, this one is rarely funny, and very little of it feels like middle school.
Resistance
“Defense in the ghetto has become a fact. Armed Jewish resistance and revenge are actually happening. I have witnessed the glorious and heroic combat of the Jewish fighters.” -Excerpt from the last letter of Mordecai Anielewicz, April 23, 1943