The Strange Intruder (PK)

The Faroe Seeker (the sinking schooner) was coming home from a fishing trip, when the crew saw a polar bear on an ice chunk, near Greenland. They thought that they could sell it to a circus, so they nursed it back to life on their way home. When they were a few miles from shore a piece of wood got stuck in the propeller which then blew up the engine, crippling the schooner. That’s when the storm hit, and the polar bear was washed overboard.

Urchin and the Raven War

“He wriggled his arm to see the bracelet, true and clear on his wrist. Somewhere stored in his heart, were all the bright days he had ever known, all the love ever shown to him, all the joy he had ever felt. It was all there, still inside him. And he knew that somewhere in and beyond the beating of his own heart was the Heart that broke with love for Mistmantle, and was beating still, and always would.”

Please Return to the Lands of Luxury (PK)

If there is one thing I’ve always loved, it’s a book with a soul. And this book has one. I love the stern contrast between the Lands of Luxury, a beautiful oasis, and Yarborough, the island of garbage. The fact that the Island is governed by tyrannical robots was also a fun addition to the storyline as far as villains go!

The Hiding Place

To the reader who does not think they can read one more Holocaust book, I understand. I resisted this one for years. Now I understand. I wish that I had read this at the same time that I had read In My Hands and others – it would have given me a healthier helping of hope. Most of this book is not about the concentration camps. Most of this story is about real people and their real lives before, during, and after the war. 

The Remains of the Day

I recommend this novel to the mama who is looking for something subtle and contemplative. Something that works her mind but does not overwork it. I would love to return to this one and with a few friends and be able to discuss it. 

The Mystery of Harry Potter

This book articulates the primary objections and concerns that Christian families may have with regard to Harry and responds to them with commentary from other critics, evidence from the text, and good research. I am incredibly grateful for that!

Orbiting Jupiter

In nearly every review Sara and I have written for Gary D. Schmidt’s books, we have used the word hard to describe the situations his characters encounter. Orbiting Jupiter takes hard to a new level.  In this interview with Schmidt after Okay for Now was published, he talks about an experience at a book club…

The Penderwicks

For years I have mostly stayed quiet about it because those who love The Penderwicks really love those stories. And there is nothing inherently wrong with the books that I read, so I just didn’t think it mattered what I thought. Years later, however, I heard so many people asking about them, so I thought it prudent to articulate my objections. 

On the Edge of the Fjord

This story is fictional, but it feels as if it were true. Living in the U.S., Alta Halverson Seymour published this book in 1944. Because of that, there is no resolution on how the war ends for the Engeland family. By the end of the book, the war is still raging. We know that the family is reunited and as safe as they can be doing the dangerous work that needs to be done. The fact that there is no resolution does not, in my opinion, lessen the book in any way. As a matter of fact, I think that it makes it more incredible. 

Dandelion Fire (2nd Cupboards Book)

In Dandelion Fire, we have the antidote to this poison. In the first book of the Cupboards trilogy, Henry doesn’t know who he belongs to or where he fits. In this middle book, we spend far more time inside the worlds within the cupboards. We meet Henry’s family, we discover new evil, and we spend a lot of time laughing at bureaucratic faeries. 

The Big Jump

In Gary D. Schmidt’s Okay for Now, Doug finds himself babysitting the local police officer’s five children. Before they go to bed, he has to read a book to each of them. Since Doug has only just learned to read, though he is in the eighth grade, the children’s books most of us recognize aren’t…

Sergeant Reckless

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.

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.