Home - House full of Bookworms

Orphan Island: Journey from Childhood to Adolescence

by Carolyn | Aug 15, 2017 | Adventure, Fantasy, Girls, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Magical Realism, Middle School, Middle-grade, Parenting | 0 Comments

Orphan Island is a beautiful, poignant story for kids on the verge of leaving childhood. My older two kids are about the same age my brother and I were when we started sharing book recommendations back and forth (which we still do to this day). So it's no surprise...

Hilarious Picture Books with Dragons

by Carolyn | Aug 1, 2017 | Animal books, Book Lists, Fantasy, For fun, Imagination, Picture Books, Poetry, Read Alouds, Recommendations | 6 Comments

I don't know how it started, but there has been a surplus of funny picture books with dragons published in the last few years. And when I say funny, I mean hilarious. I literally can't read some of these without laughing out loud. If you have a child who likes dragons...

The Door Before–N.D. Wilson’s New Prequel

by Carolyn | Jul 18, 2017 | Adventure, Boys, Character Training, Fantasy, Girls, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Magical Realism, Middle School, Middle-grade, Scary Stories | 0 Comments

Sometimes, when you have been anticipating a new book in a series, it won't measure up. Well, I'm happy to say that's not the case with The Door Before. It was stunning. The Door Before surprised me in multiple ways. First of all, it's not just the prequel to Wilson's...

100 Children’s Audiobook Deals for Summer 2017

by Carolyn | Jun 30, 2017 | Audiobooks | 14 Comments

I've never seen such a huge sale on children's audiobooks as the one Audible is having now! It took me all morning to sort through the 1,000 books on sale to bring you the 100 books I thought were the very best. If you have any questions about a specific book, please...

Esperanza Rising: a Window into Culture and History

by Carolyn | Jun 20, 2017 | Cultural Diversity, Education, Girls, Historical Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Recommendations | 5 Comments

I loved Esperanza Rising. I love being surprised by a book, and this one surprised me. I know I had heard some good reviews, but I had also read some critical ones. I'm not sure what I expected, but I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did (I finished it in two...

A Bike Like Sergio’s: Ethics for Kids

by Carolyn | Jun 6, 2017 | Boys, Character Training, Cultural Diversity, Older Elementary, Parenting, Picture Books, Recommendations | 0 Comments

A Bike Like Sergio's by Maribeth Boelts is a rare book. It takes the reader through both the thoughts and feelings of doing something wrong and then making it right. It allows kids to vicariously experience a tempting situation and shows them a path for doing the...

Best Summer Reading Programs, Contests, and Challenges 2017

by Carolyn | May 23, 2017 | For fun, Parenting, Reading, Recommendations, Resources | 12 Comments

It's summer reading program time again! I always get excited about summer reading programs, especially when the rewards are more books! We all want to avoid the summer slump, but remember, our goal is to get your kids excited about reading. If these contests do that,...

Books to Welcome a New Baby from Sweet to Hilarious

by Carolyn | May 2, 2017 | Baby, Book Lists, Parenting, Picture Books | 0 Comments

There's nothing like a book to prepare a child for new experiences. And if your child is getting ready to become a big brother or a big sister for the first time, these books are a fabulous way to prepare them to welcome a new baby. There are funny books, sweet books,...