by Carolyn | Adventure, Character Training, Fantasy, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Older Elementary, Read Alouds, Recommendations, Spiritual Allegory
I’ve been wanting to write a post about my favorite middle-grade series for a while, but it’s so hard to write. I guess I’m afraid I won’t get it right. Because I really do want you to love The Wingfeather Saga as much as I do. And now that...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Chapter Books, Fantasy, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle-grade, Older Elementary, Picture Books, Poetry, Recommendations
Books for Christmas are pretty much a staple at my house. The books I owned myself as a child hold a special place in my heart. In fact, I still have most of them to this day. Other presents my kids receive they will eventually break or grow out of. But a good book is...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Audiobooks, Character Training, Fantasy, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Recommendations
Circus Mirandus, by debut author Cassie Beasley, is a book about a boy, his dying grandfather, and a magic circus. But that’s just the surface. This book, in my opinion, is really about faith. Like most good books, Circus Mirandus can be enjoyed on multiple...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Animal books, Audiobooks, Character Training, Fantasy, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle-grade, Older Elementary, Read Alouds, Recommendations
I just finished reading an advance copy of Ember Falls by S.D. Smith, and it is magnificent! Ember Falls, the sequel to The Green Ember, is full of twists and turns, intrigue, and action. Heather and Picket have grown into confident, mature characters, but all their...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Character Training, Fantasy, For fun, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Mystery, Older Elementary, Read Alouds, Recommendations, Scary Stories
I have three words for you: Mysterious Benedict Society. If I made a list of my top ten read-alouds, this would be on it. We listened to the audio book recently, and although we’d read the book to my older kids before, it was fun to see my six-year-old...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Cultural Diversity, Fantasy, For fun, Girls, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade
I love the way Anne Ursu weaves fantasy and real life together in her coming of age story, Breadcrumbs. Friendship, feelings of exclusion, adoption, and issues with parents are all primary themes in this retelling of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Snow...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Animal books, Audiobooks, Chapter Books, Character Training, Fantasy, Imagination, Read Alouds
I think after the Wingfeather Saga (and for my son, The Hobbit), my kids would rate The Green Ember by S.D. Smith as one of their favorite read-alouds. The story is a great combination of action, mystery, and character development. In The Green Ember, rabbit...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Fantasy, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Scary Stories, Sci-fi
Have you ever wished you could have a do-over? That’s exactly what Sam Miracle in N.D. Wilson’s Outlaws of Time: The Legend of Sam Miracle gets, but with much higher stakes: life or death for himself, his sister, and possibly millions of other people. And...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Character Training, Fantasy, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle-grade
I’m breaking from my usual posting schedule because I just have to share something with you before it’s too late. If you haven’t heard, Andrew Peterson has teamed up with some talented people to create a short pilot episode for his The Wingfeather...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Boys, Fantasy, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Scary Stories
I just re-read one of my favorite juvenile fiction series so I could share it with you. It was just as good the second time around (maybe better). The 100 Cupboards Series by N.D. Wilson (100 Cupboards, Dandelion Fire, and The Chestnut King) is the story of Henry, an...
