by Carolyn | Boys, Chapter Books, For fun, Gifts, Girls, Middle-grade, Picture Books, Read Alouds, Reading, Recommendations, Resources, Young Adult
Here’s a round-up of bookish gifts for every bookworm kid, tween, and teen on your list this year. (And maybe a few for the adults as well.) If you’re reading this in 2021, we’ve all heard supply chain and shipping may be issues this year, so make...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Boys, Historical Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Read Alouds, Recommendations
If you think your kids wouldn’t enjoy a western, you just might be wrong. When we visited Colorado this summer, I chose an audiobook themed to our location. The Misadventured Summer of Tumbleweed Thompson by Glenn McCarty with illustrations by Joe Sutphin is a...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Boys, Education, For fun, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Mystery, Recommendations
Readers have asked me for more adventurous books that boys would like, and I think the Lost Art Mysteries series by Deron R. Hicks fits the bill. Boys and girls alike will be pulled into these fast-paced novels that read like a spy thrillers. They’ll be so...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Bible, Biography, Biography, Boys, Character Training, Education, Historical Fiction, Middle-grade, Nonfiction
I’ve been anticipating this illustrated juvenile biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer for over a year! The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix is a work of art. Hendrix challenges readers in their own view of responsibility,...
by Carolyn | Boys, Fantasy, Juvenile Fiction, Middle-grade, Recommendations
You may have noticed the nod to Pinocchio in the title of The Real Boy. But Anne Ursu’s book isn’t a retelling. She takes elements and themes from the story of that wooden boy and weaves them into a fantastic tapestry that speaks to very real issues. The...
by Carolyn | Boys, Character Training, Cultural Diversity, Middle-grade, Older Elementary, Parenting, Recommendations
Save Me A Seat takes a deep dive into the perspective of two 10-year-old boys to show that the assumptions we make about other people are often wrong. Authors Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan team up in this novel to give authentic voice to the dual protagonists....
by Carolyn | Adventure, Bible, Boys, Character Training, Fantasy, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle-grade, Read Alouds, Recommendations
The Wilderking Trilogy by Jonathan Rogers is a delightful middle-grade fantasy series. It’s based loosely on the life of King David from his shepherd days to his coronation. I had previously read the first book, The Bark of the Bog Owl, and recommended it on the...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Boys, Character Training, Fantasy, Girls, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Magical Realism, Middle School, Middle-grade, Scary Stories
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...
by Carolyn | Boys, Character Training, Cultural Diversity, Older Elementary, Parenting, Picture Books, Recommendations
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...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Boys, Chapter Books, Fantasy, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle-grade, Older Elementary, Read Alouds
One of the first things that struck me when I began reading Henry and the Chalk Dragon is that Jennifer Trafton’s prose sings. This book will make a great read-aloud. The second thing that struck me is that his book is hilarious. It reminded me of the Scholastic...
