by Carolyn | Autobiography, Chapter Books, Cultural Diversity, Girls, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Older Elementary, Read Alouds
Let me introduce you to a modern-day Ramona. I have totally fallen for the quirky, honest, ambitious Cilla Lee-Jenkins: Future Author Extraordinaire by Susan Tan. The Story Cilla Lee-Jenkins is certain that she is destined for literary greatness. What she’s not...
by Carolyn | Education, Older Elementary, Picture Books, Preschool, Read Alouds
I remember the day my daughter realized homeschooling meant she would never ride the big yellow bus. It wasn’t that she saw other kids on our street joyfully piling in. Most of our neighbors were in their eighties. We had the only school-aged kids on the block....
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
{Before we dive into Jennifer Trafton’s latest book, Henry and the Chalk Dragon, I wanted to give y’all a heads up. I’m doing an INSTAGRAM GIVEAWAY of Trafton’s first book, The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic. If you’re interested,...
by Carolyn | Character Training, Imagination, Older Elementary, Parenting, Picture Books, Preschool, Recommendations
I adore picture books, but it’s rare for me to run across one and think, I have to dedicate a whole post to this book. But Big Friends by Linda Sarah is one of those rare books. It’s a book about friendship. Big Friends asks the question, can a twosome...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Character Training, Fantasy, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Mystery, Older Elementary, Steampunk
I love The Mysterious Benedict Society Series! We’d recently revisited the first book, and I’d been wishing for something new from Trenton Lee Stewart. So I was thrilled to find out about his newest book The Secret Keepers. The Story Reuben and his mom...
by Carolyn | Book Lists, Classics, Cultural Diversity, Nature, Older Elementary, Picture Books, Read Alouds
Snow can be magical for children, which explains why there are so many picture books about snow! I must have checked out over thirty books to find our very favorites to share with you. Maybe you’re knee-deep in snow. Or maybe–like us–the only snow...
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 | Boys, Character Training, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Movies, Older Elementary
I just finished Wonder by RJ Palacio. Maybe I should say, I just finished sobbing through the ending of Wonder. My kids know it’s not the tragic things that make me cry. It’s the sentimental ones. And this book certainly knows how to tug on your...
