by Carolyn | Adventure, Dystopian Future, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Older Elementary, Read Alouds, Sci-fi
Dystopian future novels have been very popular the last several years with the Hunger Games and Divergent among the front runners (read my review of Divergent). These types of novels hold an immense appeal. They feel more realistic than straight out fantasy. They also...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Book Lists, Character Training, Imagination, Older Elementary, Read Alouds
I believe reading aloud is so important! It is special family bonding time. Sharing a story together gives us shared experience, shared characters, shared adventure, shared emotion. We are able to walk through a story and wonder together at the same things, empathize...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Boys, Juvenile Fiction, Older Elementary
A friend of mine asked me what I knew about the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Her kids had heard about the books from their cousins, and she wanted to know if they would be appropriate. I was curious too having seen them in my library with the paperbacks geared...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Boys, Character Training, Imagination, Older Elementary, Spiritual Allegory
When I first read The Magic Bicycle by John Bibee in fifth grade, the whole Spirit Flyer Series instantly became one of my all time favorites. I didn’t have to be told that the Spirit Flyer bicycles were an allegory for the Holy Spirit or that the snakes...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Book Lists, Highschool, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Older Elementary, Picture Books, Reading, Recommendations, Wordless Books, Young Adult
Ok, let’s be honest, almost any book can (and should) inspire the imagination. But some are just better at it than others. In my opinion, there are three basic kinds of books that inspire imagination: 1) Books in which the main character(s) are playing...
