by Carolyn | Adventure, Character Training, Cultural Diversity, Fantasy, Highschool, Recommendations, Young Adult
The Sunlit Lands Series by Matt Mikalatos is my top pick for kids who have grown up reading The Chronicles of Narnia, The Wingfeather Saga, and The Green Ember Series and are now ready to dive into young adult. These books contain the same kind of deeply true and...
by Carolyn | Autobiography, Cultural Diversity, Juvenile Fiction, Recommendations, Young Adult
When a book quotes Tolkien in the title and Dostoyevsky on one of the first pages, I pay attention. Everything Sad is Untrue: A True Story by Daniel Nayeri has won more awards than I can list here and seven starred reviews, and for good reason. It is a stunningly...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Chapter Books, Early Readers, Fantasy, For fun, Imagination, Older Elementary, Recommendations
When a favorite author like Jonathan Auxier breaks into a new genre or age group, I’m happy to follow. The Fabled Stables: Willa the Wisp introduces chapter book readers to Auxier’s imaginative worlds in an easier to read, beautifully illustrated format....
by Carolyn | Character Training, Fantasy, Imagination, Older Elementary, Parenting, Picture Books, Preschool, Read Alouds, Recommendations
Julia’s House Moves On by Ben Hatke is a beautiful picture book about not having it all together. Because none of us do, really. And sometimes it takes a book like this to help us, and our kids, take a deep breath and remember that our plans may not work out,...
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 | Biography, Book Lists, Education, Nature, Nonfiction, Older Elementary, Picture Books, Read Alouds, Recommendations
My youngest daughter has been on a space kick recently, so I thought I’d bring you a round up of picture books about Pluto. Pluto has always been such an underdog, even before it was kicked off the planet roster, that it tends to be many people’s favorite....
by Carolyn | Character Training, Classics, Girls, Historical Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, Middle-grade, Nature, Older Elementary, Read Alouds, Recommendations
Few books touched my heart growing up as much as Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John, and I wanted to share that childhood favorite with my girls. Last year, we read Heidi aloud together. I had confused the two books since both stories take place in the Swiss...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Animal books, Chapter Books, Cultural Diversity, Juvenile Fiction, Nature, Recommendations
Noah Green Junior Zookeeper fans, I’ve found a new book I think you’ll love! The Strange New Dog by James D. Witmer features mystery-solving pets. Need I say more? Animal-loving chapter book readers will be hooked after this first installment of Allen Family...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Biography, Book Lists, Fantasy, For fun, Imagination, Nonfiction, Parenting, Picture Books, Preschool, Read Alouds, Recommendations
Balloons are happy, right? They just make you smile, especially if you are a kid. So you might be surprised to learn that many of these picture books about balloons deal with hard topics like negative thoughts, Alzheimer’s, or depression. But don’t worry....
by Carolyn | Classics, Cultural Diversity, Education, Fantasy, For fun, Girls, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Magical Realism, Middle School, Middle-grade, Mystery, Nature, Older Elementary, Recommendations
A real-world middle-grade fantasy built around the plot of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream? Yes please! Midsummer’s Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca is a magical story about a young baker and her family. The Story Eleven-year-old Mimi Mackson is the...