Old School by Gordon Korman

A boy raised in a retirement village must give up his Old School for seventh grade with . . . actual seventh-graders. Old School by Gordon Korman. Harper, 2025, 276 pp. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 Dexter Foreman has been getting along just fine with his Grandmother at The Pines…

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The Best This World Can Do: Thoughts about “Not Nothing” by Gayle Forman

Christian book reviewers face certain challenges. We could review only Christian books and be reasonably assured that we won’t run into glaring content problems like profanity, sex, abuse, or LGBTQIA themes. But many such “safe” novels aren’t particularly good when it comes to character development, skillful plotting, or literary excellence. We’re looking for truth, goodness,…

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Back Porch Book Chat with William Boekestein

Back Porch Book Chat: a casual conversation about books and writing. Today we’re visiting with William Boekestein. Bill is an author best known around here for his histories of major Reformed confessions (such as the Westminster Confession of Faith), written for middle graders. He’s also a pastor, husband and father, and author most recently of…

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Celebrity Picture Books that Aren’t Bad, by B.J. Novak, Julie Andrews, Emma Thompson, and Spike Lee

“Legitimate children’s book authors”—that is, those who won a publishing contract through finely-honed craft and dogged persistence—have nothing but scorn for picture books with celebrity names on them. It’s a scorn tinged with envy, because all the celebs had to do (we imagine) is scribble a few pages of text and stick their name on…

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*Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller

Magnolia Wu finds adventure in her own neighborhood while chasing down the owners of orphan socks. *Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller. Philomel, 2024, 145 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 6-10 as a read-aloud, ages 7-11 independent readers Magnolia Wu is looking forward to turning 10, “because the…

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