Posts by Janie Cheaney
Three Picture Books to Make You Think: Echo, Home, and A Cup of Quiet
In Echo, a spoiled little boy learns that real friendship doesn’t mean total agreement. *Echo by Adam Rex. Dial, 2025, 46 pages. Reading Level: Picture Book, ages 0-4 Recommended for: ages 2-6 “Junior Junior was born in a big house on the side of a mountain . . . and the echo was born soon…
Read MoreDeath in the Jungle by Candace Fleming
Death in the Jungle tells the harrowing story of the “Reverend” Jim Jones and the tragic fate of his followers.
Read MoreA Day at the Beach by Gary Schmidt and Ron Koertge
A Day at the Beach delivers on its title: snapshots of a variety of 11-13 year-olds during a single day on the Jersey shore.
Read MoreThe Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud
The Cartoonists Club introduces young readers to the techniques and rationale of sequential graphic storytelling.
Read More*The Hiding Place: A Graphic Novel adapted by Mario DeMatteo
The Hiding Place: A Graphic Novel faithfully adapts Corrie Ten Boom’s story for graphic-novel fans.
Read MoreHeidi: A Graphic Novel adapted by Mariah Marsden
Heidi: A Graphic Novel introduces young readers to the classic story with gentle artwork and minimal text.
Read More*Surviving Vesuvius by Beth Waters
Surviving Vesuvius is an intimate look at an ancient disaster.
Read MoreThe Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman
The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest is a thoughtful, touching, and gently humorous speculation about the afterlife.
Read MoreOnce for Yes by Allie Millington
n Once for Yes, an apartment building forms relationships with its residents and faces threats of its own demolition.
Read MoreOld 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…
Read MoreFirst Steps in Verse: *You’re a Poet and Dino Poet
Two new books about writing poetry, addressed to early-elementary grades, take different but equally unique approaches.
Read MorePilgrim Codex by Vivian Mansour
Pilgrim Codex is a story about Mexican immigration told in Aztec-inspired artwork and text.
Read MoreGod with Us: Bible Stories on the Road to Emmaus by Matt Mikalatos
The graphic novel God with Us takes a unique approach to Bible stories, using Luke 24:27 as a framework.
Read More*The Storyteller’s Bible by Kathryn Butler
The Storyteller’s Bible weaves the gospel into 35 theologically-rich stories from scripture.
Read MoreThe Book of Belonging by Mariko Clark
The Book of Belonging gets a lot of the Bible right but makes some significant omissions.
Read MoreThe Last Keeper (Dream Keeper series #5) by Kathryn Butler
The 5-volume Dream Keeper series comes to a rousing finish with The Last Keeper.
Read More*How Elegant the Elephant by Mary Ann Hoberman
How Elegant the Elephant teams a beloved poet with a Caldecott-honor author to create a winning collection of animal poems.
Read MoreMax in the Land of Lies by Adam Gidwitz
Max in the Land of Lies completes Adam Gidwitz’s “Operation Kinderspion” duo with a tale both thrilling and thought-provoking.
Read MoreHow to Survive on the Moon by Joalda Morancy
Getting to the moon was only the beginning. But How to Survive on the Moon?
Read MoreThe Enemy’s Daughter by Anne Blankman
The Enemy’s Daughter traces a friendship born in adversity during World War I.
Read MoreJella Lepman’s Library of Dreams by Katherine Paterson
Katherine Paterson’s latest is a biography of Jella Lepman, an unexpected postwar hero.
Read MoreMy Presentation Today Is about the Anaconda by Bibi Dumon Tak
Animals give school-style presentations about other animals. Guess whose Presentation Today Is about the Anaconda?
Read MoreAll Better Now by Neal Schusterman
All Better Now, a thought-provoking read for mature teens, grapples with the consequences of a different kind of pandemic.
Read MoreMixed Feelings by Liana Finck
Mixed Feelings introduces very young children to their own complicated emotions.
Read MoreBlack Culture Roundup: *When I Hear Spirituals, How Sweet the Sound, *Everywhere Beauty is Harlem
Three picture books about African American culture can open windows of understanding a wider world.
Read MoreSong of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout
Song of a Blackbird connects two generations of an Amsterdam family through the story of the Dutch Resistance during World War II.
Read More*New House, New Home by Megan Saben
Lively text and pictures show what it takes to make a New House, New Home—by our own Megan Saben! (And scroll down for a special offer!)
Read MoreTrans Ideology: Resources for Parents
Four books, written from a secular perspective, offer help for parents confronting harmful transgender ideology.
Read More*Will’s Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Will’s Race for Home is a classic coming-of-age story set during the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889.
Read MoreHow to Teach Kids Theology by Sam Luce and Hunter Williams
How to Teach Kids Theology reminds parents and youth leaders of the whys and wherefores of biblical instruction.
Read More2025 Schneider Family Awards: A Little Like Magic and Popcorn
This year’s Schneider Family winners for excellence in children’s books about the experience of disability.
Read More2025 Sibert Honor Books: Call Me Roberto, The Girl Who Sang, The Enigma Girls, and Wings of an Eagle
This year’s Sibert honor books for excellence in nonfiction include two minority sports heroes, a very young Holocaust survivor, and a World War II espionage story.
Read More2025 Sibert Medal Winner: Life After Whale by Lynn Brunelle and Jason Chin
Life after Whale pictures the phenomenon of “Whale Fall”: how the earth’s largest living creature supports thriving ecosystems for decades after death.
Read More2025 Caldecott Honor Books: *Home in a Lunchbox, My Daddy Is a Cowboy, *Noodles on a Bicycle, and Up Up Ever Up
This year’s Caldecott honor books feature warm family ties, amazing skills and ambitions fulfilled.
Read More2025 Caldecott Medal: Chooch Helped by Andrea L. Rogers
Chooch Helped is a loving depiction of a Cherokee girl’s little-brother issues
Read MoreMendel the Mess-Up by Terry LaBan
In Mendel the Mess-Up, an accident-prone Jewish boy turns his weaknesses into strengths against rampaging Cossacks.
Read MoreThunder City by Philip Reeves
Thunder City supplements Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engines quartet with different characters but similar formula.
Read More2025 ALA Newbery Award – Nailed It!
We report on this year’s Newbery and Caldecott award-winners.
Read MoreSeven Small Inventions That Changed the World by Roma Agrawal
These “Seven Small Inventions” are often overlooked, but where would we be without them?
Read MoreClose Up & Far Out by Mary Auld
Close Up & Far Out demonstrates how two 17th-century scientists opened windows on the very large and the very small.
Read MoreNewbery Roundup #2: Plain Jane, Wrong Way Home, and The First State of Being
Our second roundup of Newbery-buzzing books includes a graphic-novel fairy tale, an escape narrative, and a time-travel adventure.
Read MoreNewbery Buzz #2: One Big Open Sky
Today Betsy, Janie, and Hayley discuss a verse novel we all loved.
Read MoreNewbery Buzz #1: Olivetti
Beginning our annual series of discussions on possible Newbery contenders.
Read MoreSwimming with Spies by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger
Swimming with Spies is an animal rescue story that provides valuable background to the Russia/Ukraine conflict.
Read MoreNewbery Roundup #1: Hank Hooperman, Louder Than Hunger, and The Enigma Girls
Beginning our annual coverage of possible contenders for the coveted Newbery Award.
Read MoreQuagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Better by Mylisa Larsen
Quagmire Tiarello is the appropriately-named hero of this story of a young man with a difficult mother.
Read MoreNational Book Award Winner: Kareem Between
Kareem Between is a sympathetic portrait of a 7th-grader born to Syrian refugees, who can’t feel himself fully American or fully Syrian.
Read MoreTales from the Forest by Jane Riordan
Tales from the Forest carries on the adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh in a style that faithfully echoes the original.
Read MoreOn Track by Tom Adams
On Track tracks the development of worldwide rail lines and their significance to both industry and history.
Read MoreFun Middle-Grade Reads for Winter Break: Library Girl, The Long Way Around, and We Do Not Welcome Our 10-Year-Old Overlord
Three new middle-grade novels offer something for fans of survival fiction, quirky humor, and sci-fi.
Read MoreLost in the Empire City by Avi
Lost in the Empire City takes readers to 19th century New York, where a young immigrant from Italy attempts to find his way.
Read MoreAmazing Asia by Rashmi Sirdeshpande
Amazing Asia takes readers on a whirlwind tour of the geography, basic history, ethnicities and cultures of the world’s largest and most varied continent.
Read More*Mishka by Edward van de Vendel
Mishka is the gentle, heartwarming story of refugees and rabbits finding home.
Read MoreRube Goldberg’s Big Book of Building by Ed Stackley, et al
Rube Goldberg’s Big Book of Building features practical instructions to building 25 impractical machines
Read More*The Biggest Story Family Devotional by Kevin DeYoung
The Biggest Story Family Devotional expands on The Biggest Story Bible Storybook to offer a practical and flexible devotional guide.
Read MoreFun with Math: Sir Cumference Speaks Volumes, The Pigpen Problem, and Our World: By the Numbers
Sir Cumference returns, Goat and Sheep solve a math problem, and Steve Jenkins crunches the numbers.
Read MoreLight Comes to Shadow Mountain by Toni Buzzeo
In Light Comes to Shadow Mountain, a young girl is determined to bring electricity to her Kentucky home through the Rural Electrification Project.
Read MoreBeyond Infinity by Stephanie Warren Drimmer
Beyond Infinity examines the technology that went into building the James Webb Space Telescope, as well as what it has discovered since its launch.
Read MoreThe Best News of All by Sally Michael
The Best News of All shares the Christmas story by examining one short scripture passage which children are encouraged to memorize.
Read MoreA Kid’s Guide to the Night Sky by John A. Read
A Kid’s Guide to the Night Sky provides young stargazers with a handy and accessible primer.
Read MoreBIG Words for Little Astronauts by Lisa M. Gerry
BIG Words for Little Astronauts provides an introductory vocabulary for younger readers, from Astrophysics to EXtraterrestrial.
Read More*One Long Line by Loree Griffin Burns
One Long Line illustrates the scientific method through the simple observance of one species of caterpillars.
Read MoreYou’re the Boss by Brian Weisfeld and Bonnie Bader
You’re the Boss is a quick but comprehensive guide to for entrepreneurial kids interested in starting a business.
Read MoreAnswers to Dog by Pete Hautman
In Answers to Dog, an abused border collie finds a home and a boy finds a friend–multiple friends.
Read MoreArt All around Us by Xiao Situ
Art All Around Us introduces young readers to the nearly infinite variety of art and its meaning in ordinary life.
Read More*The Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo
In The Hotel Balzaar, Kate DiCamillo continues her magical Norendy Tales series with intriguing hints of further connections.
Read MoreTwo Cozy Chapter Books: Beti and the Little Round House and Stella & Marigold
Two new Chapter Books about Beti, Stella, and Marigold celebrate the simple joys of seasons and siblings.
Read MoreImpossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
Impossible Creatures takes readers on an unforgettable quest to re-enchant an imaginary world—that may not be as imaginary as it seems.
Read MoreThe Found Boys by S. D. Smith
The “Found Boys” find trouble in their West Virginia small town, but also deepen their understanding of grace and forgiveness.
Read MoreChronicles of a Lizard Nobody by Patrick Ness
Zeke, a “Lizard Nobody” in his own opinion (as well as an actual lizard) learns to stand up for himself in this hilarious and heartfelt tale.
Read MoreBetween Flowers and Bones by Carolyn Leiloglou
Between Flowers and Bones continues The Restorationists adventure series, in which members of a family are gifted with the ability to travel through works of art.
Read MoreHistory Picture Books: The Soldier’s Friend, The Painter and the President, and Star and the Maestro
Three outstanding picture books introduce young readers to Walt Whitman, Gilbert Stuart, and Mozart.
Read MoreSpirit Sleuths by Gail Jarrow
Spirit Sleuths wraps ghosts, mediums, seances, scams, and Houdini in a fascinating true tale.
Read MoreRosa by Starlight by Hilary McKay
Rosa by Starlight is a sweet story of an orphan finding her way home, with the help of a host of sympathetic cats.
Read More*The Mythmakers by John Hendrix
In The Mythmakers, John Hendrix explores an extraordinarily fruitful friendship and its roots in myth and legend.
Read More*Evangelical Heroes by Joel Beeke and Douglas Bond
Evangelical Heroes presents famous and lesser-known Christian role models throughout the modern era.
Read MoreOut of My Dreams by Sharon Draper
Melody Brooks, a 13-year-old with cerebral palsy, concludes her trilogy by stepping onto a global stage in Out of My Dreams.
Read MoreRadar and the Raft by Jeff Lantos
Radar and the Raft traces the invention of Radar through the harrowing story of a missionary family torpedoed and rescued during World War II.
Read MoreThe 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,…
Read More3 Picture Books about “How”: The Dictionary Story, The Shape of Things, and How to Make a Picture Book
Three new picture books give readers insight into words, maps, and stories.
Read MoreThe Sherlock Society by James Ponti
The Sherlock Society kicks off a fun mystery series by popular MG author James Ponti.
Read MoreThe Science of Friendship by Tanita S. Davis
In The Science of Friendship, an 8th-grade girl takes an analytical approach to keeping friends and discovers some important truths about herself.
Read MoreGrowing Up under a Red Flag by Ying Chang Compestine
Growing Up under a Red Flag introduces China’s Cultural Revolution in a way picture-book readers can understand.
Read MoreJupiter Rising by Gary Schmidt
Gary Schmidt brings a sad story (Orbiting Jupiter) to a hopeful conclusion with Jupiter Rising.
Read MoreBack 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…
Read MoreBack Porch Book Chat: Kristyn Getty (Singer, Hymn Writer, and Author)
Kristyn is the founder, along with her husband Keith, of Getty Music. She is an award-winning hymn writer and the author of Sing! and a brand-new children’s biography of Joni Eareckson Tada (read our starred review!). Kristyn and Keith live in Nashville with their four children. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk…
Read More*Joni Eareckson Tada by Kristyn Getty
A new biography of Joni Eareckson Tada for kids demonstrates how anyone can honor God no matter the circumstances.
Read MoreFinding My Vocation by William Boekestein
Finding My Vocation offers a concise yet comprehensive guide for Christian teens considering their first steps into adulthood.
Read MoreMama’s Chicken and Dumplings by Dionna L. Mann
Mama’s Chicken and Dumplings features a winsome protagonist trying her hand at parental matchmaking.
Read More2 Books about Bikes: Birth of the Bicycle and The Running Machine
Two recent picture books about the development of the bicycle entertaining introduces kids to history they can relate to.
Read MoreLittle Shrew by Akiko Miyakoshi
Little Shrew is the dutiful hero of his ordinary life in this understated chapter book.
Read MoreThe Legend of the Last Library by Frank L. Cole
The Legend of the Last Library pictures a dystopian future without books or paper, and one intrepid reader who holds the key to restoration.
Read More*Ben Washington Is the Newbie on the Block by Jasmine Mullen
Young Ben Washington, the star of this new middle-grade series, is funny, flawed, and fully relatable.
Read MoreFaker by Gordon Korman
In Faker, a boy faces critical ethical questions involving his own immediate family.
Read MoreMajestica by Sarah Tolcser
Majestica takes readers on a thrill ride through a wildlife park filled with magical creatures.
Read MoreUprising by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Uprising is the story of a Polish girl’s experience of World War II, based on the experiences of a real-life teenage resistance fighter.
Read MoreCelebrity 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…
Read MoreNew Chapter Book Series: Bibsy Cross and Detective Sweet Pea
Bibsy Cross, an irrepressible third-grader, and Sweet Pea, a hound with a nose for mystery, are the loveable protagonists of two new series for early readers.
Read MoreWander Lost by Laura Martin
Wander Lost features hidden worlds within a variety of board games, and twin brothers launched on a desperate rescue mission.
Read MoreAnd Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps
And Then, Boom! features a winsome protagonist who suddenly finds himself abandoned.
Read More