Posts by Janie Cheaney
The Only Game by Mike Lupica
The Only Game by Mike Lupica (Home Team series, #1). Simon & Shuster, 2015. 321 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 8-10, especially boys Bottom Line: Character values and the drama of baseball itself take the field in The Only Game, while character development and plot remain on the bench. Walton…
Read MoreLegends by Howard Bryant
Legends: The Best Players,Games, and Teams in Baseball by Howard Bryant. Philomel Press, 2015. 228 pages, including index. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 Bottom Line: Legends is an enjoyable compendium of baseball’s greatest players and games, written with the middle-grade reader in mind. “This is not a perfect book,” the…
Read MoreChasing Lincoln’s Killer by James Swanson
Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson. Scholastic Press, 2009. 194 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 Bottom Line: The young reader’s version of the author’s best-selling Manhunt offers all the drama of Lincoln’s assassination and the ensuing search for John Wilkes Booth. One hundred and fifty years ago, on…
Read MoreGuts & Glory: The American Civil War by Ben Thompson
Guts & Glory: The American Civil War by Ben Thompson. Little, Brown, 2014. 317 pages, including index. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 (especially boys) Bottom Line: The Guts & Glory overview of the Civil War is as readable and as “not boring” as promised, though the casual slangy style may be…
Read MoreAudacity by Melanie Crowder
Audacity by Melanie Crowder. Philomel, 2015. 389 pages, including historical notes. Reading Level: Young Adults, ages 12-15 Recommended for: Young Adults, ages 15-18 Bottom Line: Audacity tells the story of union organizer Clara Lemlich from her point of view, in a way that communicates her strength and her vulnerability. In 1904 Clara Lemlich reached New…
Read More10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know by Kari Kampakis
10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know by Kari Kampakis. Thomas Nelson, 2014. 197 pages. Reading Level: 12-15 Recommended for: 15-18 Bottom Line: Blogger Kari Kampakis frankly and warmly addresses teen girls about what’s most important for personal growth, relationships, and a life centered on Christ. This book grew out of a speech leading to a…
Read MoreFaithgirlz! Big Book of Quizzes
Big Book of Quizzes: Fun, Quirky Questions for You and Your Friends (Faithgirlz!) Zonderkidz, 2014. 127 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages: 12-15 Bottom Line: Faithgirlz! Big Book of Quizzes can be useful for helping preteen girls figure out who they are but comes with some cultural baggage. Around the ages of…
Read More*What’s Up? by Jack Klumpenhower
*What’s Up?: Discovering the Gospel, Jesus, and Who You REALLY Are (Teacher Guide), by Deborah Harrell and Jack Klumpenhower. New Growth Press, 2015. 228 pages. Bottom Line: What’s Up? offers an excellent presentation of the gospel that encourages middle-schoolers to explore their own need for Christ. Fans of Jack Klumpenhower’s Show Them Jesus appreciate how…
Read MoreBible Review: God Girl Bible ESV
God Girl Bible ESV and God Guy Bible ESV edited by Michael and Hayley DiMarco. Crossway, 2014 (latest edition). 1488 pages. Reading Level: ages 12-14 Recommended for: ages 12-14 and up Bottom Line: God Girl and God Guy, ESV Bibles for young adults, include devotional features of unusual depth. The difference between the girl and…
Read MoreBible Review: The Story
The Story, NIV: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People (Also available in NKJV). Zondervan, 2011. 513 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 12-15 and up Bottom Line: The Story is not a complete Scripture text, but a judicially edited collection of passages arranged to present the Bible…
Read MoreBible Review: Guys Life Application Study Bible
Guys Life Application Study Bible NLT. Tyndale House, 2013 (second edition). 1562 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 8-14 Bottom Line: The Guys Life Application Study Bible offers a readable translation and unique features to interest boys, though parents may find added material subjective. The NLT has overtaken the NIV as…
Read MoreBible Review: The Action Bible ESV
The Action Bible Study Bible ESV, edited by Catherine deVries, illustrated by Sergio Cariello. David C. Cook, 2015. 1248 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 9-13 Bottom Line: The ESV study version of the successful Action Bible features a reliable translation, dramatic illustrations, and standard text notes. The phenomenally successful Action…
Read MoreBible Review: God’s Word for Boys (and Girls)
God’s Word for Boys and God’s Word for Girls. Larry Richards, general editor. Baker, 2014 (latest edition), 1713 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 7-12 Bottom Line: Though not the best translation for accuracy, this God’s Word edition for children has some outstanding introductory features. This is the children’s Bible format…
Read MoreBible Review: God’s Little Princess Bible
God’s Little Princess Holy Bible, NKJV. Sheila Walsh, ed. Thomas Nelson, 2014. 1216 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, 8-10 (study material), Middle Grades, 10-12 (text) Recommended For: ages 7-11 (girls, of course!) Bottom Line: The God’s Little Princess Bible boasts more crowns than the Tower of London, but even hardcore princess fanatics will soon outgrow…
Read MoreBible Review: NKJV Explorer’s Study Bible
The Explorer’s Study Bible (NKJV). Thomas Nelson, 2009. 1440 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 8-10 and up Bottom Line: Reliable translation, some nice features, and a theme reminiscent of the best-selling NIV Adventure Bible. When they say “explorers,” they mean it—the exploration theme picks up on the cover and carries…
Read MoreBible Review: Children’s Easy-to-Read Bible
Children’s Easy-to-Read Bible. Leafwood Publishers, 2012. 1820 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 7-10 Bottom Line: The Children’s Easy-to-Read Bible is attractive and accessible to fourth-through-sixth-graders, but the translation has some drawbacks. This is the latest edition children’s Bible from the World Bible Translation Center, originally (and perhaps still) associated with…
Read MoreThe Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, by Jeanne Birdsall. Knopf, 2005. 262 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-12 Recommended For: ages 8-10 and up, especially girls Bottom Line: The Penderwicks, first in a series, delightfully introduces readers to the four Penderwick sisters, their widowed father,…
Read MoreThe Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall. Knopf, 2008. 302 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-12 Recommended For: ages 8-10 and up Bottom Line: The Penderwick girls return for more good-natured family adventures, this time involving a touch of romance and a dollop of deceit. The Penderwick sisters and their long-suffering dad are…
Read MoreThis Thing Called Diversity
Book Expo America (BEA) is a big event in the publishing world—the biggest, in fact. It’s a hodgepodge of authors, industry professionals, book reviewers, and book bloggers, all chattering about the Latest Big Thing or the Next Big Thing. It’s so popular that last year the BEA coordinators announced an adjunct event to take place…
Read MoreThe Distance Between Lost and Found by Kathryn Holmes
The Distance Between Lost and Found by Kathryn Holmes. HarperTeen, 2015. 306 pages. Reading Level: Young Adults, ages 12-15 Recommended for: ages 15-18 Bottom Line: This YA survival story offers thrilling outdoor adventure and relevant questions about faith but doesn’t quite close the circle. Hallelujah Joy Calhoun, 17, isn’t super-religious, as everyone guesses, but her…
Read MoreThe Adventures of Beekle by Dan Santat
The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat. Little, Brown, 2014. 40 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 4-8 Bottom Line: The Adventures of Beekle, winner of the 2015 Caldecott medal, provides a quirky but loveable look at how children acquire their “imaginary” companions. Where do imaginary friends come from? Beekle “was born…
Read MoreThe Caldecott Committee Throws a Curve
The American Library Association (ALA) stages a huge event every winter when it names the winners of its coveted John Newbery and Randolph Caldecott awards. “Newbery & Caldecott,” awarded for text and illustration respectively, were the only awards for decades. But as the interests of the ALA extended beyond just books (i.e., became more political),…
Read MoreAbsolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff. Penguin, 2014, 305 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Bottom Line: Absolutely Almost is a reassuring tale for middle graders who fear they are hopelessly academically challenged, with a relatable and likeable hero. Albie’s mother always tells him he is “caring, thoughtful, and good.” But he’s not smart, a…
Read More*Pioneer Girl: the Annotated Autobiography by Laura Ingalls Wilder
*Pioneer Girl: the Annotated Autobiography by Laura Ingalls Wilder (edited by Pamela Smith Hill). University of South Dakota Press, sale 2014. 400 pages. Reading Level: Adults, ages 16-up Recommended for: ages 12-15, 16-up Bottom Line: Laura Ingalls Wilder’s own account of her growing-up years shows how life became art and is a must for fans…
Read MoreAbsolutely Truly by Heather Vogel
Absolutely Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick. Simon & Shuster, cheap 2014. 354 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ed ages 10-12 Recommended For: ages 10-12 and up Bottom Line: Absolutely Truly begins a fun and wholesome mystery series for middle graders set in Pumpkin Falls, New Hampshire. If you live in Austin, Texas, where the sun…
Read More*You Are (Not) Small by Anna Kang
*You Are (Not) Small by Anna Kang, illustrated by Christopher Weyant. Two Lions (Amazon), 2014. 30 pages. Reading Level: Easy Readers, ages 4-8 Recommended For: ages 0-4 Bottom Line: Beginning readers will love this confrontation between two hairy creatures that proves size is relative. You are small, says one bear-like critter to another. And from…
Read MoreRunning Lean By Diana Sharples
Running Lean by Diana Sharples. Zondervan/Blink, 2013. 400 pages. Reading Level: Young Adults, ages 15-18 Recommended For: ages 16 and up Bottom Line: Running Lean deals sensitively with teen love and the complications brought to it by anorexia. Calvin Greenlee, 17, suffered the worst blow of his life when his brother Michael was killed in…
Read More*The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Pope
The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Pope. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2001. 272 pages Reading Level: Young Adults, ages 12-15 Maturity Level: 5 (ages 12-14) and up Bottom Line: In this classic YA novel originally published in 1958, four ghosts from Revolutionary War days teach a lonely young woman about romance. Peggy Grahame, latest in an unbroken…
Read MoreThe Four Loves by C. S. Lewis: an Introduction
This thing called “love”—what is it? Something we long for, feel vague stirrings about, idolize, draw inspiration from, and abuse left and right. It’s unpredictable, stunning, fragile, overwhelming. And more misunderstood and lied-about than any other human emotion. No human has a comprehensive grasp of love, but if you’re looking for some thought-provoking handles, The…
Read MoreThe 2015 ALA Youth Media Awards
Yesterday morning, the American Library Association announced their annual Youth Media Awards—which include, as any devotee of children’s literature knows, the celebrated Newbery and Caldecott medals. Last year Betsy and I discussed some of the books that appeared to be in the running (it’s always a big secret) and made our predictions—which weren’t too far…
Read More*Noah’s Ark by Peter Spier
Noah’s Ark, Peter Spier’s classic wordless picture book, takes a Bible story that’s often given too cute a portrayal and adds imagination, depth, and reverence. *Noah’s Ark illustrated by Peter Spier. Doubleday, 1976 (original publication; reissued 2015). 44 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 0-4 Maturity Level: suitable for all Doubleday/Random House has republished this…
Read More*Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt’s masterpiece first published 40 years ago, is as timeless as its title characters. *Tuck Everlasting (40th Anniversary Edition) by Natalie Babbitt, forward by Gregory Maguire. Square Fish, 2015. 192 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-up Time is holding still in the town of Treegap: the first…
Read MoreKeeping Your Cool by Lou Priolo
Keeping Your Cool: A Teen’s Survival Guide by Lou Priolo. P&R, capsule 2014 (new edition). 251 pages, unhealthy including appendices. Reading Level: Young Adults, ages 12-15 Maturity Level: 5 (ages 12-14) and up Bottom Line: Keeping Your Cool effectively shows teens how to curb their anger and form godly responses to the frustrations of parental…
Read MoreArcady’s Goal by Eugene Yelchin
Arcady’s Goal by Eugene Yelchin. Henry Holt, 2014. 234 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Maturity Level: 3 (ages 8-10) and up Bottom Line: Arcady’s Goal exposes the fear and bleakness of Stalinist Russia through the eyes of a 10-year-old soccer prodigy. Arcady is routinely called a “criminal” by his keepers though he has…
Read MoreRevolution by Deborah Wiles
Revolution by Deborah Wiles (#2 in The Sixties Trilogy). Scholastic, 2014. 485 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 12-14 Maturity Level: 4 (12-15) and up Bottom Line: Revolution uses media clips and an engaging story to introduce middle grade readers to the tumultuous sixties, focusing on the struggle for civil rights. This is the second…
Read MoreFirst Date by Melody Carlson
First Date (Dating Games #1) by Melody Carlson. Revell, 2013. 212 pages. Reading Level: Young Adults, ages 12-15 Maturity Level: 6 (ages 15-18) Bottom Line: The first volume in the Dating Games series by Melody Carlson has fun with the burning issue of dating and Christian girls but feels underdeveloped in some areas. It was…
Read MoreRain Reign by Ann M. Martin
Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin. Feiwel & Friends, 2014. 223 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, age 8-10 Maturity Level: 4 (ages 10-12) and up Bottom Line: Rain Reign gives middle-grade readers a window into the mind and experience of an autistic girl as she suffers the trauma of losing her dog. Rose (Rows) Howard…
Read MoreThe Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney
The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Shane Evans. Little, Brown, 2014. 319 pages, including notes and glossary. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Maturity Level: 4 (ages 10-12) and up Bottom Line: Though it deals with the tragic recent history of Darfur, Sudan, The Red Pencil makes an alien culture and distant…
Read MoreEgg and Spoon by Gregory Maguire
Egg and Spoon by Gregory Maguire. Candlewick, 2014. 496 pages. Reading Level: Young Adult, ages 12-14 Maturity Level: 5 (ages 12-15) and up Bottom Line: Egg and Spoon casts itself as historical legend, making rich use of centuries of Russian heritage, but passes over the most profound heritage of all. Life can’t get much worse…
Read MoreThe Accidental Highwayman by Ben Tripp
The Accidental Highwayman by Ben Tripp. Tor, 2014. 295 pages. Reading Level: Young Adults, ages 12-15 Maturity Level: 5 (ages 12-14) and up Bottom Line: The Accidental Highwayman plunges the reader into 18th-century Britain on a wild, fun ride through its magical subtext. Here’s the subtitle: Being the Tale of KIT BRISTOL, His Horse MIDNIGHT,…
Read MoreSkies Like These by Tess Hilmo
Skies Like These by Tess Hilmo. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014. 231 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Maturity Level: 4 (ages 10-12) One-line Summary: During a summer in Wyoming, Jade’s new friend Roy learns the limits of hero-worship and self-creation. Jade Landers, age 12, isn’t thrilled about spending a good chunk of summer…
Read MorePack of Dorks by Beth Vrabel
Pack of Dorks by Beth Vrabel. Sky Pony Press, 2014. 213 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Maturity Level: 3 (ages 8-10) One-line Summary: For the 10-year-old protagonist of Pack of Dorks, becoming a victim of bullying in middle school is an opportunity to learn acceptance of others. Lucy and Becky are queens of…
Read MoreSky Run by Alex Shearer
Sky Run by Alex Shearer. Sky Pony Press, 2014. 228 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Maturity Level: 4 (ages 10-12) and up One-line Summary: Sky Run is a science fiction adventure for middle grades that views the process of growing up through multiple perspectives. I was 120 years old last birthday. Which is…
Read MoreThe Scavengers by Michael Perry
The Scavengers by Michael Perry. Harper, 2014, 322 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Maturity Level: 4 (ages10-12) and up One-line Summary: The Scavengers is middle-grade dystopian fiction with a warm heart and laughs scattered among the thrills. Maggie, at 13, is a self-described dirty-fingernailed, roughneck girl who has recently taken up residence in…
Read MoreThe Orphan and the Mouse by Martha Freeman
The Orphan and the Mouse by Martha Freeman, drawings by David McPhail. Holiday House, 2014, 220 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Maturity Level: 3 (ages 8-10) One-line Summary: The Orphan and the Mouse is a good-natured animal fantasy for middle-grade readers or a family read-aloud. The mouse residents and the human residents of…
Read More*On the Wing by David Elliot
*On the Wing by David Elliot, illustrated by Becca Stadtlander. Candlewick, 2014. 30 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 4-8 Maturity level: 2 (ages 4-8) and up One-line Summary: On the Wing beautifully celebrates the varieties of bird life in this picture book for all ages. Birds and picture books seem to be made for…
Read More*Dragon Quest by Allan Baillie
*Dragon Quest by Allan Baillie, illustrated by Wayne Harris. Candlewick, 2013. 40 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 4-8 Maturity Level: 2 (ages 4-8) One-line Summary: A courageous boy and an elderly knight seek the last dragon in this exciting picture book with a surprise ending. “Hey, you!…Up, up, up, we have deeds to do!” …
Read More*The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
*The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. Dutton Children’s Books, 1978. 182 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Maturity Level: 4 (ages 10-12) and up One-line summary: Ellen Raskin’s classic “puzzle mystery,” 1979 Newbery winner, is still the best example of the genre, with interesting twists and wise character analysis. Six families moved into Sunset…
Read MoreThreatened by Eliot Schrefer
Threatened by Eliot Schrefer. Scholastic, 2014. 278 pages. Reading Level: Young Adults, ages 15-18 Maturity Level: 6 (ages 15-18) One-line Summary: Threatened, one of this year’s most honored YA novels, promotes a “natural man,” anti-civilization worldview. As a boy, Luc felt threatened by the “mock men,” the chimpanzees who never ventured near his village but filled…
Read MoreIf You’re Reading This by Trent Reedy
If You’re Reading This, by Trent Reedy. Scholastic, 2014. 296 pages. Reading Level: Young Adults, ages 12-15 Maturity Level: 6 (ages 15-18) One-line Summary: If You’re Reading This is a moving YA novel about a father establishing a relationship with his son after the father’s death in Afghanistan. For Michael Wilson, life is an endless…
Read MoreThe Dawning of Indestructible Joy by John Piper
The Dawning of Indestructible Joy: Daily Readings for Advent by John Piper. Crossway, 2014,96 pages Reading Level: Young Adults, ages 12-15 Maturity Level: 6 (ages 15-18) and up One-line summary: This short devotional guide for teens and adults shares John Piper’s unique perspective on the coming of Christ in preparation for the Christmas season. The…
Read More*Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
Note: this review was originally published on February 4, 2011. Heart of a Samurai, by Margi Preus, Amulet Books, 277 pages plus historical note and glossary. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Maturity Level: 4 (ages 10 and up) Bottom line: This Newbery-winning fictionalized biography for middle graders is as likeable as its hero, with…
Read More*Nuts to You by Lynne Rae Perkins
Nuts to You, by Lynne Rae Perkins. Greenwillow, 2014. 259 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Maturity Level: 3 (ages 8-10) One-line Summary: Nuts to You is a charming animal fantasy for younger middle-graders to read alone, or for the whole family to read aloud. So…one day the author took her lunch to a…
Read MoreThe Paladin Prophesy: Book 1 by Mark Frost
The Paladin Prophesy: Book 1 by Mark Frost. Random House, 2012. 560 pages. Reading Level: Young Adults, ages 12-15 Maturity Level: 6 (ages 15-18) One-line Summary: If they can sift the humanist worldview and dismiss the occasional profanity, discerning teens and reluctant readers may enjoy this action-packed, save-the-world fantasy scenario. One sunny morning in southern California,…
Read MorePopular by Maya Van Wagenen
Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen. Dutton, 2014. 259 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 11-12 Maturity Level: 5 (ages 12-14) When Maya’s dad, a college professor, found a quaint title from 1951 in his book stash and handed it to her, she never expected it would change her life. Betty…
Read MoreEl Deafo by Cece Bell
El Deafo by Cece Bell. Amulet, 2014. 241 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Maturity Level: 3 (ages 8-10) Bottom Line: Author/illustrator Cece Bell recounts her experience growing up deaf in this graphic-format memoir that entertains and enlightens. Cece Bell is the main character of her own story, told in graphic-novel format with all…
Read MoreBrown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. Penguin, 2014. 320 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Maturity Level: 5 (ages 12-14) Bottom line: Award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson’s verse memoir is a window into the late 20th-century black experience. Jacqueline Woodson (Newbery-winning author) was born in Ohio, the youngest of three siblings, but when her parents…
Read MoreYoung Houdini: The Magician’s Fire by Simon Nicholson
Young Houdini: the Magician’s Fire by Simon Nicholson. Sourcebooks, 2014. 232 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Maturity Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Imagine a pre-teen Harry Houdini as an immigrant shoe-shine boy in New York City, with a showman’s flair and two loyal sidekicks, and you’ve got the gist. The real Houdini grew…
Read MoreD-Day: The Invasion of Normandy, 1944 by Rick Atkinson
D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy, 1944 by Rick Atkinson. Holt, 2014. 202 pages. Reading Level: Young Adults, ages 12-15 Maturity Level: 4 (ages 10-12) On the 1,720th day of World War II (May 5, 1944), a starry host of allied commanders including a future president and a present king gathered to plan for a massive invasion…
Read MoreThe Family Romanov by Candace Fleming
The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming. Shwartz & Wade, 2014. 292 pages including index and bibliography. Reading Level: Young Adults, ages 12-15 Maturity Level: 5-6 (ages 12-15) Bottom Line: The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion and the Fall of Imperial Russia makes a pivotal time in history relatable for…
Read MoreThe War to End All Wars by Russell Freedman
The War to End All Wars: World War I by Russell Freedman. Clarion, 2010. 176 pages including notes and index. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Maturity Level: 4 (ages 11-12) [T]his war changed forever the way wars are fought and the way people think about the use of military power. And unfortunately, it did…
Read MoreWorld War I: An Interactive History Adventure by Gwenyth Swain
World War I: an Interactive History Adventure by Gwenyth Swain. (You Choose Books), Capstone, 2012. 112 pages including timeline, index, etc. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Maturity Level: 4 (ages 11-12) As in all the “You Choose” history series books, readers have three main paths to travel: as a nursing student in Belgium, a…
Read MoreStay Where You Are And Then Leave by John Boyne
Stay Where You Are And Then Leave by John Boyne. Henry Holt, 2014. 245 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Maturity Level: 5 (ages 12-14) and up Alfie Summerfield is five when the war starts—July 18, 1914, his birthday. Too young to know that his cozy London neighborhood is about to change forever, but…
Read MoreLife Behind the Wall by Robert Elmer
Life Behind the Wall by Robert Elmer. Zondervan, 2014. 515 pages. Reading level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Maturity level: 4 (ages 11-12) and up This novel is actually a collection of three shorter novels published between 2008 and 2010: Candy Bombers, Beetle Bunker, and Smugglers’ Treasure. Together they make a family saga set in Berlin…
Read MoreThe Great Trouble by Deborah Hopkinson
The Great Trouble: a Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel, by Deborah Hopkinson. Knopf, 2013, 247 pages with historical notes. Reading Level: Middle Grades, Ages 8-10 Maturity Level: 4 (Ages 11-12) London, 1854: “Eel,” at 13, is on his way up after a brief career as a mudlark, when he…
Read MoreShackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi
Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi. First Second, 2014. 125 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Maturity Level: 4 (ages 11-12) and up This is the second of Bertozzi’s graphic series on explorers. (The first is Lewis and Clark: The Greatest Adventure in American History.) His books are notable for a casual style and…
Read MoreTreaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood by Nathan Hale
Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood by Nathan Hale. Amulet, 2014. 128 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12Maturity Level: 4 (age 10 and up) This is the fourth volume of “Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales,” all of which employ the author’s own ancestor (the heroic Revolutionary-War spy) as narrator for some dark, dramatic chapters in history.…
Read MoreThe Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes
The graphic edition of Amity Shlaes’ acclaimed history presents a different view of the effectiveness of government action during the Great Depression. The Forgotten Man: Graphic Edition by Amity Shlaes and illustrated by Paul Riuoche. Harper Perennial, 2014. 307 pages. Reading Level: Young Adults, ages 12-14 Maturity Level: 6 (ages 15-18) Amity Shlaes’ Forgotten Man:…
Read MoreSpace Case by Stuart Gibbs
Space Case by Stuart Gibbs. Simon & Schuster, 2014. 337 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10. Maturity Level: 4 (ages 11-12) Moon Base Alpha (MBA), A.D. 2041. After six months, Dashiel (Dash) Gibson rues the day his parents—geologist mom, mineralogist dad—signed up for a three-year residence on the moon. Being an original colonizer of…
Read MoreJunk Drawer Physics by Bobby Mercer
Junk Drawer Physics: 50 Awesome Experiments That Don’t Cost a Thing by Bobby Mercer. Chicago Review Press, 2014. 187 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 11-12 Maturity Level: n/a Hands-on is how a lot of children learn, especially in the area of science. But if you’re a home educator you may have some experience with…
Read MoreWe Were Liars by E. Lockhart
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. Delacorte, 2014. 242 pages. Reading Level: Young Adults, Ages 12-14 Maturity Level: 7 (Ages 16-up) Then he pulled out a handgun and shot me in the chest. I was standing on the lawn and fell. The bullet hole opened wide and my heart rolled out of my rib cage…
Read MoreCruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. HarperCollins, 2014, 342 pages. Reading level: Young Adults, 15-18 Maturity level: 6 (ages 15-18) A ruined castle broods over the Island of Arcadia, and over the island arches a parchment sky. Arcadia has been separated from the real world by the Great Sundering, which occurred 900 years before our story…
Read MoreThe Glass Sentence by S. E. Grove
The Glass Sentence (The Mapmakers Trilogy #1) by S. E. Grove. Viking, 2014, 489 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 12-14 Maturity Level: 6 (ages 15-18) and up Boston, 1799: . . . in one terrible moment the various parts of the world had come apart. They were unfastened in time. Spinning freely in different…
Read MoreAn Eye for Art: Focusing on Great Artists and Their Work
An Eye for Art: Focusing on Great Artists and Their Work by the National Gallery of Art. Chicago Review Press, 2014, 176 pages. Reading Level: Middle grade, ages 10-12 Maturity Level: 3 (8 and up) This book is a collection of “Inside Scoop” newsletters, a family quarterly published by the National Gallery of Art in Washington,…
Read MoreThe Carnival of the Animals by Jack Prelutsky
The Carnival of the Animals, by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Mary GrandPre. Knopf, 2010, 32 pages (CD included). Reading Level: Picture book, ages 4-8 Maturity Level: 2 (ages 4-8) and up Camille Sainte-Saens supposedly wrote The Carnival of the Animals in 1886 as an inside joke for his music students. Many of the musical themes…
Read MoreListen to the Birds: An Introduction to Classical Music by Ana Garhard
Listen to the Birds, by Ana Garhard. The Secret Mountain, 2013, 48 pages each (CD included). Reading level: Picture Books, ages 9-12 Maturity Level: 3 (8-10) and up There are lots of ways to introduce classical music, depending on the age of the child. Ms. Garhard’s way is to group musical excerpts around a theme…
Read MoreAva and Pip by Carol Westin
Ava and Pip by Carol Weston. Sourcebooks, 2014, 211 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grade (11-12) Maturity Level: 4 (11-12) On the first day of fifth grade, Ava asks her parents why they named her Ava. “Because we like palindromes,” says Dad. That’s why Ava and her older sister’s name spell the same forward and back,…
Read MoreAlways, Abigail by Nancy Cavanaugh
Always, Abigail by Nancy Cavanaugh. Sourcebooks, 2014, 311 pages. Reading level: Middle Grade (8-10) Maturity Level: 3 (8-10) Abigail Walters is starting sixth grade with high hopes of joining the pom-pom squad. She and her best friends Alli and Cami (better known as AlliCam) have planned and practiced for it since third grade, and Abigail…
Read MoreThe Night Gardener
The Night Gardener, by Jonathan Auxier. Amulet, 2014, 350 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Maturity Level: 4 (age 10 and up) Teenage Mollie and her little brother Kip are on the road at a very inauspicious time and place—mid-nineteenth-century Ireland. Their parents have sailed for America, intending to send for them when they…
Read MoreThe Castle Behind Thorns
The Castle Behind Thorns, by Merrie Haskell. HarperCollins, 2014, 341 pages. Reading level: Middle Grades, ages 11-12 Maturity level: 5 (ages 11 and up) Sand awoke curled in the ashes of a great fireplace. He doesn’t even remember falling asleep, and his surroundings give him no clue how he got here—wherever “here” may be. As…
Read MoreI Kill the Mockingbird
I Kill the Mockingbird, by Paul Acampora. Roaring Brook Press, 2014, 177 pages. Reading level: Middle grades, ages 11-12 Maturity level: 4 (ages 11-12) and up Lucy and her friends Elena and Michael are cemented by the lasting ties of book-fandom. They all love books, but not necessarily the same ones. Michael, for instance, has…
Read MoreZane and the Hurricane
Zane and the Hurricane: a Story of Katrina, by Rodman Philbrick. Scholastic, 2014, 181 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 11-12 Maturity Level: 4 (ages 10-12) Zane does not want to spend a couple of weeks in New Orleans—Smellyville, he dubs it—but his mom has just discovered an almost-relative of his late father there and…
Read MoreAlmost Super by Marion Jensen
Almost Super, by Marion Jensen. Harper, 2014, 251 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, Ages 8-12 Maturity Level: 3 (ages 8-10) Every four years, on February 29, the Baileys of Split Rock gather for the adolescent members (12 and older) to receive their specials powers. It always happens at 4:23 p.m.: a flash of light, and…
Read MoreCuriosity
Curiosity, by Gary Blackwood. Dutton, 2014, 310 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, Ages 11-12, Young Adult, ages 12-14 Maturity Level: 5 (Ages 12-14) Philadelphia, 1836: Rufus Goodspeed has led a sheltered life as the only child of his sheltered father, a Methodist minister. Partially crippled from birth (which birth also took his mother), Rufus feels…
Read MoreGrandmaster
Grandmaster, by David Klass. Farrar Strauss and Giroux, 2014, 226 pages. Reading Level: Young Adult, Ages 15-18 Maturity Level: 6 (15-18) What if you discovered that your nerdy dad is a superhero? That’s what happens to Daniel Pratzer—sort of, though Dad doesn’t suddenly zoom across the sky in tights and a cape. Daniel doesn’t make…
Read MoreSeven Stories Up
Seven Stories Up, by Laurel Snyder. Random House, 2014, 229 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, Ages 8-10 Maturity Level: 3 (ages 8-10) Annie and her mom arrive in Baltimore on a sad mission: to say farewell to Annie’s grandmother, who is on her deathbed in the former luxury hotel built by her great-grandfather. Grandmother is…
Read MoreWhat is War Good For?
How do you use the label “anti-war?” As in, “Saving Private Ryan is the best anti-war movie ever made, or “All Quiet on the Western Front ranks at the top of anti-war literature.” In 1969, Edwin Starr’s Motown song “War” became a huge hit. Its theme was simplicity itself: WAR! What is it good for?…
Read More*The Warden and the Wolf King
An epic finale to an epic fantasy series. *The Warden and the Wolf King,by Andrew Peterson. Rabbit Room Press, 2014, 519 pages. Reading Level: Young Adult, ages 12-14 Recommended For: Ages 10 and up, especially fantasy lovers Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli are the children of Nia and Esben Wingfeather, though they never knew their father. Esben was…
Read More*The Desperate Adventures of Zeno and Alya by Jane Kelley
*The Desperate Adventures of Zeno and Alya, by Jane Kelley. Feiwel & Friends, 2013, 201 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, Ages 8-10 Maturity Level: 3 (ages 8-10) and up Bottom line: This sensitive middle-grade novel beautifully explores struggle and loss from two points of view: a girl stricken with leukemia and an African grey parrot.…
Read More*National Wildlife Federation World of Birds by Kim Kirki
*National Wildlife Federation World of Birds: a Beginners Guide, by Kim Kirki. Black Dog & Levanthal, 2014, 80 pages including glossary and index. Reading Level: Picture Book, Ages 4-8; Middle Grades, Ages 8-10 Maturity Level: All One-line Summary: From the handsomely-embossed cover to the hand-lettered chapter titles, this book is a delight. There are no…
Read MoreFor the Birds II
Feathers: Not Just for Flying, by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen. Charlesbridge, 2014, 32 pages. Reading Level: Picture Book, Ages 4-8 Maturity Level: All “Birds and feathers go together, like trees and leaves, like stars and sky. All birds have feathers, but no other animals do.” And did you know . . .…
Read MoreThe Great Greene Heist
The Great Greene Heist, by Varian Johnson. Scholastic, 2014, 226 pages. Age/interest level: 9-13. Everybody loves a con man, as long as they’re not the ones getting conned. Jackson Greene already has this reputation at Maplewood Middle School. If any elaborate pranks have been played, he was “allegedly” behind it. He comes by his talents…
Read MoreThrough Middle-Eastern Eyes: I Am Malala and Hidden Girl
Two real-life memoirs of girls living in a turbulent time and place: Hidden Girl: the True Story of a Modern-Day Child Slave, by Shyima Hall, with Lisa Wysocky. Simon & Shuster, 2014, 232 pages. Age/interest level: 12-up When we are young, it is often the emotion of an experience that stays with us the longest.…
Read MoreOn the Blue Comet
On the Blue Comet, by Rosemary Wells. Candlewick, 2010, 329 pages. I looked out the diner car window. We were just careening past a station called East Libby. A farmer stood on the platform, hands in overall pockets, eyes dreaming down the track from a sun-wrinkled face. Next to him on the platform was a…
Read MoreSRC, Week 6: Spy for the Night Riders
Welcome to Week 6! Time doth fly . . . We started out with The Blue Comet as our book for this week, but due to some issues with content, we’ve decided to focus on this title (see explanation here). We didn’t want to leave anyone hanging, though, so we’ll address The Blue Comet tomorrow…
Read MoreHappy Fourth!
This year marks the bicentennial of our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which was written after the author witnessed the battle of Ft. McHenry from the hold of a British warship. That happened in September 1814, and we’ll be looking for some good books on the subject to review early this fall. In the meantime,…
Read MoreSRC Blue Comet: Problems and Alternate Suggestion
**Please note: We’ve added an alternate reading option for this week. Spy for the Night Riders: Martin Luther (Trailblazer Books #3)by Dave and Neta Jackson. If you have already bought the book, we’d recommend either reading it aloud so a parent can edit the bad language or using a Sharpie to “delete” it. Return with me, please,…
Read MoreSummer Tales
Two middle-grade summertime stories, both by Newberry-winning authors: Half a Chance, by Cynthia Lord. Scholastic, 2014, 218 pages. Age/interest level: 10-14 Lucy is used to moving—it’s her third time in 12 years. This time, her photographer dad and computer-programmer mom have moved to a New Hampshire lake mostly populated with summer people, so the friends…
Read MoreIce and Jungle–New Middle-Grade Adventure
Ice Dogs, by Terry Lynn Johnson. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014, 279 pages. Age/interest level: 12-16. It’s the call of the wild—Victoria Secord loves her 16 dogs and her life in Alaska, where everything was perfect until the accident that took her father. Dad taught her everything she knows about mushing and wilderness survival, but Mom…
Read MoreIt’s Summertime! Let’s Learn Something!
While we’re gearing up for our summer reading challenge (still time to sign up!) the kids may be looking around for something to read. Fiction comes to mind—what a great time to catch up with Percy Jackson or Greg Heffley! Or not. Though lighthearted fantasy or humor seems right for summer, don’t neglect nonfiction. Kids…
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