Discussion Starters

An aspiring magician discovers the real magic in "Super Jake," his special-needs little brother. *Super Jake and the King of Chaos by Naomi Milliner. Running ...

Rebecca McLaughlin confronts some of the hardest questions faced by Christians today with thoughtful, engaging responses rooted in Scripture. *Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for ...

With humor and heart, Pie in the Sky explores the experience of a young Asian immigrant with much more than assimilation on his mind. Pie ...

Wren Clemmons learns much about herself, the desert, and true friendship during wilderness therapy camp in this engaging teen read about drug use. Wild Bird ...

Swing and Solo: two novels-in-verse for teens that grapple with music (jazz and rock and roll), baseball, young love, and what's really important in life. ...

Don't Blame the Mud introduces children to the concept of indwelling sin in a way that they can relate to and grasp. Don’t Blame the ...

Four homeless children in India find their own "bridge home" in this engaging novel for middle grades. The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman.  Random House ...

A middle grades novel packed with life in ancient Egypt and an orphan's adventure among the tombs of the dead. *The Golden Goblet by Eloise ...

Nine Months shows the development of human life, from embryo to newborn, in gentle rhymes and beautiful paintings. Nine Months: before a Baby Is Born ...

Adulting 101: #Wisdom4Life by Josh Burnette and Pete Hardesty. Broadstreet Publishing Group, 2018. 192 pages. Reading Level: Ages 16 and up Recommended For: Ages 14 ...

Beast Rider offers a sympathetic take on the immigration issue through the experience of one Mexican boy. Beast Rider by Tony Johnson and Maria de ...

The Defend Your Faith Bible equips middle graders for apologetics with arguments for the reasonableness and accuracy of the scriptures. CSB Defend Your Faith Bible: ...

Eventown is a place of forgetting, but how much forgetting does that take before you forget yourself? Eventown by Corey Ann Haydn.  HarperCollins, 2019, 326 ...

Mitali Perkins' latest novel takes two conflicted teens to India to confront human trafficking and challenges to their Christian faith. *Forward Me Back to You ...

In Checked, one family's deep involvement in hockey provides the background for life questions. Checked by Cynthis Kadohata.  Atheneum, 2019, 404 pages. Reading Level: Middle ...

Naima loves to draw, but how can she use that gift to help her poor Bangladeshi family earn some much needed income? Rickshaw Girl by ...

Chiko and Tu Reh learn to face challenges and love their enemies in modern day, war-torn Burma in this realistic fiction novel for teens. Starred ...

Two recent graphic-novel adaptations of classic stories have their strengths, but overall demonstrate the adage, "the book is better." A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine ...

New Kid offers a fresh and funny graphic-novel take on the middle-school blues. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 8-14 From Washington ...

Krosoczka, author of the Lunch Lady graphic novels, tells his own story in Hey Kiddo, a graphic novel memoir that is by turns harsh and tender. ...

You Who: Why You Matter and How to Deal with It is a refreshing take on the "find yourself" messages blaring from our culture for ...

Foundling, Lamplighter, and Factotum by D. M. Cornish. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2006-2010. Ages 12 & up. Reading Level: Young Adult, ages 12-14 Recommended for: ages 12 & ...

The Young Man's Guide to Awesomeness is a well-organized, humorous, straight-talking guide for young men as they mature into godly adults. *The Young Man's Guide to Awesomeness: How to Guard Your Heart, Get the Girl, and Save the World by Barrett Johnson. INFO For Families, 2017. 158 pages. Reading Level: Teen, ages 12 and up Recommended For: Upper middle grades and up (ages 10+) Growing up is never easy. There are physical changes, ...

It's time to reclaim "Women's History Month" (March). How about "Women in the Church Month," complete with deep conversation about our shared faith, discussion about ...

Not every teen is hanging out in the YA section of the library, wallowing in teen angst.* Plenty of teens are ready for meaty, engaging ...

Vera König must decide if she can trust the enemy in this moving, true Holocaust story of a Christian in Hitler's camps. Courage in the ...

  The Biographies and Discussion Questions To start our year off for the Love Your Neighbor Book Club, everyone read a missionary biography of their ...

Perfect activity for your list-loving child on a cold winter’s day. Sign Here by Gabrielle Djanogly & Adele Mildred.  Prestel Junior, 2018.  48 pages.   Reading Level: Ages ...

Janie, Hayley, and Betsy team up to (virtually) discuss Sweep by Jonathan Auxier: does it have what it takes to win a Newbery? We discuss themes, ...

December is such a wildly busy month: Christmas concerts and recitals and school performances and parties. Travel plans and/or welcoming extended family into your home. ...

Tales of Wonder provides parents and teachers a wonderful resource to use as they enjoy fairy tales with their students and children. *Tales of Wonder, ...

Three new picture books in the Good News for Little Hearts series help us coach children through difficulties and point them to Christ. Zoe's Hiding ...

Celebrate the birth of Christ with stories, Scripture, and song in this Advent family devotional guide, perfect for busy families or used in a classroom ...

To date this school year, our Love Your Neighbor Book Club has read Save Me a Seat and A Long Walk to Water, both of ...

Natalie is desperate to win an egg drop contest so she can use the prize money to help cure her mom's depression in this sweet middle ...

Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree is a tough but vital read for thoughtful Christian teens. Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani.  HarperCollins, ...

Readers, it's almost October! Let me pour myself some Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea. (You can have your pumpkin spice lattes!) Are you ...

How a sensitive boy handles death and guilt is the subject of The Dollar Kids: one of our “discussion starter” titles.  Ages 10-15 The Dollar ...

Illegal, a graphic novel, puts readers into the perils of a refugee from Africa while stimulating important questions about refugees worldwide. Ages 12-15 Illegal by ...

Love God. Love your neighbor. Those, in brief, are the two greatest commandments, the commandments that sum up all the Law and the Prophets. And one ...

Inside Out and Back Again is a beautiful, timely middle grades verse novel about a young Vietnamese girl's refugee experience. Inside Out and Back Again ...

Read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's adventure classic, The Lost World, a book that has clear links to Jurassic Park! The Lost World by Sir Arthur ...

Mysterious maps, sea creatures, and an island kingdom where dark secrets threaten to emerge . . . All the makings for an excellent story. Isle ...

Are You a Sci-Fi Fan? Are you a Trekkie? A Star Wars fan? Perhaps you've faithfully watched Dr. Who, Stargate, or Battlestar Galactica. Or perhaps you are a ...

The story that inspired the movie chain: Jurassic Park is more complex than the movie in every way--and not for kids. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. ...

A well-written, engaging middle grades biography of Harriet Tubman, conductor on the Underground Railroad, that tells young readers about her life from birth to death. ...

In a beautifully written memoir full of vignettes, McCord gives readers glimpses of the people and culture of Afghanistan through her eyes as a Christian NGO. ...

A Pakistani Muslim woman recounts how God spoke to her, calling her out of her Muslim background, and how she dared to call him "Father" ...

A lightning strike turns a 13-year-old girl into a math genius, but she has a lot to learn about human relationships and living in the ...

A realistic sports story that is so much more than a sports story, Tangerine blends soccer, environmentalism, bullying, racism, and physical disability into a well-written, ...

Readers eager for more tales from Tyme will be disappointed by a story that is for more political than its precursor.   Disenchanted: The Trials of ...

Hunger stalks Lorraine and her family as they struggle to cope during Ireland's potato famine in this historical fiction middle grades novel. Hunger: A Tale ...

A young girl in the middle of the Indian partition of 1947 shares poignant thoughts and fears in The Night Diary. Ages 12-15 The Night ...

Early Auden is Jack's guide to Pi as they voyage to find the giant bear and complete their quest in this thought-provoking, intricate historical novel.  Ages ...

Matthew, housebound because of his OCD, uses his detailed observations of his neighbors to help solve the disappearance of a toddler in this middle grades ...

For middle grades and up: a photographic, journalistic look at those famous twelve days in May when a group of whites and blacks bravely tried ...

In his Confessions, Augustine wrote this on the subject of "time": “I understand well enough what time is, so long as no one asks me.” ...

For middle grades: A compelling look into the life of Betty before X (Malcolm X) and the influence of the black church in the racially charged 1940s. ...

The Book of Boy breathes life into the squalor and splendor of the late middle ages, with the tale of a parentless child and a ...

Starred review for this young adult biography that showcases a thoughtful--and thought-provoking--Abigail Adams against the backdrop of tumultuous American history. *Abigail Adams: Witness to a ...

The movie version of Every Day, based on David Levithan's YA novel of the same title, opens today.  Here's our review from 2012 that addresses ...

Bronze and Sunflower is a gentle, thought-provoking peek into the cultural revolution in China, its effects on two children, and the importance of sacrificing for your family. ...

We're back for our second Newbery Buzz discussion of 2019. Last week, Hayley and Janie discussed Tumble and Blue. This week, Hayley and I (Betsy) discuss Orphan ...

Pamela interviews Keith Robinson, author of the Origins trilogy and other Christian sci-fi works. Read on for more information about Robinson, his work, and his many ...

In Long Way Down, a grief-stricken and confused 15-year-old in "the projects" has a desperate choice to make after the death of his brother. Long ...

Four middle grades kids discuss The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: what stands out in this funny, modern Christmas classic? The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara ...

Same Kind of Different As Me is an emotional and spiritual memoir of two men who became friends despite their backgrounds, races, and preconceptions. *Same Kind ...

One Last Word showcases poems from the Harlem Renaissance alongside contemporary poems by Grimes that build on and reflect those earlier poets.  One Last Word: ...

The Witch of Blackbird Pond is a modern classic with good reason: young Kit Tyler faces the questions all adolescents face as she tries to ...

Starred review for this book about a tech-wise family that is characterized by 10 commitments reflecting the proper pace of technology in a family's life ...

10 True Stories for Teens It's hard to beat a good, true story. Something about the it really happened aspect just makes it better, don't you ...

Irresistible is a fascinating look at technology's impact on humanity, particularly in the light of behavioral addiction. Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the ...

A class of seventh graders deal with verbal bullying in this thought-provoking novel (with cautions). Posted by John David Anderson.  Walden Pond (HarperCollins), 2017, 365 ...

Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray.  Little, Brown and Company, 2017. 512 pages. Noemi Vidal will die for her country, but an abandoned spaceship and a ...

Betsy: It’s hard to believe we’re at the end of our Wisdom & Wonder Summer Reading Challenge! On a personal level, this has been a ...

Introduction This summer reading challenge has flown by!  Can you believe it’s Week 6 already?  (Granted, we did take a week off for the Fourth ...

All stories share the same literary elements, be they written or acted, books or movies. Summer Blockbusters For the Win And movies are a terrific ...

This week, the Redeemed Reader team discusses what it looks like to take the right path and our favorite friendships in literature.   Pilgrim's Progress ...

Welcome to Week 4 of Wisdom and Wonder!  We hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July.  Now, back to the reading challenge! For a ...

The Redeemed Reader Team is discussing books this week in light of our Wisdom & Wonder Week 1 Theme: Turning to God/Away from sin. We ...

Welcome to week 1 of our Wisdom & Wonder Summer Reading Challenge! Wisdom and Wonder Week 1: Turning to God and Away from Sin! This ...

Wisdom & Wonder Week [1] Booklist: Weekly Theme: Turning towards God and Away from Sin Wise-Up #1 (Real Wise Man) and #2 (Heart of the ...

Does the Dog Die? (The Saddest of Sad Dog Stories!) "Miss Wanda," I stage-whispered to the children's librarian across from me, "I need to know. Does the ...

Winner takes all in a bet between siblings Jessie and Evan Treski as they battle it out lemonade-stand style in this realistic fiction novel for ...

This is a guest post by Candice Watters, blogger at Family Making. Her original, longer review of Mei Fuh appeared there first. Welcome, Candice! Travel ...

This is the fifth devotional we've had on the key themes in Beauty and the Beast. To see links to previous three as well as ...

Some of the staff here at Redeemed Reader decided to discuss Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge as it relates to the story of Beauty and ...

Before you read Till We Have Faces, you must first know the myth. You can either read a picture book version or the one by ...

This discussion is part of our Beauty and the Beast Adventure this month. The text below reflects several ongoing discussions the Redeemed Reader team has had via ...

Once upon a time there was beautiful girl who became a queen. . . .  And her name was Esther.  There's a definite fairytale quality ...

Like our Newbery Buzz discussions, Janie and Betsy discuss Every Falling Star "virtually" in light of our Beauty and the Beast Adventure this month. We hope these discussions help ...

This is a featured title in our Beauty and the Beast Adventure. Redeemed Reader is not affiliated with or endorsing the new Disney Beauty and the ...

See our first Beauty and the Beast Devotional if you missed it! This is part of our Beauty and the Beast Adventure which is focusing ...

Join us as we dive into the themes and stories behind Beauty and the Beast during the month of March! And don't worry, it's not just for girls--we ...

An epic middle grades fantasy series full of adventure, toothy cows, heroes and heroines, and dragons. *The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson. Rabbit Room Press. ...

Henry discovers 100 cupboards that lead to other worlds in this complex middle grades fantasy series that mirrors the creation-fall-redemption narrative framework of Scripture. 100 ...

Engaging and short, one teenager's search for answers will leave readers wanting to learn more about the Tuskegee Airmen.   American Ace by Marilyn Nelson.  Dial ...

An actual slave ledger from 1828 inspires this group portrait of eleven African Americans who remain free to dream. Freedom over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their ...

This is a review specifically for parents; librarians and teachers may benefit as well, but children should ask their parents first before reading further. This is also ...

For Christians of all colors who are concerned about racial tension, Benjamin Watson shows the way to reconciliation. *Under Our Skin by Benjamin Watson.  Tyndale, ...