Book Reviews

House of Hades

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan. Hyperion Books, 2013, 583 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 11 and up Maturity Level: 6 My younger siblings adore Percy ...
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Centerburg Tales by Robert McCloskey

Centerburg Tales by Robert McCloskey. Viking, 1979, 191 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, 8-10Maturity Level: 2 (ages 4-8) and up Centerburg Tales is set in ...
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An 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 ...
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The 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 ...
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Listen 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 ...
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Homer Price cover

Homer Price by Robert McCloskey

Homer Price by Robert McCloskey. Viking, 1943. 149 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, 8-10Recommended for: Ages 8-10 McCloskey has transformed his picture book hero, Lentil, ...
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Lentil by Robert McCloskey

Lentil by Robert McCloskey. First published by Viking, 1940. Reading Level: Picture Books, 4-8Recommended for: Ages 4-8 Lentil, McCloskey's first picture book, is now 74 years ...
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Ava 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 ...
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Always, 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 ...
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Water Can Be… by Laura Purdie Salas

Water Can Be… by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Violeta Dabija. Millbrook, 2014, 32 pages. Reading Level: Picture BookMaturity Level: All Water Can Be is a fun ...
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A Leaf Can Be…by Laura Purdie Salas

A Leaf Can Be... by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Violeta Dabija. Millbrook, 2012, 32 pages. Reading Level: Picture BookMaturity Level: All Who would have imagined that ...
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*Somebody on This Bus is Going to Be Famous by (our very own) J. B. Cheaney

*Somebody on This Bus Is Going to Be Famous by J. B. Cheaney. Sourcebooks, 2014. 304 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades (8-12)Recommended For: Ages 10-12 Bottom ...
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Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward and illustrated by Steve Jenkins

This book is a "Best of the Best" pick from ourWinter Book Fair. CLICK HERE to see more gift ideas! Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer ...
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Greenglass House by Kate Milford

Greenglass House by Kate Milford. Clarion, 2014, 384 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades (ages 10-12) Recommended for: Ages 10 and up The Greenglass House is ...
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Vigilante Poets

The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer. Alfred A. Knopf, 2014, 323 pages. Reading Level: Young Adult, Ages 15 - 18 Maturity Level: 6 (ages 15 ...
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Reviewing School Book Lists, Part Three: The List

Reviewing School Book Lists: Part One. Part Two. Part Three. Part Four.  In the previous part of this series, I acquainted our readers with a young ...
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I Can Read / Made By God

    I Can Read! Made by God series, edited by Mary Hassinger. Zonderkidz, 2010-2011, 32 pages. Reading Level: Easy/Leveled Readers, Ages 4-8 Maturity Level: ...
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The 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 ...
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The 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 ...
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Achoo! Bang! Crash!: The Noisy Alphabet

Achoo! Bang! Crash!: The Noisy Alphabet by Ross MacDonald. Neal Porter Books, 2003. 32 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, 4-8 Recommended for: Ages 4-8 This ...
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Count on the Subway

Count On the Subway by Paul Dobois Jacobs and Jennifer Swender and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino. Knopf, 2014. 32 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, 0-4 ...
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What in the World?: Fun-Tastic Puzzles for Curious Minds

What in the World?: Fun-Tastic Puzzles for Curious Minds by Julie Vosburgh Agnone. National Geographic Society, 2014. 48 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, 4-8 Recommended ...
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Fall Book Lists! Books to Lighten Your Kids’ Book Bags.

Are your kids' book bags feeling heavy this fall?  How bout a few enjoyable reads to lighten the load? Thanks to each of the Redeemedreader ...
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The Finisher by David Baldacci

The Finisher by David Baldacci.  Scholastic, 2014, 497 pages.   Reading level: Young Adults, 15-18 Maturity level: 6 What do you get when you blend a ...
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I 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 ...
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Zane 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 ...
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Almost 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 ...
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This Plus That by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

This Plus That: Life's Little Equations by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Jen Corace. Harper, 2011. 32 pages. Reading Level: Picture Book, Ages 4-8 Recommended ...
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One Smart Cookie by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

One Smart Cookie: Bite-Size Lessons for the School Years and Beyond by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Jane Dyer and Brooke Dyer. Harper, 2010. ...
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Flight School

Flight School by Lita Judge. Atheneum, 2014, 32 pages. Reading Level: picture books, Ages 0-4, Ages 4-8Recommended for: Ages 0-4, Ages 4-8 An ambitious penguin ...
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Curiosity

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: ...
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Grandmaster

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 ...
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Seven 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 ...
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Where Angels Tread

The Garden Gate, by Christa Kinde.  Zondervan, 2014, 301 pages.   Age level: 10-up Prissie Pomeroy can see angels.  In fact, most of her friends ...
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Hickory Dickory Dog by Alison Murray

Hickory Dickory Dog by Alison Murray. Candlewick, 2014 (first published in U.K. in 2012), 32 pages. Reading Level: Picture BookRecommended for: All ages Murray applies her ...
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What 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 ...
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*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 ...
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*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 ...
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Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey by Alex Milway

Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey by Alex Milway. Candlewick, 2014. Reading Level: Early Chapter Book, Ages 4-8Recommended for: All ages Charmingly illustrated with ...
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Reviewing School Book Lists, Part One

Reviewing School Book Lists: Part One. Part Two. Part Three.Part Four. This post by Emily Whitten, co-founder of Redeemed Reader, is part of a series ...
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*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: ...
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For 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: ...
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Thoughts on The Giver

During the Summer Reading Challenge, Redeemed Reader interns Amos Peck and Grace Olson, Valen Caldwell, intern at Breakpoint.org, and I --Hayley Schoeppler, Redeemed Reader's executive assistant-- ...
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The 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 ...
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Through 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, ...
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genesis in space and time book cover

Genesis in Space and Time by Francis Schaeffer

This review was originally written by Valen Caldwell as part of the 2014 Summer Reading Challenge.     Genesis in Space and Time by Francis ...
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SRC Week 6, Teen List: The Giver and Genesis in Space and Time

Other Summer Reading Challenge posts: Introduction, Week One: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Two: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Three: off Week ...
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On 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 ...
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SRC, 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 ...
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SRC Week 5, Teen List: The Giver and Genesis in Space and Time

Other Summer Reading Challenge posts: Introduction, Week One: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Two: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Three: off Week ...
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*The House of Arden by E. Nesbit

The House of Arden by E. Nesbit.  NYR Children’s Collection, 2006 reprint.  260 pages.    Reading Level:  Middle Grades, ages 8 - 10  Bottom Line:  Two children,  ...
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SRC, Week 5: A Wrinkle in Time

Other Summer Reading Challenge posts: Introduction, Week One: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Two: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Three: off Week ...
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SRC Week 4, Teen List: Out of the Silent Planet

Other Summer Reading Challenge posts: Introduction, Week One: 1) Kids,  2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Two: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Three: off Week ...
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SRC, Week 4: The House of Arden

Other Summer Reading Challenge posts: Introduction, Week One: 1) Kids, 2) Teens,  3) Devotional.  Week Two: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Three: off Week ...
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The Story of Owen: Review and Discussion

It's officially an off-week here at Redeemedreader.  But we've put together one "extra" post for your holiday weekend: a review of The Story of Owen: ...
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SRC Week 2, Teen List: Dragon’s Tooth Discussion

Other Summer Reading Challenge posts: Introduction, Week One: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Two: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Three: off Week ...
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SRC, Week 2: Rush Revere and the First Patriots

Other Summer Reading Challenge posts: Introduction, Week One: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Two: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Three: off Week ...
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SRC, Week 1 (Teen list): The Dragon’s Tooth by N. D. Wilson

Welcome Teens! Who's finished the first book??!  Not me!!!  And that's totally OK, because we've got another week before we post our discussion on The ...
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To Say Nothing of the Dog (Summer Reading for Grown-ups!)

This post originally appeared in a different format as part of our 2014 Summer Reading Challenge. The content has been adapted slightly to fit our new ...
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SRC, Week 1: Chitty Chitty And The Race Against Time

Other Summer Reading Challenge posts: Introduction, Week One: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Two: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Three: off Week ...
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Summer 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 ...
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Ice 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 ...
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The Fault in Our Stars: Coffee and Conversations

Introduction This Friday, The Fault in Our Stars hit movie screens across America.  It was a big book (Time Magazine's #1 fiction book of 2012), ...
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It’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 ...
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The Year of the … Books by Andrea Cheng

One of the most common questions I get when people learn of my profession is a variation of the following, My child is a precocious ...
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The Winner’s Curse

It began with a simple conversation, Marie Rutkoski explains: . . . while sitting with my friend Vasiliki Skreta on a dark blue gym mat ...
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Raising “Wild” Readers

How do you teach the pleasure of reading to non-readers? Convinced by research studies and personal experience that worksheets and conventional methods of teaching literary ...
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Digging in the Dirt

Due to the loooong winter experienced by those of us in the Midwest and eastern United States, we’ve been slow to get our garden in. ...
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Gifts for Grads, 3rd Edition

If you have a high school or college graduate, you’re thinking about how fast time flies and how bittersweet the occasion of this very special ...
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Spy Catchers of Maple Hill

Spy Catchers of Maple Hill by Megan Frazer Blakemore. Bloomsbury, 2014. 320 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12Recommended for: ages 10-12 One-Sentence Summary: Young Hazel Kaplansky, ...
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Thinking Christianly–about Everything

Reclaiming the Christian Intellectual Tradition series, by various authors. Crossway, 2012-2016, 110-140 pages each. Age/interest level: 16-up. This fall, bright, committed Christian students will pack ...
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Faithgirlz in Action: Two New Series

Zondervan’s “Faithgirlz!” books are series novels aimed at middle-grade girls. These two “girlz” series fall prey to some common weaknesses of Christian fiction, but show ...
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Cress and The Lunar Chronicles

When you came to my jail cell and dropped this whole princess thing on me . . . how was I supposed to react?  All ...
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Over the Moon and across the Pond

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Over the Moon, by Frank Cottrell Boyce. Candlewick, 2014, 240 pages. Age/interest level: 9-13 The magical car seems to be flying ...
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Boys of Blur and Beowulf: Like Father, Like Son

It's not often that we are privileged to read literary gems from both father AND son. But that is indeed the case here; to make ...
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Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge

Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge. Candlewick, 2003, 116 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, 10-12 Maturity Level: 5 (Ages 12-15) One-line Summary: Kevin, age 15, ...
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Baseball Is . . . by Louise Borden

Baseball Is . . . by Louise Borden, illustrated by Raul Colon. Simon and Shuster, 2014. 40 pages. Reading Level: Picture book, ages 4-8 Maturity ...
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*The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

*The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. Harcourt Mifflin Harcourt, 2014. 237 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grade, ages 10-12 Maturity Level: 4 (ages 10-12) and up Bottom ...
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Divergent: Coffee and Conversation

A few weeks ago, Veronica Roth's book Divergent hit the big screen.  In God's providence, that morning I also happened to be in the same town ...
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Bible Review: The Family Reading Bible

The Family Reading Bible: a Joyful Discovery: Explore God's Word Together, NIV. Zondervan, 2010, 2336 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: all ...
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Bible Review: The Story Teen Edition

The Story: Teen Edition. Zondervan, 2011, 498 pages (paperback). Reading Level: Middle Grades ages 10-13 Recommended for: ages 12-15 Bottom Line: This teen edition of ...
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Bible Review: The Big Picture Interactive Bible

Big Picture Interactive Bible: Connecting Christ through God’s Story (HCSB)*. Broadman &Holman Kids, 2014, 1350 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages ...
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Bible Review: The Jesus Bible (NIV)

The NIV Jesus Bible, Zondervan, 2014, 1760 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, 8-10 Recommended for: ages 8-12 Bottom Line: This children's version of the NIV ...
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Bible Review: NKJV Ignite

NKJV Ignite: the Bible for Teens. Thomas Nelson, 2013, 1600 pages. Reading Level: Young Adult, ages 12-15 Recommended for: ages 12-15 Bottom Line: Ignite offers ...
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Bible Review: ESV Journal Bible

ESV Journal Bible, Crossway, 2012 (latest edition), 1380 pages. Reading Level:Middle grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 12 and up Bottom Line: Though limited in ...
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Bible Review: NKJV Extreme Teen Study Bible

NKJV Extreme Teen Study Bible, Thomas Nelson, 2012, 1792 pages, for ages 13-18 Reading Level: Young Adult, ages 12-15 Recommended for: ages 12-15 Bottom Line: ...
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Shakespeare: life, theater and historical context

Here are some resources that weave together the life of William Shakespeare with the world he lived in, how the plays were produced, and what ...
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The Shakespeare Stealer–and an Interview with Author Gary Blackwood

The Shakespeare Stealer (1998), Shakespeare's Scribe (2000), and Shakespeare's Spy (2003), by Gary Blackwood.  Penguin Group; Puffin Books.  Age/interest level: 12-16. True story: in 1998 ...
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It’s Party Time! How to wish Will a happy 450th

What better way to celebrate Shakespeare's birthday than to throw a party!  With ten or more guests and liberal use of the suggestions below, it ...
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The Playmaker by (our very own) J. B. Cheaney

When I first read this book, I did not know Janie personally. I knew of her from WORLD Magazine, but it took a flyer at ...
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Adventuring with Wilder Good, Gannon & Wyatt, and a Giveaway!

The Adventures of Wilder Good: Elk Hunt, by S. J. Dahlstron.  Paul Dry Books, 2013, 101 pages.  Age/interest level: 9-13. The title says it all: ...
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Easter devotional: Why Easter?

  Compared to the proliferation of Christmas-themed titles, the availability of books about Easter is sparse. As we noted last year, many of them focus ...
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America, the Future: Divided We Fall and Sylo

This month we're looking at some YA and middle-grade titles that could be described as "high-interest": stories that grab you and don't let go.  But ...
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The Lunar Chronicles, continued

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer.  Feiwel and Friends, 2013.  452 pages.  Age/interest level: 14-up.    As a sequel, Scarlet picks up right where Cinder ended.  Linh Cinder, now ...
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Ukraine: Lessons in Liberty and Compassion, Pt. 2

Last week, we began our Ukrainian series with a personal reflection from our executive assistant, Hayley.  Having recently visited orphans in Ukraine,  Hayley gave us insight ...
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Retro Reads: Lloyd Alexander’s Picture Books

In reading Lloyd Alexander’s picture books, I observe three things: 1) he is well-versed in a broad range of folklore traditions, 2) he loves cats, and 3) ...
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Retro Reads: Lloyd Alexander’s Vesper Holly Series

Readers will have a hard time forgetting Lloyd Alexander's plucky heroine, Vesper Holly. Ginger-haired, green-eyed, and very determined, 16-year-old Vesper Holly is ready for anything, ...
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Retro Reads: Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain

It's Retro Reads week with Lloyd Alexander! Today, we take a look back to Lloyd Alexander's marvelous Chronicles of Prydain, the first of which was ...
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Retro Reads: The Sword in the Stone

This week we begin a series of occasional posts called Retro Reads: those modern-day classics you may have missed in your teen years or before ...
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Sequelville: in Which We Follow up on Some Old Favorites

Sometimes fans of a popular book DEMAND a sequel (see Origami Yoda, below), and sometimes the entire series is planned out from the beginning.  Whether ...
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