Book Reviews

The Lorax: A Book and Movie Meditation

By emily | Mar 8, 2012

“It is to be broken. It is to be torn open. It is not to be reached and come to rest in ever. I turn ...

Cities and Gardens

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 7, 2012

As mentioned last Friday, some professional worriers have noted that children's picture books are displaying a decided preference for cityscapes as opposed to natural landscapes. ...

The Poetry of Nature

By emily | Mar 5, 2012

Contest: Do you have a favorite kids' poem? Would you or your kids like to write your own? Post your new or favorite poems in ...

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 2, 2012

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George. Harper Collins, 1972 (paperback reissue 2003). 208 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, 10-12 Recommended for: Young adult, ...

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 2, 2012

Gary Paulsen's classic survival novel Hatchet offers a realistic--as opposed to romantic-- view of nature and what it takes to survive in the wild. Hatchet ...

Soldier Bear

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 28, 2012

Soldier Bear, by Bibi Dumon Tak, illustrated by Philip Hopman. Translated by Laura Watkinson. Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2011, 145 pages. Age/interest level: 9-12 World War ...

Christ in Literature: The Anansi Stories

By emily | Feb 27, 2012

We started our February series on African folktales with an interview with a Christian from the Congo and a stack of books. We followed that ...

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 24, 2012

Countdown (the Sixties Trilogy) by Deborah wiles. Scholastic, 2010, 377 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 10-12 Maturity Level: 4 (ages 10-12) and up Bottom ...

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 24, 2012

The Apothecary, by Maile Meloy. Putnam/Penguin, 2011, 353 pages. Reading Level: Young Adults, ages 12-15 Maturity Level: 5 (ages 12-14) Bottom Line: The Apothecary is ...

Interview with Author Jane Kurtz on African Stories

By emily | Feb 23, 2012

More African stories! Today, we hear from Jane Kurtz, who was raised by missionary parents in Ethiopia. Since then, she's come to live in the ...

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 21, 2012

Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys. Penguin/Philomel, 2011, 338 pages. Reading Level: Young Adults, ages 12-15 Maturity Level: 6 (ages 15-18) and up June ...

Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 21, 2012

Breaking Stalin’s Nose, written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. Henry Holt & Company: 2011, 154 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 10-12 Maturity Level: 5 ...

Happy Presidents’ Day! No, really…

By emily | Feb 20, 2012

Better Than Little Obama Debbie Cakes Let's go ahead and admit it. Nobody really cares about Presidents' Day. I mean, maybe a few history buffs, ...

Heart and Soul

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 17, 2012

Heart and Soul: the story of America and African Americans, written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson. HarperCollins, 2011, 108 pages (including bibliography, index, and chronology). ...

Africa: A Literary Adventure and Podcast!

By emily | Feb 16, 2012

This month my local public library is offering a marionette show of African folktales starring Anansi the spider. It's a unique way to celebrate Black ...

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 14, 2012

Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos, FSG, 2011, 341 pages. Age/interest level: 10-13. (2012 Newbery Medal winner) Norvelt, PA, 1962: a depression-era-town that’s slowly ...

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 7, 2012

My first exposure to Charles Dickens was the original Classics Illustrated edition of A Tale of Two Cities. The last panel of Sidney Carton climbing ...

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 6, 2012

We're kicking off Dickens week with a fun excursion into the heart of Victorian London. Be sure and enter our Dickens trivia contest for a ...

By Janie Cheaney | Jan 27, 2012

So, last Friday the whole boys-and-reading subject came up, and why boys seem to prefer non-fiction. I think this generally true, though there are plenty ...

By Janie Cheaney | Jan 24, 2012

Actually, it’s not at night, but first thing in the morning. And there are no backless evening gowns or acceptance speeches (those come later). But ...

By emily | Jan 23, 2012

When The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats first came out in 1962, it broke the mold in a number of ways. Besides the charming ...

By Janie Cheaney | Jan 20, 2012

Everybody likes stories. But a significant number of bodies prefer their stories to be true, or at least factual. I’ve long heard it rumored among ...

By Janie Cheaney | Jan 13, 2012

The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction, by Alan Jacobs. Oxford University Press, 2011, 150 pages. Age/interest: adult. Heads-up: Watch for our interview ...

By Janie Cheaney | Jan 12, 2012

*Secrets at Sea, by Richard Peck, illustrated by Kelly Murphy. Dial, 2011, 239 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 8-10 and ...

By emily | Jan 12, 2012

This interview is part of our Japan: Literary Adventure. See Part One for an introduction as well as links to the books we talk about ...

By Janie Cheaney | Jan 9, 2012

Last August saw the 50th anniversary of The Phantom Tollbooth—has it been that long already? We’re a little late but wanted to observe the occasion ...

By Janie Cheaney | Jan 5, 2012

A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home by Henry Cole. HarperCollins, 2010, 336 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ...

By emily | Dec 27, 2011

Yesterday on our site, we offered a review of both book and movie, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. But of course, it's not the ...

By emily | Dec 26, 2011

Last Wednesday, I sat down with a friend at the Regal Cinema nearby to watch "the feel bad movie of Christmas." For the uninitiated, that's ...

By emily | Dec 25, 2011

ADVENT II The year the tree fell: Little bits of brittle angels all over the floor, bent up boxes, and torn paper. I cut myself ...

By Janie Cheaney | Dec 23, 2011

The Invention of Lefse: a Christmas Story, by Larry Woiwode. Crossway, 2011, 63 pages. Age/interest level: 8 and up. “Lefse? What’s lefse?” is the epigraph ...

By emily | Dec 22, 2011

Ah, winter...Christmas parties, New Years resolutions, dashing through the snow to Grandma's house with a minivan full of sugar-crazed kids. What better time for a ...

By Janie Cheaney | Dec 20, 2011

War Horse, by Michael Morpurgo. Scholastic, 2011 (originally published 1982), 192 pages. Age/interest level: 8 and up. Michael Morpurgo was already established in the UK ...

The Word of God for Kids

By emily | Dec 19, 2011

ESV Seek and Find Bible. Crossway Bibles, 2010. 1, 888 pps. Ages 5-up. The Action Bible. David C. Cook, New edition 2010. Illustrated by Sergio ...

By Janie Cheaney | Dec 16, 2011

The December 21 opening of The Adventures of Tintin: the Secret of the Unicorn, should focus attention not only on the boy from Belgium ...

By Janie Cheaney | Dec 14, 2011

The Voice Bible proposes to do something new: present God’s word narratively rather than propositionally. That may be an overstatement, as the Bible is propositional ...

By Janie Cheaney | Dec 9, 2011

As reported by the L.A. Times only a week ago, “Young adult continues to be the literary world’s fastest-growing genre.” There are a lot of ...

By Janie Cheaney | Dec 8, 2011

Picture books are traditional, and YA is new and glamorous, but the area of literature I consider to be “classic children’s” is that big glorious ...

By Janie Cheaney | Dec 6, 2011

Late last year an article in the New York Times caused the book world to shiver and shake and ask itself, "Is the picture book ...

By Janie Cheaney | Dec 5, 2011

On Friday we looked at some very popular picture books that you just might find under your tree. Some of them are better than others, ...

By Janie Cheaney | Dec 2, 2011

Any bookstore manager can tell you that one of the most reliable customer types is the older woman with no children in the household (either ...

He’s Coming!

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 29, 2011

In the fundamentalist church where I grew up, we never did advent. I never even understood what the word meant until well into my twenties, ...

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 25, 2011

Million-Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica. Penguin, 2009, 244 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 Bottom Line: Mike Lupika's young hero ...

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 25, 2011

Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow and Nathan Whitaker. Harper, 2011, 272 pps. Ages 9 and up. Review by Emily Whitten. Tim Tebow is one ...

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 25, 2011

Home Field Advantage by Justin Tuck, illustrated by Leonardo Rodriguiez. Simon & Shuster, 2011, 22 pages. Reading Level: Picture book, ages 4-8 Recommended for: ages ...

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 18, 2011

Food occupies our minds a lot this time of year—to gather around, to give away, to serve to strangers at the Salvation Army, to stuff ...

By emily | Nov 17, 2011

Readers, this is an older post that was affected in our hack. We have not recovered all the resources yet. Our apologies! While we're on the subject of crafts and ...

Thankful for Cheryl Harness

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 15, 2011

*The Adventurous Life of Myles Standish, by Cheryl Harness. National Geographic, 2006, 143 pages. Age/interest level: 8 and up. Thanksgiving means a raid on the ...

By emily | Nov 14, 2011

Books To Consider Buying We are participants in the Amazon LLC affiliate program; purchases you make through affiliate links like the one below earn us ...

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 11, 2011

Veterans’ Day is one of those holidays that sneak up on me. I intend to write a note to a veteran, wear red, pray a ...

By emily | Nov 10, 2011

*The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, written by Barbara Kerley and illustrated by Brian Selznick. Scholastic Press, 2001. 48 pps. Recommended for ages 7-up. When I ...

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 4, 2011

Wicked Girls, by Stephanie Hemphill. HarperCollins, 2010, 389 pages. Young Adult Father of Lies, by Ann Turner. HarperTeen, 2011, 326 pages. Young Adult There are ...

The Story Behind the Confessions

By Janie Cheaney | Oct 28, 2011

Faithfulness Under Fire: The Story of Guido de Bres (2010) and The Quest for Comfort: The Story of the Heidelberg Catechism (2011), by William Boekestein. ...

By emily | Oct 26, 2011

Today Janie and I have the opportunity to introduce you to two delightful resources: first, fellow Christian and kids' book blogger Shanna Gonzalez, whose own ...

By Janie Cheaney | Oct 20, 2011

Reformation Heroes, by Diana Kleyn with Joel R. Beeke. Reformation Heritage Books, 2009, 250 pages. Age/interest level: 11-up. October 31, 2017 (only six years from ...

By Janie Cheaney | Oct 14, 2011

Saint Training, by Elizabeth Fixmer. Zondervan, 2010, 233 pages. Age/interest level, 10-14. Mary Claire, sixth grader at St. Maria Goretti School in Wisconsin, has lofty ...

By Janie Cheaney | Oct 10, 2011

John Bunyan was a dissenting pastor of the mid-17th century: “dissenting” meaning that some of his biblical interpretations differed from those of the established (state-supported) ...

By emily | Oct 10, 2011

COLUMBUS The first time I browsed through Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire's biography, Columbus, I purchased it for my kids on the spot based largely ...

By Janie Cheaney | Oct 7, 2011

Marcelo in the Real World, by Francisco X Stork. Scholastic, 2009, 312 pages. Age/interest level: 14-up. Dancing With Max, by Emily Colson. Zondervan, 2010, 200 ...

By Janie Cheaney | Oct 4, 2011

Nobody knows yet exactly what causes it, or why it occurs more in certain income levels, or even quite what defines it, but autism becomes ...

Author Interview: Simonetta Carr on Athanasius

By emily | Sep 28, 2011

Athanasius. By Simonetta Carr. Reformation Heritage Press, sale 2011. 66 pp. Ages 9-12. What makes a good children's book? We've talked a lot the past ...

The Use and Abuse of Youth Literature

By Janie Cheaney | Sep 26, 2011

Much of our coverage of “Banned Books Week” has centered on the territory known as YA, or Young Adult, which has for the last ten ...

By Janie Cheaney | Sep 23, 2011

In my post on Tuesday, I included a brief survey of the ALA’s “Top Ten Banned Books for 2010.” Let’s take a closer look at ...

The Lord Saves

By emily | Sep 22, 2011

The Lord Saves: A Reflection on "YA Saves" Francis Schaeffer's Insight Francis Schaeffer once wrote that in his generation, serious art required someone standing on ...

By Janie Cheaney | Sep 21, 2011

Early last June, the YA publishing world was rocked by a column in the Wall Street Journal by Meg Cox Gurdon, who reviews children’s books ...

By Janie Cheaney | Sep 16, 2011

They had guessed before that this was an island: clambering among the pink rocks, with the sea on either side, and the crystal heights of ...

By Janie Cheaney | Sep 13, 2011

Where Things Come Back, by John Corey Whaley. Atheneum, 2011, 240 pages. Age-interest level: 16-up. UPDATE: Where Things Come Back has won a gold medal ...

The Strange Condition Called Middle School

By Janie Cheaney | Sep 9, 2011

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger. Abrams, 2010, 141 pages. Age/interest level: 9-12. Sixth grade is the witching time for authors of ...

By Janie Cheaney | Sep 6, 2011

Images of God for Young Children, by Marie-Helene Delval (illustrated by Barbara Nascimbeni) Eerdmans, 2011. Brother Sun, Sister Moon, by Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Pamela ...

By Janie Cheaney | Sep 2, 2011

The Brixton Brothers, by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Adam Rex, published by Simon & Schuster. The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity (2009), 179 ...

By Janie Cheaney | Aug 30, 2011

In our continuing tradition of slopping over themes to the following week, I wanted to weigh in one more time on our book/movie emphasis. Partly ...

By Janie Cheaney | Aug 19, 2011

Homelanders, by Andrew Klavan. Published by Thomas Nelson in four parts: The Last Thing I Remember (2009), The Long Way Home (2010), The Truth of ...

By emily | Aug 17, 2011

Yesterday as I was emptying the contents of my husbands' pockets and my own, preparing our clothes for the Great Machinated Flume Ride that is ...

By Janie Cheaney | Aug 16, 2011

Previous posts: Introduction, Part One: Setup, Part Two: Development. Climax? Isn’t it a little early for that? Most of us have the idea that the ...

By Janie Cheaney | Aug 12, 2011

Close to Famous, by Joan Bauer. Viking, 2011, 250 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, 10-12 Recommended for: ages 11-13 Bottom Line: In this feel-good middle ...

By Janie Cheaney | Aug 12, 2011

Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer. Speak, 2005. 208 pages Reading Level: Young Adult, ages 12-15 Recommended for: ages 12-16 Bottom Line: Good-hearted Jenna ...

By Janie Cheaney | Aug 9, 2011

Previous Posts: Introduction Part One: Setup Almost all the main characters have been introduced and the potential conflicts are in place. Now development: that phase ...

By Janie Cheaney | Aug 5, 2011

*The Dragon’s Tooth (Ashtown Burials, Book One), by N. D. Wilson. Random House, 2011, 482 pages. Reading Level: Young Adult, ages 12-15 Recommended for: ages ...

By Janie Cheaney | Aug 3, 2011

Beginning our first-ever Readalong: here's the Introduction. The action takes place at three fictional locations: Edgetow, a university town similar to Cambridge, but smaller; St. ...

By Janie Cheaney | Aug 2, 2011

In the summer of 1945, George Orwell wrote a review for the Manchester Evening News, beginning, "On the whole, novels are better when there are ...

On Eagle’s Wings

By Janie Cheaney | Jul 29, 2011

Book 2 of the epic adventures of the three children who are heirs to a kingdom, sought by the Fangs of Dang, and as normal ...

By emily | Jul 27, 2011

Shakespeare and Story Bibles As I was searching recently for Shakespeare resources for my kids--who are 3 and 5--I harbored a nagging, undefined feeling that ...

Shakespeare R Us

By Janie Cheaney | Jul 26, 2011

Dallas, 1970: Storm clouds gather over the Texas prairie, where the students of a small junior college are presenting A Midsummer Night's Dream in an ...

In Front of God and Everybody by K. D. McCrite

By Janie Cheaney | Jul 22, 2011

The Confessions of April Grace: In Front of God and Everybody, by K. D. McCrite. Thomas Nelson, 2011, 390 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages ...

By Janie Cheaney | Jul 22, 2011

The Luck of the Buttons, by Anne Ylvisaker. Candlewick, 2011, 224 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 8-12 Bottom Line: The ...

By emily | Jul 20, 2011

Last week, Janie had the privilege of sharing radio waves with Chris Fabry on his national radio show. You can find out more about the ...

By Janie Cheaney | Jul 19, 2011

The death of God has been announced since the beginning of time (see Ps. 14:1), but God doesn't seem to stay dead--not even with Darwinism and nihilism ...

By emily | Jul 14, 2011

Or for you parents, will your kids be going to see the final Harry Potter movie released to theaters this week? If so, for what ...

By Janie Cheaney | Jul 8, 2011

Around the World in 100 Days, by Gary Blackwood. Dutton, 2010, 358 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 Bottom Line: ...

By Janie Cheaney | Jul 5, 2011

We end our extended history week with what some consider to be the purest form of history: biography. The old argument of whether great events, ...

By emily | Jul 4, 2011

Boy Humor, and How I Came to Terms With It One of my earliest realizations of the strange, otherness of boy humor is embodied in ...

By Janie Cheaney | Jul 1, 2011

Short answer: no, but it's showing signs of dementia. Historical fiction has one of the longest roots of any literary form. You might say that ...

By emily | Jun 29, 2011

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Overdrive software in relation to online library rentals of audiobooks. Today Sync Audiobooks, a website that offers free ...

Covenanters: Then and Now

By Janie Cheaney | Jun 28, 2011

Duncan's War, by Douglas Bond (Crown and Covenant #1). P&R Publishing, 2002. 270 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-12 and up ...

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird

By Janie Cheaney | Jun 28, 2011

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair, by Elizabeth Laird. Houghton Mifflin, 2011, 420 pages. Reading Level: Young Adult, Ages 12-15 Recommended for: Ages 14 and up ...

By emily | Jun 27, 2011

Here it is: my 4th of July round-up! Books about the Revolutionary War era recommended for ages 4-12, arranged from youngest to oldest. Saving the ...

*Entwined by Heather Dixon

By Janie Cheaney | Jun 24, 2011

*Entwined, by Heather Dixon. Greenwillow, 2011, 472 pages. Reading Level: Young Adult, ages 12-15 Recommended for: Ages 12-15 Bottom Line: Entwined is a fairy-tale romance ...

By Janie Cheaney | Jun 24, 2011

Heartless, by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. Bethany House, 2010. Age/interest level: 14-up (first in a series) Princess Una is a romantic sort, indulged by her father and ...

Rebel by R. J. Anderson

By Janie Cheaney | Jun 24, 2011

Rebel by R. J. Anderson. Enclave Publishing, Reprint edition, 2015. 308 pages. Reading Level: Young Adult, 12-15. Recommended for: Ages 12-15 Bottom Line: Rebel, a story ...

By emily | Jun 22, 2011

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Illustrated by Christopher Bing. Ages 4-8. 40 pgs. Roughly 150 years ago, a poem entitled ...

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