(C) Ages 8-10

Every year advent takes me by surprise--otherwise I would have posted this last week!   Family advent readers come down from the shelves this time of ...

Brother-Sister duos are a staple in children’s publishing ever since the Bobbsey Twins—a way of stretching the appeal, I suppose.  These new series try to ...

This week in our library month theme, Janie took us back to the 8th century in a review of  Hand of Vengeance by Douglas Bond.  ...

This summer I've been on a mission to find books with specifically Christian content for my kids.  We get plenty of great literature from the ...

Tuesdays at the Castle, by Jessica Day George.  Bloomsbury, 2012, 225 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 10-12. Recommended for: Ages 8-14 Whenever Castle Glower ...

God particle, Higgs boson—it's been news since Independence Day (no relation to said holiday) and most of us scratch our heads.  It’s too hot to ...

*Mr. and Mrs. Bunny: Detectives Extraordinaire! by Mrs. Bunny, translated from the Rabbit by Polly Horvath, illustrated by Sophie Blackall.  Schwartz & Wade, 2012, 248 ...

I have a confession to make: I’m not a fan of poetry.  For someone who loves literature, I see this not as a mere preference ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

*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 ...

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, ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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.  ...

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 ...

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

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 ...

*Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword (graphic novel), by Barry Deutsch. Abrams (Amulet), 2010, 139 pp. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: Ages 8-10 ...

Saving Zasha, by Randi Barrow.  Scholastic, 2011, 225 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades (ages 8-10) Recommended for: Ages 10-12 One-line Summary: In post-WWII Russia, Mikhail ...

A Dog's Way Home, by Bobbie Pyron.  HarperCollins, 2011.  321 pp.  Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: Ages 10-12 Bottom line: When Abby ...

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, by Rick Riordan: The Lightning Thief (Hyperion/Miramax,2005), The Sea of Monsters (2006), The Titan's Curse (2007), The Battle of the ...

Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen. Random House (Wendy Lamb Books), 2007. 88 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Maturity Level: 4 (Ages 10-12) Bottom ...

It's a Book by Lane Smith.  Roaring Brook Press, 2010.  32 pages. Reading Level: Picture book, ages 4-8 Recommended for: ages 10-12 and up Bottom ...

The claim that a story Bible isn’t actually a Bible may seem a bit shocking at first. I mean, it’s got the word "Bible" right ...