(D) Ages 10-12

Call of the Klondike: a True Gold Rush Adventure by David Meissner

By Janie Cheaney | Dec 3, 2013

This middle grade history uses original letters and contemporary news accounts to recreate the drama of the Alaska Gold Rush. Call of the Klondike: a ...

By Janie Cheaney | Dec 3, 2013

The Snow Queen, by Hans Christian Anderson, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Harpers, 2013, 34 pages. Reading level: Middle Grades, 10-12 Maturity Level: All Bottom line: ...

Classics in Comics

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 26, 2013

We round out Picture-book month at Redeemed Reader with a look at some recent comic-book adaptations of enduring literary works--even though graphic novels, technically speaking, ...

November 22, 1963

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 22, 2013

Fifty years ago a president was violently assassinated. John F. Kennedy’s place in history is mostly emblematic: baby-boomers remember his ease and charm and clever ...

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 19, 2013

Jane, the Fox, and Me by Fanny Britt and Isobelle Arsenault (translated from the original French). Groundwood, 2014, 101 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ...

Middle-Grade Losers, or, What Hath Greg Heffley Wrought?

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 1, 2013

The Wimpy Kid phenomenon keeps on going, and so far has outlasted the dystopia phenomenon, the vampire phenomenon, and the zombie phenomenon. Volume 8 in ...

Ghost Stories

By Janie Cheaney | Oct 29, 2013

Do you believe in ghosts? I discount many of the ghost stories I hear, but can’t quit discount the whole phenomenon. That is, there is ...

The Dogs of History

By Janie Cheaney | Oct 22, 2013

Duke, by Kirby Larson. Scholastic, 2013, 229 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, 8-10 Recommended for: ages 8-12 Boy loves dog; boy loses dog. That’s what ...

By Janie Cheaney | Oct 22, 2013

Lara’s Gift, by Annemarie O’Brien. Knopf, 2013, 193pages, including appendix Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12, Young Adult, ages 12-15 Recommended for: ages 10-15 Bottom ...

How God Used a Thunderstorm by Joel R. Beeke and Diana Kleyn

By Megan Saben | Oct 17, 2013

*How God Used a Thunderstorm and Other Devotional Stories by Joel R. Beeke and Diana Kleyn, illustrated by Jeff Anderson (Building on the Rock Series). ...

Anselm: An Interview with Simonetta Carr

By emily | Oct 16, 2013

Anselm of Canterbury (Christian Biographies for Young Readers) by Simonetta Carr. Reformation Heritage Books, 2013. 64 pgs. Ages 8-up. Simonetta Carr recently published Anselm of ...

Scientific Fiction or Fictional Science? Three Genre-Busting Reads

By Betsy Farquhar | Sep 26, 2013

Janie and Betsy team up once again to bring you reviews of three recent scientific fiction works! Janie does the first and Betsy the second ...

More Favorite Science Books

By emily | Sep 23, 2013

Welcome back to Science September at Redeemedreader! Last week, we heard from Janie on Science Biographies, as well as Betsy on some of her favorite ...

Solving Mysteries with Science (and a disappointing collective biography)

By Megan Saben | Sep 19, 2013

One Minute Mysteries: 65 More Short Mysteries You Solve With Science! by Eric Yoder and Natalie Yoder. Science Naturally, 2013. When I was growing up, ...

*Little Britches by Ralph Moody

By Megan Saben | Sep 5, 2013

*Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody. Bison Books, 1991. 260 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10, ages 10-12 and upRecommended ...

How to Skim a Book: The Lost Medallion by Bill Muir and Alex Kendrick

By emily | Aug 16, 2013

To Skim or Not to Skim It's seven o'clock, and you remember you have a book review due in the morning. But alas, you haven't ...

Two Books about China

By emily | Jul 24, 2013

Little White Duck: A Childhood in China by Na Liu, Illustrated by Andres Vera Martinez. Graphic Universe TM, 2013. 96 pgs. Grades 4-7. When I ...

*Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard by Annette Cate

By Janie Cheaney | Jul 19, 2013

*Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard, by Annette le Blank Cate. Candlewick, 2013, 54 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ...

It’s Greek to Me!

By Hayley Morell | Jul 18, 2013

This week in our Summer Reading Challenge, we're visiting Greece. So, thanks to our newest addition to the Redeemedreader family, Hayley Schoeppler, for leading us today ...

Summer Reading Challenge, Week 6: The Lightning Thief

By Hayley Morell | Jul 15, 2013

Welcome to Week 6 of our Summer Reading Challenge! If you’d like to see other posts in this series,

One Dog and His Boy by Eva Ibbotson

By Betsy Farquhar | Jul 11, 2013

A lonely boy and a lonely girl team up to rescue their dog friends and end up each finding a true home in this feel-good ...

Boy + Dog = Good Read

By Betsy Farquhar | Jul 11, 2013

Boy + dog is a solid formula that's been in play in the literary world for decades. How many of you read Old Yeller in ...

Interesting Picture Book Biographies (Librarians’ List)

By Betsy Farquhar | Jul 5, 2013

Many people think picture books should be left behind in the preschool years. Megan and I heartily disagree with that sentiment, and we invite you ...

Summer Reading Challenge, Wk 3: Nate Saint: Operation Auca

By emily | Jun 25, 2013

Have you seen our new tab for the Summer Reading Challenge? In it, you'll find all the links to our Summer Reading Challenge--both the main ...

Summer Reading Challenge, Week 2: The Middle of Somewhere by (our very own) J. B. Cheaney

By Betsy Farquhar | Jun 10, 2013

If you're new to our Summer Reading Challenge, welcome! If you started our Around the World adventure last week with us, congratulations and let's continue ...

Summer Reading Challenge, Week 1: Around the World by Matt Phelan

By emily | Jun 4, 2013

***To find out more about this challenge, see our Summer Reading Challenge introduction. Other posts related to Matt Phelan's books include our Interview with John ...

cover of We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson

We Are the Ship by Kadir Nelson

By Betsy Farquhar | May 27, 2013

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson. Jump at the Sun, 2008. 96 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages ...

No Battlefield Like Home

By Janie Cheaney | May 3, 2013

Chasing Jupiter, by Rachel Coker. Zondervan, 2012, 221 pages. Age/interest level: 12-up. Our story begins in small-town Georgia, 1969—but 16-year-old Scarlett’s world seems even smaller ...

Good Old Fashioned Adventure

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 18, 2013

The False Prince (2012) and The Runaway King (2013), by Jennifer A. Nielson. Scholastic, about 350 pages each. Age/interest level: 10-up. When we first encounter ...

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 12, 2013

Destiny, Rewritten, by Kathryn Fitzmaurice. HarperCollins, 2013, 335 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-12 (especially girls) Bottom Line: Destiny, Rewritten ...

A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 12, 2013

A Tangle of Knots, by Lisa Graff. Philomel, 2013, 233 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-12 and up Bottom Line: ...

Poetry Anthologies

By Megan Saben | Apr 10, 2013

A good poetry anthology is like going to a friend's house with a basket, and being told, "Oh, you must read this one, and this one, and ...

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 3, 2013

*NKJV Early Readers Bible. Thomas Nelson, 2006, 1664 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 8-14 and up Bottom Line: This New ...

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 3, 2013

NIV Faithgirlz! Bible. Zonderkidz, 2012, 1504 page. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-12 (especially girls!) Bottom Line: The Faithgirlz! Bible, geared ...

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 3, 2013

NIV Boys' Bible. Zonderkidz, 2012, 1504 pages. For ages 9-13. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-12 (obviously, boys) Bottom Line: The ...

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 3, 2013

*ESV Children’s Bible. Crossway, 2008, 1648 pages. Reading level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10. Recommended for: ages 6-10 Bottom Line: The ESV contains excellent study helps, ...

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 3, 2013

*The HCSB Illustrated Study Bible for Kids. Boardman and Holman, 2007, 1104 pages. Recommended for: ages 7-12. Available in a variety of covers to appeal ...

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 3, 2013

*The HCSB Illustrated Study Bible for Kids. Boardman and Holman, 2007, 1104 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 Bottom Line: ...

New Nonfiction: Titanic, Moonbird, and Bodyguards

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 12, 2013

These three books have nothing in common except their general category and the fact that the first two won honors in the ALA Youth Media ...

The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus 3) by Rick Riordan

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 8, 2013

The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus #3), by Rick Riordan. Hyperion, 2012, 608 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Maturity Level: 4 (ages ...

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 8, 2013

Zeus, King of the Gods, (#1 in The Olympians graphic-novel series) by George O’Connor. First Second, 2012, 80 pages. Reading Level: Picture books (graphic novel), ...

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 8, 2013

The Adventures of Achilles, by Hugh Lupton and Daniel Morden, illustrated by Carole Henaff. Barefoot Books, 2012, 96 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages10-12 Maturity ...

The Hard Work of Growing Up

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 5, 2013

It’s what every child has to do, and they accomplish it with varying degrees of success. In a sense, "growing up" is the theme of ...

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 5, 2013

Cake: Love, Chickens and a Taste of Peculiar, by Joyce Magnin. Zonderkidz, 2013, 221 pages. Age/interest level: 8-14. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 8-10 Recommended ...

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 3, 2013

Bliss, by Kathryn Littlewood. HarperCollins, 2012, 374 pages. Age/interest level: 10-14. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 Bottom Line: Bliss mixes ...

By emily | Mar 3, 2013

*Greek Myths by Marcia Williams. Candlewick, 2011. Ages 4-up. Reading Level: Picture Books, Ages 4-8, Ages 8-10, Ages 10-12 Marcia Williams' Greek Myths is a ...

The Real George Washington

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 21, 2013

When did history get so complicated? Not too long ago, “The father of his country” was a monumental figure deserving nothing but praise. Now, depending ...

Unstoppable by Tim Green

By Janie Cheaney | Jan 31, 2013

A middle-grade boy's football ambitions crash against a cancer diagnosis in this frank tale by NFL star Tim Green. Unstoppable, by Tim Green. HarperCollins, 2012, ...

On All Fronts: New Nonfiction of World War II

By Janie Cheaney | Jan 15, 2013

My sister, who serves at a docent at a prisoner-of-war museum in Texas, says that her most eager listeners are pre-teen and teenage boys. When ...

Kids–Try This at Home

By Janie Cheaney | Jan 4, 2013

Got a novel idea? It’s easier than ever to get published, but if the imprint on the spine of your masterwork is Xlibris or iUniverse, ...

16th Century Travels: Jepp and Will Sparrow

By Janie Cheaney | Dec 14, 2012

Jepp, Who Defied the Stars, by Katharine Marsh. Hyperion, 2012, 369 pages plus author note. Age/interest level: 12-up. Jepp’s diminutive size has always been a ...

O Come, Emmanuel

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 30, 2012

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 ...

Spunky Siblings

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 16, 2012

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 ...

The History of Faith: Wiliam Boekestein’s and Simonetta Carr’s New Books for Kids

By emily | Oct 25, 2012

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. ...

Hand of Vengeance

By Janie Cheaney | Oct 23, 2012

Tomorrow we have a real treat for you: two Christian dads, one a pastor and one a teacher, who both happen to write books for ...

By emily | Jul 19, 2012

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 ...

By Janie Cheaney | Jul 17, 2012

The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by Christopher Healy (drawings by Todd Harris). HarperCollins, 2012, 436 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 10-12 Recommended ...

By Janie Cheaney | Jul 17, 2012

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 ...

Dystopia, Junior

By Janie Cheaney | Jul 13, 2012

Dystopian fiction for middle-grades isn't new: Lois Lowry's The Giver is a classic of the genre. The success of The Hunger Games means similar titles ...

Hard Science

By Janie Cheaney | Jul 10, 2012

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

By Janie Cheaney | May 8, 2012

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

May B by Caroline Starr Rose

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 13, 2012

May B., by Caroline Starr Rose, Schwartz & Wade, 2012, 225 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, Ages 10-12 Recommended for: Ages 10-12 and up Bottom Line: ...

Wonder

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 10, 2012

Wonder, by R. J. Palacio. Knopf, 2012, 320 pages. Ages 8-up August (Augie) Pullman obviously doesn’t remember the day he was born, but in the ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 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 | 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 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 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 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 ...

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 | 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 ...

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 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 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 ...

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 ...

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 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 ...

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 ...

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 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: ...

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 Charlatan’s Boy by Jonathan Rogers

By Janie Cheaney | Jun 9, 2011

*The Charlatan's Boy, by Jonathan Rogers. WaterBrook Press, 2010, 305 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: Ages 10-12 and up Bottom Line: ...

*Hereville by Barry Deutsch

By Janie Cheaney | May 13, 2011

*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 ...

Motorcycles, Sushi, and One Strange Book by Nancy Rue

By Janie Cheaney | May 5, 2011

Motorcycles, Sushi, and One Strange Book, by Nancy Rue. Zondervan, 2010, 211 pages. (Real Life series #1) Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ...

The Airborn trilogy by Kenneth Oppel

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 28, 2011

Airborn, by Kenneth Oppel. HarperCollins, 2004, 355 pp. Skybreaker (2007); Starclimber (2009). Reading Level: Middle grade, ages 10-12 Recommended for: Ages 10-12 and up One-line ...

The Leviathan Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 28, 2011

Leviathan, by Scott Westerfield, illustrations by Keith Thompson. Simon Pulse, 2009, 434 pages plus historical note. Reading Level: Young Adult, ages 12-15 Recommended for: Ages ...

Saving Zasha by Randi Barrow

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 22, 2011

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

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 22, 2011

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 ...

The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 15, 2011

The Emerald Atlas (#1 in the Books of Beginning series), by John Stephens. Knopf, 2011, 432 pages. Reading level: Middle grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ...

Peak by Roland Smith

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 7, 2011

Peak by Roland Smith. Harcourt: 2007, 246 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: Ages 10-12 and up One-line summary: Fourteen-year-old Peak Marcello's ...

90 Miles to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbis

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 31, 2011

An 11-year-old boy flees revolutionary Cuba with his brothers and learns American enterprise in this vivid, fast-paced middle-grade historical novel. 90 Miles to Havana, by ...

Shooting Kabul by N. H. Senzai

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 31, 2011

Shooting Kabul, by N. H. Senzai. Simon & Shuster, 2011, 253 pages plus glossary and author note. Reading level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ...

The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 17, 2011

The Ring of Solomon, by Jonathan Stroud. Hyperion/Disney, 2010, 398 pages. Reading level: Middle grades, 10-12 Recommended for: Ages 12-14 One-line Summary: The witty narrator ...

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 15, 2011

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 ...

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