book reviews

Summer Reading Challenge, Week 3: Mr. Popper’s Penguins

By emily | Jun 18, 2013

Introduction We've added a Summer Reading Challenge tab at the top of our website, to help you keep up with the posts as the summer ...

Lemonade and Lit Read Along, Week 1: Booked by Karen Swallow Prior

By emily | Jun 15, 2013

Other Lemonade and Lit posts: Introduction, Week One: Booked, Week Two: Booked Discussion, Week Three: Beauty, Week Four: Sexuality in Booked, Week Five: Beauty Discussion, ...

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, Wk 1: Interview with John Branyan

By emily | Jun 6, 2013

It's Thursday, and that means it's time for our Summer Reading Challenge (SRC) extras! In case you missed it, here is the Introduction, our list of ...

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 ...

Whalesong: A Review by Nathan Huffstutler

By emily | May 30, 2013

Earlier this year, when I first heard the name Robert Siegel doing research for these book reviews last April at World Magazine, I learned Siegel ...

Throwing Strikes with R. A. Dickey

By Janie Cheaney | May 28, 2013

Throwing Strikes: My Quest for Truth and the Perfect Knuckleball, by R. A. Dickey. Dial, 2013, 296 pages. Age/interest level: 12-16. Last year Dickey’s autobiography, ...

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 ...

The Poppy Lady

By Megan Saben | May 22, 2013

Have you ever received a handmade tissue-paper poppy in exchange for a donation to the American Legion outside of a store on Memorial or Veteran's ...

Christian Romance: part of a well-balanced “book diet”?

By Betsy Farquhar | May 20, 2013

A Balanced "Book Diet" Reading is like eating: you need a variety of wholesome ingredients, a little sugar, and a little moderation across the board. ...

Hattie Ever After: A Review

By emily | May 16, 2013

Today, I'm happy to welcome our current intern,Hayley Schoeppler, again. You guys may recall that she did a review of Mara, Daughter of the Nile ...

Steaming into Sunset: an Interview with Sherri Rinker

By Janie Cheaney | May 14, 2013

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site (see our review here) hurled Sherri Rinker’s star into the picture-book firmament. Accepted by the first publisher she submitted it to, ...

Words for Life: Bibles for Teens and Graduates

By Janie Cheaney | May 7, 2013

In an earlier post I wrote about beginners “Bibles” and Bible storybooks. That was followed up by a post on the methods and merits of ...

Sammy and His Shepherd by Susan Hunt and Cory Godbey

By Betsy Farquhar | May 6, 2013

Sammy and His Shepherd by Susan Hunt and Cory Godbey. Reformation Trust, 2008. 56 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 0-8 Geared for slightly younger children ...

cover of Cassie and Caleb Discover God's Wonderful Design

Cassie and Caleb Discover God’s Wonderful Design by Susan Hunt and Richie Hunt

By Betsy Farquhar | May 6, 2013

Cassie and Caleb Discover God's Wonderful Design by Susan Hunt and Richie Hunt. Moody, 2013. 96 pages. Reading Level: Devotional, ages 4-8 Susan Hunt and ...

Short Summer-Length Devotionals for Families

By Betsy Farquhar | May 6, 2013

Summer's Just Around the Corner! My family's summer schedule is quite different from our school year schedule. What with travel, fun in the sun, and ...

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 ...

Interview with Judah Ben: Kai’Ro, Christian Rap and the Progress of Urban Pilgrims

By emily | May 2, 2013

Introduction There are very few modern books that I see as really significant. But I see the Kai' Ro series--an urban interpretation of Pilgrim's Progress--by ...

Hail and Farewell, Part 2: Russell Hoban

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 30, 2013

As noted in last Tuesday’s post,I encountered Maurice Sendak when I was myself a child. My acquaintance with Russell Hoban had to wait until I ...

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 28, 2013

Rock Solid Faith introduces teens to the principles and characters of the Bible in a generally helpful way. Rock Solid Faith Study Bible for Teens. ...

A Novel in Verse and Verse in a Novel

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 26, 2013

We're rounding out our Poetry Month coverage with three books for middle-graders: Gone Fishing: a Novel in Verse, by Tamera Will Wissinger, illustrated by Matthew ...

Hail and Farewell: Maurice Sendak

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 23, 2013

I first encountered the Latin phrase Ave Atque Vale in a historical novel whose appeal (the novel’s, that is) was almost entirely nostalgic. It means ...

Shark Girl: Drama in Real Life (and in fiction)

By Betsy Farquhar | Apr 22, 2013

This post has been planned for a couple of weeks, but I wanted to acknowledge a potentially sensitive connection with the victims of the recent ...

By emily | Apr 19, 2013

Library Tour Introduction It's taken us all week to pull it off, but we finally have it: a conversation with Janie Cheaney (the kids' book ...

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 ...

The Real Sherlock Holmes

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 9, 2013

Arthur Conan Doyle published the first Sherlock Holmes story in a British periodical in 1887, to moderate interest. Three novels and fifty-odd short stories later, ...

Red Sings from Treetops by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski

By Betsy Farquhar | Apr 8, 2013

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. Houghton Mifflin, 2009. 32 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, ages ...

Waxing Poetic: a pop quiz and some homework from the teacher

By Betsy Farquhar | Apr 8, 2013

It's National Poetry Month! Who cares, right? Well, YOU should care. Not because it's "National Poetry Month," per se, but because poetry is worth enjoying ...

Final Four (Plus One)

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 5, 2013

This post should have gone up during March Madness, but even if the NCAA tournament is over this weekend, the NBA has few months to ...

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 3, 2013

The Deep Blue Kids Bible (CEB), 2012, Abingdon Press, 1526 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: no one Bottom Line: The Deep ...

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 3, 2013

*ESV Grow! Bible. Crossway, 2011, 1600 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-12 and up Bottom Line: The ESV Grow! Bible ...

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 3, 2013

NLT Hands-on Bible, Tyndale for Kids, 2010, 1440 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 8-10 Bottom Line: Though it leads off ...

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

The One-Year Bible for Children by Gilbert Beers. Tyndale, 2001, 432 pages. Reading Level: Chapter Books, ages 6-8 Recommended for: ages 6-8 Bottom Line: Though ...

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

Kids' Devotional Bible, NIrV. Zonderkidz, 2006, 1664 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 6-10 Bottom Line: The Kids' Devotional Bible is ...

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 3, 2013

Adventure Bible, NIV. Zondervan, 2013 (latest edition), 1459 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 6-12 Bottom Line: The Adventure Bible set ...

Sorting Out the Children’s Bible Market

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 3, 2013

Yesterday’s post addressed the general subject of children’s Bibles and how to evaluate them for the particular needs of each child and family. But all ...

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: ...

*Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens

By Megan Saben | Apr 1, 2013

Tops and Bottoms is a clever folktale that illustrates the wisdom of diligence and warning against laziness in the book of Proverbs. *Tops and Bottoms ...

*My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza

By Megan Saben | Apr 1, 2013

My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza. Puffin, 2005. 32 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 4-8 When a fat pig shows up at a hungry ...

Proverbs, Tricksters and Fools

By Megan Saben | Apr 1, 2013

The book of Proverbs is full of instructions for the simple to obtain wisdom and avoid disaster. Stories about tricksters demonstrate common-grace examples of using ...

*The Gardener by Sarah Stewart and David Small

By Betsy Farquhar | Mar 27, 2013

Lydia shares her efforts to bring beauty to the world around her in this epistolary picture book. *The Gardener by Sarah Stewart and David Small. ...

Toddling into the Word: First Bible Storybooks and Early-Reader Bibles

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 26, 2013

What could be more appropriate for Holy Week than a survey of children’s Bibles and Bible storybooks? That’s what I foolishly thought, treatment but this ...

Food for the Soul–and for the Reader

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 15, 2013

My mother-in-law once observed how different life would be if we didn’t have to eat. She might have been having a bad day, because in ...

Oz the Great and Powerful: Discussion Questions

By emily | Mar 14, 2013

Introduction Last week I had the happy opportunity of watching Disney's new Oz the Great and Powerful. I had to turn around a review that ...

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 ...

Classics for Kids: The Greek and Romans

By emily | Mar 7, 2013

Introduction With the popularity of Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series , kids' books containing themes and allusions to Greek and Roman mythology and culture ...

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 ...

Ancient History: Mara, Daughter of the Nile

By emily | Mar 4, 2013

This week, we'll be looking at several books that deal with ancient history--including Greek and Roman culture. Toward that end, I asked our intern, Hayley ...

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 3, 2013

KJV Kids’ Study Bible. Zonderkidz, 2001. 1600 pages Reading level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 (for study features) Recommended for: ages 8-12 Bottom Line: Child-friendly activities ...

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 ...

Three for Black History Month

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 1, 2013

I know—Black History month just ended. I’m not a fan of segregated “histories”: in case you haven’t noticed, this is the first day of Women’s ...

ALA Awards: Newberys and Caldecotts, Splendors and Glooms

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 26, 2013

One month ago was “Oscar night for Librarians,” when the American Library Association announced their “best of” picks for children’s literature. We’ve given some space ...

Words and Pictures: a Talk with Doug TenNapel

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 20, 2013

Yesterday we reviewed two graphic novels by a rising star in the world of "comics" who also happens to be a Christian and a homeschooling ...

Metaphysics, Graphics-Style

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 19, 2013

For some folks, graphic novels are actually a discipline to be learned—their eyes don’t know where to go first and they tend to jump from ...

Looking for Love . . . in All the Weird Places

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 15, 2013

Since I first wrote about teen paranormal romance--the spark that became a blaze with the Twilight series and all its imitators--we’ve seen the entire Bella-Edward ...

Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 12, 2013

I’ve heard that aside from William Shakespeare, more books have been written about Abraham Lincoln than any other historical figure. That makes it difficult to ...

For Beginners: ALA Geisel Award Winners

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 8, 2013

The Theodore Seuss Geisel Medal (featuring a bas-relief of Dr. Seuss himself) is given by the American Library Association every year for outstanding books for ...

Wholehearted Romance: Living Book Library Picks

By emily | Feb 7, 2013

Many of you may remember our interview last fall with Liz and Emily, proprietors of the Living Books Library website. They were kind enough to ...

Legends Told and Re-told

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 5, 2013

Robin Hood, by David Calcutt, illustrated by Graham Baker-Smith. Barefoot Books, 2012, 112 pages. Age/interest level: 9-up. Everyone knows—or do they?--how the hooded stranger showed ...

Love in the Age of Roe

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 1, 2013

In our posts over the last two weeks, Emily and I have suggested that Roe v. Wade has changed America profoundly in the ways we ...

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, ...

Valentine Books for Little Ones

By emily | Jan 28, 2013

VALENTINE'S DAY PRESENTS With Valentine's Day creeping up on us, I thought I'd throw out a few of my favorite Valentine books for the little ...

Identity and Revolution, part 2

By Janie Cheaney | Jan 25, 2013

Last week we looked at some YA titles that celebrated the “coming out” of gay and lesbian characters. “Young Adult” has traditionally been the accepted ...

Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert

By emily | Jan 24, 2013

The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield. Crown and Covenant, 2012. 154 pgs. An Anomaly In the 1990's, Rosaria Butterfield was ...

Identity and Revolution, part 1

By Janie Cheaney | Jan 18, 2013

“We will triumph with our tongues. We own our lips—who is our master?” Psalm 12:4 We live in an age where reality can be easily ...

Gabrielle Douglas: Grace, Gold, and (God’s) Glory

By emily | Jan 17, 2013

Into the Spotlight Sixteen-year-old Gabrielle Douglas's jaw-dropping performance in the women's all-around gymnastics competition, just edging out her closest Russian competitor to win gold, was ...

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 ...

Going to the Dogs

By Janie Cheaney | Jan 11, 2013

Of all four-legged mammals, I estimate that dogs get the most exposure in fiction, with horses and mice tying for second and cats a distant ...

The Wimpy Kid and His Imitators

By Janie Cheaney | Jan 8, 2013

Jeff Kinney currently sits at the top of a $550 million empire, and it all started with a web comic. When Kinney’s ambition to write ...

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, ...

2012 Writing Contest: Book Review Winner

By emily | Jan 2, 2013

Last fall, we invited students of any age to submit original works in two categories: 1) book reviews and 2) short stories. The deadline for ...

Picture Books for Sharing and Giving, Part Two

By Janie Cheaney | Dec 15, 2012

The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau, by Michelle Markel, Illustrated by Amanda Hall. Eardmanns, 2012, 32 pages. Age/interest level: 4-8 “Henri Rousseau wants to be ...

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 ...

Picture Books for Sharing and Giving, Part One

By Janie Cheaney | Dec 10, 2012

A post for grandmas out there: when we go to the bookstore at this time of year to pick out something with no plastic in ...

Other Lives: Reading and Watching Anna Karenina

By Janie Cheaney | Dec 7, 2012

The latest movie version of Anna Karenina is not for family viewing, because it deals with "adult" themes more graphically than it needs to. The ...

A Very LOGOS & Parnassus Christmas, Part One

By emily | Dec 6, 2012

One Hip Town. Two Bookstores. And Lots of Great Books for Kids! Here in Nashville, we have at least two exceptional bookstores: Logos Bookstore and ...

A Cold Night in Boston

By Janie Cheaney | Dec 4, 2012

Two hundred and thirty-nine years ago this month, a band of New England Patriots (not the NFL team) disguised as Indians swarmed aboard three ships ...

Hobbit Read Along, Week 5: The One True Myth

By emily | Dec 3, 2012

Other Hobbit Read Along posts: 1) Introduction, 2) Week One, 2) Week Two, 3) Week Three, 4) Week Four, 6) Finale, pt 1: Andrew Peterson's ...

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 ...

The Giver Concludes

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 27, 2012

Son, by Lois Lowry. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012, 393 pages. Age/interest level: 12-up. Lois Lowry’s The Giver, published in 1993, has become an iconic title ...

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 Twilight Effect: RR Podcast 25 with Megan Basham and Thomas Purifoy

By emily | Nov 15, 2012

Has the sun finally set on Twilight? When Stephanie Meyer published The Twilight Saga in 2005, I expect most people were taken aback at the ...

Dragon Tale: Seraphina

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 9, 2012

There’s a grand slam (plus one) among children’s book reviewers: Booklist, The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Horn Book, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, ...

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 6, 2012

The Drowned Vault (Ashtown Burials #2) by N. D. Wilson. Random House, 2012, 447 pages. Reading Level: Young Adult, 12-15 Recommended for: ages 12 and ...

Origin by Jessica Khoury

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 6, 2012

Origin, by Jessica Khoury. Penguin, 2012, 393 pages. Reading Level: Young Adult, ages 12-15 Recommended for: ages 16-up (please note: the recommended age is not ...

Solomon Kane, Puritan Avenger

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 2, 2012

We're closing out Halloween week with something a little different. About two years ago, I began hearing of a new movie called Solomon Kane, based ...

Quiet Time For Kids – Part Two

By Janie Cheaney | Oct 26, 2012

Last week’s post ran so long I had to cut it short in order to attend to other business. But close readers may remember a ...

« Previous
1
…
17
18
19
20
21
Next »