Reflections

God Will Provide … Yes, Even the Books

By Betsy Farquhar | Jul 27, 2020

My friends, have you been swapping books? Last week, I got to visit three young friends of mine (and their mother). I traded wildflowers from ...

Ordinary Homeschooling: Just serve dinner.

By Megan Saben | Jul 22, 2020

This is a dangerous post. If you’re like me, you’ll see the resources that our family has chosen and think “Ooh, THAT’s what I need ...

Read Aloud (or Audiobook) Activities for Big Kids

By Betsy Farquhar | Jun 27, 2020

Missing Read Aloud Time During COVID-19 Quarantine? I don't know about you, but our audiobook consumption has dropped this year. In the pre-COVID-19 era, we ...

Dear Class of 2020

By Janie Cheaney | May 22, 2020

Whatever your plans were for this spring, they’ve probably been messed up in a big way. Maybe your plans for the summer, too. Homeschoolers don’t ...

I am NOT a Reader

By Megan Saben | May 4, 2020

I am not a reader. I am not a writer, despite childhood ambition. I am not a knitter, though I used to claim that identity. ...

Stress Reading is a Thing (for Kids, too)

By Betsy Farquhar | Apr 17, 2020

Too Tired to Read? You've likely heard of "stress baking." Have you thought about "stress reading"? Essentially, it's reading differently because you're stressed. Some will ...

Epic Poetry: Learning to Read–and Enjoy–It in 5 Steps

By Betsy Farquhar | Apr 13, 2020

Epic Poetry in School Do you remember reading (or being assigned to read) one of the following in school? The IliadThe OdysseyThe AeneidBeowulf Your teacher ...

A Family Easter

By Janie Cheaney | Apr 3, 2020

What were you doing last February? Possibly, after Valentine’s Day passed and stores cleared their shelves for St. Patrick’s, you were seeing some Easter chicks ...

Community in Staying Home and Dreaming of HOME

By Megan Saben | Mar 28, 2020

There's a strange sense of community in reaching out while everyone is staying home. Because this pandemic is of great concern to the whole world, ...

Ordinary Hazards by Nikki Grimes: a Discussion

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 14, 2020

Every now and then we read a book that seems to warrant more than a standard review—even a starred one. That was Janie and Betsy’s ...

Those Literary Couples We Loved

By Hayley Morell | Feb 14, 2020

Darcy and Elizabeth Lord Peter and Harriet Katniss and Peeta . . . or was it Gale? I know, I know! NOT The Hunger Games. ...

By Betsy Farquhar | Jan 14, 2020

Every January, we love to discuss the merits (or demerits) of books we’ve seen getting “Newbery buzz” in the broader children’s literature world. The actual ...

By Betsy Farquhar | Jan 1, 2020

We are participants in the Amazon LLC affiliate program; purchases you make through affiliate links like the ones below earn us a commission. Read more ...

The Enduring Appeal of Little Women

By Janie Cheaney | Dec 21, 2019

With the eighth major film adaptation opening on Christmas Day, I thought I’d share a few thoughts on this classic. I read it at the ...

To Speak of What’s Good: Positive Developments in Children’s Publishing

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 27, 2019

Children's publishing has shown some disturbing trends recently, but there's also much to be thankful for. Recently I (Janie) had the honor of visiting with ...

Back Porch Book Chat: Sarah Dempsen (After School Ministry Leader)

By Betsy Farquhar | Nov 7, 2019

Back Porch Book Chat: A casual, virtual conversation about books. Join us as we chat with book lovers like ourselves about a topic we all ...

Thanksgiving Comes Before Christmas

By Betsy Farquhar | Nov 4, 2019

If you've been to a store anytime in the past week, you likely noticed the same seasonal schizophrenia I did: a few aisles of Halloween-related ...

Is Dracula Worth Reading?

By Betsy Farquhar | Oct 30, 2019

I am not a vampire fan. I am not a fan of weird Halloween decorations. It's downright creepy: ghouls, spider webs, zombie costumes, and, yes, ...

How to Really Celebrate Reformation Day

By Megan Saben | Oct 17, 2019

Inventing a Holiday My earliest memory of Halloween was enjoying homemade doughnuts between answering the doorbell and distributing candy to trick-or-treaters. I had no doubt ...

We Met Dragons: A Celebration of Children’s Literature

By Hayley Morell | Oct 10, 2019

Last week, in our newsletter, we asked our readers what books they thought of when they saw this poem by Jack Prelutsky. Photo from Division ...

So Your Kid is Reading Harry Potter…. A Christian Family’s Response

By Betsy Farquhar | Jul 15, 2019

Please note: this is a personal account of one family's actual experience, NOT a Redeemed Reader staff-wide recommendation that you read Harry Potter. This post is ...

What Makes a “Strong Girl Character”? Thoughts and a Podcast

By Janie Cheaney | Jun 20, 2019

Does rejecting gender stereotypes mean there are no meaningful distinctions between strong girls and strong boys? Not so long ago, librarians and publishers were concerned ...

Reading Robin McKinley

By Hayley Morell | Jun 1, 2019

"I'm reading a book that's a little slow." I told a friend. "Why not stop reading it?" It was a fair question, but it hadn't ...

Are Graphic Novels “Literature”?

By Janie Cheaney | May 24, 2019

When I was a kid, back in the day, “comic books” did not have a great reputation. In fact, in 1949 a book called Seduction ...

The Pilgrim’s Progress: A Short History

By Betsy Farquhar | May 6, 2019

Have you seen the newest movie version of The Pilgrim's Progress? Did you know there are other movie versions? Have you read the original book? ...

The Race That Knows Joseph

By Hayley Morell | Apr 16, 2019

a scene near the home in which Hayley is tutoring children in France The Race that Knows Joseph -Or, Meeting Kindred Spirits Abroad and Other ...

Kindred Retreat 2019 and a Fortitude Booklist

By Megan Saben | Mar 20, 2019

Megan was refreshed after a day of listening to three wise women at a one-day retreat...and she brought home another booklist. Note the fairy tale ...

Unburying the Dream

By Megan Saben | Mar 6, 2019

How do you practice creativity, having been made in the image of God? What talents do you have in your hand? I have aspired to ...

Literaritea: Classics and new favorites

By Megan Saben | Feb 27, 2019

Literaritea is a fresh series in which Megan offers a taste of her experiences reading picture books and poetry aloud to her five boys, ages 2-12. Ideally we have teatime with our literature, but not always. These are the books that resonate with all of us and if I don't own these titles yet, I ...

Pride and Prejudice: The Original and the Others

By Hayley Morell | Feb 14, 2019

It's Valentine's Day. So, of course, we're going to talk about Jane Austen! Nothing can compare to the original, but Hayley and Betsy have been ...

Jason Reynolds’s Track Series: A Winner for Middle Grades

By Betsy Farquhar | Feb 1, 2019

Jason Reynolds is an author we've kept an eye on ever since his debut in 2015 with When I Was the Greatest. That novel, and ...

The Susan Pevensie Problem

By Janie Cheaney | Jan 31, 2019

A new teen fantasy novel draws inspiration from Susan Pevensie's rejection of Narnia to spin a similar tale. In the almost 70 years since C. ...

2019 ALA Youth Media Awards: the Redeemed Reader Team Reacts

By Betsy Farquhar | Jan 28, 2019

This morning, the American Library Association (ALA) announced its Youth Media Awards. The ALA also welcomed awards announcements for titles awarded by the Asian/Pacific American ...

Prognosticating the Newberys, 2019 Edition

By Betsy Farquhar | Jan 25, 2019

updated 1/28 with actual results/how we did. It's the time of year when librarians and other kidlit nerds like ourselves get antsy. The ALA will announce this year's Youth Media Awards ...

2019 Newbery Buzz #7: The Girl Who Drew Butterflies by Joyce Sidman

By Betsy Farquhar | Jan 23, 2019

The Girl Who Drew Butterflies is a truly beautiful work of art, isn’t it, Megan? For readers who haven’t seen this gem yet, the book chronicles ...

2019 Newbery Buzz #1: The Season of Styx Malone

By Janie Cheaney | Jan 3, 2019

It’s that time again! Children’s book titles are pouring into every librarians’ website as the kidlit community speculates on who will win Newbery gold this ...

Momlife: A Guest Post about Reading as a Mom

By Betsy Farquhar | Dec 31, 2018

We welcome Bridgette Boudreaux today as she shares about her reading life as a mom. Welcome, Bridgette! To start is great, to finish is divine ...

Reading Aloud to Tweens and Teens: A Guest Post about Kate Seredy’s books

By Betsy Farquhar | Dec 28, 2018

Dawn Garrett joins us today to discuss reading Kate Seredy's books aloud to her tweens and teens. For more about Dawn, see her bio below ...

The 2018 Reading Challenge: Interview with a Teen

By Betsy Farquhar | Dec 26, 2018

I (Betsy) interviewed my teen daughter about her experience with the 2018 Reading Challenge. She's a 13-year-old voracious reader who has clear genre preferences, but ...

The Books Worth a Library Fine

By Hayley Morell | Dec 20, 2018

This post really happened. It was written at the library with a stack of books and without coffee. It has been left close to its ...

Christmas Book Flood (or, Betsy’s Family’s Christmas Eve Book Extravaganza)

By Betsy Farquhar | Dec 17, 2018

Traditions Traditions are marvelous things, aren't they? The best traditions anchor our celebrations, our family and church life, and even our culture's collective experience. Sometimes, ...

The Year in Books – RR Staff Reflections

By Janie Cheaney | Dec 12, 2018

Are you the kind of person who asks, "What have you been reading lately?" Betsy, Megan, Janie, and Hayley took some time to reflect about ...

"Hurray for Re-Issues!" by Gladys Hunt

By Janie Cheaney | Nov 1, 2018

A tribute to classic picture books, recently re-issued. In the last few years publishers have been reissuing picture books that are delightful offerings from some ...

"Never Underestimate a Gift Book" by Gladys Hunt

By Betsy Farquhar | Oct 29, 2018

We're nearing the end of this fantastic series by Gladys Hunt. If you're just checking in, please do check out The Hive for a list ...

“Look for Illustrators” by Gladys Hunt

By Janie Cheaney | Oct 25, 2018

We're up to the sixteenth in our series of posts by Gladys Hunt, author of Honey for a Child's Heart. In this one, she shares ...

“Sarah, Plain and Tall Series” by Gladys Hunt

By Betsy Farquhar | Oct 22, 2018

We've got another post from Gladys Hunt for you today about a series beloved to many. For the other posts in this series, please check ...

“On Your Next Trip to the Library” by Gladys Hunt

By Janie Cheaney | Oct 18, 2018

In the fourteenth of our series of previously-unpublished posts, Gladys Hunt makes a list of her most-favorite recent picture books to check out at the ...

"Words That Build People" by Gladys Hunt

By Betsy Farquhar | Oct 15, 2018

Gladys Hunt gently reminds us that our words make a big impact on our children; let us use words that build up instead of tear down. This ...

“Watch Your Expletives!” by Gladys Hunt

By Janie Cheaney | Oct 11, 2018

In the twelfth in our series of previously-unpublished posts, Gladys Hunt cautions about "those words" our kids pick up at school, at play--and increasingly in ...

Gladys Hunt: Grammar Does Matter

By Betsy Farquhar | Oct 8, 2018

Gladys Hunt reflects on the importance of grammar, plain and simple, in this essay. It's not as hard as you might think! This is the next ...

“Second Guessing the Message” by Gladys Hunt

By Janie Cheaney | Oct 4, 2018

In the tenth of our previously-unpublished posts by Gladys Hunt, she begins a series on the value of language by reflecting on nonverbal communication. Years ...

By Betsy Farquhar | Oct 1, 2018

Gladys Hunt shares some tips for encouraging early literacy in young children in this latest post. For more in our Gladys Hunt series, see The Hive. ...

“Boys and Books” by Gladys Hunt

By Betsy Farquhar | Sep 27, 2018

This latest in our Gladys Hunt series, which we affectionately call The Hive, looks at the types of books boys enjoy and muses over why so ...

“Born to Read” by Gladys Hunt

By Janie Cheaney | Sep 24, 2018

Gladys Hunt reflects on the importance of reading in a child's life and shares some of her favorite books for encouraging kids to read. This is ...

“Reading Intentionally” by Gladys Hunt

By Janie Cheaney | Sep 20, 2018

Gladys Hunt recommends reading aloud not just a a way of bonding with family but as a way of making and keeping friends. This is ...

“A Good Book is a Magic Gateway” by Gladys Hunt

By Betsy Farquhar | Sep 17, 2018

This latest in our Gladys Hunt series, which we affectionately call The Hive, looks at the possibilities inherent in book discussions and how books can ...

*Tending the Heart of Virtue by Vigen Guroian

By Betsy Farquhar | Sep 15, 2018

How do the classic children's stories awaken a child's moral imagination? And how does that awakening contribute to their spiritual development and training in virtue? ...

“Building a Child’s Personal Library” by Gladys Hunt

By Janie Cheaney | Sep 13, 2018

How do you know which books you just have to own? In her fourth post of our series, Gladys Hunt offers tips on recognizing "the ...

Books and Stories: Reflections by Gladys Hunt

By Betsy Farquhar | Sep 10, 2018

Readers, we are beyond thrilled to bring you some of Gladys Hunt's last writing on books! See The Hive for more information on this opportunity. ...

“Make Your Own Life Bigger” by Gladys Hunt

By Janie Cheaney | Sep 5, 2018

According to Gladys Hunt, developing an appreciation for the public library in your child begins with YOU. This is the second in our series of ...

“The Mystery of the Library” by Gladys Hunt

By Betsy Farquhar | Sep 3, 2018

Readers, we are beyond thrilled to bring you some of Gladys Hunt's last writing on books! See The Hive for more information on this opportunity. ...

Behind the Bookcase “Read-Alikes”

By Betsy Farquhar | Jul 30, 2018

Unfortunately, we have removed the series "Behind the Bookcase," but we invite you to read one of the articles below instead. They are also by ...

Fruit in Season: Worth the Wait

By Betsy Farquhar | Jul 12, 2018

A State of Abundance I live in beautiful Washington state, in the part of the state that grows many of the cherries and apples the ...

Fighting the Patriarchy, One Review at a Time

By Janie Cheaney | Jul 10, 2018

Float is a fun summer read about boys being boys, but some of the reviewers had a problem with that. The protagonist of Float, by ...

Rick Riordan Presents: A Pagan State of Mind

By Janie Cheaney | Jun 26, 2018

Three new series bearing the Rick Riordan name share an interest in pagan deities and a neo-pagan worldview. When Rick Riordan introduced his signature character, ...

Philosophy, Science, Ethics: the Need for Science Fiction

By Betsy Farquhar | Jun 20, 2018

Are You a Sci-Fi Fan? Are you a Trekkie? A Star Wars fan? Perhaps you've faithfully watched Dr. Who, Stargate, or Battlestar Galactica. Or perhaps you are a ...

Summer Books for Refugees

By Betsy Farquhar | Jun 6, 2018

One of our co-founders, Emily Whitten, has a great opportunity for you, readers, to help support a book-based ministry this summer! Read on for her ...

Becoming a Better Bibliophile

By Megan Saben | May 24, 2018

I keep convincing myself that I would be a better person if I simply buy another book. These will make me more godly. This will ...

Transgender Confusion

By Janie Cheaney | May 10, 2018

In the March 31 issue of World Magazine, reporter Emily Belz wrote at length about the slow incursion of books supporting transgenderism into school libraries ...

Little Activists Raising Little Fists

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 23, 2018

Yesterday’s post on Leadership asked the question: “What, exactly, is leadership?” It’s not as easy a definition as it looks, but you might not know ...

A Wrinkle in Time at Fifty Years

By Janie Cheaney | Mar 9, 2018

A Wrinkle in Time was published 55 years ago and gets the full movie-treatment this month. In this repost from 2012 Janie wonders how well ...

Those Love Stories We Loved

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 20, 2018

The RedeemedReader ladies recall our favorite "love stories" as teens, and rejoice that we grew out of them! But what do we like now? You ...

Five Red Flags to Watch for in YA Christian Romance Fiction

By Janie Cheaney | Feb 16, 2018

Christian romance fiction feels "safe," but it's not always without pitfalls . . . and it's not always Christian, either. I remember when Jeanette Oke ...

The 2018 ALAYMA Results: Redeemed Reader Reacts

By Betsy Farquhar | Feb 12, 2018

Hot off the press! The Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scot King Awards and more were announced this morning. We've made our predictions, and now Betsy offers ...

Prognosticating the 2018 Newberys

By Betsy Farquhar | Feb 12, 2018

We're posting our best guesses for the 2018 ALA Youth Media Awards just a half hour before the awards ceremony begins. And then I (Betsy) ...

Getting to Know Beatrix Potter (1866 – 1943)

By Hayley Morell | Feb 7, 2018

"My dear Eric, Once upon a time there was a frog called Mr. Jeremy Fisher . . ." A day earlier, Beatrix Potter had written ...

2018 Newbery Buzz #4: One Last Word and I’m Just No Good at Rhyming

By Betsy Farquhar | Feb 2, 2018

Betsy, Megan, and Janie continue our Newbery Buzz discussions with One Last Word and I'm Just No Good At Rhyming, poetry books that are quite different from ...

2018 Reading Challenge Check-In: January

By Betsy Farquhar | Jan 31, 2018

Reading Challenge Check-In: January Well, readers, we're a month into year 2018. A month!?! It seems like a good time to take the pulse of ...

Welcome to Lizard Motel by Barbara Feinberg

By Janie Cheaney | Jan 20, 2018

Barbara Feinberg's memoir offers a fresh look at realistic children's fiction and how much literary suffering children should bear. Welcome to Lizard Motel: Children, Stories, ...

2018 Newbery Buzz #2: Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder

By Betsy Farquhar | Jan 18, 2018

We're back for our second Newbery Buzz discussion of 2019. Last week, Hayley and Janie discussed Tumble and Blue. This week, Hayley and I (Betsy) discuss Orphan ...

Reading Goals for the New Year

By Betsy Farquhar | Jan 4, 2018

Reading Goals for the New Year It's that time of year, folks! Everyone is making resolutions and goals for the New Year. I used to ...

*Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt

By Betsy Farquhar | Dec 8, 2017

Honey for a Child's Heart was one of the first books advocating for building a Christian family culture around books. *Honey for a Child's Heart by ...

The Literary Nightstand

By Betsy Farquhar | Dec 8, 2017

The Literary Nightstand: Our Professional Reading The Literary Nightstand is a peek into what's on our professional nightstands. Most of us here at Redeemed Reader ...

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson: the Kids Discuss….

By Betsy Farquhar | Dec 5, 2017

Four middle grades kids discuss The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: what stands out in this funny, modern Christmas classic? The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara ...

Dame Agatha: Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None

By Betsy Farquhar | Nov 6, 2017

A Scene of Terror Sitting alone in the dark house, I gripped the book tightly, desperate to finish and petrified at the same time. Was ...

Sola Scriptura: The Bible is Pre-Eminent Among Books

By Betsy Farquhar | Oct 30, 2017

500th Anniversary of the Reformation Tomorrow is the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's famous act: the nailing of his 95 Theses on the church door in ...

Reading Diana Wynne Jones: an Author Portrait

By Hayley Morell | Oct 19, 2017

You just finished a good book. Now what? Many book lovers can relate to this sad, unsatisfied feeling. But what if you banished that feeling, ...

Selznick’s Invention

By Janie Cheaney | Oct 19, 2017

(Note: This post is reprinted from 2011, in connection with the movie version of Wonderstruck, due to open tomorrow. It's a larger musing on Brian ...

Portrait of a Reader: The Adventurer

By Betsy Farquhar | Oct 13, 2017

Portrait of a Reader is a new feature in which we try to "unpack" a particular kind of reader. The portraits will overlap; most people will ...

On the Nightstand: One Family’s Current Reads

By Betsy Farquhar | Oct 5, 2017

"What are your kids reading these days, Betsy?" My friend and I were sitting at the park this week on a gorgeous afternoon while the ...

Labor Day Repost: Heart of a Shepherd

By Janie Cheaney | Sep 4, 2017

(Originally published on Labor Day 2012) Labor Day, according to Wikipedia, was born of the Management/Labor battles of the late 19th century--particularly the Pullman strike ...

Are Your Kids Reading-Ready for College?

By Janie Cheaney | Aug 19, 2017

Do you have a high school senior who plans on heading out to college But wait! Do you or your kids know what it takes ...

Wisdom & Wonder Week 6: Generosity and Love in Literature

By Betsy Farquhar | Jul 26, 2017

Betsy: It’s hard to believe we’re at the end of our Wisdom & Wonder Summer Reading Challenge! On a personal level, this has been a ...

Wisdom & Wonder Week 4: Which Path and With Whom?

By Hayley Morell | Jul 10, 2017

Welcome to Week 4 of Wisdom and Wonder! We hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July. Now, back to the reading challenge! For a ...

Responding to Correction: What does it look like in books?

By Megan Saben | Jun 28, 2017

This week the team discusses how characters respond to correction not only in our anchor books, but also in other literary or popular titles. In Wise ...

Building a Shakespeare Home Library Collection

By Megan Saben | Jun 27, 2017

When you want to enjoy Shakespeare with your children, you can either focus on one play at a time or spread a Shakespeare feast so ...

Wisdom & Wonder Week 3: Responding to Correction

By Megan Saben | Jun 24, 2017

Welcome to week 3 of our Wisdom & Wonder Summer Reading Challenge! In Week 1, we learned about turning to God and away from sin. ...

The Source of Wisdom: What does it look like in books?

By Betsy Farquhar | Jun 22, 2017

The Redeemed Reader Team is discussing books this week in light of our Wisdom & Wonder Week 2 Theme: God’s Word! In particular, we’re looking ...

The State of our Heart – Virtual Discussion

By Alysha | Jun 14, 2017

The Redeemed Reader Team is discussing books this week in light of our Wisdom & Wonder Week 1 Theme: Turning to God/Away from sin. We ...

Wisdom and Wonder: Linked Reads – Week 1

By Alysha | Jun 13, 2017

This week's theme: Turning to God and Away From Sin To further engage with the theme, here is a list of archived posts that we feel ...