Reflections

Wisdom and Wonder: Week 1 – Turning Towards God and Away from Sin

Welcome to week 1 of our Wisdom & Wonder Summer Reading Challenge! Wisdom and Wonder Week 1: Turning to God and Away from Sin! This ...
Read More

Toward a Positive Multiculturalism in Children’s Books (and a Book List)

It’s no wonder classic children’s books feature characters with racist attitudes—the authors of those books also had some racist attitudes.  We looked at the problem ...
Read More

Sad Dog Stories: They’re a Thing—and a Necessity

Does the Dog Die? (The Saddest of Sad Dog Stories!) "Miss Wanda," I stage-whispered to the children's librarian across from me, "I need to know. Does the ...
Read More

Historical Racism in Children’s Books–What do we do?

The website Reading While White dedicates itself to issues involving the dreaded “-isms” in children’s literature: racism, anti-Semitism, ableism, classism, sexism, and more.  A post ...
Read More

Peter Spier, Reissued

Yesterday we received the sad news that Peter Spier, illustrator of classic children's books, had passed away on April 27.  Given his age (89) and ...
Read More

Unreal Feminism: Here We Are–But Who Are We?

The suffrage movement in the early 20th century was about giving women the vote.  The feminist movement of the 1970s, beginning with Betty Friedan’s The ...
Read More

Musical Mondays and Theology Thursdays: How to Use Christian Resources with Kids

We love to track down solid biblical resources for you to use with your families, Sunday School classrooms, and Christian school classrooms. Not only do ...
Read More

Don’t Take Yourself (or Your Reading) Too Seriously!

Today, in my leisure reading, I came across some good "fifty cent" words: pandemonium, benefactors, stratosphere, maligned, facilitate, photons,... I also noticed some terrific literary ...
Read More

Beauty and the Beast Devotional # 5 – Love

This is the fifth devotional we've had on the key themes in Beauty and the Beast. To see links to previous three as well as ...
Read More

Cruel Beauty: a Redeemed Reader Discussion

Some of the staff here at Redeemed Reader decided to discuss Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge as it relates to the story of Beauty and ...
Read More

Till We Have Faces: a Redeemed Reader Discussion

Before you read Till We Have Faces, you must first know the myth. You can either read a picture book version or the one by ...
Read More

Beauty and the Beast – Devotional #4: Redemption

This is the fourth devotional we've had on the key themes in Beauty and the Beast. To see links to previous three as well as ...
Read More

To See or Not To See: The RR Team Reflects on the New Beauty and the Beast

This discussion is part of our Beauty and the Beast Adventure this month. The text below reflects several ongoing discussions the Redeemed Reader team has had via ...
Read More

The Queen of Attolia: A Beauty and the Beast Discussion

As part of our Beauty and the Beast Adventure, Megan, Betsy, and Hayley are discussing The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner.   Redeemed Reader's ...
Read More

Beauty and the Beast – Devotional #3

Once upon a time there was beautiful girl who became a queen. . . .  And her name was Esther.  There's a definite fairytale quality ...
Read More

Every Falling Star: A Beauty and the Beast Discussion!

Like our Newbery Buzz discussions, Janie and Betsy discuss Every Falling Star "virtually" in light of our Beauty and the Beast Adventure this month. We hope these discussions help ...
Read More

Beauty and the Beast – Devotional #2: the Beast

See our first Beauty and the Beast Devotional if you missed it! This is part of our Beauty and the Beast Adventure which is focusing ...
Read More

Exploring Ugliness

As part of our “Beauty and the Beast” focus this month, our staff got together and brainstormed books and other resources (such as movies) that ...
Read More

Beauty and the Beast – Devotional #1

Me and My Mirror Is there anyone reading this who has never, in their lives, spent time staring into a mirror seeking out all the ...
Read More

Straight Talk About the Birds and the Bees

This is a review specifically for parents; librarians and teachers may benefit as well, but children should ask their parents first before reading further. This is also ...
Read More

Why Black History Month?

If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands ...
Read More

Teaching Discernment: Bad Words in Books

True Story: We're getting in the car after a park date with our homeschool friends, and one of my 9-year-old sons says: Mom! We learned some ...
Read More

Farewell to Richard Adams

The last week of the year was an unusually intense news cycle, with a presidential transition, annual wrap-ups, and two prominent celebrity deaths back to ...
Read More

2017 Newbery Buzz: Ghost and Booked

Janie: Last Friday, we discussed two middle grade novels that were filled with sadness.  Today we turn to a couple of sports-related novels by authors ...
Read More

“Just believe”–in Christmas!

Recently it struck me that in no other religion is faith so central as Christianity.  Think about it: generally speaking, Buddhism stresses contemplation, Islam action, ...
Read More

Twelfth Night: Shakespeare’s Christmas Play

Twelfth Night, or What You Will is not exactly a Christmas play, I'll admit. But "Twelfth Night" does refer to the 12th night of the ...
Read More

Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is: Christmas Gifts!

Upholding My Reputation I've written before about the reputation I must uphold each year with my nieces and nephews. And it's that time of year ...
Read More

Support Redeemed Reader!

  Dear Faithful Readers, Those of you who have been reading and interacting with Redeemed Reader for more than a year get a gold star ...
Read More

Should You Read Rick Riordan’s Latest: Magnus Chase?

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Hammer of Thor Rick Riordan’s The Hammer of Thor is the second book in his Magnus Chase ...
Read More

Natalie Babbitt, 1932-2016, and The Search for Delicious

Somewhere amid the news of the last two weeks (pretty intense news cycle, I understand) came word that Natalie Babbitt had died of lung cancer ...
Read More

Getting to Know A. A. Milne (1882 – 1956)

It began with a poem.  A poem about a little boy saying his prayers.  A. A. Milne gave it to his wife, and she mailed ...
Read More

The Virtual Nightstand

In lieu of our former "Book Bits" and "Web Newbery" posts, we're going to share a bit more of our personal reading lives with you, ...
Read More

Talking about Books That Talk about Race

Not a "Newbery Buzz" post because these titles were published before 2016 and are already award winners! But, for similar posts in which Janie and Betsy ...
Read More

Reading Roald Dahl Redemptively: Two Thoughts

First posted in 2013. Summer is a great time for relaxing and reading of all kinds of fun books not usually assigned in literature class, ...
Read More

Ask a Librarian: Peter Pan

We love hearing from our readers! Ask-a-Librarian is an occasional feature in which we answer a reader’s email query. There are plenty of books we ...
Read More

How Dark is Too Dark?

The Michael J. Prinz medal is awarded every year by the ALA for excellence in YA literature. "Excellent," to the ALA, often means edgy, trendy, ...
Read More

Who’s Your Daddy?

Of all the charges hurled against Christianity in the modern age, one of the most potent is "paternalistic."  Christianity, it's said, has kept women in ...
Read More

The 6 Risks of Reading Old Books

I am a book list professional. I read, save, research, create, and share book lists. I own books of book lists. And I'm concerned with ...
Read More

Good Reading for Teens–Except for One Thing . . .

Lately I read two books for teens, one fiction and one nonfiction, that conformed to time-honored, even classic, storylines.  The novel, A Step toward Falling, ...
Read More

Romance + Reading = Love

Once Upon a Time... ... there was a little girl who loved stories and fairytales.  She discovered Andrew Lang’s colored fairy books and read through them—pretty ...
Read More

One Reader’s 10 Most Memorable Books of 2015

As a professional reviewer, book award committee member, teacher, and bibliophile, I read a lot of books in a given year. A. Lot. I recorded ...
Read More

The 2016 ALA Youth Media Awards–What happened??

As we were saying last Saturday . . . you just can’t predict what the Newbery committee is going to do. Trends have been toward ...
Read More

Caldecott Buzz and Possible Picks

Book award committees have such a delightfully difficult task. The ALA Caldecott awards will be announced, among others, on Monday, January 11, and there is ...
Read More

Prognosticating the Newberys

On Monday, the American Library Association will announce the winners of their annual Youth Media Awards.  The oldest and most prominent of these is the ...
Read More

What Makes a GREAT Novel?

When was “The Novel” as a literary form invented? The answer is, it wasn’t. The type of long-form fiction we call a novel was not ...
Read More

Reading with Discernment: YA Literature

One of the high school classes I teach is devoted to helping students become discerning readers. Modern young adult fiction can be a minefield of ...
Read More

Betrayed by Books: Always Read with Discernment!

I'm all for diversity in books--after all, God's creation is full of so many different kinds of people and they are all created in His image. We ...
Read More

Happy 150th birthday, Alice in Wonderland!

Alice in Wonderland turned 150 years old this year! Here are seven of the many reasons I believe Alice is worth celebrating with a tea ...
Read More

Tempest in a Mixing Bowl

As a book reviewer, I have stars in my eyes. That is, I watch for stars when scanning book review journals, because they are an ...
Read More

Reading Outside Your Preferred Genre

As a teacher, I’ve had various conversations with parents about how to get their children engaged in reading.  The flip side of that conversation comes ...
Read More

When Is a Story More Than a Story?

We live in the Age of Narrative. And increasingly, novels stop telling stories and become about story, gazing at themselves with calm adoration. This is ...
Read More

Is Petunia Ready for Social Security? Picture Books and Retirement

Do Picture Books Retire? Petunia, that silly goose, is turning the ripe old age of 65 this year, the same age as my father-in-law who ...
Read More

The Uses of Terror

Yesterday I made a distinction between “terror” stories and “horror” stories—the latter based squarely on our elemental fear of death, often with buckets of blood ...
Read More

Scary Stuff

In honor of the holiday this week that celebrates spooks and skeletons, here's a post from a few years ago. Everybody has their favorite C. ...
Read More

A Reflection on Rick Riordan

Five years ago I picked up a middle grade fantasy book called The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan and was hooked by the end of ...
Read More

“The book is a lot better than the movie” – Usually

I've been thinking a lot about movies lately--perhaps because my latest novel, published this month, is set in the early days of the silent film ...
Read More

Four Ways to Enjoy Fall Reading

While summer is a nice time to read —fall is here.  A season of chilly nights and hot cups of tea, fall brings the perfect ...
Read More

Laid-Back Homeschooling: a Word of Encouragement for the Year Ahead

I’m not quite ready to retire to a rocking chair in front of the general store, bending the ear of hapless passers-by: Yessir, it was ...
Read More

The 2015 PBOTY Committee Reflects….

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the closed doors of a book award committee's deliberations? How a group of people can, with confidence, ...
Read More

Reflections on Selections

It’s not easy being selective, especially when perusing book titles for the honor of World Magazine Children’s Book of the Year. For last year’s pick, ...
Read More

Where Does the Magic Come From?

In 2008, a middle-grade novel called Savvy swept numerous awards lists and was anointed with the silver medallion of Newbery runner-up. The first-time author, Ingrid ...
Read More

Finding Good Chapter Book Friends: Junie B. Jones v. Jasper John Dooley

A Childlike Attitude My friends, there is an enormous difference between the childish and the childlike. George MacDonald famously commented that he didn't write for children but for ...
Read More

Seeing Christ in Othello: Is Tragedy Inevitable?

Examining School Reading Lists Emily wrote a marvelous series in the fall on the complications typicalhigh school reading lists might pose for Christians, sensitive students, ...
Read More

The Charm of the Penderwicks (Janie and Betsy discuss)

Periodically, Janie and Betsy discuss great middle grades literature, trying to figure out what makes it so great. Today, the charming Penderwicks clan are held ...
Read More

Cinderella Radio Review: Listen Here!

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/195843489" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /] Thanks to Megan Saben, Betsy Farquhar, Kristen Eicher (producer!) and my daughter, Rebecca, for making this review possible! ...
Read More

This Thing Called Diversity

Book Expo America (BEA) is a big event in the publishing world—the biggest, in fact. It’s a hodgepodge of authors, industry professionals, book reviewers, and ...
Read More

Seeing the Gospel in Cinderella (Discussion Starters!)

Why Cinderella? —a joint post from Betsy, Hayley, and Megan We at Redeemed Reader love a good fairy tale. Cinderella is perhaps the quintessential fairy tale ...
Read More

The Caldecott Committee Throws a Curve

The American Library Association (ALA) stages a huge event every winter when it names the winners of its coveted John Newbery and Randolph Caldecott awards. ...
Read More

The Topography of Memory

The Topography of Memory Over Christmas my family made a significant transition: we moved from East Tennessee to Central Washington. Some complicating factors meant we ...
Read More

How Long, O Lord? When Bibliotherapy Isn’t Enough

These are dark days. I received an email this week expressing familiar anguish over the haunting reports of 21 followers of Christ who were martyred ...
Read More

Reading about Romance

Once upon a time there was a little girl who loved stories and fairytales.  She discovered Andrew Lang’s colored fairy books and read through them—pretty ...
Read More

50 Shades Trilogy: The Tim Challies Interview

(This interview was originally published Aug 7, 2012.  We have repubbed today in preparation for the movie's release this Valentine's Day weekend.) NEW TO REDEEMEDREADER.COM?  ...
Read More

The Four Loves by C. S. Lewis: an Introduction

This thing called “love”—what is it? Something we long for, feel vague stirrings about, idolize, draw inspiration from, and abuse left and right. It’s unpredictable, ...
Read More

Fifty Shades Roundtable with WORLD’s Megan Basham

(This interview was originally published Aug 8, 2012.  We are republishing today in preparation for the movie's release Valentine's Day weekend 2015.) Fifty Shades of ...
Read More

The 2015 ALA Youth Media Awards

Yesterday morning, the American Library Association announced their annual Youth Media Awards—which include, as any devotee of children’s literature knows, the celebrated Newbery and Caldecott ...
Read More

Five Reasons to Read for Pleasure in College

I am a college student.  I am also an avid reader.  As I talk to fellow students, I have realized that it is a rarity to ...
Read More

New Year’s Literary Goals (and Literary Confessions)

Happy New Year! The Lord has blessed each of us on the Redeemed Reader staff—and our site as well—in 2014. We are excited to see ...
Read More

Celebrating Virginia Lee Burton’s Classic Favorites

Once upon a time there was a little boy whose mother regularly took him and his siblings to the library. Every time he went, he ...
Read More

Mockingjay, Part One: Emily’s TW&E Radio Review

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/177935219" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /] Thanks to Kristen Eicher for her help with sound editing!  Thanks also to Dana and Chris Cowherd for ...
Read More

5 Ideas for Discussing Mockingjay with Teens: A Mars Hill Approach

Don't forget to check out our Winter Book Fair with 50+ gift book recommendations for kids and teens! INTRODUCTION I recently sat down with Christian ...
Read More

Reviewing School Book Lists, Part Four: Reading is Spiritual Warfare

Reviewing School Book Lists: Part One. Part Two. Part Three. Part Four.  This post by Emily Whitten, co-founder of Redeemed Reader, is the final installment in ...
Read More

Robert McCloskey: 100th Anniversary of His Birth

Today marks the 100th anniversary of Robert McCloskey's birth. McCloskey is the author/illustrator of such familiar American children's books as Make Way for Ducklings, Blueberries for Sal, One ...
Read More

Reviewing School Book Lists, Part Three: The List

Reviewing School Book Lists: Part One. Part Two. Part Three. Part Four.  In the previous part of this series, I acquainted our readers with a young ...
Read More

Reviewing School Book Lists, Part Two: Death of a Son

Reviewing School Book Lists: Part One. Part Two. Part Three. Part Four.  (SUICIDE LIFELINE: 1-800-273-8255) Death of a Son On Monday morning, rumors swirled at Westwood ...
Read More

What is War Good For?

How do you use the label “anti-war?” As in, “Saving Private Ryan is the best anti-war movie ever made, or “All Quiet on the Western ...
Read More

Reviewing School Book Lists, Part One

Reviewing School Book Lists: Part One. Part Two. Part Three.Part Four. This post by Emily Whitten, co-founder of Redeemed Reader, is part of a series ...
Read More

Thoughts on The Giver

During the Summer Reading Challenge, Redeemed Reader interns Amos Peck and Grace Olson, Valen Caldwell, intern at Breakpoint.org, and I --Hayley Schoeppler, Redeemed Reader's executive assistant-- ...
Read More

SRC Week 6, Teen List: The Giver and Genesis in Space and Time

Other Summer Reading Challenge posts: Introduction, Week One: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Two: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Three: off Week ...
Read More

SRC, Week 6: Time Travel Devotional (Finale!)

Other Summer Reading Challenge posts: Introduction, Week One: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Two: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Three: off Week ...
Read More

SRC, Week 6: Spy for the Night Riders

Welcome to Week 6!  Time doth fly . . . We started out with The Blue Comet as our book for this week, but due ...
Read More

SRC Week 5, Teen List: The Giver and Genesis in Space and Time

Other Summer Reading Challenge posts: Introduction, Week One: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Two: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Three: off Week ...
Read More

SRC, Week 5: Time Travel Devotional

Other Summer Reading Challenge posts: Introduction, Week One: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Two: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Three: off Week ...
Read More

SRC Week 4, Teen List: Out of the Silent Planet

Other Summer Reading Challenge posts: Introduction, Week One: 1) Kids,  2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Two: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Three: off Week ...
Read More

SRC, Week 4: Time Travel Devotional

Other Summer Reading Challenge posts: Introduction, Week One: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Two: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Three: off Week ...
Read More

SRC, Week 4: The House of Arden

Other Summer Reading Challenge posts: Introduction, Week One: 1) Kids, 2) Teens,  3) Devotional.  Week Two: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Three: off Week ...
Read More

SRC Week 2, Teen List: Dragon’s Tooth Discussion

Other Summer Reading Challenge posts: Introduction, Week One: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Two: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Three: off Week ...
Read More

Parents, Teachers: How Does Your Christianity Change How and What Your Teens Read?

Hey all!  I'm working on a rather lengthy article for World Magazine right now about literature for teens.  I will be talking with a family ...
Read More

SRC, Week 2: Time Travel Devotional

Other Summer Reading Challenge posts: Introduction, Week One: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Two: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Three: off Week ...
Read More

SRC, Week 2: Rush Revere and the First Patriots

Other Summer Reading Challenge posts: Introduction, Week One: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Two: 1) Kids, 2) Teens, 3) Devotional.  Week Three: off Week ...
Read More

SRC Blue Comet: Problems and Alternate Suggestion

**Please note: We've added an alternate reading option for this week.  Spy for the Night Riders: Martin Luther (Trailblazer Books #3)by Dave and Neta Jackson.  ...
Read More