Resources
The Enchanted Hour by Meghan Cox Gurdon
By Janie Cheaney |
In The Enchanted Hour, Meghan Cox Gurdon makes the intellectual, social, and emotional case for reading aloud, at any age, to any age. The Enchanted ...
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Faith, Fiction, & Fellowship Week 1: Let’s Discuss!
By Betsy Farquhar |
Ladies, are you enjoying your chosen books for our Faith, Fiction, & Fellowship read-along? Faith, Fiction, & Fellowship Discussion, Week 1 If you've purchased the ...
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The Faithful Artist: an Interview with John Hendrix
By Janie Cheaney |
John Hendrix grew up in St. Louis, left home to advance his art career, and eventually returned. Along the way he spent some time as ...
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30+ Women in Church History: A Book List
By Betsy Farquhar |
Did you know that March is Women's History Month? Or that the theme for Women's History Month 2019 is "Visionary Women: Champions of Peace & ...
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Faith, Fiction, & Fellowship Read-Along Details
By Betsy Farquhar |
Our Faith, Fiction, & Fellowship Read-Along is just around the corner. We know lots of you are excited about this, and we are, too! If ...
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Christians and Mental Illness: an Interview with Simonetta Carr
By Janie Cheaney |
The author of Broken Pieces and the God Who Mends them shares further insights about her experience with schizophrenia. Our readers are familiar with Simonetta's ...
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Pride and Prejudice: The Original and the Others
By Hayley Morell |
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 ...
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2019 Sibert Medal Winners are, well, Winners!
By Betsy Farquhar |
image from ALA website According to the ALA, "the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is awarded annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the ...
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2019 Newbery Buzz #7: The Girl Who Drew Butterflies by Joyce Sidman
By Betsy Farquhar |
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 ...
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2019 Newbery Buzz #5: The Parker Inheritance
By Janie Cheaney |
The Parker Inheritance, the latest by Varian Johnson, is a different sort of book from his light-hearted, fun middle grades heist novels (see The Great ...
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Did I Read That? Tracking Books with Notecards
By Janie Cheaney |
Even before we started Redeemed Reader, I read a lot of books. Sometimes I reviewed them for my own blog and sometimes I just wanted ...
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7 Books for Thoughtful Teens
By Betsy Farquhar |
Not every teen is hanging out in the YA section of the library, wallowing in teen angst.* Plenty of teens are ready for meaty, engaging ...
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Missionary Biographies and Prayer: Love Your Neighbor Book Club Edition
By Betsy Farquhar |
The Biographies and Discussion Questions To start our year off for the Love Your Neighbor Book Club, everyone read a missionary biography of their ...
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2019 Newbery Buzz #2: The Book of Boy
By Janie Cheaney |
Janie: The Book of Boy is one of the more unusual middle-grade novels to appear this year. The main character is (not surprisingly) Boy, a ...
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10 Favorite Christian Biographies
By Betsy Farquhar |
Heaven: A Family Reunion? I don't know what heaven will be like, but I imagine it as one big family reunion at a feast table. ...
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2019 Reading Challenge for Kids and Teens
By Betsy Farquhar |
updated 10/21/19 READERS: Find info about the 2020 Reading Challenge here! The 2019 Reading Challenge for Kids and Teens Our 2019 Reading Challenge for Kids ...
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The Books Worth a Library Fine
By Hayley Morell |
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 ...
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The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street: the Love Your Neighbor Book Club Edition
By Betsy Farquhar |
December is such a wildly busy month: Christmas concerts and recitals and school performances and parties. Travel plans and/or welcoming extended family into your home. ...
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The Year in Books – RR Staff Reflections
By Janie Cheaney |
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 ...
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Miss Betsy’s Book Nook, 2018 edition
By Betsy Farquhar |
It's time for the annual reporting of what books I, as the Redeemed Reader Managing Editor, buy for those on my gift list! I do ...
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One-Size-Fits-All: Read Aloud Gift Books for the Whole Family!
By Betsy Farquhar |
Need a book idea you can give as a “whole family” gift? Perhaps you want to take along a little “happy” to the friend and ...
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Books for the Whole Year
By Megan Saben |
The new year is a great time to begin something fresh, whether it is a new Bible-reading plan or a commitment to read a book ...
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Bookish Christmas Gifts for the Whole Family
By Betsy Farquhar |
Sometimes, it's hard to pick out a book for a book-lover. What if she already bought herself that book? What if he has already read ...
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Saben Chai
By Megan Saben |
UPDATE: Thanks to a comment from a thoughtful reader, I decided to try authentic assam tea instead of Lipton. There is no comparison, and no ...
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Christmas Books for All Ages: A Booklist
By Betsy Farquhar |
Readers, we are thankful for YOU! And, in honor of our appreciation for you, your faithful support of Redeemed Reader and encouragement to us, we're ...
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Tangerine: Love Your Neighbor Book Club Edition
By Betsy Farquhar |
To date this school year, our Love Your Neighbor Book Club has read Save Me a Seat and A Long Walk to Water, both of ...
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New Picture Books Round-Up (Fall, 2018 edition)
By Betsy Farquhar |
November is National Picture Book Month! Here's a collection of new picture books for the whole family. We don't think you need an "excuse" to ...
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We the People … A U.S. Government Booklist
By Betsy Farquhar |
Election Day is just around the corner, and our national media outlets love nothing more than a juicy political story. Gossip and slander aside, though, ...
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"Hurray for Re-Issues!" by Gladys Hunt
By Janie Cheaney |
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 ...
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"Never Underestimate a Gift Book" by Gladys Hunt
By Betsy Farquhar |
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 ...
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“Look for Illustrators” by Gladys Hunt
By Janie Cheaney |
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 ...
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Heroes of WWII: A Book List for Tweens and Teens
By Betsy Farquhar |
World War II is perennially interesting and not just to history buffs! We've focused on church history the past couple of years during October, first ...
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“Sarah, Plain and Tall Series” by Gladys Hunt
By Betsy Farquhar |
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 ...
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“On Your Next Trip to the Library” by Gladys Hunt
By Janie Cheaney |
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 ...
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"Words That Build People" by Gladys Hunt
By Betsy Farquhar |
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 ...
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“Watch Your Expletives!” by Gladys Hunt
By Janie Cheaney |
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 ...
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Gladys Hunt: Grammar Does Matter
By Betsy Farquhar |
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 ...
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“Second Guessing the Message” by Gladys Hunt
By Janie Cheaney |
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 ...
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By Betsy Farquhar |
Readers, it's almost October! Let me pour myself some Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea. (You can have your pumpkin spice lattes!) Are you ...
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The ABCs of Building Your Picture Book Collection
By Megan Saben |
What, you thought you could just walk into a bookstore and buy a book? How do you determine whether or not a picture book is ...
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“Born to Read” by Gladys Hunt
By Janie Cheaney |
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 ...
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Lively Lists: a Key Part of the New Redeemed Reader Companion!
By Betsy Farquhar |
Readers, we've been hinting at our upcoming Redeemed Reader Companion on social media, our newsletter, and, finally, an official post here on the website.... Wait. ...
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“Reading Intentionally” by Gladys Hunt
By Janie Cheaney |
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 ...
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“A Good Book is a Magic Gateway” by Gladys Hunt
By Betsy Farquhar |
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 ...
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Redeemed Readers, Rejoice!
By Janie Cheaney |
Announcing a valuable resource for our fellow "Redeemed Readers," and anyone with an interest in quality children's literature. Hard as it is to believe, this ...
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“Building a Child’s Personal Library” by Gladys Hunt
By Janie Cheaney |
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 ...
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Books and Stories: Reflections by Gladys Hunt
By Betsy Farquhar |
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. ...
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“Make Your Own Life Bigger” by Gladys Hunt
By Janie Cheaney |
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 ...
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“The Mystery of the Library” by Gladys Hunt
By Betsy Farquhar |
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. ...
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The Hive: A List of Resources from Gladys Hunt
By Betsy Farquhar |
Readers, if you haven't seen the "why" and "how" behind this amazing list of resources, be sure to check out The Continuing Legacy of Gladys ...
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The Continuing Legacy of Gladys Hunt
By Janie Cheaney |
Announcing a series of NEW posts from Gladys Hunt, author of Honey for a Child's Heart and Honey for a Teen's Heart. Several months ago, ...
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The Love Your Neighbor Book Club: Its Beginnings
By Betsy Farquhar |
Love God. Love your neighbor. Those, in brief, are the two greatest commandments, the commandments that sum up all the Law and the Prophets. And one ...
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Great History Authors for Kids
By Betsy Farquhar |
With school back in session, let's talk history books for kids! No matter who or what your kids or students are studying this year in ...
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Can You Identify the Five Nonfiction Categories?
By Janie Cheaney |
The Juvenile nonfiction designation has exploded, especially since the push for Common Core standards was supposed to increase factual reading. Common Core seems to be ...
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Picture Book Round-Up: Back to School Picture Books!
By Betsy Farquhar |
Back-to-School time means new pencils, new lunchboxes, new classrooms (or a new look for the dining room table!), and... new emotions. Scared and excited students, ...
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Book Party Idea: Swallows and Amazons Forever!
By Betsy Farquhar |
I'm always on the alert for good book party possibilities; we throw one about once a quarter. This past Friday, we threw a lovely Swallows and ...
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How to Make a Brown Paper Bag Book Cover in 10 Simple Steps
By Betsy Farquhar |
The school year is just around the corner, and you know what that means: new (to you) books! (Of course, we here at Redeemed Reader ...
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Dinosaur Book List for All Ages
By Betsy Farquhar |
Is your child keenly aware that a new Jurassic Park movie is hitting the big screen this week? As if kids needed more motivation to be interested ...
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Fairy Tales (and More!) for Summer: A Booklist for Family Read Alouds
By Betsy Farquhar |
Lovely, Literary, and Light-hearted: Fairy Tales are a Perfect Match for Summer Fun Looking for some fun, low commitment reading for this summer? Perhaps you ...
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Summer Books for Refugees
By Betsy Farquhar |
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 ...
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Summer Fun Booklist: Full of Activities and Things to Do!
By Betsy Farquhar |
Summer Days Ahead The glorious weeks of summer are upon us (if you live in the Southeast) or soon to be (if you live in ...
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Rethinking School by Susan Wise Bauer
By Janie Cheaney |
In Rethinking School, Susan Wise Bauer offers practical suggestions and background information for crafting the best education for your unique child. Rethinking School: How to ...
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Marvelous Math for Middle Grades
By Betsy Farquhar |
The Language of the Universe The language of the universe is math. Little else in the natural world reflects such a unique combination of truth, ...
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It’s National Poetry Month – Let’s Write a Poem! (Free Download)
By Janie Cheaney |
In honor of National poetry month, here's a sample lesson from Wordsmith Apprentice to help reluctant writers produce original verse. "Poetry" is a scary word ...
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Mega List of Bible Reviews!
By Janie Cheaney |
Here in one handy post are all the children's Bibles reviewed over the last six years by RedeemedReader, with links. I (Janie) started reviewing children’s ...
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*Big Picture Bible Crafts by Gail Schoonmaker
By Janie Cheaney |
A great resource for Sunday school or art class, these Bible crafts will help kids learn while they create. All ages *Big Picture Bible Crafts: ...
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*God’s Timeline by Linda Finlayson
By Janie Cheaney |
God’s Timeline is a valuable resource that pulls together the entire sweep of church history from the Resurrection to the early twenty-first century. *God’s Timeline: ...
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Picture Book Biographies Booklist!
By Betsy Farquhar |
Picture Book Biographies = Fantastic, Diverse Resources Picture book biographies are one of the best ways to introduce a person from history. Why? They bring ...
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The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie
By Megan Saben |
Sarah Mackenzie offers a welcome and updated look at making connections with your family through books in The Read-Aloud Family. The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and ...
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Learning to Lead: Another RedeemedReader Booklist!
By Janie Cheaney |
In his Confessions, Augustine wrote this on the subject of "time": “I understand well enough what time is, so long as no one asks me.” ...
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Pie-Themed Picture Books for Pi/Pie Day!
By Betsy Farquhar |
"Pi/Pie Day" is coming up on March 14th! Check out one of the pie-themed picture books below from your local library to enjoy with your ...
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Nonfiction Picture Books Round-up: Biographies, Science, and Words
By Betsy Farquhar |
A round-up of 2018 nonfiction picture books on all sorts of subjects and for all sorts of ages! The Great Dictionary Caper by Judy Sierra and ...
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Those Love Stories We Loved
By Janie Cheaney |
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 ...
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*Honey for a Teen’s Heart by Gladys Hunt
By Janie Cheaney |
Honey for a Teen’s Heart applies the wisdom of Gladys Hunt’s read-aloud approach to the adolescent years. Adult *Honey for a Teen’s Heart: Using Books ...
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Five Red Flags to Watch for in YA Christian Romance Fiction
By Janie Cheaney |
Christian romance fiction feels "safe," but it's not always without pitfalls . . . and it's not always Christian, either. I remember when Jeanette Oke ...
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Black History Month Nonfiction Book List
By Betsy Farquhar |
Black History Month Nonfiction Book List It's a month full of book lists here at Redeemed Reader! We hope you enjoyed our Love and Laughter ...
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Getting to Know Beatrix Potter (1866 – 1943)
By Hayley Morell |
"My dear Eric, Once upon a time there was a frog called Mr. Jeremy Fisher . . ." A day earlier, Beatrix Potter had written ...
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2018 Reading Challenge Check-In: January
By Betsy Farquhar |
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 ...
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2018 Newbery Buzz #3: Refugee
By Janie Cheaney |
Janie and Pamela continue our Newbery discussions with Refugee, a novel that carries political significance as well as literary value. Ages 12-15. Janie: Alan Gratz ...
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Portrait of a Reader: The Nurturer
By Betsy Farquhar |
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 ...
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Here Be Dragons: Mega Fantasy and Sci-Fi Booklist! (All ages)
By Betsy Farquhar |
A mega fantasy and sci-fi booklist with books for all ages and all types of fantasy lovers (even those who don't think they ARE fantasy ...
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Welcome to Lizard Motel by Barbara Feinberg
By Janie Cheaney |
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, ...
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Interview with Keith Robinson, author of the Origins Series
By Pamela Palmer |
Pamela interviews Keith Robinson, author of the Origins trilogy and other Christian sci-fi works. Read on for more information about Robinson, his work, and his many ...
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2018 Reading Challenge for Kids and Teens (with printable!)
By Betsy Farquhar |
The 2018 Reading Challenge for Kids and Teens Our 2018 Reading Challenge for Kids and Teens is back and better than ever! We’ve changed it ...
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Redeemed Reader Christmas Vacation
By Janie Cheaney |
This year has been a whirlwind for us, with a record number of book reviews, rising readership, website updates, and two special reading challenges built ...
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Worthy YA: the Best Teen Reads of 2017
By Janie Cheaney |
The world of Young-Adult publishing can be dicey territory for Christian readers. Nowhere are the latest cultural trends more vigorously promoted than in books marketed ...
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The Literary Nightstand
By Betsy Farquhar |
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 ...
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The Wonder of the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp
By Betsy Farquhar |
The Wonder of the Greatest Gift offers a complete Jesse Tree experience with devotional and ornaments for the whole family to enjoy. The Wonder of ...
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Giant Christmas and Advent Book List for All Ages
By Betsy Farquhar |
We love Christmas and Advent at Redeemed Reader, and we've reviewed lots of related resources over the years. Advent begins on December 1, and the ...
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2017 Winter Book Fair List: Books for Everyone!
By Betsy Farquhar |
2017 Winter Book Fair Books for Everyone on Your Christmas List! It's that time of the year again: Christmas is coming, and all the special ...
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Mystery Book List for Elementary, Tweens, and Teens!
By Betsy Farquhar |
Calling all mystery lovers! Mystery book list for all ages! Whether or not you're planning to see Murder on the Orient Express this month, you likely have ...
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*The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch
By Betsy Farquhar |
Starred review for this book about a tech-wise family that is characterized by 10 commitments reflecting the proper pace of technology in a family's life ...
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Reformation Day!
By Janie Cheaney |
I know, we’re not there yet. It was on All Hallow’s Eve (nicknamed Halloween) that the fiery preacher of Wittenberg marched down the cobbled streets ...
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How to Throw a Simple Book Party with Costumes
By Betsy Farquhar |
You're not going to believe me when I say that a book party with costumes can be very, very easy. Trust me. It's all in the ...
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Reading Diana Wynne Jones: an Author Portrait
By Hayley Morell |
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, ...
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Word Shapers: 4 Men Who Influenced the English Language
By Betsy Farquhar |
Word Shaper: Someone who shapes, and changes, words. We associate envy with the color green. Why? William Shakespeare. In America, we write "color" instead of ...
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Reformation Church History Book List
By Betsy Farquhar |
Happy 500th birthday to the Protestant Reformation! 500 years ago this month, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door in Wittenburg. Of course, the ...
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10 New Picture Books for All Ages, All Interests, Fact and Fiction!
By Betsy Farquhar |
New picture books! Brand, spanking, new! Beautiful, silly, thoughtful, informative, and downright fun. Take a look! (Several of these made it onto our Back-to-School ...
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Bird Boy Project: Discussion Forum 4 (and an exciting giveaway!)
By Janie Cheaney |
Okay readers, this is it: yesterday I sent out the three final chapters and those of you who have been clamoring for "one more chapter, ...
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Bird Boy Project: Discussion Forum 3 (and our third giveaway!)
By Janie Cheaney |
Chapters 14-19 This section sees Roy Ray delivered to an entirely new setting, with new characters that, as we learn, are not entirely new. We’re ...
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