Book Recommendation: The Girl Who Drank the Moon

Another discovery as I continue reading through the Newbery Award winners, and I just loved this one. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill was a delightful and original fantasy. It was sad and sweet and basically everything I’m looking for in a book: magic, love, heartbreak, sacrifice, and dragons. (It may have been especially poignant to read as a mother, but I won’t say more than that!) Highly recommend for anyone who loves those things.

From Amazon:

Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.

One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna’s thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge—with dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth’s surface. And the woman with the Tiger’s heart is on the prowl . . .

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Book Recommendation: The Perfect Place

One of my all-time favorite picture books is Last Stop on Market Place by Matt de la Peña, which I have recommended before. This author knows how to find beauty where most people might not see it. So I was excited to read his newest book, The Perfect Place, and it did not disappoint. It is really hard not to think other people have it better than we do, especially for a child, but Lucas learns that “perfectly imperfect” might be the best thing of all. Once again, highly recommended for children and adults alike.

From Amazon:

Lucas goes to the perfect school in the perfect neighborhood. And when he gets perfect grades, he feels like he fits right in.

But life at home is not so perfect. His dad’s old work truck keeps breaking down. His mom works long hours at her job at the diner. And Lucas has to share his small room with his baby sister.

One night, Lucas is awakened by a strange light, which he follows all the way to the place where the perfect people live. Everything there is more beautiful than he could have imagined. But the longer Lucas stays, the more he wonders what it really means to be perfect. Does it mean never making mistakes? Does it mean rejecting his bustling neighborhood and his loving family? And what’s so great about being perfect, anyway?

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Book Recommendation: Alcatraz series

This is one of my favorite middle grade series of books. As I was working my way through the Newbery award winners, I came across the first book Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko and loved it. It is a fictional story of a real place: the town around Alcatraz island where the people (including children!) actually lived in order to work at the famous prison. It was fascinating! The story was interesting and exciting; the characters were likable and relatable, and I especially appreciated the character with autism in a time when not much was known about the disorder (in fact, I’m not even sure the word “autism” was used at all). It helped me understand a little more about what it might be like to live with autism, or to know and love someone who has it. Additionally, each book has a factual chapter at the back, talking about the history of Alcatraz island and some of the real people who lived there. Highly recommend this series for anyone, including adults!

From Amazon (a quote from the book):

Today I moved to Alcatraz, a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water. I'm not the only kid who lives here. There are twenty-three other kids who live on the island because their dads work as guards or cooks or doctors or electricians for the prison, like my dad does. And then there are a ton of murderers, rapists, hit men, con men, stickup men, embezzlers, connivers, burglars, kidnappers and maybe even an innocent man or two, though I doubt it. The convicts we have are the kind other prisons don't want. I never knew prisons could be picky, but I guess they can. You get to Alcatraz by being the worst of the worst. Unless you're me. I came here because my mother said I had to.

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Book Recommendation: Known and Loved

If you love The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones, you will love this sweet series of hers as well. These are a must for any Christian children’s library, and I keep a copy of all of them in our Sunday school rooms at church. (Even as I write this, I’m noticing there are a couple new ones that I need to buy for our collection!)

The series includes:

Loved (The Lord’s Prayer)

Known (Psalm 139)

Found (Psalm 23)

Near (Psalm 139)

Happy (Psalm 92)

Strong (Psalm 1)

They are written for younger children, based on Psalm 23, The Lord’s Prayer, etc., but like The Jesus Storybook Bible, adults will find them profound and beautiful as well.

Pre-cut Fruit Just Tastes Better

I have a long-standing joke with a friend about how much I love when she brings me cut up fruit. She laughs because she says she doesn’t do anything special to it, but when I bite into that fruit, I know it’s something special. I’ve noticed this with other people, too. Fruit just tastes better to me when someone else has cut it into small, bite-sized pieces. (My mouth is even watering thinking about it!)

I also buy pre-cut strawberries at the supermarket almost every week. This feels like a huge indulgence. I know I could cut up my own strawberries! It would be cheaper, too. But somehow buying them pre-cut makes them taste better and sweeter.

Today I was reading a text exchange with a few friends, each one offering to bring food to a luncheon we were planning. I silently begged my one friend to offer to bring fruit because I knew she’d cut it up just right! I stopped myself then and wondered about this for the first time. Why do I delight in this so much? As I said, I could prepare it myself! What is the significance of someone else preparing it for me?

That’s when a memory flashed, of being a small child visiting my grandparents in Florida, of waking up to small bowls of cut up Florida oranges, prepared lovingly by my grandfather, “Bumpa”, of the small forks that stabbed only one piece at a time, making the small bowl last longer, of the perfect, bite-sized chunks of oranges - no peel, no strings (which is especially important to a child!) - that practically melted in my mouth. I remember begging Bumpa to cut up oranges for me, even as I grew up and he grew old. No one could cut up oranges like my grandfather. And each bowl he handed me felt a lot like love.

Bumpa had a lot of wonderful qualities that are worth an essay or two of their own, but today I am missing those days of him offering me not only a small bowl of perfectly cut up oranges, but a sign of his love for me.

So now I’m wondering if my love of pre-cut fruit could really tie back to those days of perfectly cut up Florida oranges. Is that why I love fruit that is especially prepared just for me? Because maybe the fruit really is sweeter when it comes from someone else, maybe other people know how to choose fruit better than I do! Or maybe, just maybe, it’s a little taste of what we are all longing for: the feeling of being loved.

Book Recommendation: Dust

I didn’t know anything about Dust when I picked it up, other than the fact that I loved Dusti Bowling’s other books so much that I purchased them after reading them from the library. It took me a while to get into Dust, but once I did, I could not put it down. To my surprise (and delight!), it had some fantasy elements which entertained me immensely. But even more than that, they really helped drive home the point of the story. And it turned out the story is a very important one. I would highly recommend this to not only older pre-teens and young teens, but to parents of young children as well.

From Amazon:

After Avalyn nearly died from an asthma attack, her parents moved her to the clear, dry air of Clear Canyon City, Arizona. And for the last ten years, she’s been able to breathe. That is, until Adam showed up.

Quiet and disheveled, Adam is an instant target for the bullies who have plagued Avalyn and her friends. As Avalyn gets to know him, she begins to suspect that the sudden, strange increase in dust storms around town is somehow connected to his emotions. She thinks his problems may be even worse at home, especially when massive black walls of dust start rolling in after the school day. Will she find a way to stand up for her new friend? Her life may just depend on it.

I recently became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

Book Recommendation: It's Magic!

I picked this book mostly out of curiosity. The Book the can Read your Mind really caught my eye! How was that even possible? Once I read through it, I knew I had to own it for the kids in my life. It’s more of an activity or experience than it is a book to read! And even better, you can do it over and over again. I first read it with my 10-year-old son and he was captivated and had to try it again. Then we got to talk about how it works and how it’s not actually magic (sad), but math (yay)! He found this intriguing and immediately tried to make his own magical book.

Because of his interest, I brought it to his 4th grade class to read it to the kids, and after they saw how it worked, they crowded around me to have a turn! I may even bring it to church with me to read to my Sunday School kids! Highly recommend this book by Marianna Coppo.

From Amazon:

This is not an ordinary book—it’s a magical one! Lady Rabbit goes beyond pulling a rabbit out of a hat or making herself disappear. For her next act, she will READ YOUR MIND! That's right: You pick a member from the magician's adorable audience—don’t tell which one you’ve chosen—and this book will guess who it is!

Inspired by 17th‑century magic books, this interactive game in a book will enchant readers of all ages, compelling them to pick among many intriguing, illustrated characters and play over and over (and over) again. Now, without further ado . . . let the magic show begin!

I recently became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

Book Recommendation: This I Know

This I Know: Seeing God in the World He Made by Clay Anderson is another lovely picture book that I keep in the children’s library at our church. It uses the refrain from “Jesus Loves Me” to show how all of creation points to our good Creator on every beautifully illustrated page. For example, on a page full of sand and sea and dolphins it says “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the ocean tells me so.” The writing is sweet and written in verse, but it’s really the large full-color pictures that make this book so appealing!

From Amazon:

Have you noticed the fingerprints of God in the world around us? The creation tells us about its Creator. His beauty in the trees. His power in the thunder. His eternity in the night sky.

Join a young girl and her family on an unforgettable road trip. Witness the wonder of God's world. And see how all of creation confirms what the Bible tells us: Jesus loves me, this I know.

I recently became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

Book Recommendation: When You Reach Me

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead is one of the best middle grade books I’ve read in a long time! I was immediately hooked to this slightly creepy page-turner. It is part mystery and part science fiction with a twist at the end. As usual, I read this from the library but upon finishing, decided it was worth having in my home library for both my kids to read and me to read again (and to lend out to friends)!

From Amazon:

Shortly after a fall-out with her best friend, sixth grader Miranda starts receiving mysterious notes, and she doesn’t know what to do. The notes tell her that she must write a letter—a true story, and that she can’t share her mission with anyone.
 
It would be easy to ignore the strange messages, except that whoever is leaving them has an uncanny ability to predict the future. If that is the case, then Miranda has a big problem—because the notes tell her that someone is going to die, and she might be too late to stop it.

I recently became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

Book Recommendation: Tiny Cedric

If you haven’t figured it out by now, we are big fans of Sally Lloyd Jones around here, and her book Tiny Cedric is no exception. Though this book is not religious, I keep a copy in our children’s library at church and it is a favorite read aloud of all the kids (including some of the older tweens)! It is funny and sweet and always has the kids laughing out loud.

From Amazon:

A hilarious, heartwarming picture book from a New York Times bestselling author and award-winning illustrator about a tiny king who grows into a big-hearted monarch after he banishes almost his entire court from the palace.
 
Tiny Cedric, King ME the First does not like being small. AT ALL. So he decides to banish anyone taller than him from his palace. Which is everyone, basically. The only ones left are the babies. And now they’re in charge of the Royal Duties! 

How will Cedric cope—especially now that he must kiss boo-boos and read bedtime stories? Will he become a kinder, gentler, BIGGER king?

I recently became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

Book Recommendation: The Hobbit (Graphic Novel)

No, this is not a book recommendation for The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, because I’m really hoping you’ve read that one by now! I remember my first time reading The Hobbit and I actually think it was life-changing for me. It was my first exposure to high fantasy and I was hooked. Because of that, I was hoping to instill that love into my children (and I think I was successful!).

And that brings me to the new graphic novel! We have read/listened to the book and watched the movie, but this just brings our love of the story to the next level. It is something my son (10) can bring to bed with him to read over and over again. We highly recommend this version for any Hobbit lovers.

From Amazon:

This comprehensive edition collects the three-issue series originally published by Eclipse Comics and thereafter augmented with many pages of additional artwork and improvements. Carefully abridged from Tolkien’s classic novel, and brought thrillingly to life with striking, evocative art by David Wenzel, this graphic novel is a perennial delight to Hobbit fans old and new.

I recently became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

Book Recommendation: When God Made You

When God Made You is an absolutely beautiful book by Matthew Paul Turner and illustrated by David Catrow. This is a favorite of mine to read in my preschool classroom at our church, because not only is the message so sweet for our little ones, but the illustrations are stunning and engaging. Additionally, I have purchased this for at least one of the teens that I know, who I thought could use a little encouragement about how special and unique she is. I would highly recommend it as the perfect gift to bless anyone of any age.

From Amazon:

From early on, children are looking to discover their place in the world and longing to understand how their personalities, traits, and talents fit in. The assurance that they are deeply loved and a unique creation in our big universe is certain to help them spread their wings and fly. 
 
Through playful, charming rhyme and vivid, fantastical illustrations, When God Made Youinspires young readers to learn about their own special gifts and how they fit into God’s divine plan as they grow, explore, and begin to create for themselves. 

I recently became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

Book Recommendation: Spy School

I’ve written about books by Stuart Gibbs before, so if you hadn’t guessed, we are big fans! I love all his books and so do both my kids (13 yo girl and 10yo boy), and I think that’s really saying something. Not only have we listened to them on audiobook and collected the physical copies, but now we are excited that the Spy School series is coming out as graphic novels!

From Amazon about this series:

Ben Ripley may only be in middle school, but he’s already pegged his dream job: CIA or bust. Unfortunately for him, his personality doesn’t exactly scream “secret agent.” In fact, Ben is so awkward, he can barely get to school and back without a mishap. Because of his innate nerdiness, Ben is not surprised when he is recruited for a magnet school with a focus on science—but he’s entirely shocked to discover that the school is actually a front for a junior CIA academy. Could the CIA really want him?

Needless to say, but I’ll say it anyway, we highly recommend this series! For more middle grade books I recommend, check out my list on Goodreads. It includes books I’ve read that I thought were excellent, entertaining, and/or worth reading.

I recently became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

Book Recommendation: Amazing Abe

I had the privilege of hearing Vesper Stamper (the illustrator) read Amazing Abe aloud recently, and it was absolutely lovely! Her beautiful gouache illustrations, along with the inspiring story of Abraham Cahan by Norman H. Finkelstein, make for a lovely tribute to a man who was a voice for Jewish people in America. I was so excited to buy two signed copies: one for me and my kids, and one for my Jewish friends.

From Amazon:

Two-time National Jewish Book Award winner Norman H. Finkelstein and Sydney Taylor Award winner Vesper Stamper have teamed up to tell the story of Abraham Cahan, the founder and longtime editor of the Yiddish language newspaper the Forverts (the Forward), which, in its heyday, was one of the largest newspapers in the United States. As the saying went: "What's a home without the Forverts?"

From explaining voting rights to the importance of public health measures to everyday questions like how to play baseball, Cahan improved the lives of countless newly arrived Jewish immigrants who wanted to feel at home in a new, strange land.

I recently became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

Watercolors

I am new to watercolor as of December 2023, but it has quickly become a new obsession. Not only is it fun, I have found it a great way to combat anxiety. And bonus: set up and clean up are quicker with watercolor than other painting, too. So if I have only 20 minutes or so, I can paint in that short of time and come back to it later (in fact, so much of watercolor is layering that it actually helps to wait).

Here are a few pictures of my playtime:

a short update...

I am having surgery on Friday and somehow that feels like a deadline of sorts to submit a couple of my finished stories. I am going to submit my middle grade novel, as well as a picture book manuscript this week! I’m nervous and excited and that’s how I know it’s a good thing.

So today I am doing some final edits as I read through them one more time. I want to be published, of course, but mostly I know I just have to try. That’s all we can do, right? I’ve had this dream since I was 10, so it’s time to really give it a shot. I’ll keep you posted!

Book Recommendation: Halloween!

I had a few picture books in mind for a Halloween recommendation, but none of them seemed to excite me enough to write a blog post on so I decided to ask my 9-year-old son. A Super Scary Narwhalloween is what he recommended for Halloween (and I suspect not so “super scary”!). He loves all the Narwhal and Jelly books by Ben Clanton. We’ve just decided to purchase them once in a while because he reads them over and over! And this one is no exception, even going so far as to read it out loud to me. (I love hearing all his sound effects when he reads me graphic novels!)

In his words, “It’s really good! And it’s really funny because it includes parts from other books in the series.”* So there you have it: his Halloween recommendation! (These books are great for 6-9 year olds.)

*When pressed about what that meant, he explained that it brought back “Jelly Jolt”, who made his first appearance in book two: Super Narwhal and Jelly Jolt! He appreciated the connection.

Book Recommendation: Moon Base Alpha series

The Moon Base Alpha series by Stuart Gibbs is a favorite of my kids (9yo boy and 12yo girl). I don’t have a picture of the actual book, because we love the audiobooks and own all of them! We often put them on for long car rides and we have all listened to them multiple times. I find this sci-fi series to be funny and clever (but I’ll admit there is some potty humor, which is probably why my son loves them so much!)*. The series starts with Space Case, which is the best of the trilogy.

From Amazon:

Like his fellow lunarnauts—otherwise known as Moonies—living on Moon Base Alpha, twelve-year-old Dashiell Gibson is famous the world over for being one of the first humans to live on the moon.
And he’s bored out of his mind. Kids aren’t allowed on the lunar surface, meaning they’re trapped inside the tiny moon base with next to nothing to occupy their time—and the only other kid Dash’s age spends all his time hooked into virtual reality games.
Then Moon Base Alpha’s top scientist turns up dead. Dash senses there’s foul play afoot, but no one believes him. Everyone agrees Dr. Holtz went onto the lunar surface without his helmet properly affixed, simple as that. But Dr. Holtz was on the verge of an important new discovery, Dash finds out, and it’s a secret that could change everything for the Moonies—a secret someone just might kill to keep...

*I love giving out book recommendations for kids if you ever would like to contact me about it. In this series, I definitely recommend book one without hesitation. If you’d like to read the whole series, I’m happy to talk more about them with you!

I just became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️