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.

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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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!

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My Newbery Journey

Well, I can’t get around it: my heart belongs to the middle grade novel. I remember when I started writing, my dream (perhaps every writer’s dream?) was to write “The Great, American Novel”. I had about 50 pages written and it just wasn’t coming out the way I wanted when suddenly it clicked: this book wanted to be a middle grade novel. I love reading them and think they have so much worth and value (and too often dismissed as “just for kids”). So why did I think I should write anything else? (Sadly, that book has since been left unfinished, though I did write another middle grade novel earlier this year! More on that another day.)

Once I realized that I wanted to write middle grade novels (as well as picture books), I thought I should read the best of the best. This led me to the Newbery Award.

The great thing about these books is that you can safely recommend them to your preteen kids and know they are getting some clean and quality literature. So even though I am only commenting on a few of the books listed below, please know that any of these would be a great option for your kids! (And if you ever have questions about a middle grade book, I am happy to discuss it with you!)

The Newbery Award (or Honor) books I’ve read so far:

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
(a somewhat creepy sci-fi)

When you Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
(not my favorite)

New Kid by Jerry Craft
(already recommended here!)

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

The Girl who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
(one of my favorites! will probably purchase and recommend in a separate post)
(also, I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but look how pretty that cover is!)

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña
(a picture book - unusual for the Newbery! - already recommended here!)

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
(I did not expect to love this one as much as I did, given it’s about basketball and completely written in verse, but I did and I highly recommend.)

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
(a little boring, though I learned some interesting history)

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
(excellent story and a bit of a mystery)

Al Capone Does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
(another of my favorites. this is part of a series of which I intend to read more!)

The Watson’s Go to Birmingham: 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
(I would recommend this as a way to open up dialog about racial violence)

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!! ❤️

Book Recommendation: Ranger's Apprentice

I have decided to start recommending mostly middle grade books, as that is typically what I read now for fun and seems to be where parents need the most guidance. I get asked a lot for reading recommendations for preteen and young teens, so follow along in my book recommendations if you are looking something for your kids to enjoy (without having to read them first!).* I also just love middle grade books because they are always clean and a quick, easy read, but they deal with hard things and often have very interesting plots and characters.

The Ranger’s Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan is the start of an excellent fantasy series about a boy who joins a highly secretive group of people known as the Rangers. The books are exciting, with good characters and plots. The Rangers themselves aren’t magical, just highly trained and skilled fighters and problem solvers, though they live in a world with magic. And I will admit that I have loved this series even before I thought about sharing them with my kids! My daughter never wanted to read them, because the main character is a boy… but now my 9-year-old son is excited to get into the series! I have promised to read the first one to him (this is mostly selfish, as I want to reread them, and I think my daughter will secretly listen in as well), but I think he’ll take off reading them on his own once he gets into them!

From Amazon:

They have always scared him in the past—the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied. . . .

*I love giving out book recommendations for kids if you ever would like to contact me about it! I am happy to tell you if there is ever anything you might find questionable, as well.

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!! ❤️

Book Recommendation: Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

Remember a couple weeks ago when I said I’d read two books recently and then immediately went out and bought them because they were so good? This is the second one of those two books. And not only did I love it so much that I wanted to keep it, my 12-year-old daughter read it and claimed it for herself. So I had to grab it out of her bookshelves even to snap this picture!

The book is Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling and it is an incredibly sweet story (and exciting mystery!), told in the first person, of a girl with no arms. I cannot emphasize enough how sweet the story was or how helpful it was for me to read a book from the perspective of someone who is differently abled* (and I love that my daughter loved it as well!).

So if you are at all curious, buy this book and read it! (Or if you are like me, read this book and then buy it!) There is also a book two: Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus, which I have not read yet, but my daughter read and loved.

From Amazon:

Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is she was born without them. And when her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country knowing that she’ll have to answer the question over and over again.
 
Her new life takes an unexpected turn when she bonds with Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of his own disability, and they discover a room at Stagecoach Pass that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. It’s hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your worst fears. But Aven’s about to discover she can do it all . . . even without arms.

*I have decided to go with this term instead of “disabled” because in reading this book, I realized that the main character is very abled, but she just has to do things differently, and sometimes very creatively!

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!! ❤️

Book Recommendation: Pentecost

The Apostles’ Creed for all God’s Children by Ben Myers is actually a book my husband found (he has a passion for liturgy) that I liked so much, I bought a copy for every family in my Children’s Ministry. We also used it as a supplemental curriculum last year, where every week I had each Sunday School class recite the Apostles’ Creed and then read a page of the book. That way, we were reciting the Creed 16 times total, reading through a new set of pages each week.

Whether you recite the Apostles’ Creed every week, occasionally, or never at all, I highly recommend this book. Whether you are a parent of young kids or have no kids at all, I highly recommend this book.

Each page breaks down one line of the Creed, displaying a beautiful illustration and explaining in simple terms what the line means. Since we are approaching Pentecost, I will quote below the page for “I Believe in the Holy Spirit”:

Is God far away?
Has Jesus left me all alone?
No! God is near—
very near!

Jesus lives forever with God in the Holy Spirit.
He shares God’s life in a special way.
And Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be with me.
Now I share God’s life too and live in God.

Because of Jesus, I am in the Holy Spirit,
and so are all Jesus’ brothers and sisters.
God is my family and my home.
I will never be far away from God—never again!

That’s what I believe.

Isn’t that beautiful and good to learn/remember at any age?

From Amazon:

What God's children believe. Join FatCat, the friendly feline, as he learns the traditional text of the Apostles' Creed―the earliest summary of the apostles' teaching. Through the Creed, children can encounter the God of the Bible who creates, redeems, and sanctifies. Enjoy vibrantly illustrated scenes of Jesus's life and search for FatCat on every page!

Young readers and families will read a line from the creed along with a simple reflection to tuck into their hearts. With a list of Scriptures for further learning and a family prayer, this FatCat book is perfect to read again and again.

In a fun and accessible way, believers can visualize, memorize, understand, and confess the Apostles' Creed, which has united all Christians for centuries.

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!! ❤️

Book Recommendation: New Kid

I usually read books from the library or digitally from free library apps like Libby. If I like them, I recommend them here on my blog. But recently I liked two books so much that I ended up buying them after the fact. My kids have already read them and I plan on lending them out to others because they were that good!

The first of those two is today’s recommendation, a middle-grade graphic novel called New Kid by Jerry Craft.

As I said, both my children (ages 9 and 12) have already read this book and liked it a lot. It is funny and sweet for kids. But what I found helpful and appreciated about it as an adult was the way it illuminated the subtle racism and the microagressions that are in our everyday life. The main character, Jordan, is a black boy who is attending a new private school and is one of the few people of color attending. The story is about how he adjusts to being there and how he puts up with a lot of things that my kids and I would probably never even think about. Jordan spends the year making friends and learning to understand other people, even as they get to know him. The book just has a lot of heart and would be a good read for anyone.

From Amazon:

Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.

As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?

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!! ❤️