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Whalesong: A Review by Nathan Huffstutler
By emily |
Earlier this year, when I first heard the name Robert Siegel doing research for these book reviews last April at World Magazine, I learned Siegel ...
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Throwing Strikes with R. A. Dickey
By Janie Cheaney |
Throwing Strikes: My Quest for Truth and the Perfect Knuckleball, by R. A. Dickey. Dial, 2013, 296 pages. Age/interest level: 12-16. Last year Dickey’s autobiography, ...
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Interview with Judah Ben: Kai’Ro, Christian Rap and the Progress of Urban Pilgrims
By emily |
Introduction There are very few modern books that I see as really significant. But I see the Kai' Ro series--an urban interpretation of Pilgrim's Progress--by ...
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A Novel in Verse and Verse in a Novel
By Janie Cheaney |
We're rounding out our Poetry Month coverage with three books for middle-graders: Gone Fishing: a Novel in Verse, by Tamera Will Wissinger, illustrated by Matthew ...
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Good Old Fashioned Adventure
By Janie Cheaney |
The False Prince (2012) and The Runaway King (2013), by Jennifer A. Nielson. Scholastic, about 350 pages each. Age/interest level: 10-up. When we first encounter ...
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Poetry Anthologies
By Megan Saben |
A good poetry anthology is like going to a friend's house with a basket, and being told, "Oh, you must read this one, and this one, and ...
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The Real Sherlock Holmes
By Janie Cheaney |
Arthur Conan Doyle published the first Sherlock Holmes story in a British periodical in 1887, to moderate interest. Three novels and fifty-odd short stories later, ...
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Final Four (Plus One)
By Janie Cheaney |
This post should have gone up during March Madness, but even if the NCAA tournament is over this weekend, the NBA has few months to ...
Read More Bible Review: NIV Boys Bible
By Janie Cheaney |
NIV Boys' Bible. Zonderkidz, 2012, 1504 pages. For ages 9-13. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-12 (obviously, boys) Bottom Line: The ...
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Proverbs, Tricksters and Fools
By Megan Saben |
The book of Proverbs is full of instructions for the simple to obtain wisdom and avoid disaster. Stories about tricksters demonstrate common-grace examples of using ...
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New Nonfiction: Titanic, Moonbird, and Bodyguards
By Janie Cheaney |
These three books have nothing in common except their general category and the fact that the first two won honors in the ALA Youth Media ...
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The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus 3) by Rick Riordan
By Janie Cheaney |
The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus #3), by Rick Riordan. Hyperion, 2012, 608 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Maturity Level: 4 (ages ...
Read More Zeus, King of the Gods by George O’Connor
By Janie Cheaney |
Zeus, King of the Gods, (#1 in The Olympians graphic-novel series) by George O’Connor. First Second, 2012, 80 pages. Reading Level: Picture books (graphic novel), ...
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Metaphysics, Graphics-Style
By Janie Cheaney |
For some folks, graphic novels are actually a discipline to be learned—their eyes don’t know where to go first and they tend to jump from ...
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Legends Told and Re-told
By Janie Cheaney |
Robin Hood, by David Calcutt, illustrated by Graham Baker-Smith. Barefoot Books, 2012, 112 pages. Age/interest level: 9-up. Everyone knows—or do they?--how the hooded stranger showed ...
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Unstoppable by Tim Green
By Janie Cheaney |
A middle-grade boy's football ambitions crash against a cancer diagnosis in this frank tale by NFL star Tim Green. Unstoppable, by Tim Green. HarperCollins, 2012, ...
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On All Fronts: New Nonfiction of World War II
By Janie Cheaney |
My sister, who serves at a docent at a prisoner-of-war museum in Texas, says that her most eager listeners are pre-teen and teenage boys. When ...
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The Wimpy Kid and His Imitators
By Janie Cheaney |
Jeff Kinney currently sits at the top of a $550 million empire, and it all started with a web comic. When Kinney’s ambition to write ...
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A Very LOGOS & Parnassus Christmas, Part One
By emily |
One Hip Town. Two Bookstores. And Lots of Great Books for Kids! Here in Nashville, we have at least two exceptional bookstores: Logos Bookstore and ...
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Spunky Siblings
By Janie Cheaney |
Brother-Sister duos are a staple in children’s publishing ever since the Bobbsey Twins—a way of stretching the appeal, I suppose. These new series try to ...
Read More The Drowned Vault by N. D. Wilson
By Janie Cheaney |
The Drowned Vault (Ashtown Burials #2) by N. D. Wilson. Random House, 2012, 447 pages. Reading Level: Young Adult, 12-15 Recommended for: ages 12 and ...
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Solomon Kane, Puritan Avenger
By Janie Cheaney |
We're closing out Halloween week with something a little different. About two years ago, I began hearing of a new movie called Solomon Kane, based ...
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The History of Faith: Wiliam Boekestein’s and Simonetta Carr’s New Books for Kids
By emily |
This week in our library month theme, Janie took us back to the 8th century in a review of Hand of Vengeance by Douglas Bond. ...
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Hand of Vengeance
By Janie Cheaney |
Tomorrow we have a real treat for you: two Christian dads, one a pastor and one a teacher, who both happen to write books for ...
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Quiet Time for Kids
By Janie Cheaney |
“Thy word have I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin . . .” (Ps. 119:11) More than anything, Christian parents want ...
Read More Running for My Life & Other Hopeful Sports Books
By emily |
A Few Recommendations Last year Janie and I put together a post on football books for kids and young adults, Tim Tebow to Justin Tuck: ...
Read More Rocket Reads and Writes; Charlie Joe Does NOT
By Janie Cheaney |
In keeping with our back-to-school focus: if you haven't met little Rocket, you really should. As for Charlie Joe, well . . . How Rocket ...
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Swash and Buckle: the Chronicles of Egg
By Janie Cheaney |
Deadweather and Sunrise, by Geoff Rodkey. Putnam, 2012, 296 pages. Age/interest level: 10-up. Thirteen-year-old Egbert Masterson, or Egg as he will soon be called, is ...
Read More Remarkable Happenings
By Janie Cheaney |
Remarkable, by Lizzie K. Foley. Dial, 2012, 325 pp. Age/interest level: 9-13 Jane is remarkable in her town for being unremarkable. In fact, she and ...
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Hoping Against Hope: Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt
By Janie Cheaney |
Doug Swietek finds a new life in his new town, despite his boorish father. Perfect for fans of The Wednesday Wars. Okay for Now, by ...
Read More The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
By Janie Cheaney |
The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by Christopher Healy (drawings by Todd Harris). HarperCollins, 2012, 436 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 10-12 Recommended ...
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The Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steve Sheinkin
By Janie Cheaney |
The Glorious Fourth, as they used to call it, celebrates the birth of a nation whose independence was only declared with the signing of a ...
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Crazy Dangerous by Andrew Klavan
By Janie Cheaney |
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Coming up on Friday, an interview with Andrew Klavan himself! And we have a copy of Crazy Dangerous to give away!! Read on ...
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The Great Outdoors
By Janie Cheaney |
Your kids may be packing for camp this month--or maybe not. (Watch for my post on Bible/Christian camps later this week.) While the weather's warm ...
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Summer Vacation Audiobooks
By emily |
Last year about this time, I did a vacation audiobook post. I'm actually on vacation myself right now, so I can't do as thorough a ...
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Huddled Masses and Deadly Desperados
By Janie Cheaney |
City of Orphans, by Avi. Atheneum, 2011, 350 pages. Ages 10-14. New York, 1893: “Look at someone on the street and you may never see ...
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To The Avengers…and Beyond!
By emily |
COMICS: Guy Kryptonite? Why do guys like comics so much? Especially the super-hero variety? It's an enigma I spent quite a lot of energy trying ...
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Cowboys and Other Guy Stuff: Poems by David Harrison
By Janie Cheaney |
The title is a misnomer; poetry is for girls, too—and humans in general. In spite of my lazy attitude toward it, poetry is the highly ...
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Detectives: Hard Boiled and Four-Legged
By Janie Cheaney |
Ever since Edgar Allen Poe, one of the most reliable publishing genres has been the mystery or detective novel. I'm not a huge fan myself, ...
Read More Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
By Janie Cheaney |
Gary Paulsen's classic survival novel Hatchet offers a realistic--as opposed to romantic-- view of nature and what it takes to survive in the wild. Hatchet ...
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Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin
By Janie Cheaney |
Breaking Stalin’s Nose, written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. Henry Holt & Company: 2011, 154 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 10-12 Maturity Level: 5 ...
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Africa: A Literary Adventure and Podcast!
By emily |
This month my local public library is offering a marionette show of African folktales starring Anansi the spider. It's a unique way to celebrate Black ...
Read More No Place Like Norvelt
By Janie Cheaney |
Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos, FSG, 2011, 341 pages. Age/interest level: 10-13. (2012 Newbery Medal winner) Norvelt, PA, 1962: a depression-era-town that’s slowly ...
Read More Don’t Try This At Home?
By Janie Cheaney |
So, last Friday the whole boys-and-reading subject came up, and why boys seem to prefer non-fiction. I think this generally true, though there are plenty ...
Read More Just the Facts, Mom
By Janie Cheaney |
Everybody likes stories. But a significant number of bodies prefer their stories to be true, or at least factual. I’ve long heard it rumored among ...
Read More War Horse
By Janie Cheaney |
War Horse, by Michael Morpurgo. Scholastic, 2011 (originally published 1982), 192 pages. Age/interest level: 8 and up. Michael Morpurgo was already established in the UK ...
Read More POW! The Comic-Book Surge
By Janie Cheaney |
The December 21 opening of The Adventures of Tintin: the Secret of the Unicorn, should focus attention not only on the boy from Belgium ...
Read More Million-Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica
By Janie Cheaney |
Million-Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica. Penguin, 2009, 244 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 Bottom Line: Mike Lupika's young hero ...
Read More Home-Field Advantage by Justin Tuck
By Janie Cheaney |
Home Field Advantage by Justin Tuck, illustrated by Leonardo Rodriguiez. Simon & Shuster, 2011, 22 pages. Reading Level: Picture book, ages 4-8 Recommended for: ages ...
Read More Thankful for Cheryl Harness
By Janie Cheaney |
The Adventurous Life of Myles Standish, by Cheryl Harness. National Geographic, 2006, 143 pages. Age/interest level: 8 and up. Thanksgiving means a raid on the ...
Read More Brixton Brothers: Ace Detective
By Janie Cheaney |
The Brixton Brothers, by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Adam Rex, published by Simon & Schuster. The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity (2009), 179 ...
Read More *The Dragon’s Tooth by N. D. Wilson
By Janie Cheaney |
*The Dragon’s Tooth (Ashtown Burials, Book One), by N. D. Wilson. Random House, 2011, 482 pages. Reading Level: Young Adult, ages 12-15 Recommended for: ages ...
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Covenanters: Then and Now
By Janie Cheaney |
Duncan's War, by Douglas Bond (Crown and Covenant #1). P&R Publishing, 2002. 270 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-12 and up ...
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*The Charlatan’s Boy by Jonathan Rogers
By Janie Cheaney |
*The Charlatan's Boy, by Jonathan Rogers. WaterBrook Press, 2010, 305 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: Ages 10-12 and up Bottom Line: ...
Read More Thomas the Train: All Aboard for Fun!
By emily |
Today's Article is a Guest Post by Libby Minor. See more about her below. "The morality of the stories was clear and Christian: misbehaviour led ...
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The Airborn trilogy by Kenneth Oppel
By Janie Cheaney |
Airborn, by Kenneth Oppel. HarperCollins, 2004, 355 pp. Skybreaker (2007); Starclimber (2009). Reading Level: Middle grade, ages 10-12 Recommended for: Ages 10-12 and up One-line ...
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The Leviathan Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld
By Janie Cheaney |
Leviathan, by Scott Westerfield, illustrations by Keith Thompson. Simon Pulse, 2009, 434 pages plus historical note. Reading Level: Young Adult, ages 12-15 Recommended for: Ages ...
Read More Steampunk!
By Janie Cheaney |
Example of Clanker technology from the 1914-ish world of "Leviathan." According to Wikipedia, the term was probably coined by science-fiction writer K. W. Jeter as ...
Read More Stalking the Elusive Boy Reader
By Janie Cheaney |
Supposedly, one of the most-asked questions in children's publishing divisions is, "Will boys read it?" Will boys read anything? Or only books that have "butt" ...
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Peak by Roland Smith
By Janie Cheaney |
Peak by Roland Smith. Harcourt: 2007, 246 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: Ages 10-12 and up One-line summary: Fourteen-year-old Peak Marcello's ...
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90 Miles to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbis
By Janie Cheaney |
An 11-year-old boy flees revolutionary Cuba with his brothers and learns American enterprise in this vivid, fast-paced middle-grade historical novel. 90 Miles to Havana, by ...
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Escaping the Tiger by Laura Manivong
By Janie Cheaney |
Escaping the Tiger by Laura Manivong. HarperCollins, 2010. 210 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 12-14 Recommended for: Ages 15-18 Bottom line: The experience of ...
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Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
By Janie Cheaney |
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, by Rick Riordan: The Lightning Thief (Hyperion/Miramax,2005), The Sea of Monsters (2006), The Titan's Curse (2007), The Battle of the ...
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*The Year Money Grew on Trees by Aaron Hawkins
By Janie Cheaney |
The Year Money Grew on Trees by Aaron Hawkins. HMH, 2010. 301 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, 10-12 Recommended for: Ages 10-12 Bottom Line: Middle-grade ...
Read More *Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen
By Janie Cheaney |
Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen. Random House (Wendy Lamb Books), 2007. 88 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Maturity Level: 4 (Ages 10-12) Bottom ...
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The King of Mulberry Street by Donna Jo Napoli
By Janie Cheaney |
In The King of Mulberry Street a 9-year-old Italian immigrant realizes the American dream in 1890s New York through a combination of luck, ingenuity, and ...
Read More Buying Your First Story Bible
By emily |
You’re a new parent. You’ve got the baby crib with a fancy name, the swing, the bouncer, the burping pads. Now it’s time to choose ...
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