by Carolyn | Adventure, Book Lists, Education, Fantasy, Juvenile Fiction, Middle-grade, Mystery, Recommendations
Maybe art has been on my mind a lot with the publication of my own art-themed novel, Beneath the Swirling Sky. I’d love to see more stories that pique kids’ interest in art and creativity. Here’s a round up to some of my favorite art-themed novels...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Boys, Education, For fun, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Mystery, Recommendations
Readers have asked me for more adventurous books that boys would like, and I think the Lost Art Mysteries series by Deron R. Hicks fits the bill. Boys and girls alike will be pulled into these fast-paced novels that read like a spy thrillers. They’ll be so...
by Carolyn | Classics, Cultural Diversity, Education, Fantasy, For fun, Girls, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Magical Realism, Middle School, Middle-grade, Mystery, Nature, Older Elementary, Recommendations
A real-world middle-grade fantasy built around the plot of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream? Yes please! Midsummer’s Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca is a magical story about a young baker and her family. The Story Eleven-year-old Mimi Mackson is the...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Fantasy, Highschool, Magical Realism, Mystery, Young Adult
When I found out a friend I had met at Hutchmoot–a conference about faith in the arts–had written a book, I was curious to read it. I didn’t expect to get swept away in a compelling, beautiful written story. But that’s exactly what happened...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Character Training, Fantasy, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Mystery, Older Elementary, Steampunk
I love The Mysterious Benedict Society Series! We’d recently revisited the first book, and I’d been wishing for something new from Trenton Lee Stewart. So I was thrilled to find out about his newest book The Secret Keepers. The Story Reuben and his mom...
by Carolyn | Book Lists, Education, Juvenile Fiction, Middle-grade, Mystery, Older Elementary
A few weeks ago, I posted a list of Picture Books About School. But I haven’t forgotten your older kids. If your elementary to early middle schoolers are trying to get back in the swing classes and studying, maybe a few books with a school setting would help....
by Carolyn | Adventure, Character Training, Fantasy, For fun, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Mystery, Older Elementary, Read Alouds, Recommendations, Scary Stories
I have three words for you: Mysterious Benedict Society. If I made a list of my top ten read-alouds, this would be on it. We listened to the audio book recently, and although we’d read the book to my older kids before, it was fun to see my six-year-old...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Character Training, Girls, Historical Fiction, Imagination, Middle School, Middle-grade, Mystery, Read Alouds, Scary Stories
How do you feel about scary stories for kids? When I was a kid, Goosebumps was a popular series, but, honestly, Nancy Drew was too suspenseful for me! On the other hand, my daughter loves “scary” books (at the same age that I couldn’t handle them)....
by Carolyn | Adventure, Girls, Historical Fiction, Middle-grade, Mystery, Recommendations, Steampunk
Let me just say, if you have girls, go get this book! When I first heard the premise for The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency, I was intrigued. Jordan Stratford has taken two historical figures (plus a few others), squashed their timeline and given them a fictional...
