Beauty and the Beak by Deborah Lee Rose and Jane Veltkamp

An incredible story how an engineer, a raptor biologist and a dentist create and attach a prosthetic beak to a bald eagle.
A wonderful marriage between science and technology!
Lots of facts about eagles in the back.
-Borrowed from the library.

Romeo and Juliet Together (and Alive!) at Last by Avi

Ed's best friend Pete has fallen for their classmate, Anabell.  Rumor has it Anabell likes Pete.  The eighth grade class meets to discuss how they can bring the two together.  Shakespeare is the answer, of course!
They convince their English teacher to grant them permission to rewrite the play, Romeo and Juliet after school hours and then perform it for the school.  What educators would turn down a group of students who want to overachieve?! 
Who will play Romeo?  Pete.
Who will play Juliet? Anabell.
Then they will HAVE to kiss!
A humorous read from start to finish!
Warnings/points to discuss: focus on middle school romance and kissing, Anabell reads smut romance novels (from the description of the covers), Ed tells Pete to practice kissing on a Cabbage Patch Doll, lying, calling kissing scenes "bedroom scenes", the Romeo and Juliet story line
-Borrowed from the library.

The Reader by Amy Hest illustrated by Lauren Castillo*

A sweet story!
A boy and his dog trudge up a snowy hill to enjoy toast, warm drinks and a story.
Although this book is for younger listeners, Ms. Hest  incorporates excellent word choice (sturdy, impeccably, tilting) and even figurative language (metaphor)!
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Sylvia's Bookshop by Robert Burleigh illustrated by Katy Wu

From the bookshop's point of view, the reader learns how Sylvia transforms an abandoned building in Paris into a bookstore frequented by famous writers (James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald to name a few).
-Borrowed from the library.

The Not So Boring Letters of Private Nobody by Matthew Landis*

Seventh grader Oliver Prichard considers himself a Civil War expert.  When he is forced to complete a Civil War history project with a girl who is failing seventh grade, he feels like his teacher has served him an injustice.  Then Ella draws the person they are researching . . .a Raymond Stone who dies, not in battle, but from dysentery!  Oliver wanted to research someone who was important, who made a difference.
As he and Ella investigate and create their presentation, they both uncover angles worth probing further.  Was their more to Private Stone's enlistment?
I would have loved having Mr. Carrow as my history teacher!
Mr. Landis includes family dynamics and their impact on children.
Entertaining and interesting!  Mr. Landis, a middle school history teacher, portrays seventh graders very well!!
*Highly recommend but see warnings.
Warnings: Romance . . . Spoiler alert: Oliver "falls in love" with Ella and thinks about kissing her a few times.    "Making out" is mentioned quite a few times, but it never happens.  I did not like the abbreviation -"O.M.G" used throughout the book. 

Wicked Nix by Lena Coakley illustrated by Jaime Zollars

Nix is the foulest of fairies.  When a "people"  begins to remodel an abandoned cottage in the fairies' forest, Nix is quite disturbed.  He resolves to deploy his fairy tricks.  Boldly he threatens the "man people" with scary warnings.
The only problem is Nix is not magical like most fairies and this man-people seems to know how to scare and harm fairies.  The other fairies are in Summer Country so he has no one to help him.  So he consults Rose the Wise, his friend  who is a "little-girl-people".
As the story progresses, mysteries about Nix's  life slowly unfolds and the ending is a pleasant surprise.
A short book with a fast moving plot.
*I was pleased to see that this book was actually printed and bound in the U.S.A.!

-Borrowed from the library.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson*

My Sunday School teacher read parts of this story aloud to yes, our adult ladies class!! This reading prompted me to read it aloud to my boys.
My boys loved it!
It is full of humor and great points to ponder.
Everyone in the narrator's town fears and despises the Herdman children.  They terrorize everyone they meet and rule the public school.  When someone brags about the teacher serving snack in Sunday School, the Herdmans invade the only place where everyone can be free from them, church.  That Sunday just happens to be the one the Christmas pageant and its parts are announced.  The Herdmans demand to have the lead roles and everyone, especially Alice Wendelken, knows the pageant will be a disaster. 
*Highly recommend. (See warnings.)
Warnings/points to discuss: Imogene smokes cigars (an illustration of her smoking them), arson, lying, a character mentions that the Herdmans just talk about "sex and underwear"
-Borrowed from the library.

The Insanity of God by Nik Ripken with Gregg Lewis**

A True Story of a Faith Resurrected
Mr. Ripken shares how he surrenders his life to Christ, marries and ministers in Somalia for years.  He and his family leave Somalia when tragedy impacts his own family.  After years of seeing evil prevail, he wonders if Christ really is more powerful than evil.  How could God be good when the dark seems to be victorious?
As he and his family process the tragedy and their years in missions, he travels the world in countries where persecution is rampant. He secretly interviews individuals who have been imprisoned and tortured because of their faith.  He gathers their stories and begins to see a pattern in their faith.
The main question--Is Jesus worth it?

Names have been changed.  Mr. Ripken waited over a decade to publish these stories.

Convicting.
The first half of the book is dedicated to his years in Somalia.  I read through this half at slower pace, but the second half I devoured.
**Highly, highly recommend.
-Borrowed interlibrary loan (My county library system does not own it.)

Picturing America by Hudson Talbott

Thomas Cole and the Birth of American Art
This book shares about Thomas Cole's determination to illustrate America.
I found his tenacity inspiring.

-Borrowed from the library.

How Sweet the Sound The Story of Amazing Grace by Carole Boston Weatherford illustrated by Frank Morrison

In rhyming text the author shares the life of John Newton, his difficult childhood through his life transforming encounter with God and how he becomes part of the movement to end slavery in England.  The song is also included within the story and how Amazing Grace has ministered and comforted millions of people.
The Author's Note includes more historical background on John Newton and the song Amazing Grace.
A reader without the schema about John Newton or the song may find the text confusing.  It would serve as a good starting point when learning about him or  as a supplement.
-Borrowed from the library.

Hawk Rising by Maria Gianferrari illustrated by Brian Floca*

A beautiful book about the Red-Tailed Hawk
The beauty lies in both the illustrations and the word choice.  The word arrangement on each page adds to the impact of the story.
The verbs are especially vivid.
The book focuses on the Red- Tailed Hawk's arduous task of capturing food each day for its young.
Mentor text: word choice/vivid verbs
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Wonky Donkey words and music by Craig Smith illustrated by Katz Cowley

I had never heard of this story until I was shopping at a local bookstore where they informed me they could not keep it on the shelf!
The narrator is walking down the road and encounters a three legged donkey.  As the story progresses, the narrator adds attributes about the donkey and a summarizing statement about the attribute.  The text is cumulative.
My boys and I enjoyed reading it together, but what made the book popular and what made us laugh really hard was a YouTube video of a Scottish Granny reading it aloud to her four month old grandson.  Her laugh is infectious!!
-Borrowed from the library.

Link to the article about the Scottish granny reading to her grandson with video link:

https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2018/10/12/laughing-granny-video-makes-decade-old-kids-book-wonky-donkey-a-1-bestseller.html

Cosmic Christmas by Max Lucado*

My friend let me borrow her copy of this little Christmas book.
My boys absolutely loved hearing this story that imagines what may have been happening in the spiritual world right before Jesus' birth.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from a friend.

Big John's Secret by Eleanore M. Jewett*

My eleven year old read this book to himself to support our study of the High Middle Ages and the Crusades.
He loved reading this book because it was exciting.
John travels to the Holy Land in search of his father during the 5th Crusade. 
*Highly recommend.
We own this book.

Joan of Arc by Diane Stanley*

Ms. Stanley utilized the transcript of Joan's trial to write and create this book.  Ms. Stanley packs a lot of information into a picture book in an interesting manner. 
I appreciated the two pages dedicated to an explanation of the Hundred Years War before the book began plus a pronunciation guide and a map of the setting (France).
Very well researched and well executed. 
Beautifully illustrated
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Gooseberry Park by Cynthia Rylant illustrated by Arthur Howard

My nine year old read this book to himself.
He loved it!
The main character, Kona, a Labrador retriever, meets Stumpy, a squirrel in Gooseberry Park.  They become fast friends.  Kona reveals what a good friend he is when Stumpy and her newborns experience disaster.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Imagination Station #4 Revenge of the Red Knight by Marianne Hering and Paul MacCusker illustrated by David Hohn*

My nine year old read this book to himself to support our study of the Middle Ages.
Patrick and Beth are staying at Lord Darkthorn's castle and are accused of stealing his treasures.  They also meet the mysterious Albert.
*Highly recommend for transitional readers.
-Borrowed from the library.

Joan of Arc Heroine of France by Ann Tompert illustrated by Michael Garland

My eleven year old read this book to himself when we studied Joan of Arc.
A great overview of Joan's life with plenty of details.
-Borrowed from the library.

Joan of Arc by Demi*

My nine year old read this book to himself when we were studying Joan of Arc.
Demi is an incredible illustrator and writer.  She includes meaty text without overwhelming the reader.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
Warning: Shows her being burned at the stake.

Joan of Arc -Child of War Soldier of God DVD*

We watched two DVDs about Joan of Arc and I liked this one the best.
It was filmed in France and the actors/actresses spoke French (with English interpreters).  The format was more like a documentary than an action/story.
Viewers will experience how Joan may have felt and what she endured.  The actors portrayed the personalities well!
*Highly recommend (for older elementary and older).
-Borrowed from the library.

Animated Hero Classics Joan of Arc DVD

We watched this DVD while studying about the Hundred Years War and Joan of Arc.
My youngest son liked this DVD better than the other one we watched about Joan of Arc since it was more like a story.
A great supplement to this time in history.
-Borrowed from the library.

Top Ten Events That Changed the World by Anita Ganeri

I borrowed this book because it has a section dedicated to the Black Death, which we were studying.
I liked how it discusses the long term effects the events have had on the world.
Some events included: Black Death, Boston Tea Party, Mount Tambora Eruption, Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, The Moon Landing, The Fall of Berlin Wall, 9/11
-Borrowed from the library.

A History of Germs The Black Death by Jim Ollhoff*

An interesting overview and history of the black death.

*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Castle Diary The Journal of Tobias Burgess by Richard Platt illustrated by Chris Riddell*

Toby leaves his home to live with his uncle John Burgess, a baron.  There he will learn to be a page with the aspirations of becoming a knight.
Toby writes in a diary  about his adventures over the year (his mother's request!).
I read this book aloud to my boys.  We thoroughly enjoyed it! 
A fun and interesting story that brings this time period alive.
*Highly recommend.
The two library copies I borrowed were over-sized or 8 1/2 " by 11".  I liked this book so much that I ordered it over the phone through a local bookstore.  I, however, did not think to ask if the book was over-sized.  It was not!!  It was only 5" by 7".  As a result, many illustrations were not included.  The illustrations included were very small and the amazing details were not discernible. 
So, when purchasing this book, make sure it is the larger size.

Scotland by Jessica Rudolph

Countries We Come From
We briefly discussed how the Scots tenaciously fought the English kings to maintain their freedom.  To expose the boys to some Scottish facts, I utilized this book. 
Lots of photographs and easy to digest facts.
Perfect for transitional readers and for younger students just learning how to research and find facts.
-Borrowed from the library.

Early Music-Guillaume de Machaut-CD

La Messe de Nostre Dame
Songs by the most famous musician/composer from the Middle Ages
Beautiful music.
-Borrowed from the library.

You Wouldn't Want to be a Crusader! by Fiona MacDonald illustrated by Mark Bergin*

A War You'd Rather Not Fight
Both my boys love this series!
My nine year old read this book to himself while we were studying the Crusades.
The book begins relating information about the Crusades in  AD 1096 with Pope Urban II's speech.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Sing a Song of Seasons selected by Fiona Waters illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon**

A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year
Since I love poetry and nature, when I read a review about this anthology at The Redeemed Reader I knew I wanted to purchase it! 
It is beautiful!  One could use it for a coffee table book.
The poetry selection includes both classic poets and modern poets.  The poems will appeal to a wide variety of ages.  The poems are organized by months (and the poems reflect the month) and then each date has a poem under it.
I am reading it aloud to my boys each day.  They like to say the catchy title throughout the day.
Three indices- by poets, first lines and titles.
People may not like how thick and large the book is (this aspect doesn't bother me).  I have found that I would like to know more about the poets but then the book would have had to be even more immense!!
**Highly, highly recommend.
-I own this book.

The Friendly Beasts illustrated by Sarah Chamberlain

A Traditional Christmas Carol
Since we are studying the Medieval time period, we have been listening to Christmas carols written and sung during that time period. Written during the twelfth century,  The Friendly Beasts is one of the oldest Christmas carols people sing today. 
Ms. Chamberlain's artwork is delightful-linoleum block prints highlighted by hand with pastels.
-Borrowed from the library.