The Library in the Woods by Calvin Alexander Ramsey illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

 Junior and his family sell their farm after a devastating flood to live in the city where more reliable jobs are available. As Junior adjusts to city life, his new friends introduce him to a library in the woods where Blacks are welcome. 

A great book to share with kids while studying the segregated South in the 1950s & 1960s.

This fictional story is based on a real library in Roxboro, NC,  that the author frequented during his childhood. I found the author's note especially interesting.

Discussion: segregation, illiteracy

-Borrowed from the library.

Giant by Judith McQuoid

 Sarah Mackenzie interviewed Mrs. McQuoid on RAR about her debut book, Giant. It was one of my favorite author interviews ever! Redeemed Reader also reviewed it this past summer (2025). 

Mrs. McQuoid offers readers a sample of C.S. Lewis's childhood when he lived in Belfast. The main character, however, is Davy, a boy from a working-class family. Davy's mother works for the Lewis family as a housekeeper. When she brings Davy along to work in hopes he can work small jobs for the Lewis family, Davy forms a friendship with C.S. Lewis. Their friendship bolsters both of them-Davy to pursue his love for art and reading and Lewis to persevere during his mother's illness, her eventual death, and then a horrible boarding school situation. 

I loved the book and would have read it in one sitting if time allowed. Will middle grade readers like this gentle story? If they value friendships, character-driven stories, and a love for C.S. Lewis, they will appreciate it. More plot-driven readers may not see the point to it. 

I love that Mrs. McQuoid includes in the back a list of books mentioned throughout the novel.

-I own it.

Why You Should Read Children's Books, Even Though You Are Old and Wise by Katherine Rundell

 A teeny book packed with thought-provoking essays about children's books, their history, and their benefits. I do not agree with the author's politics.

-Borrowed via ILL.

King Alfred and the Ice Coffin by Kevin Crossley-Holland illustrated by Chris Riddell*

 King Alfred, the only English king called "Great", loved stories and longed for his people to be able hear & read stories in English. As a result, in his spare time, he learned Latin so he could translate stories into English. This book focuses on this desire and his tenacity plus a story he heard from a trader, Wulfstan.

The illustrations fill the page or two page spreads and will immerse the reader into this time period. A couple of the illustrations may be a bit scary for sensitive readers (depictions of a personified sea & three old magicians). I like how the Mr. Riddell separates the two stories-King Alfred & his court and the story Wulfstan relates by color hues (King Alfred = brown; Wulfstan= blue).

I did not like how the author has Wulstan use improper grammar -using "me" as a subjective prononun! Three times he included this- "Me and my crew" & "Me and my salt-friends"-2x. Maybe it is ok to speak & write this way in Great Britain?

*Highly recommend.

-I own this book.

 

Across a Dark and Wild Sea written & illustrated by Don Brown Calligraphy by Deborah Nadel**

 What an enthralling biography about Columcille, an Irish monk and bard! His love for books caused a war and his explusion (by his own accord) from Ireland. Living out the rest of his life in Iona, Scotland, he witnessed to the Picts and continued copying books, bringing light to the Dark Ages.

I do not care for Mr. Brown's style of illustrating, but his story-telling skills are superb! Mr. Brown's diagrams were concise and easy to understand (how to assemble a book, build a coracle).

*Highly, highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library. (I would love to purchase this book.)

Soul School by Amber O'Neal Johnston

 When I took a course for my masters which focused on teaching multiculturally, I noticed a dirth in fictional books about ordinary Black people. Since then (over twenty years ago), I have not seen much improvement. This book addresses this issue by offering an annotated book lists that include Black characters and culture. I still think Ms. Johnston's choices mostly feature books about Black history/racial issues (but one of her goals was to expose children to Black history/culture.). 

The book is well organized. Part One, with five chapters, sets up the premise. Part Two provides the annotated book list, divided by ages (2-4, 5-7, 8-10, 11-14, 15-17). I was impressed with her thought-provoking discussion questions she provides with each book plus the intriguing, meaningful activities she suggests. For each book she offers two more books similiar to it (but does not annotate them or supply discussion questions and activity ideas).

I requested quite a few picture books (& one chapter book) she recommends and will review them soon.

-Borrowed from the library.

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

 Two different years- 2017 & 2019

Two different characters-Mukesh, an elderly widower who grieves over his wife constantly, and Aleisha, a seventeen-year-old who feels trapped in her own home with her mentally-ill mother

What joins these two characters together? A library and books 

Aleisha works at the local library in Wembly, London. She dreads her job until she finds The List. Someone had taken the time to write a list of books to read with the welcoming introduction, "Just in case you need it . . ." As Aleisha reads through these novels, she finds peace and companionship. She also develops friendship with Mukesh as she suggests these books to him and then follows up with discussion. An unlikely friendship develops.

This story was compelling and realistic. I found reading about a main character with an African Hindu background interesting. I also liked the ending. I reread the prologue after I finished. It made more sense then. My favorite character was Mukesh. One character left me feeling so sad and wishing he could have been saved from his turmoil.

What was on "The Reading List"? To Kill a Mockingbird, Rebecca, The Kite Runner, Life of Pi, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Beloved, and A Suitable Boy.

Considerations: some swearing (including "f"), Aleisha gives someone the middle finger, underage drinking & drug use, a main character's family member commits suicide during the story, mental-illness

I would like to read Ms. Adams's newest novel, The Twilight Garden. It seems like another novel that focuses on relationships.

-Borrowed from the library.

Go Forth and Tell by Breanna J. McDaniel illustrated by April Harrison

The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller 

Award winner-King Illustrator Honor Book-2025

A biography about a Black children's librarian determined to share books featuring Blacks in positive light. She influenced a lot of well-known authors-James Baldwin, John Steptoe, Virginia Hamilton, Walter Dean Myers

I still see a need for books featuring Blacks in a honorable, respectable manner. It seems so many books with them as characters focus on race and issues. I read on Redeemed Reader about a recently published book that lists fun books, fantasty books, and book about regular families with Black protagonists. This book is very much needed-Soul School: Taking Kids on a Joy-Filled Journey Through the Heart of Black American Culture. Amber O’Neal Johnston. Tarcher Perigree, 2025. 304 pages.

Olivetti by Allie Millington

 Our main narrator is Olivetti, a typewriter. He holds all of Beatrice's memories, which she typed years ago before Everything That Happened. The other narrator, Ernest, is one of Beatrice's children. 

One morning Beatrice goes missing. The family has already endured a trial (it isn't revealed until the middle-to the end of the book). Can the disjointed family unit to find their mother? It may take a talking typewriter, dumpster-diving new friend, Quinn, a maintainence man, and a librarian to connect the family and rescue Beatrice.

A book full of heavy topics  A mom running away from her family did not sit well with me. A talking typewriter adds some levity. I liked that the main charater is a boy. A rare occurrence these days in middle grade novels! I also loved how before she was sick Beatrice used to encourage reading, writing, and imagination (& going to the library!).

Consider/discuss: parent abandonment, Spoiler alert- cancer (Beatrice endured three years of treatment. The cancer has returned. It is why she ran away), Was she trying to commit suicide on the rock? I don't think so, but it may make some readers infer that or bring up a discussion about suicide, Ernest lies, skips school, and steals

Isn't the cover beautiful?!-

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 6 by Beth Browers*

 I continue to smile, laugh out loud, and be charmed as I read this series.

Emma's friendships deepen while she also encounters new interesting individuals in St. Crispian, England in January and February of 1884. The biggest news is now that she has turned twenty-one she has gained majority of her assets and her house. Her banker advises her to gain some employment, which brings predictments and amusement.

The volume ends with Emma sharing a kiss with one of her close gentlemen friends.

Consideration before handing to a teen: a sleazy man places his hand her butt--she takes the situation into her capable hands-creating a funny but disastrous story.

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior*

 When my son reads The Great Gatsby, I will have him also read Ms. Prior's essay/chapter about "Temperance". It was thought-provoking.

In this book Ms. Prior takes classic literature and highlights virtues that can be found (or not found!) in them. She divides the book up into three parts-The Cardinal Virtues (prudence, temperance, justice, courage), The Theological Virtues (faith, hope, love), & The Heavenly Virtues (chastity, diligence, patience, kindness, & humility). Authors/books she includes are: Henry Fielding, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charles Dickens (The Tale of Two Cities), Mark Twain (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn),Shusaku Endo, Cormac McCarthy, Leo Tolstoy (The Death of Ivan Ilych),Edith Wharton (Ethan Frome), John Bunyan, Jane Austen (Persuasion), George Saunders, & Flannery O'Connor.

I only read "Temperance" pertaining to The Great Gatsby. I would like to read some of the other chapters at a later date. "Humility" featuring short stories by O'Connor especially interests me. 

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

There Was a Party for Langston King O'Letters by Jason Reynolds illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey & Jarrett Pumphrey*

A Caldecott Honor AND A Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor

Mr. Reynolds shares about a dance party in Schomburg Center in the Langston Hughes Auditorium in 1991. His name and influence are celebrated throughout the party AND in this book. I loved the illustrations (handmade stamps by brothers, Jerome & Jarrett). Their layout and design were clever and unique. The illustrations and the layout were my favorite aspect to this book-from the endpage to endpage! I smiled the whole time I read and viewed this book.

*Highly recommend for the illustrations.

-Borrowed from the library.

The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley

 This exciting novella was originally published in 1919. 

Roger Mifflin and his wife Helen (once owners of the moving book wagon, Parnassus) now own a second-hand bookshop in Brooklyn, NYC. To give him time away from the shop, Mifflin agrees to hire his friend's daughter, Titania, as his assistant. Aubrey Gilbert, a young man in the advertising business, stops by to convince Mifflin to advertise. Instead, Mifflin lures him into conversation about books and philosophy. Seeing Titania, Aubrey is enamored with her. Then some sinister, suspicious events occur, convincing Aubrey that he needs to protect Titania. In a week's time a dangerous plot is revealed . . . all within a second-hand bookshop!

Bibliophiles will delight in reading this book. Mifflin fills pages with his philosophies (I don't agree with his view on God/Bible and politics) and his book recommendations (I only knew a handful of the titles . . . . .maybe because the titles are so old?? or maybe I am not well-read.). My mind wandered a bit while I read some of Mifflin's monologues. 

I did not like when Aubrey became angry and wanted to hit Titania because she was so beautiful and captivating. Maybe it did not mean what it means today??  The word d**n is included throughout the book (not often).

-Borrowed from the library.

Wild + Free Book Club by Ainsley Arment*

 If you want to host a book club with friends or just have a special celebration with your children, this book is all you need! I have already shared most of these books with my sons so I won't be able to utilize many ideas. Wish it had been published years ago! I will be incorporating ideas from this book after I read aloud Tom Sawyer to my sons in the near future.

Beautiful photographs and whimsical illustrations. A nice mix of classics and modern novel

Most of the discussion questions were basic/quiz-like. I like Sarah Mackenzie open-ended questions because they create opportunities for discussion and also require critical thinking.

Books it features: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Anne of Green Gables, Around the World in Eighty Days, Black Beauty, Charlotte's Web, The Crossover, Esperanza Rising, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, Farmer Boy, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, The Green Ember, Heidi, The Hobbit, Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Little House in the Big Woods, A Little Princess, Little Women, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, My Side of the Mountain, Peter Pan, Pippi Longstocking, Robin Hood, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, The Secret Garden, The Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island, The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

The Little Books of the Little Brontes by Sara O'Leary illustrated by Briony May Smith*

 Ms. O'Leary reveals the love the Bronte siblings had for books and for each other in this beautifully illustrated picture book. To entertain each other, they would craft homemade books and create stories. Instructions on how to make a tiny book are included. 

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

The Christmas Book Flood by Emily Kilgore illustrated by Kitty Moss*

 I first heard of Jolabokaflod on RAR. My sons and I have held this tradition for a couple of years and look forward to it each Christmas Eve.

 This whimsical picture book celebrates the season of book giving in Iceland with a lyrical text and imaginative, mixed media illustrations. The history of the tradition is shared at the end.

*Highly recommend for historical interests.

-Borrowed from the library.

The Horseback Librarians by Jane Yolen illustrated by Alexandra Badiu*

 Anna Mary, a horseback librarian in Kentucy, faithfully delivers the perfect book to various families and children. Readers briefly witness the challenging conditions these librarians experienced. Ms. Yolen explains in the author's note that Anna Mary is not real person but a combination of the many "book ladies" who brought books and the love of literature to individuals in remote areas during the 1930s.

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

The Book Rescuer by Sue Macy illustrated by Stacy Innerst

As a college student, Aaron Lansky decided to study Jewish history and to learn the Yiddish language. Visiting his home town, he was appalled to see the rabbi about to bury a basket full of Yiddish books. No one read them; they were not useful anymore. Burying them showed respect. The rabbi allowed Aaron to cart them home. This rescue started a forty-year rescue of Yiddish literature and books. Aaron now runs the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA.

Fascinating!

-Borrowed from the library.

Lions at Night by Jessica M. Boehman*

 The lions that guard the New York Public Library by day come alive at night to explore the city. In this wordless book, Ms. Boehman displays their adventure in engaging illustrations. Allusions abound. I especially enjoyed the author's note where she explains the lions' history.

*Highly recommend.

Borrowed via inter-lib. loan. 

The Leather Apron Club by Jane Yolen illustrated by Wendell Minor*

 Benjamin Franklin, His Son Billy, & America's First Cirulating Library

Ms. Yolen exposes the reader to Benjamin Franklin's Leather Apron Club via a fictional story about Billy, his son. It is an interesting, engaging story. In the back Ms. Yolen shares facts about Ben Franklin, The Leather Apron Club, and his relationship with Billy.

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.