Dragonfly Eyes
by Cao Wenxuan, Helen Wang (Goodreads Author) (Translator)
A little girl, Ah Mei, has a close relationship with her grandmother, Nainai. Although her grandmother is French, her grandfather is Chinese, and Ah Mei has grown up in Shanghai. In the 1960s Chinese Cultural Revolution, people in Shanghai begin to look at foreigners differently, and Ah Mei and her grandmother suffer persecution under the Communist regime.
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Christmas, Here I Come!
by D.J. Steinberg, Laurie Stansfield
This cute book has a different poem on each page celebrating Christmas traditions and wintery activities. Depending on where you are in the world, you can go sledding in the snow or sun bathe at the beach. No matter what language you speak, “Pere Noel” or “Sinterklaus” or “Kanakaloka” is sure to come down the chimney with toys and gifts.
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The Tiltersmith
by Amy Herrick (Goodreads Author)
Four friends are concerned that the winter is not ending. They begin to suspect that there may be magical forces at work which are holding off the spring. A mysterious green man gives them magical objects, but they don’t know how to use them. They start to wonder if ancient legends are controlling the weather.
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The Leadership of C.S. Lewis: Ten Traits to Encourage Change and Growth
by Crystal Hurd
What are the character traits that make a good leader? This book explores ten important attributes that are essential for any leadership role, and demonstrates how C. S. Lewis displayed those traits through his life and his writing. Here we analyze the details of why Lewis’s influence still continues to inspire countless Christians through his fiction and apologetic books.
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Dear Wild Child: You Carry Your Home Inside You
by Wallace J. Nichols (Goodreads Author), Drew Beckmeyer (Illustrations)
A family build their home in the forest, a beautiful home where their daughter can grow up surrounded by the beauty of the woods and the wind. They have wonderful times together in their house, playing under the trees, fishing in the streams, and playing music with friends. One night a lightning storm starts a forest fire that burns down their beloved home, and the father comforts his child with the knowledge that they carry their home and all their memories inside them forever.
This is such a heartwarming book! It’s bittersweet in the end, since the family has lost their home, but it’s also full of hope, because they know that what truly matters can never be lost. They have their family safe and all their memories of their beloved home. I love the beautiful picture of growing up strong and resilient like the trees.
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The Blue Dragon’s War (The Chronicles of Calibran, #0.5)
by Sean Newton (Author), Alberto Bieri, Tommaso De Benetti (Editor)
2.5 stars
Belrog the Minotaur tells the younger minotaurs the tale of Grom, a legendary minotaur warrior who fought the Blue Dragon in a great war. Grom was once a simple soldier, apprenticed to learn from one of the fighting Masters. General Kelkak leads them to war when a dragon and his army of orcs threaten their peaceful city. The dragon has orcs and evil elves on his side, but the Minotaurs have their own magicians and a secret company of berserk minotaurs who will fight to the death.
Nervous Nigel
by Bethany Christou
Nigel’s family are all champion swimmers, and they have the medals and trophies to prove it. But Nigel doesn’t like to swim fast. It makes him nervous when the whistle blows and the coach yells for him to go faster. He likes to float along and relax when he swims. It’s his special time to think. Nigel’s family enter him into a swim race, and Nigel is too scared to tell them that he doesn’t like racing. How will Nigel get his overachieving family to understand?
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Books Aren’t for Eating
by Carlie Sorosiak (Author),Manu Montoya (Illustrator)
Leopold is a goat who owns a bookshop. A long time ago, he used to eat books, but then he learned to read them instead. Now he loves to help other people (and animals) find the perfect book to inspire and entertain them. Leopold is thrilled when another goat comes into his bookshop! He offers the goat a special book that he thinks the goat will enjoy, but the goat eats it! Leopold tries everything to get this goat to stop eating the books. He searches high and low for a book that will inspire the goat to read instead of eating the pages. Finally Leopold thinks he has found a solution, but he will have to sacrifice his favorite book.
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The Pear Affair
by Judith Eagle (Author),Jo Rioux (Illustrator)
4.5 stars
Nell’s horrible parents are going to Paris, and Nell begs to be allowed to go with them. Her former nanny, Pear, left years ago and lives in Paris, and Nell is desperate to find her. Pear is the only person who ever really loved Nell, and Nell stopped hearing from her months ago. Nell is worried that Pear may have disappeared, but when she arrives in Paris, Nell discovers that the mystery goes far deeper than one missing au pair.
I loved this book so much! The plot is a mixture of many different mysteries that all blend together. I loved the way the different characters’ storylines overlapped. A bellhop with a secret underground lair. A baker’s son who worries that their bakery might go out of business. A poor young seamstress who dreams of going to school. And Nell’s evil parents, who are definitely up to something nefarious.
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