children
MK Books Unboxing
I just mailed out all these books to various Missionary Kids!
Book Review: Juliet Dove, Queen of Love
Juliet Dove, Queen of Love by Bruce Coville
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I listened to this on audiobook, and I think that really made a difference to the story, hearing an entire cast of characters reading the dialogue. There was so much acting and expression put into every sentence that it made the story really come alive!
This is the tale of Juliet, who is a shy young teen with a literary and artistic family. When a mysterious woman gives her an enchanted amulet, every boy in town starts to fall in love with her. It’s up to Juliet and her new rodent friends from the Magic Shop to unravel the mystery of the amulet, and get Juliet out of the ancient love story she is doomed to relive.
First of all, I love stories that bring in the old Greek gods into modern settings (because of Percy Jackson). Secondly, I love stories with wise-cracking rats or mice. And thirdly, I love stories with strong family relationships with both a mother and father present and involved and actually parenting (instead of dead, divorced, or absent). Continue reading
Book Review: Floors
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This is the story of Leo, who lives in a hotel that resembles an amusement park more than a hotel. There are secret rooms, secret elevators, and secret trains running through the in-between hidden floors of the hotel. When the owner of the hotel, Mr. Whippet, goes missing, he leaves clues for Leo to follow throughout the hotel, discovering its secrets, and saving the hotel from being torn down. But he insists that Leo take a friend with him for safety, so Leo brings the new bellboy, Remi, along for his adventures. Leo also has to bring one of the ducks from the hotel’s pond along with him as he explores the hotel, and Betty the Duck proves more useful than he expected! Continue reading
Book Review: The Boy Who Lost Fairyland
The Boy Who Lost Fairyland by Catherynne M. Valente
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
How to describe the delicious whimsy and melancholy of Valente’s books? It’s impossible to do, but I shall try.
It’s like spiced cinnamon tea served in a golden teacup with all the honeyed tears of your childhood heart when it first broke into pieces. No, that’s not it. It’s like cool peppermint tea in a silver chalice and all your favorite golden words at the bottom… no, no, that’s not it either. It’s like your heart and mind are at war, and when they finally call a truce they sit down for a lunch of memory sandwiches and warm library books baked with pink icing. But it’s all wrapped up in a glittering fairy story, so you don’t mind so much that your heart was just sliced open and your mind picked apart.
This fourth book in the Fairyland series is no exception! I was wary, as many were, since this book is not about September; but I immediately fell in love with the new characters, and cheered them on through their adventures.
This is the story of Hawthorne, who is whisked away to be a changeling and make trouble in the world of men. When he meets Tamburlaine, they become friends and discover that they are not so very different. The two find their way to Fairyland and are immediately roped into a quest. Continue reading
Book Review: I’m Not Afraid
I’m Not Afraid by Lee Ann Mancini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the story of Susie the shark and her friend Rachel, who go to the amusement park, but Susie is too scared to go on the roller coasters. Susie learns that you don’t have to be afraid because courage comes from God! As part of the Adventures of the Sea Kids series, each book of the series has a definite Christian message. Continue reading
Under the Mango Trees
A missionary family in Papua New Guinea tells us how they are using the books they receive from Books for MKs!
Donate NOW to send them a package of books! http://www.gofundme.com/booksformks
Book Review: Messenger
Messenger by Lois Lowry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am completely in love with the entire Giver quartet so far, and this third book is no exception!
This book follows Matty, whom we met in Gathering Blue, and his journey of self-discovery as he finds a power/gift within himself that he never had before.
As in the other books, we are introduced to a community where everything seems peaceful and content, but there is a dark secret in this seemingly happy society and there is a mystery for Matty to solve. It’s never what I think it’s going to be! I’m always surprised at the mystery, and so impressed with the deep social themes that are addressed. Continue reading
Book Review: Little House in the Big Woods
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve read this book so many times that I’ve lost count! Every time I am charmed all over again by the stories of wilderness survival told from the perspective of a little girl. The beauty of this novel and the others in the series is the simplicity of life that is described. Gather food, build a home, work hard and have a little fun on the side- this is all they required back in the day. In this entertainment age, it’s so refreshing to be transported back to a time when things were so much simpler and slower. Continue reading
Book Review: Emlyn’s Moon
Emlyn’s Moon by Jenny Nimmo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is utterly enchanting! I liked that instead of being told from Gwyn’s POV, as the first book was, this one is told from Nia’s perspective. Nia comes from a large family, where she feels inadequate as the middle child. But when she is called upon to reunite a broken family, she has to search deep within herself for the strength and talent that she’s always possessed. Nia helps Emlyn search for his lost mother, and with Gwyn’s magical help, they encounter adventure and mystery beyond the world they know. Continue reading
Luminous Libro 