Number the Stars

Name of Book:  Number the Stars Author:  Lois Lowry Publisher:  Sandpiper ISBN:  978-0547577098 Audience:  Ages 10-14 Summary:  Young Annemarie Nielsen and her friend Ellen Rosen live in occupied Copenhagen in 1943. Though young, they understand that the occupation of their city by the Nazis is frightening and dangerous, especially for Jews like Ellen and her [...]

The Quiet Book

Name of Book:  The Quiet Book Author:  Deborah Underwood Illustrator:  Renata Liwska Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin Books for Children ISBN:  978-0547215679 Audience:  Ages 3 and up; may work well as part of an intergenerational conversation. Summary:  This picture book explores the many kinds of “quiet” that we experience throughout our lives. Young animals are seen in [...]

Snook Alone

Name of Book: Snook Alone Author: Marilyn Nelson Publisher: Candlewick ISBN: 978-0763626679 Audience: Ages 4-8 Summary: A small dog, Snook, lives on and island with Abba Jacob, a monk. Abba prays, gardens, and tends his hermitage while Snook follows along. They are best of friends. Then one day a storm comes up and leaves Snook [...]

Mockingjay

Name of Book:  Mockingjay Author:  Suzanne Collins Book Design:  Elizabeth Parisi Publisher:  Scholastic Press Audience:  Ages 12 and up Summary:  The third in a trilogy of science fiction stories, Mockingjay is written for adolescent youth and older due to graphic and violent content. Katniss Everdeen has survived two rounds of competition in the Hunger Games [...]

Train to Somewhere

Name of Book: Train to Somewhere Author: Eve Bunting Illustrator: Ronald Himler Publisher: Clarion Books, New York Audience: Ages 8-13 Summary: From the mid-1850s to the late 1920s, “Orphan Trains” took children from the streets and orphanages of New York City to adoptive families in the West.  Some of the children found loving homes.  Others [...]

Noah’s Ark

Name of Book: Noah’s Ark Author: Peter Spier Illustrator: Peter Spier Publisher: Dragonfly Books ISBN: 9780440406938 Audience: Ages: 4 – 10 Summary: Have you ever heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words”?  Well, that’s just what this children’s picture book, Noah’s Ark is like. As the story begins, the only words on [...]

Dream: A Tale of Wonder, Wisdom, and Wishes

Name of Book: Dream: A Tale of Wonder, Wisdom, and Wishes Author: Susan Bosak Illustrators: Multiple Illustrators Publisher: TCP Press ISBN: 9781896232041 Audience: Written for grades 9 – 12 Summary: One of the most beautiful books that I’ve every seen.  The illustrations are breathtaking and lend a depth of character to the book that could [...]

Four Feet Two Sandals

Name of Book: Four Feet, Two Sandals Author: Karen Lynn Williams & Khadra Mohammed Illustrator: Doug Chayka Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers ISBN: 978-0-8028-5296-0 Audience: 4 – 8 years old Summary: Two girls meet in a refugee camp in Pakistan along the border of Afghanistan when they both grab one sandal of a pair [...]

Three Easter Journeys

Title: Three Easter Journeys Author: Ro Willoughby Illustrator: David Miller Publisher: Abingdon Press ISBN: 0-687-04851-6 Audience:  Written for ages 9-12.  This review suggests the book’s applicability to both young and mature audiences. Summary:  The Easter story is presented in three short narratives, each framed in a different emotional context.  The first is the passion story, [...]

Lectionary Links: All Saints’ Day and Sunday, November 7

All Saints’ Day November 1, 2010 The Name Quilt by Phyllis Root (Written for Grades K-3) Comment: In many congregations, people will speak the names of those who have died in the last year. Upon hearing those names, memories and stories will come to the minds of those who knew and loved these saints in [...]