Teens and Faith: Three Final Reviews

These three short reviews by regular contributor Virginia Thomas mark the end of our 6 week series on books that reflect experiences of teens and faith.  We’d love to hear your suggestions about other books we didn’t review! Title:  Ordinary Miracles Author: Stephanie S. Tolan Publisher: Harper Trophy Book ISBN: 9780380733224 Audience: Ages 10 and [...]

Molly’s Pilgrim

Title:  Molly’s Pilgrim Author:  Barbara Cohen Illustrator: Daniel Mark Duffy Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers ISBN:9780688162801 Audience: Ages 5 – 9 years Summary: Molly’s life in Winter Hill school is not happy.  Her English is uncertain, her clothes are different and some of the girls sing, “Jolly Molly, your eyes are aw’fly small.  Jolly Molly, your nose [...]

Voices in the Park

Title:  Voices in the Park Author:  Anthony Browne Illustrator:  Anthony Browne Publisher:  DK Publishing, Inc., 2001 ISBN:  9780789481917 Audience:  Ages 7 – 11 Summary:  A well dressed woman, her sad, docile son, Charles, and their pedigreed dog, Victoria enter a city park. .  An unemployed father, his cheerful daughter, Smudge, and their mongrel, Albert, come [...]

Tunes for Bears to Dance To

Title: Tunes for Bears to Dance To Author: Robert Cormier Publisher: Perfection Learning ISBN: 978-0780739239 Audience: Grades 5-8 Summary: Henry befriends Mr. Levine, a Holocaust survivor, who is making a replica of the village where he lived and which was destroyed in the war. Henry’s friendship with Mr. Levine is tested when his prejudiced boss, [...]

Goin’ Someplace Special

Name of Book: Goin’ Someplace Special Author: Patricia C. McKissack Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney Publisher: Antheneum Books ISBN: 0689818858 Audience: Ages: 6 – 12 Summary: Patricia C. McKissack recounts her own story of growing up in racially segregated Nashville, Tennessee during the 1950’s. Goin’ Someplace Special follows a girl named Tricia Ann as she leaves the [...]

Amazing Grace

Name of Book:  Amazing Grace Author:  Mary Hoffman Illustrator:  Caroline Binch Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers Audience:  Ages 4-8 Summary:  Grace has a vibrant creative imagination and she likes to enter into her story world and pretend to be the main character of the stories she encounters.  Grace’s teacher decided that they would do [...]

Don’t Laugh at Me

Name of Book: Don’t Laugh at Me Author: Steve Seskin & Allen Shamblin Illustrator: Glin Dibley Publisher: Tricycle Press Audience: All ages Summary: Don’t Laugh at Me is the poignant tale of children and adults who wear braces, are chosen last for teams, beg on street corners and yet plead for acceptance and understanding.  The [...]

Smoky Night

Name of Book:  Smoky Night Author:  Eve Bunting Illustrator:  David Diaz Publisher:  Voyager Books Harcourt Inc. Audience:   Ages 8-10 Summary:  The book was written to portray the experience of a young boy and his mother during the riots in Los Angeles in 1994.  The main characters watch as angry people destroy property, steal, and hurt [...]

Voices in the Park

Name of Book: Voices in the Park Author: Anthony Browne Illustrator: Anthony Browne Publisher: DK Publishing Inc. Audience: Upper Elementary Children/Middle School Youth Group Summary: Charley, his mother, Smudge and her father are four characters in a story about a visit to the park.  The illustrations in the book show that the four main characters [...]

Kira-Kira

Name of Book:    Kira-Kira Author:    Cynthia Kadohata Publisher:    Aladdin Paperbacks Audience:   Ages 10-12 Summary:   Katie and her sister Lynn live in Iowa in the 1950’s where her parents own a Japanese store.  The family moves to Chesterfield, GA so the girls’ father can work in a hatchery there.  They move into a cheap apartment building [...]