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Recommend this book:
Father Christmas
Rowdy Herrington
2020 Honorable Mention
105 Pages
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Children - Coming of Age
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
What is the meaning of Christmas? And is Father Christmas real? Ten-year-old Annie is about to find out. The middle child of a large family, Annie’s parents assured her that she was old enough to stay up on Christmas Eve to meet Father Christmas when he comes to fill their stockings. She nearly floats through Christmas Eve day as she helps Mama with the baking, the younger siblings and going to the store for some last-minute purchases. The family’s not well off, being a coal mining family during the Depression years, but, as Daddy points out, at least he has a job. And, it’s enough to care for their large family with enough love and compassion to help others, including a hobo who appears on their doorstep Christmas Eve and accepts the invitation to join them for dinner. Annie is proud of her new status, but she’s in for an unexpected surprise when Father Christmas arrives. What she doesn’t expect is to discover the true meaning of Christmas: the joy and the love found within a person and within the family circle.
Rowdy Herrington’s early chapter book story, Father Christmas, is a treasure to warm your heart as we never can learn enough about the true meaning of Christmas. The author carves a compassionate plot around a large coal-mining family, struggling to make ends meet, while at the same time not losing touch with what it really means to love and to care. The characters are well developed; the setting is aptly described (with the assistance of several black-and-white sketches) and the plot develops at a steady pace. The message is clear and the telling is compassionate in a way that will have every reader’s eyes tear up. A powerful story and a great addition to a child’s Christmas library.
What is the meaning of Christmas? And is Father Christmas real? Ten-year-old Annie is about to find out. The middle child of a large family, Annie’s parents assured her that she was old enough to stay up on Christmas Eve to meet Father Christmas when he comes to fill their stockings. She nearly floats through Christmas Eve day as she helps Mama with the baking, the younger siblings and going to the store for some last-minute purchases. The family’s not well off, being a coal mining family during the Depression years, but, as Daddy points out, at least he has a job. And, it’s enough to care for their large family with enough love and compassion to help others, including a hobo who appears on their doorstep Christmas Eve and accepts the invitation to join them for dinner. Annie is proud of her new status, but she’s in for an unexpected surprise when Father Christmas arrives. What she doesn’t expect is to discover the true meaning of Christmas: the joy and the love found within a person and within the family circle.
Rowdy Herrington’s early chapter book story, Father Christmas, is a treasure to warm your heart as we never can learn enough about the true meaning of Christmas. The author carves a compassionate plot around a large coal-mining family, struggling to make ends meet, while at the same time not losing touch with what it really means to love and to care. The characters are well developed; the setting is aptly described (with the assistance of several black-and-white sketches) and the plot develops at a steady pace. The message is clear and the telling is compassionate in a way that will have every reader’s eyes tear up. A powerful story and a great addition to a child’s Christmas library.
Recommend this book:
A Kite at the Edge of the World
Katy Grant
2020 Finalist
195 Pages
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Children - Coming of Age
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
A Kite at the Edge of the World is a work of poignant and meaningful children’s fiction and was penned by author Katy Grant. Caught amid the pure joy of childish innocence and the cruel, fragile nature of life itself, this inspiring and heartbreaking work focuses on themes of friendship, loss and making the most of what you have. We see these themes unfold in the brand new friendship between two young boys, one of whom has never seen the seaside before. As the new friends contrive a plot to ditch their adult minders and set off to fly kites over the sea, it transpires that one of them is terminally ill and that his seaside day will be one to remember.
Author Katy Grant has created a powerful tale for adults and children to read together, developing the simplistic charms of traditional kite flying and outdoor hobbies of times gone by with the clinical, medical world and some pretty dark ideas of mortality. It is unusual to find themes such as death and grief discussed so frankly, and I think these are masterfully handled in this text to teach young readers a lot about emotional intelligence, seizing the day and being open to new experiences in their own lives. The characters are subtly brilliant, introduced very simply but slowly informed and developed through their dialogue and actions. Overall, A Kite at the Edge of the World is a suitably moving but also motiving and uplifting read, one which would benefit any young person trying to understand grief.
A Kite at the Edge of the World is a work of poignant and meaningful children’s fiction and was penned by author Katy Grant. Caught amid the pure joy of childish innocence and the cruel, fragile nature of life itself, this inspiring and heartbreaking work focuses on themes of friendship, loss and making the most of what you have. We see these themes unfold in the brand new friendship between two young boys, one of whom has never seen the seaside before. As the new friends contrive a plot to ditch their adult minders and set off to fly kites over the sea, it transpires that one of them is terminally ill and that his seaside day will be one to remember.
Author Katy Grant has created a powerful tale for adults and children to read together, developing the simplistic charms of traditional kite flying and outdoor hobbies of times gone by with the clinical, medical world and some pretty dark ideas of mortality. It is unusual to find themes such as death and grief discussed so frankly, and I think these are masterfully handled in this text to teach young readers a lot about emotional intelligence, seizing the day and being open to new experiences in their own lives. The characters are subtly brilliant, introduced very simply but slowly informed and developed through their dialogue and actions. Overall, A Kite at the Edge of the World is a suitably moving but also motiving and uplifting read, one which would benefit any young person trying to understand grief.
Recommend this book:
I'm Just Me!!
Kody Christiansen
2020 Honorable Mention
42 Pages
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Children - Coming of Age
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
A little boy knows how to entertain himself while his mother’s busy at work as a nurse or too tired after her shift to do much of anything. This little boy likes to read, draw, talk to his grandmother, tease the cat, and play with his toys. The boy enjoys his action figures, but he also enjoys playing with dolls and playing dress-up in his mother’s clothes. You see, he may look like a little boy on the outside, but inside he is something else. Not uncommon, when you think about it. Some boys are just boys; some girls are just girls. But, then again, some boys are more like girls inside while some girls are like boys outside. What really defines this gender equation? And does it really matter what we are inside and out? What’s important is that we appreciate who we are deep down; that we appreciate and honor being just ‘me’. That’s what the little boy claims: “I’m just me!” He’s lucky, too, as he has a very supportive mother and grandmother to help him accept himself for who he/she is, both inside and out.
Kody Christiansen’s picture book story, I’m Just Me!!, is a wonderful way to introduce gender differences in a way that young people can understand. The plot develops with a list of things the little boy enjoys doing, which he does all by himself since, sadly, he has no siblings and, I guess, no friends. The lack of friends is the real tragedy in this story. But his mother and grandmother make up for what he misses from the outside world. As the plot develops, the person we first see as a little boy evolves into his inner being, a little girl as he/she prepares to dress up for Halloween as a lady nurse, just like his/her mom. The illustrations are effective and the end of the book includes coloring and activities to help young readers define who they are: both inside and out. An intuitive presentation at an appropriate level for young readers.
A little boy knows how to entertain himself while his mother’s busy at work as a nurse or too tired after her shift to do much of anything. This little boy likes to read, draw, talk to his grandmother, tease the cat, and play with his toys. The boy enjoys his action figures, but he also enjoys playing with dolls and playing dress-up in his mother’s clothes. You see, he may look like a little boy on the outside, but inside he is something else. Not uncommon, when you think about it. Some boys are just boys; some girls are just girls. But, then again, some boys are more like girls inside while some girls are like boys outside. What really defines this gender equation? And does it really matter what we are inside and out? What’s important is that we appreciate who we are deep down; that we appreciate and honor being just ‘me’. That’s what the little boy claims: “I’m just me!” He’s lucky, too, as he has a very supportive mother and grandmother to help him accept himself for who he/she is, both inside and out.
Kody Christiansen’s picture book story, I’m Just Me!!, is a wonderful way to introduce gender differences in a way that young people can understand. The plot develops with a list of things the little boy enjoys doing, which he does all by himself since, sadly, he has no siblings and, I guess, no friends. The lack of friends is the real tragedy in this story. But his mother and grandmother make up for what he misses from the outside world. As the plot develops, the person we first see as a little boy evolves into his inner being, a little girl as he/she prepares to dress up for Halloween as a lady nurse, just like his/her mom. The illustrations are effective and the end of the book includes coloring and activities to help young readers define who they are: both inside and out. An intuitive presentation at an appropriate level for young readers.
Recommend this book:
Corky Tails
Tales of a Tailless Dog Named Sagebrush (Moms Choice Award Winner)
Joni Franks
2020 Bronze Medal
30 Pages
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Children - Coming of Age
Reviewed by Leiann Lynn Rose Spontaneo for Readers' Favorite
In Corky Tails: Tales of a Tailless Dog Named Sagebrush by Joni Franks, the main character is Sagebrush, a Corgi dog. Sagebrush lives on a ranch. She stays in the house with her parents but the rest of the dogs are with the animals outside. Throughout the book, Sagebrush is called Corky by the other animals. The other dogs tease her because she has no tail. They call her useless. The couple who own the ranch puts the place up for sale. A young woman buys the ranch, but the couple doubts she can handle a ranch on her own. She fell in love with Sagebrush and started to train Sagebrush on how to herd animals just like the outside dogs with tails do. She taught Sagebrush and proved that a female could run a ranch. She also proved that Sagebrush did not need a tail to help run a ranch.
This book has wonderful illustrations to complement the text. The text runs smoothly with many descriptions, making one feel for the main character, Sagebrush, getting teased and being made fun of. The point of the book is very nice. Whatever good things you want to accomplish in life, you can set your mind to it and do it. This book ought to be read to kids from the get-go so they learn not to tease or bully another child. Again, yet another book that could stop a kid from bullying. I recommend this book to all pre-school and elementary schools.
In Corky Tails: Tales of a Tailless Dog Named Sagebrush by Joni Franks, the main character is Sagebrush, a Corgi dog. Sagebrush lives on a ranch. She stays in the house with her parents but the rest of the dogs are with the animals outside. Throughout the book, Sagebrush is called Corky by the other animals. The other dogs tease her because she has no tail. They call her useless. The couple who own the ranch puts the place up for sale. A young woman buys the ranch, but the couple doubts she can handle a ranch on her own. She fell in love with Sagebrush and started to train Sagebrush on how to herd animals just like the outside dogs with tails do. She taught Sagebrush and proved that a female could run a ranch. She also proved that Sagebrush did not need a tail to help run a ranch.
This book has wonderful illustrations to complement the text. The text runs smoothly with many descriptions, making one feel for the main character, Sagebrush, getting teased and being made fun of. The point of the book is very nice. Whatever good things you want to accomplish in life, you can set your mind to it and do it. This book ought to be read to kids from the get-go so they learn not to tease or bully another child. Again, yet another book that could stop a kid from bullying. I recommend this book to all pre-school and elementary schools.
Recommend this book:
When You Lived in My Belly
Jodi Meltzer
2020 Gold Medal
38 Pages
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Children - Coming of Age
Reviewed by Joshua Soule for Readers' Favorite
When You Lived in My Belly, by Jodi Meltzer, is a creative children’s story about what goes on inside the womb. As her baby grows bigger, develops, and becomes more active, each moment becomes more special for this happy mother. The book flows seamlessly and builds excitement and joy as a special bond is shared. Fingers and toes grow, hiccups happen, and all of those special developmental stages are well discussed and illustrated in a way that is exciting for children. Both educational and entertaining, Meltzer weaves a poetic description of what it was like when her son lived in her belly with a rhyming pattern comparable to that of Dr. Seuss.
I found When You Lived in My Belly to be incredibly beautiful, accurate, and sentimental--something that moms can share with their kids forever. The rhythmic, almost lyrical writing style is fun to read, and fun to listen to. A sure-fire way to entertain your children, and share a special moment as you discuss the unique bond between mothers and their kids. The illustrations, done by Caryn King and Jody King Camarra, are gorgeous, colorful, and informative to look at. I rated When You Lived in My Belly five stars because I could not give it ten. A true masterpiece in children’s literature by author Jodi Meltzer, and a book that focuses on that special relationship; well done!
When You Lived in My Belly, by Jodi Meltzer, is a creative children’s story about what goes on inside the womb. As her baby grows bigger, develops, and becomes more active, each moment becomes more special for this happy mother. The book flows seamlessly and builds excitement and joy as a special bond is shared. Fingers and toes grow, hiccups happen, and all of those special developmental stages are well discussed and illustrated in a way that is exciting for children. Both educational and entertaining, Meltzer weaves a poetic description of what it was like when her son lived in her belly with a rhyming pattern comparable to that of Dr. Seuss.
I found When You Lived in My Belly to be incredibly beautiful, accurate, and sentimental--something that moms can share with their kids forever. The rhythmic, almost lyrical writing style is fun to read, and fun to listen to. A sure-fire way to entertain your children, and share a special moment as you discuss the unique bond between mothers and their kids. The illustrations, done by Caryn King and Jody King Camarra, are gorgeous, colorful, and informative to look at. I rated When You Lived in My Belly five stars because I could not give it ten. A true masterpiece in children’s literature by author Jodi Meltzer, and a book that focuses on that special relationship; well done!
Recommend this book:
The Field
Ian Dawson
2019 Finalist
240 Pages
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Children - Coming of Age
Reviewed by Gisela Dixon for Readers' Favorite
The Field by Ian Dawson is a fairly straightforward YA novel about two friends, Daniel and Kyle, and what happens when one of them is kidnapped. The book starts with an introduction to both boys and their friendship, and all of the normal adolescent school life adventures and girl crushes. There is also a parallel story of Austin and James, another pair of so-called friends, but in reality they are in a power and abuse-based dynamic. Austin is the one who ends up kidnapping Daniel one day, with James as his unwilling apprentice. This is not the first time Austin has abducted someone or abused them in captivity. Once Daniel goes missing, Kyle rises to the occasion and tries to find and rescue his friend. This is their story of friendship and also about those relationships in youth that are power based and what the youth of today can learn from this and protect themselves from abuse of this kind.
The Field is a fairly quick read and the time line moves quickly from showing the normal life of two teenage boys with their usual teenage problems to one where suddenly there is danger and kidnapping involved. I enjoyed Daniel’s character and he is very relatable and believable as a young 14-year-old boy. The book also highlights an important aspect of teenage life, where either due to peer pressure or bullying, young people often get dragged into and stuck in unhealthy, abusive relationships with peers. This book serves as an educational attempt to recognize these warning signs and not hesitate to try to get help. There is a website provided at the end, but I also think this book would benefit from having an entire list of references of websites and phone numbers teenagers can call in case of such difficulty. This is a good read for young adults and teenagers.
The Field by Ian Dawson is a fairly straightforward YA novel about two friends, Daniel and Kyle, and what happens when one of them is kidnapped. The book starts with an introduction to both boys and their friendship, and all of the normal adolescent school life adventures and girl crushes. There is also a parallel story of Austin and James, another pair of so-called friends, but in reality they are in a power and abuse-based dynamic. Austin is the one who ends up kidnapping Daniel one day, with James as his unwilling apprentice. This is not the first time Austin has abducted someone or abused them in captivity. Once Daniel goes missing, Kyle rises to the occasion and tries to find and rescue his friend. This is their story of friendship and also about those relationships in youth that are power based and what the youth of today can learn from this and protect themselves from abuse of this kind.
The Field is a fairly quick read and the time line moves quickly from showing the normal life of two teenage boys with their usual teenage problems to one where suddenly there is danger and kidnapping involved. I enjoyed Daniel’s character and he is very relatable and believable as a young 14-year-old boy. The book also highlights an important aspect of teenage life, where either due to peer pressure or bullying, young people often get dragged into and stuck in unhealthy, abusive relationships with peers. This book serves as an educational attempt to recognize these warning signs and not hesitate to try to get help. There is a website provided at the end, but I also think this book would benefit from having an entire list of references of websites and phone numbers teenagers can call in case of such difficulty. This is a good read for young adults and teenagers.
Recommend this book:
Mylee In The Mirror
Greek Mythology Fantasy Series Book 2
Ellie Collins
2019 Honorable Mention
178 Pages
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Children - Coming of Age
Reviewed by K.J. Simmill for Readers' Favorite
Life is complicated when you're a teenager. It is full of ups, downs, and discovery. If one of those discoveries happens to be an item belonging to a goddess, then that's a whole new Pandora's box. While helping her Grammy relocate, Mylee came across the most beautifully crafted mirror and, while gazing within, discovered a person who was perhaps as much in need of Mylee's help as her own parents were. They were going through a rough time, and her mum seemed to want to live through her, even if it meant forcing her to make the same mistakes she had. Fortunately, this teenager has her head on her shoulders and a network of friends who, despite their ups and downs, have each other's backs in Mylee In The Mirror by Ellie Collins.
I really loved the dialogue; it was fresh, real, and bursting with life. The dialect was a real enhancement to an already crisp narrative that was true to the character's emotions and age. I was instantly pulled into the story and adored how the personalities of each character, when told from their perspective, remained true to them, while also injecting fun and their own inner thoughts into the narrative. The characters are strong, vivid, and full of depth. I found myself chuckling numerous times at some of the quirky phrases or behaviour that I can easily relate to my own teen years. There is some sage advice to any teenager or even adult. I thought Grammy's character was brilliant. She is a kind, firm, wise woman and mentor, much like my own Nan was for me. Mylee In The Mirror is a really great read and I wouldn't hesitate in picking up another book by Ellie Collins. I enjoyed it from the first line to the last, and found it to be beautifully edited.
Life is complicated when you're a teenager. It is full of ups, downs, and discovery. If one of those discoveries happens to be an item belonging to a goddess, then that's a whole new Pandora's box. While helping her Grammy relocate, Mylee came across the most beautifully crafted mirror and, while gazing within, discovered a person who was perhaps as much in need of Mylee's help as her own parents were. They were going through a rough time, and her mum seemed to want to live through her, even if it meant forcing her to make the same mistakes she had. Fortunately, this teenager has her head on her shoulders and a network of friends who, despite their ups and downs, have each other's backs in Mylee In The Mirror by Ellie Collins.
I really loved the dialogue; it was fresh, real, and bursting with life. The dialect was a real enhancement to an already crisp narrative that was true to the character's emotions and age. I was instantly pulled into the story and adored how the personalities of each character, when told from their perspective, remained true to them, while also injecting fun and their own inner thoughts into the narrative. The characters are strong, vivid, and full of depth. I found myself chuckling numerous times at some of the quirky phrases or behaviour that I can easily relate to my own teen years. There is some sage advice to any teenager or even adult. I thought Grammy's character was brilliant. She is a kind, firm, wise woman and mentor, much like my own Nan was for me. Mylee In The Mirror is a really great read and I wouldn't hesitate in picking up another book by Ellie Collins. I enjoyed it from the first line to the last, and found it to be beautifully edited.
Recommend this book:
Go-Cart Gertie
Cindy Shirley
2019 Bronze Medal
46 Pages
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Children - Coming of Age
Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite
Go-Cart Gertie is an action and adventure, social issues graphic book for children and preteens written and illustrated by Cindy Shirley. Ten-year-old Gertie wished that she could hang out with her big brother and his friends. She was tired of going to school and coming home, and wanted to have the freedom her eighth-grade brother had. Gertie especially didn’t want to take the bus to school anymore. Her mom and dad were sympathetic, but they felt she needed to be a little older before she got some of those privileges. Gertie really didn’t like being smaller than and getting teased by Greg. She needed something to make life fun and interesting again. Then, she saw the used go-cart outside the toy store the family was driving past. Gertie loved watching car races with her dad and had always dreamed of having a go-cart. Her dad was actually considering her request to buy it, and her mom, well, her mom would probably have needed a bit more persuading, until Greg started laughing at his sister and saying that girls can’t race. That made up her mom’s mind. Gertie would get that go-cart, and she’d show the world, and Greg, that girls certainly can race.
Go-Cart Gertie lets kids know that it’s cool to have interests even if they’re not something that girls or boys are traditionally supposed to be able to do. And while playing with a baby little sister, or dolls for that matter, is always a nice thing to do, if a child is so inclined, I appreciated Gertie’s preference for something more active and adventurous. This book is particularly important in the messages it sends to kids who may not feel as confident as Gertie in asserting their non-gender specific interests. I also loved how Gertie and Greg’s sibling rivalry became more of a supportive team effort when race day arrives. Go-Cart Gertie is a grand selection for story time; one that will get young kids dreaming without limitations based on gender expectations. It’s also a well-written and challenging text for young readers. It’s most highly recommended.
Go-Cart Gertie is an action and adventure, social issues graphic book for children and preteens written and illustrated by Cindy Shirley. Ten-year-old Gertie wished that she could hang out with her big brother and his friends. She was tired of going to school and coming home, and wanted to have the freedom her eighth-grade brother had. Gertie especially didn’t want to take the bus to school anymore. Her mom and dad were sympathetic, but they felt she needed to be a little older before she got some of those privileges. Gertie really didn’t like being smaller than and getting teased by Greg. She needed something to make life fun and interesting again. Then, she saw the used go-cart outside the toy store the family was driving past. Gertie loved watching car races with her dad and had always dreamed of having a go-cart. Her dad was actually considering her request to buy it, and her mom, well, her mom would probably have needed a bit more persuading, until Greg started laughing at his sister and saying that girls can’t race. That made up her mom’s mind. Gertie would get that go-cart, and she’d show the world, and Greg, that girls certainly can race.
Go-Cart Gertie lets kids know that it’s cool to have interests even if they’re not something that girls or boys are traditionally supposed to be able to do. And while playing with a baby little sister, or dolls for that matter, is always a nice thing to do, if a child is so inclined, I appreciated Gertie’s preference for something more active and adventurous. This book is particularly important in the messages it sends to kids who may not feel as confident as Gertie in asserting their non-gender specific interests. I also loved how Gertie and Greg’s sibling rivalry became more of a supportive team effort when race day arrives. Go-Cart Gertie is a grand selection for story time; one that will get young kids dreaming without limitations based on gender expectations. It’s also a well-written and challenging text for young readers. It’s most highly recommended.
Recommend this book:
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Selah's Painted Dream
Dream Horse Adventures Volume 3
Susan Count
2019 Silver Medal
202 Pages
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Children - Coming of Age
Reviewed by Paul F. Murray for Readers' Favorite
Selah and her horse Sweet Dream save the life of a forest ranger early in the story, but the plot quickly switches over to an all-too-common situation: Selah’s Dad has a job change and the family has to move several hours away from their current home (and Grandfather’s farm where Sweet Dream is boarded) to Austin, Texas. All readers will identify with Selah, but in particular, young readers who have had to leave a pet behind, or a boyfriend or a girlfriend, because Dad or Mom have had a job change to another city far away will quickly identify with Selah. Desperate to stay close to Sweet Dream and continue training her horse, Selah concocts all manner of schemes to convince her grandfather to let her move in permanently with him on his farm, so that she can avoid having to move with the rest of her family far away from Grandfather’s farm and Sweet Dream. To what extent Selah is successful or not will be up to the reader to decide.
Selah’s Painted Dream (Dream Horse Adventures) (Volume 3) by Susan Count is a delightful story about a 13-year-old girl and her horse, Sweet Dream. There have been “horse stories” in the past, but this one stands out from the crowd for a plot that is both heartwarming and, at the same time, anxiety-inducing; in short, a page-turner that is hard to put down. Readers will be eager to see what happens next. Selah’s Painted Dream by Susan Count should be required reading for any girl or boy, or young adult for that matter, who is thinking about asking their parents to buy a horse for them. There is a great deal more to owning and caring for a horse than simply riding it, as this novel amply demonstrates. Feeding and keeping a horse in good health, along with boarding it, are items that Selah must deal with, or try to.
This is a wonderful novel that is highly deserving of its “5” rating, and any reader of any age will want to read this novel again and again. One thing that I really liked about this novel is that it stays focused on Selah, and only Selah as other characters relate to her and she to them. There is no “character clutter” in this novel. That makes for a smooth, enjoyable read.
Selah and her horse Sweet Dream save the life of a forest ranger early in the story, but the plot quickly switches over to an all-too-common situation: Selah’s Dad has a job change and the family has to move several hours away from their current home (and Grandfather’s farm where Sweet Dream is boarded) to Austin, Texas. All readers will identify with Selah, but in particular, young readers who have had to leave a pet behind, or a boyfriend or a girlfriend, because Dad or Mom have had a job change to another city far away will quickly identify with Selah. Desperate to stay close to Sweet Dream and continue training her horse, Selah concocts all manner of schemes to convince her grandfather to let her move in permanently with him on his farm, so that she can avoid having to move with the rest of her family far away from Grandfather’s farm and Sweet Dream. To what extent Selah is successful or not will be up to the reader to decide.
Selah’s Painted Dream (Dream Horse Adventures) (Volume 3) by Susan Count is a delightful story about a 13-year-old girl and her horse, Sweet Dream. There have been “horse stories” in the past, but this one stands out from the crowd for a plot that is both heartwarming and, at the same time, anxiety-inducing; in short, a page-turner that is hard to put down. Readers will be eager to see what happens next. Selah’s Painted Dream by Susan Count should be required reading for any girl or boy, or young adult for that matter, who is thinking about asking their parents to buy a horse for them. There is a great deal more to owning and caring for a horse than simply riding it, as this novel amply demonstrates. Feeding and keeping a horse in good health, along with boarding it, are items that Selah must deal with, or try to.
This is a wonderful novel that is highly deserving of its “5” rating, and any reader of any age will want to read this novel again and again. One thing that I really liked about this novel is that it stays focused on Selah, and only Selah as other characters relate to her and she to them. There is no “character clutter” in this novel. That makes for a smooth, enjoyable read.
Recommend this book:
Harold Peabody & the Magic Glasses
Dawn Kopman Whidden, O.M. Faye
2019 Gold Medal
157 Pages
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Children - Coming of Age
Reviewed by Lesley Jones for Readers' Favorite
In Harold Peabody and the Magic Glasses by Dawn Kopman Whidden and O.M. Faye, Harold is travelling back to his mother's childhood town in Louisiana after his Navy SEAL father was killed in Afghanistan. Harold hopes they can begin to rebuild their lives and he can finally become a hero like his father. But with his 'coke bottle' glasses, Harold is just waiting to be bullied again. He doesn't have to wait long before the school bully, Jack, and his friends spot him. The gang terrorizes all the children at the school and soon it's Harold's turn. The bullies break Harold's only pair of glasses for fun. However, when Harold gets his new glasses, he realizes they have magic powers, giving him the ability to exact revenge on the bullies one by one. Harold revels in the suffering and embarrassment of the bullies. Soon Harold becomes the bully himself. Now he has a choice to make; does he want to inflict suffering on others or become a hero just like his late father?
Harold Peabody and the Magic Glasses is a powerful story that covers the widespread problem of bullying in schools. The characters are brought to life and each is created with unique personalities. I loved Harold as the main character, a caring and loving boy who is coming to terms with losing his father, and the relationship he has with his mother is so endearing. Mrs Ezzy was a breath of fresh air and certainly my favourite character. There are so many discussion points throughout this story that you can share with your children, not only about bullying but loss and relationships of all kind. I also thought the moral of the story shows that bullies are usually victims themselves, and the scene with Jack and his father is especially poignant. This is a must-read for every child to learn the importance of compassion, forgiveness and how making the right choices in life makes you a better person.
In Harold Peabody and the Magic Glasses by Dawn Kopman Whidden and O.M. Faye, Harold is travelling back to his mother's childhood town in Louisiana after his Navy SEAL father was killed in Afghanistan. Harold hopes they can begin to rebuild their lives and he can finally become a hero like his father. But with his 'coke bottle' glasses, Harold is just waiting to be bullied again. He doesn't have to wait long before the school bully, Jack, and his friends spot him. The gang terrorizes all the children at the school and soon it's Harold's turn. The bullies break Harold's only pair of glasses for fun. However, when Harold gets his new glasses, he realizes they have magic powers, giving him the ability to exact revenge on the bullies one by one. Harold revels in the suffering and embarrassment of the bullies. Soon Harold becomes the bully himself. Now he has a choice to make; does he want to inflict suffering on others or become a hero just like his late father?
Harold Peabody and the Magic Glasses is a powerful story that covers the widespread problem of bullying in schools. The characters are brought to life and each is created with unique personalities. I loved Harold as the main character, a caring and loving boy who is coming to terms with losing his father, and the relationship he has with his mother is so endearing. Mrs Ezzy was a breath of fresh air and certainly my favourite character. There are so many discussion points throughout this story that you can share with your children, not only about bullying but loss and relationships of all kind. I also thought the moral of the story shows that bullies are usually victims themselves, and the scene with Jack and his father is especially poignant. This is a must-read for every child to learn the importance of compassion, forgiveness and how making the right choices in life makes you a better person.
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