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One surprise after another unfolds in Julia Golding’s novel, Dragonfly. Action. Adventure. Romance. Tradition versus truth. Faith and loyalty. A clash of cultures. Golding writes an engaging story while encouraging the reader to examine their own values. Guys, don’t check out because you see a little romance in the mix. Kidnappings, ambushes, villains, and  combat abound. Also,…

Verna Aardema retells a West African tale in Why Mosquitos Buzz in People’s Ears. The pesky mosquito sets off a chain of events with dire consequences for the rest of the animal kingdom. King Lion calls a meeting and the tale is recounted in reverse until all hooves, paws, and claws point to the troublemaking…

Fighting for Peace My son has signed up to be a peacemaker. He’s enlisted in the U.S. Navy and will be fighting for peace. Fighting for peace? That sounds strange, but isn’t that how it goes sometimes? You have two friends and they are not getting along. They need to talk things out, and you…

If you are looking for something a little different, don’t be intimidated by the size of Brian Selznick’s Wonder Struck. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this book could have been much longer, because Wonder Struck tells two tales, one through pictures and one in prose. Rose’s story, the one in pictures, begins fifty…

 Join author/illustrator Kevin Henke as Kitten experiences her first full moon. A giant bowl of milk sits in the sky above and Kitten knows it’s just for her. Read Kitten’s adventure in Kitten’s First Full Moon. It’s so close she can almost taste it. Will she?

Make Up Makeup. Applied correctly, it accents our positives, covers our blemishes, and minimizes our flaws. Base. Blush. Mascara. Each serves a purpose in the face we present. We do the same in our relationships. We do our best to make a great first impression. However, the closer we get to a person, the less…

If you’ve read Jordan Sonnenblick’s Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, you know all about Jeffrey. In Sonnenblick’s sequel, After Ever After, Jeffrey is the eighth grader now and this is his story—after the cancer. Walk the halls of middle school with Jeffrey as he struggles with the lingering effects of cancer drugs, a new girl,…

Dutch illustrator Peter Spier opens a door into the world of Noah’s life on the ark and allows the reader to become the third fly on the wall. Spier entertains us with colorful depictions of Noah’s potential challenges. Extra birds and bees. Mrs. Noah’s fear of mice. Owls keeping everyone up at night. A creative peek…

Have you ever had a rotten day? I was caught in one recently. A close friendship was shaken to pieces and I found myself clutching door frames in the aftershock. I awoke this morning hurting for those involved and saddened by the damage that occurs even among fellow Christ-followers. Then God directed my attention to…

This week I spotlight Roland Smith’s Storm Runners novels. If you like action, adventure, and weather, you’ll love this series. In Storm Runners, Chase Masters, his father, and co-worker Tomas, head to Florida to meet Category 5 Hurricane Emily. They set up shop at the Rossi farm where the circus family keeps their animals and…