Did you enjoy the book? I love the change in the boys’ relationship as they move from contempt for one another to respect and friendship. Jemmy realizes there are blessings in being the whipping boy, like learning “to read, write and do sums.” Prince Horace discovers his nickname of Prince Brat and realizes good character…

Let’s spend some time thinking about heavenly things today. Grab your Bible and turn to Revelation 4. Revelation is the last book in the Bible, so turn to the back. In this chapter, John, one of Jesus’disciples and the one who wrote John, 1 John, 2 John and 3 John, and Revelation, is having a…

Zuno’s pick this week is Olivia and the Missing Toy by Ian Falconer. Can you figure out Olivia’s favorite color? Who is the terrible villain who has taken the missing toy? Zuno appreciates the forgiveness Olivia shows at the end of the story, not that Zuno has ever been in trouble himself. Do you have…

In the novel, The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, the hero, Percy Jackson, finds himself in two worlds—his normal life, much like yours and mine, and the world of ancient Greece, complete with gods and goddesses. The mix of these two makes for a great story, but do you realize, we as Christ-followers face the…

Sid Fleischman’s The Whipping Boy tells the story of two boys, Prince Horace (Prince Brat) and Jemmy, the prince’s whipping boy. Every time the prince misbehaves, he goes free, while Jemmy takes the prince’s punishment. Will the prince ever learn? Bandits, dancing bears, a hot potato man, and rats await in this short novel by…

Wow! Did chapter nineteen surprise you? Why has life lost its value in Jonas’s community? The author begins to show you in chapter twenty when Jonas and the Giver talk about feelings. Here are a few quotes from the book. The first quote refers to Fiona and her work with the elderly: “Fiona is already being…

Zuno is my white labrador. When Zuno and I run together, I put Zuno on a leash. I do this for several reasons: 1)      His safety—I want to keep him away from danger, like cars or other dogs. 2)      Leadership—I want him to go where I go, not after a rabbit or squirrel. Most of…

Zuno learns his ABCs this week as he reads Bill Martin’s Chicka Chicka BoomBoom. Come along with the lowercase letters as a, b, and c agree to meet at the top of the coconut tree. The other twenty-three letters try to join them. Can the tree hold them? Things could get nutty. What’s your favorite letter? …

Do you ever dream of being a superhero or a mighty warrior like Peter and Edmund in C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia? Take a look at Psalm 8:2 (NIV): “From the lips of children and infants you (God) have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” When you…

This week, we finish The Giver by Lois Lowry. Read chapters nineteen through twenty-three. Get ready because Ms. Lowry packs a punch in chapter nineteen. Parents, if you are reading the novel with your children, read chapter nineteen ahead of time and prepare yourself for questions. For our next book, I am dropping into a…