This book, in addition to being written by the incomparable Gary Schmidt, contains three of the things I love most in a story: a very old house, some cloudy family history, and a cemetery. No—two cemeteries, one of which is hidden away and overgrown. Which is my favorite kind of cemetery. So regardless of what…
Early in my marriage, my mother-in-law suggested I might someday like to have her wax bust of Shakespeare. I don’t recall my response; I hope it was gracious, though I’m not optimistic on that point. What I thought was, What on earth would I do with it? A couple of decades later, the bust is…
We all make history every day, whether we are the fundamental elements that make up the swift-flowing stream or the droplets that leap out and sparkle in the sunlight. In reflecting on what the women below possessed in common, one answer that turned up was, Not much. Many (but not all) worked hard to develop…
Writing for His Glory is a series of reflections and writing prompts drawn from a writers’ workshop I teach for high school students. God spoke all of creation into existence His Word; as He made us in His image, we can glorify Him with our own. My prayer is that these reflections prompt you to…
Your friendly neighborhood children’s librarian here, stopping by with a recommendation that caught my eye a few weeks ago. I love finding new writers and artists to add to my mental folder of “folks whose work I love and will keep an eye out for,” so I was very pleased to discover illustrator Benji Davies…
For those of us in the North, winter is a season of waiting. We dance through December and January, buoyed by the holiday spirit, but by March, the grays and whites of the world start gnawing at us, and we can feel the keen hunger for spring. We are meant to feel this way, I…
Lepunia will catch you up, carry you away, and set you down—right back in Kansas. But conveyed from a rabbit’s-eye view, it might as well be Oz. It was with some surprise that I realized, on reflection, that no magic takes place in these pages. None but that conjured by Ford’s lyrical descriptions. One part…
Mary and Joseph watched uncertainly as a grizzled grandpa hobbled across the courtyard towards them. For a long time he stared at their baby. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes filled with the tears of those who have waited decades without any proof beyond their God’s love. Slowly, tenderly, Simeon reached for the…
The other day, while sorting borrowed books back into our library basket (again), it struck me: my four daughters are checking out more chapter books than picture books these days. Which means that I am also reading a lot of chapter books—pre-reading for my younger girls, so I can help them find the good ones,…
When I visit a place, taste a food, or reread a story from my childhood, I often find the experience doesn’t hold up to the memory. Yes, there’s something nostalgic there, but Pizza Hut just doesn’t taste as good as street vendor pizza in Italy, Chuck-E-Cheese isn’t the gigantic wonderland it once seemed, and those…
Fragrance wafts across the air, Bids me on and leads me there, To the garden, dark as night… While everyone is sleeping. Many of our readers probably recognize the name Sarah Mackenzie from her faithful presence in the read-aloud world. Sarah is the host of the popular Read-Aloud Revival podcast, encouraging parents, teachers, and adults…
I have a conundrum. Perhaps you’re in a similar pickle. (I’ve talked to many of you out there about this issue, so I feel like I’m in good company.) I have a daughter that is a voracious reader. She’s 12 now, and she’s been through Narnia, Middle Earth, and Avonlea. She knows all the American…
