Story Warren

Kindling Imagination for Kingdom Anticipation

The Warren & The World Vol 12, Issue 18

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My cat has moved to “summer mode”: in which he sits near me, but rarely on me. I appreciate that I still see his affection for me, but I’ll be delighted when we get back to cooler days when he’ll become a lap cat again.

Around the Web

Animal Picture Books by Sy Montgomery

Janie at Redeemed Reader share some animal picture books.

  • Sy Montgomery goes the distance to report on wonders of the animal world.
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How to Know When It’s Time to Write a New Story

Beth Bruno shares a story of a new start.

  • We set off in June from the only home our children knew. We left an international concrete jungle and arrived at a Pacific Northwest house we rented off Craigslist, sight unseen, but for the large pine trees and lime-green grass in the photos. Without knowing a soul, we enjoyed the space of a new city, a new season, and an empty house while we waited three months for our shipment to clear customs.
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5 Things God Teaches Us through Parenting

Katie T. Kennedy explores what God teaches in the process of parenting.

  • Parents realize very quickly that God is sanctifying us through our children. Before you have kids, you think about all the things you are going to teach them. You promise yourself you’ll teach them manners, the alphabet, how to pray, and how to play your favorite sport. There are so many things we want to share with them.
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Read, Discuss, and Do with MARI IN THE MARGINS

Marci Whitehurst develops discussion and activities around books, and she recommends Mari in the Margins, which releases next week.

  • The best books make readers feel like they aren’t alone. They’re seen. Understood. Our very own Rebecca J. Gomez accomplishes this flawlessly in Mari in the Margins, her new middle grade novel in verse, published by Bandersnatch Books. 
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Around the Warren

Big Red, by Jim Kjelgaard

James D. Witmer recommends a dog book.

  • Let’s get this out of the way first: Big Red is a boy-meets-dog story in which the dog doesn’t die in the end. That won’t come as much of a surprise once you begin reading, because Big Red, like his seventeen-year-old trainer Danny, is a survivor.
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A Poem for National Foster Care Day

Isabel Chenot shares a poem in honor of foster families.

  • When we were training for foster care, we were asked to list our five most sustaining relationships, comforts, or interests. Then the trainer called out numbers, and we had to cross off things. I had to cross off my husband, my home, my books. The trainer called out another number. I crossed off my church family.
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Anne-Girl Reviews

Bud, Not Buddy

“If a Adult Tells You Not to Worry, and You Weren’t Worried Before, You Better Hurry Up and Start ‘Cause You’re Already Running Late.”
That’s one of “Bud Caldwell’s Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself.” These things come in handy when you’re all alone in the world, and Bud has it figured out. He’s ten years old and been in foster homes since his momma died 4 years ago. Now it’s 1936 and the great depression is in full swing. Times are hard, but he has a plan. Inside his suitcase full of his worldly possessions are three flyers, all with the name Herman E. Calloway on them. Bud is sure that this man is his father, and he sets out to find him. Heart, humor, historical fiction—Bud, Not Buddy has it all. It’s a sweet, touching story that has you laughing one minute and crying the next. Christopher Paul Curtis’s books are all heartfelt and touching, but Bud, not Buddy is my favorite. Bud’s thought process is genuine, clear, clever, and funny. It paints a clear picture of the great depression era through the eyes of Bud and those around him. I love this book! The age range is children’s/middle grade, but as usual, everyone can enjoy it! 

The Black Star of Kingston

Have you ever wondered how the iconic oath from The Green Ember series began? Do you wonder why The Green Ember’s prologue begins with an excerpt from a book that is seemingly unrelated to the actual events of the story? Do you have no idea what I am talking about? No matter which scenario describes you, I invite you to try The Black Star of Kingston! Set many years before the events of The Green Ember, this book takes us back to the reign of King Whitson Mariner and his quest to establish a colony that will eventually be home to Heather and Picket. But old wars haunt, and new enemies threaten. King Whitson and his loyal officer and friend Fleck Blackstar are dynamic, lovable characters along with many others that you will root for and love. Give it a try!

Something to Do with Your Kids

You can dive in to make your own origami star using these instructions!

Something to Watch

Ever wonder how Broadway got its name?

Thanks for reading. We’re on your side. 

–The Story Warren Team

Carolyn Clare Givens
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