I was a goofy-looking kid growing up. My ears were so big that someone once said I didnât need an alarm clock because I could hear the sun coming up. On top of that, I was also very average at everything I tried. However, I found that being funny made people like me. I also realized that, as long as God loved me and had a plan for me, I could be a superhero despite being average at everything. So when Focus on the Family asked me to start writing, I knew exactly what Iâd write aboutâŚme! Average Boy!
This book is a classic. It has heart, action, comedy and an awesome Grandpa who is always there with some wise wisdom. Billy Coleman is a country kid growing up on a farm. He decides he wants to get two Coonhounds andâŚwell, I donât want to spoil the tale.
I first read this book at age 12 and have read it once a year since then. If you grew up out in the country, like I did, with wide open skies, a big heart, and a little bit of mischief, this book is for you.
Read the beloved classic that captures the powerful bond between man and manâs best friend. This edition also includes a special note to readers from Newbery Medal winner and Printz Honor winner Clare Vanderpool.
Billy has long dreamt of owning not one, but two, dogs. So when heâs finally able to save up enough money for two pups to call his ownâOld Dan and Little Annâheâs ecstatic. It doesnât matter that times are tough; together theyâll roam the hills of the Ozarks.
Soon Billy and his hounds become the finest hunting team in the valley. Stories of their great achievementsâŚ
Full disclosure: I donât know much about swords. But as a childrenâs author and English teacher, Iâve learnt what makes kids want to pick up a book. In short, make it fun! My teenage membership in the Young Archaeologists Club sparked my love of history and archeology. It wasnât quite as glamorous as Indiana Jones would have you believe, but the idea that hidden treasures might be lurking under our gardens has fascinated me ever since.
An alternate England, which is full of wolves? That should be enough to recommend this book.
I remember sleepless nights, desperate to discover whether Bonny, Sylvia, and Simon managed to thwart the evil plans of the amazingly named Miss Slighcarp. Full of kids rushing about and outsmarting adults, which every childrenâs adventure should contain.
1832 - a period of English History that never happened. Good King James III is on the throne and the country is ravaged by wolves which have migrated through the newly-opened Channel Tunnel. When Sylvia and Bonnie (both orphans) fall into the hands of evil Miss Slighcarp, they must use all their wits to escape unscathed - for the governess is more cruel and merciless than the wolves that surround the great house of Willoughby Chase.
Since writing a middle-grade novel about a lab rat living on the International Space Station, I was curious to see how other authors tackled the challenge of creating stories about talking rats and mice. After all, these rodents are not generally popular in real life. What exciting approaches did others use to get past this dilemma? I wanted to see how they balanced the idealâbeing true to the nature of a speciesâwhile constructing original characters in challenging situations. Analyzing how other writers succeed is always useful.
Thisis the tale of a writer and reader who share a house. The writer, however, is a reclusive human and the reader a rat longing for a friend. The authorâs approach is clever and subtle. And while Iâm naturally drawn to books about writers, it was the rat that captivated me. I read this book rather quickly. I had to know if Walter could find his way through the difficulty of loneliness.
Two lonely creatures find that companionship is closer than they thought in this charming tale of friendship
This is the story of a writer and a reader. The writer is a person. The reader is a rat. They share an old house on Long Island, but have never met. How these two lonely creatures discover one another is the essence of this story.
Iâm a lover of wildlife and have written several nonfiction picture books on the topic, includingWinged Wonders: Solving the Monarch Migration Mystery, Cougar Crossing: How Hollywoodâs Celebrity Cougar Built a Bridge for City Wildlife, and Ocean Soup: a Recipe for You, Me, and A Cleaner Sea. Iâm also a humane educator, which inspires the focus of all my nonfiction picture books on âsolutionariesâ helping people, animals, and the planet. At heart, my booksâwhich have won Golden Kite Nonfiction and Eureka! Nonfiction Honors and moreâaim to inspire compassion, inclusivity, and positive action.
A wounded bald eagle getting a new beak made from a 3D printerâwhatâs not to love?! This is a great story of wildlife rehabilitation and ingenuity thatâs sure to suck kids in. And while Iâm usually more drawn to illustrated books, the photos in this book bring the reality of this story to life in the way only photos can. Itâs such a compelling true tale, which will help kids grow more compassion and curiosity for our feathered friends.
Awarded the AAAS/SUBARU SB&F PRIZE for EXCELLENCE in SCIENCE BOOKS and 5 other children's book awards! "Three words. 3D. Printed beak. Oh come on, you aren't impressed? Well, check out the back matter on this book and you will be. It's insane!" âSchool Library Journal
Beauty and the Beak is the incredible true story about an injured wild bald eagle who received a pioneering, 3D-printed beakâand made world news! Follow Beauty close up and in photographs, from the moment she uses her baby beak to emerge from her egg, through her hunt when she uses her powerful adult beak toâŚ
Whatever story Iâm telling, I try to write female characters who are smart, funny, kind, and ultimately empowering; characters that drive the narrative, not the other way around. It is really important for me that my female characters have agency â that they actively move the story forward, make decisions and step up. Those are the kind of stories I like to read too. The books on this list are some of my favourites and all contain strong female protagonists. I hope you enjoy.
I have always been fascinated by sharks, so to read the story of Blue Wing, who lives among them, was an absolute joy. Set on an island near Papua New Guinea, this is a heartbreaking story, beautifully and originally told, that explores grief, friendship, forgiveness, and our relationship with nature. Iâve traveled and swam with sharks near where this book is set and it was so special to revisit those places in the book. But itâs Blue Wingâs selflessness, wisdom, and bravery that make this book utterly unforgettable.
WINNER OF THE EDWARD STANFORD CHILDREN'S TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022
A SUNDAY TIMES CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK
Dive beneath the waves with this spell-binding adventure of friendship, forgiveness and bravery, set on the shores of Papua New Guinea, perfect for fans of Katherine Rundell and Eva Ibbotson.
"I want to be able to call the sharks. Teach me the magic and show me the ways."
Blue Wing is desperate to become a shark caller, but instead she must befriend infuriating newcomer Maple, who arrives unexpectedly on Blue Wing's island.
I'm a writer and poet who loved reading books set in fantasy worlds like Narnia as a child. When I began writing for children, I realised my own magical experiences had been on family trips to India, where goddesses and temples, palaces swarming with monkeys, ice-capped mountains, and elephant rides were part of everyday life. The term âmagic realismâ seemed to better fit my own fantasy world, Indica. Here, elemental magic is rooted in the myths and culture of young hero Minou Moonshine, expanding her experiences and guiding the search for her destiny. The childrenâs books I've chosen also contain supernatural and magical elements which are intrinsic to the protagonistâs world â no wardrobe needed!
It's hard to believe that Kiran Millwood HargraveâsThe Girl of Ink and Starsonly came out in 2016.
The book has become a modern classic, combining beautifully poetic writing with the compelling first-person voice of Isabella, the mapmakerâs daughter. When Isabella ventures into the mysterious interior of the island of Joya Governor, to search for her friend, the Governorâs daughter, she must navigate a mysterious labyrinth, supernatural demon dogs, and a volcano-dwelling deity.
The magic elements here are inspired by the indigenous culture of the Canary Isles.
I am all about writing unique adventures with heart. Iâve been to seven different countries, and plan to continue to grow the list. My passion for writing has become an adventure in itself. I desire to create unique young adult stories that incorporate legend, conjecture, fantasy, and conviction. In addition to loving my life as a writer, I adore being a wife, mother, friend, and teacher. I began my creative journey with books, a blog, podcast, and lots of caffeine. Iâm blessed my own adventure, my life, is filled with so many wonderful people and words!
Thisis a story about a teenage girl, Kelsey, whose life is turned upside-down when she discovers sheâs the only one who can free an Indian prince from his curse. The story takes place in our modern-day world, but Kelsey is sent on fascinating quests to piece together a prophesy and break the curse. Kelsey seems to be an average young woman, but her bravery and determination help her on the path to freeing Ren, the mysterious white tiger.
A teenage girl and a shape-shifting tiger find romance, adventure, and a dangerous quest in this New York Times bestselling fantasy series debut.
When Oregon teenager Kelsey Hayes took a summer job with a local circus, she expected to make some extra money. She never thought sheâd be heading to India with a mysterious white tiger named Renâor trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. But thatâs exactly what happened.
Now sheâs face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems. And as she discovers Renâs true identity, Kelsey risks everything to piece togetherâŚ
I
picked up this book on a blind recommendation, knowing only that it was an
anthropomorphic middle grade novel with illustrations by an artist whose work I
liked. To my absolute delight, I discovered a story thatâs unabashedly whimsical
and warm.
Personally, I love skunks, so I was a little frustrated with Badger
for being so unwelcoming when Skunk showed up on the stoop of his townhouse. In
Badgerâs defense, though, the amount of mayhem Skunk created would have made
anyone lose their temper, let alone a buttoned-down badger with âvery important
rock workâ to perform.
I also very much appreciated the celebration of chickens!
Reminiscent of kid-lit classics like A Cricket in Times Square and books
by E. B. White but never antiquated, this book was divine!
Learn how Skunk and Badger first became roommates before embarking on their latest adventure, Egg Marks the Spot, now on sale!
A Best Book of 2020: People * Kirkus Reviews * Booklist * School Library Journal * Publishers Weekly * Shelf Awareness for Readers * New York Public Library * Chicago Public Library * Evanston Public Library
Wallace and Gromit meets Winnie-the-Pooh in a fresh take on a classic odd-couple friendship, from Newbery Honor author Amy Timberlake with full-color and black-and-white illustrations throughout by Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen.
Within the caste into which I was born, daughter of a daughter of a daughter, I was ânobodyââno dowry, an awkward brain, and unfashionable looksâdark hourglass, not blonde beanpole. Unless I married the right kind of man, of courseâan eldest son with a big house. This was the 70s, and you probably donât believe me, but many girls still went the full Jane Austen. So Iâm perfectly qualified to tell you about the best books that centre on a big house as metaphor, a major character or a massive plot point in a novel. And, reader, I swerved marrying a man for his house too.
When I was nine, I came across The Last Battleâthe last of the Narnia books. I had no idea what it was and wept and howled at the end, looking frantically for more of the same. I roared through them and was miserable to find C.S. Lewis had died shortly beforehand, as I wanted to write to him and ask him to write more.
I was wholly entranced by Narniaâthe endless winter, the Turkish delight, the children living a different, grander, splendid life in a parallel place. But it was the moment in Prince Caspian when they were flipped back from a railway platform to Narnia. Specifically, to ruined Cair Paravel (roll it around your tongue), the gorgeous palace where they had reigned, that enchanted me the most.
Their gradual realization that these ruins were their familiar home (1300 years have passed since they were kingsâŚ
A full-colour paperback edition of Prince Caspian, book four in the classic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia. This edition is complete with full-cover cover and interior art by the original illustrator, Pauline Baynes.
The Pevensie siblings are back to help a prince denied his rightful throne as he gathers an army in a desperate attempt to rid his land of a false king. But in the end, it is a battle of honour between two men alone that will decide the fate of an entire world.
A battle is about to begin in Prince Caspian, the fourth book inâŚ
Joseph recommends Fantastic Mr Fox because he thinks it is really clever.
He likes the way the fox digs a whole little village for all the wildlife. There are three farmers in the story, and they all have very different personalities, which makes it interesting. The story is funny as the fox steals from the farmers and drives them all mad. It is so funny the way an animal can do this to humans.
Someone's been stealing from the three meanest farmers around, and they know the identity of the thief-it's Fantastic Mr. Fox! Working alone they could never catch him; but now fat Boggis, squat Bunce, and skinny Bean have joined forces, and they have Mr. Fox and his family surrounded. What they don't know is that they're not dealing with just any fox-Mr. Fox would rather die than surrender. Only the most fantastic plan can save him now.
