Exiles Come Home by Winefride Nolan This is a vintage British children's novel about the discrimination against Catholics during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and her successor, James I. (It's the sequel to Rich Inheritance.) It was so well-written and captures an experience that American kids might not be familiar with. I like the redemption arc for one main character and the mystery plot involving the kidnapping of a child.
The Reb and the Redcoats by Constance Savery This is another vintage British children's novel. This one involves an American soldier being held as a prisoner of war in a British family's home, and his relationship with both the family and with his friend, another prisoner who is ill.
Hearts on the Fly by Toni Shiloh This unapologetically Christian romance with a touch of the miraculous was such a breath of fresh air. It's a hockey romance, but a wholesome clean one with a player's blindness after injury at the center of the plot.
All of Us: The Collected Poems by Raymond Carver I took a class on Raymond Carver short stories in college, but found the analysis aspect difficult and stayed away from his writings for years. But as a writer I'm inspired by his economy of language, and I was in the mood for poetry, so I listened to this and loved it.
Family Reading Lists
M., girl, 12
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
C., girl, 10
The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Holes by Louis Sachar
E., girl, 8
The American Revolution by Bruce Bliven, Jr.
The Secret Diary of Jeb and Abigail by Jean Fritz
R., boy, 5
Walt Disney's World of Nature (selections)
A. girl, 5
McGuffey's Second Eclectic Reader (selections)
Dad
Two Little Pilgrims' Progress: A Story of the City Beautiful by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Trial Valley by Vera Cleaver
How to Enjoy Writing: A Book of Aid and Comfort by Janet and Isaac Asimov
The Key Word and Other Mysteries by Isaac Asimov
The Disappearing Man and Other Mysteries by Isaac Asimov
