Hiatus
Someone asked me if I'd be posting again.... I did have a hiatus due to surgery (doing well).... Am thinking of potential posts....thanks for inquiring...
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SAFETY RATINGS
3 Vatican Flags:
Read these with abandon!
Parents should be aware of some part of the book noted in the review, and consider age levels.
Overall, a fine reading experience.
Some aspect of this book calls for parental discussion and clarification. Or topics are serious and may be troubling for sensitive tweenagers. These reviews should be considered by a parent who knows his or her tween.
Don't load up on these unless you have the time to read them first.
These do not pass my muster due to: adult themes, occult themes, excessively bad language, sexual content or innuendo, blatant bias, slanted historical references, or other failures as noted by reviewer (me).
Safe content for age group indicated.
Read these with abandon!
2 Vatican Flags:
Slight caution warranted.
Parents should be aware of some part of the book noted in the review, and consider age levels.
Overall, a fine reading experience.
1 Vatican Flag:
Serious caution warranted.
Some aspect of this book calls for parental discussion and clarification. Or topics are serious and may be troubling for sensitive tweenagers. These reviews should be considered by a parent who knows his or her tween.
Don't load up on these unless you have the time to read them first.
DaVinci Pile:
The fun read is not worth the damage done.
These do not pass my muster due to: adult themes, occult themes, excessively bad language, sexual content or innuendo, blatant bias, slanted historical references, or other failures as noted by reviewer (me).
Quotes
I read all of these when I was very young, and I remember them not at all as books but as things that happened to me.
-- John Steinbeck, Steinbeck's Ghost
If you've been given a gift; you're honor-bound to use it for the greater good.
-- Danny, Quantum Prophecy
Books are heavy because they carry the world inside.
-- Meggie, Inkheart
The keener and clearer is the reason, the better fantasy it will make. If men were ever in a state in which they did not want to know or could not perceive truth, then fantasy would languish until they were cured.
--J.R.R. Tolkien
Maybe we benefit from the providence of others more often than we know.
--Mrs. Cheever, Gone-Away Lake
A lie is a weed in the Lord's flower garden.
--Toby Boyce's Grandpa, Bull Run
Books are like truth serum. If you don't read, you can't figure out what's real.
--Kevin, Freak the Mighty
...not knowing something doesn't mean you're stupid. All it means is that there's still room left to wonder.
-- Heidi, So B. It
I am tired, weary, I haven't a hope left. But I have to go on trying to get to the Mountain, as long as I can move.
-- Frodo, The Return of the King
It's more important to get the big concept than be an expert in the small stuff.
-- Addie, Hope was Here
The difficulty is...we often do not recognize evil. Evil can begin with a word.
-- Herr Schafer, After the TrainAbout Me
- Tween Lit Crit
- I'm a homeschooling mother of 4 children and a former middle-school English teacher... I'm also a former book thief, caught shoving extra books down my shirt on a 2nd-grade library trip where we were limited to a measly 2 books... I'd never hand my children a morally objectionable book, but I would give my tween a book with themes and ideas that need discernment and discussion from a Catholic worldview... My goal is to be on watch for my children until their properly-formed consciences enter adulthood... This blog is dedicated to all those who would like to stand guard duty with me.
A Hat-Tip...
to those who gave me tips, encouragement, time, and, in Regina's case, literally got me going...
Blessings on...
Regina F.
Eileen H.
Michelle H.
Christine R.
Michael L.
Rebecca C.
Barbara H.
Blessings on...
Regina F.
Eileen H.
Michelle H.
Christine R.
Michael L.
Rebecca C.
Barbara H.
Click on book titles to link directly to reviews.
(Flag rating for safety content on left.)
B= especially appealing to boys
G= especially appealing to girls
* = Most likely to appeal to reluctant readers. Especially high readability.
(Flag rating for safety content on left.)
B= especially appealing to boys
G= especially appealing to girls
* = Most likely to appeal to reluctant readers. Especially high readability.
CATHOLIC BOOKS FOR TWEENS
- Behind Bella (3 Flags; Older)
- Catholic Reluctantly (2 Flags: Older)
- Goodness Graces (3 Flags: Younger)
- Leap of Faith (1 Flag; Mid-Older: G)
- Olivia and the Little Way (3 Flags; Mid; G)
- Paul: Tarsus to Redemption (3 Flags)
- Saint Andre Bessette (3 Flags; Younger)
- Saint Bernadette, Graphic Novel (3 Flags)
- Saint Jon of Arc, Graphic Novel (3 Flags)
- Saint of the Day (3 Flags; Read Aloud)
- The Book of Life (3 Flags; Mid/Older; Read Aloud)
- The Heavens Proclaim (3 Flags; Older)
- The Midnight Dancers (3 Flags; Older; G)
FOR OLDER TWEENS
- A Step from Heaven (2 Flags)
- Airborn* (3 Flags; B;G)
- City of Ember* (2.5 Flags)
- Classical Comics (3 Flags)
- Code Orange* (1 Flag; B)
- Dog Heroes of September 11th (3 Flags)
- Ender's Game* (1 Flag, B)
- Firegirl (1 Flag)
- Freak the Mighty* (2 Flags; B)
- Hattie Big Sky (3 Flags; G)
- Hope was Here* (3 Flags; G)
- Inkheart* (3 Flags; G)
- Lady Macbeth's Daughter (1 Flag)
- Leviathan* (2 Flags)
- Mockingbird* (3 Flags)
- Nick of Time (3 Flags; B)
- One-Eyed Cat (1 Flag)
- Pawn of Prophecy (1.5 Flags)
- Peak* (2 Flags; B)
- Purely Rosie Pearl (3 Flags)
- Rebound* (2 Flags; B)
- Scrawl* (2.5 Flags; B)
- Sister of the Bride (3 Flags; G)
- Slog's Dad (1 Flag)
- Summer of Saint Nick (2 Flags)
- The Beekeeper's Apprentice (2.5 Flags:G)
- The Book Thief* (2 Flags; B,G)
- The Eagle of the Ninth (3 Flags: B)
- The Hunger Games* (1 Flag)
- The Princess Bride* (3 Flags; G,B)
- The Thief (2 Flags; B)
- Under the Blood-Red Sun (2 Flags; B)
- When Zachary Beaver Came to Town* (2 Flags, B)
- Words by Heart (2 Flags)
- Z for Zachariah* (2 Flags)
FOR MID-TWEENS
- A House of Tailors (3 Flags; G)
- A Million Shades of Gray (2 Flags)
- A Single Shard (3 Flags)
- A Year Down Yonder* (2 Flags)
- After the Train (2 Flags)
- Al Capone Does My Shirts* (2 Flags; B)
- Alabama Moon* (2 Flags: B)
- Aliens Ate My Homework* (2 Flags; B)
- Anna of Byzantium (barely a 2)
- Bull Run (2 Flags)
- Chasing the Falconers* (2 Flags; B)
- Comeback Kids: Two-Minute Drill (3 Flags; B)
- Counting on Grace (3 Flags)
- Cracker* (2 Flags)
- Dave at Night* (3 Flags)
- East* (3 Flags; G)
- Ella Enchanted* (3 Flags; G)
- Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat (3 Flags)
- Esperanza Rising* (3 Flags: G)
- Every Soul a Star (3 Flags:G)
- First Boy (2 Flags: B)
- Flight of the
- Flight of the Tiger Moth (3 Flags: B)
- Flip-Flop Girl (2 Flags; G)
- Free Baseball (2.5 Flags; B)
- Gib Rides Home (2 Flags)
- Gone-Away Lake (2 Flags)
- Gregor the Overlander* (3 Flags; B)
- Hannah, Divided (3 Flags; G)
- Hitch* (3 Flags; B)
- Ida B.* (2 Flag; G)
- Iggie's House (1 Flag)
- Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key* (1.5 Flags: B)
- Kiki Strike (1 Flag; G)
- Leaving the Bellweathers (3 flags; B)
- Listening for Lions* (3 Flags: G)
- Lizzie's Wish (2 Flags; G)
- Lottery Rose* (2 Flags)
- Love That Dog (3 Flags)
- Michael Bloom, The Gravity Keeper (2 Flags: B)
- Miss Spitfire (2 Flags)
- Missing May (1/2 Flag; G)
- Mockingbird* (3 Flags)
- Moonrunner (3 Flags)
- My Name is Sally Little Song* (2 Flags)
- Nothing to Fear (1 Flag)
- Penny From Heaven (3 Flags; G)
- Petey (2 Flags)
- Philip Hall Likes Me, I Reckon Maybe (3 Flags)
- Ranger's Apprentice* (3 Flags; B)
- Scat (2 Flags; B)
- So B. It* (2 Flags; G)
- Steinbeck's Ghost (2 Flags)
- Swear to Howdy* (1 Flags; B)
- Take Me to the River* (2 Flags; B)
- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas* (3 Flags; B)
- The Boy Who Spoke Dog (1 Flag; B)
- The Bushbabies (3 Flags)
- The Castle Corona (3 Flags; G)
- The Danger Box (1.5 Flags)
- The Danger Box by Blue Baillet (1.5 Flags)
- The Frog Princess* (2 Flags; G)
- The Lambkins (2 Flags)
- The Last Book in the Universe* (1 Flag; B)
- The Last Thing I Remember (3 Flags; B)
- The Liberation of Gabriel King* (3 Flags; B; G)
- The Lightning Thief* (2 Flags: B)
- The Mysterious Benedict Society (3 Flags)
- The Penderwicks* (3 Flags: G)
- The Princess Academy* (3 Flags: G)
- The Pushcart War (3 Flags)
- The Road to Paris (2 Flags)
- The Sands of Time (2 Flags)
- The Schwa was Here* (2 Flags; B)
- The Sorta Sisters (2 Flags; G)
- The Switch (1 Flag; B)
- The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet* (3 Flags: G)
- The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle* (3 Flags)
- The Underneath (1 Flag)
- The View from Saturday (3 Flags)
- Tiger* (2 Flags; B)
- Tuck Everlasting (3 Flags, G)
- Turtle in Paradise (1 Flags)
- Whittington (3 Flags)
- Worst-Case Scenario: Everest (3 Flags)
YOUNGER TWEENS
- Accidental Detectives (3 Flags; B)
- Along Came a Dog (3 Flags)
- Bless This Mouse (1 Flag)
- Brixton Brothers (0 Flags; B)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid* (2 Flags; B)
- Is That a Dead Dog in Your Locker? 3 Flags; B)
- Lawn Boy (2 Flags; B)
- Loser* (3 flags: B)
- Night Journeys (3 flags; B)
- Regarding the Fountain* (3 Flags)
- Saving Lily (2 flags)
- Skinnybones* (2 Flags: B)
- Slake's Limbo* (3 Flags)
- Tango (2 Flags)
- The 39 Clues* (2 Flags; B)
- The Birthday Ball* (2 Flags; G)
- The Cat Who Went to Heaven (3 Flags)
- The Doll People (3 Flags; G)
- The Elevator Family (3 Flags)
- The Night Fairy (3 Flags; G)
- The Secret of the Sealed Room (1 Flag)
- The Unsigned Valentine (3 Flags: G)
- The Wickit Chronicles (1 Flag: B)
- Toad Rage (3 Flags; B)
- TumTum and Nutmeg (3 Flags)
- Wall Ball (3 Flags; B)
- Whales on Stilts (3 Flags)
- When Sargeant Came Marching Home (2 Flags; B)
- Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (3 Flags)
NON-FICTION
- Divine Canine (3 Flags: mid-older)
- Heaven is for Real (3 Flags)
- Knuckleheads (2 1/2 Flags: B: Younger)
- My Family and Other Animals (3 Flags; older; B)
- Secrets of a Civil War Submarine (3 Flags: B)
- The Radioactive Boy Scout (1 Flag: B: Older)
- The Short and Bloody History of Pirates (2 Flags: B; Younger)
Miscellaneous
MATH BOOKS
THE DAVINCI PILE
- Absolutely Normal Chaos
- Aria of the Sea
- Briar Rose
- Candy
- Feed
- If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period
- Kit's Wilderness
- Numbers 2: The Chaos
- Sammy Keyes (Series)
- Shakespeare's Secret
- Silent to the Bone
- The Magician's Elephant
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower
- The Red Blazer Girls
- The Rule of Claw
- The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance
- Twilight
Favorite Publishers/Places for Tween Books
BOOKS ON DECK
- Saint Training
5 comments:
Hi,
Glad to hear you are doing well, and am looking forward to your blogging return!
~Angela
So glad you are doing well, and will pray for continued healing from surgery. I've missed your reviews, and check in regularly!
Also, have you read the Graceling trilogy? Read a good NYTimes review, but I would like a like-minded review before diving in, or letting kids do so.
thanks for the prayers!
I have only skimmed the Graceling books, but several people have asked me, so I just put them on hold at the library...
So glad to hear you're doing well post-op...Praise God! I would love to see you continue posting. I've found this a great site for helping me find--and avoid--books for my children. I've sent friends the link to your site as well.
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