Picture Books
Queen Victoria's Bathing Machine
by Gloria Whelan
Modest Queen Victoria has a problem. She wants to swim in the ocean—to experience the sand beneath her toes and the waves rolling over her head—but she doesn't want her subjects to see her improperly dressed. Ever the innovator, her husband, Prince Albert, designs and builds a special contraption for carting her to the water with discretion.
Based on the true story of the Queen's first ocean swim, this book is set in verse and contains delightfully captivating illustrations. Please note: The text briefly mentions the names of old-fashioned women's undergarments, such as a corset and hosiery.
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
by Virginia Lee Burton
Mike Mulligan and his trusty steam shovel, Anne, can dig anything in the town of Popperville—deep trenches for canals, long tunnels for trains, and even huge cellars for towering skyscrapers. But times are changing, and new technology is beginning to make Anne obsolete. What will become of her when she's no longer needed? She and Mike will have one last chance to show their skills.
Jumper
by Jessica Lanan
While exploring a backyard garden, Jumping Spider uses the hairs all along her body to hear vibrations and her eight eyes to see the world around her. She is both prey and predator and must rely on her keen senses to defend against chickadees, wasps, and other creatures who wish to do her harm. When she sees a cricket and later a fly, she must act fast or go hungry.
This is a narrative non-fiction. Readers will learn all about jumping spiders through a day-in-the-life-themed story.
by Sarah Glen Marsh
What do lemons, handkerchiefs, and coffee cups have in common? They were all tools used by the only female in Washington's Culper Ring, a complicated network of patriot spies in the Revolutionary War. Anna's family were loyalists, but she and her husband envisioned a free country. Together, they helped send encoded messages to help the General and his army in and around New York harbor. For her part, Anna devised a code based on the different types of laundry she hung out to dry on her clothesline each day.
Leveled Readers
by Dana Meachen Rau
Warm summer days are full of fun. You can swim in the pool or dip in the lake. You can visit the zoo or take a trip to the fair. But what if you can't decide what to do? With so many fun things to choose from, how do you pick? The answer is simple: You flip and flop from one activity to the other!
Though this Level 1 reader has only one or two sentences on each page, several words contain two syllables and complex sounds, such as "ould" and "aw."
Babe Ruth Saves Baseball!
by Frank Murphy
Most people know that Babe Ruth played baseball, but not many know that he saved baseball. The year was 1919. The Chicago White Sox were set to face the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. Word spread that eight Sox players cheated, creating distrust among ball fans. No one wanted to watch the games anymore. George Herman Ruth, a home run hitter recently traded to the New York Yankees, determined to change the face of the game and win the fans back. He signed dozens and dozens of baseballs and hid them around the city for kids to find; he hit grand slam after grand slam, doubling his already undefeated record, and he made the first-ever home run hit in the newly built Yankee's Stadium, wowing the critics. People began to return to the stands. Babe Ruth had saved the game!
Young baseball fans will love the illustrations and little-known Babe Ruth facts found in this Level 3 reader.
Illustrated Chapter Books
Detective Gordon: The First Case
by Ulf Nilsson
Squirrel's nuts have gone missing. 204 nuts, to be exact. But Detective Gordon is on the case. With the help of his newly appointed assistant Buffy the Mouse, he's determined to catch the thieves, return the nuts, and then take a good long nap. Detective work is tiring!
Fans of Frog and Toad will enjoy the simplicity of The First Case, book 1 in a 5-book Detective Gordon series about a police chief, his young protege, and a few forest mysteries.
Please note: Book 5 includes a pair of trolls.
The Most Wonderful Doll in the World
by Helen Stone
Dulcy loves dolls—she has dozens of them. One day, her kind neighbor gifts her a gently used doll named Angela. To the average eye, Angela is just like any other doll. But to Dulcy, she is the most wonderful doll in the world. When Angela goes missing, Dulcy becomes distraught. No other doll will ever measure up. In time, Dulcy's memory of the beloved doll becomes exaggerated until she creates an unrecognizable version of the toy in her head. She grows discontent and must learn a valuable lesson about being satisfied.
This 1950 Caldecott winner is intentionally repetitious, making it a great book for those transitioning from emergent readers to chapter books.
Middle-Grade Novels
Dancing Shoes
by Noel Streatfeild
Orphaned sisters Rachel and Hilary must move in with their Uncle Tom, his wife Cora, who runs a local dance troupe, and their talented yet arrogant daughter Dulcie. Rachel is determined to honor her mother's dying wish and help Hilary become an accomplished dancer at the Royal Ballet School. But when demanding Aunt Cora forces them both to dance for her lesser-known Wintle's Wonders group, Rachel thinks all hope is lost. Hilary is more accomplished than Cousin Dulcie but can never showcase her true talent. Rachel, on the other hand, has no dancing ability and prefers the theatre instead. Will her sense of responsibility and her admirable but misguided plans for Hilary ruin both of their chances at happiness?
This is one of eleven stand-alone books in Noel Streatfeild's "Shoes" series. Please note: One of the characters says, "Shut up!" Additionally, Dulcie exhibits very spoiled behavior, which drives a wedge in the cousins' relationships throughout the entire book.
Wild Life
by Cynthia DeFelice
Instead of going on his first-ever hunting trip, Native New Yorker Erik must abandon his plans when both of his parents are deployed to Iraq. He's sent off to no-wheres-ville, North Dakota, to live with the grandparents he's only met once in his life. To make matters worse, upon his arrival, Erik is forced into the shadow of his uncle, who died decades earlier. Big Darrell and Oma struggle to love a boy again. When an injured hunting hound wanders onto the family land, Erik devises a plan to run away with him. With a rifle in his hands and a trusty bird dog by his side, he's confident he can survive on his own.
This domestic fiction showcases the complex emotions that can embroil a family after a tragic loss, but it also reveals the hope of healing and forgiveness. While the publisher has slotted Wild Life as a middle-grade book, the complicated storyline is better suited for older tweens and teens, in my opinion.
Please note: One character says "heck," and another uses "hell" as a swear word twice. Additionally, when Erik finally returns to his temporary home, his grandparents are too relieved to punish him for his actions. That said, repentance and forgiveness are both given and received by all three.
The Silver Sword
by Ian Serraillier
Polish siblings Ruth, Edek, and Bronia Balicki have been tragically separated from their parents. Together, they must make their way across war-torn Europe to find their missing family. With the help of street-smart Jan, an orphaned vagabond in need of a loving home, the trio faces numerous hardships but learns to survive in a post-Nazi world.
Meanwhile, their father Joseph, a former schoolmaster, escapes from a prison camp and is desperate to reunite with them. After walking many miles, he arrives at their beloved house only to discover that his family has gone. Little does he know that the children are trying to reach him. Will their paths eventually cross?
Older readers who grew up enjoying The Boxcar Children will appreciate the ingenuity and survival instincts of the three Balicki kids.
Please note: One minor character is referred to as a "hussie," but the term is never defined or expounded upon.
The Year of Miss Agnes
by Kirkpatrick Hill
At the close of WWII, British teacher Miss Agnes finds herself in rural Koyukuk, Alaska, teaching Native American children. The children had lost teacher after teacher, all of whom abandoned the post when they realized just how uncivilized the area truly was. But Miss Agnes is determined to mold the young minds entrusted to her. She tosses aside the outdated textbooks, and with creativity and pluck, she makes a real difference, especially in the lives of 10-year-old Frederika (Fred) and her deaf sister.
This heartwarming living book will teach young readers what it means to be committed to a task in the face of adversity.
Parents, Be Aware
Lancelot
by Hudson Talbott
Orphaned at infancy and rescued by the Lady of the Lake, Lancelot becomes a mighty warrior. He earns the favor of Queen Guinevere and becomes the official court champion. He travels far and wide, rescuing damsels in distress, fighting off fearsome dragons, and returning honor to Camelot. But when it becomes clear that he can not have his beloved Guinevere, who is married to the king, he leaves the kingdom and lives as a wild nomad in the forest. He's eventually rescued, falls in love with a princess in a neighboring area, and returns to Camelot.
This is a beautifully illustrated epic retelling of Lancelot, the famed knight of King Arthur's Round Table.
Things to know: Though this picture book is marketed to 8-10-year-olds, it includes all the sweeping details of Lancelot's story, including the secret love he shared with the married Guinevere, the violent killing of woodland beasts, and the attempted boiling alive of a princess. That said, it also unabashedly champions chivalry and honor and would make for a gentle introduction to Medieval literature for an older tween or young teen.
The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall
by Ali Standish
Desperate to help support his indigent family, young Arthur Conan Doyle agrees to be shipped off to a prodigious school for gifted children. While there, he learns of a series of break-ins. But why would someone want to burglarize a school? More importantly, why would the thief not steal anything? And most importantly, what do the robberies have to do with the Clover, the clandestine student group Arthur has been invited to join? To enroll in the secret society, he must complete three impossible missions, one of which just might lead him to the criminal mastermind behind the unusual invasions.
This is the first in a three-part Sherlock Holmes fan fiction series. Several key players, including James Moriarty, Dr. Watson, and Holmes himself, make an appearance.
Things to know: Dr. Watson's classroom is filled with specimen jars containing human eyeballs and hands. One professor dabbles in hypnosis, and another is thought to be a witch or a god. Both theories are disproven. One boy is anxious to begin a class dedicated to necromancy to communicate with Shakespeare beyond the grave. Additionally, one character says, "d*mned."
Just for you, Mom
The Voice We Find
by Nicole Deese
Blacklisted Broadway hopeful Sophie Wilder must move back to her childhood home--a place of secrets, pain, and plenty of dysfunction. The moment she's on her feet again financially, she plans to return to New York. To make ends meet, she takes a side hustle gig as an audiobook narrator with Fog Harbor Books.
August Tate, sound engineer to some of the music industry's most talented, must take a giant step back in his career to care for his younger sister, now permanently deaf from the train accident that killed both their parents. To keep the lights burning, he reluctantly agrees to produce a series of audiobooks for his friend and editor at Fog Harbor Books. The job lacks luster, but the pay is steady.
While collaborating on a new book project, Sophie and August will be forced to confront their lifelong fears and their long-standing failures. In the middle of it all, they will find faith in Christ. Together.
This is the third title in the developing Fog Harbor series. Though the books are numbered, they are each a stand-alone story with completely different characters and plots and can be read in or out of order.