SK Bell: middle grade

Showing posts with label middle grade. Show all posts

Friday, September 12, 2025

All Things Narnia

I read The Chronicles of Narnia when I was about 11 years old and immediately fell in love. I wrote my own version and forever carried a fondness for all things Narnia! Now my children love Narnia, too. We've discovered all kinds of fun Narnia books over the years so I thought I'd finally share them here.

First, of course, the seven-book series itself. There are so many lovely editions but this is the kind I had as a kid. We think this, this, and this set are beautiful.

Board book of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe... We recently received this for our youngest. This is what gave me the idea to finally share this post!

Picture book of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe... I have so many fond memories of this one! It was so very, very long, but delighted each of my older children to no end. I do hope to get another copy someday.

Now, for the books we love outside of the series itself!

CS Lewis: Master Storyteller (middle grade... I have enjoyed several of these Benge biographies and really enjoyed this one all about CS Lewis' life, faith, and of course work.

Finding Narnia: The Story of CS Lewis and His Brother (picture book)... This one covered plenty but especially focused on the author's relationship with his brother.

Through the Wardrobe: How CS Lewis Created Narnia (picture book)... Some of my children are budding fantasy writers who very much enjoyed this one.

The Mythmakers (YA, graphic novel)... John Hendrix does it again! This gorgeous graphic novel explores a lot but especially CS Lewis's time in the war and his friendship with JRR Tolkien.

Once Upon a Wardrobe (adult, Christian fiction, great for teens)... I really enjoyed this fiction story, about a young college girl taking a class from CS Lewis and her chronically ill little brother who loves Narnia. I'll definitely pass this one onto my teens.

Painting Wonder (picture book)... we loved this picture book biography about the woman who illustrated the original Narnia books!

Extra Narnia fun- Cookbook // so many awesome offerings from A Fine Quotation and Carrot Top Paper Shop // this print // this mug // Narnia wardrobe reading nook // You can actually enter the children's section through a wardrobe at Fabled Books in Waco, Texas.

Friday, May 9, 2025

Middle grade novels in verse

One of my kids absolutely adores a good novel in verse, one loathes them, and the others are cheerfully ambivalent. I know these aren't for everyone but here are our favorites if they're a hit with one of the kids in your life.

Brown Girl Dreaming (secular, nonfiction)... This is a memoir, set in the 60s. I enjoyed it and added it to our 8th Grade book list.

Emmy in the Key of Code (secular, fiction)... This one is a little unique in that it's focused on a coding class (and family, friendship, music, insecurity...) so is at times written in code. Some of my kids are really into Scratch and HTML coding so this one is fun for that reason. I added this to our 7th grade list.

Enemies in the Orchard (Christian, historical fiction)... This one is from a Christian publishing house but wasn't super faith-focused. This WWII book is likely to be a bit much for younger readers. I added it to our 8th Grade list.

Heartbeat (secular, fiction)... This main character has a pregnant mom so my kids enjoyed reading this one during my pregnancy. It's also about art, running, friendship, and a grandparent with dementia. I added this to our 6th grade list.

Little Dog Lost // Little Cat's Luck (secular, fiction)... These are fun for animal lovers. I added these to our 4th Grade book lists.

May B (secular, historical fiction)... This a story about May and her grit as she's left alone in a cabin for an extended period of time. May also deals with dyslexia. This is on our 4th Grade list.

On the Horizon (secular, historical fiction)... This WWII book is less intense than the one listed above. It's on our 5th grade list.

The One Thing You'd Save (secular, fiction)... This is a class discussing the one thing they'd save if they could only save one thing from a house fire. I added it to our 5th grade list.

Salt (secular, historical fiction)... This is a friendship story from the war of 1812. I added this one to our 7th grade list.

Friday, April 11, 2025

Faithgirlz Master List

If you liked my American Girl master list, you'll like my FaithGirlz list! We hope they'll release many more of these books in the future.

📖 Best Hair Book Ever... This one is a nonfiction with all kinds of fun hairstyles for girls who enjoy trying those.

📖 Boarding School Mysteries... I really liked the first one but the second was a one-star read that really bothered me so I never continued the series.

📖 Glimmer Girls series... I liked the messages in this fun series and it was a big hit around here. I was tempted to assume it was all just silly playfulness because of the covers but there was a lot of great depth woven into each book, especially the last two!

📖 Faithgirlz journal... Lots of good prompts in this journal.

📖 Lena in the Spotlight series... I liked this trilogy about a young lady becoming a movie star overnight. Lots of good faith content in these. The Daniels Sisters series is a companion series.

📖 Princess in Camo series... These are light and fun in general and are about a fictional family + their fictional TV show so you don't need to have watched the Duck Dynasty show to understand it all.

Ultimate Bible for Girls... We had a different cover and I do prefer other Bibles, just my own personal preferences, but this is a nice Bible. I did not read every extrabiblical word but I saw nothing objectionable in what I read.

Still on my list to try: 622 Harbor View series // The Daniels Sisters // From Sadie's Sketchbook // Good News Shoes // Lucy // Samantha Sanderson series // Sophie series // Soul Surfer series

Monday, March 10, 2025

What I read in February

I tried to be really intentional about my first month of postpartum healing this time around and I feel like I did a good job! I napped or rested in bed reading during a lot of baby's naps plus I employed the same trick with this baby that I used to use during nighttime (early morning) feedings- read on the Kindle so I don't engage/stimulate baby during sleep hours yet don't fall asleep! But I didn't do much audio book listening since I wasn't doing the workouts, driving, or chores that normally make sense as audio book time.

First, grown-up reads...

📖 Bible study: Proverbs! Still focused on a very slow bible study- quality, not quantity.

📖 All That Really Matters (Christian, fiction)... I am really fascinated by the overall idea of influencers (it's such a strange byproduct of an internet-heavy world, isn't it?) and really enjoyed this novel about a popular makeup influencer and her time mentoring young adults who have aged out of the foster care system. I'm not at all interested in book 2 but I am really loving Nicole Deese lately so I'll be reading it anyway!

📖 Bitter and Sweet (Christian, fiction)... Yet another book exploring family dynamics and character development. I am forever drawn to deep, rich stories like these. This one is set in South Carolina and focuses on a toxic adult sister relationship + some ties to their great grandmother's past.

📖 Boost Your Breast Milk (secular, nonfiction. Parenting? Health?)... Good, short and to the point, helpful!

📖 The Brain's Way of Healing (secular, nonfiction, health)... I didn't read the whole super long book, just parts that matched up with a loved one's condition. So fascinating!

📖 Formula of Deception (Christian, fiction, suspense)... I was really into this Alaska suspense book but there was a point right near the end that kinda pulled me out of the story. I will try more Carrie Stuart Parks in the future.

📖 Habits of the Household (Christian, nonfiction)... I adored this book! But I do think you won't get much out of it if you aren't actively parenting young children.

📖 Meet Me in the Margins (Christian [but not really], fiction)... I read this because Janssen said it was a good clean read for teens + I'm a sucker for a good book about books/writing. I am not a sucker for romance but they're growing on me IF they're done right. I loved this one!

📖 A Time to Stand (Christian, fiction)... I was so curious to see how this one would go- a black lawyer who feels called to defend the white police officer who shot an unarmed black teenager. I have liked the other Robert Whitlow books I've read and I liked this one, too.

📖 Plus the designated chapters of my ongoing baby reads this year, What to Expect: The First Year // The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding // The Wonder Weeks

And for my kids' shelves...

📖 All of Creation (Christian, upper middle grade, nonfiction)... I've always thought it so strange that an environmental sustainability focus is so often seen as almost anti-Christian. The environment was hand-created by God, we live here, it's the thief who came to destroy, and besides, God is pretty clear in Genesis that we're supposed to take care of our world. This book did a good job of laying out practical things we can do to protect specific plants/creatures/habitats in a very Biblical, faith-focused way. #Christianhippie 🤷🏼

📖 The Blind Girl's Song (Christian, middle grade, fictionalized biography)... This was a well-done, engaging biography about the author of many famous hymns. I enjoyed this one and think a lot of music-minded kids will enjoy it, too.

📖 Can You Survive: an Alien Invasion (secular, middle grade, fiction, choose-your-own-adventure)... Something that interested my son... Fluff of course, overall fine. Like most of these kinds of books, some adventure paths were better than others.

📖 DNA by Alvin and Virginia Silverstein (secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... Short and informative with fun tidbits thrown in.

📖 Flight of the Eagles (Christian, middle grade, fantasy)... I was curious to see if this 90s story would be too old and outdated for my oldest but it wasn't! He definitely plans to continue the series.

📖 Heroes: Incredible True Stories of Courageous Animals (secular, nonfiction)... These are all stories about animals helping during wars. Some stories end sadly but it's a good read for kids who can handle that.

📖 Kate and the Spies (Christian, middle grade, historical fiction)... This Revolutionary war novel is the third Sisters in Time book I've read and it's going to be a definite hit with one of my kids.

📖 Lena in the Spotlight series- Hello Stars // Daydreams and Movie Screens // Shining Night (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... I liked this Faithgirlz series about a young lady becoming a movie star overnight. Lots of good faith content in these.

📖 The Misadventured Summer of Tumbleweed Thompson (Christian, middle grade, historical fiction)... Really liked this one and know my kids will love it so already planning to use it as our next read-aloud!

📖 The Mythmakers (secular, YA, nonfiction, graphic novel)... This is a great look at the lives + relationship of JRR Tolkein and CS Lewis which I'll definitely hand to my kids as high schoolers. I also loved this author's Bonhoeffer graphic novel in a similar style.

📖 Nicholas Quick and the Man from the Chaos Dimension (secular, middle grade, fiction, fantasy)... Fantasy is never my favorite but this one was fun and then was a hit with my oldest.

📖 Who Were the Navajo Code Talkers? (Secular, middle grade, nonfiction, history)... I don't love every book in this series but I did really enjoy this one!

📖 Winning the War in Your Mind for Teens (Christian, YA, nonfiction)... Wow, what a powerful read period but especially for supporting teens through those hard angsty times.

Picture books we enjoyed this month: The Book Bus // Buzzing With Questions // Captain Cat // I Will Rejoice // I've Loved You Since Forever // The King Without a Shadow // Pa, Me, and the Sidewalk Pantry // The Prince and the Porker // Race to Kindness // Take Heart My Child // What's Inside a Flower // The Wonderful Things You Will Be // You Are My Happy

Monday, November 18, 2024

Christmas middle grade favorites

Cute bookish decor spotted while running errands in the city... Top two were at Target, bottom two at Michael's

🎄 American Girl- Josefina, Kirsten, Addy (secular, historical fiction)... I don't love every American Girl book I've ever read (full master list of my American Girl reviews here) but I loved these three series and enjoyed all of the Christmas stories (book 3 in most girls' series), too.

🎄The Angel Tree (secular, fiction)... This one has a bit more snark than I usually go for but it didn't get too bad and I enjoyed both the message and the mystery as a group of kids worked to figure out who is their town's mysterious Christmas benefactor.

🎄 The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (secular with a great Christian message, fiction)... My third grade teacher read this to our class and my goodie two shoes lil Enneagram 1 wing was deeply offended. All I could see was a book full of bad examples set by those naughty Herdmans. But after Amy reviewed it with such high regard I gave it another chance and found myself tearfully moved. My mom sent us on a family movie date last weekend and we loved the new movie!

🎄The Drummer Boy (Christian, dystopian fiction)... One of my kids loved this book so much, about a young boy in a society where Jesus's name isn't spoken learning about him anyway. It's a good one for sure.

🎄The Family Under the Bridge (secular, fiction, TGTB book list)... This might be a stretch as middle grade, kinda somewhere between an early chapter book and a true middle grade, but I really enjoyed this touching story about homeless people (a newly homeless family + a curmudgeonly old man) at Christmastime.

🎄A Grandma for Christmas (secular, fiction, TGTB book list)... This one is super, super short but it was a fun and sweet read-aloud we all enjoyed a few Christmases ago.

🎄Horse Diaries: Jingle Bells (secular, historical fiction)... This series is written about completely different horses (in different time periods) by different authors... So no need to have read any others! We loved the cozy Norwegian family. One of my kids adores horse books and adored this one, too.

🎄 The Light at Tern Rock (secular, fiction, TGTB book list)... This is another short read but this one brought us such great discussion! I don't think I'd expected it to be Christmassy when I read it but now we call it a Christmas read around here.

🎄One Wintry Night (Christian, fiction)... I love this one by Ruth Bell Graham, mother of Billy Graham! It's definitely a fast read for the middle grade crowd but with such a lovely Christmas message!

🎄 The Promise and the Light (Christian, Biblical fiction)... My oldest thoroughly enjoys Katie Morgan's middle grade Biblical fiction and especially loved reading this one last Christmas.

🎄Tabitha's Travels (Christian, Biblical fiction)... I adored Amon's Adventure at Easter and then I loved reading this one at Christmas. I took the advice of Sarah Mackenzie and read just the fiction portions- fantastic Biblical fiction about the birth of Jesus!

🎄Treasures of the Snow (Christian, fiction, TGTB book list)... This is not truly a Christmas book but so much of it takes place over several different Christmases that it really felt like it!

🎄The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (secular, fiction)... This was our read-aloud in 2022. There was a tad more sass than I remembered but we still really enjoyed this story about the five Vanderbeeker children banding together to save their home in time for Christmas!

🎄Winterfrost (secular, fantasy)... This was our 2023 read-aloud and it was such a hit for my kids. They loved learning more about the nisse (we got the cutest ornament to symbolize our read-aloud that year!) and we're rooting for Bettina and Klakke the whole time.

I also always think of Little Women (secular, classic, fiction) as a Christmas book even though it technically isn't.

Monday, October 28, 2024

Christian Middle Grade Fantasy Favorites

Fantasy seems to be so hot right now. My kids are all loving it and we've been noticing that a ton of family friends feel the same way! If you've been here a while you know it isn't my favorite but I've made an effort for the sake of my loves and to say they appreciate it is an understatement.

📚 The Aedyn Chronicles... This is a trilogy about siblings who travel to a fantasy world. This one is fast-moving and action-packed.

📚 The Chronicles of Narnia... I adore this high fantasy classic series of seven. This one is an allegory and is full of character and adventure. We don't really do Disney movies but their Narnia movies have been an exception. The battle-filled movies may be too scary for younger kids.

📚 The Dreamkeeper Saga... There are four in this series, at least for now. In this creative series, a girl travels through the dream realm, a land where dreams (and nightmares!) are real.

📚 The Green Ember series + accompanying series... With the accompanying series (Tales of Old Natalia and The Last Archer), there are ten of these exciting yet beautiful rabbit stories... But SD Smith recently sent out a poll asking which characters we'd like to read more about so there will likely be more soon! This one is also allegorical in nature and is a definite favorite with my family.

📚 The Inkwell Chronicles... This UK trilogy is so fun, about magic ink that's behind all kinds of famous written works. There's a lot of author name-dropping, which I love, and we hope there will be more in this series.

📚 Jack Zulu books... There are only books in this series so far and we hope to see many more! These are set in 1980s West Virginia and involve Jack and some friends in a battle for good versus evil.

📚 Landon Snow... These are fun, about talking books and more, with a definite good vs evil theme.

📚 The Prince Warriors... There are four in this series and my kids have all loved it. In this series, a group of children (boys and girls) travel to the world of Ahoratos. There is a lot of spiritual imagery in these.

📚 The Restorationists... There are two of these so far and they're so fun! We have two cousins (a boy and a girl) who are able to travel into paintings. There are good guys, bad guys, and internal struggles, action, adventure... And bonus, homeschool moms- these are an excellent way to share art history with a reluctant kiddo. One of my kids truly despises learning art and art history, yet knows more than the rest of us thanks to these books!

📚 Son of Angels... This four book series about nephilim and good vs evil is so exciting! This one brought up so much great discussion!

📚 Wingfeather Saga series... This one is about a boy-and-girl sibling group who live in a fantastical world and embark on a quest together. My oldest plowed through the four-book series + two accompanying books and we are now watching the show together.

Monday, October 21, 2024

September reads

First, the grown-up reads!

📖 Bible study... Luke. Verrrry slowly, reading my Bible much more slowly these days on advice from our pastor. Seeking to understand each little bit rather than seeking to get through a lot.

📖 Better Together by Pam Barnhill (nonfiction, homeschool)... I felt so inspired by this little book on homeschool morning time and added so many great readings to our morning basket this month.

📖 Finding God in my Loneliness (Christian, nonfiction)... I was experiencing a strange kind of loneliness in early September that's hard to explain. I felt no loneliness at all in my home life or spiritual life but more in a female companionship kind of way. I am normally very content in This area but i think it was a combination of hormones and wishing I could be experiencing pregnancy alongside a friend. Fortunately that's gone now and I'm back to joyful contentment. This book wasn't quite what I was after and was one of those I had mixed feelings on. I liked several things and disliked/disagreed with a few things. 🤷🏼

📖 The Power of a Woman's Words (Christian, nonfiction)... I read this one very slowly, really savoring and reflecting on tiny morsels at a time. I was reminded of so many things people have said that have stuck with me over the years and reflected a lot on the gifts I want to give with my own words.

📖 A Skeleton in God's Closet (Christian, general fiction)... I was very into this one, about an archaeologist who uncovers something that will turn Christianity on its head. It was so good! I was genuinely invested in the outcome and sped through it. I would say this is a great book for guys, too. There is alove interest but it doesn't dominate the story.

📖 Slow Death by Rubber Duck (secular, nonfiction)... This book is from 2009 so I admittedly already about all of these toxins and had thankfully phased all of them out of our day-to-day life already but I still enjoyed seeing it all in one place and remembering why it's so important to focus on natural, God-designed things!

📖 The Stranger in the Lifeboat (secular publication with a strong faith focus, fiction)... Mitch Albom is for sure my favorite secular author. All of his books I've read so far always move me and make think, reflect, and enjoy a deep a powerful prayer session. This one did contain a curse word. (The A word)

📖 Truly Madly Deeply (Christian, fiction)... This is another Baxter Family stand-alone novel- you don't have to have to read any others to fall into it but you'll of course appreciate it more if you have. This one is largely focused on a high school senior switching career paths and facing a lot of opposition from his mother, and his girlfriend's sudden diagnosis and battle with a health crisis. I now have just two Baxter books left! 😱

Kid shelf reads:

📖 The Bronze Bow (secular, middle grade, Biblical fiction, TGTB)... The cover of this one didn't really appeal to me so I was surprised by how much I loved it!

📖The Golden Goblet (secular, middle grade, historical fiction, TGTB book list)... A bit depressing at first but pretty good!

📖 Joni's Story (Christian, middle grade, memoir)... Loved this memoir by Joni Eareckson Tada and promptly read it aloud to my older kids, too. Fyi to parents, there is one paragraph early on where Joni explains her depression after her accident and that she asked a friend to kill her, using very specific suggestions. I just skipped over the specifics when I read it aloud.

📖 Little Pilgrim's Progress (Christian, middle grade, classic)... It has taken me years to read this classic!

📖 London Art Chase (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... This first book in the Glimmer Girls series was cute and something my daughter has been so excited about! For some reason Amazon shows this as book 2 but it's for sure book 1.

📖Penny (Horse Diaries) (secular, middle grade)... A paint mare story for my horse-loving kiddo!

📖 Time Crashers: Viking Attack (Christian, middle grade, choose-your-own-adventure)... I liked this one alright but parents should know there is of course fighting due to the Viking theme. In one story line, our MC does meet a violent (but not graphic) fate and youre encouraged to use your time machine and try a different storyline if you don't like that ending.

Also, library picture books that stood out: Because Barbara // Cozy Light, Cozy Night

Monday, March 25, 2024

Middle Grade March- Mysteries

📚 American Girl History Mysteries and Beforever characters' mysteries (secular)... I love the historical fiction element of some of these! They are not always a yes for me though. You can find specific yeses in my American Girl review page.

📚 The Father Brown Reader (secular)... These ones are fun, about a cute little old priest who happens upon crimes and solves them in clever ways. There are also adult versions and a TV show (which I haven't seen).

📚 The Hardy Boys (secular)... Some of these mysteries are more intriguing than others but they've been captivating middle graders for decades!

📚 Nancy Drew (secular)... Some of these mysteries are more intriguing than others but they've been captivating middle graders for decades! I loved Nancy Drew when I was in 4th and 5th grade.

📚 Precious Ramotswe Mysteries (secular, TGTB list)... These mysteries are set in Africa and they're so much fun! African animals make appearances and the audio books are lots of fun, too.

📚 The Sugar Creek Gang (Christian)... We've only read the first six but we liked them. Some find these a bit preachy but my son doesn't mind. We also tried the first movie and were surprised by a couple of changes (made to appeal more to girls) but overall liked that, too.

📚 The Three Investigators (secular)... These are similar in nature to The Hardy Boys. I haven't read all of them and one was a no for us, though I no longer remember which one or why.

📚 Vanished (Christian)... This one was fun for me and I would have loved it as a tween! This is the first in a series and I do plan to try the rest.

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Middle Grade March- 10 Great Adventures

📚 Adventures of a South Pole Pig (secular)... This is such a fun read, about a young farm pig who admires sled dogs and is determined to become a sled pig. Her story is an adventure to be sure.

📚 The Chronicles of Narnia (Christian)... I have always loved this adventurous allegory series and now my oldest loves it, too.

📚 The Dreamkeeper Saga (Christian)... This is a very fantastical and adventure-driven story rich with Christian symbolism. There are four books in the series so far and it's a huge hit with my middle grader.

📚 The Green Ember (Christian)... This one, full of battles and allegory, has been a huge hit around here. Every kid we've loaned it to has loved it!

📚 Hunger Winter (Christian)... This WWII adventure involves a big brother doing everything he can to get his little sister to safety. I loved their relationship and it's rare that a middle grade gets my heart racing but this one did!

📚 The Inkwell Chronicles (Christian)... This one takes place in Scotland and I loved the literary nuggets thrown in.

📚 Jack Zulu and the Waylander's Key (Christian)... One of my son's very favorites, from the author of the Green Ember series.

📚 The Restorationists (Christian)... These children have the ability to travel into paintings making for a different kind of adventure altogether!

📚 Winterfrost (secular)... I love this one. Set in Denmark, Bettina has to go on quite the adventure when her baby sister is kidnapped by a gnome-like creature called a nisse.

📚 A Wrinkle in Time (Christian?)... I liked this one but my son adored it. This one is controversial among Christians. It's a five book series but I've only read the first two so far.