Book Review Roundup #19
March 26, 2025
Lepunia: The Last Galloper by Kevin T. Ford
Kevin T. Ford’s Lepunia: The Last Galloper continues the rich storytelling of the Lepunia trilogy, immersing readers even more deeply into its world. With strong traditional storytelling, vivid world-building, and a deeper magic woven throughout, this book balances thrilling adventure with profound themes of courage and sacrifice. Fans of Mistmantle and The Green Ember will appreciate Ford’s noble animal characters and fast-paced action. Perfect for family read-alouds or middle-grade readers who love heroic tales, this installment is already a favorite in our household!
Painting Wonder
Painting Wonder by Katie Wray Schon is a beautifully crafted picture book biography of Pauline Baynes, the illustrator behind The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings. With engaging storytelling and captivating illustrations, this book invites young readers to explore Baynes’s fascinating journey, from WWII mapmaking to bringing Lewis and Tolkien’s worlds to life.
How Science Saved the Eiffel Tower by Emma Bland Smith
Emma Bland Smith unveils the surprising science behind the Eiffel Tower’s survival, turning a temporary landmark into a lasting symbol of innovation. This beautifully told and invitingly illustrated book is perfect for young scientists and history lovers alike. Smith’s storytelling makes history come alive, turning a fascinating footnote into an inspiring tale of determination and discovery.
Behold Your Queen by Gladys Malvern
Behold Your Queen! is a fictionalized version of the book of Esther from the Bible. The novel is by Gladys Malvern, a popular writer of what we would now call “Young Adult fiction.” Back in the 1940’s and 50’s it was called teen fiction or just children’s fiction for older children. Many of her books are set in either Old Testament or New Testament times and are embellishments on familiar Bible stories. Books such as The Foreigner (about Ruth), Saul’s Daughter (about David’s wife, Michal), Tamar, and Rhoda of Cyprus were favorites of mine when I was a teen, and as I re-read Behold Your Queen!, I was again impressed with how Ms. Malvern was able to make the Bible story come alive and make her characters into real, breathing people.
Coming soon in a reprint edition from Purple House Press Read Sherry's review
Bird Girl: Gene Stratton-Porter Shares Her Love of Nature with the World by Jill Esbaum and Rebecca Gibbon
Bird Girl: Gene Stratton-Porter Shares Her Love of Nature with the World is a sunny picture book biography about how Gene Stratton-Porter became The Bird Woman of the Limberlost Swamp. Today, Stratton-Porter is best known for her novels such as Freckles and A Girl of the Limberlost, but first she was a nature writer and photographer.
Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall
Sophie Blackall’s Farmhouse is a heartfelt picture book that captures the life, love, and history within the walls of an old family farmhouse. With thoughtful storytelling and whimsical illustrations, Blackall takes readers on a journey through time, following a bustling farm family with twelve children as they eat, play, quarrel, and grow within the walls of the farmhouse.
Farmhouse is a Picture Book Preschool selection.
The O'Donnells by Peggy Sullivan
I knew this book reminded me of the beloved All-of-a-Kind Family series by Sydney Taylor when I first opened it up. And sure enough, this story does for Irish Catholic families what Ms. Taylor’s books did for Jewish families — and for those who are interested in seeing how families of all different faiths live and grow and work together over the course of a year.
The O’Donnell family consists of Papa, an Irish American police sergeant, Mama, a homemaker and former maid, and five girls: Grace, Ella, Margaret, Rose, and Cis. They live in Kansas City in a small two-story house not far from Saint Aloysius (Catholic) School where the girls attend school. The story begins in the spring and relates the family's fortunes through the year until Easter Sunday of the following year.
Available as a reprint from Bethlehem Books
By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman
When Tanya Arnold recommended By the Great Horn Spoon! on Our Reading Life, I was skeptical. Sid Fleischman’s books had never appealed to me based on their covers, but Tanya’s enthusiasm—especially for the butler, Praiseworthy—convinced me to give it a try. Opting for the Audible version, I was quickly swept up in a rollicking, fast-paced adventure filled with humor, history, and heart.
Jack and his loyal butler, Praiseworthy, set off for Gold Country, determined to save Jack’s aunt from financial ruin. Their journey by sea and land is packed with daring escapades, larger-than-life characters, and a deep bond of friendship. Fans of Pay Attention, Carter Jones and classic adventure tales like Captain’s Courageous will love this delightful, action-packed read. The audiobook’s radio-theater-style performance adds to the fun, making it an excellent choice for family listening. Don’t miss this must-read adventure!
The Forgotten Daughter by Caroline Snedeker
The Forgotten Daughter by Caroline Snedeker is a gripping historical fiction novel set in 2nd-century B.C. Rome. Follow Chloe, a Roman centurion’s lost daughter, as she endures hardship, explores her Greek heritage, and finds redemption in an unexpected reunion.
A Newbery Honor book, this story weaves rich Roman history, complex themes, and an emotional journey of identity and justice. But be mindful—mature themes like slavery, mistreatment, and cultural beliefs about suicide make this one best suited for older readers.
The Virginian by Owen Wister
Whether or not Wister has placed himself in the story as the narrator, he did visit the West and fall in love with the land and the culture. He wrote The Virginian because he saw that the cowboy way of life, the unfenced prairies, and the thousands of square miles of untouched wilderness would soon be overtaken by civilization. Wister gives us the gift of an enduring hero whose quest for self-education and struggle toward virtue make him worthy of representing the Old West to our teen boys and girls.
The Adventure of Living by Paul Tournier
I had not visited with Dr. Tournier since my high school days, but I remembered him as wise Christian counselor, even if his work was a bit over my head at the time I was introduced to it. So, when I saw The Adventure of Living on the used books sale shelf at my local library, I decided to give it a try. It was an especially appropriate read for me now since my word for the year is “venture” or “adventure.” I’ve been trying to live my days as adventures and to venture out beyond my self-imposed limits this year. I found The Adventure of Living to be helpful and inspiring in my adventurous year.
Snow by Thelma Harrington Bell and drawn by Corydon Bell
Published by Viking Press in 1954, Snow by Thelma Harrington Bell is an absolute treasure—exactly the kind of living science book that belongs in every school library. With engaging text and beautiful, precise, and detailed monochrome illustrations by Corydon Bell, this book invites children into the wonder and science of snow in a way that is both educational and deeply captivating.
A Mathematician's Lament: How School Cheats Us Out of Our Most Fascinating and Imaginative Art Form by Paul Lockhart
There is an astonishing amount of power and truth packed into this 140-page book. If, like me, you feared and resented math in school because it made you feel stupid, perhaps you will understand why Lockhart’s lament almost had me crying by the end of the second chapter. Crying for “what if?” What if I had had even one math teacher in school who had loved mathematics as an art and taught it as such? What if even one of my teachers had given me time to explore the beauty of patterns and have ideas about them? What if, sometime in my twelve years of school, even one teacher had believed, “Being a mathematician is not so much about being clever . . . it’s about being aesthetically sensitive and having refined and exquisite taste”?
