Book Review Roundup #1

Since 2003, Sherry Early of Meriadoc Homeschool Library has been writing thoughtful book reviews on her blog, Semicolonblog.com. Sherry's two decades of blogging has made Semicolonblog.com a treasure trove of book reviews perfect for librarians and families alike!

Diane Pendergraft and Sara Masarik got a little bit of a later start... 😂 they have also been aggressively reviewing nearly everything that they have been reading since 2016. Despite their later start, PlumfieldandPaideia.com is also packed with careful reviews of books new and old.

In the last year, the two blogs have been combining forces to read and review books for the 1924 and 1964 projects, Picture Book Preschool, Landmark Books, and other large bookish projects best tackled with friends.

Many readers and librarians have asked how they can stay connected with all of the newest reviews. We decided that it made sense to launch a twice-monthly newsletter with teasers and links to all of the newest reviews. Instead of getting an email or seeing a social media post every time there is a new review, by subscribing to this newsletter, you can get a digest or roundup on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of every month. We would love to have you subscribe to this newsletter if these reviews might be helpful or interesting to you!

At first, I thought this 2024 middle grade/YA fantasy novel from Waterbrook Press was Narnia fan fiction, or perhaps a Narnia sequel, Susan’s Story: Once a Queen in Narnia or something like that. (“Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia.”) That expectation was a disservice to the novel as it is. Sarah Arthur’s story certainly has strong echoes of Narnia, as well as being indebted to E. Nesbit, George MacDonald, Elizabeth Goudge, and Madeleine L’Engle, influences the author acknowledges in an author’s Q & A in the back of the book.

Read Sherry's Review

Another “boy stranded on a deserted island” story? Yes, and I wasn’t expecting much. I doubt I would have picked this one up if it hadn’t been free. Yes, it’s Michael Morpurgo, but he has disappointed me before. I love War Horse, but disliked the sequel, Farm Boy, and wasn’t impressed with An Elephant in the Garden. It is a fairly quick read at a middle-grade level. It is a story about adventure, love, faith, friendship, resourcefulness, art, and beauty, and it is absolutely worth finding out how it ends.

Read Diane's Review

The WWII novel switches between Lyon and Lisbon almost every other chapter. Each world is beautifully drawn making the transition between the two appropriately jarring. The prosperity and ease of living in Lisbon is in stark contrast with the poverty and danger of Lyon. Both characters are likable and believable. And, of course, the stories intersect when Elaine hides a message in Combat asking for assistance to get a Jewish mother and son out of France. Naturally, it is Ava who catches the hidden message and takes action.

Read Sara's Review

What a great little book, full of jokes and literary and historical allusions! Basil of Baker Street, the Sherlock Holmes of the mouse world, sets out to Switzerland to find the lost colony of the Tellmice of 1291, who fled to the mountains to escape their own tyrannical version of Gessler, William Tell’s famous oppressor. How refreshing to read a humorous mystery adventure for primary and middle grade readers that does not condescend to slapstick and potty humor but respects its readers while remaining accessible to them.

Read Sherry's Review

What child wouldn’t love to discover a living dinosaur in the backyard? What if that dinosaur could talk? That’s what happens to Joey and Joan Brown, freckled, red-headed twelve-year-old twins. On the first few pages of the story, we are made aware of the family Problem. The Problem is money. Mom, a widow, has inherited the Cricket Creek ranch from Uncle Henry. The prospect of living on a ranch seemed like a dream come true – life in the country with chickens, a horse and a cow, and a vegetable garden. Mom would be able to afford to stay home, so the twins wouldn’t need someone else to look after them. However, the reality is nothing like the dream.

Read Diane's Review

In something Sam shared recently, I heard him say that he thinks his writing in Jack Zulu and the Girl with the Golden Wings is some of the best writing he has ever done. He might be right. More importantly, I think his writing in this book is some of the most important writing he has done. Jack Zulu and the Girl with the Golden Wings is an interesting continuation of the Jack Zulu story but it is also an excellent story about maturing and how to become a trustworthy and reliable man.

Read Sara's Review

This Dickensian Christmas tale could have come straight out of Victorian England, but instead it’s a story from an American writer. Set in Oliver Cromwell’s England of the 1600’s, this 128-page quest story tells of a young orphan boy, Ned, and his search for food and a mother and a home. As he navigates his way through the threatening city of London, avoiding the officers who want to take him to the poorhouse, and the others who want to imprison him for thieving bread, Ned searches for the Mother and Babe that the bells of the cathedral are said to herald.

Read Sherry's Review

Somehow, in my quest to read everything Montgomery, it took me about forty years to get to Jane of Lantern Hill. It was published in 1937, between Anne of Windy Poplars and Anne of Ingleside. Despite some over-the-top incidents, such as Jane being instrumental in capturing an escaped circus lion, she is a loveable character. Montgomery gives her some unbelievable wisdom and talents for a girl her age, which isn’t unusual for Montgomery’s heroines.

Read Diane's Review

I have read a great number of WWII stories set amidst bombings, fire wardens, and rationing, but this one took on the flavor of something like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society or Blackout. The story genuinely stopped being about the facts of the Blitz and became about the people who were living (or dying) during the Blitz. This book will satisfy a lot of book lovers and historical fiction readers. It is an interesting WWII London Blitz story that is reasonably well-crafted. Also of note, it is wonderfully good for young adult readers without having any eyebrow-raising content. This story is safe to hand to my teen readers, and I think they will really enjoy it.

Read Sara's Review

Linnets and Valerians is a beautiful, truth-filled, engaging fantasy story by one of my favorite authors that I’m afraid will be problematic for many Christian readers. It shouldn’t be problematic to acknowledge that there is a spiritual realm of both good and evil and that spiritual battles must sometimes be fought by unconventional means. But witchcraft and spells, even good ones that counter evil, are a snare and anathema to some people, even reading about such things, so follow your own conscience.

Read Sherry's Review

I have been an avid reader of Joseph Pearce for years. I love Literature: What Every Catholic Should Know published by Augustine Institute & Ignatius Press. It is a truly excellent resource that is so well written and such a fascinating read. Each chapter covers one period of literature. In each, Pearce highlights the seminal author(s) of that period and gives us a compelling invitation into their best work(s). At the back is a top 100 list that I have been working my way through for the last five years. This year, I decided that it was time to put my big girl pants on and read Msgr. Hugh Benson’s nightmare-novel, Lord of the World. It is excellent!

Read Sara's Review

This mystery tale of smugglers and Native American artifacts and a fight against bridges and roads being built on top of someone’s home is fairly standard and quite readable. It reminds me of my beloved Trixie Belden mysteries and of the many mysteries by Helen Fuller Orton and the Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner. This one is not part of a series, but if you like any of Ms. Molloy’s many mystery adventure stories, you will probably enjoy this one.

Read Sherry's Review

I have had ten copies of Mooses with Bazookas in my library since it was released last fall, and all of them are constantly checked out. As one copy gets returned, someone grabs it out of the return pile and asks to have it checked back in immediately so they can check it out themselves. This hilarious collection of short comedic stories is the single most popular book in my 8,000-book catalog and has been checked out dozens of times. Somehow, Mooses with Bazookas, blends the ridiculous with the clever without being offensive or degrading into unsavory humor. This book is silly, sweet in places, absolutely goofy in other places, and always interesting. It is brilliant for family read-aloud but the audio is extra special good (with an extra ending that left me extra giggling).

Read Sara's Review

I’ve wanted to read Christopher Yuan’s conversion story for a while, but just recently managed to get hold of a copy. I think it was a bit anticlimactic for me because I already heard most of the outlines and some of the details of Mr. Yuan’s story. But for someone coming to the story with fresh eyes, this book would be a very powerful testimony to the saving power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for both wayward sons and their unredeemed parents.

Read Sherry's Review Here