Media Matters

 Movie (2023) This was a fabulous feel-good movie musical! It is a prequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and it captures Roald Dahl’s style and tone well. The villains are over-the-top, and evil is overcome by love. Note: there is a scene where an evil oaf tries to flirt by wearing short shorts and wiggling his behind.

 Picture book by Sandra Boynton. This is more for older kids or even adults, not aimed at toddlers. For anyone needing a cheerleader!

 Board book by David Van Buren This type of sentimental board book usually annoys me, but this one had lovely illustrations paired with rhyming text that worked.

 Board book by Sandra Boynton. Sometimes what is needed is complete silliness. This giggle-inducing nonsense comes with music notation so you can sing along!

 Board book by Caroline Peters. One simple sentence per page showing one of the things Jesus taught. Lovely and simple.

 Picture Book by Janna Matthies. I love the repeated refrain: “God, that’s who.” This is one of those rare cases where the prose, artwork, and message are all top notch! One of my favorites.

 Picture book by Alica Schertle. Adorable story about helping others. Recommended for ages 2-5.

 Board book by Bob Bianchini. Cute book about a little boy and his dad using different modes of transportation. Works well as a board book, with just one sentence per spread.

 Lift the flap board book by Joyce Wan. My granddaughter loves this lift-a-flap guess who board book!

 Board book by Roger Priddy. This is a good collection with a touch and feel texture on each spread. My granddaughter chooses this one often.

 Board book by Sandra Boynton. This is a silly nonsense version of the song Deck the Halls that is quite fun to sing.

 Picture book by Grace Maccarone This is a wonderful nativity book for ages 2-5. Simple rhyming text that tells the story in a meaningful way, paired with sweet illustrations.

 Picture book by Iza Trapani. I’m usually not a big fan of songs turned into books. But this author has created additional verses in which we travel the world, seeing the Christmas traditions of various cultures. It’s interesting and educational and the rhythm of the new lyrics works.

 Picture book by Mike Reiss. This was a funny tale about a city where every day is Christmas except for one “UnChristmas” day a year when everything is new and exciting (like going to school, receiving mail, watching non-Christmas movies, eating non-holiday foods, etc). A good conversation starter about how we need variety in order to appreciate things.

 Nonfiction book by Angela Duckworth. This was a really excellent book! The author told interesting stories and explained her research in understandable and relatable terms. She discussed persistence, passion, goals, intentional practice, purpose, growth mindset, parenting/mentoring, and much more. She looked at achievements in academics, athletics, business, and art. I would have loved to see her apply her research more to social relationships, spiritual growth, and personal morality, as I believe the same principles would absolutely apply. This is a book I want to read and discuss with my teens and young adult children.

 Book by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch. This was a fantastic audiobook about Eastern Europeans (Ukrainians in particular) who were enslaved by Nazis during WW2. I loved the humanity and generosity the protagonist showed to her fellow prisoners. Highly recommended for ages 12+ (there is violence, but it is not described in detail).

 Book by Lisa Wingate. This was a fantastic book! It is a dual timeline novel. One tells the story of Hannie, former slave girl who in 1875 ends up on a quest to find her family members who had been separated and sold away years before. The other timeline tells the story of Benny, who in 1987 is a first year English teacher at a low income school in Louisiana who engages her students in researching local and family histories. Both stories are engaging and beautifully written. Highly recommended for ages 13+. Content has adult themes, but nothing explicit.

 Book by Jason Reynolds. This was a great audiobook and the first in a series about a diverse group of track kids.

 Book by George MacDonald The story itself was good, and actually lends itself to a great deal of spiritual symbolism that could be discussed. Unfortunately, because this book was written 150 years ago, the idiomatic and syntactic aspects of the language do feel outdated. I would love for a revised edition to come out that keeps the beautiful writing while changing the wording just enough to be more understandable to modern children. A few quotes: “her hands were hard and chapped and large, but it was with work for them; and therefore in the sight of the angels her hands were so much the more beautiful.” “that is the way fear serves us: it always takes the side of the thing that we are afraid of.” “Seeing is not believing—it is only seeing.” “We are all very anxious to be understood, and it is very hard not to be. But there is one thing much more necessary.” “What is that, Grandmother?” “To understand other people.”

 Book by Heather Clark This was a beautiful book about dealing with grief. I loved the idea of Lemon Drop Conversations, and how freeing it is to have open and honest communication with people. It would be a great book for parents to read with their children as a jumping off point for discussion.

 Book by Courtney Walsh. This was funny, romantic, and insightful. I loved the eclectic group of friends she made simply by forcing herself out of her comfort zone. I agree that happiness is a choice independent of circumstance, and that vulnerability in relationships plays a key role in experiencing happiness. I also appreciated that this was  “clean” contemporary romance. 

 Book by Natalie Lloyd. Natalie Lloyd is a master of endearing female protagonists, quirky small town characters, and charming magical realism. And in this book, she incorporates her own experiences as a person living with brittle bone disease into the story. There were some great life lessons and themes to discuss! 

 Book by Shelby Van Pelt. Contemporary fiction is not normally my jam, but I really enjoyed this one! It’s the alternating stories of an elderly cleaning lady, an irresponsible young man, and an octopus, and how their lives intertwine. I know it sounds strange, but it works! Note: there is some profanity from one of the characters and several mentions of sex, but overall, pretty tame for an adult novel these days.

 Book by Grace Lin. I absolutely loved this fantasy interwoven with aspects of chinese fairy tales! There were themes of family, sacrifice, faith, gratitude, selflessness, and contentment. It would be a magical read-aloud for children ages 6-11.

 Book by Gordon Korman. Not quite as good as Restart, but similar themes of examining your life and what you would change if you could go back in time to your 7th grade you. The protagonist discovers  life lessons about strengthening relationships and trying new things, Best for ages 11-14, but enjoyable for all ages. The audiobook was good.

 Graphic novel by Christina Soontornvat. This graphic novel memoir was relatable, capturing middle school insecurities, disappointments, friendships and successes in a way that felt real.

 Novel by Julie Berry. This was a fantastic novel, intertwining two love stories with the events of WWI, all narrated by the Greek gods who were involved in influencing the characters and events in the stories. That may sound strange, but it worked surprisingly well. Although the historical aspects were interesting and well-researched, at its core this book is a romance, celebrating everything that is good and noble about love. I really enjoyed being able to swoon without having to wade through any questionable content. Highly recommended for age13+.

 Book by Katherine Applegate. As an adult reader, I knew where this story was going right from the start, but it was a cute story nonetheless. This would be a charming introduction to learning about ecosystems and symbiotic relationships in nature.

 Book by Chris Grabenstein  This was a fun, albeit far-fetched, adventure that I imagine kids ages 9-13 would really enjoy. One thing I appreciated is that its aim was to entertain rather than moralize or push an agenda, and it did so without resorting to potty humor. Both of those are a rarity in modern children’s lit.

 Novel by Ruta Sepetys. Another fantastic historical fiction from this author. She captures emotion, suspense, and bravery in the face of real danger, causing the reader to feel like they are right there in 1989 communist Romania with the characters. A thriller that had me on the edge of my seat! Highly recommended for ages 13+. A few quotes: “Imagine a madhouse where the lunatics are running the asylum and the workers are punished for their sanity.” “Living in Bucharest was like living inside a black-and-white photo. Life in cold monochrome. You knew that color existed somewhere beyond the city’s palette of cement and charcoal, but you couldn’t get there—beyond the gray.” “Mistrust is a form of terror. The regime pits us against one another. We can’t join together in solidarity because we never know whom we can trust or who might be an informer.” “If communism is Paradise, why do we need barriers, walls, and laws to keep people from escaping?”

 Book by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein  This was a charming book geared toward younger readers, with fun characters and lessons to be learned.