THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE by Alan Bradley Alan Bradley approaches his mystery series from a very interesting point of view, the eyes of an 11-year-old brilliant girl named Flavia de Luce. Self taught in the knowledge of chemistry including poison, Flavia is immediately intrigued when a dead bird with a stamp pinned to its beak is found on the doorstep of her family's grand, rambling home. Then a body is discovered in the garden, and her father is the chief suspect. She jumps at the chance to learn more about the silent, often removed father that she desires to know better while attempting to clear his name. If you are looking for a light mystery without lots of scare or gore, this is a perfect fit! HEADS UP- There is a small amount of language in the book. (No F-bombs.)

THE ASSASSINATIONS OF SAMIR, THE SELLER OF DREAMS by Daniel Nayeri This is one of those stories that holds many surprises. The first being what genre to classify this book as. There are portions of historical fiction as the story unfolds along the Silk Road, and there are portions of it that are Arabian Folktale style that give the reader a feeling of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. The story is told in first person from a a boy that has twice been orphaned and is running for his life. It begins with the captivating sentence, "The first time I was stoned to death by an angry mob, I was not even a criminal." Immediately the reader's mind jumps to the idea that there must have then been a second time. Is that even possible? As this nameless boy tries to escape, he happens upon a traveling caravan and meets Samir, a trader whose every item comes with an amazing, truth-stretched back story. Samir intervenes in the stoning and the boy, whom he names Monkey, lives. Monkey is mortified to find out the true character of his savior and that he now belongs to him. Because of his lying and swindling dealings, several assassins have been hired to kill Samir and are hot on his trail. Everything from a Viking warrior, to a Mongol Archer, to Rogue Roman soldiers, and more are tracking him. Monkey is convinced he must buy his freedom somehow or consider the idea of killing his master before he is completely caught up in all this mess. There's just one little thing he didn't count on, and that is for the first time in a long time, he belongs somewhere. I have to say a word about the illustrations in this book. Every chapter begins with a painting by Daniel Miyares that gives this book even more of a Middle Eastern Folktale feel. They are well done and have an old-style air to them that makes you feel as if you have slipped back through the pages of time in this story even more. HEADS UP- The book does talk about different religions, and Samir is quick to become whatever faith relates to his current audience. Often this is very humourous as he often misjudges his audience.

THE HORSE AND HIS BOY by C.S. Lewis Book 5 in The Chronicles of Narnia is one that holds a special spot in my heart right now. It is a story of pursuit and redemption. It is Jeremiah 29:11 in story form. " For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Shasta has only known the fisherman's cottage in which he has grown up. He has only known what it means to be a bother, slave, and unloved. That is until a hardened, Calormen soldier seeks shelter for the night at this cottage. While caring for the soldier's horse, Shasta attempts an escape, and a journey begins that will take some very unexpected twists and turns. Be assured that Someone who has a plan and a purpose for Shasta has His hand in it from the very beginning.

THE BIGGEST WIN: PRO FOTTBALL PLAYERS TACKLE FAITH by Joshua Cooley We live in a world that oftentimes centers itself around, should I dare say worships, sports and superstar athletes. We are amazed by abilities, the thrill of games, lavish lifestyles, and unbelievable contracts. Many times we as parents groan when these athletes speak, and the self centeredness and agendas fall from their lips. In 2017 six Christian NFL players were brought together as part of the Philadelphia Eagles football team. That year was special, not only because the team went on to win the Super Bowl that year, but because there was a band of brothers who love and serve the Lord that were able to walk part of their life's journey together. This book shares that special time with us. Through wins, losses, being apart from family, injuries, etc these stories share how these six leaned on Christ and continue to to this day. While this book is about football, I believe it is a book that could appeal to any sports loving Christian. It showcases the discipline of the athletes to their sport while making Christ a focal point of their lives. Highly Recommend!

THE TRUTH ABOUT DRAGONS by Julie Leung. Illustrated by Hanna Cha. This gorgeous picture book is the bedtime story a mother tells to her young son about the dragons from two different cultures, Eastern and Western. In the story the boy takes two separate trips in which he visits each of his grandmothers. One grandmother, who is European, tells him the legends of medieval dragons. The second grandmother, who is Asian, tells him the myths of the Asian culture. Both contain dragons, interestingly, but both portray dragons in completely different lights. European legends portray dragons are fierce cave dwellers who hoard piles of golden treasure. Asian stories tell of dragons who contain deistic characteristics. They often live in the sky and control natural elements. (Anyone read the Chinese Menu book of myths I shared during the Chinese New Year? Several of the stories contain dragons.) This young boy is obviously a mix of these two cultures. He is Eurasian. His mother tells him that in life sometimes people are forced to pick one heritage or the other, but she assures him that both paths are for his discovery, and that he has two "wise" grandmothers that cannot wait to share the journey with him. The concept and the artwork of this picture book are beautiful. Before I knew that this book was a Caldecott Winner, I was overwhelmed with the illustrations. They are breath taking. I do have a "heads up" to talk about though. HEADS UP- This book does mention deities such as the Moon Goddess and like mentioned earlier, give similar qualities to dragons. This may be a reason to wait on sharing it with a young child. I personally find these tales from other cultures interesting and enjoy sharing them, but I also try and not open the doors to confusion in young children's minds.

SUNSHINE: HOW ONE CAMP TAUGHT ME ABOUT LIFE, DEATH, AND HOPE by Jarrett J. Krosoczka If you are looking for a moving graphic biography then you will want to check out Sunshine by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. This tear jerker of a book tells the story of a summer Jarrett spent as a counselor at a camp for kids that have cancer. Initially, Jarrett expects that it's going to be a depressing summer surrounded by all these kids dealing with such serious life situations. Instead, he finds a camp that desires to give these kids a real camp experience, and most of these kids are ready for it. They're tired of always being the person that everyone feels sorry for. At camp, everyone is in the same boat. What they're experiencing is the norm. It's the healthy people that are the exception. The relationships that Jarrett forms are ones that affect him for the rest of his life. I can attest personally to this, because I worked my high school summers at a camp for the disabled. HEADS UP- There are a handful of profanities. (No F-bombs.) At the start of the story the teachers lay down the law to the counselors - boys in the boys' cabin, girls in the girls' cabin. When one of the smart mouth kids asks "why" the teacher responds that they don't need any girls going home pregnant.

WILD PLACES: THE LIFE OF NATURALIST DAVID ATTENBOROUGH by Hayley Rocco. Illustrated by John Rocco. British naturalist David Attenborough dedicated his life to taking people into all the wild places that most could never visit. He brought them face to face with animals in their natural habitats, so they could see how the animals lived. How did Attenborough begin this amazing journey? Hayley and John Rocco tell his story in the gorgeous picture book, Wild Places: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough. After spending so much time in nature, David noticed that the wild places were disappearing. He now dedicates his life to restoring these natural treasures. HEADS UP- There is a reference to millions of years in this picture book.

DOGS ON THE TRAIL by Blair Braverman I don't know if you guys recently caught the Iditarod.i have loved the idea of the amazing race since I first heard about it. This year's race began March 3. First place winner, Dallas Seavey, is a 37-year-old Alaskan native, and this was his 6th time winning this famous dogsled race! He finished the race in 9 days, 2 hours, 16 minutes, and eight seconds. His winnings? $55,000.00. I recently read a beautiful picture book biography entitled Dogs on the Trail: A Year in the Life by Blair Braverman and Quince Mountain. This 143 page book takes you through the seasons of the year and what sled dogs are doing during those seasons. It explains what a sled dog is exactly and the special care it takes to have these amazingly athletic dogs. It showcases the dogs' individual personalities and gives the reader a chance to get to know them. The book is very well done and pictures are gorgeous. HEADS UP- Now, with what I am about to say next, we aren't going to comment directly about this in the comments. This is a very hot topic in our world and the goal of this page is not to fight with each other, but to help you have information. Sometimes we don't learn about authors themselves until we get home and read the bios. Some of you may have been familiar with the names and already know where I am going with this. I was not.These authors are married to each other. Quince is the "first openly transgender musher in the Iditarod." Quince was not originally born a male, but has since undergone procedures. I am just going to say I would not have guessed it from the pictures in the book. None of this is expressed in the book itself, but I want you to be aware so you can decide what books fit your family. We'll just leave it at that.

THE DEAD SEA SQUIRRELS: BOY MEETS SQUIRRELS by Mike Nawrocki In Book 2 of Mike Nawrocki's clever, but fun, Dead Sea Squirrels series, Boy Meets Squirrels, Michael is back, and he has a new problem to figure out. Edgar, the school bully, is targeting him. Michael wants to take matters into his own hands and get even, but the squirrels have some different advice they heard once from Jesus in The Sermon on the Mount. This series continues to be a humorous way at learning some great truths!

BEAR FINDS EGG by Karma Wilson. Illustrated by Jane Chapman. If you're a fan of Karma Wilson's Bear series, her newest edition, Bear Finds Eggs, won't disappoint. (If you aren't familiar with her books, you'll want to check them out!) While it has a bit of an Easter feel (in fact someone in my family knows how much I love books and tucked this in my Easter basket! ), it overwhelmingly has a feeling of Spring as Bear and his friends discover eggs that are about to hatch. Wilson's marvelous rhyming text invokes a singsong feeling as Jane Chapman's delightful illustrations are a feast for the reader's eyes. Everyone will enjoy the super sweet ending!

ECLIPSE by Kelsey Oseid Eclipse: Our Sky's Most Dazzling Phenomenon by Kelsey Oseid is a GREAT book to get your hands on if you are into the upcoming eclipse. Measuring just over 6"x6", with 97 pages of text, this little book is packed with lots of great information. Covering topics such as eclipses mentioned in history, mythology, basic terminology explained in easy to understand terms, different types of eclipses, eclipse chasers and more, this little book presents a feast for you to choose from without feeling overwhelming. (I'll give you a peek at it in the comments!) Filling the pages are Oseid's wonderful illustrations. They bring about a folksy feeling to the book and make it feel more welcoming and less text bookish. They're probably one of the reasons the book went home with me. HEADS UP- There are some brief mentions of evolutionary thought.  In one of the myth explanations " the sun and moon are depicted as lovers, meeting only in the darkness of a total solar eclipse so that we cannot watch their rare union." At one point Oseid tries to give an explanation on the Biblical accounts of the sun standing still as possibly stemming from an "optical illusion."

THE COMFORT OF CROWS: A BACKYARD YEAR by Margaret Renkl The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl is a book that speaks my language. If you are the type of person that loves watching nature go through its seasonal transformations or if you are the type of person that enjoys watching the habits of animals in their natural surroundings, then this book is for you. Renkl sets her book up in four parts. Each part is dedicated to a season. Within that season she divides her writing into 13 weeks and tells about the natural happenings around her home. Included in the natural happenings are the seasons of life that she is facing as her children "leave the nest."  I began this book before we officially crossed from winter into spring here in Ohio. I thought it would be a fun one to read as the year progressed, but I found that it was a book that I was drawn to, especially in the evenings when life was quieting down. Since it is divided into weeks, it is a book that was easy to pick up and put down without feeling like I'd lost a story line. At the beginning of each week, artist Billy Renkl (the author's brother) has included a beautiful piece of artwork depicting parts of Margaret's writings. The pictures are delightful and give the book the feel of a field guide of sorts. I really enjoyed having the concrete divisions between the weeks that gave the book an overall feeling of individual parts. HEADS UP- There was a mention of billions of years a time or two, but Renkl's focus is on what is currently unfolding in her yard in front of her.