THE WAGER: A TALE OF SHIPWRECK, MUTINY, AND MURDER by David Grann I am really surprising myself that The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann (author of Killers of the Flower Moon) is my first TOP PICK of 2024. This nonfiction book is a true adventure with bits of Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe thrown in. In 1740 six warships and two supply ships set sail on a secret mission from England to try and find a famed Spanish vessel loaded with treasure. The story centers on the ship, The Wager that experienced lots of tragedy finalized by wrecking into the island of Patagonia. The small amount of men that survived became at odds with each other and some of the men mutinied and attempted to head home. What happens after that is really quite unbelievable, but you'll have to read the book to find out! This story is a nonstop tale of adventure, blame, and ultimately responsibility for the tragedies that occurred. HEADS UP- There are only a couple of profanities that are used in direct quotes from the sailors. Overall this is a very clean story and highly recommended if you are a nonfiction lover!

THE LOST LIBRARY by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass The powerhouse writing team of Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass is evident in The Lost Library. This is a story about a library that burned down years ago and the effect that it had on the town told from the viewpoints of three characters: a cat named Mortimer, a boy named Evan, and a ghost named AL (whose name stands for Assistant Librarian). No one talks about the fire, because it was so devastating as it claimed the lives of two librarians. In spite of all of this, the book is written with a lot of lightheartedness as someone begins the process of helping the town to heal from the tragedy. It all begins with the placing of a free lending library that contains several books from the old library. As Evan borrows some of the books he begins to find clues that put him on the path of solving what really happened to the original library many years ago. One of the elements that is really neat about this book is that it goes through the process of how to write a book, and Evan uses that process to help him solve the mystery. It is very cleverly done and would be a fun edition to a writing class. HEADS UP- This story does contain ghosts. There are no scary parts at all. In fact, the ghost play a pivotal role in the healing process.

JACK: THE (FAIRLY) TRUE TALE OF JACK AND THE BEANSTALK by Liesl Shurtliff Fairy tale retellings can be a lot of fun for older kids. Liesl Shurtliff has a fun series for the middle grade group called (Fairly) True Tales. I recently read aloud Jack: The Fairly True Tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. In the beginning, Jack is quite the ornery kid. He's constantly getting into trouble with his family and the neighbors. Living in a farming community, when large quantities of crops and animals disappear, people want answers quickly. They refuse to believe in giants coming down from the sky, but Jack knows that's who's to blame. Then the giants raid again and Jack's father is taken this time. Jack can't wait any longer. He must find a way to get up to their kingdom and get his father back! This humorous tale is filled with lots of adventure, but also is the story of a boy who realizes how important his family is to him. He begins to grow up as his journey teaches him courage and responsibility.

WINTER'S NO TIME TO SLEEP: THE ADVENTURES OF SOPHIE MOUSE by Poppy Green. Illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell While it's super cold and snowy I've got to share this other Sophie Mouse book I picked up. This one is called Winter's No Time to Sleep by Poppy Green, and guess what? This one has an adorable little character named Pippa who is homeschooled! Woo-Hoo! Pippa is a darling little hedgehog that gets up from hibernation, so she doesn't miss out on all the winter fun. This is the third book I have read in the Sophie Mouse series, and I plan on reading all 21 of them! They are perfect for an early to mid elementary reader or would be wonderful as a read aloud to a younger child.

THE LION OF MARS by Jennifer L. Holm The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm is a great read! It honestly sat in my pile of books for at least 6 months, and I put off reading it. I really struggled with getting excited about people living on Mars. Just not my normal wheelhouse. Finally, I bit the bullet and read it, and I am so glad I did! The year is 2091, and many countries have settlements on Mars. The problem? It's against the rules for the US Settlement to get together with any of the other settlements. So what in the world are the kids in the US Settlement supposed to do when all the adults get sick? This isn't a game. This is life and death. Speaking of death, what's all the secrets surrounding the mysterious death of one of the team members? Someone knows the answers, and they aren't telling. To navigate all of the Mars' issues one of the kids is going to have to really find their courage and become a lion. HEADS UP- This book does have some minor disobedience issues. There is more than one death. No gore at all.

SNOW FRIENDS by Margery Cuyler. Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. Greetings from chilly Ohio! After bundling up and feeding the animals this morning, it was back inside, around the fireplace type of day! Glorious!! It's the perfect time for a new snowy read to share!  Snow Friends by Margery Cuyler is the delightful story of a dog that doesn't want to wait for his owner to go out and enjoy the snow. In fact, he doesn't want to stay in his own yard. He wants to go for a walk. On the way, he meets a friend, and they have some great adventures in the snow together! But..the part I love the most about this book is the illustrations! Will Hillenbrand is a master at creating absolute doggy sweetness. If your family loves dogs and their antics, get ready to grin as you check these pages out. Hillenbrand has used about everything possible in creating the artwork- pastels, watercolors, pencil, crayons, collage, and more! And guess what? He's from Ohio! So grab a fuzzy blanket, your four-legged friend ( or friends), and dive into this darling book!

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR BOOKS These are some of our favorite MLK books!

UNDER THE WEATHER: THE ADVENTURES OF SOPHIE MOUSE by Poppy Green. Illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell I have really fallen in love with sweet, Sophie Mouse. Her books are just delightful, and I will be sharing them from time to time. Perfect for early readers, think of them as on the Magic Treehouse level. I find these to be stories that you don't have to read in order, so I've been picking them up by season appropriateness. It's the time of year for sniffles, coughs, and fevers. Yuck! In Sophie Mouse: Under the Weather by Poppy Green, Sophie's brother, Winston, comes down with the flu. It doesn't take long for Sophie to notice all the special attention he's getting. She even starts to wish maybe she'd get sick, but is all the attention really worth being sick? Illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell, Under the Weather is chock full of sweet black and white pictures that readers will enjoy! Bell graduated from the Columbus College of Art and Design.

THE BOYS" WAR by Jim Murphy Callie and I recently finished up reading The Boys' War by Jim Murphy as part of her Civil War Study. This powerful book brings to light the amount of boys ( ages 12 and up) that joined up to fight in the war. Absolutely heart wrenching, this book shares the loss of innocence and the loss of life of these mere children. The text is flanked by black and white photos of real people and places. While some of the pictures do show death, they are not overly gory. I have to admit that while we read this book, my thoughts often turned to my own son who recently turned 14. One moment a young lad stood on a battlefield and the next his blood watered the ground where he no longer stood. A young life snuffed out so prematurely. My momma heart broke many times. This book is well written and worth the read to help us all remember the price paid for our country.

WHEN YOU TRAP A TIGER by Tae Keller It's very easy to see how When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller was chosen to receive the Newberry Medal. Keller's writing is beautiful and the story quickly picks you up and pulls you in until the very end. However, there are some issues to be aware of. Life has not been easy for Lily, her older sister Sam, and their mother. First, their father died in an automobile accident that leaves them reeling and Sam panicky every time she gets behind the wheel of the car. Now, they are moving away from their friends and in with their halmoni (grandmother). She's a wonderful, vivacious woman, but something has changed. She is having episodes where she gets violently sick. On top of all of this, quiet, shy Lily keeps seeing a Tiger that no one else is seeing, and it talks to her. In Korean mythology Tigers are the keepers of the stories and this one tells Lily about a girl who stole some of the stories from them and bottled them up. The tiger wants help from Lily to get them back and in exchange will give her a precious gift, but Halmoni has told her in the past that you can't trust tigers. HEADS UP- This book is heavy on Korean Mythology intertwined some with their religion. For example, The Halmoni mentions multiple times about making food for the spirits to keep them happy. Second, Sam, the older sister, "finds love" with another girl. A couple of situations happen that make the reader start to wonder, but it is verified at the end of the story.

THE MAJOR AND THE MISSIONARY: THE LETTERS OF WARREN HAMILTON LEWIS AND BLANCHE BIGGS edited by Diana Pavlac Glyer Being an avid C.S. Lewis fan I was familiar with his brother Warren but really didn't know a lot about him. To me he was the brother in the background. He was a constant and close companion of C.S. Lewis, but I always pegged him as more in the shadows where C.S. was out front. How neat it was to read through The Major and the Missionary: The Letters of Warren Hamilton Lewis and Blanche Biggs compiled by Diana Pavlac Glyer and gain insight into his life. Warren, who had been an officer in the British Army, and Blanche, a missionary doctor in Papua New Guinea, began writing back and forth after the death of C.S. She originally reached out to him asking for some advice, but the two quickly struck up a friendship and the correspondence continued. Their letters covered everything from everyday happenings to topics about their faith to struggles on the mission field. I truly found it a fascinating read. HEADS UP- In one letter, Dr. Biggs shares a stressful situation she is dealing with at the hospital. It deals with a staff member having a sexual relationship with a patient. Dr. Biggs does not go into detail but only shares about the discipline and disruption that occurs from it. Warren does comment a small amount on it in his next letter.

LONG NIGHT MOON by Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Mark Siegel Forgive me a bit for bombarding you, but I have been saving back this book to use at the start of the New Year and then continue with it each month through 2024.  Did you know that each full moon has a name given by the Native Americans? I was fascinated by this fact last year and began watching on Facebook for almanac posts that would share the name of the upcoming full moon. I truly loved it. While on our way home from vacation, I came across this book, Long Night Moon by Cynthia Rylant, at the Tamarack in Beckley, WV. (I am going to put a plug in here that if you ever are close to this place, go there! It is a showcase for WV artisans and is amazing!) Anyway, Newberry Medal winner, Cynthia Rylant was born in WV, so the Tamarack has several of her books. In this beautiful picture book, Rylant takes us through the months and introduces us to the name of each full moon. So how am I going to use this? First of all, don't feel the pressure to do a single one of these possibilities! If your homeschool day is full and you just want to read the picture book to your kids, don't feel the need to add anything else! I am going to start by reading the book out loud to my kids in the next few days. Then we're going to focus on the name of the January moon. When we Google names of the January moon are there more than one given? Next, I plan on giving them blank calendar pages where we can track the phases of the moon each month. We'll also read a bit on the moon. I'll share more books about the moon later as this mini study grows! By the way, be sure and read The Adventure of Illustrating Long Night Moon at the back of the book. Mark Siegel shares how he settled on how to do the beautiful artwork in this book.