About Raising Sir Gallant : Lessons that Transformed a Young Farm Boy Into a Knight
As a farmer’s son, young Gallant knows very little of a knight’s life, but he knows that it’s incredibly unlikely he’ll ever have a chance to become one. Then a surprise visit from a knight and old friend of his father’s reignites Gallant’s secret dream to become a knight.
After reconnecting with his father, Sir Francis offers to tutor Gallant, to train him to one serve as a knight himself. As his training begins, Gallant rushes into it eagerly, anxious to learn swordplay and see glorious things.
But training to be a knight is much harder than he thought, and Sir Francis expects much of him. In order to achieve his dream, Gallant will have to learn to put aside his own expectations and dreams of glory and learn what it truly means to serve as a knight.
My Review
This book was the perfect gentle read for where I am right now. It definitely has a day-in-the-life feel to it, but it also features a hero with a clear goal who needs to navigate some obstacles along the way.
I enjoyed the period details and the thoughtful way that life during medieval time was described. It kept the story at a gentle pace but didn’t leave me feeling bogged down with history.
Honestly, I thought the whole approach to the story was very thoughtful. There are vocabulary words in bold text with definitions at the end of each chapter as well as discussion questions. I think this book would make a great part of home school or private school curriculum. (It’s got a lot of faith-based content, so I don’t think it would be something that could be used in a public school setting.)
Fans of stories about how to become a knight or daily life during the medieval times will really enjoy those parts of the story. There’s also a strong emphasis on faith and virtue, so readers looking for overtly Christian characters and values will enjoy those components as well.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Representation All characters are white and British.
Profanity/Crude Language Content One brief mention of hell as a place.
Romance/Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content Characters are practicing Christians and pray openly. Gallant is encouraged to pray daily. Some characters quote from the Bible.
Violent Content None.
Drug Content None.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of RAISING SIR GALLANT in exchange for my honest review.
Meg has been friends with confident, self-assured Beatrix since kindergarten. She’s always found comfort in Beatrix’s shadow—even their families call them Beatrix-and-Meg. But middle school has brought some changes in Beatrix, especially when Meg tries to step outside her role as sidekick. Upsetting Beatrix means risking The Freeze—or worse.
Meg gets into a special science elective and wants to take the class, no matter what Beatrix thinks. But when quirky new girl Hazel becomes Meg’s science partner, Beatrix sets her sights on Hazel. At first, Meg is taken aback at how mean Beatrix can be—and how difficult it is to stand up to her friend. But as Meg gets to know Hazel while working on their backyard beehive project, she starts to wonder: What’s it really like to be the Queen Bee? And more importantly: Is being Beatrix’s friend worth turning down the possibility of finding her own voice?
My Review
You know how some books have really great layering, where there are things happening between the adults that sort of bleed over into what’s happening with the kids, but the kids don’t always 100% get what’s happening between the adults?
I thought THE QUEEN BEE AND ME showed that kind of layering really well. Meg recognizes some of the pressure and manipulation in the way Beatrix treats her as being the way Beatrix’s mom speaks to others and wonders if Beatrix realizes she’s even copying that way.
Another thing that I really liked was that the message in the story wasn’t, “Beatrix is a bad friend, Meg just needs a new, better friend.” Instead, she has an opportunity to have a new friend, but that doesn’t fix all of what’s become so toxic in her relationship with Beatrix. Meg needs to learn to change how she behaves, not just change who she hangs out with. And I felt like that was a critically important, deeply insightful lesson.
As a mom with kids where there’s a huge age gap, I really appreciated this positive portrayal of a family with a big age gap between kids. I also thought Meg’s relationship with her mom felt very realistic and complex– definitely captured some of the kinds of struggles that can happen between parents and middle school kids.
If you can’t tell, I simply loved this book. I wish I could go back in time and give myself this book in late elementary school. THE QUEEN BEE AND ME is perfect for fans of books by Kate Messner or THE LIST by Patricia Forde.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Representation Major characters are white. Meg deals with anxiety and specifically a fear of bees that can result in her fainting.
Profanity/Crude Language Content None.
Romance/Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content None.
Violent Content None. There are a few instances of verbal manipulation and verbal bullying.
Drug Content None.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of THE QUEEN BEE AND ME in exchange for my honest review.
After a lifetime of being the younger sister–of letting Sophie fight her battles, of following her on countless Experiences and through a fireplace into a magical land–it’s finally Claire Martinson’s turn to lead. And she’ll do anything to keep her big sister safe: resist the wraiths’ cold shadows, experiment with new and dangerous magic, become a thief in disguise.
When Claire discovers that “only a queen can defeat a queen,” she knows she must steal and reforge the ancient Crown of Arden to stand a chance against the darkness that threatens the world and her family. Because Queen Estelle d’Astora, desperate to reclaim her power, will stop at nothing to gain the support of the four guilds–even if it means killing the last unicorn. Claire will need every friend she’s made to help her as the fate of Arden hangs in the balance . . . But the secrets of the unicorns are deeper than anyone could have ever imagined. Does Claire have what it takes to ignite the long-buried magic of this world and wake the fire in the stars? Or will the true salvation of Arden rest on one final and heartbreaking sacrifice?
My Review
What a finale! I love sister books, so this series has been lots of fun to read. I love that it’s the little sister who’s the star of the books, too. I really enjoyed watching Claire find her gifts and her confidence and her place in the world.
FIRE IN THE STAR brings together a lot of characters from the earlier books, but it’s pretty easy to keep track of everyone as the story kind of refreshes you on who’s who as you read.
I also really loved that in the story, Claire and her allies all need each other, need to work together to save Arden. It meant learning to value one another, trust each other, put aside past grievances, and find a way to work together. Definitely a feel-good story in that sense.
This has been one of my favorite middle grade series, and I really can’t wait to see what Kamilla Benko writes next. She’s an author I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to any middle or late elementary school-aged readers.
If you like books by Jessica Day George, you really need to check out The Unicorn Quest series.
Here is my review of the first book in the series, THE UNICORN QUEST.
Profanity/Crude Language Content No profanity. The characters sometimes use made up curses like “slug soot”.
Romance/Sexual Content Brief kissing between a boy and girl and references to a crush between them.
Spiritual Content A unicorn healed Sophie and saved her life with its magic in the first book in this series, and that moment is referenced in this one, too. Other characters have magical abilities as well. Claire learns to make gems glow with her magic. Other characters can manipulate plants or metals. Deep shadows called wraiths chase the girls and their allies, trying to stop them. Sensitive readers may be frightened by descriptions of the wraiths… they’re a little bit like the Dementors in Harry Potter maybe? Not quite as scary as that.
Violent Content Some brief descriptions of battle violence and situations of peril.
Drug Content None.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of FIRE IN THE STAR in exchange for my honest review.
The other morning, I was browsing Twitter and saw a blogger talking about how hard it is when someone asks you your favorite book. She asked, “Do you have an answer?”
So predictably, the responses were all over the place from some people easily listing one top favorite to others totally (but understandably) cheating and posting a list, and others saying no way, the question is too hard!
But the answer that stuck with me was this one person who said that her favorite book hadn’t changed in 15 years.
Hold the phone.
What?
I just.
I mean, I get it at a level, because like, there’s never going to be another TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, you know? It’s written. Done. And it’s kind of incomparable. (Bookish Hint: This is NOT the time to bring up GO SET A WATCHMAN. Just do not.)
But really… no new favorites in fifteen years? Thinking about it, I felt like the years stretched out in front of me like this vast reading desert, which resulted in me stress eating more chocolate-covered Oreos than I’ll ever admit. Yikes. I could not handle that.
I think that’s one of the reasons I keep blogging — because the next book I pick up might blow me away, and seeing authors (or other bloggers) I love post about upcoming releases gets me super excited.
I’m pretty much loving the book description here. Working at a medieval times-themed restaurant? Sounds like fun! Conflict over the policy not allowing girls to be knights? I love it. I realize this kind of thing has been done before, but with the right voice and some fresh elements, I think it could prove to be a funny, inspiring book.
You might recognize this author as the same one who wrote CATERPILLAR SUMMER, which I absolutely loved. I thought the way she made fishing (and a GIRL fishing) a critical part of the story was awesome. So THE QUEEN BEE AND ME has some big shoes to fill in terms of being my favorite book by this author, but I am very optimistic about it.
The way Gillian McDunn brings relationships and characters to life on the page made that book a huge win, so I’m hoping for another great cast of characters and interesting relationship arcs.
The Lost Tide Warriors (Storm Keeper #2) by Catherine Doyle
THE STORM KEEPER’S ISLAND was another book I fell head over heels for last year. It’s definitely now one of my favorite books. The super imaginative story world. The unexpected twists. The connections between the characters– and Fionn’s grandfather! I want him to adopt me.
I’ve been waiting to dive back into this story ever since I finished the last page of the first book, and I still can’t wait.
I feel like this one is kind of a given, honestly. It’s one that I’ll probably see a lot on lists of this theme, but for good reason. Karen McManus wrote a super twisty, edge-of-your-seat, emotionally explosive tale introducing this cast of characters in ONE OF US IS LYING, and I totally bought in. I am crazy excited to get to visit these characters again and follow them through another wild ride.
I’ve also only recently discovered how much I like suspense. For some reason it was never a genre I sought out, but authors like Karen McManus and Caleb Roehrig have totally won me over.
So… I’ve actually never read anything by this author, but I follow him on social media, and really enjoy his posts, so maybe it’s not such a big leap to think that if I enjoy 240 characters at a time, I’ll probably enjoy 70K-ish words he wrote? I’m game. This plot reminds me a little bit of GEEKERELLA by Ashley Poston, which I also liked. And I’m always game for fun contemporary stories.
Honestly this book seems part GEEKERELLA, part READY PLAYER ONE? Gamers meeting online to escape real-life problems, humor, relationships, hopefully lots of snarky dialogue?? What could possibly go wrong?
Speaking of fun contemporary stories: enter the champion, Emma Mills. Everything I’ve read by her has been amazing. The writing is witty and charming. The characters are totally unforgettable. My favorite so far is THIS ADVENTURE ENDS.
So I’m hoping for all of that in this book, too. Plus, I’m intrigued by the description– a girl taking a radio broadcasting class? I love that, and I’ve never read anything like it. The closest might be JUST LISTEN by Sarah Dessen (another that I loved) in which the love interest boy works as a deejay on a sort of obscure show. (I think?)
The characters and complex story world in THE GIRL KING pretty much blew me away, so I’ve been eagerly waiting for a chance to read the next piece of the story.
In EMPRESS OF FLAMES, it looks like sisters Lu and Min, will face off, an army between them, each determined to rule the Empire of the First Flame. I’m a huge fan of sister stories– it seems like there are a LOT of these lately, too– so I’m really excited about seeing how that relationship plays out in this book, and I can’t wait to read it.
I love the way Elizabeth Wein brings World War II stories to life using unexpected characters. Here’s a story of a fifteen-year-old girl who wants to make a difference in the war, and finds an opportunity when she hears of an Enigma machine that can translate German code.
So that sounds exciting enough, but add to it the fact that characters from CODE NAME VERITY will appear in the book, and I’m 100% completely hooked. Must. Read.
I’ve only read one other book by Bill Konigsberg, but I loved the difference in the voices of the characters in the story and the way they were so easy to connect with. I’ve got a few lighthearted contemporary titles on this list, but this one appeals to me because it promises a lot of angst.
The description of THE BRIDGE reminds me a little bit of A TRAGIC KIND OF WONDERFUL by Eric Lindstrom. I’m hoping for one of those books that makes you ugly cry. Sometimes I just really need one of those.
I read Rachel Lynn Solomon’s first book, YOU’LL MISS ME WHEN I’M GONE while I was in the hospital, so I was really distracted and needed something to ground me. The story pulled me in, held my attention with intense characters and strong writing. I enjoyed reading it even if some of the themes made me uncomfortable (mostly I think it was meant to be that way). So I really can’t wait to read this next book. I’m a huge fan of the enemies-to-lovers type of story, so I’m hoping for a great read here.
What books are you predicting you’ll love this year?
Are there books at the top of your pre-order/buy list coming soon that you are betting will be among your new favorite books? What should I add to my list? Leave a comment and let me know.
From acclaimed author Kate Messner comes the powerful story of a young girl with the courage to make her voice heard, set against the backdrop of a summertime mystery.
When Mia moves to Vermont the summer after seventh grade, she’s recovering from the broken arm she got falling off a balance beam. And packed away in the moving boxes under her clothes and gymnastics trophies is a secret she’d rather forget.
Mia’s change in scenery brings day camp, new friends, and time with her beloved grandmother. But Gram is convinced someone is trying to destroy her cricket farm. Is it sabotage or is Gram’s thinking impaired from the stroke she suffered months ago? Mia and her friends set out to investigate, but can they uncover the truth in time to save Gram’s farm? And will that discovery empower Mia to confront the secret she’s been hiding–and find the courage she never knew she had?
In a compelling story rich with friendship, science, and summer fun, a girl finds her voice while navigating the joys and challenges of growing up.
My Review
I got kind of nervous as I started to read this book. The way it talked about Mia having a secret, I assumed it had something to do with an adult having inappropriate contact with her, and I wasn’t sure how explicit or intense that would be. Since I’m pretty sensitive to the topic, I felt a little tense until I got to that part of the story. It didn’t include anything nightmarishly explicit. I don’t say that to downplay what Mia experienced at all, simply that as a reader, it didn’t end up being something I couldn’t handle reading.
Mia’s grandmother made me smile so much. She’s strong and brave and pretty committed to her course. I liked the relationship she has with Mia, and the way each encouraged the other. Mia’s friendships with Clover and Anna were great, too. I loved how they bonded over their shared passion for their Launch Camp projects and then over other experiences.
Solidarity Between Women
At one point in the book, after Mia has heard from several of the women in her life about experiences where they were harrassed or treated inappropriately by men, she wonders if this is something that all women experience. I felt like it’s such a reasonable question, and such a hard part about growing up, right? Because too many women do have those stories. I know I do.
While it’s heartbreaking watching someone realize something troubling about the world, I loved the way it becomes part of Mia’s healing, too. She’s not alone. She’s not wrong for feeling the way she did, even though at the time, she felt completely alone and ashamed for feeling uncomfortable.
I also loved that, even though I thought the topic was really well-addressed, the story wasn’t only about these things. Mia is never defined by that experience. She’s always many things– a girl with lots of interests and talents and relationships.
Plus I have to talk about the cricket farm. I know I say this every time I read a book with a protagonist with an unusual interest or talent, but I love that the author brought such a different family business to the story– not only a cricket farm, but crickets for a food source! I thought that was really fun.
Representation Mia’s friend Anna is Indian. A couple other minor characters are also Asian.
Profanity/Crude Language Content None.
Romance/Sexual Content Mia recalls situations in which a man made her uncomfortable and left her feeling icky.
Spiritual Content A brief mention that Mia’s family has gone to church on Sunday.
Violent Content A man verbally threatens a girl.
Drug Content None.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of CHIRP in exchange for my honest review.
In the brilliant sequel to The Storm Keeper’s Island, winner of the Books are My Bag Readers Award, Fionn Boyle finds himself at the heart of the fight for the island’s survival.
Fionn Boyle has been Storm Keeper of Arranmore for less than six months when thousands of terrifying Soulstalkers arrive on the island. The empty-eyed followers of the dreaded sorceress, Morrigan have come to raise their leader and Fionn is powerless to stop them. The Storm Keeper’s magic has deserted him and with his grandfather’s memory waning, Fionn must rely on his friends Shelby and Sam to help him summon Dagda’s army of merrows.
But nobody else believes the ferocious sea creatures even exist. And how can he prove he’s right without any magic? As Fionn begins his search for the lost army, the other islanders prepare for invasion. The battle to save Arranmore has begun.
My Review
Oh. My. Gosh. Reading this book, I laughed out loud. I ugly cried. It was a wild ride all the way through, and I loved every minute of it.
While Fionn wrestles with his unresponsive magic and his fears about failing the island, he’s surrounded by spunky, quirky characters. So there’s this constant balance between serious and silly that I thought really worked.
I love the way the whole community was involved in the battle to save the island. This isn’t one of those books where the hero has to go solo despite everyone telling him to go to bed or stop pestering them with prophesies of certain doom. Fionn definitely fights his own battles, but the community rallies around him. I found that really refreshing and awesome.
Altogether, this is a totally worthy sequel to THE STORM KEEPER’S ISLAND, which was one of my favorite books last year. I can tell this is a series I’m going to be talking about and recommending far and wide.
Profanity/Crude Language Content Two instances of mild profanity, but used more in a classical sense? Like “such and such will damn the island forever.”
Romance/Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content Fionn has been chosen as the island’s new Storm Keeper, which means he should have a kind of elemental magic. He’s also having nightmares in which an evil sorceress visits him. She is awake and gathering followers to her so that they can perform a ritual to raise her. Her followers, called Soul Stalkers are sort of like zombies that gather on the island. Fierce mermaid-like creatures called Merrows are supposed to answer to the Storm Keeper’s call and defeat the Soul Stalkers.
Violent Content Situations of peril. Some graphic descriptions of shark-toothed Merrows and Soul Stalkers battling.
Drug Content None.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of THE LOST TIDE WARRIORS in exchange for my honest review.
