RAR #79: Qualities of Great Books for Kids, with Sarita Holzmann of Sonlight Curriculum

FROM SARAH

By the wonderful E.B. White, a touching tale of friendship, character and love, with charming illustrations by Garth Williams. Your kids will hang on every word—there's a reason this book is a classic! (psst... get out the Kleenex)

FROM THE PUBLISHER

E. B. White's Newbery Honor Book is a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. It contains illustrations by Garth Williams, the acclaimed illustrator of E. B. White's Stuart Little and Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, among many other books.

FROM SARAH:

You may know E.B. White best from Charlotte's Web or Stuart Little, but his delightful storytelling shines in this book, which beautifully describes both the natural world, and the nature of friendship. Get a free Family Book Club Guide to go with it right here.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Like the rest of his family, Louis is a trumpeter swan. But unlike his four brothers and sisters, Louis can't trumpet joyfully. In fact, he can't even make a sound. And since he can't trumpet his love, the beautiful swan Serena pays absolutely no attention to him.

FROM SARAH:

This one comes up again and again in podcast episodes! The first in Ralph Moody’s autobiographical series, this is a wonderful father-son story. Note: Does contain a few mature words that begin with H and D.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Ralph Moody was eight years old in 1906 when his family moved from New Hampshire to a Colorado ranch. Through his eyes we experience the pleasures and perils of ranching there early in the twentieth century. Auctions and roundups, family picnics, irrigation wars, tornadoes and wind storms give authentic color to Little Britches. So do adventures, wonderfully told, that equip Ralph to take his father's place when it becomes necessary.

Set during the Gold Rush, Jack is searching for wealth to help his aunt. Along with his butler Praiseworthy, he sets off on the adventure of a lifetime. Will Jack find gold? (This one is laugh-out-loud funny!)

Based on stories of the author’s grandmother, Caddie loves hunting and pranks, but refuses to be a “lady.” Set in Wisconsin in the late 1800s, Little House fans will love Caddie!

FROM SARAH

A dip into Boston just before the American Revolutionary War, as told from the view of a 14-year-old silversmith. Don't let the length of this one deter you—it's engaging!

FROM THE PUBLISHER

After injuring his hand, a silversmith's apprentice in Boston becomes a messenger for the Sons of Liberty in the days before the American Revolution.

Not as scary as the movie, this is a fabulous read-aloud for a wide range of ages. This audio book version is also delightful.

**Description from Amazon: Another book in the Nancy Drew series featuring a teen-age girl as a mystery solver.

**Description from Amazon: For fans of Old Yeller and Shiloh, Where the Red Fern Grows is a beloved classic that captures the powerful bond between man and man’s best friend.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Shortly after a fall-out with her best friend, sixth grader Miranda starts receiving mysterious notes. It would be easy to ignore the strange messages, except that whoever is leaving them has an uncanny ability to predict the future. If that is the case, then Miranda has a big problem—because the notes tell her that someone is going to die...

**Description from Amazon: Experience all of The Chronicles of Narnia with full color pictures throughout in this seven-book heavy-weight paperback box set. Readers of all ages-whether they are experiencing Narnia for the first time or returning once again to the magical world-will love seeing the creatures and landscapes of ...

**Description from Amazon: Mandy, the first children’s novel ever written by the beloved star of Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music, Julie Andrews, is a modern classic.Mandy, a ten-year-old orphan, dreams of a place to call her own. Escaping over the orphanage wall to explore the outside world, Mandy discovers a tiny deser...

**Description from Amazon: Readers today are still fascinated by “Nat,? an eighteenth-century nautical wonder and mathematical wizard. Nathaniel Bowditch grew up in a sailor?s world—Salem in the early days, when tall-masted ships from foreign ports crowded the wharves. But Nat didn?t promise to have the makings of a sailo...

This one is best on audio, and oh, what an exquisite audio book it is! The story is told in three parts—Friedrich, a Germany boy on the wrong side of the Nazi Party during World War II; Mike and Frankie, who dream of living with a real family of their own; Ivy, an immigrant in California during the 1940s. The stories are woven together in a truly magnificent masterpiece. I've read it twice, and both times were equally moving. Highly recommended.

**Description from Amazon: In the opening pages of Jamie Ford’s stunning debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery:...

**Description from Amazon: Generations of children have fallen in love with Horton the elephant!  “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. . . . An elephant’s faithful, one hundred per cent!” Horton is kind and trustworthy, but unfortunately, the lazy bird Mayzie takes advantage of his good nature when she leaves...

**Description from Amazon: In an ancient Arab nation, one woman dares to be different.Buran cannot -- Buran will not-sit quietly at home and wait to be married to the man her father chooses. Determined to use her skills and earn a fortune, she instead disguises herself as a boy and travels by camel caravan to a distant city. ...