FROM THE PUBLISHER: 
Aesop's Fables is a collection of fables written by a slave and story-teller who lived in Ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BC. Aesop's Fables are mostly short animal stories with each fable ending with a moral advice.

FROM SARAH:

One of the best picture books you'll ever own. It's long, so be prepared to read it over a couple of sittings. I've never read this one aloud without having kids lean closer and closer and beg me to read the next page. Thrilling!

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Here is the thrilling story of Rikki, a fearless young mongoose who finds himself locked in a life-and-death struggle to protect a boy and his parents from Nag and Nagging, the two enormous cobras who stalk the gardens outside the family home in India.

**Description from Amazon: Now a major motion picture starring Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, and Idris Elba: The amazing adventures of a boy named Mowgli and his brave animal friendsThe fourteen fables in this landmark of children’s literature tell the story of Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves in the Indian jungle. With th...

FROM SARAH:

Gyo Fujikawa's art paved the way for publishing, and continues to inspire today. This is a riveting, exquisite picture book biography with something for the whole family.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Growing up in California, Gyo Fujikawa always knew that she wanted to be an artist. She was raised among strong women, including her mother and teachers, who encouraged her to fight for what she believed in. During World War II, Gyo’s family was forced to abandon everything and was taken to an internment camp in Arkansas.

FROM SARAH:

A breath of fresh air from Greta Eskridge. Don't be intimidated by the idea of adventuring—Greta gives ideas for how even tiny moments right from home can form family bonds and warm memories. Highly recommended.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

A modern, practical, and inspiring guide to creating deep heart connections with kids by regularly creating new experiences and intentional adventures together.

FROM THE PUBLISHER: 

April 18, 1906: A massive earthquake rocks San Francisco just before daybreak, igniting a devouring inferno. Lives are lost, lives are shattered, but some rise from the ashes forever changed.

FROM SARAH:

This book is balm for the homeschooling soul. It tells the story of a girl named Fred who attends a one-room schoolhouse in remote Alaska, 1948. We meet the new teacher, Miss Agnes, whose first order of business is to throw out the textbooks and lesson plans, and read aloud Robin Hood instead. ⁣It only gets better from there. 😉⁣

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Ten-year-old Frederika (Fred for short) doesn't have much faith that the new teacher in town will last very long. After all, they never do. Most teachers who come to their one-room schoolhouse in remote, Alaska leave at the first smell of fish, claiming that life there is just too hard.

But Miss Agnes is different -- she doesn't get frustrated with her students, and she throws away old textbooks and reads Robin Hood instead! For the first time, Fred and her classmates begin to enjoy their lessons and learn to read and write -- but will Miss Agnes be like all the rest and leave as quickly as she came?

From the publisher: The art and writing of Gwen Frostic are well known in her home state of Michigan and around the world, but this picture book biography tells the story behind Gwen's famous work.

From the publisher: Fans of clever poetry and numbers rejoice! Nine is a book of nine-line poems called nonets, all about the number nine!

From the publisher: In the previous book, The Year of Miss Agnes, it’s 1948 and a new teacher comes to teach in the tiny Athabascan village on the Koyukuk River in Alaska. Ten-year-old Fred tells why Miss Agnes is the best teacher they’ve ever had in their one-room school, and different in every way. ln the sequel, Miss Agnes and the Ginger Tom, their wonderful teacher is back. And she’s brought a cat, the first they’ve ever seen. But how long will she stay? Miss Agnes has arranged for her extraordinarily gifted student, Jimmy Sam, to go away to a college prep school “outside.” If he can pass the test. Miss Agnes starts Jimmy on a rigorous program of study for the test and Fred and the others learn right along with him. The whole village is part of Miss Agnes’ school. She’s brought boxes of books and soon everyone in town is reading something from the school bookshelves. And she’s brought a movie projector so the village people can see movies for the first time. The village’s anxiety increases as the school year goes on, waiting for Jimmy’s test. Grandma says it’s hutlaanee, bad luck, to talk about the test, but they can’t help it. If Jimmy doesn’t pass it he will have to leave school next year to do a man’s work with his father and brother, all his dreams of being a scientist come to nothing.

FROM SARAH: 

Easily one of my top favorite picture book biographies! Barb's masterful, lyrical text and Mary's lush illustrations make this an inspiration and delight to share with young readers. RAR Premium members, don't miss our Family Book Club Guide for this one.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Claude Monet is one of the world's most beloved artists--and he became famous during his own lifetime. He rejected a traditional life laid out clean and smooth before him. Instead he chose a life of art. But not just any art: a new way of seeing that came to be called impressionism.

FROM SARAH:

My favorite from Ann Patchett. Everyone I know who has read this book absolutely loved it, which makes it very easy to recommend! Wonderful on audio (Audible | LibroFM).

Recommended for ages 16+, I think, though I'm not sure a teen will enjoy it as much as you will, and it wasn't written for young adults. Strong language warning, discretion advised. 

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.

FROM SARAH:

Anne Bogel recommended this book, and suggested you read it without reading any descriptions or blurbs first. And I agree! Especially wonderful on audio. (Audible).

Please note: strong language throughout novel, discretion advised.

FROM THE PUBLISHER: 

"The story of your life never starts at the beginning. Don't they teach you anything at school?"

So says 104-year-old Ona to the 11-year-old boy who's been sent to help her out every Saturday morning. And that's all you get to know before you read it. 😇 Recommended for ages 16+, but I'm not sure your teens will like it as much as you will.

FROM SARAH:

Susan Meissner is my favorite author, hands-down. If she writes it, I read it! This is one of my favorites. Best for ages 16+, I think.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Los Angeles, 1938. Violet Mayfield sets out to reinvent herself in Hollywood after her dream of becoming a wife and mother falls apart, and lands a job on the film-set of Gone With the Wind. There, she meets enigmatic Audrey Duvall, a once-rising film star who is now a fellow secretary. Audrey’s zest for life and their adventures together among Hollywood’s glitterati enthrall Violet...until each woman’s deepest desires collide.

FROM SARAH:

A light and funny Victorian murder mystery. I'm a huge fan of Julie Berry's work. I listened to this one, as it's read by one of my very favorite narrators: Audible or LibroFM.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

There's a murderer on the loose--but that doesn't stop the girls of St. Etheldreda's from attempting to hide the death of their headmistress in this rollicking farce.
The students of St. Etheldreda's School for Girls face a bothersome dilemma. Their irascible headmistress, Mrs. Plackett, and her surly brother, Mr. Godding, have been most inconveniently poisoned at Sunday dinner. Now the school will almost certainly be closed and the girls sent home--unless these seven very proper young ladies can hide the murders and convince their neighbors that nothing is wrong.