This novel was set up in an interesting way, devoting chapters to Penelope and individual members of her family, but also to more secondary characters such as Antonia and Dannus (the bright spots). Each snapshot gives characters their own unique voice. The Shell Seekers by Rosamonde Pilcher is written with a dual timeline, WWII and … More The Shell Seekers – Episode 195
Today, April 15, takes us back to 1912, when the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic met its match and sank with only 705 souls surviving. Join Kate and Sheila as they recap Jennifer A. Nielsen’s gripping tale, Iceberg, told from the viewpoint of 12 year old Hazel who is forced to become a stowaway because she doesn’t have … More Iceberg – Episode 184
Do you and your kids enjoy WW 2 books? If so, you are in luck! Join us as we discuss The Bicycle Spy by Yona Zekdus McDonough with our special guest! The opening line draws the reader in…“A gust of wind cut across Marcel’s face as he cycled furiously down the street.” Twelve year old … More The Bicycle Spy – Episode 176
“It’s not how much you have, but what you do with it that counts.” “Every challenge is an opportunity for growth.” “We find what we are looking for, if we look hard enough.” “In the face of adversity, never give up.” There are a plethora of inspiring quotes like these from Wilson Rawls’ Summer of the … More Summer of the Monkeys – Episode #164
”Memory is a wicked thing that warps and twists. But paper and ink receive the truth without emotion, and they read it back without partiality.” Please join Kate and Sheila as they recap, The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. Martha Ballard, a midwife in Hallowell, Maine in 1789, was thrown into a murder investigation when … More The Frozen River – Episode #162
This amazing story is told through the eyes of Reuben Land (aka Rube), the middle child in a motherless family living in the cold Midwest. He suffers greatly from asthma, adores his older brother, Davy (16 years old) and his younger sister, Swede (8+ she has a birthday– definitely one of the coolest siblings we’ve … More Peace Like a River – Episode #160
Twenty-two year old Emmy Lake, hopeful war correspondent, begins her new job at Woman’s Friend working under a bear of a woman, Mrs. Henrietta Bird. Mr. Collins writes stories for the magazine, he helps Emmy get adjusted to her position. Emmy types Mr. Collins stories and helps with the advice column, Henrietta Helps, however Mrs. … More Dear Mrs. Bird – Episode #157
Georgina Bassington-Hope is sent Maisie’s way because she thinks Inspector Stratton and company did less than stellar work investigating the death of her twin brother. Georginia believes her brother, Nick, did not accidentally fall from the scaffold in the art gallery. She feels like he was murdered. Will Maisie and her trusty assistant, Billy, be … More Maisie Dobbs in Messenger of Truth, Episode 155
“Do you ever read any of the books you burn?”–young neighbor, Clarisse “That’s against the law.”–Guy Montag Join Kate and Sheila as they dive into Ray Bradbury’s classic, Fahrenheit 451. Guy Montag is a fireman in the future whose job is to burn books and houses in which the books are found. He begins to … More Fahrenheit 451 – Episode 151
Lidia Zakrzewski’s real-life story of the Polish resistance fighters who struggled to force out the Nazi occupiers inspired Jennifer A. Nielsen to write, Uprising, an amazing novel about Poland falling into the hands of Germany. Lidia’s father went off to fight and she desperately wanted to go with him. The huge conflict of the occupation … More Uprising
