Middle Grade Historical, Christmas Novella, Geography Nonfiction, More Christmas Novellas
There are affiliate links in this post. Learn more here.
In this article:
Little Farm in the Ozarks by MacBride
Christmas After All by Louise
Elementary Geography by Mason
Joy to the World by Miller, Barratt, and Vetsch
Little Farm in the Ozarks (The Rose Years #2) by Roger Lea MacBride
4.5 STARS, Middle Grade Historical Fiction, My format: read-aloud to 9-, 7-, 5-, and 2-year-old girls
We continue to follow Rose as she and her family get settled in Missouri. Rose builds friendships and gets to go to school.
Personal Review:
Another excellent installment of the Little House series. I read this aloud to the girls and we are loving following along with Rose. This book brings us along as Rose goes to school and has to navigate fitting in in a new place as well as dealing with caring about academics when most around her do not.
We also love Alva and Swiney; they are such interesting friends with backgrounds that are different from ours, so we enjoy their uniqueness! The older girls have read ahead in the series because they love it so much, but they still enjoy sitting in for the read-aloud, too!
Content Warnings:
none
Christmas After All (Happily Ever After All #1) by Cece Louise
3 STARS, Christmas Christian Romance Novella, My format: ebook
Melissa used to be the rich, popular girl that turned down her nerdy chemistry partner, Tucker, when he asked her to prom. Tucker made it big by writing a song to embarrass Melissa for the rest of her life.
Personal Review:
I enjoyed the writing style of this book but I was really not a fan of the content. Used-to-be popular, rich girls with popular snotty boyfriends. Nerdy boys turned country music stars. Make-out sessions and tons of kissing after said former rich girl has an enemies-to-lovers moment...or two.
I don't know. It could have been cute with a different setting and different character backgrounds. It was just a miss for me.
Content Warnings:
several extended kisses that are semi-detailed, grief, encounters with drunk/high characters
Elementary Geography by Charlotte Mason
4 STARS, Educational Nonfiction, My format: read-aloud to 9-, 7-, and 5-year old girls
Goodreads Synopsis | Buy on BookShop
A narrative introduction to geography by iconic educator Miss Mason.
Personal Review:
I wasn't sure how much my kids would understand from narratives about the earth and landscape and maps, etc. But they loved it! I was surprised when they grabbed onto a concept from an excellent description of it. This was a good introduction and a broad overview of general geographical ideas.
This would have 5 stars if it wasn’t focused on European geography for the local studies.
Joy to the World: A Regency Christmas Collection by Carolyn Miller, Amanda Barratt, and Erica Vetsch
4.5 STARS, Regency Christian Christmas Romance Novellas, My format: second read-through
Goodreads Synopsis | Buy on BookShop
This book contains three separate novellas all based on a different verse of the well-loved hymn “Joy to the World”. Each novella has a focus on the creative arts including piano-playing, singing, and painting.
Personal Review:
Each novella was unique, charming, and an endearing clean romance. I especially loved the focus on musicians and artists!
I enjoyed these lovely novellas for a second time. I did want to mention that this time I had to skip a couple of chapters in the middle story. It is a bit darker and there are some intense moments with a mom and her sick child that I was just not in a good frame of mind to read.
I have to be in the right mood to enjoy a gothic story, so the middle one wasn't my favorite. But the first and last are light-hearted and absolutely lovely!
Content Warnings:
several kisses in each novella (not detailed), “Far as the Curse is Found” (second novella) contains near-death illnesses of mother and child, crude male behavior at a workplace and on the street, and past story of rape
Have you read any of these books? Do any sound interesting to you?