Christian Historical, a Classic, Middle Grade Fantasy, Kid Lit Historical
3 FIVE-STAR BOOKS
In this article:
The Tapestry of Grace by Kim Vogel Sawyer
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson
Meet Felicity by Valerie Tripp
The Tapestry of Grace by Kim Vogel Sawyer
5 STARS (synopsis on Goodreads or StoryGraph) Historical Christian Fiction, My format: ARC e-book
We follow a widower with twin sons, a widow with a daughter, and a barren couple as their lives interweave in various ways. The story is set in a recently settled Mennonite community in the late 1800s.
Personal Review:
My emotions were tugged and pulled in the best ways throughout this entire book. I don’t usually reach for Christian romance that is not regency-era but the setting of this one had me intrigued and I was so glad I tried it out. It is one of the best Christian romances I’ve read in the last couple of years.
There are three points of view that we follow. One is Konrad, a widower and father of twin 8-year-old boys. His story is one of physical imperfections and lack of material wealth. He is overwhelmed with the care of his boys as a single parent who still needs to work. His insecurities are his biggest weakness but he overcomes much on an emotional level, acknowledges his faulty thinking, and really turns out to be sweet and lovable. His growth moments had me cheering out loud!
Another point of view is from Augusta, a widow with an 11-year-old daughter. She is a bookworm and teacher raising a bookworm. Her interactions with a couple of men and her daughter often made me laugh. Augusta seems to get in the middle of a few misunderstandings. She always means well and has a wonderful faith as a part of her story, but gets herself into a couple of prickly situations. She is quick to ask for forgiveness and has more patience than seems humanly possible.
And the last point of view is from Martina, a 45-year-old barren woman who is trying desperate things to get her husband out of his depressive funk. The story of her and her husband Gerhard was my favorite. It was this story that made my heart swell and my eyes leak more than once. The restoration element was extremely beautiful.
Even though the characters are older (meaning, not your typical 20-something characters), I would feel comfortable recommending this book to teenagers if they had interest in it.
Content Warnings:
a couple of quick kisses, a moment of implied intimacy of a married couple, widowhood, loss of parents, orphan
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
5 STARS (synopsis on Goodreads or StoryGraph) Classic Fiction, My format: read-aloud to 8, 6, and 4-year-old girls
Little Women is a classic that follows four sisters as they live through the experience of their father being gone to help with the war.
Personal Review:
I pick classics to read to my girls during our homeschool snack break in the mornings. I thought they might enjoy this story of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, and they ended up loving it! My girls related mostly to Meg. They love the big-sister type of character she is and are drawn to the way she changes as the story progresses. At the end of the book, one of my daughters declared the part about Meg was “so sweet” and another thought Jo was completely justified in her dismay over the situation.
Reading this now as a mother, I really appreciated Mrs. March and her role in each of her daughters’ lives. She was always patient and respectful of the differences in her daughters’ personalities. I admire how Mrs. March was able to instill in her girls the lessons they needed without being authoritarian or overbearing about it. I learned a few things from Mrs. March.
My oldest, age 8, will likely pick this up and read the chapters she liked on her own. My 6-year-old understood many of the jokes and the funny parts with their neighbor Laurie. The content is fine for the younger ages but the language needs some practice in understanding.
Content Warnings:
near-death illness
The Monster in the Hollows (The Wingfeather Saga #3) by Andrew Peterson
5 STARS (synopsis on Goodreads or StoryGraph) Middle Grade Fantasy, Christian Themes, My format: hardcover
We continue to follow Janner and his siblings as they return to their mother’s homeland and learn how to remember who they are and whose blood runs through their veins.
Personal Review:
This is one of the most beautiful adventure stories I have ever read. There is no question that the characters become like family and that the story is exciting to follow, but there was some depth missing from the first two books (my reviews of Book 1 and Book 2). However, I now know that everything leading up to this third one was important and necessary to make this book what it was, which was a downright work of art.
The new world that we travel to is interesting and well-developed. The internal struggles of the characters drew from me compassion and frustration at the same time. The side story involving Sara Cobbler was magnificent. Those chapters often had me shedding tears.
But THE ENDING was masterful. I wept big fat love-filled tears. My eyes still water from the memory of it. I even accidentally gave myself a spoiler because one of my kids was paging through looking at the pictures, and I was still totally unprepared for the emotional roller coaster delivered to me. It was fantastic.
This book is not as scary as the first two, so if children are able to read the first two with the Fangs and the fighting, this will easily follow.
Content Warnings:
bullying, fighting (with fists) among children, some gross moments involving animal death, death of a loved one
Meet Felicity: An American Girl (American Girl Felicity #1) by Valerie Tripp
4 STARS (synopsis on Goodreads or StoryGraph) Kid Lit Historical Fiction, My format: paperback
Felicity is a young girl in the 1770s who has a heart for the outdoors and horses and a distaste for ladylike activities.
Personal Review:
I asked my 6-year-old daughter which book I should read next and this was her pick! Felicity is one of her favorite American Girls because she fell in love with the horse in this story.
I really love Felicity’s relationship with her father in this book. It is sweet and her dad is gentle and understanding. The friendship Felicity develops with Ben is also very sweet.
My girls were a little scared by Mr. Nye, the unkind owner of the horse in the story. I also was not a fan of Felicity’s actions in the book. I felt it was a bad example and I prefer young characters to show a little more responsibility.
Content Warnings:
bullying from an adult, animal abuse, lying and sneaking
Have you read any of these books? What are your thoughts?