Book Recommendation: Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

Remember a couple weeks ago when I said I’d read two books recently and then immediately went out and bought them because they were so good? This is the second one of those two books. And not only did I love it so much that I wanted to keep it, my 12-year-old daughter read it and claimed it for herself. So I had to grab it out of her bookshelves even to snap this picture!

The book is Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling and it is an incredibly sweet story (and exciting mystery!), told in the first person, of a girl with no arms. I cannot emphasize enough how sweet the story was or how helpful it was for me to read a book from the perspective of someone who is differently abled* (and I love that my daughter loved it as well!).

So if you are at all curious, buy this book and read it! (Or if you are like me, read this book and then buy it!) There is also a book two: Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus, which I have not read yet, but my daughter read and loved.

From Amazon:

Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is she was born without them. And when her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country knowing that she’ll have to answer the question over and over again.
 
Her new life takes an unexpected turn when she bonds with Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of his own disability, and they discover a room at Stagecoach Pass that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. It’s hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your worst fears. But Aven’s about to discover she can do it all . . . even without arms.

*I have decided to go with this term instead of “disabled” because in reading this book, I realized that the main character is very abled, but she just has to do things differently, and sometimes very creatively!

I just became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

Book Recommendation: Pentecost

The Apostles’ Creed for all God’s Children by Ben Myers is actually a book my husband found (he has a passion for liturgy) that I liked so much, I bought a copy for every family in my Children’s Ministry. We also used it as a supplemental curriculum last year, where every week I had each Sunday School class recite the Apostles’ Creed and then read a page of the book. That way, we were reciting the Creed 16 times total, reading through a new set of pages each week.

Whether you recite the Apostles’ Creed every week, occasionally, or never at all, I highly recommend this book. Whether you are a parent of young kids or have no kids at all, I highly recommend this book.

Each page breaks down one line of the Creed, displaying a beautiful illustration and explaining in simple terms what the line means. Since we are approaching Pentecost, I will quote below the page for “I Believe in the Holy Spirit”:

Is God far away?
Has Jesus left me all alone?
No! God is near—
very near!

Jesus lives forever with God in the Holy Spirit.
He shares God’s life in a special way.
And Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be with me.
Now I share God’s life too and live in God.

Because of Jesus, I am in the Holy Spirit,
and so are all Jesus’ brothers and sisters.
God is my family and my home.
I will never be far away from God—never again!

That’s what I believe.

Isn’t that beautiful and good to learn/remember at any age?

From Amazon:

What God's children believe. Join FatCat, the friendly feline, as he learns the traditional text of the Apostles' Creed―the earliest summary of the apostles' teaching. Through the Creed, children can encounter the God of the Bible who creates, redeems, and sanctifies. Enjoy vibrantly illustrated scenes of Jesus's life and search for FatCat on every page!

Young readers and families will read a line from the creed along with a simple reflection to tuck into their hearts. With a list of Scriptures for further learning and a family prayer, this FatCat book is perfect to read again and again.

In a fun and accessible way, believers can visualize, memorize, understand, and confess the Apostles' Creed, which has united all Christians for centuries.

I just became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

50 Precious Words

“Ahhh!” yelled David.

“You’re not my mom! You’re an imposter!”

“I am not an imposter!” David’s mom said, laughing. “I just changed my hairstyle!”

David was not convinced.

So his mom wrapped her arms around him.

“Oh, you are my mom,” said David, smiling.

Because nobody hugs like mom.

This is a story I wrote in 49 words for a writing contest called #50preciouswords. I did not win or receive any honorable mention, but I still think it’s sweet enough for a home here on my blog. Maybe I’m just biased because this is a true story, but I kinda liked mine the best. (Also, it’s a huge challenge to write a whole story in 50 words or under! The contest rules included that the story had to have a beginning, middle, end, and a plot.)

Book Recommendation: New Kid

I usually read books from the library or digitally from free library apps like Libby. If I like them, I recommend them here on my blog. But recently I liked two books so much that I ended up buying them after the fact. My kids have already read them and I plan on lending them out to others because they were that good!

The first of those two is today’s recommendation, a middle-grade graphic novel called New Kid by Jerry Craft.

As I said, both my children (ages 9 and 12) have already read this book and liked it a lot. It is funny and sweet for kids. But what I found helpful and appreciated about it as an adult was the way it illuminated the subtle racism and the microagressions that are in our everyday life. The main character, Jordan, is a black boy who is attending a new private school and is one of the few people of color attending. The story is about how he adjusts to being there and how he puts up with a lot of things that my kids and I would probably never even think about. Jordan spends the year making friends and learning to understand other people, even as they get to know him. The book just has a lot of heart and would be a good read for anyone.

From Amazon:

Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.

As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?

I just became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

Floral Abstracts

I’ve been enjoying designing these large floral abstracts! Not only are they so fun, but I find them quite challenging because there really are no rules or right answers. I have to just decide what I think looks good, and I could be totally wrong. They also work well on POD sites like my Society6 shop! See below for the latest three I have done, and some examples of them on some items.

Book Recommendation: Earth Day

In honor of Earth Day on April 22, I am recommending My Friend Earth by Patricia MacLachlan. This book is absolutely stunning and might be one of my favorites that I’ve looked through in a long time. It is very clever, with fun little cut-outs on the pages and the pictures are just lovely. This shouldn’t be surprising given its topic: our beautiful world! This book is not a “Christian” book, but I think as a Christian, I have a calling to care for and celebrate our beautiful planet! And that’s what this book is about.

From Amazon:

Perfect for Earth Day—and every day!—this spectacular picture book is a valentine to our wonderful planet from the Newbery Award–winning author of Sarah, Plain and Tall.
Our friend Earth does so many wonderful things! She tends to animals large and small. She pours down summer rain and autumn leaves. She sprinkles whisper-white snow and protects the tiny seeds waiting for spring.
Readers of all ages will pore over the pages of this children's book that is bursting with color and texture. Its enticing pages feature clever cut-outs, flaps, and curved contours that encourage exploration as its poetic text celebrates everything Earth does for us, all the while reminding us to be a good friend in return.

I just became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

Good Friday Testimony

I recently had the privilege of sharing part of my testimony at our church’s Good Friday service. If you know me, this was way out of my comfort zone! But that is all part of the testimony of God’s work in my life. I decided to share what I wrote/shared on here, as well, in case it encourages anyone else. (The service had testimonies that corresponded to the seven last words of Jesus. I was assigned “I thirst”.)

I thirst.

I’m going to start off by reading an excerpt from a blog post I wrote in August of 2021. I often use my blog to try to put into words things that I’m learning or wrestle with the things I’m thinking about, so I feel like this post is a good starting point for what I want to talk about tonight.

______

The fear is a mountain, a living mountain with arms that reach out to me.

I know that the mountain can shrink over time. But it’s not the mountain that goes anywhere. It’s a mountain. It doesn’t move. It doesn’t get smaller. 

It’s just a matter of whether I stay in its shadow or not.

It’s a matter of whether I look at it or not. 

It’s a matter of whether I give it space in my thoughts or not. 

It’s a matter of me saying “God is good.” And then realizing if I really believe that, then fear can have no room in my heart. 

It’s a matter of me saying “Do I trust God or not?”

If the answer is yes, then I can’t even look at that mountain. I can’t even glance that way. My only response is to stare into the face of Jesus and never look away. 

The fear mountain is still there. It is a mountain of fear. A scary mountain with rampaging arms and gnashing teeth. 

But it’s getting easier not to look at it.

I am walking and the mountain that used to loom above me, completely obstructing my path, seems smaller now.

It’s walking with Jesus in the helpless moments that gave me the way around it, and I am slowly making my way towards him, away from the mountain. The mountain never shrinks, it’s just easier not to look at it all the time because I have taken steps away from it.

_____

This journey from fear towards freedom started a few years earlier when I was talking to our pastor about possibly leading a small group. I told him no, I’m not a group person, I don’t feel comfortable speaking up in groups, I prefer one-on-one. I remember the moment very clearly, because he sat back in his chair and sort of pointed at me and said “You can be set free of that.” I think it took me by surprise and I may have even been a bit insulted! I was thinking this is just who I am! I don’t need to be set free of anything! I’m fine, I just don’t like groups, it’s OK to prefer one-on-one!

But I think he must have heard the fear in me that day and I just couldn’t see it. I didn’t even know how trapped in fear and old wounds I was and that God was offering me something better.

But since that day, I have heard God’s invitation with that sentence so many times.

Fear of speaking in groups? “You can be set free of that.”
Self-loathing and insecurities? “You can be set free of that.”
Anxiety over health problems? “You can be set free of that.
Fear for your children and their future? “You can be set free of that.”
Fear of speaking in front of people? “You can be set free of that.” (That one is a work in progress! They all are actually.)

My eyes have slowly and gently been opened to all the ways that I was trapped, and even paralyzed, with fear and I didn’t even know it.

I wish I could say how it works. I think about that a lot. When I hear that invitation to freedom from God, how does it work then to actually make it happen? And I really don’t know. All I know is that I have to say “OK, I want the freedom that you’re offering” and then it happens, God takes care of the rest. Sometimes it’s like I have to cling to that “OK”, but clinging to an OK to God is still way better than being trapped in my wounding and fear.

When Jesus was on the cross and said “I thirst”, he was offered only sour wine. When I echo the Psalmist and say “My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water” he offers me all of himself. He died for me so my thirst would be quenched and that I would be set free.

My church on Easter morning

He was pierced for [my] transgressions,
    he was crushed for [my] iniquity;
the punishment that brought me peace was on him,
    and by his wounds [I am] healed.

The journey away from fear is the long game and I am not totally out of its grasp, probably in ways I still don’t even know about it yet. But I do know that I am a better friend, wife, and mother now that I’ve been set free of so many things and I know that I want to keep being set free for the rest of my life.

I thirst.

Book Recommendation: Shy Willow

For many reasons, Shy Willow by Cat Min felt like the right choice for me to recommend today. It is the story of a shy bunny who does something very brave for someone else. I immediately related to the bunny who only wanted to stay home in her cozy mailbox house! But when a letter fell into her lap asking for help, she knew she had to leave her comfortable home to deliver the letter. Not only is it a sweet story, but the pictures are just enchanting and I could spend a while just looking through each one at all the details. Also, we just love bunnies in this house. (See below for a picture of our own little Easter bunny!)

From Amazon:

Willow is shy. VERY shy.

Her home is in an abandoned mailbox, and she'd rather stay put. Outside kids scream and soccer balls collide, trees look like monsters, and rain is noisy in a scary kind of way. It's much nicer to stay inside, drawing. But then a young boy drops a letter in Willow's mailbox: it's a note to the moon asking for a special favor. Willow knows that if she doesn't brave the world outside, the letter will never be delivered, and the boy will be heartbroken. Should she try? Can she?

I just became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

Book Recommendation: Pi Day

I’m a little late with this recommendation for Pi Day (pi = 3.14), but file this one away for next March 14: A Pizza with Everything on It by Kyle Scheele and illustrated by Andy J. Pizza (I had to check out his website to find out if, indeed, he really went by the last name “Pizza”!).

My 9-year-old son absolutely loved this book, laughing all the way through it, and I’m pretty sure my 12-year-old cracked a smile as she pretended not to listen. This proves to me, once again, that the age ranges on picture books are meaningless (though Amazon says ages 3-7). This book is about a father and a son who add everything they can think of to the top of their pizza!

From Amazon:

It's a tale as old as time: a kid wants to make a pizza with his dad, but not just any pizza . . . he wants a pizza with everything on it. That's right, everything. But as the toppings pile on, this father-son duo accidentally create a pizza so delicious, so extravagant, so over-the-top, that it destroys the universe—and the cosmos go as dark as burnt crust. Will anyone enjoy pizza ever again?

I just became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

The Hospitality of Jesus

This was a painting that I had painted with houses representing my three words, which I then tried to recreate digitally as seen here. I think it represents the topic of the hospitality of Jesus pretty well.

Occasionally I write about my work as a Director of Children’s Ministry for our church, but I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned our unique worship space. My Christian church meets every week in a Jewish synagogue. And not only that, we have an entire hallway in the building that is just ours, including 3 classrooms, office space, and a sanctuary. The space is perfect for us in more ways than just because the space suits our needs so well: it has also done more for my faith and my understanding of God’s love for us than I ever could have imagined.

One morning, early in our time there, I asked one of the synagogue volunteers if they minded having us there and treating it like it was our building, too. I was quickly assured - completely sincerely - that they love having us there sharing the space with them. I was then offered a tour of their sanctuary, which I had never seen at that point, because they keep it locked. It is very sacred for them, and I was honored to be offered the chance.

We walked upstairs and she unlocked all the doors on the way. I felt the sacredness of the moment and the space. My children were with me, so I was a bit worried that they wouldn’t show the place its proper respect. But I needn’t have worried. As we were shown each beautiful stained glass window, depicting Old Testament scenes, my kids were quick to name every story. I could tell that their knowledge of the stories brought joy to my tour guide’s face.

As I walked around looking at the windows, and ultimately, the ark with the scrolls, I had a brief moment of sadness. I found myself wishing that I had something this precious and old and beautiful to call my own.

That’s when it hit me: this is my heritage and these are my stories, too, because I have been adopted into the family of God. (Remember the old Sunday School song “Father Abraham”?) And instead of pushing me away and declining me this, the people of this synagogue had welcomed me (us!) into their building and their most sacred spaces. And in doing so, they revealed to me more of God’s character and love of His people than I had ever understood before. He is truly the God of love and hospitality and adoption.

My church was welcomed into a Jewish synagogue to worship as Christians and isn’t that the perfect picture of what Jesus did for us? He broke the barriers between God and people and allowed us to enter in to God’s presence and be adopted into His family. My heart swells at the beauty of this and the enormous gift it has been to me, my faith, and my church!

And I am eternally grateful for this Jewish Congregation for teaching me about God, love, and the hospitality of Jesus.

What’s on the Book Pile? Winter 2023

I’m especially excited to share my book pile this season, because I have officially started my reading list for my Spiritual Direction training with Selah! I was happy to see that several of the books were ones I wanted to read anyway, so I am starting with those.

N.B. These are not recommendations, unless I specifically state that I recommend a particular book. This is simply what I am currently reading. If you’d like to know more about a specific book, or recommendations for you or your children, feel free to contact me. I love to recommend books for kids of all ages! You can also follow me on Goodreads.

From top to bottom:

1. Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina. (E-book, borrowed with Libby) I decided since I love middle grade fiction so much (and am even attempting to write one), that I should read through medal winners in this age group. This book won the 2019 Newbery Medal.

2. Reading the Sermon on the Mount by John Stott. This is a book we are working through in my small group at church.

3. The Deeply Formed Life by Rich Villodas. I have been following this author for years on Instagram and so appreciate what he has to say, so I was so excited to see his book on my Selah reading list!

4. All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot. This is a re-read and is still on my pile from the end of summer! I am enjoying reading it slowly and remembering how much I loved it from my childhood.

5. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books by Harold D. Underdown. This is the most recommended book on how to write and publish a children’s book. So if it’s something you would like to pursue, definitely pick up a copy! Reading this, and joining the SCBWI, are now my go-to recommendations when someone asks me for advice.

6. Kingdom of Ash by Sarah Maas. Finally going to finish this young adult series.

7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling. Reading the illustrated version with my 9-year-old. Highly recommend!

Not pictured: The Hero of Ages: A Mistborn Novel (The Mistborn Saga, 3) by Brandon Sanderson. This is one of many excellent fantasy series by Sanderson. I am listening on Audible and enjoying them immensely. Definitely recommend if you like an easy to read fantasy.

Finally, I am also reading a lot of children’s magazines, mostly for research - to see if any of my children’s stories would be a good fit! But they are also entertaining and I know my son will enjoy them when I’m done.

I just became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

Book Recommendation: How to Babysit a Grandpa

How to Babysit a Grandpa by Jean Reagan is another one of our favorite picture books. My son loves the hilarious idea of the kids babysitting the grown-ups for once! (I mean, who doesn’t love a good role-reversal story?) Amazon suggests the age range to be ages 2-6, but I bought this three years ago when my kids were 6 and 9, and they still love it!

From Amazon:

Here's everything a kid needs to know to spend a fun-filled day with grandpa! Written in a how-to style, the narrator gives important tips for "babysitting" a grandpa, including what to eat for snack (anything dipped in ketchup, ice cream topped with cookies, cookies topped with ice cream) what to do on a walk (find lizards and dandelion puffs, be on the lookout for puddles and sprinklers), and how to play with a grandpa (build a pirate cave, put on a scary play).

From the author-illustrator team behind the New York Times bestselling HOW TO... books comes a funny and heartwarming celebration of grandpas and all that they do! This is a great gift for or from a grandparent, and perfect for lap reading when Grandpa comes to visit!

I just became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

Fun with Faces

I could only get two four out of seven of the latest “Fun with Faces” drawing challenged that I joined, hosted by Charly Clements. But I do love the ones I got done! Feel free to guess what the 3-word prompts were for each one!

On Becoming

With eyes full of stars, a heart of joy,
And simple life, full of affection.
Content to just be who you are!
And that has been perfection.

But now you are becoming more,
No longer gazing at the skies,
Maturing from the child you were.
And tears, not stars, now fill your eyes.

You are growing into who you will be,
Not losing who you were before.
Becoming is not a loss, but a gain:
You are who you were, just so much more.

You wonder and worry about who you will be,
And mourn what you are succumbing.
May your eyes fill back with stars when you realize
The radiant, true self you are becoming.

Book Recommendation: Mae Among the Stars

Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed is an absolutely beautiful book for children about the first African-American woman in space, Mae Jemison. I will admit that I bought this as I tried to diversify the main characters and authors in my house. But honestly, it stood up on its own. It is a sweet and encouraging book for children to work hard and follow their dreams.

From Amazon:

A beautiful picture book for sharing and marking special occasions such as graduation, inspired by the life of the first African American woman to travel in space, Mae Jemison. An Amazon Best Book of the Month!

A great classroom and bedtime read-aloud, Mae Among the Stars is the perfect book for young readers who have big dreams and even bigger hearts.

When Little Mae was a child, she dreamed of dancing in space. She imagined herself surrounded by billions of stars, floating, gliding, and discovering.

She wanted to be an astronaut.

Her mom told her, "If you believe it, and work hard for it, anything is possible.”

Little Mae’s curiosity, intelligence, and determination, matched with her parents' encouraging words, paved the way for her incredible success at NASA as the first African American woman to travel in space.

I just became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

Book Recommendation: Stranger Safety

Once Upon a Dragon by Jean E. Pendziwol is my absolute favorite book on stranger safety for kids. Not only does it teach a comprehensive list of safety rules (including an actual list to go over with your kids in the back) but it presents them in such a fun and clever way, using familiar storybook characters to get the point across. For example, the Big, Bad Wolf is definitely a stranger you should run away from! I also love that it teaches about “safe strangers” like police officers (and I always included other moms with kids when I discussed this with my own children).

From Amazon:

After a thump-bumping ride on a slide, a little girl and her dragon friend find themselves inside a fairy-tale book. The stories are familiar, and there's lots of silly fun as the dragon is transformed into fairy-tale characters. But danger lurks in the form of strangers --- including the hungry wolf from ?Little Red Riding Hood? and Snow White's evil stepmother. And it's up to the girl to keep an eye on the dragon, who walks alone through deep dark woods and takes treats from people he doesn't know. Little by little, the girl teaches her irrepressible friend to be careful about strangers. The winning combination of fairy-tale adventure and concrete safety information --- including the Dragon's Stranger Safety Rhyme and the checklist of rules at the end of the book --- provide the perfect starting point for discussions with children about stranger safety.

I just became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️

What of Salt?

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16)

These are familiar verses, but a recent conversation helped me to see them in a new way. The idea of light and darkness makes sense to us. We talk about the looming darkness all the time. We focus on the darkness, probably more than we should. So the idea of Jesus being the Light, of us being the light, makes sense. This poor, sad, dark world needs light.

But what of salt? Why do we care about being the “salt of the earth”?

In those days, salt was used more for the preservation of something than for just adding flavor. If we are called to be the “salt of the earth”, what then should we be preserving?

I’ve heard it said that this metaphor is about “good, Christian living”, about being faithful to Christ in the world, about preserving what is good. But I don’t think that’s completely true.

What if being salt was actually a question of remembering our identity? And perhaps helping other people recognize their identity, worth, and purpose as well.

In my life, I have been amazed that the closer I draw to Jesus, the more I want to be like Him, the more I submit to Him, the more I actually feel like my true self! It is one of the greatest mysteries to me of being a Christian: that I can work to emulate someone else, and in turn, become more me. What a gift to feel secure in my identity because of Jesus! Jesus is my salt: the preserver of my true identity. I want to be salt for others: to help them see who they really are in Him.

It’s interesting to me that salt doesn’t actually ever lose it’s saltiness. Then why would Jesus have said that? But if we think of salt as a question of identity - made in God’s image, made to be His children, loved by God - than that can absolutely never change, even whether you believe it or not.

But we can forget.

Or not even know it in the first place.

I don’t think that being the “salt of the earth” is about preserving some sort of Christian sub-culture. That interpretation of the metaphor is far too weak.

Our job as salt is to remind or show others that they are salt, too. Each and every person, whether they know Jesus or not, has been made in God’s image and is loved unconditionally by Him. That is what gives us hope and makes us worthy. That gives us purpose. That is our identity.

Salt and light working together help us to know each other and ourselves better. And most importantly, they point to the true and greatest Light, Creator, and the One in whom our identity is complete: Jesus.

Book Recommendation: Author Natalie Lloyd

I have decided to add middle-grade fiction to my book recommendation blog posts. It is one of my favorite genres so I thought it might be useful to pass on some of my favorites.

The first books that come to mind are anything written by Natalie Lloyd. They are always incredibly sweet, with good characters and fun, original storylines. Usually the stories involve some magical/fantastical elements, but within the realm of our world. I would say her audience is probably late elementary/early middle-school aged girls. (I say girls because most of her protagonists are girls, though not all.)

These are the books of hers that I have read and recommend:

The Key to Extraordinary

Over the Moon (this one takes place in a fantasy world)

A Snicker of Magic

The Problim Children (several different narrators, both boys and girls)

Overall, these are all great books if you have a 10-12 year old girl, or if you are looking for a sweet, simple read yourself! If you or your child reads them, I always love to hear what you thought!

I just became an Amazon Associate, because I link to books so often on my blog! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you want the book and to support me, use my links in this blog post. Thank you!! ❤️