Plumfield Moms

"When was the last time you allowed yourself to be astonished to the limit by Jesus—by his teaching, by his works, by the wonders of your life? I use the word allow intentionally, because I think some of us are so jaded that we need to consciously loosen the tight hold we have on our sophistication and be amazed sometimes."

"If all history books were written in Graham’s style, no child would ever say, “I hate history.” With lyrical descriptions of time and place, she quickly drops the reader into her subject’s setting. The fear and despair of the opening scene are palpable. Graham doesn’t relate facts, she tells a story of real people with real feelings and motivations.  Graham doesn’t make Douglass a saint, but she...

Restore, keep watch, bear, test, share, do not grow weary of doing good, do good to all. “As for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16).  

Dan Morgan survived many amazing exploits, and the action in this story is exciting and almost non-stop. But the story doesn’t read like an adrenaline-soaked superhero tale. Dan was a real man who learned how to work hard, and who was dedicated to honing his craft and serving his country. He had astounding success, but also suffered losses and severe injury. He served valiantly throughout the Revo...

Peter doesn’t want us to be passively aware of danger. He wants us to actively resist. All of his instructions involve some exertion on our part. “Make every effort to supplement your faith” by adding virtue on virtue. “Be all the more diligent,” “practice these qualities,” “take care,” and “pay attention.” Paying attention isn’t simply a matter of sitting up and looking around. The Greek word is...

📚 Our Librarian Life – March 2025 Episode 🎙️ Join us for another exciting episode of Our Librarian Life, where we explore the world of living books, private lending libraries, and the power of community in literature!   In This Episode: Amanda Cleary Eastep's Tree Street Kids Amanda Cleary Eastep Brodart Covers Sara Likes: Advantage I Purple House Press 25th Anniversary Sale Purple House Press Ki...

I feel betrayed by The Education of Mary: A Little Miss of Color: 1832 by Anne Rinaldi. Another disappointing novel by this author who is so  often recommended to teens. I confess that I do not know very much about the real Prudence Crandall. What I do know is that she is celebrated as an abolitionist, a courageous advocate for Black Americans, ran a school for “Little Black Misses” that was destr...

"The Author and Finisher of our faith prayed that we believers would be one as he and the Father are one. Marching shoulder to shoulder with my fellow soldiers while keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus, who leads the way, will not only enable me to keep rank, but will also encourage those behind me and to the sides to do the same when the fiery darts begin to fly."

Our Reading Life - February 2025 Sarah Kim’s References The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy Great Gusts: Winds of the World and the Science Behind Them by Melanie Crowder and Megan Benedict   Sara Masarik’s References  The Pig War by Emma Bland Smith Claude by Emma Bland Smith ElevenReader App Lepunia: the Last Galloper by Kevin...

About two years ago, Diane and I did a deep dive into the works of Gary D. Schmidt, marveling at his ability to truly excel across genres. From the middle-grade brilliance of The Wednesday Wars to the magical fairy tale Straw Into Gold , from thoughtful and lovely picture books like A Long Road on a Short Day to the haunting historical fiction of Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy , Schmidt con...

More than once, Paul asks his children in the faith to imitate him. That isn’t easy, but it does sound nice when he says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.” And who doesn’t wish to have the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.   When he says, “be imitators of me, as I am of Christ,” what do you ima...

The Viking Quest series by Lois Walfrid Johnson is a truly excellent historical fiction saga that immerses teen readers in the riveting world of the 10th century. Spanning five books, this series transports readers from the lush coasts of Ireland to the cold farms of Norway and then to the icy shores of Greenland (and beyond), always incorporating the fascinating culture of the people in those pla...

In this life, I will sometimes feel like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. In the profusion of chairs my tail is likely to get caught once in a while. If I don’t get down from my comfortable perch and regularly exercise my discernment muscles, I will become trapped and useless . I can’t sit around yowling about my tail. Rather than seeking my comfort, I ought to be seeking to glorify Christ....

Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt is a lovely and thoughtful coming-of-age story about a young female writer. Though not strictly autobiographical, the novel brims with emotional authenticity and bears notable similarities between Hunt’s life and the lives of her characters. Like her protagonist Julie Trelling, Hunt grew up in the rural Midwest. Julie’s Aunt Cordelia, a strong and nurturing figure, m...

Surely my faith needs to be increased. I need to view situations as they truly are – absolutely in God’s control.  I have to remember the person my faith is in – the Ruler of the universe. My problem is not a problem for him. Be still my soul: the waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

When Ember’s End was released, many Green Ember fans wondered if it marked the conclusion of the beloved series. Yet, S. D. Smith continues to surprise and delight us with new stories that delve deeper into the Green Ember world. When I spoke with Smith this summer, he mentioned that this might be the first year without a new Green Ember story. Imagine my surprise and excitement when a novella app...

Because the passions of the flesh are waging war against our souls (1 Peter 2:11). As Jesus warned, our flesh is weak. It wants us to give in to our passions. Giving in, lying down, closing our eyes for just a minute, is so much easier than going to war against them. Especially if our passions have become our bosom companions.  Wage war? How? Wake up and pay attention. In his second letter, Peter...

Thanks for listening! We are so glad that you are here! We open the episode with some of our banter. You won't hear the intro music for about 90 seconds.  The 21st Century Pack Horse Librarian   1819 News Article  Librarians in the News (at The Card Catalog)  UV Light Bulbs   Ozone Generator Dehumidifier Reading Stand Kindle Clicker Purple House Press 25th Anniversary Sale Living Books Press Histo...

Having just finished another Ann Rinaldi novel, My Vicksburg , I find myself reflecting on some disturbing patterns that mark her work. Rinaldi’s books are nothing if not uneven. At their best, they provide interesting, historically rich narratives with strong female protagonists; at their worst, they lean into a troubling subversiveness that seems to delight in portraying rebellion marked by dece...

“Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:10).

Diane’s References C is for Cowboy by Eugene Gagliano Four Wheels West by Eugene Gagliano Esther Morris picture books The Viaduct Murder by Ronald Knox  Tanya’s References  A is for Arches by Becky Hall  By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman Alice and Wonderland by Lewis Carol  Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis  The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck Sarah Kim’s References The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel...

Over the last seven or eight years, I have paid close attention to S. D. Smith, author of the Green Ember series . While I deeply enjoy his books, I’m even more captivated by what he writes to parents about his creative purpose and approach. I first discovered Smith during a season when my children were very young, and I was searching for stories to nurture their hearts and minds. Wandering throug...

"He to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood." We humans need pictures, and we love drama, but we should also be mindful that our very lives depend on God daily placing himself between us and dangers of every sort all day every day. We seldom see drama in the mere fact of getting home safely from work every day. I know that I don’t acknowledge often enough how spectacular it is that...

Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge is a classic I’ve known about since childhood. I vaguely remember seeing a movie adaptation long ago, but until now, I had never read the book. When I noticed the audiobook in my Audible library was about to leave the catalog at the end of the month, I decided it was the perfect time to listen to it while wrapping Christmas presents. The story...

   As I look back over the means Jesus has used to form me, I see how gentle he has been with me. We all suffer trauma as we grow, but my burdens were tailor-made for me by my creator. Oh, it hurt at the time! It was unpleasant to have to look honestly at the weaknesses I’d spent a lifetime trying to conceal from the world. It is painful to have that concealment exposed as sin. Thank the Lord, he...