Plumfield Moms

Join us as we talk about the newly revised and expanded Picture Book Preschool from Sherry Early!    Picture Book Preschool, Expanded Edition Biblioguides  Semicolon Book Review Roundup  Mighty Networks Shelf Notes LibraryThing TinyCat

It’s clear from this language, and my own experience, that my old self isn’t going to come off as easily as that itchy dress I was supposed to wear. I have to formally disown it and divest it of all authority. The t.v. show was called “Branded” because the soldier had been convicted of cowardice. That is what I have to do to the things that are earthly in me; rip off all vestiges of their authorit...

This is another one from the archives. Have you ever heard our conversation with SD Smith in the Potato Peel Pie Book group?    Check out our SD Smith page on our website: https://plumfieldmoms.com/favorite-authors/s-d-smith  

Swallows and Amazons, written by Arthur Ransome in 1930 , is one of the most perfect children’s adventure novels I have ever read. My only regret is in taking so darn long to get to it. Despite being a reader and lover of English children’s literature, somehow I never knew about Swallows and Amazons until I started homeschooling. When I sampled it, I knew that the literary value was extremely high...

Shipwrecked cover   What a coincidence that Shipwrecked was donated to my library just as Sara and I were putting the finishing touches on our Kensuke’s Kingdom book club packet, for which we are using this same cover! In the Author’s Note for Shipwrecked, Blumberg says she became fascinated with Manjiro while doing research for her book about Commodore Perry. “Instead of accounts of landmark even...

Captain Kidd was commissioned to capture pirates and, as Britain was perpetually at war with France, he was also authorized to capture French ships. This type of venture could be extremely profitable for everyone involved in the voyage, from the financial backers to individual sailors, as each of them would receive some percentage of the take. But somehow, Kidd was able to sail for months in pirat...

"My meditation on Acts 22:26 is something like, My flesh shall pitch a tent in confident expectation. This is not a confident expectation that God will arrange things in my life for my comfort and convenience. This is an expectation that God, who cannot lie, will do what he has promised."

Plumfield Reads Guides Plumfield Reads Guides: Ben-Hur Plumfield Reads Guides: Kensuke’s Kingdom Plumfield Reads Guides: Snow Treasure, Coming Soon! Rascal  by Sterling North  Lepunia Kingdom of the Gallopers  by Kevin Ford  The Found Boy  by S. D. Smith  Kensuke’s Kingdom  by Michael Morpurgo  Little Men  by Louisa May Alcott (Smidgen Press)  The Mysterious Voyage of Captain Kidd   by A. B. C. Wh...

Connie Willis is a master storyteller who loves old movies (and new movies) almost as much as she loves great literature. Consequently, her storytelling is richly visual, and when reading, it often feels like I am watching a movie in my mind. In 1992, she crafted a novel that was set in 2054 as well as during the Medieval Bubonic Plague. I read the Doomsday Book in February and March of 2020. Actu...

"When God was leading his people through the wilderness and laying down his laws, he gave instructions for things that were to be set up for worshiping him and remembering his deeds. He gave detailed directions for setting up the tabernacle. Often, he commanded an altar or monument to be set up as a sign or memorial. God knows we need tangible reminders, but he was always specific that these be se...

"In this story, there is an accident while Michael is sailing, but he is with his parents at the time. They are a small, happy family on a trip around the world in their yacht. It’s not an every-day situation, to be sure, but I found it refreshing that the parents aren’t the bad guys. It isn’t long before Michael discovers that he is not the only human on the island. But the other person isn’t at...

In this lively interview with S. D. Smith, we chat about his new book: The Found Boys. We also talk a little bit about his most recent release, the sequel to Jack Zulu, Jack Zulu And The Girl With The Golden Wings. As things so often do when we chat with Sam, we dug into some of the big cultural questions that we are all facing today.  You can find Sara's review of The Found Boys here: https://plu...

"Despite some over-the-top incidents, such as Jane being instrumental in capturing an escaped circus lion, she is a loveable character. Montgomery gives her some unbelievable wisdom and talents for a girl her age, which isn’t unusual for Montgomery’s heroines. Bringing Jane’s parents together because of a life-threatening illness is an awfully tired device, one that has been used by some of the be...

The Found Boys by S. D. Smith is an exciting and interesting story about ordinary boys growing up in two churches on either side of the river in 1980s West Virginia. Scott and Tommy are white boys from Valley Baptist Church who like to jump off of swings, shoot hoops, run along the shoreline, and chase after adventure. Dooley is a black kid from Mt. Zion Baptist church who likes to do pretty much...

John’s gospel says that Jesus asked Philip where they were going to get enough food for all the people and that, “He said this to test him for he himself knew what he would do” (John 6:6). In any case, the disciples went to find out exactly how much food was available - five loaves of bread and two fish. What in the world could anyone do with that?    Jesus said, “You give them something to eat.”

Books and Links: Margi's Website Margi's Facebook Page Mistmantle Book Reviews Mistmantle Book Club Podcast with the ladies of Biblioguides Mistmantle books at Purple House Press A Friend for Rachel/The Secret Mice Father Brown TV Series Father Brown Books Jo March & Plumfield Aslan Sings Narnia into Existence Hold My Hand and Run James Herriot Elizabeth Gouge Join the conversation: Mistmantle...

I was wrong.  The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin is not cheesy.  It is, in fact, quite lovely. I must have been in a mid-winter funk when I read it the first time. This time, I was quite taken with it. Now, that said, it is not as strong as The Librarian Spy or The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society , or my real favorites, Blackout and All Clear . But, it is absolutely lovel...

"Contrary to the shrill voices we hear from the world more loudly every day, John says, “I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth” (2:21). The definition of truth hasn’t changed. The Greek word for truth is aletheia. It is “the unveiled reality lying at the basis of and agreeing with an appearance.” In 1828, Noah Webster def...

“In the old days, no one but a King could have a dog for a pet.” One day one of the King’s dogs runs to a boy named Ben and doesn’t want to go back to the King. Ben wants to keep the dog, but he knows only a King can have a dog, so he asks what he would have to do to become a King.  I won’t tell you how he does it, but “that is how Ben came to have a dog in the days when no one but a King could ha...

I have had ten copies of Mooses with Bazookas in my library since it was released last fall, and all of them are constantly checked out. As one copy gets returned, someone grabs it out of the return pile and asks to have it checked back in immediately so they can check it out themselves. If you search my TinyCat account right now (while I am writing this) you will see that there is one copy availa...

"We see expressions of God’s kindness in the Psalms with words such as lovingkindness, mercy, goodness and faithfulness. Note, however, that David and other writers often plead with this same God to shame their enemies. They expect him to break the teeth of the wicked and melt them like wax."

"When American men began to go to war by the hundreds of thousands, women took up the slack. They filled the jobs men left open, planted Victory Gardens, sold war bonds, worked with the Red Cross, and conserved food and fuel. But women had never been allowed in the army. They didn’t even have the right to vote. These women went to war anyway. They loved their country and wanted to help win the war...

"Am I like the people of the Gadarenes or like the Samaritans? Do I pray, 'Dear God, please make me happy, but don’t change me'? Have I ever said, 'Thank you, Jesus, for the miracle, now please go away so I can get back to normal'?

Fans of The Green Ember and Mistmantle will be delighted with Lepunia: Kingdom of the Gallopers by Kevin T. Ford! This new middle-grade fantasy series starter is beautifully written and tells the kind of story that we love being inside of while reading and want to return to once we are done. Not only does this exciting story have interesting world-building, lovable characters, and beautiful langua...

Welcome to our July 2024 episode of Our Reading Life where we chat with our dear friends, Tanya Arnold and Sarah Kim from Biblioguides about our reading lives. We are so glad that you are here! Tanya’s References  Let’s Play Math by Denise Gaskins  The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin Sarah Kim’s References Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Glowrushes by Robert Piumini One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-...