Plumfield Moms

Written in 1912 by James Otis, this compelling story about the settling of the West was written for children aged approximately 8-12 years old. The reading level is comparable to something like a “Childhood of Famous Americans” book whereas the point of view is something like the “We Were There” books. While Seth is fictional, Otis tells us, through the character of Seth, about the creation of Den...

"We live in a society built on sand and dreamy wishes for the world to be other than it is. Now we’re watching it crumble. As the ransomed of Christ, are you willing to walk through this world as a conspicuous foreigner?"

The Glorious Folly by Louis de Wohl The Spear by Louis de Wohl  Ben Hur by Lew Wallace  The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas  Slave Boy in Judea by Josephine Sanger Lau Biblioguides Online Community The Great Lion of God by Taylor Caldwell  Helping Children Write by Mauree Applegate  The First Book of Language and How to Use It by Mauree Applegate The First Books Nevermoor: The Trials of Morgan Crow  by J...

While checking my county library catalog for Pam Muñoz Ryan’s  Echo , the description of  Paint the Wind  caught my eye because the story takes place in Wyoming. I’m always a little skeptical about stories supposed to take place in Wyoming, but I remembered, from years ago, that Muñoz’s  Esperanza Rising  was surprisingly good.  Echo,  which I read recently, is very good. With nothing much demandi...

"However torn and bleeding I find myself, believing I’m engraved on the palms of the Author’s hands, I trust he knows exactly the right number of scratches necessary to bring my story to its fitting conclusion."  

Words On Fire by Jennifer A. Nielsen Plumfield Reads Guide, Words on Fire Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen Lines of Courage by Jennifer A. Nielsen Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace Plumfield Reads Guides Plumfield Reads Guide, Resistance

When the story opens, Anson Staplyton, drummer boy, is aboard ship on his way to Ireland from England where he will take his place as the seventh Staplyton to keep the king’s peace in the Staffordshire Fencibles. He has been waiting all his life to follow in the footsteps of his forefathers and win glory in battle defending the king’s realm.   Though Anson longs for glory in battle, his first assi...

If I’ve been under the wrong impression about what I can expect from a life committed to Jesus, I haven’t been listening. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake” ( Mat. 24:9 ESV ). “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” ( John 15:18 ESV ). Why would I come to Jesus when he promises...

Join us as we chat with Librarians Sherry Early and Kristi Stansfield about inventory, contract renewals, making space, organizing historical fiction, and organizing picture books.  Biblioguides Private Lending Library Directory Biblioguide.com Biblioguides Online Community  LibraryThing  TinyCat Little Men by Louisa May Alcott Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Kristi’s Book Cart The Bike Lesson b...

In Lark , Sally Watson took readers down a most interesting path and gave us a delightfully fun adventure. There are some aspects of the story that parents may wish to be aware of, which I note in my review, but overall, it was an entertaining escapade well-suited to teen readers. As much as I wanted to follow the family tree, I decided to read Jade next, as it is also available at Audible (record...

Several years ago, I mentioned to Diane that I thought The Door Before was my favorite of N. D. Wilson’s books and that Hyacinth was my favorite of his characters. She asked me why I felt that way. I struggled to articulate something tangible. I think I mumbled that it has something to do with how Hyacinth was a reluctant hero. I was never able to really figure out why I felt that way, so I never...

"The first time I read the apostle Paul’s command to the Corinthians to imitate him , I remember thinking,  Wait a minute! Why is he telling them to imitate  him instead of imitating Jesus? I’ve always respected this guy, but he really did have some gall."

"Ain’t Nothing but a Man  is a 60-page version of Nelson’s 200+ page book for adults. Every page has photographs or drawings to show locations and people of the post-Civil War era, and to illustrate what the railroad slang from the songs mean.  In “How to be a Historian” the co-author, Marc Aronson, lists the six stages of Nelson’s search: Finding what is known already Checking their sources Findi...

Today’s Americans aren’t familiar with a practice that people have understood for thousands of years - the habit of doffing a cap, bowing, kneeling, or simply lowering the eyes before a person with more power, money, or social status. We don’t acknowledge our “betters.” As much as Christians appreciate that Jesus died for our sins, I’m afraid we often forget that he is something other than we are....

Diane’s References Picture of Charlton Heston’s son  Ben Hur by Lew Wallace   Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore Keeper of the Bees by Gene Stratton-Porter  A Women of No Importance by Sonia Purnell Virginia Was a Spy by Catherine Urdahl The Spy with the Wooden Leg: The Story of Virginia Hall by Nancy Polette Stars of the Night: The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport by Caren Stelsen  Ni...

Written in 1912 by James Otis, this exciting and absorbing young readers’ novel tells the true story of Boonesborough from the point of view of a young girl. Written with excellent language and writing, this story is very alive and a joy to read. The reading level is comparable to something like a “Childhood of Famous Americans” book, whereas the point of view is something like the “We Were There”...

I have an unusual habit. I write letters. I mean the old-fashioned, handwritten (in cursive), on pretty stationery, with a postage stamp, sent through the U.S. mail kind of letters. One reason I do this is that I enjoy receiving letters. There is a look and feel to a personal letter that almost casts its own light from beneath the piles of impersonal, meaningless, or unpleasant stacks of paper tha...

Thornton Burgess books The Incredible Journey by Shelia Burnford  Plumfield Reads Book Club Guides LibraryThing The Card Catalog  Biblioguides Private Lending Library Directory Bibloguides Online Community

The Penderwicks  is a series that is recommended everywhere. It is not a series that I have in my library. In my years of moderating a massive book group, I found that this was a book series that really divides people. I read the first two books (or was it three? I can’t remember for sure) and found that I fell into the “ this had so much potential to be brilliant but falls into modern tropes and...

What I heard Sunday morning was, “Put on your big girl  armor , rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in everything, because he who calls you is  faithful .”

The concentration camps were so horrific that stories about them are usually done with incredible care and some trepidation. When we think of children in the concentration camps, many of us rightly cannot hold that idea in our minds for very long. It is just too awful. Children were there. Most were killed but some were there. But few of us have the fortitude to consider that idea very closely or...

Plumfield Reads Guides: The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge The Mistmantle Chronicles by Margaret I. McAllister The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis The Glorious Folly by Louis de Wohl The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz  At the Back of the North W...

A  Plumfield Kids Book Review  by Jack, age 11 This “ Real Book About ” is a scientific book about Whales. This book is not my favorite book for many reasons, but the main one is that it starts slowly, explaining each and every kind of whale. But even with a slow beginning, it makes up for it in the other half of the book, which is about whaling.  The first half of this book is dedicated to the wh...

"It’s plain that Jesus wants us to understand how much we matter to God. But another aspect to his command is just as important. Our anxiety doesn’t change anything except our state of mind. In Luke 12:25, Jesus says, 'And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?' "Jesus goes on to say, “If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious ab...

Who among us does not know about Harry Potter? Love, fear, or hate him, we all know something about Harry Potter, because he is very much a part of our culture. Few books of our age have caused as much controversy as those about “the boy who lived” because of the sacrificial love of a mother. Teachers love Harry Potter because their students will read thousands of pages of well-written narrative i...