Age 04-08. Little Sarah Whitcher, left in the charge of her older siblings while her parents leave their New Hampshire cabin for the day, wanders away and is lost in the woods… Although the tale ends happily, it is a “scarer,” and may not be suited to more sensitive listeners. But for those who are able to handle Sarah’s real danger, it provides a wonderful, suspenseful adventure, gives a glimpse of early New Hampshire life, and portrays a tight-knit, loving family.

Age 04-08. 5 Stars. This riveting story gently introduces the pain and evil involved in World War II, without going into graphic detail about the horrors of the war. Johanna’s courage and loyalty are very admirable, and they seem to grow naturally in the context of her family’s values of love and courtesy. The book is written at a transitional reader’s level and (unlike most war stories) is appropriate for precocious pre-readers.

Age 04-08. 4 Stars. Pinkney’s adaptation uses modern language, retaining almost none of Kipling’s masterful language, but telling the story very well. What really makes this book are his lavish, exuberant watercolor paintings which draw the reader in and dramatize the story in a very vivid way.

Age 05-10. This memorable story provides an example of genuine, loving friendship, which blooms among the hard realities of farm life… it is these contrasts that have made this story such an enduring classic — the reality of death and pain make joy and love all the sweeter where they exist.

Age 04-08. 4 Stars. In this retelling of a segment from Spenser’s Faerie Queen… Hyman’s mesmerizing illustrations, augmented by lavish and intricate borders, make this book excellent …, because the pictures do most of the work in capturing a child’s imagination. This story of heroism and love is wonderful in its own right, but it should also whet the appetite and prepare the reader for a future experience of the full poem.

Age 12-16. 5 Stars. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy continues the story begun in The Hobbit and more fully develops the world of Middle Earth. In this epic saga, ordinary beings must use their small gifts in a struggle against great evil…. This work has becoming a defining influence in the genre in fantasy literature, and none of the works that came after it have matched it for its marvelous use of language, the deep coherency of the fantasy world, and the epic themes which propel the story to its climactic finish. Christian readers have long appreciated the way in which Tolkien’s stories express his Christian view of reality.

Age 08-12. 5 Stars. Travis Coates is a 14-year-old boy, left alone to protect his mother and younger brother on his family’s 19th-century Texas homestead…. [He performs] an extraordinary act of moral courage, but it comes at the end of a story filled with ordinary acts of responsibility. In this outstanding coming-of-age story, Travis’s manhood is achieved at great cost, and in this cost he proves his worth as a man.

Age 04-08. 5 Stars. A book for boys by the author of The Princess and the Kiss, this one follows the story of a kingdom whose treasure is “The Lantern of Purest Light.”… The book is a compelling parable about the importance of God’s Word, the Bible. It tells a story of a quest worth winning, a young man proving himself in the company of his elders, and dangers on every side that seek to destroy him. He holds on to courage and moral purity only by means of the scroll, to which he submits every decision, and by which he achieves victory against great odds. This is a powerfully winning story that will influence a boy’s imagination in the best possible way.