Reading. Past, present, and future.
Reviews of some books I've enjoyed recently and what's coming up next
Hi friends,
It’s less than two weeks into the new year and I’ve already read one whole novel! I tend to read fairly slowly, so this is pretty good for me. At this rate, maybe I can read two books a month!
Today I thought I would take some time to share about some books that I’ve been reading and enjoying lately. I hope you find something here that you and/or a young reader in your life will enjoy.
Faithful Feet by Laura Sassi, illustrated by Emanuela Di Donna
Laura is a friend of mine, and a critique partner, so I got to see this story when it was still in its manuscript form, and I wasn’t surprised at all when I heard the news that it got picked up by Worthy Kids. This charming rhyming text is inspired by Isaiah 52:7, which says, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news…”
This book is about feet! Well, really, it’s about people using their feet (literally or figuratively) to faithfully share the good news of God’s love. The text starts off a little silly:
Feet are funny! Don’t you think?
The poke. They plod. They plink. They stink!
But soon the story shifts to talk about various people in the Bible and how they demonstrated faithfulness, eventually leading to Jesus and how his feet carried him to Calvary. It was faithful feet that lead the women to Jesus’ tomb to discover that he had risen, and faithful feet still share the good news today!
I like this book because it shares an important Biblical concept in a way that is fun to read and share with young readers. It would be a great addition to any Christian home or church library.
The publisher describes this book as an out-of-this-world remix of the classic poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas”! This remix is so clever and fun! All the little martians are ready and hopeful on Christmas Eve, waiting for a visit from Santa. But when he arrives and his sleigh shudders and stops, they’ll have to think of a way to get Santa going again. They work hard, using a “gingerbread gizmo” to restore the power core and programming the “tinsel trimmed turbines” to MAX.
This story is just plain fun, especially if you like Christmas and Santa and remixes of old classics.
The Balter of Ashton Harper by Millie Florence
This was my first read of 2025, and it did not disappoint. This middle grade novel is the story of Ashton Harper, who, along with his sisters, hopes to attend the prestigious Overmorrow Academy. When they receive an invitation to the school’s ball along with an opportunity to audition, they join a caravan for the long journey. But on the way they encounter some mysterious magic that causes chaos, and Ashton is separated from his sisters. He’ll have to overcome his doubts and insecurities in order to find his sisters again.
I enjoyed this story because it’s charming and magical and the sibling dynamic is very real and relatable. There is so much more to the story than the adventure and danger that Ashton and his sisters face. It’s a story forgiveness (for not only your aggravating sibling, but yourself), family, magic, and hope.
I read this story on my own, but I think it would be fun to share as a read-aloud.
What I’m reading now
In the middle of December I started reading Wind and Truth, book five in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive. This one will take a while because it’s HUGE and because I’m reading it aloud to my husband one or two chapters a night. It’s gonna take a while.
I read a lot of picture books, and usually have a big stack from the library sitting on my office floor. Currently that stack includes several picture books about bread, a couple about pirates, a few about pigs, and a random assortment of others. I read picture books for fun, of course, but also to keep up with the market and to share worthwhile books here and on
.
During my last trip to the library I walked by a display that said, “Rodent Reads,” and noticed a little chapter book titled Walter: The Story of a Rat, so I decided to add that to my bag. I’ll read that one next!
After that, I think I will finish the Daughter of Arden series by
. I loved book one and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the story unfolds.What books have you enjoyed lately? What’s coming up on your reading lists?
Thanks for sharing Merry Christmas, Dear Mars with your readers, Rebecca!
I love Laura Sassi's work. I haven't read Faithful Feet so I'll put that on my list. Plus I see some in your library haul that look interesting.
What fun reads! I need to keep track of your picture book recommendations for some friends with littles.