New Books! YAY!

I'm so excited! Summer is a slow time for buying new books, but I pre-ordered these a few months ago!

I can't wait to read them to my kiddos! 

It's Monday, but I haven't been reading...

 

Instead of my normal Monday post I am going to confess, I did not read much last week. I spent the week at Royal Family Kids Camp with my husband and many other wonderful people who gave up a week, some of them taking a week of vacation from their jobs, to love on abused and neglected kids.

I want to take this moment to highlight what great work Our Father's Children is doing through Royal Family (a week-long camp for 6-11 year olds) as well as Onward and Upward (a retreat for 12-15 year olds) and The Summit (for 16-18 year olds.)

We spent the week ministering to children who have experienced abuse and/or neglect in some way. Most of the kids get hooked up with Our Fathers Children (OFC) through the foster care system. The ratio at Royal Family is one counselor to two campers. It's amazing how well you can get to know these kids when you only have two.

I can speak most to the experience that the girls at Royal Family have. I have been a counselor for 6 years and every year I realize there is no place in the world I'd rather be. These girls come to camp so hungry for love. By the end of the week they have been called princesses, served real tea in real china, been validated by being successful all week long and been built up when they don't get it right the first time.

Royal Family is a wonderful experience for these kids, but it has changed MY life forever.

Thank you to Darren and Melinda Edwards for the amazing work that they do.

I promise to read more this coming week, but I'm not apologizing for last week!! ;)

Newbery Challenge- 2011 Moon Over Manifest

It took me a while to write the review of this book. It was absolutely fantastic, but the end was so moving and I was so sad it was over I felt the need to recover. 

It was the kind of book that you can't just immediately start chatting casually about. The characters and the town wove their way so fully into my heart that I needed to take a little time before I could review it here. 

The book is historical fiction. Which, I'll be honest, is not my favorite genre. But this book was such a surprising gem that it immediately became one of my favorite books! 

The story takes place during the Great Depression and centers around a girl who has lived all her life with her dad on the road. They hitch rides on trains and move from place to place, but at the beginning of the book her father has decided that the road is not the proper place for a girl to grow up. He sends her back to a town that he spent some time in as a boy and she has to carve a place in this town for herself and in the process learns about the history of the town and a lot about herself. 

I know I can't do it justice here so just read it! 

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED IT! 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

My 18 month old and I read this book EVERY night. It's not new, but still a true delight! 

Newbery Challenge- 2012 Dead End in Norvelt

Video review this time.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?