Plumfield Moms

Reflection: We Are All Sojourners

"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?"

Our Reading Life: March 2024

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 Jessica Townsend
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Mark of the Thief by Jennifer A. Ni:elsen
Words on Fire by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Parks
Little Pear by Eleanor Frances Lattimore
Uprising by Jennifer A. Nielsen 
Lugalbanda: The Boy Who Got Caught Up in a War by Kathy Henderson

Book Review: Paint the Wind

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 demanding my time on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, I picked up Paint the Wind and read the entire book before midnight. 
 
https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-book-reviews/paint-the-wind

Reflection: He Has Torn Us

"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."
 

Book Club: Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen with Anna, Felicity, and Greta

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

Book Review: Anson's Way

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 assignments are anything but glorious. First, he witnesses a hedge master receiving thirty lashes, which is considered a lenient sentence compared to the usual punishment for treason, death. 
 
https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-book-reviews/ansons-way

Reflection: When Jesus Says, Come!

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 so many hard things? Because he has the words of life!

Our Librarian Life: February 2024

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 by Stan and Jan Berenstain
A Fly Went By (I Can Read Books) by Mike McClintock 
The Card Catalog 
The Shelf Notes
Plumfield Reads Guides
The Princess and the Goblin 

Book Review: Jade by Sally Watson

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 (recorded via Virtual Voice). 
My spoiler-free review is very short: I did enjoy it. I will have it in my library. But, I will be cautious about to whom I recommend it. It is about a strong female protagonist from Colonial Virginia whose family is in the slave trade. Through a series of events, Melanie (nicknamed Jade) finds herself on a ship in the Bahamas attacked by pirates, and she joins their forces. She becomes a notorious outlaw, and this story is a rollicking fun ride. As much fun as this novel is, I found a number of challenges that mar the overall story for me, and I think parents may wish to know about some hefty content.
The rest of this review will contain a fair number of spoilers with a lot of quotes. I hope to let Sally Watson tell you for herself what she was doing in this story. You then can decide for yourself how to handle this with your readers.     https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-book-reviews/jade

Book Review: The Door Before by N. D. Wilson

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 wrote my review of The Door Before. Years later, I am re-reading the Cupboards books, and I continue to be impressed with Hyacinth.  
 
https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-book-reviews/the-door-before