The Books I Read In March

March should have been a good reading month.  I was reading a lot of middle-grade books for Middle Grade March, and we were stuck at home sick for a couple different weekends, which provides for a lot of reading time.  Somehow though, I only finished nine books, which is good, but I expected to get through more!  Thankfully the ones I did read were all winners, with one exception.  You can read more below!

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale - This book is a bit like a fairytale meets The Bachelor (the way the Bachelor used to be, not the way last season was, ugh).  Miri lives in a mountain village with her father and sister, and everyone in the village works in a quarry mining a stone called "linder".  When the prince of the land becomes an adult, it is determined that he must choose a bride from Miri's village, and all the girls are taken to an old mansion down the hill for a princess academy.  The plot of this book was really cute, a sweet coming-of age story as Miri sorts out her feelings of wanting to provide for her family by winning a better life for them, while also longing to be in her village and have a life there.  I enjoyed it a lot.  Content Notes: I will say there is one element in this book where an invented religion for this land is briefly discussed - the priests use some sort of magic to determine that the prince's bride must come from Miri's village.  There is also a magical element to the linder that allows the quarry-people to speak to each other through their memories and songs. Because of those two elements I'd probably give my girls a disclaimer or talk with them about the book being fairytale-like before I gave it to them.  I'd probably also give them my thoughts about the "religion" of this land and what the Bible says about divination.  But it's a very minor mention in the book so it's pretty easily skipped over.

On The Edge Of the Dark Sea Of Darkness by Andrew Peterson - This is the first book in a series, set in the fictional land of Aerwear, where the lizard-like Fangs of Dang are oppressing the people and searching for the lost jewels that will give them power over the land forever.  In the midst of all this lives a sweet little family, the Igiby's, with three children who explore and get themselves into trouble...until they set into motion a domino effect that has them running for their lives.  The first part of this book was quirky and charming, and then the second part become very mysterious and action-filled as we find out more about Aerwear's history.  What I loved about this book was (1) the funny tidbits hidden throughout, and (2) the really wonderful family relationships between the Igiby's.  The grandfather is a gruff old man who protects his family well, the siblings learn more about taking care of each other and serving each other throughout the story, and the mother sacrifices for the sake of her children.  I can't wait to read the next one!  I'd probably let my kids read this one around 12 years old.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin - This is a semi-classic mystery novel, I guess for a younger crowd, but I would probably not let my kids read this until their teen years because of some of the spooky elements.  A body is found in the old Westing house, and when the will is read it is revealed that the heirs have to compete to see who gets the inheritance.  They set out to win, while also figuring out who may have killed Mr. Westing, and why he organized this crazy game.  I really enjoyed the ending of this book, which I did not see coming.  Content Notes: Some rather disturbing descriptions of corpses.  I am sensitive to that sort of thing. 

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall - Several times while reading this book I had to put it down and gush to Derek about how charming it was, so you know it was good!  This is a story of four sisters, and the new friend they make when they go to a summer cottage in the countryside for vacation.  Different chapters are written from the perspectives of different sisters, and they range in age from 4-12.  I just melted every time the 4 year old was in the limelight, because she reminded me so much of my little girls!  I also related a lot to the oldest sister as I remembered my youth, and I think this was a good time for me personally to read this book.  Sometimes you forget what it is like to be a kid, what adolescence feels like, and somehow Birdsall has captured those childhood charms and dramas so well. This is the sort of book I would have loved as a middle-grader - what am I saying, I love it now.  I immediately ordered the next book to read upon finishing this one.  Highly recommend.

The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie - Any Hercule Poirot books are automatically going to get high points from me, but I think this is one of the better Poirot books. Poirot receives an ominous letter, and then a serial killer starts killing victims whose names start with each letter of the alphabet.  Poirot has to figure out how each of these cases tie together.  It is pretty action-packed from the start, and the ending is so tricky!  I always love how Agatha Christie weaves her mysteries.  Don't try watching the Amazon Prime adaptation though - we got through about 10 minutes before I was too annoyed at how they were butchering the book to watch any more.

Number The Stars by Lois Lowry - This is a book about two girls living in Denmark when it was occupied by the Nazis.  The Jewish people are starting to be taken away, and Annemarie's family helps her best friend's family escape to Sweden.  I was worried this one would be sad, but I thought this book was so well done for children.  It gave a picture of how the Jewish people were persecuted, but because Ellen's family escapes, it was still coming from a hopeful perspective.  I am bookmarking this one for introducing my kids to some of the horrors of World War 2 in an age-appropriate way.

On The Horizon by Lois Lowry - This was actually a book of poetry, written by Lowry based on her own memories of World War 2, and particularly of being in Hawaii and seeing the U.S.S. Arizona a few days before it sunk.  I found this book so moving, and even got teary in a couple parts - it brought back memories from when Derek and I went to Hawaii and saw the Arizona Memorial.  It's such a sobering story and a sobering place, and this book gave proper honor to it.  It took me less than an hour to read, and I'd definitely recommend it if that sounds interesting at all.

Lizzie Bright And The Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt - Well, this is the first of Schmidt's books that I don't like. This book is about a minister's son, named Turner, who has moved with his family into a new town in Maine.  His father doesn't really believe what he preaches, and nearly everyone in this town is a hypocrite or uses religion as a means to gain power - particularly in this story to force some African Americans off a nearby island.  Turner befriends a girl from this island, Lizzie Bright, and the expected drama ensues. When Turner's father finally stands up for his son and for what is right, it is inspired not by any true understanding of God or the Bible, but by his study of The Descent Of Man by Charles Darwin (an irony, since no matter how someone interprets Darwin's intent, much of the racism and inhumanities of the 20th century may be traced back to the ideas in that very book).  Schmidt's books are never just a story, there is always an underlying meaning, which is part of the reason I have enjoyed some of his other books.  Unfortunately at the heart of this book is a very cynical, negative view of Christianity and religion in general.  So I was not a fan, and will not be handing this book to my kids.

Another Gospel? by Alisa Childers - This book is about progressive Christianity, and how the teachings of progressive Christian churches are deconstructing crucial Christian doctrines and shipwrecking the faith of many people.  It's written from a memoir perspective, as Childers recounts her own journey of first being introduced to progressive theology from a trusted pastor.  She was able to reconstruct her faith after questioning so many of the things she had believed, but I do not envy her the process - she went through dark seasons of doubt as she struggled to hold onto her faith when it was under attack.  I think this is a critically important book as more and more churches are becoming progressive in their theology while hijacking traditional Christian terminology.  In this book, Childers answers many common progressive talking points (reliability of the Bible, universalism, the "cosmic child abuse" accusation, etc.) and points us back to historic, biblical Christianity.  Even if you are not struggling with doubt, you should read this book.  It will bolster you against the attacks of progressive Christianity as it continues to gain a foothold, and help you understand what may be happening in some churches (maybe even yours).  As a mom, this also gave me a lot of things to look out for as my kids grow, and encouraged me in building up their faith now, as they will likely face more of these kinds of attacks on the faith as they become adults.  Highly recommend this one!

What have you all read lately?  Did you try to read any middle grade books in March?