Week in Review: December 17th – 23rd

Did you see all the great blogs here in Media Reviews last week? In case you missed them, here’s a recap. In “The Day Before Christmas,” Tristi reviewed the story of a girl who goes to see The Nutcracker ballet with her grandfather, reliving a tradition he had with her own mother, now passed away. This is a touching holiday tale, as is “The Fourth Wise Man,” a picture book retelling of the classic story by Henry Van Dyke. Who will brave the winter blizzard to come out to Christmas services? More people than you might think, as we discover … Continue reading

The Mysterious Benedict Society – Trenton Lee Stewart

Reynie Muldoon is an orphan, but he doesn’t feel particularly bad about it because he’s never known anything different. He lives in a large orphanage filled with children who ignore him, and his only friend is his tutor. She’s a kindly older woman who has taken Reynie into her heart, and it’s a good thing, too, otherwise no one would love him at all. One morning while reading the paper, they spy an ad for children of unusual abilities. Just what these abilities are supposed to be, the ad doesn’t say, but Reynie is curious. He decides to go in … Continue reading