Value of Reading Archives - Piper Pan and Her Merry Band

Real Life Kid Struggles

Two books illuminating real life kid struggles. One of the values of reading: seeing ourselves reflected and knowing we are not alone. […]

Master Storyteller

Some stories are unforgettable…

As “Mary Poppins Returns” is all the rage in movie theaters right now, thoughts of chimney sweeps are not far away. It’s an easy hop, skip, and jump to this amazing children’s book by…

Master Storyteller Jonathan Auxier: Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster

I’ve never been to Tibet. But I grew up seeing “Free Tibet” bumper stickers, and I’m an ardent admirer of the Dalai Lama. That’s all the Tibetan background needed to love and appreciate today’s recommended read:

Running on the Roof of the World, by Jess Butterworth […]

Jaleigh Johnson

She’s done it again!

In praise of Jaleigh Johnson…

I wrote about Jaleigh Johnson’s debut novel Mark of the Dragonfly not that long ago, and the rest of her first trilogy (The Secrets of Solace and The Unchartered Lands.)

From her author photo, she looks like […]

City of Orphans

I saw the musical “Newsies” within the past month. As stories do, this powerful performance brought the late 1800’s to life for me—through the eyes of the young (mostly) boys who worked hawking newspapers in New York City.

Click to find it on Amazon

As fortune would have it, when I visited […]

New Spin On Christmas

Christmas! In June? Yes.

A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig offers a new spin on Christmas you won’t want to miss.

Here’s the summary:

Nikolas, the boy who would one day be known as Santa Claus, goes on a life-changing quest to the North Pole.

That summary […]

Acting with Will Shakespeare

Can you imagine acting with Will Shakespeare?

Sounds improbable, right? Yet that’s the premise of today’s book recommendation, King of Shadows by Susan Cooper.

I last recommended the Dark is Rising series, also by Susan Cooper. Finding an author whose work has been around, and who has written prolifically, is sucha treat. I […]

Magic Moment

Every wonderful story has a magic moment.

Maybe more than one magic moment…

Today, rather than passing on a book recommendation, let me share the magic moment from Peter Pan that has burned brightly for me all these years.

Here’s the scene—I’m sure you’ll remember it:

Nevermoor

I picked up the book because of its title. Nevermoor feels related to the Neverland, does it not? How could I not want to know about “Nevermoor?”

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend completely exceeded my expectations.

I’ve been reading a string of “good” books to […]

Laini Taylor

Some authors stand head and shoulders above the crowd. Laini Taylor is on that list.

I’ve written about the genius of Laini Taylor here before—in reference to her Faeries of Dreamdark series, which I re-read at least once per year. (Click here for the post.)

I’ve just Laini […]

Piper Pan and Her Merry Band