Below are some of the books I’ve been reading this month; note that the following may contain spoilers:

Roar!: A Christian Family Guide to the Chronicles of Narnia, by Heather Harpham Kopp and David Kopp – This is a fun guide for a family reading through The Chronicles of Narnia. There are quizzes, discussion questions, readings for parents, a glossary for possible unfamiliar terms, activities to do, and more. Even if you are not reading through this with children it still has useful information. Be aware that the authors assume that the readers are not British and that the readers (specifically the adults) are familiar with The Chronicles of Narnia as occasionally there will be spoilers about future books. Another thing to keep in mind is that the book is designed for reading through The Chronicles of Narnia in chronological order, so if you, like me, prefer to read them in publication order there is a little more skipping around, but I don’t think it’s a deterrent to the usefulness of the book. The illustrations by Martin French are haunting – in the best way.

The Light Princess, by George MacDonald – Written in the 1800s, this cute fairy tale is filled with snarky comments and plays on words. It is a little longer than we typically think of a fairy tale being, complete with chapters, but is still a quick read. ‘Witty’ is the main word I would use to describe this fairy tale. Be aware that this tale has nothing to do with luminescence and everything to do with gravity (or the lack thereof). The copy I read includes pictures by Maurice Sendak, one of my favourite illustrators, and is a good read aloud.

The Long Winter, by Laura Ingalls Wilder – The sixth book in the Little House series begins to more directly meld the stories of the Ingalls family and Wilder brothers, Royal and Almanzo. Set during a time of flash blizzards that would last for days, the reader begins to better understand how difficult life really was for the homesteaders. The reader also sees more of the relationship between Pa and Ma. There are many songs, including some hymns, mentioned whose histories would be fun to explore. This is a great read aloud, but there are some themes that could be difficult: the tension the reader feels on behalf of the characters regarding possible death from starvation, the underlying question of what is right, and some racism.