There's an Albert Einstein quote that [all right, rather embarrassingly] I think of almost daily:

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."

Of course I love that the great physicist Einstein prioritized language and literature. But what strikes me repeatedly is that he understood that intelligence about LIFE is more important than an ability to solve an equation follow a set of rules. While modern research backs up the idea that reading and being read to improves children's academic abilities across the board, I don't think that was what Einstein was talking about. He realized, I think, that there was a danger in becoming so "educated" in career-focused skills that we would forget how to be human. Being human, and being the best humans we can be, is something that has been taught through fairy tales since stories were first uttered, I imagine. (Even Jesus taught through parables!)

When I began reading ​Mio, My Son, by Astrid Lindgren, all I knew about it was that one of my favorite authors had written it, and one of my best-book-loving-friends (it's a whole category, you all know that) loved it. In fact, after my friend Liz wrote about it for Plough magazine back in 2021, the book's popularity took off so quickly that I literally could not find a copy anywhere. Liz came to my rescue and sent me a copy for Christmas, so I'm finally just getting on the Mio bandwagon. Start searching book sales and eBay, friends, because you're going to want to join me.

Briefly, Mio is an unloved orphan boy who finds himself carried away to Farawayland, where he discovers he is in fact the beloved son of the great King. He walks in the garden with his father, rides through the fields with his magnificent horse, plays in the forest with his best friend. His life is everything he only ever dreamed of—until he becomes aware of an evil that has sidled its way into Farawayland, stealing children and turning their hearts to stone. He realizes he is the one destined to fight this evil, but he doesn't know how one little boy could conquer so strong an enemy.

In many ways, Mio is vastly unlike the Astrid Lindgren books I've read thus far. Even with its madcap and unrealistic adventures, Pippi Longstocking and Ronia, the Robber's Daughter are very concretely set in the real world. More so with The Children of Noisy Village. My recent favorite, Seacrow Island, reads much like much-loved vintage stories of realistic children by Noel Streatfeild or even Beverly Cleary. Mio, on the the other hand, takes all of one chapter to let you know that you have been whisked away to fairyland just like Mio was. In that sense, it immediately brings to mind the works of Tolkien and Lewis and MacDonald (especially MacDonald in tone, and especially Tolkien in theme). With a genie in a bottle and a magic sword and children whisked away by an evil knight, it's as fairy tale as fairy tales get.

And yet. The Astrid-Lindgren-ness of Astrid Lindgren can't help itself. Because where ​Mio shines is its portrayal of a very real, very human child. Mio, in his normal longing for a father and for a friend and for a pet, is every bit as concretely (and sometimes hilariously) human as Pippi or Tommy and Annika.

Like every great fairy tale (and, again, this is what I think Einstein was talking about), Mio asks important—human—questions: How do we handle the loss of ones we love? How can we do the hard things that have to be done? Is there someone who could ever love us unconditionally? It answers these questions, not directly, but by inference, and perhaps that's what makes them stick all the better. The most striking feeling I came away with after closing the cover was this: "I am loved. And that love will give me the strength to do any hard thing that needs to be done."

I highly recommend Liz's article for a more thoughtfully intellectual take on this story; I'm not sure if it was a mistake or a wise move, but I read her article right before sitting down to write this, and I found that she had already articulated 90% of my thoughts so perfectly that it was futile to reiterate them!

Have you read Mio ​already? I'd love to know your thoughts!
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For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendations, check out Always in the Middle!

Happy Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, and happy Middle Grade March! I've got such a fun line up of books I hope to read this month, share with my kids, and share with all of you (you can check out my hopefuls on Instagram), and today I'm starting with a new middle grade ghost story: The Girl in the Window, by Lindsey Hobson, published by Monarch Books.

Here's the publisher's description:

When Izzy breaks a window in the creepy house next door, her summer plans suddenly go from playing baseball in the backyard to doing yard work for mysterious Mr. Johnson to pay for the damage. Just when she thinks it can't get any worse, she encounters a ghost girl with a cryptic HELP ME. As Izzy begins to unravel the mystery surrounding the girl's death, she discovers a whole new meaning to being friends... forever.

What I liked:

I always enjoy sibling stories, and the sibling dynamic in this was realistic and a lot of fun.

It's been a while since I read a good kids-playing-baseball-in-the-backyard book, and I loved that element! (Anyone have any good recommendations of other books that fit that bill?)

One of my favorite story tropes, no matter how often it may be done, is that of misjudging someone and learning you were wrong. It's such an important lesson, isn't it? One I need to be reminded of, over and over and over. I hope it's not too much of a spoiler, but that theme features heavily in The Girl in the Window.

There were a few things that kept this from being a five-star read for me: I know, I know, my husband is an artist and I'm extremely picky. But I wish the publishers had gone with a different direction with the cover, which I felt didn't express the overall feel of the story very well. I also felt that the shift from not-as-spooky-as-you'd-think to very-spooky was very jarring. I'm all for fun twists, but the editor in me wanted to see more foreshadowing throughout. Overall, however, I found this to be a fun and interesting story that middle grade fans of Nancy Drew, who like a taste of the suspenseful and scary, will very much enjoy!

For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendation, check out Always in the Middle. 

If my friend and fellow writer Anna Rose Johnson says I'll like a book… I probably will. (I think she's my mysterious reader twin.) So when she recommended the author Millie Florence, of course her new book magically floated to the top of my TBR pile. I hope you'll put it at the top of yours as well! 

In a few words, The Balter of Ashton Harper is: delightful. Old-fashioned. Humorous. Poignant. Most surprisingly, though, for a book that is so light-hearted and funny throughout, it ends with a serious kick of absolute, profound, life-changing meaning. As it happens, I read Balter during one of those weeks where a few of the artists in my home (myself included) were feeling a little uncertain, and a lot discouraged, about the art we're trying to make. Maybe that's the reason I cried while I read the last three chapters. Or maybe it was just that good.

Here's the publisher's description: 

Ashton Harper has three problems and two of them are his sisters. First Drusilla, the oldest, who has decided that all she cares about is muslin and courtship. Second Zizi, the youngest, a stubborn optimist who is constantly pushing her brother outside his comfort zone, whether it’s in their dancing lessons or his disbelief in magic.
And third, their invitation to audition for a ballroom dancing scholarship at the prestigious Overmorrow Academy of Arts, which could be either a dream come true or a hope-crushing failure. As a proud, sarcastic realist, Ashton is betting on the latter.
The Harper siblings set out for Overmorrow, but their opportunity evaporates when mysterious magical ruins wreak havoc on the travelers. Ashton is separated from his sisters, trying to make sense of a power that he thought existed only in fairytales. Soon much more is at stake than attending the school of his dreams.
A story of family and ambition, The Balter of Ashton Harper is woven with whimsy, hope, and Millie Florence’s signature light-hearted depth.

Honestly, I have so much to learn about life and about the craft of writing from this lovely book. I am excited to read it again very soon when I read it aloud to my kids—with so many of them hoping to pursue art as a vocation, The Balter of Ashton Harper is going right onto our homeschool required reading list.

For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendations, check out Always in the Middle!

Hello, friends! Please welcome Carolyn Leiloglou, author of Beneath the Swirling Sky, Book One of The Restorationists series. Besides being a fellow author and art-lover, Carolyn is a homeschooling mom; I discovered throughout this interview that we have a lot in common! As I write my interview questions and read responses, I like to imagine that the author and I are enjoying a cup of tea together at my kitchen table… In this case, it's probably a good thing it was actually over email, because I can guarantee my Restorationist-fan children would be keeping Carolyn busy with lots of questions of their own!

FEH: Welcome, Carolyn, and thank you for agreeing to this interview! Beneath the Swirling Sky was one of my family's favorite reads of 2023 (I reviewed it here). I also want to start out by sharing that Beneath the Swirling Sky is one of my ten-year-old daughter's very favorite books. She is dyslexic, so the act of decoding words is still a challenge for her, but she wanted a hard copy of your book after we listened to the audio version together, so she could go back and re-read her favorite parts whenever she wanted. It's been such a special experience for us to share.
We are SO picky about art-themed books in my house, because my husband is a professional artist. So often, artists in literature are surrounded by a strange sort of mystique, overlooking the hard work and practice they put into their works. Your story portrayed art and artists in a way that even this very choosy family could get behind. :)
Which leads to my first question: 
Are you a visual artist yourself?

CL: Before I answer, let me just say how encouraging it is for me to hear that your daughter with dyslexia wanted a physical copy of the book! I’ve had a few families with dyslexic kids tell me their kids read and love Beneath the Swirling Sky, and it means a lot to me because two of my own children have dyslexia. I think books with adventure and character depth help pull them in (and I’m sure the illustrations help too in this case)!
To answer your question, no, I’m not a visual artist myself. However, I grew up around a lot of art and familiar with artists and artistic concepts. My mom was an art major and taught high school art for several years, and my grandparents were art collectors. In fact, Uncle Leo’s house in Beneath the Swirling Sky is loosely based on theirs!

FEH: Of course you cover this thoroughly and poignantly in your story, but what are some of the ways you believe art can influence the world and each individual? Do visual arts have a unique role in that?

CL: One of the ways art can influence us is to bring to light beauty. It can also help you see things in a new way. Visual art specifically forces you to slow down to truly experience it, which feels like a rare gift in our hurry-to-the-next-thing culture. 

FEH: (Yes! I love that and totally agree. The ability art has to help us slow down is often overlooked.)
The villains in your story damage art and attempt to pollute it with their evil ideas... but you also mention real-life damage to artwork. What would you say regarding those who risk the destruction of (or actually destroy) masterpieces to magnify their own voices?

CL: I wonder if you’re referring to the protesters who have repeatedly assaulted various paintings over the last few years and now have apparently actually damaged one. I certainly don’t think the way for anyone to get a point across would be to harm irreplaceable paintings by some of our world’s greatest artists. It’s misguided, to say the least. But perhaps it had helped some people realize how precious these objects are. Their stunts have sent more people than ever to museums by reminding us of the frailty of art and our inability to truly protect it while also sharing it with the world.

FEH: (That's a very encouraging way of looking at it! Anything that helps us to consider the value of artwork isn't a total loss.)
From visual arts to word arts... Can you share a little about why you love writing and how you started writing?

CL: I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I was making up poems long before I could spell, and I started writing my first novel in the fourth grade. However, somewhere around middle school, much like my main character Vincent, I lost confidence in my art. Tragically, I stopped writing stories until I had kids of my own (though I never totally gave up on poetry). It makes me sad to think about how many years I wasted not writing because I thought I wasn’t good enough. But you can never actually get “good enough” without doing the work. I hope my story inspires kids not to give up on whatever art form they love.

FEH: Here is a question from my daughter, Maddie: if you could choose any of the artists you talk about in your book to illustrate it for you, who would it be?

CL: Well, it’s hard to beat the amazing art that Vivienne To created! Her illustrations, especially the cover, really blew me away, and I feel so blessed that she chose to take on this project. But if Vincent van Gogh wanted to illustrate my book, who am I to say no?

FEH: (We loved Vivienne's illustrations, too! They were the best part of getting a physical copy of the book after having enjoyed it on audio.)
If you could host a dinner with one artist and one writer (dead or alive!) who would you choose?

CL: This feels like a sneaky way to ask who my favorites are… I think I’d have to pick Vincent van Gogh for the artist because I love so many of his paintings and he had so much to say about art and life in his letters to his brother Theo. (Though I just came across a treasure trove of quotes from Henry Ossawa Tanner while researching book three, so he’s my close second). And how can I not pick C.S. Lewis as the author? I think I’d just sit back and soak in the conversation the two of them would have and just keep refilling their tea cups.

FEH: Finally, what is some of the best writing advice you ever received?

CL: It’s not the most talented writers who necessarily succeed. Its the most persistent. If you want to be a writer, keep at it!

FEH: Thank you so much for joining us, Carolyn, and thank you for writing your beautiful story. We are so looking forward to Book 2!!

​CL: Thank you for having me! Book 2, Between Flowers and Bones, is up for preorder now!

I can’t say how many times I’ve wished for more contemporary books like Hilda van Stockum’s The Mitchells—books with big, Catholic families having fun, doing interesting things, loving one another fiercely, and extending the love they learn at home to their wider community. Specific, much? Maybe a little. But one can hope (and get up early to write that kind of book yourself...). 

I think I clicked “Buy now” on My Family and Other Skaters, by Fiorella De Maria before I finished reading the description. Big Catholic family—check. Fun and adventures—check. Love at home and love for others—check and double check. Add to that the fact that the family in question is obsessed with figure skating, have a pet alpaca, and start an at-home cafe to feed the parents of their fellow skaters, and you’ve got the recipe for a story that fits right in with Noel Streatfeild and Hilda van Stockum. The first person narrator is Rosaria, the oldest daughter of a British accountant and an immigrant writer from “a sunny island where everyone grew up believing that the British wear bowler hats, drink Earl Grey tea out of little china teacups, and recite Wordsworth poems to each other.” The voice is casual and humorous, which makes it seem decidedly contemporary—I think my personal taste leans toward the classic feel of third person narration as in van Stockum and Streatfeild, but I’m certain there will be some readers (and probably many children) who prefer the immediacy and humor.

Much of My Family and Other Skaters takes place during Advent and Christmas, and revolves around the skating pantomime the children perform, making it a perfect choice for a family Advent readaloud.
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For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendations, check out Always in the Middle!