This episode of the Reading with Your Kids podcast is sponsored by Adventures of the Johnny Pocket Band: The Battle of the Bands by Linda K Phelps. Johnny and his Brother Drummer Boy are excited to compete in the Battle of the Bands. They have 2 months to get the Band prepared, but everyone is nervous because this event will be held at the High School.  Johnny has promised himself that he will conquer his anxiety this year and start having fun. With the help of his friends he just might make it.

Grab your copy to find out at https://johnnypocket.net/

Reading with Your Kids Podcast Interview – Leslea Wahl on her Favourite Middle Grade Reads about Friendship

Today on the Reading with Your Kids podcast, We’re thrilled to have our all-time favorite middle-grade author, Leslea Wahl, back on the podcast!

Leslea is joining us on the podcast to discuss her favorite middle-grade books that are full of beautiful friendships that teach us about strength, forgiveness, courage, and love.

Here’s some more information about Leslea Wahl

Leslea lives in beautiful Colorado with her husband and three children. Their own life of adventure includes traveling, skiing, and scuba diving. Leslea strives to write fiction that will inspire readers to use their own talents and gifts to glorify God. Leslie has been a creator of stories with ideas swirling through her head. She is thrilled now to be able to share some of them with others. For many years she has been driven by a belief that our purpose in life is to use our gifts to glorify God and lead others to Him. She feels blessed to have found a way to intertwine her two passions by creating adventurous stories with positive Christian messages for today’s youth. Not only does she hopes to entertain with her writing, but also to inspire others to find their gifts as well.

Visit Leslea’s website at www.LesleaWahl.com.

www.CatholicTeenBooks.com.

Here is the link to Leslea’s Amazon page – https://amzn.to/2IFnaLN

Mandy Lamb and the Full Moon by Corinna Turner

Mandy Lamb is the world’s only half-sheep girl, thanks to a spot of well-meant but ill-advised genetic tinkering. She’s grown up happily in the Valley of Worth with friends both sheep, human, and one who is neither.

But now she’s off to senior school in the nearby town. And she’s about to meet James, a rather strange orphan who smells, to Mandy, distinctly like a dog, and who has a bad habit of running away at the full moon. Is there any way they can be friends?

The Gate by Nancy Carabio Belanger

First-place winner! Best Catholic Novel–Catholic Press Association 2014 Book Awards.

For smart-aleck Josh, being a Christian in the eighth grade is completely irrelevant, especially with the temptations that middle school can bring. For him, life is all about playing video games, getting money, and causing trouble. He doesn’t need anybody and he makes his own rules. When his teacher assigns a pen-pal project, Josh meets Pie, a spunky senior citizen with a love of his Catholic faith, Saint John Bosco, and the New York Yankees. But much to Josh’s surprise, Pie creates his own project for Josh, and Josh realizes that God has a plan — even for him. In this inspiring novel that radiates the dignity of the priesthood and the discovery of God’s calling for each of us, Josh is shocked to find himself fighting spiritual battles, but often for the wrong side. As the friendship with his new mentor deepens, Josh learns that God has more in store for him than he could have ever imagined.

Sunflowers in a Hurricane  by Anne M. Faye

“Sunflowers in a Hurricane is a wholesome and inspiring novel, one that I highly recommend for teens and adults alike.” – Laura Pearl, author of Finding Grace and Erin’s Ring

“Unlike other books that might be described as ‘wholesome,’ Sunflowers is not cloyingly sweet. Bad things happen to good people, and faith doesn’t automatically make life daisies and roses.”– Amazon Reviewer

George Ferguson, an elderly gentleman, still misses his beloved wife who died in childbirth many years before. Cheryl Callahan is an angry single mother who left her home and her faith after high school and never looked back. Her teenage daughter Ruth chafes under her mother’s rules and resents having to travel from Ohio to Massachusetts to bury a grandmother she didn’t even know.

When Cheryl and Ruth move next door to George, the older man and young girl form an unlikely friendship as all three are forced to face the past in order to create a new future.

A big thank you to Leslea Wahl for sharing these wonderful books with us and for joining us on the Reading with your kid’s podcast!

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, it’s safe to assume there are others out there like you who would also enjoy the show. Help them find it. Please rate and review our show in iTunes and share it by clicking the social media buttons at the bottom of this page. Those people will appreciate it, and you’ll feel great about yourself!

If you haven’t already done so, listen to this episode & feel free to share it by using the social media buttons at the bottom of this page. We would LOVE if you could leave us a review on iTunes.

Have a stellar day!

*Post contains an affiliate link

NOAH NOASAURUS is a children’s book that will help parents to deal with their kid’s grumpy mornings. Find out more at ELAINEKIELYKEARNS.COM.  Visit Amazon to check out the book, read reviews and buy your own copy!