Archives

The Postman’s Lantern by J.C. Comerford

Oct7

Better Together

The Postman’s Lantern by J.C Comerford is a timeless Christmas tale that will warm your heart and leave you smiling.

We witness the need we have for each other. If someone is in trouble, we need to stand together and work together. Together we are stronger.

A father’s love for his children is fierce. There are no lengths he will not go to in order to protect. This is a motif for God, our Father, who comes to our aid when we cry out to Him.

We need to focus on the light. It is the light that will guide us home. Jesus is the Light of the World. We need to keep our focus on Him.

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Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo

Sep15

Absolutely Brilliant And Heartbreaking

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo is a powerful and heartbreaking historical children’s novel. I happened upon it as my ten year old granddaughter was studying it at school. It appealed to both the historian and the fiction-lover in me.

Michael Morpurgo is a masterful story-teller. He writes Private Peaceful in the first person with the result that the story feels very personal to the reader. As we read, we are on a countdown through the night with the memories of seventeen year old Tommo.

We witness the desire to know that heaven exists. “I want to believe there’s a heaven… that death is not a full stop, and that we will all see one another again.” Surrounded by death on the battlefield, this is a hope to hold on to.

The Belgium Front was a wasteland where even God seemed absent. “He [God] has long since abandoned this place and all of us who live in it.” The faith of men was shaken. “I could no longer pretend to myself that I believed in a merciful god… I could believe only in the hell I was living in… it was man-made, not God-made.”

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Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce

Aug30

Time No Longer

Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce is a delightful children’s classic. Its timeless appeal will win readers from all ages.

I had seen the BBC adaptation as a child, and more recently, the movie but I had never read the book until now. It is such a charming read. I loved it.

The novel straddles time as two very different worlds collide when the clock strikes thirteen.

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The Diddakoi by Rumer Godden

Aug30

A Timeless Classic

The Diddakoi  by Rumer Godden is a powerful children’s novel for ages ten and over. It is a timeless classic for all.

The reader witnesses how hard it can be to fit in at school when you are seen as different. Children, especially girls, can be cruel but they do have the capacity to be kind too.

It is important to remember our heritage and to keep it alive.

Loss hurts, especially when it seems that everything you know has been taken from you. Seven year old Kizzy needs love, patience and care to heal. She needs people around her who understand her needs.

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