Stories from the Ashes Podcast

Get ready to spring into reading with our latest Stories from the Ashes episode, where we're showcasing a delightful lineup of children's books perfect for the season. From charming picture books to beloved read-alouds, we've handpicked a selection of stories that will spark imagination and inspire young readers. Plus, don't miss out on our exclusive Spring Reading Bundle (download below), complete with fun reading challenge bookmarks and book log sheets to keep little bookworms engaged all season long!

Tune in now and let's embark on a springtime literary conversation together!

And don’t miss our newly updated Easter Book List!

Books that came up in this episode:

The Easter Treat by Roger Duvoisin

The Easter Egg Artists (also published as The Paintbrush Bunny) by Adrienne Adams

Hurry, Spring! by Sterling North

Rascal by Sterling North

Sketching Outdoors in Spring by Jim Arnosky

There’s More… Much More by Sue Alexander

Spring is Like the Morning by M. Jean Craig

Hooray for Spring by Iwamuraby

Tiny Perfect Things by M.H. Clark

Spring Things by Maxine W. Kumin and Artur Marokvia

The Story of the Root Children by Sibylle von Offers

The Winter Wren by Brock Cole

Beatrice Potter, Scientist by Lindsay H. Metcalf

Pick, Pull, Snap! Where Once a Flower Bloomed by Lola M. Schaefer

Anywhere Farm by Phyllis Root

The Forever Garden by Laurel Snyder

The Boy Who Didn’t Believe in Spring by Lucille Clifton and Britton Turkle

A New Beginning: Celebrating the Spring Equinox by Wendy Pfeffer

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring by Kenard Pak

Spring an Alphabet Acrostic by Steven Schnur

Spring Thaw by Steven Schnur

Welcome Back Sun by Michael Emberley

When Spring Comes by Kevin Hanks

Silver by Walter de la Mare

Spring Song by Barbara Seuling

All’s Right with the World by Jennifer Adams

The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night by Peter Spier

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem

Hurray for Spring! by Patricia Hubbell

Miss Jaster’s Garden by N.M. Bodecker

Hanna’s Cold Winter by Trish Mark

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

The Gardener by Sarah Stewart

The Librarian by Sarah Stewart

A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

The Narnia books by C.S. Lewis

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Spring Things by Bob Raczka

Hi, Mister Robin! by Alvin Tresselt and Roger Duvoisin

“Sweet Afton” (poem by Robert Burns)

“Pippa’s Song” (poem by Robert Browning)

Thanks for listening! If you’re looking for more seasonal books, be sure to check out our Winter Words Wonderland episode!

Join us in our conversation with Author and trusted Book Reviewer, Megan Saben. And find her book, Something Better Coming at the top of our Easter book list!

* The Redeemed Reader website where Megan shares book reviews.

* A page about Something Better Coming with a video preview.

* If you’re interested in hearing more on our discussion topic of Truth and Story, but specifically as found in picture books, here’s a taste on Redeemed Reader.

* A link to the fine art page for Megan’s illustrator friend, Ryan Flanders.

* Here’s a coupon code good for 10% off PLUS free media mail shipping through 3/31/2024. Good within the U.S. (International orders can contact Megan to see what you might work out.) Code: RESURRECTION24

* Westminster Kids carries Something Better Coming. They’re the only online store that does, besides ordering directly through Megan above. https://westminsterkids.com/products/7533495582920

Share this episode or Megan’s book with a friend!

The following book links are to the RA Amazon Storefront.

Books in this episode:

Something Better Coming by Megan Saben and Ryan Flanders

Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis

Stepping Heavenward by Mrs. E. Prentiss

“More Love to Thee” hymn by Elizabeth Prentiss- hear it here on YouTube

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom

Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Feminization of American Culture by Ann Douglas

Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney

The Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood

I Spy books

Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

Mother West Wind stories by Thornton Burgess

A Year in the Big Old Garden by James D. Witmer

Bird Life in Wington by John Calvin Reid

Join Ambre, Charlesa, and Kimberly in this episode as they share their favorite winter books!

Get cozy with their top recommendations and don't miss out on our special winter bundle, featuring handy reading trackers and exciting short reading challenge bookmarks. Embrace the magic of winter reading with this delightful episode!

Winter Bundle PDF printable

In this episode, Kimberly reminisces about printing coloring sheets from Jan Brett’s website years ago, wondering if they are still available. Guess what? They are! Explore a plethora of options right here—so many delightful choices await!

Books shared in this episode:

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner

Bargain Bride by Evelyn Sibley Lampman

Hanna’s Cold Winter by Trish Marx

A Hat for Mrs. Goldman: A Story for Knitting and Love by Michelle Edwards

The Fellowship of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

An Elephant in the Garden: Inspired by a True Story by Michael Morpurgo

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton

Cold Snap by Eileen Spinelli

Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John

Ellen and the Winter Wolves by Jamin Still

A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

Derwood Inc. by Jeri Massi- Book 1 of The Peabody Series

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Jack and Jill: A Village Story by Louisa May Alcott

Brave Irene by William Steig

The Old Woman Who Named Things by Cynthia Rylant

Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing & Lots More Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing by Judi and Ron Barrett

Miss Jaster’s Garden by N. M. Bodecker

The Duchess Bakes a Cake by Virginia Kahl

The Mitten by Jan Brett

The Hat by Jan Brett

The Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson

Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

Henry the Explorer by Mark Taylor

The Lion and the Bird by Marianne Dubuc

“Winter” by Walter de la Mare (a Poem)- we also recommend de la Mare’s Snow.

The two books for Kimberly’s request for Russian fiction that I couldn’t recall in the moment were both by Theodore Acland Harper:

* His Excellency and Peter

* Siberian Gold

Kimberly’s song recommendation:

Relient K - In Like a Lion (always winter)

Thank you for joining us this week! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!

Don't miss out on our complimentary literary catalogue, showcasing books our team has read and highly recommends!

Subscribe now for upcoming episodes filled with bookish delights and curated book lists. Elevate your reading journey with our recommendations and stay tuned for more literary adventures!

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Book links in this episode are to the Reshelving Alexandria Amazon storefront and using them supports our efforts to keep this podcast ad free.

With many in our community already elbow deep in our 2024 Reading Challenges, we thought it was a good time to listen in to Ambre and (RA Moderator) Kimberly Schluterman discuss how Kimberly approached the 2023 Reading Challenge.

Kimberly’s three most influential books:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Rocket Boys (The Coalwood Series #1), also published as October Sky by Homer H. Hickam Jr.

Kristy’s Great Idea (Baby-Sitter’s Club) by Ann M. Martin (Kimberly’s breakthrough into love of reading title)

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Books and resources discussed in the episode:

Feel free to order any titles through our storefront.

Love & Friendship movie (based on Lady Susan)

A Little History of the World by E. H. Gombrich

Dave Barry’s books

Elephant & Piggie Books

There is a Bird on Your Head by Mo Willems

Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins

Goodnight Already! by Jory John & Benji Davies

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

The Complete Peanuts by Shulz

Poultrygeist by Eric Geron

Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

Garfield comics by Jim Davis

All Cats Are on the Autism Spectrum by Kathy Hoopmann (updated edition of All Cats Have Aspergers Syndrome)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

All of Jane Austen’s books

Baby Lit books

The Childhood of Famous Americans series

Keeper of the Bees by Gene Stratton Porter

Bargain Bride by Evelyn Sibley Lampman

Shepherd of the Hills by Harold Bell Wright

Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Thanks for spending time with us! Subscribe for future episodes and free booklists!

Our guest this week is Anna Rose Johnson, author of the award winning The Star That Always Stays and the forthcoming The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry (pre-orders are open!).

Check out Anna Rose’s Instagram page for more genealogy information from The Star That Always Stays.

The Star That Always Stays

The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry

Books recommended in this episode by the host and guest:

Jane of Lantern Hill by L. M. Montgomery

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Emily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace

The Betsy Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace- this is a graded series where the reading level and maturity of the content rises with eac book as the cast ages and matures. Content Considerations are available in our free literary catalogue.

The Shoe books by Noel Streatfeild- a ten book series

Melendy Quartet- four book series (The Saturdays, Then There Were Five, The Four-story Mistake, Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze)

Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright (two book series with Return to Gone-Away Lake)

Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery

Pollyanna Grows Up by Eleanor H. Porter (sequel to Pollyanna, for teens)

Maggie Rose, Her Birthday Christmas by Ruth Sawyer

The Mitchells series by Hilda Van Stockum (three book series: Five for Victory, Canadian Summer, Friendly Gables)

From Anna by Jean Little

Mine for Keeps by Jean Little

The Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall

Vanderbeekers series by Karina Yan Glaser

Rosetown by Cynthia Rylant

A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

The Ramona series by Beverly Cleary (eight book series)

Thank you for joining us this week! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!

Be sure to check out our free literary catalogue of books our team has read and recommends! And subscribe for future episodes and book lists!

Book links in this episode are to the Reshelving Alexandria Amazon storefront.

In this exciting episode, we welcome back the talented author Steven J. Carroll. Steve has just wrapped up his compelling teen dystopian trilogy, "The City of Words," and graciously joins Ambre and Charlesa for an engaging conversation about this thought-provoking series. Tune in as we delve in and unravel the layers of depth in Steve’s spellbinding storytelling.

Episode correction: Steve references a Bible passage as being in The Book of John, when it’s actually in The Book of Revelations.

Steve’s Books:

City of Words by Steven J. Carroll (Dystopian-Teen)

* City of Words (Book 1)

* Mountain of Shadows (Book 2)

* Island of Man (Book 3)

The Histories of Earth (4 book series) by Steven J. Carroll (Middle Grade Fantasy/Teen)

* In the Window Room

* A Prince of Earth

* All the Worlds of Men

* Worlds Unending

The Road to Jericho by Steven J. Carroll (A standalone)

Other books discussed in this episode:

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

The List + The Last Lie by Patricia Forde

Words on Fire by Jennifer Neilsen

Shield by Dawn L. Watkins

Interested in our last interview with Steve? Check it out here:

Thanks for listening! Subscribe for free booklists and new episodes!

Today’s guest, Carolyn Leiloglou, is the author of the the new The Restorationists series! Book 1, Beneath the Swirling Sky just recently released and has been so well received! Below, check out all her books currently available and maybe find a new favorite!

Carolyn’s books:

Beneath the Swirling Sky (The Restorationists)

Library’s Most Wanted

Wild Things and Castles in the Sky: A Guide to Choosing the Best Books for Children (anthology)

Noah Green: Junior Zookeeper and the Garage Sale Pet (OOP)

Please support our podcast by making recommended book purchases through our storefront!

Books recommended in this episode:

Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis

Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis

The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson

Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson

Once Upon a Saturday by Edward Fenton: Archive link to read for free.

Katie and the Sunflowers by James Mayhew

Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban

Hidden Truths by Elly Swartz

Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley

The Bootlace Magician by Cassie Beasley

Thank you for Listening! This podcast is free, so please feel free to share it!

Today’s guest, Millie Florence, is a delightful middle grade author. In this episode, she shares her experience as an author who first published at thirteen! Grab your young writers and give her journey a listen.

Millie’s Books (aff link):

The Balter of Ashton Harper

Lydia Greene of Mulberry Glen

Honey Butter

No Snow Yet- Millie’s upcoming picture book!

Other Titles Discussed in this Episode:

Anne of Green Gables

A Little Princess

The Secret Garden

The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Hunger Games

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

Spilling Ink: a Handbook for Young Writers About Writing by Ellen Potter (Author), Anne Mazer (Author), Matt Phelan (Illustrator)

The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

The Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit

The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Three Knocks on the Wall by Evelyn Sibley Lampman

Bargain Bride by Evelyn Sibley Lampman

Ramona by Beverly Cleary

Jane Austen’s books

Thanks for listening to Stories from the Ashes! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and book news from Reshelving Alexandria!

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Loren G. Warnemuende, the accomplished author behind the 'Daughter of Arden' fairy tale retellings inspired by the classic Maid Maleen story, takes us on her remarkable 25-year journey in crafting these enchanting tales in this episode.

Loren’s books:

Daughter of Arden Trilogy

* Exile

* Wandering

* Promise

All three titles can be ordered from Bandersnatch Books.

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While curious where I could read the original Maid Maleen story I found this lovely illustration is from the 1917 collection of Grimm’s Fairy Tales illustrated by Arthur Rackham. I thought you might enjoy it as well!

Books discussed in this episode:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Green Dolphin Street by Elizabeth Goudge

Deerskin by Robin McKinley- This is an adult book with adult content

Beauty by Robin McKinley

Bearskin by Howard Pyle

A Little History of the World by E. H. Gombrich

An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo

The Wilderking Trilogy by Jonathan Rogers

Comedy IG channel with literary therapy sessions:

Thanks for listening! If you enjoy these episodes, please share them with a friend and leave a review on your listening platform!

You read that right: in this episode, I call Jane Austen "Jean Watson". And I don’t even think I caught it as it happened! This episode was recorded nine months ago right after I started addressing the fact that I lost my ability to see inside my head as part of the mental burnout after the house fire trauma/paperwork/etc..

In listening to the playback this week, I caught five absurd slips of the tongue (and I’m open to the possibility of there being more) and I am just so grateful to be able to so clearly see the progress I’ve made on my brain recovery this year. If you want to hear more about my misspeaks and how I’ve been healing my brain, I talk more about it here.

In this rapid fire episode Val, Charlesa, and I delve into a diverse collection of over 100 book suggestions impeccably matched with the RA 2023 12-book reading challenge. These recommendations, primarily designed for challenge takers, offer a literary adventure suitable for every reader.

Quick reminder that we have challenges of many lengths and most could still be finished if you started now!

Books in this episode:

I’m going to be real- listing over 100 books and covers in the show notes wasn’t in the cards this week, but I did add the titles to an episode list on our RA Amazon Storefront so it would populate pretty covers for you because covers are so pretty!

Resources and notes from the episode:

* Our Favorite Small Publishers are all listed here, and the FB RA community have also recommended Voyage Comics, Cluny Media, and YWAM.

* In the episode I mention that Magical Melons is the sequel to Caddie Woodlawn. It’s been published under Magical Melons and Caddie Woodlawn’s Family which is what you will see if you look for it on our Storefront list.

* The Other Half of the Church podcast where they read the whole book aloud and discuss it.

* Charlesa brings up Unbroken because it keeps coming up as a recommendation without content considerations. Please do not pick up this book without checking out content considerations.

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