Issue link: https://fredparent.uberflip.com/i/1340566
8 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • August 2020 Leigh Ann Van Doren I'm always delighted to find a new detective series featuring a woman. "Sweet Little Lies" and "Stone Cold Heart" fill the bill with Cat Kinsella, a young Irish policewoman in her 20s wres- tling with family loyalties and crime solving in Great Britain. It's a fresh take on a police procedural and dad/daughter rela- tionships that nicely took me away from present day realities. Reminds me to be glad my dad wasn't a shady pub owner dab- bling in criminal enterprises. Here's What Our Staff's Been Readin' This Summer STAFF BOOKSHELF Mira Dover "The Stars We Steal" by Alexa Donne. It was fun and quick paced with an incredibly interesting world and an ensemble of very diverse characters. The other is "The Scourge" by Jennifer Nielsen. This one is a bit older but extremely timely as it revolves around the outbreak of a virus. It's very funny and definitely would be appropriate for some younger audiences too, although it's shelved as YA. Megan Walsh My incoming kindergartener loved the Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo. They are light-hearted and humorous with unforgettable characters that you fall in love with. Even my big girls come back to hear these books read aloud. We have since moved on to "Because of Winn Dixie," also by Kate DiCamillo. We also read "The Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This classic is a must-read for any family with daughters who dream. I have long been a huge fan of "The Secret Garden" and though TSG is still my favorite, "The Little Princess" was a true gift. The movie was equally adorable. Another fun read for us was "Matilda" by Roald Dahl. All three of my girls found this story very entertaining. Chris Jones I've spent my summer reading about a pair of U.S. Presidents I admire—Abraham Lincoln and Dwight D. Eisenhower. "Lincoln on Leadership" by Donald T. Phillips is a great read for people who want to know and understand the strategic mindset Lincoln employed during the Civil War. Phillips does a great job illustrating Lincoln's writing ability, public speaking, and personal storytelling skill as a means of communicating ideas and bringing people (and invariably the Nation) together. "Dwight D. Eisenhower: An Associated Press Biography" by Relman Morin takes you from Eisenhower's humble beginnings in Abilene, Kansas; his drive to be the best at everything he did; his ascent to Supreme Commander of the Allies in Europe during World War II; and his presidency. You get a great pic- ture of Eisenhower the man and Eisenhower the strategic leader. Even my big girls come back to hear these books read aloud. Photo by Caeleigh Feindt (@Feindtphotography)