Simply Jaimie

One of the greatest gifts family history offers is the reminder that love does not end when someone dies. While we cannot stop death from entering our lives, we can choose to remember. We can tell stories, preserve photographs, record memories, and continue speaking the names of those who helped shape us. In many ways, family history is an expression of enduring love. This is one of the reasons I chose to spotlight The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman. Beneath the mystery, adventure, and fantasy lies a deeply moving story about love, loss, grief, and the fear of what comes next. As the characters wrestle with difficult questions about death and what it means to let go, readers are gently reminded that grief is a reflection of love and that remembering those we have lost is part of healing. One of the things I appreciated most about this book is that it doesn't pretend grief is simple. Instead, it acknowledges that love and loss often exist together. That truth feels...

When we research our family history, it can be easy to think of world events as something that happened in history books. Yet our ancestors lived through those moments. They experienced wars, political unrest, economic hardship, and uncertainty while continuing to raise families, care for one another, and make difficult decisions. Learning about the world they lived in helps us better understand the choices they made and the people they became. This is one of the reasons I chose to spotlight The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri. Set in Iran during World War II and inspired by true events, the novel follows Babak and his younger sister after the death of their father. Fearing they will be separated, Babak takes up his father's work as a teacher to the nomadic tribes. With a chalkboard strapped to his back and his sister by his side, the two journey across the mountains searching for the tribes they are meant to teach. Along the way, they meet a Jewish boy hiding from a Nazi s...

Family history often begins with a simple question: Who were the people who came before me, and how have their lives shaped my own? As we seek answers, we often discover that understanding our family's story helps us better understand ourselves. The choices, sacrifices, traditions, and experiences of previous generations continue to influence our lives in ways we may not fully recognize. This is one of the reasons I chose to spotlight A Sea of Lemon Trees by María Dolores Águila. Based on true events, the novel follows twelve-year-old Roberto Alvarez, the youngest of his siblings and the first in his family to be born in the United States. After his parents leave Mexico during a time of political upheaval in search of a better future, the family settles in California hoping to build a new life. When the Lemon Grove School Board attempts to segregate Mexican students from white students, Roberto, his family, and their community face an impossible choice. Amid threats of deportation...

This middle grade novel follows two timelines that are separated by more than a thousand years. One story follows twelve-year-old Han Yu as he travels across China during the Tang Dynasty in an effort to save his family. The second follows twelve-year-old Luli, a young girl living in New York City in 1931, who is trying to prevent her family from losing everything. As both characters navigate their own journeys, readers discover the surprising ways their stories connect across time and place. This book is filled with cliffhangers, hardships, and mystical animals who watch over and protect the characters along the way. The story kept me turning pages as Han Yu and Luli faced difficult choices, unexpected obstacles, and moments that tested their courage. Readers who enjoy adventure, folklore, and historical fiction will find plenty to love in this novel. There were many moments in this book that connected beautifully to family history. One of my favorites comes when Yiyi explains that th...

There are some books that tell a story, and there are other books that invite readers to see themselves as part of a much larger story. Across So Many Seas by Ruth Behar is one of those books. As parents, we often want our children to understand where they came from and to feel connected to the generations who came before them. Yet it can be difficult for children to grasp that their story did not begin with them. It is part of a chain of people, places, sacrifices, and experiences stretching back through time. This is one of the reasons I chose to spotlight Across So Many Seas . Spanning more than five hundred years, the novel follows four girls from the same family as they navigate life in different countries, cultures, and time periods. Beginning in Spain during the expulsion of the Jews in 1492 and continuing through Turkey, Cuba, and the United States, each generation carries forward pieces of the family's story while adding a chapter of her own. What I love most about this b...