March 2021 Books

 The total this month was 34 books (4 for my benefit, 30 for the kids or school related), 5 magazines, and 3 books abandoned.

That brings the total for the year to 75 books (18 for my benefit, 58 for the kids or school related), 11 magazines, and 3 books abandoned.

Biography

Rebel With a Cause

by Franklin Graham

An autobiography of Franklin Graham as he grew up a rebel, then turned and became the leader of Samaritan's Purse Ministries.  There did seem to be a bit of name-dropping, though I suppose some of that can't be helped when you're talking about the life of a famous son of a famous person.  Caution: there is some pretty graphic stuff described relating to some of the war-time atrocities he encountered in his work in Europe and Africa.

Classics

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

by Mark Twain

A man from the 1800s gets a knock on the head and wakes up to find himself in Camelot in 528.  He has various adventures and attempts to use his modern knowledge to improve society.  Twain alternates between plot and sociological commentary.  Some disparaging comments made against "the church," specifically the Roman Catholic church, but could be interpreted as referring to Christianity in general.  A few mild curse words. I abandoned it about 1/3 of the way through, concluding that Mark Twain just isn't one of my favorite authors.  (I haven't been over-impressed with his other novels either.)

A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court

1995 TV movie with Keisha Knight-Pulliam

We watched this movie as a family, as an introduction to King Arthur.  It was hilarious.  A few scenes might be a bit intense for young children, but it was ridiculously funny.

Newberry

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! : Voices from a Medieval Village

by Laura Amy Schlitz

A collection of monologues and a few dialogues representing children in various walks of life in a Medieval Village.  The concept was interesting, but I wasn't enthralled with this book, even though it was a Newberry winner.  It might be considered a bit crude in some places, but I also realize that it probably accurately reflects the hardness of life at that time.  Still, not one of my favorites.

Nonfiction

World Religions and Cults Volume 3

by Bodie Hodge and Roger Patterson

The last of this 3 volume set deals with atheistic and humanistic religions.  Each chapter in all of these books is like a separate article.  This makes it easy to pick up and read any chapter in just about any order.  But a lot of the same information is included in multiple chapters, so reading the book straight through can get a bit repetitive.

Just For Fun

Time Garden

by Edward Eager

A sequel to Knight's Castle (see below).  The kids meet a magical toad-like creature called a Natterjack, who accompanies them in a series of time traveling adventures, in both historical and literary times.

Read-aloud

Paddington Marches On

by Michael Bond

Yet another series of adventures by the young bear gentleman from darkest Peru, read aloud to my youngest three.

History

Unless otherwise noted, I previewed these books myself, then "strewed" them -- left them out in visible places, giving the kids access to them if they were interested in looking at them on their own.

Who in the World Was the Acrobatic Empress: The Story of Theodora

by Robin Phillips

A biography/historical fiction about Theodora who was the wife of Justinian, emperor of the Byzantine empire. A fairly short book.  Fun and informative.  We read this aloud.

The Life and Times of Attila the Hun

by Earle Rice

Details the battles and life of Attila the Hun.  A bit too detailed and boring for my taste.  Also, some questionable pictures (violence, nudity).  Did not strew this one.

Castle Diary: The Journal of Tobias Burgess

by Richard Platt

Diary entries from a page-in-training describe (from a child's perspective) different aspects of life in a medieval castle.  Fun.  

King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table

Edited by Sidney Lanier, based on the work of Sir Thomas Mallory

Abridged versions of tales about King Arthur.  Retains much of the language style of the time, which became too much for me.  Abandoned it after 2 or 3 chapters.  Did not strew this one.

King Arthur

by Rosalind Kerven

A more accessible retelling of the Arthurian legends, with informative sidebars giving background information, who's who in Camelot, illustrations, and pictures.  Well-done.  I strewed this, and many of the kids took a look at it.  The legends reminded me   of the Greek and Roman mythologies, with all the deceit, treachery, superstitions, and rampant adultery.

King Arthur and His Knights

as told by Jim Weiss

A well-done retelling of some of the key legends of King Arthur.  We listened to this audiobook as a family.

Building a Castle

by Paul Humphrey

Excellent picture book explaining how and why castles were designed and built.

Castle Life

by Laura Durman

Excellent picture book describing various aspects of daily life in a Medieval castle.

Siege

by Laura Durman

Another excellent book describing how a castle was attacked and defended.

Castle

by David Macaulay

A fictional account of a castle being built in England.  Typical David Macaulay book, with lots of detailed drawings, cross-sections, and diagrams. We watched a PBS movie of this book.

The Making of a Knight

by Patrick O'Brien

Follows the life a boy as he grows from a page to a squire to a knight.  Fun and informative picture book.

Marguerite Makes a Book

by Bruce Robertson

A gorgeously illustrated picture book demonstrating how an illuminated book was made during the Middle Ages.

Mrs. Frizzle's Adventures Medieval Castle

by Johanna Cole

Mrs. Frizzle takes Arthur and others on an adventure through a medieval castle.  Funny and informative. Read aloud.

Knights in Shining Armor

by Gail Gibbons

A typical Gail Gibbons picture book (meaning excellent and simple).  Read aloud to some of the younger ones.

The Sword in the Tree

by Clyde Robert Bulla

Young Shan grows up training to become the master and lord of Weldon Castle.  Then his evil uncle comes to get rid of his father and drive out Shan and his mother so he can take over the castle. Shan makes his way to Camelot to seek help from King Arthurs and his knights, who help Shan reclaim his home.  A short, easy to read chapter book with large type.

Knight's Castle

by Edward Eager

I'm not generally a fan of "magic" books, and I almost didn't read this one after I picked it up from the library.  But I'm glad I did.  It's an absolutely hilarious tale of four kids and their adventures in imagination.  They act out the story of Ivanhoe, then get transported back to the actual time period by "magic."  The story mixes Ivanhoe with Robin Hood, Jack-and-the-Beanstalk, Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, even a bit of a Narnia feel as well as references to communism (it was written in 1956).  I laughed out loud in a number of places. I recommended it to the kids and several of them read it.  My favorite for the month.

Ivanhoe

by Marianna Mayer

A retelling of Sir Walter Scott's novel, in an accessible, beautifully illustrated picture book.  

Beowulf : A Hero's Tale Retold

by James Rumford

A retelling of the tale of Beowulf, a hero who killed a marauding ogre in Denmark, as well as the ogre's vengeful mother, and later, a dragon.  Vivid, but not too gory, pictures and text.  Written in prose.  Easy to read and understand.  I strewed this one after we talked about Beowulf in history.

Beowulf

by Michael Morpurgo

More vivid and graphic in both words and pictures than the previous one.  Also longer.  Didn't read it all.

Beowulf : The Warrior

by Ian Serrailier

A retelling of the classic poem, written in language easier to read for modern readers.  It's written in free verse poetry, which made it harder to read out loud because of the line breaks in the middle of sentences.  Read this one out loud.

Anna of Byzantium

by Tracy Barrett

Anna is a princess in the Byzantine empire, being groomed to be her father's heir by her manipulative grandmother.  When the grandmother realizes that Anna will not be her puppet, she lies about her to Anna's father (the emperor) and gets the spoiled younger brother named as the heir.  After her father's death and her brother's promotion to emperor, Anna makes an attempt on her brother's life.  She is caught before she can succeed and is exiled to a nunnery, where she eventually learns to be thankful for being spared the guilt of murder and where she writes a history of her father's reign.  Based on true history.  Suggested it to the kids, but no one picked it up.

Saint Valentine

by Ann Tompert

A beautiful picture book biography of the man Valentine who was martyred for his Christian faith on February 14th.

Saladin : Noble Prince of Islam

by Diane Stanley

A rather lengthy picture book biography of Saladin, who united the Muslim world and fought off the crusaders during the Third Crusade.  Will bring this one back later one when we get to this period in history.

Favorite Medieval Tales

by Mary Pope Osborne

A retelling of several famous tales from the Middle Ages, including Beowulf, King Arthur, and Robin Hood.  

Stowing Away With the Vikings

by Linda Bailey

We love Linda Bailey's books, featuring the time-traveling twins Emma and Josh and their little sister Libby.  This time, they travel back to the age of the Vikings.  Read aloud to the younger ones.  The olde ones read it on their own.

New Zealand

by Ellen Frazel

A nice introduction to the country of New Zealand.

Maori

by Leslie Strudwick

A more in-depth look at the Maori people of New Zealand.

Iceland

by Tamra Orr

An nice overview of the country of Iceland.

Cultural Traditions in Iceland

by Cynthia O'Brien

Informative picture book explaining various interesting traditions in Iceland.

Lost Cities

by Giles Laroche

Describes various cities that are known only from their ruins.  I got it mainly for the part about Great Zimbabwe, which we talked about in our history curriculum.

Good King  Wenceslas

by John M. Neale

A gorgeously illustrated version of the familiar Christmas carol, relating the story of the real duke of Wenceslas who ruled in Bohemia in the 900s.

Picture books, just for fun

Nothing new this month.

Magazines

World Magazine (3), Texas Parks and Wildlife (1), Young Rider (1)