December 2023 Books

 Personal Reading

The Essential 55

by Ron Clark

The author is an award-winning teacher who seeks to discover successful students in every child he teaches, from rural North Carolina to the tough streets of Harlem.  The book is aimed at classroom teachers, but many of his "rules" can be applied to all sorts of situations.  He lists each rule and then explains it and/or gives of examples of it in action.  We heard Andrew Pudewa (from Institute For Excellence in Writing) discuss it on his podcast.  Many of the rules are exactly the behavior and attitudes that I've been trying to instill in my kids for the past 18+ years.

The Journey

by Myrna Grant

The true story of Rose Warmer, a Hungarian Jew, who came out of atheism and the occult to become a believer in Jesus as Messiah. She was passionate about witnessing to anybody and everybody, especially her fellow Jews during the Holocaust.  Because of the subject matter, it was a difficult read at times, but well worth it.  I was inspired by the way she learned to trust God to work out His perfect plans, even when things didn't go the way she wanted them to.  She always found that His ways and His timing were best.

The Music of His Promises

by Elisabeth Elliot

A collection of devotionals by Elisabeth Elliot.  I've been working on this one for over a year.  Some of the later ones really hit home as God used them and some real-life pop quizzes to practice patience and peace when my plans get upended.

The Rebel's Mark

by Given Hoffman

The sequel to The Tournament's Price, which I reviewed last month.  It continues the story of Prince Gage as he wrestles with the position he was born into and the responsibilities that come with it.  He also wrestles with his belief (or disbelief) in God because of difficult things that have happened in his life (especially friends who died, when he survived). I wish there were more clean, young adult adventure stories with Christian themes like this.  I also wish this author would hurry up and finish writing the third book in this series, because this one ends on just as much of a cliff-hanger as the first book did!  My fifteen-year-old son finished this book in about a day.  I think he slacked off on his schoolwork that day.  But I'm ok with that. :-)

The Eighth Ransom

by Given Hoffman

Eight kids from across the US are kidnapped and held for ransom in an international plot involving terrorists, Russians, and high-ranking government officials. The kids must learn to work with each other instead of fighting each other in order to escape alive, foil the plans of their captors, and prevent tragic loss of life.  Along the way, they each have to deal with their own complicated issues and family relationships.  Two of the teens are Christians who live out and share their faith in believable ways.  It is a very INTENSE novel. Clean as far as language, no romance, etc.  But the abductions and captivity are intense.  Good story with a satisfying ending.  Towards the middle to end, I began to notice more and more editorial mistakes, but the story was gripping enough to overcome that. Recommended for not overly sensitive readers 15+.

Escape from the Everglades

by Tim Shoemaker

First in the "High Water" series.  A boy is mauled by an alligator in the Everglades and just wants to move and get away from it and his fear.  But his park ranger's dad's transfer request is delayed, and in the meantime, he learns that just changing geography will not change the fear inside him.  He and his friends (a boy and a girl) must also confront the girl's older sister and her abusive boyfriend.  Throughout the story, the boy learns what "integrity" really means.  Very dramatic and suspenseful.  Parents are presented as people worth talking to and submitting to. No overt romance between the main characters, but the girl does seem to have some desires for a relationship with the main boy character.  Parents might want to preview the book to determine if the abusive relationship topic is something their kids are ready for.  You can listen to the author discuss this book and his writing philosophy on this podcast (Read Clean YA with CJ). The author has at least one other YA series and a standalone book.  They are labeled for ages 8-12 or 12-15.  This one, at least, I would rate 15+ with parental preview (because of the abusive relationship topic).

Speaking of Young Adult fiction ... I've been on the hunt for books that my 15 year-old son and 17-year-old daughter would be interested in.  This month, I've been listening to the Read Clean YA with CJ podcast.  It focuses on author interviews with a number of authors of young adult fiction, focusing on ones without objectionable content (i.e. foul language, sex, ungodly agendas, etc.)  I've been fascinated by the interviews and pleased that she includes content warnings for things that some readers might want to avoid (violence, heavy themes, romance).  Most of the books discussed are probably not ones that my kids are I would be interested in (dystopian, "sweet romance," or disturbing topics (human trafficking, etc.))  But I have found some series that might have potential.  My TBR (to-be-read) list has exploded, so expect to see more reviews in this genre next year.  If you have suggestions for books with realistic fiction, suspense, adventure, and Biblical worldview, send them on!  (For reference, my kids really liked books such as The Wilderking Trilogy, The Wingfeather Saga, The Green Ember series, The Shakespeare Stealer series, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Crown and the Covenant Trilogy.  So, I'm looking for things in that style.  Some are realistic fiction (humans on earth) and some are set in fantasy worlds.  )

The Grand Escape

by Neal Bascomb

This non-fiction book details the escape of 29 British officers from an infamous World War I prison camp via a tunnel that they dug.  10 of the 29 made it to safety in Holland, while the rest were recaptured.  This is the "young adult" version of his adult version The Escape Artists.  There are tons of books about WWII, so it was interesting to read about this war.  Apparently, this escape was the model for many (successful) escapes during WWII.  The author has a number of other books, both adult and YA versions, about WWII and other historical events.  Might be worth putting on my TBR list (which is way too long already!). 

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

A collection of short stories featuring the famous detective.

Finding Father Christmas

Engaging Father Christmas

Kissing Father Christmas

by Robin Jones Gunn

Three short novellas set in England at Christmas time, each one year apart.  Miranda Carson grew up with her single mom, "Eve Carson, the actress."  She never knew who her father was, and the secret died with her mother when Miranda was 9 years old.  Twenty years later, on a whim, she decides to act on the few clues she has and goes searching for her father.  But then she has to decide if revealing the truth is worth the pain it will cause to her new family.  In the midst of all this, she finds grace and peace in the real Father of Christmas -- God the Heavenly Father.  The story continues in the second book as more drama ensues the next year as the secret of her illegitimate birth threatens to rock the peace of her new family when a tabloid reporter gets hold of the story.  In the third book, the focus shifts to Miranda's new husband's cousin and her relationship with Peter, who was best man at Miranda's wedding.  Hallmark made three movies based on the first two books, though they left out all the Christian themes and made "finding Christmas" into all about feel-good traditions, etc.

Read-aloud (For Fun)

Little Town in the Ozarks

by Roger Lea MacBride

Rose Wilder and her parents (Laura & Almanzo) move to town and take in boarders because of drought that caused crop failures on their Rocky Ridge Farm. She's not happy about living in town, but eventually finds things to enjoy about it.

A Christmas Carol

by Charles Dickens

We listened to an audiobook of this classic novella the week before Christmas.

Read-aloud (Biography)

Free Indeed: Heroes of Black Christian History

by Mark Sidwell

A collection of short biographies of black Christians in America (mostly) who had some influence in the African American community -- from Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterian, AME, and Holiness denominations.

Read-aloud (Geography)

Stories set in Arkansas:

King of Ragtime: The Story of Scott Joplin

by Stephen Costanza

An excellent picture book biography of Scott Joplin, who wrote many famous ragtime piano pieces. I have a lot of ragtime fans among my piano students, so this was an interesting book to read.  The illustrations were great too.

Cracking the Wall: The Struggles of the Little Rock Nine

by Eileen Lucas

Tells the story of the nine black students who broke the "color barrier" to go to high school in Little Rock, Arkansas after the Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were unconstitutional. 

Stories set in Iowa:

American Gothic: The Life of Grant Wood

by Susan Wood

A picture book biography of Grant Wood, the painter of the famous "American Gothic" painting.  He grew up in Iowa, traveled to Europe to experiment with various styles but did not find one that suited him. The closest thing was the Gothic style.  When he came back to Iowa, he found this farmhouse with a gothic style window, which he featured in the famous painting that made him famous.

Creekfinding

by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

A spring-fed creek in Iowa got buried by a farmer seeking to create more plowable land.  Years later, when the new owner of the property found out that there used to be a creek there, he set about trying to find it and restore it.  Based on a true story.