Personal Reading
Little Lord Fauntleroy
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
From Amazon: A seven-year-old boy is transported from the mean streets of nineteenth-century New York to the splendor of his grandfather's English manor in this beloved classic of children's literature. Young Cedric is astonished to find himself in possession of the title of Lord Fauntleroy and dismayed at his separation from his adored mother during the schooling for his new position. The Earl of Dorincourt, Cedric's crotchety grandfather, intends to instruct Cedric in the manners of the peerage; as it happens, the child teaches the man some valuable lessons about the true meaning of nobility.
Cedric is portrayed as a perfect child, believing the best about everybody (almost like a male Pollyanna). Some may find him too sweet and perfect. There does seem to be an emphasis on his beauty and connecting that to his goodness (as if he wouldn't have been so good if he was not so handsome in appearance). Overall, I enjoyed the story (I listened to the audiobook). It was a sweet and wholesome story (though not totally believable) with no objectionable content.
One Thousand Gifts
by Ann Voskamp
The author is challenged to list one thousand things she is thankful for and in so doing finds a way to deal with trauma from her past and learns to trust God and live life more fully in the present. I gleaned some good thoughts from it, but I really struggled with the writing style. Though she has some great phrases of evocative imagery, overall, I found her style to be disjointed and hard to get into. I forced myself through about 2/3 of the book before giving up. There are some graphic descriptions of her sister being crushed by a truck and other traumatic events in her life.
Further Adventures of Lad
by Albert Payson Terhune
A collection of stand-alone stories about the author's most famous collie.Newbery Medal Books
I, Juan de Pareja
by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino
Juan is the slave of the great Spanish painter Diego Valazquez and helps his master in his studio by preparing paints and stretching canvases. But Juan is an artist, too: he has taught himself by watching his master's technique, although such work is forbidden by slaves. Eventually he confesses his secret, and his master gives him his freedom. I really enjoyed the story and the audiobook.
Genre: Historical Fiction. 1966 Newbery Medal winner.
The Tale of Despereaux
by Kate DiCamillo
The adventures of Desperaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin. A fun story. Audiobook was well-narrated.
Genre: Fantasy. 2004 Newbery Medal winner.
Young Adult Fiction
The Kingdom Series
by Chuck Black
From the author's website: The Kingdom Series novels are Biblical allegories that are set in a medieval time period. They cover the span of time from Genesis through the book of Revelation. They are full of action and adventure where swords, knights, and battle are all Biblically symbolic. The allegory teaches Godly character, the adventure captures the imagination of all ages, and the action keeps teenagers engrossed from cover to cover…even non-readers! They are GREAT read-alouds! Deep symbolism with an action story makes excellent reading for ages 8 to adult. The series is one continuous story with characters that portray courage, loyalty, discipline, and honor. There is no magic, mysticism, or wizardry in the Kingdom Series.
The six books in the series are:
1. Kingdom's Dawn2. Kingdom's Hope3. Kingdom's Edge4. Kingdom's Call5. Kingdom's Quest6. Kingdom's Reign
I really enjoyed this series! I listened to the audiobooks for the first 3 titles in this series, then bought and read the rest in hard copy form. The audiobooks include not only excellent narrators but also sound effects and music which enhance the tension and action in the books. Each book includes discussion questions (and answers) as well as an author's commentary to explain the symbolism in the stories. The books are not long (about 160-180 pages each; audiobooks are 3-4 hours each). There is a pronunciation guide on the author's website (www.chuckblack.com). Although the author's description says it's for ages 8 and up, I would recommend 12 and up (perhaps for mature 10-year-olds). There is a lot of sword fighting, which can be a bit intense at times, though not overly graphic and gory. It almost pushes my limit of tolerance for graphic descriptions, but the value of the story outweighed that for me. I do highly recommend this series for those who can handle the violence.
The Knights of Arrethtrae
by Chuck Black
From the author's website: The Knights of Arrethrae is a medieval action/adventure series allegory. Building upon the Kingdom of Arrethrae as created in The Kingdom Series books, these stories fit within the time of the waiting years, between books 3 & 5. This is analogous to the Church Age or the Time of the Gentiles. This is not a chronological series like The Kingdom Series, for each book stands alone and tells of the adventures of individual knights during this time period. The Knights of the Prince are recruiting and training all who will follow the Prince as they wait for His return. During these years, brave knights rise up and take the story of the Prince deep into the heart of the kingdom and to the far reaches of the land. They encounter great adversity and peril as they fight against many strongholds established by the Dark Knight as well as those influenced by his power. Each title allegorically teaches a biblical principle such as loyalty, courage, humility, and faith while warning against the tools of the devil such as rebellion, greed, doubt, and apathy.
The six books in the series are:
1. Sir Kendrick & the Castle of Bel Lione
2. Sir Bentley & the Holbrook Court
3. Sir Dalton & the Shadow Heart
4. Lady Carliss & the Waters of Moorue
5. Sir Quinlan & the Swords of Valor
6. Sir Rowan & the Camerian Conquest
This series was just as good as the Kingdom Series. A bit more graphic; really pushed my limits. Recommended 12+ for those who can tolerate the graphic battles.
Faith and Freedom Trilogy:
Guns of Thunder
Guns of the Lion
Guns of Providence
by Douglas Bond
This series is a sequel to the Crown and the Covenant trilogy but can be read independently of that series. In The Crown and the Covenant, a Scottish family battles the English Catholic & Anglican kings who try to prohibit them from practicing their faith according to their understanding of the Bible. At the end of that series, part of that family moves to the American colonies, while part remains in Scotland. This series picks up two or three generations later. Guns of Thunder is set in America during some skirmishes between the British and the French and Indians (but before the French & Indian War). Guns of the Lion is set in England/Scotland at about the same time, during the Jacobite (Bonny Prince Charlie) uprising. Guns of Providence takes place in America during the War for Independence. In each story, a teenage boy goes to war for a different reason (to rescue a captured relative, by conscription, or out of a feeling of duty). Each boy wrestles with questions of faith about God and their aversion to killing other people. Recommended for ages 12 and up. There is war time violence, but it is not graphic or gory.
by Sarah Maslin Nir & Raymond White Jr.
From the library description: Cheryl loves horses. She's been studying thoroughbreds at her family's horse-racing stables since she was old enough to ride on the shoulders of her father, a famous horse trainer. Cheryl wants to be a jockey. One problem--she is a girl, and there has never been a Black female jockey in history!
The history part of this book was ok (the co-author is Cheryl's younger brother). But the book contains some subtle and not so subtle messages I don't think are Biblical (i.e. "you got to love yourself and then others will too" and there are more interesting and important things for a girl/woman to do besides caring for and raising a family). I wouldn't recommend it to impressionable young girls who might easily absorb its worldview.
Babe: The Gallant Pig
by Dick King-Smith
A piglet, destined for butchering, is adopted by a mother sheep dog, learns to herd sheep by talking politely to them, and wins the favor of the farmer and his wife. Cute, simple, fun. Similar, but different from the movie.
Terror in the Tunnel
by Marianne Hering & Sheila Seifert
Book 23 in the Imagination Station Series. It picks up right after book 22 (Freedom at the Falls).
From the publisher's website: Cousins Patrick and Beth work with detective Allan Pinkerton to save Abraham Lincoln. The South is in an uproar over the presidential election because Lincoln wants to stop the spread of slavery. Some take their hatred too far, and the cousins overhear a plot to kill Abraham Lincoln before his inauguration. To outsmart the killers, Beth works alongside the first female detective: spunky Kate Warne. And Patrick hurries to Pennsylvania to warn Lincoln about the plot.
A quick, easy read. Recommended for ages 8+. No objectionable content. The series is similar to The Magic Treehouse series, except it is from a Biblical worldview and there is no magic involved.
Rescue on the River
by Marianne Hering & Sheila Seifert
Book 24 in the Imagination Station Series. It picks up right after book 23.
From the publisher's website: When Patrick and Beth deliver Abraham Lincoln's speech to him in Washington, they discover that their friend Sally's brother is a slave in South Carolina. To rescue Kitch, the cousins join Harriet Tubman and the Second South Carolina Volunteers as they raid a rice plantation on the Combahee River.
Poison at the Pump
by Chris Brack & Sheila Seifert
Book 25 in the Imagination Station Series. It picks up right after book 24.
From the publisher's website: Patrick and Beth travel back in time in the Imagination Station to London, England, during the cholera epidemic of 1854. The cousins join Dr. John Snow, Florence Nightingale, and Curate Henry Whitehead in a thrilling scientific adventure to discover why this disease was killing people around Broad Street. In their quest for truth, Patrick finds himself a prisoner in a workhouse.
Swept into the Sea
by Chris Brack & Sheila Seifert
Book 26 in the Imagination Station Series. It picks up right after book 25.
From the publisher's website: Patrick and Beth travel back in time in the Imagination Station to a grain ship in the Mediterranean Sea during the first century. A violent storm has been raging for fourteen days, and the ship is in danger of crashing into the African coastline or breaking up due to the crashing waves. On the ship, the cousins meet Paul, a prisoner on his way to Rome for trial, and his traveling companions. Paul tells everyone that God has told him that everyone on the ship will be saved . . . if they stick together. But the passengers are forced to abandon the ship and swim for shore when the ship runs aground.
Refugees on the Run
by Chris Brack & Sheila Seifert
Book 27 in the Imagination Station Series. It picks up right after book 26.
From the publisher's website: Cousins Beth and Patrick have a problem. They need to leave the country of Lithuania before the Nazis arrive. But their friend Leza and her family are in worse trouble. They are Jews, and Nazis don't like Jews. They must find a way to become Nazi prisoners. Their one hope is Chiune Sugihara, called Sempo. He represents the nation of Japan in Lithuania. He can issue the travel papers they need.
Islands and Enemies
by Marianne Hering
Book 28 in the Imagination Station Series.
From the publisher's website: Patrick and Beth board the Victoria in 1521 on its journey to try and sail around the world. But they make a bad first impression when they meet Captain Ferdinand Magellan. The cousins are accused of being witches and must prove their innocence. The crew members watch their every move, looking for an excuse to throw the cousins overboard. Meanwhile, Patrick finds a friend who has a secret. Beth becomes the new scribe for the voyage, stirring up jealousy from Antonio Pigafetta, one of Magellan’s best friends. After a surprising miracle happens on the island, the crew―and the cousins―must take sides: Who thinks Magellan is unfit to lead? Who is loyal to Magellan and willing to risk their life to prove it?
Sled Run for Survival
by Marianne Hering
Book 29 in the Imagination Station Series.
From the publisher's website: Patrick and Beth knew they'd be facing danger fiercer than a polar bear, but they thought they'd at least be able to see whatever it was they were fighting. After arriving in Nome, Alaska, in the winter of 1925, the cousins discover than a very small enemy is sweeping through the community. Patrick joins Phillip Clearsky and his team of sled dogs as they race to deliver medicine to the children. Meanwhile, Beth meets a daring pilot who wants to prove she can accomplish this mission another way -- and she's not taking "no" for an answer. Can Amelia safely fly over stormy Alaska? Will the dogs be able to deliver the medicine in time to save the children from deadly disease?
This book is different from the previous ones, in that one of the characters is actually trying to change history as they go back in time, not just learn about it.
Land of the Lost
by Marianne Hering
Book 30 in the Imagination Station Series.
Patrick and Beth follow Amelia Darling back to the days of Noah's ark. I do NOT recommend this book. It is very biblically inaccurate.
Big Risks in Russia
by Marianne Hering
Book 31 in the Imagination Station Series.
Patrick and Beth are still following Amelia Darling, as she seeks to rewrite history. This time they are in Russia in the 1960s, helping a pastor smuggle Bibles to Russian Christians while Amelia tries to become the first person in space.
Read-aloud (for Fun)
Read-aloud (Biography)
Francis Scott Key: God's Courageous Composer
by David Collins
I enjoyed this biography, learning more about the man who wrote the "Star-Spangled Banner." The book is written for elementary or middle school readers and tells the story from the first person. It tells of his growing up years, experiences at school, studying to become a lawyer while also having a heart for preaching. Of course, it also tells how he came to be somewhat of a captive observer of the battle that inspired what became our national anthem.
Stonewall Jackson: Loved in the South, Admired in the North
by Charles Ludwig
Unlike other books in this series of biographies, this book is written in third person rather than first person. It is not quite as personable as the ones that were written in first person, but it's still more interesting than reading a dry history textbook and it does focus on his Christian faith more than secular biographies probably would.
Read-aloud (Geography)
Stories set in Idaho:
More Potatoes!
by Millicent E. Selsam
A "Science I Can Read" book, this one features a little girl who keeps asking questions about where potatoes come from. Her mom gets them from the store. The store owner gets them from a warehouse. But where does the warehouse get them from? She ends up inspiring her teacher and class to go on several field trips to find the answers -- all the way back to the farm where they grow.
Fire Storm
by Jean Craighead George
Alex enjoys kayaking behind the raft of his aunt and uncle as they journey down Idaho's Salmon River, until they find themselves in the middle of a forest fire.
Stories set in Montana:
Dust Devil
by Anne Isaacs
A tall tale. Having moved to Montana from Tennessee in the 1830s, fearless Angelica Longrider--also known as Swamp Angel--changes the state's landscape, tames a wild horse, and captures some desperadoes. Hilarious. We liked this one so much, I checked out all the other books by this author that were available at the library: Swamp Angel, Pancakes for Supper, The Ghosts of Luckless Gulch, and Cat Up a Tree.
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