What's New

Meat & Potatoes Catholicism

Author(s): 
Rev. Joseph F. Classen
Are you malnourished? Many Catholics feel that they don’t know the faith, they are spiritually malnourished. To satisfy your hunger for the faith, Fr. Classen wants to feed you the fundamentals of your faith in Meat & Potatoes Catholicism. Determined to write a book that makes sense to those who sit in the pews, Fr. Classen has set out to educate you in the essentials of the faith.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Title page of the play, from the first quarto
Author(s): 
William Shakespeare
We studied this Shakespeare comedy in 9th grade using an "interleaved" edition featuring the original text on one side and notes to clarify the meanings of archaic terms on the facing pages. Looking at the text on the pages was a little daunting, but it is amazing what a difference reading it aloud in class made. Suddenly the words were not so strange or difficult to follow any more, and as it is a play -- not a novel -- reading aloud really helped bring it to life.

First Farm in the Valley: Anna's Story

Author(s): 
Anne Pellowski
Illustrator(s): 
Roseanne Sharpe
It’s back in print! One of my favorite series for young children, the Latsch Valley Farm series (formerly called Polish American Girls series), is being reprinted. The first in the series, First Farm in the Valley: Anna’s Story is now available from Bethlehem Books with lovely new illustrations. Enter into the world of six-year-old Anna and her large Polish family as she grows up in rural Wisconsin during the 1870s.

Solanus Casey

Author(s): 
Catherine M. Odell
This November, to coincide with our American History studies, we will study American saints, blesseds and venerables. One of the venerables we will study is Fr. Solanus Casey, a Capuchin Franciscan, born in Wisconsin in 1870 and died in Detroit in 1957. One of the books we’ll use as a read-aloud during November is Solanus Casey: The Story of Father Solanus (revised) by Catherine M. Odell.

True to the Old Flag

Author(s): 
G.A. Henty
What would you say to a historical novel filled with action and adventure? What would you say to a book written with boys in mind by an author famous for his morally strong and upright heroes? What would you say to a book that gives the “other side” of the story? Well, I would say – “sounds wonderful; bring it on!” And this book, True to the Old Flag: A Tale of the American War for Independence, by G. A. Henty fulfills all these descriptions. His book is filled with action and adventure, from pre-Revolution events to post-Revolution occurrences.

Faith Charts: The Bible at a Glance

Author(s): 
Scott Hahn
When you study the Bible, do you find yourself confused by how what you're reading fits in with other parts of the Bible? Wouldn't it be nice to have an easy visual resource that helps you connect the pieces together and start to get a better sense of the whole? This may be just what you're looking for. This colorful six-page laminated fold-out chart (written by Scott Hahn!) is a handy reference guide to have by your side when studying the Bible.

Jesus of Nazareth

Author(s): 
Pope Benedict XVI
Translator(s): 
Adrian J. Walker
It's rather lovely, I think that the Pope uses in his own book a phrase (which he applies to the parables of Jesus) which aptly describes this fascinating book: "...it not only or even primarily adds to what we know, but it changes our lives." In Jesus of Nazareth, Our Holy Father presents a vision of primary events of the Gospels (this volume covers significant stories chronologically from the Baptism of Our Lord through the Transfiguration - a second volume is expected in the future).

The Lark on the Wing

Author(s): 
Elfrida Vipont
Illustrator(s): 
T. R. Freeman
Set during the late 1940’s, The Lark on the Wing is the story of a young woman on the brink of a new career. Seventeen-year-old Kit desires with all her heart to sing professionally, but one obstacle after another pops up in her way. Will she be able to overcome all these obstacles to fulfill her life’s dream? The Lark on the Wing captures the doubts, the excitement, and the energy of young people on the brink of adulthood with a world of myriad choices before them, including young love.

Take it to the Queen

Author(s): 
Josephine Nobisso
Illustrator(s): 
Katalin Szegedi
The long awaited companion to The Weight of a Mass (Nobisso, Gingerbread House Books) is finally available. In her new story Take it to the Queen, a Tale of Hope, Josephine Nobisso tells a fable that draws upon the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her material and mystical participation in our salvation. The villagers of a once favored city rebel against the goodness of the King, bringing famine and desolation. Eventually they seek the intervention of their queen, who was once of their village.

My Advent Calendar

This is a very simple advent calendar with little doors to open each day of Advent. The price is very reasonable, but the quality is suitable for a one-time use (it would be difficult to close the doors a second time around). The illustrations are very simple with some glittery high-lights but my favorite feature is a simple task (though some are very generic) printed on the inside of each door for the child to do to prepare for Christmas.