What's New

The One-Minute Apologist

Author(s): 
Dave Armstrong
The clever, user-friendly layout of this book makes it very practical! In the introduction, author Dave Armstrong explains that he hopes to empower Catholics to be able to defend their faith with the aid of this book: I believe the book is capable of doing just that! Starting a with a Protestant objection to a Catholic teaching, each double page provides a solid explanation of the problems with each objection, supported amply with bible verses.

Behind Enemy Lines

Author(s): 
H. R. DeMallie
This is a fascinating personal account of a U.S. Air Force pilot who was shot down over Holland and spent the rest of World War II in a POW camp in Germany. He wrote it specifically to honor the Dutch who took care of him at great peril to their own lives. It was a particularly interesting read after being acquainted with Hilda Van Stockum's The Winged Watchman as locations and situations are very similar. The narrative is simple and understated (and very REAL), but you can imagine the voice of a grandfather sharing his adventures and impressions with the young people of today.

The Penderwicks

Author(s): 
Jeanne Birdsall
It may have been the old fashioned cover with all those happy children, or the subtitle, but the fact is, I grabbed a copy of the Penderwicks from the library even though it’s a 2005 copyright: our read-aloud selections are almost never beyond 1950! It took me a while, however, and some research online, before I inserted the CD into the van’s stereo, and not without some trepidation. Needless to say my personal experience with contemporary children’s materials has been… bumpy at best. But this one promised to be different. By the second chapter, we were hooked.

Shadow in the Dark

Book cover: 'Shadow in the Dark'
Author(s): 
Antony Barone
This is a nice little adventure story that centers on Xan, a peasant boy who loses his family and his memory when raiders attack and burn his village. Although the beginning is rather over-the-top, the story does hit its stride after the first few chapters and the remainder of the book is much smoother. Several thematic elements add to the interest, including the lived faith of the Benedictine monks who rescue the boy. The author has created an interesting plot with a clever twist or two so that the story works out positively without being too obvious.

I could do that! Esther Morris gets Women the Vote

Author(s): 
Linda Arms White
Illustrator(s): 
Nancy Carpenter
This is a very cute book telling the true story of Esther Morris and the advent of the woman vote. The language is fun and accessible but it doesn't sugarcoat events. The eighth of eleven children and six foot tall, Esther had a interesting life and courage to spare. In this time of primaries, as we breathe politics in the air, this books brings a refreshing read!

Close to the Wind

Author(s): 
Peter Malone
Sometimes your casual pick-up-what-looks-good from the library hits jackpot--last week it was one of those instances for us. Close to the Wind by Peter Malone gets very close to being the picture book par excellence. In every aspect, this gem brings the very best of the world of picture books: beautiful, detail-rich illustrations, a captivating story, plenty of educational content, and great use of visual diagrams, side notes and explanatory illustrations. Good picture books, I am always exclaiming, are so helpful in the homeschool. What did we know about the Beaufort Scale before this find?

Magellan's World

Author(s): 
Stuart Waldman
Illustrator(s): 
Gregory Manchess
I will never hear Magellan's name again without having my mind refer back to this beautiful picture book. Text and illustrations combined left me feeling as if I had gone around the world with him--or almost around the world, as of course he never did finish the voyage himself.

The Secret of the Ruby Ring

Author(s): 
Yvonne MacGrory
Illustrator(s): 
Terry Myler
If you looked into the mirror of your soul, would you like what you saw? What if the mirror was represented by another person? Lucy is a modern Irish girl who has everything, a nice home and a loving family. On top of that, she is an outstanding student. But when she doesn't win the coveted prize for the best composition in her class, Lucy is devastated. Assuming she was going to win, because she had won before, Lucy is bitter, angry and nasty to her best friend when she wins the prize, clearly revealing that Lucy is one very spoiled child. Not for long, however.

Guns for General Washington. A Story of the American Revolution

Author(s): 
Seymour Reit
The future looks dim for the Continental army. With scare firewood, little needed supplies of food, blankets and muskets, meager shelter, and disorganized soldiers deserting, the prospects of winning the war, let alone recapturing Boston look doubtful. To compound the problem, their munitions supply is dwindling fast and they have no heavy artillery to defend themselves or create an offensive attack. Aboard the HMS Somerset General Howe, the commander of the British army, is anxiously awaiting reinforcements. But Col. Henry Knox is not one to sit idle and wait.

Lydia Longley, The First American Nun

Author(s): 
Helen A. McCarthy
Illustrator(s): 
John Lawn
Dramatic changes are in store for Lydia Longley when her father brings home a new mother for his children. At the time she is twelve-years-old. This change, however, proves to be small in comparison to the traumatic event that changes her life forever when she is twenty. While everyone is busy preparing breakfast, a party of Abenaki Indians raids their peaceful farm, killing her parents, brothers and sisters. Miraculously, they spare her life along with her younger brother and sister.