No name
The Merchant's Mark
The Merchant's Mark is a mystery set in England in 1493, against a rich historical background of a family involved in the wool industry. The author weaves much detail about the wool and cloth trades into the story. Many traditions, celebrations and religious practices are also included, giving the reader a very nice picture of life at that time - particularly their strong Catholic culture. This might be a good book to read alongside a study of Christopher Columbus. Not only does the story take place at the time of his voyage, but the information about the cloth trade is interesting because Columbus came from a cloth-making family.
Originally published in 1951 as The Wool Pack by Methuen in England, with illustrations by the author. The American Lerner edition retains these illustrations.
The Midshipman Quinn Collection
This collection includes all four stories (Midshipman Quinn, Quinn of the Fury, Midshipman Quinn and Denise the Spy, and Quinn at Trafalgar) of Midshipman Septimus Quinn, a junior officer of the British Navy from 1803-1805.
Septimus Quinn is a "small and studious" 15 year old who finds himself in the midst of all sorts of adventures fighting Napoleon under Lord Nelson. Daring naval assignments take him all over the Mediterranean as he really uses his head to deal with pirates, arrogant shipmates, runaway French patriots, clueless prison guards, etc. Complex escape plans, wild disguises and interesting sub-plots are par for the course. The reader will learn a great deal about ships and life at sea and the danger and excitement of sea battles amidst accounts of true historical events.The strategies of battle and other historical details are quite fascinating. The suspense and drama make it most appropriate for junior high and high school.
I found that it took me a little while to "get into" the story. I think this is because the continuous adventures and excitement make for a somewhat slower character development (READ: It will appeal to boys!). However, by the beginning of the second book, as I got to know Septimus Quinn a bit better, I was "hooked."
Copyrights 1956 - 1965. Bethlehem Books reprinted them in a single volume in 1999.
This book was donated for review by Bethlehem Books.
The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima
This is a full length color movie of the story of Our Lady's apparitions to three children in Fatima, Portugal in 1917. It is faithful to the true story with just enough "Hollywood" to make it entertaining and likable even for the little ones. The scene where the three children are interrogated by the government officials might be is a little intense, so I wouldn't recommend having your little ones watch it without supervision. Otherwise, it's a great film for the whole family. My daughter (almost 6 years old) received this for Easter (Thank you Grandma! : ) and absolutely loved it. I was very impressed with how accurate the important aspects of the story are told. I especially love how they handled the miracle of the sun on October 13, 1917 and how they portray two of the miracles that occurred at the time.
The "jokester" character of Hugo is a Hollywood creation.
Update from webmaster, March 2024: The 2006 re-release is pictured here, and is available on DVD or streaming services.
The Miracle of St. Nicholas
The text is fully illustrated using the traditional icon technique and style. It makes for a charming, but slightly haunting look... a subtle reminder of past sorrows in the face of a hopeful future. The book is a delightful Christmas story for the whole family; full of faith, hope and the beauty of tradition.
The Miracle on 34th Street
The idea for the movie originated as the Davies family watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from their apartment in post-WWII New York City. Mr. Davies remarked on the growing commercialism of the season and asked "What would Santa do if he were here today?" The answer was a classic movie from 20thCentury Fox. The book, The Miracle on 34th Street, is true to this original movie - written by Davies and his wife after the movie's debut, the book was an instant success. The copy we have, reprinted in 1998 by Galahad Books, is richly illustrated by Tomie de Paola.
This has been our lunch-time read-aloud since Advent began. The book stays very close to the movie but does have some slight differences - there is no young Alfred in this book, but Mr. Sawyer is just as rotten!
Reading this book aloud to my 3, 5, and 6 year-olds has helped me understand why I've always loved this story. Kris Kringle explains early on that "Christmas isn't just a day. It's a frame of mind." Towards the end of the book, Doris explains to her daughter that "faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to... Anyone could have faith when everything was fine. But real faith meant believing, rain or shine." These two quotes are a summation of why Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday and why I don't mind my little ones believing in Santa Claus - he's the personification of the magic of the season and the mystery of Incarnate Word!
The Miracles of Jesus
This book is a beautiful way to help your children learn to know and love Jesus. With many simple pictures (but nicely done) and just enough details of the story, Tomie de Paola relates how Jesus helped others while he was on earth. Stories include: The Wedding at Cana, The Catch of Fishes, The Calming of the Storm, The Loaves and The Fishes, Jesus Walks on the Water, The Paralyzed Man, The Centurion's Servant, Jesus Heals the Lepers and The Raising of Lazarus. (13 stories altogether) My children love to hear about how good Jesus is and how much he loves them. This book is a really nice way of reinforcing that idea.
The Monuments Men
The Mysteries of Life in Children's Literature
This book is not too "scholarly" to enjoy, and I have truly enjoyed it. Each of the chapters discusses a different element of children's literature in the context of actual books. There is a complete synopsis of the book at this address:
http://www.neumannpress.com/mysoflifinch.html
Be forewarned: you will be running to your bookshelves to start reading some of these books to your children and to re-read them yourself.