After being very impressed with Constance Savery's insightful writing style and unique plot line in The Reb and the Redcoats, I had rather high expectations for Enemy Brothers. I wasn't disappointed in the least. This story is set in the early years of World War II (before the United States joined the Allied Forces) and tells of a young British man (Dym) whose toddler-aged brother was kidnapped from their large family ten years earlier. Dym loses both his parents within a short time of the kidnapping, but promises his mother before she dies to continue to search for little Tony. He spends many years in Germany and Switzerland looking for the boy, studying the books that his brother might be brought up on, but has to return to England when war breaks out. As an officer in the British Air Force, Dym is introduced to a young lad (Max) from Germany who has been captured and brought to England because of his pro-Nazi escapades in Norway. Known to be a real trouble-maker, his captors have a difficult time finding a place for him to live. Dym, suspecting that this is his long-lost brother (who was raised in the Nazi ideology) offers to take him home to the family estate the White Priory (fans of The Reb and the Redcoats, will recognize the same house from a different era). Although evidence mounts againts him, Max insists that he is not Tony and demands to be sent back to Germany. He lives up to his reputation for trouble by attempting numerous escapes, playing harmful pranks and even trying to spy for his home country right under their noses. The plot is thoughtful, engaging and not at all "predictable".

The story is a classic tale of the conflict between good and evil, love and hate - particularly on an intellectual level (the plane in which so many of today's moral conflicts lie). Much of Max's indoctrination is of an intellectual nature and I appreciate the fact that the good side is portrayed as fighting on God's side, despite errors of judgment in the past. The story is filled with interesting details of the time period. As I read the story, I found myself stopping frequently to comment to my husband about this or that aspect of the way things were during World War II, that I had never heard of elsewhere.

The writing quality and the beautiful way the author describes certain subtleties (such as how Max slowly discovers how different life in England is from life in Germany and how much of his beliefs about the English were simply German propaganda) are just wonderful. The thoughtfulness of the scenes in portraying some of these details makes the reading very enjoyable for adults as well as children. In some cases, as a family read-aloud, these scenes may require a little explanation for the younger children. A few tidbits made me and my husband laugh out loud which prompted the children to beg for an explanation! Overall, we have found that our children really love these opportunities to stop and talk about the story a bit and these tangents can be one of the real blessings of reading books as a family.

Although the story touches upon some intense and difficult concepts, like the Reb and the Redcoats, it is presented in such a manner as to be appropriate for a wide age range and could be used as a family read-aloud. The conflicts and relationships between the main characters of the story provide a beautiful opportunity to thoughtfully consider how our actions and example can affect the moral decisions of others. Highly recommended.

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

I must admit that this is not a topic in which I am particularly interested. I'm very secure knowing that the water will be available when I turn on a tap or that the bridge I'm driving over will hold me. I'm not sure if I want to know what happens after I flush a toilet or where the garbage goes. That being said, this book helped me to understand these mundane things using terms that are easily understandable, describing activities that encourage further learning, and showing pictures that are clean and clear and make their point.

This book would make a great secondary resource for high school level physics, engineering or civics courses in that it helps define and explain how the things we take for granted work – why there are different bridges for different applications; what the water table is and why it's important; ways and means of transporting citizens; and many other topics. The simple line-drawn diagrams and illustrations ease understanding of some of the more technical information. Published by Chicago Review Press, this book is supposedly for 9-year-olds and up. I think, unless your middle school student is very "into it", this resource would be better suited to high school students. Some of the activities are a bit blah or extremely elementary, but taking into consideration the subject matter, the activities do help illustrate the concept or principle described in the accompanying text.

Chapters include: water, transportation by water, irrigation, different ways of transportation, trains of all types, different styles of bridges, wires/telephones and wireless communication, plumbing and sewers, refuse disposal or reuse, and pollution from acid rain, global warming and water pollution. This book would make a great text for a co-op class of high schoolers, with the projects done in a group setting with a bit of competition thrown in. For instance, to illustrate the concepts from the chapter on different styles of bridges, a bridge-building contest using the designs described would be great. This book would also be suitable for ideas for science fair projects or as a high school level introduction to civil engineering.

This set of 100 cards covers the Greek and Latin root words found in the companion book. 37 words are Greek Roots (cards are outlined in green - don't worry - they are written in our standard alphabet!) and the res are Latin (cards are outlined in red). The back of each card gives the definition and derivatives in an identical manner to the book (includes definitions, et al.), but does not contain the teaching notes and extra words found in the book. Although the cards are printed on paper slightly heavier than that found in the book, they are still quite flimsy and would hold up much better if laminated.

Note: Some parents find that they only need the cards because they cover the most essential mateiral. Others buy only the book and make their own cards. Personally, I am happy to have both.

Conceptual Math Media, Game board with paperboard tiles and plastic tile holders

Similar in format to the word game Scrabble�, Equate allows players to place equations on a board while gaining points based upon the types of numbers and operations used. (For example, a fraction is worth more points than a whole number and a division symbol is worth more points than an addition symbol. Don't worry - the point value is marked on each tile.) Players may add on to existing equations provided that both sides of the equation are still equal.

We found this to be a fun and challenging game for upper grade school through adult. Add on sets can be purchased for younger grades or for advanced Math (the advanced set also includes negative numbers and exponents). Even with the basic set, level of play can be quite challenging considering equations involving multiplication and division of fractions and order of operation. Rules could easily be adjusted to accomodate players with varying skill levels.