This classic play, written in the fashion of a Greek tragedy (but with Catholic content) is suitable for high school students and adults. Handling the topic of St. Thomas Becket' martyrdom, it focuses on the spiritual and emotional struggles and temptations the Archbishop is faced with immediately before his martyrdom. Full of many truths and fodder for great discussion, this is a highly recommended piece for literature, religion and history.

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. Here are a few random examples: "Jesus, as we prepare to welcome you, let me be welcoming of others, too." "Jesus, today I'll be obedient, even when it isn't easy." "Jesus, today I'll offer to help my family by setting the table." "Today, Jesus, I'll spend some time thinking about the miracle of your birth."

My Brother Sam is Dead is the story of a boy whose brother rebels against his father to join the colonial army in the Revolutionary War. There are many good things to recommend about this story and some warnings to give also.

The boy, Tim Meeker, is witness to the chaotic events of the war. The book gives a good description of the confusion of the times with occupying armies and defiant citizens, senseless death and seemingly cruel punishments. Tim's brother, Sam, joins the patriot army against his father's wishes and even returns to steal his father's gun. Sam's father is a staunch loyalist and scandalized by his son's behavior. The father has also had a taste of war in the French and Indian war and does not want his son to have to experience the horror of it. The son thinks he knows better.

As the war progresses, and goods become scarce, armies on both sides resort to commandeering or stealing for food and supplies. Tim's father is arrested as he is bringing a load of supplies to the tavern he runs and Sam is arrested for stealing cows, which he did not steal. Tim's father dies on a British prison ship and Sam is executed by his own army for theft. The scene of the execution is somewhat unsettling as are other scenes like it in the book.

This is definitely an anti-war story. The authors end the book by asking if we might have been able to accomplish independence without a war. Throughout the story the atrocities of war are reflected upon by Tim and there are many quotes by Tim's father about the price of war, such as, "In war, the dead pay the debts of the living." This slant by the author would make a great subject for discussion.

Another very interesting aspect of story is that the rebellion of the son to his father directly parallels the rebellion of the colonies to the father country, England. The exchanges between father and son could be laid right across the colonies and England. Yet another interesting aspect is the irony of the deaths of father and son. Father, as a loyalist, dies in a prison ship as a prisoner of the country he professes and Sam, as a rebel, dies at the end of an firing squad of his fellow patriots. All of these make this book a great vehicle for discussion of author's bias and purpose, of literary devices such as irony and story structure, and finally of the ideas behind the war itself.

However, there is one great drawback to the story. There is an enormous amount of swearing in it, including taking the Lord's name. If it were just once or twice, you might be able to overlook it, but one teacher I know counted and found over fifty instances of swearing. If you want your children to have the experience of the book, you might consider reading it aloud and editing out the swearing as you read. However, there are many other books available which discuss the ideas of the Revolutionary War while avoiding this drawback.

This is an idea whose time has certainly come. Over the past few years a resurgence in Bible reading seems to have swept across the United States. You can hardly walk through a Walmart or an average bookstore without coming across all sorts of Bibles for all sorts of people. One big problem - it's difficult to find these user-friendly Bibles in Catholic editions.

This is no longer the case as Paul Thigpen has thoughtfully assembled this Daily Catholic Bible, broken down into 20 minute segments to read each day. The Bible is organized according to the calendar and also offers the Saint of the day and a short quote for each day as well. The Bible is a manageable size (and price) because of the special thin paper commonly used in Bibles. But the best news is that the translation is the excellent "Revised Standard Version: Catholic Edition." No feminized language or politically correct interpretations here!

This is probably best suited for adults or fairly ambitious teens. It would make a great New Year's resolution to read the entire Bible next year by getting through just a little bit each day. I'm going to try. Won't you join me?