No name

Cleared for Action

Book cover: Cleared for Action
Author(s): 
Stephen Meader
Number of pages: 
639 pages
Copyright: 
1940
ISBN: 
9781883937553
Publisher: 
Bethlehem Books
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 

This "Budget Book" offers four full-length stories in one volume...

Clear for Action by Stephen Meader (copyright 1940) Clear for Action tells of American sailing at the beginning of the War of 1812. Jeff Robbins is a young sailor from Maine, taking his first voyage aboard a cargo schooner bound for the Carribean. All aboard are nervous about being overtaken by British vessels who have been intercepting ships, blocking harbors and making trouble all along the Atlantic Coast. Jeff's world is turned upside down when their schooner is apprehended and he and several of his shipmates are forced into service on a British frigate. Clear for Action is an interesting and worthwhile adventure story that provides all kinds of insightful angles on the War of 1812 and offers a unique contrast to very-British Midshipman Quinn collection. The story wraps up amidst interesting plot-twists – a deserted island, buried treasure and big plans.

Reviewed 4-29-02

Whaler Round the Horn by Stephen Meader (copyright 1950)

Stephen Meader's "whaling yarn" brings to life the exciting and dangerous adventures of a New England whaleboat sailing all the way around Cape Horn (at the tip of South America) to the Pacific Ocean. Young Rodney Glenn, an orphan from New Hampshire, has always wanted to be a whaler, and we follow him aboard his first time at sea. Everything is new and exciting to his young eyes and young people of today will readily relate to his adventures.

Historically speaking, it's nice to find a story that gives an honest look at the interesting but sometimes ugly world of whaling without the politically correct shock and contempt with which whalers of the past are generally treated today. This was uniquely important to me in that one of my great-great-great grandfathers was a Portuguese whaler from the Azores. The first time I told my daughter about this ancestor (who was also a third order Carmelite) she reacted with disgust, given her great interest in whales and the number of books and shows on whales she had eagerly digested.

In addition to the whale theme which contains undercurrents of Moby Dick, 19th Century Hawaii provides a unique contrast with the home port in New England and the main character's adventures through massive storms (the Perfect Storm has little on this), harrowing escapes from the "jaws of death" and adventures on a deserted stretch of one of the Hawaiian Islands make for a memorable and engaging story.

Reviews of the other two stories in the Budget Book Cleared for Action by Stephen Meader will be forthcoming.

Additional notes: 

Copyrights 1940-1950

This book was donated for review by Bethlehem Books

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
2-22-03

Close to the Wind

The Beaufort Scale
Author(s): 
Peter Malone
Number of pages: 
32 pages
Copyright: 
2007
ISBN: 
0399243992
Publisher: 
Putnam Juvenile
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Grade / Age level: 
Resource Type: 
Review: 
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? Next to nil. Now, not only we learned about the useful scale that measures wind based on detailed observations, we also learned information on ship-building, sails, the life of sailors, curious entries in sailor's glossary, how many trees are cut down to build a ship, and the sad destiny of many ships after their many years of service.
Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
2-21-2008

Cobra Island

Book cover: 'Cobra Island'
Author(s): 
Rev. Neil Boyton, S.J.
Number of pages: 
151 pages
Copyright: 
1922
Publisher: 
Saint Aidan Press
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
Frank Gaze, known by his friends as Scouty, is accompanying his father on a trip to India during World War I. When an enemy vessel destroys their ship and all on board must flee in lifeboats, Scouty is separated from his father. He and his companions become separated from the other lifeboats and are forced to land on a deserted island in the Indian Ocean. All his spiritual training as a devout Catholic and physical training as a boy scout are put to the test as he is faced with comforting several men on their death-beds, finding food and shelter in the wild and handling the dangers of venemous cobras and dangerous enemies.

The story is a fun read, especially for boys (ages 12 and up). It is written in a first-person narrative and in a rather humorous and informal style (a little reminiscent of P.G. Wodehouse, even though the story is American, not British).

Perspective: 
Catholic
Additional notes: 

This title was donated for review by St. Aidan Press

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
7-4-02

Columbus

Book cover: 'Columbus'
Author(s): 
Ingri & Edgar Parin D'Aulaire
Number of pages: 
60 pages
Copyright: 
1955
ISBN: 
9780964380332
Publisher: 
Beautiful Feet Books
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 

This is another great biography by the D'Aulaires. Well told and beautifully illustrated, this book will introduce you to Columbus' boyhood dreams, some of the reasons why he (and others) believed the earth was round, his early sailing days and interest in the tales of Leif Ericson, and of course the story of his family, his long quest for sponsorship of his desired trip and finally his voyages to America. Most adults don't know as much about Columbus as your children can learn from this story.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1998-99

Common Ground

What Catholics and Protestants Can Learn from Each Other
Copyright: 
2006
Publisher: 
Kensington Community Church
Grade / Age level: 
Resource Type: 
Review: 
This DVD presents an engaging dialogue (Question and Answer format) between a Catholic priest and a Protestant minister. Produced by a Protestant Church, it primarily consists of common Protestant Questions/Objections about the Catholic Faith that are answered by the priest. The priest's responses are succinct, respectful and quite insightful. Not only are they theologically solid, but they present creative and helpful ways of explaining authentic doctrine to others. The atmosphere of the dialogue is strikingly honest and open - including personal stories and anecdotes that helpfully connect ideas to reality. I found that it took me a long time to get through this DVD not because it was boring, but because (given that I don't have enough time to watch it in one sitting), I kept finding myself starting a little earlier in the DVD than where I had previously finished, so that I could hear the explanations one more time. This is great stuff - a beautiful illustration of ecumenical dialogue AND a rather succint explanation of Catholic doctrine - particularly for anyone wanting to learn more about their faith. Topics include: Salvation, the Eucharist, the Blessed Mother, the Saints, Confession, Religious Images, prayer and the importance of charitable dialogue.
Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
3-3-2008

Conceptual Physics for Parents and Teachers, Book One: Mechanics

Especially Elementary School Teachers, who, after parents, provide the learning foundation for children
Book cover: Conceptual Physics for Parents and Teachers, Book One: Mechanics
Author(s): 
Paul Hewitt
Number of pages: 
179 pages
Copyright: 
1998
ISBN: 
9780941051644
Publisher: 
Focus Publishing
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 

The Conceptual Physics series is designed to make scientific concepts more accessible to parents and teachers. The hope is that a greater understanding on our part will lead to more and better information for children at a young age so that they might begin to develop an interest in science and the wonders of the world around them. The author explains that the current emphasis in education seems to be on the process of how we came to understand certain things and that many students leave school without understanding basic concepts of gravity, motion, etc. His book is an attempt to remedy that situation.

I think the author does a commendable job at fulfilling this task. Although he introduces readers to the mathematical expressions used to describe certain concepts, his emphasis is on helping the reader to understand the concepts themselves. Mr. Hewitt has given the book a great deal of personality. Rather than being very "textbook-like", studying the book has more of the feel of going through the basics with a good highschool teacher – humor, interesting tidbits, etc. His explanations, profuse "real-life examples" and an ability to anticipate common misunderstandings do make these concepts accessible. I'm not going to pretend that working your way through this book is a breeze. For a rather non-scientific person like myself it required a bit of determination, particularly in getting started. However, once I got into the book a bit, I found it both engaging and interesting. The author clearly wants to make you think rather than simply filling you head with information. At one point he even mentions that "Good teaching isn't providing answers–it's asking good questions." Like any good teacher, he challenges you while keeping you interested. There are little question and answer sections scattered through the text to ensure that you're staying on track (I'm happy to say that I was able to answer most of these correctly). I especially enjoyed the experiments. They are simple enough to try at a moment's notice and even my children, who are ages six and under, were delighted to try them out with me. These experiments led to a lot of "ooh"s and "wow"s and some good discussions around the dinner table. Clearly, in my family, the aim of the author was accomplished.

The book covers a substantial quantity of information, including the following concepts: equilibrium, vectors, tension, motion, speed, velocity, acceleration, free-fall, mass, weight, force, friction, pressure, momentum, bouncing, energy, work, power, efficiency, rotational motion, torque, center of gravity, stability, and gravity. He frequently relates these concepts to interesting, "real-life" situations such as calculating the "hang-time" of basketball players, explaining how people can walk on broken glass or lie on a bed of nails without getting hurt, why long poles help tightrope walkers balance, how gravity causes tides and even a bit about black holes. Obviously this is a lot of material to cover in a book of 179 pages. He doesn't explain the entire history of how we've come to understand each concept, but focuses on helping the student understand how these concepts work based on scientific research to date. Anyone who studies the book will have a much greater understanding of physics than the average American. For some this may even be a springboard for a much greater interest in Science.

The only real problem I had with the technical chapters of the book (1 – 8) is a slightly belittling tone the author takes toward Aristotle. It comes in the context of Galileo and Newton's advances in understanding motion which revolutionized the beliefs of their day which had originated with Aristotle. I think it's largely due to his informal style and probably not intentional, but I think it's a point worthy of mention. I want to instill in my children a respect for the great thinkers of the past. It's easy for us today to become arrogant about our technological advances, but I think we need to remember how much of our progress today would have been impossible without those who preceeded us.

The final chapter (9) is entitled "On Science." Here the author presents some of his philosophies about what science is. He also makes some very useful distinctions about the meanings of words in a scientific context as compared to "ordinary speech". I thought his explanations about the attitudes required of a good scientist were very helpful. There is a lot of very good food for thought in this chapter and some particularly excellent quotes. One of my favorites was, "In your education it is not enough to be aware that other people may try to fool you; it is more important to be aware of your own tendency to fool yourself." (People would do well to consider that idea in any profession!) I was impressed with his sincerity and surprised by how well he presented the idea of the complementarity of science and religion (for a secular text). This was particularly enhanced by a quote of Einstein's he includes: "Science without religion is deaf; religion without science is blind." We Catholics aren't afraid of science. We believe that faith and reason work together. (An abundance of excellent reading material on this topic can be found on the Internet. I recommend the website: Creation, Creationism and Empirical Theistic Arguments and Pope John Paul II's encyclical On Faith and Reason (Fides et Ratio).)

Unfortunately I found some areas of the last chapter where the author goes beyond the realm of his expertise and includes some statements which lack the clarity present in most of his text. I think that he muddles some points by using controversial subjects as examples. Also expect a few "off-the-wall" comments such as "Truth is a word seldom used in science (it seems to me that those who say they seek only 'the truth' are more often seeking confirmation of what they already hold as true, and anything found that contradicts rather than supports, is discarded)" (p. 165), and, "It was then that I learned that right and wrong are relative terms. By definition, we're right and they're wrong. Few of us question what we've been taught to believe" (p. 166).

In good-natured curiosity then, if right and wrong are relative terms and science does not concern itself with the truth, how can the author be so sure that Aristotle was wrong?

You can read more about this title on the Focus Publishing Website.

Additional notes: 

black and white illustrations and photos

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1998-99

Confusion by Cupid

Author(s): 
Janet Lambert
Number of pages: 
192 pages
Copyright: 
1945
Publisher: 
Image Cascade
Binding: 
Softcover
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
Continuing in the Jordon family series, this story (Book Three) is based on Peter's, Gwen's, and Alice's love lives. Though each have their own steady dates, (who all happen to be away), they go out with other people and everything ends up in one big mess! Peter goes out with the wrong girl and Gwen gets married, but not to the man she was initially engaged to marry. Alice, like a movie director, keeps everything flowing and everyone informed while her own love life is churning.

Since this is the third book in this series I suggest that it be read after the first two to provide maximum effect.

Additional notes: 

Reviewer 8th grade homeschooler

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1998-99

Conversational Latin for Oral Proficiency

Phrase Book and Dictionary
Book cover: Conversational Latin for Oral Proficiency
Author(s): 
John C. Traupman
Number of pages: 
398 pages
Copyright: 
2003
ISBN: 
9780865164383
Publisher: 
Bolchazy-Carducci
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Resource Type: 
Review: 
Conversational Latin for Oral Proficiency (Third edition) is a beefy, but easy-to-use supplement for Latin teachers and older Latin students.. Each of the twenty-five chapters tackles a particular subject matter; providing Latin and English conversations on three different difficulty levels and an extensive list of topical vocabulary and related phrases (some chapters also include suggested classroom activities and additional notes).

The chapters are designed so that they need not be done in a particular order so that readers can jump to a topic of particular interest and gain some depth in their Latin studies by practicing pronunciation, memorizing conversational phrases, creating Latin-language skits or just "messing around" with the language a bit. The book includes plenty of ancient terms as well as words for modern ideas and inventions, so you won't have any trouble discussing everything from weather to the Internet during Latin class.

There are some really neat extras as well. The "Days, Weeks, Months and Years" segment gives some fascinating details on the calendar and time-telling used by the Romans. The "Grammar" chapter, which is particularly extensive, gives plenty of content for teachers wishing to conduct their entire Latin classes in Latin. There are also conversational pieces which would be great for memory work (with a question and answer format), for example: "What is a verb?" and "Give examples of a relative pronoun." (This segment, even if studied only in English, makes excellent review work as well.)

The topics covered are as follows: "Greetings:, "Family", "House and Furniture", "Daily Activities", "Sports and Other Leisure Activities", "The Human Body" (like a normal dictionary, proper names for body parts are included) , "Health and Physical Fitness", "Food and Drink", "Days, Weeks, Months, Years", "Expressions of Time", "Useful Colloquial Expressions", "Clothing and Jewelry", "School", "Buying and Selling", "The Weather", "Animals", "Emotions and Qualities", "Trades and Professions", "The City and Public Buildings", "Government", "War and Peace", "Law and Criminal Justice", "Geography and Topography", "Transportation" and "Grammar". Appendices include "Yes and No in Latin", "Colors", "Numbers", "Proverbs and Sayings", "Computer Terms" and a 137 page General Vocabulary arranged English to Latin.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
10-21-04

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