Alicia Van Hecke

Novel Inquiries, Volume 1: Ancient Civilizations, Grades 5-6

Book cover: 'Novel Inquiries, Volume 1: Ancient Civilizations, Grades 5-6'
A Set of Guides for Four Novels Integrating Composition and Higher Level Thinking

This set of study guides for grades 5-6, written by a Catholic homeschool mother of five, provides a literary guide with in-depth study questions, writing assignments and analyses for four historical novels on Ancient Civilizations: The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Tirzah by Lucille Travis, Hittite Warrior by Joanne Williamson and The Children's Homer by Padraic Colum.

Pamela Walks the Dog

Author(s): 
Christine Marlin
Illustrator(s): 
Hilda van Stockum
This latest title in the Bethlehem Books Lamb Time series is a short but sweet (and very funny) story about a busy little girl going through the very important and imaginative process of getting ready to walk the dog. Any parent with small children will appreciate the humorous truth about how children are that the author so clearly understands, even in such a simple story. This shouldn't surprise fans of the author's grandmother and the book's illustrator, Hilda Van Stockum, whose own books portray a beautiful understanding of small children.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Book cover: 'To Kill a Mockingbird'
Author(s): 
Harper Lee
This modern classic, set in the segregated South of the 1930s, is the story of two young children who learn about life and the great character of their father, Atticus Finch, as he struggles with a difficult case in which he must defend a black man wrongfully accused of raping a white woman. The story is told through the eyes of the younger child, a nine year old girl. This charming perspective, related in an authentic Southern dialect, makes for a surprisingly innocent way of tackling some rather tough topics.

Lord of History Card Game

Book cover: 'Lord of History Card Game'
These playing card-sized history supplements portray 24 important figures in Catholic history (the remaining card is a cover card with instructions for games that can be played with the set). There is one card for each of the following people: Alfred the Great, St. Joan of Arc, Prince Henry the Navigator, Christopher Columbus, Mary Queen of Scots, Marco Polo, John Henry Cardinal Newman, Fr. Jacques Marquette, King St. Louis IX, Queen Isabel of Castile, Charlemagne, St. Francis Xavier, Dante Aleghieri, Emperor Constantine the Great, St. Thomas More, G.K. Chesterton, Junipero Serra, St.

The Story of the Trapp Family Singers

Book cover: 'The Story of the Trapp Family Singers'
Author(s): 
Maria Augusta Trapp
This is the actual book, written in 1949, which inspired the script of the movie the Sound of Music. It is Maria and her family's autobiography, covering some early details of the Captain and Maria's separate lives and the history of the family from Maria's position as teacher to the young Maria all the way through the late 1940s. After reading the World of the Trapp Family (reviewed below), I finally picked up this book which I had started to read years earlier, but never finished.

The World of the Trapp Family

Book cover: 'The World of the Trapp Family'
Author(s): 
William Anderson
Whenever I hear the phrase "based on a true story", I want to know what the true story was. The World of the Trapp Family will provide just that for anyone interested in the real family behind The Sound of Music. The movie is just factual enough that Sound of Music fans will surely enjoy the flesh and blood behind the story. However, the real family is so much more vivid and fascinating than the movie that this book will probably be enjoyed even by those who didn't care for the movie (or grew tired of seeing it too many times.)

Reclaiming America's Children

Book cover: 'Reclaiming America's Children: Raising and Educating Morally Healthy Kids'
Author(s): 
Michelle Willis

This is essentially a brief training manual written to help parents successfully raise children in difficult times. It appears to be written especially for caring parents whose children are attending public or private schools. Although it is not explicitly Catholic in content, the teachings and basic principles presented are essentially Catholic (and the author is Catholic).

The Essence of Holy Mass

Book cover: 'The Essence of Holy Mass'

This book is divided into two sections. The first, 44 pages long, discusses the purpose of Holy Mass and its essential parts (in such a way that it would be equally useful for those attending a Tridentine Indult or a Novus Ordo Mass). The text is very simple and could be ready by many first or second graders. The large typeface and full-color photos (of children re-enacting scenes from Our Lord's life) make it very appealing. My oldest read through the book rather quickly in second grade and like it very much.

The Killer Angels

Book cover: The Killer Angels
Author(s): 
Michael Shaara

This is really a rather remarkable novel about the battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania – probably the most famous battle of the Civil War. The Southern Armies, under General Lee, decided to invade the North in order to strike a blow that would "hit home" and make the Northerners wish to end the war. North and South met in the small farming town of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania and engaged in bloody battle for three days. The cost in human life was devastating to both sides.

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