Grades 6-8

Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt

Book cover: Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt
Author(s): 
Jean Fritz
Illustrator(s): 
Mike Wimmer

This is an interesting biography of one of our nation's most colorful presidents. It was interesting to discover that Teddy Roosevelt (1858-1919) was a rather sickly youth who suffered from asthma. His determination in overcoming his illness and living a full life despite his rather frail body help to make him a man who loved life and tried to live his life to the fullest – especially enjoying the world around him.

Saints of the Church

Book cover: 'Saints of the Church'
Author(s): 
Michael G. Allen
This book is a companion to the Vision series of saint's biographies (also published by Ignatius Press). It is a wonderful help to extending the biographies into a full-blown unit study, if you wish, or just to help enrich the reading. For each of the 17 books covered in Saints of the Church , the author includes:

Switch On!

Cover: 'Switch On!'

This kit is one of a number of kits aimed at giving children hands on experiments with electronics. It includes a battery holder, 2 capacitors, 2 resistors, 1 pot, 2 bipolar transistors, 2 LEDs, speaker, mike, motor, a variety of switches, 4 "IC's" and a few other parts.

The Old World and America

Book cover: 'The Old World and America'
Author(s): 
Rev. Philip Furlong
The Old World and America is a superb history book that is decidely homeschool-friendly! The book begins briefly with a mention of Genesis, which is unusual in a history text. It is a thorough guide to the history of the world, from the time of primitive man to the mid-1500's. The approach is decidedly Catholic, and reference to Catholic saints are scattered throughout.

The Small War of Sergeant Donkey

Book cover: 'The Small War of Sergeant Donkey'
Author(s): 
Maureen Daly
Chico Felippo is a young boy living in a small village in Southern Italy. It is 1944 and most of the war has moved north, but the American Army has a special "Remount Depot" nearby where donkeys are trained to assist the soldiers in the difficult mountain fighting. Chico loves these animals and becomes friends with many of the Americans as well as one particularly beloved animal, "Sergeant Donkey". The entire town suffers from a shortage of food because all of the donkeys which worked the fields had been seized by the Germans earlier in the war.

The Swamp Fox of the Revolution

Book cover: Swamp Fox of the Revolution
Author(s): 
Stewart Holbrook

Back in print! This interesting and entertaining story is a biography of Revolutionary War General Francis Marion and his significant but oft-forgotten role in winning our independence. Marion is a very interesting character I should have learned about in my history classes in grade school! He fought the British against what seemed like impossible odds (in the Southern Colonies) and ended up playing a very significant role in winning the British surrender.

Mara, Daughter of the Nile

Book cover: 'Mara, Daughter of the Nile'
Author(s): 
Eloise Jarvis McGraw
This book tells the story of a young Egyptian slave girl whose yearning for freedom places her in the middle of a tangled web of intrigue and deception. Mara, Daughter of the Nile is a marvelous piece of historical fiction, giving detailed descriptions of ancient Egypt in the time of pyramids, temples, battles, and pharaohs. The plot is fast-paced and the characters are exciting, brave, and adventurous . When Mom read this book to us we always begged for 'just one more chapter, please.' It's definitely a 'must read' for every homeschooling family doing a unit on ancient Egypt.

Saint Margaret Mary, Apostle of the Sacred Heart

Author(s): 
Ruth Fox Home
This is such a beautiful story of a simple, humble nun who was chosen by Jesus to spread devotion to his most Sacred Heart. I especially like how the author presents God's plan and how He had specially prepared Sr. Alocoque and Father de la Columbiere for this important mission. As Ignatius Press is reprinting many books from the Vision series, I hope this will be back in print sometime soon.

The Writing on the Hearth

Book cover: The Writing on the Hearth
Author(s): 
Cynthia Harnett
Illustrator(s): 
Gareth Floyd

England in the mid 1400's, Catholic perspective. Because this book does deal with the subject of witchcraft, I think it's probably appropriate for upper grade school and high school. It would be helpful to be familiar with the life of Saint Joan of Arc first. The story is of a teenage boy named Stephen who dreams of attending Oxford some day. He gets mixed up in a mystery/adventure which threatens to destroy that dream. The story nicely, but subtly shows his intellectual development as he matures. He discovers the importance of study in learning to discern the truth.

The Face of the Nazarene

Book cover: 'The Face of the Nazarene'
Author(s): 
Noel Trimming
The Face of the Nazarene is a work of historical fiction relating the story of Jesus as seen through the eyes of His friends at the home of Lazarus in Bethany. Although Mr. Trimming's earlier book, Abigail and the Widow Mary, was aimed at younger children, this story contains greater character development and more plot intensity, and thus would be more enjoyable for older children and teens.

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