Grades 6-8

The Drovers Road Collection

Book cover: 'The Drovers Road Collection: Adventures in New Zealand'
Author(s): 
Joyce West
Drover's Road is a sheep "station" set way back in the hill country of New Zealand in the 1920s. Gay (Gabrielle) Allan, who lives at Drover's Road with her cousins and her uncle, writes of their happy childhood, of their adventures on the farm, on horseback, and exploring the hills and caves surrounding Drover's Road, in an "upside-down world" (to those of us from the Northern Hemisphere) where at Christmastime the house can be decorated with fresh flowers from the garden and the weather is very warm. It is a world filled with family, humor, hard work and horses.

Byrd of the 95th

Book cover: Byrd of the 95th
Author(s): 
Showell Styles

This book is now included in the Bethlehem Budget Book The Flying Ensign, also reviewed on this site.

I really liked this book. I can vouch for my wife's statement that this is a great read aloud. I read it to my children at bedtime (ages 3 through 9) – they were engaged... though the younger ones usually fell asleep. The older two LOVED it.

A Long Way from Welcome

Book cover: 'A Long Way from Welcome: A Mystery in Paris'
Author(s): 
Echo Lewis
In this story Echo Lewis takes us from the small town of Welcome, Indiana, all the way to Paris, France alongside Maggie, a shy teenager who would really rather stay at home in her comfortable small town surroundings. Maggie is visiting her new step-dad's sister in an ancient convent in the heart of the city. There she becomes wrapped up in her new home and friends and in a mystery involving a series of art heists plaguing Paris.

Galen and the Gateway to Medicine

Book cover: 'Galen and the Gateway to Medicine'
Author(s): 
Jeanne Bendick
Jeanne Bendick's second title in Bethlehem Books' "Living History" series (after Archimedes and the Door of Science) brings to life the 2nd century (A.D.) Roman doctor whose work in learning to understand the human body became the standard authority on human physiology for over a thousand years. Although many of his theories were corrected through advancements in science since the middle ages, his story is interesting both for its own sake and for the light is sheds on Roman history and culture and the Hippocratic tradition of medicine.

History of Us, Volume 6: War, Terrible War

Book cover: History of Us, Volume 6: War, Terrible War
Author(s): 
Joy Hakim

This is an interesting, very readable overview of the Civil War. There is a significant focus on the issue of slavery as a plague upon American culture of the time. The author's basic thesis is that, while different people fought for different reasons and the focus was especially blurred when the war began (when there was more emphasis on preservation of the union), the war was essentially fought over the issue of slavery.

Something to Write About, History Edition

Author(s): 
Marge Fenelon
The subtitle of this work is: A Catholic Activity Guide That Blends History, Geography and Composition for Grades 1-8. The book includes directions for a student to put together a book over the course of the school year, which really becomes a story of the study he made of history. This requirement "to produce" is one of the best ways for students to internalize their study.

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