This engaging novel is centered around a young orphan from France, who is married off to a Canadian coureur de bois. The heroine, Jeanne Chatel, is spunky and determined to succeed in the wilds of 17th century Canada. There is considerable Catholic content in the novel. Jeanne is an orphan, and is raised by Catholic nuns in France. She travels to America with Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys, who went on to found schools and chapels, and started the Congregation of Notre Dame in Montreal, Quebec.

This is a VERY well-done rendition of the story of St. Thomas More. Thomas More was a well-respected lawyer who was named Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII. He is a model statesman – modest, intelligent, and principled. He was martyred for not condoning the actions of the King toward the Catholic Church and his first wife. (Quite a refreshing contrast to modern-day politics!) I would suggest this for high school students as younger students – unless they are familiar with the story and accustomed to somewhat complex dialogue – may find it "boring".

This is a full length color movie of the story of Our Lady's apparitions to three children in Fatima, Portugal in 1917. It is faithful to the true story with just enough "Hollywood" to make it entertaining and likable even for the little ones. The scene where the three children are interrogated by the government officials might be is a little intense, so I wouldn't recommend having your little ones watch it without supervision. Otherwise, it's a great film for the whole family. My daughter (almost 6 years old) received this for Easter (Thank you Grandma! : ) and absolutely loved it.

One frustrating thing for one who loves literature is how the term 'good literature' is starting to connote books that have good morals and no offensive content, rather than meaningful, thoughtful books that are well-written. I'm sure this is partly due to the large quantity of vile content found in the entertainment industry. But if we 'fight back' with material that we deem acceptable simply because it's 'clean', we aren't likely to win enthusiasm from those who need good literature and good entertainment the most – including our own children.