M.H.

M.H.

M.H. is an eleven year old Catholic homeschooler. He is an altar boy and a yellow belt in karate. He likes to read about cars, motorcycles, and airplanes. [MH has been reviewing books with us for awhile - he is now 12, Summer 2000]

The King's Shadow

Book cover: The King's Shadow
Author(s): 
Elizabeth Alder
The King's Shadow is a story of a welsh serf, Evyn, who dreams of becoming a storyteller. In retaliation for his uncle's crime, however, Evyn has his tongue cut out, thus shattering his dreams to become a storyteller. Evyn is then sold to the king's wife, and eventually becomes the king's squire and then his foster son.

The book is set in the 11th century, shortly before the Battle of Hastings. It gives accurate details of King Harold's life, and the life of English nobility of the time. It would be a wonderful complement to a history unit on the Middle Ages.

The Children's Homer

Book cover: 'The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy'
Author(s): 
Padraic Colum

The Children's Homer is an epic adventure about the Trojan War and the homecoming of Odysseus. The two famous tales, The Iliad and The Odyssey, were originally written by Homer, a renowned poet in Ancient Greece. Mr. Colum retells these stories for us. My family used this book as a read-aloud, and enjoyed it immensely. We were all thrilled by the gripping stories and the detailed pictures. It's an excellent book to use when studying Ancient Greece. I would give it five ***** rating.