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by Christopher Perrin
Reading level: Ages 9 - 12
Reviewed by Kathy Davis
When teaching children, it's always nice to incorporate games or some type of fun into your lesson plans. In the Greek Alphabet Code Cracker, kids will have a great time as they play the role of detective, working to solve the case of the stolen Grecian Urn of Achilles. This novel approach certainly makes this sometimes intimidating subject non-threatening. My 9-year-old loves sleuthing and took a liking to this workbook immediately, and he needed only the littlest help from me. Read more...
Posted at July 24 2010 05:49:12 |
by Deborah Heiligman
Reading level: Young adult
Reviewed by Kathy Davis
Whether or not you agree with his theories or publications, you'll find out through this book that Charles Darwin was a family man who was committed to his 10 children and devoted to his Christian wife Emma. Ironically, his original life plan was to be a preacher, but then as he collected animal specimens and devoured natural history, he wrestled with the belief of creationism.
Despite their conflicting religious views, Emma and Charles married. Read more...
Posted at July 10 2010 07:16:39 |
by Barbara Frank
Reading level: Ages 13 and up
Reviewed by Kathy Davis
Barbara Frank put a lot of work into this bible study for your teen girls, and the result is a dynamic, engaging, and comprehensive look at 14 wonderful woman of the Old Testament. This is not a book you will just hand to your daughter and correct later, rather it requires your input too in the section called "discussion starters for mothers and daughters. Read more...
Posted at June 26 2010 07:34:04 |
by James Patterson and Hal Friedman
Reading level: Young adult
Reviewed by Kathy Davis
I sailed through this book, practically reading the entire 200+ pages in one sitting. The story of Cory, a boy who has a severe form of Tourette's syndrome, OCD, and anxiety is both heartbreaking and uplifting. Though written by both Cory's dad and James Patterson, the voice is Cory's and it grabs you from the start and keeps you glued till the final page. Diagnosed at age 5, Cory was compelled to move his body in awkward and often painful ways. Read more...
Posted at June 16 2010 19:51:33 |
by Dianne K. Salerni
Reading level: Young Adult
Reviewed by Kathy Davis
Maggie and Kate Fox were mischievous children, known to play tricks on each other as well as their parents. Then one day their trickster nature goes extreme. Wanting to scare away their disliked niece, the girls pull the ultimate prank. They produce nighttime rapping noises and lead the niece and the rest of the family to believe the house is haunted and "spirits" are the source of the noise. Not only do they scare their family, but their neighbors too. Read more...
Posted at May 31 2010 06:24:46 |
by Sara E. Wiltse
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Reviewed by Kathy Davis
Kindergarten Stories and Morning Talks is a quaint collection of stories arranged in a school year format geared toward your younger children. Originally compiled in 1894, Cardamom Publishers has reprinted it with a larger font and inserted numerous old-fashioned illustrations. These gentle stores will capture the attention of eager learners and the "talks" suggest ideas for hands on activities. Read more...
Posted at May 01 2010 11:47:58 |
by Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown
Reading level: Young Adult
Reviewed by Kathy Davis
Jenny, orphaned and living with her unloving Aunt and Uncle first suffers the loss of her twin brother Tobias, and then her fiancé Will, both fallen soldiers of the civil war. Her relatives have little sympathy for her. As Will was their eldest son, they view their grief deeper and greater. Desperate to "glimpse" his son again, the uncle suggests they meet a man who claims to be one who can conjure images of the dead through photography. Read more...
Posted at May 01 2010 11:39:28 |
by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
Reading level: Ages 8-12
Reviewed by Kathy Davis
12-year-old Athena gets a big surprise – a summons to report to Mount Olympus Academy. She learns she's a goddess and Zeus is her father. Previously she was living a normal pre-teen life at Triton Junior High. She is whisked off to her new school via Hermes Chariot and gets to see first hand what being a goddess is all about. With classes such as hero-ology, spellology and beautyology, she has a lot to learn. Read more...
Posted at April 24 2010 06:40:17 |
by Carol Lynch Williams
Reading level: Young Adult
Reviewed by Kathy Davis
I cannot imagine growing up with several mothers, twenty siblings, and a prophet who pronounces who I must marry. Kyra, a chosen one of a polygamist sect, lives this life. At a mere 13-years-old she is ready to be married and start having her own babies. She wouldn't object to being married so young, if it could be Joshua, a boy of similar age whom she has grown fond of. But the prophet decrees Kyra must marry her Uncle, who at sixty is plenty old enough to be her grandfather. Read more...
Posted at April 14 2010 20:08:04 |
by Pauli Reading
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Reviewed by Kathy Davis
Sherlock McBiskit is an adorable West Highland Terrier and in his book he renders some wise advice to children on what it means to have good character and respect. Kids love dogs, and McBiskit radiates adorability as he shares his secrets to getting the most out of life. In rhyming verse, the text is catchy and accompanied by cute pictures of the loveable canine. Here's an excerpt:
Here is the first secret that most people don't know. Life gives us lots of tests. I will tell you it's so. Read more...
Posted at April 14 2010 20:02:54 |
by Janet Halfmann
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Reviewed by Kathy Davis
It's easy to dismiss the role of a black ant. These small creatures are considered pests by most of us, but if you take an in depth look you'll find these little guys are really fascinating and have their own complex communities. Little Black Ant on Park Street, a Smithsonian Backyard title, is a nicely illustrated picture book that gives young readers a close-up look at the black ant's world. Read more...
Posted at April 06 2010 20:06:33 |
by Elsie Paschen
Reading level: Ages 10-14
Reviewed by Kathy Davis
Poetry is an integral part of a well-rounded English experience. Whether it rhyme or not, a meaningful poem is a great thing to commit to memory, and will often stay tucked away in your mind for life. Who doesn't recognize Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth... Read more...
Posted at April 06 2010 17:42:57 |
by Bonnie A. Wayne
Reading level: Ages 2-5
Reviewed by Kathy Davis
Bella and Finny are two beautiful poodles that star in a series of educational books for young children. These very photogenic dogs pose in amusing and entertaining ways to capture a little one's attention while teaching them some basic need to know facts.
All the books are bright and cheery - the dog's photos are nice and big, and so is the accompanying text. In opposites, the poodles teach the meaning of dark/light, asleep/awake, big/small, hot/cold, sweet/sour, etc. Read more...
Posted at March 26 2010 20:20:33 |
by Kenn Nesbitt
Reading level: Ages 9 - 12
Reviewed by Kathy Davis
Here is a poetry book devoted to silly poems about animals. Some of the titles include My Dog Plays Invisible Frisbee, Frog Ball, Snake Mistake, When Pigs Fly, and Hippo Sandwich. Yes, they are funny and a little wacky - this book should have you chuckling with smiles. Here's a sample for you:
I have an amoeba I keep as a pet.
Today is his birthday; I didn't forget.
I baked him a cake so incredibly small,
A microscope's needed to see it at all….. Read more...
Posted at March 26 2010 20:12:01 |
