Win a Free Subscription to Catholic Homeschoolinng Magazine

You can win a free one-year subscription to mater et magistra! This is an awesome magazine for any Catholic homeschooler. (If you win and already subscribe, you'll get an extra year for free.)

To enter is real simple. Become a Facebook fan of Homeschool Connections and then leave a political joke in the comments. The winner will be chosen by random.

The contest ends Monday, June 21 2010.

Homeschooling on the Radio

What homeschooling topics would you like to hear on the radio?

I'll be back on Relevant Radio on July 8, 2010. Now that this is a regular gig, I'd like to have some talking points together before the show. Last time we talked a lot about the future of online education. What should we talk about next time?

Let me know in the comments and I'll put them in my notes.

What Are Your Favorite Read Alouds?

I received the following question in my email box today:

Do you have a top 3 read aloud suggestion for lower elementary and a top 3 for middle school age?

That is not as easy a question to answer as I thought. There are just so many great read alouds. Off the top of my head:

Grade School:
Princess and the Kiss
The Squire and the Scroll
The Weight of the Mass

Middle School
The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe
Railway Children
Little Princess

However, if I think about it another minute, there are so many other titles that could take a place on the list. Well, except for The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe. That book is undefeated as number one. If I ask my children what their favorite read alouds were, they would each have their own top-3.

So, what would be on your top-3 list? And why? Please let us all know in the comments. Maybe by putting all of our heads together we can come to some kind of a consensus. Or, at least, discover some new read aloud titles.

... And what about high school? Do you still read aloud in high school? The Hobbit and LOTR would be at the top of my list. What would top your high school read aloud list?

PSN5: Martha and Chip

This sweet children's book was written by a Catholic homeschool graduate.

To read past library recommendations, or to join the email list, visit: Pope Saint Nicholas V.

Check to see if this title is already in your library's catalog. If it is, put a hold on it and check it out. If not, fill out a patron request form right away. This can usually be done online at your library's website.

Title: Martha and Chip
Author: Katherine Sohler
Publisher: Arx Publishing
Date Published: April 2010
ISBN-10: 1935228013
ISBN-14: 978-1935228011
Ages: 9 to 12
Price: 12.95, paperback (9.32 Amazon)

Review: Tween Book Review
Press Release:

19 year-old Novelist Rehabs Rats' Reputation

Charming new book, Martha & Chip, delights young readers

MERCHANTVILLE, NJ—Kate Sohler has never been your typical girl. At the age of three, she set traps around her house to catch the nasty little imaginary creatures that were trying to eat her. Though she never caught one, she often caught her dad. At five, she wrote and illustrated her own books, mostly about dolphins. She also loved some fairly unlovable animals, including mice, starlings, chickens, and especially rats.

At the age of nine, Kate concluded that she didn’t like how rats were portrayed on TV and in the movies. “They were always shown to be evil and dirty,” she remembers, “when in fact they are friendly, intelligent, loveable creatures.“ To change this perception, Kate set out to write a book with a rat as the hero. The result was Martha & Chip.

“I wrote and illustrated the original in one day,” Kate laughs. “But I continued to work on it for the next ten years as my style improved.” Now 19 years-old and a student at John Paul the Great Catholic University, Kate has produced a charming illustrated book, perfect for kids age 9 through 12.

“Kids need to read wholesome stories that are just plain fun,” the author opines and Martha & Chip is precisely that. The book takes the reader to the Kingdom of Crabbapple, a peaceful land which is slowly falling under the spell of the evil witch, Aylis and her castle full of dragons. It is up to Martha, a White Mage, to thwart Aylis’s evil plan. But to do so, she will need help from a clever little rat named Chip.

“Martha & Chip is a book about facing your fears,” Kate says. “Sometimes, to overcome our fears, we must be humble enough to find friendships in places we may never have thought to look.”

About the Author: Katharine Sohler is a 19-year-old homeschooling graduate from New Jersey. She is a great lover of nature, science and storytelling. Katharine is currently a student at John Paul the Great Catholic University studying media.

Title: Martha & Chip
Author: Katharine Sohler Page Count: 120 B&W Illustrations: 20 Release Date: April 2010
ISBN: 978-1-935228-01-1 Binding: Paperback Retail Price: $12.95

Publisher: Arx Publishing, LLC, PO Box 1333, Merchantville NJ 08109, USA
Phone: (856) 486-1310 • Fax: (856) 665-0170 • info@arxpub.com • www.arxpub.com