Public Library vs. Amazon Prime

I was all pumped when I found out that my library now lends out Kindle books for free. The problem is that apparently everyone else is pumped too. I've yet to actually borrow a book as every book I've attempted to borrow has a good number of holds before me (or it's not available at all on the Kindle format yet).

I'd be happy just reading the classics which can be downloaded free but I'm in the midst of my research for 100 Books for Kids Who Love to Read. I've got to weed through the modern fare and find some gems for teens. I finally found (and paid for!) a solution last night.

Amazon has a service called Amazon Prime (click to read about it). For $79 a year you get a number of perks including:

• Online movie viewing (their selection isn't any worse than Netflix online streaming and about the same price).
• Free 2-day shipping on any amazon.com purchase with no $$ minimum.
• Kindle book rental

They have a 30-day free trial so I signed up last night try it out. I borrowed The Hunger Games. I'm already a quarter done with it and can't wait to see if all the hype is true. I'll let you know.

Meanwhile, I'm writing a review of My Antonia (free on Kindle) in between Christmas preparations. I hope to have it posted for you soon.

PS I'm sure as time goes on, my library will obtain more e-books and I'll be able to go back to borrowing on the taxpayers's dime again. For now, this is a good solution.

Regina Doman Kindle Books On Sale

I LOVE Regina Doman and her Fairy Tale novels for teens. Click on the Kindle for an awesome deal ...

Click to see a list of our books!

What Are Your Favorite Teen Reads?

We've talked numerous times on this blog about fav books for boys, for littles, for tweens, and so on. However, we really have not touched too deeply on reads for older teens.

Sixteen-, seventeen-, and eighteen-year olds are in a whole different ballpark. They've entered that rhetoric phase. They're thinking more deeply, asking thoughtful questions, and looking at how their own lives integrate with the world at large. They're also able to handle more mature subjects. We, as parents, have given them the tools to discern the good from the bad and so leave more room for their discretion.

I think that most of us (mothers of older teens) have given up on pre-reading ALL of their book choices. There are only so many hours in the day after all. Yet, we have not given up on guiding their choices and helping find the good stuff when we can.

My request to you Dear Reader is to tell me in the comments some of your favorite books for older teens. I'd love to hear from teens and young adults as well as moms. What do you love and why?

My goal here is twofold. One this is a great forum to help one another. I love that we can learn from each other. Two, I'm in the depths of reading high school level books for my upcoming nonfiction book, 100 Books for Kids Who Love to Read (working title).

Did I tell you that I'm actually doing three different books? Well, my publisher asked for one book for grade school children, one for middle school, and one for high school. I think it's a great idea. I'm starting with the high school book. The really fun part is that my 18-year-old daughter has agreed to be my co-author.

So, please give me some ideas on books to include. And give all the other readers here some ideas for their trips to the library and bookstore.

Review: The Great and Terrible Quest

The Great and Terrible Quest by Margaret Lovett [Avyx]

Grade Level: 6th grade and up

Genre: Medieval Fantasy (I just made that up. Not sure if there really is such a genre or subgenre. But, hey, it sounds good to me.)

This was an absolute joy to read. Oh, I had a few quibbles but then I always do. I found myself confused at some points about who was talking. This is something that could have easily been fixed by an editor changing "he said" to "Trad said". Considering that's my biggest quibble, we're good to go here.

I did read a review at Amazon that complained the book was anti-Church. I disagree. I would have preferred a more Catholic Christian ethos to the story but I don't think it was "anti-Church". Yes, there are bad priests in the book but there is also the good and kind archbishop. We all know this is reality. There are good and bad people in all walks of life. And, in this particular story, it is a very dark time in the kingdom. The land is in the hands of evil lords. Times like that bring out the worst in people.

Yet, the worst of times can also bring out the best in people. Hence our heroes of the story. The protagonist, a ten-year-old orphaned boy left in the care of his cruel and despicable grandfather, has a heart of gold. In spite of his personal difficulties, the boy is generous and kind to anyone in need, even though it means serious hardship for him.

We also meet a mysterious man who has been terribly wounded and near death. He appears to be a knight on a quest, but his memory has been robbed by a physical trauma. Yet, as he heals, he works to overcome this trial so that he may complete his knightly quest (though he does not quite know what it is). He is obviously a man of valor as well as tenacity.

There is one more hero to mention, the juggler. I think if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the juggler. He's a wimp ... at first. He is scared out of his wits. Again, these are dark and fearful times. The boy and the knight need the juggler's help but it could easily mean death for the man. Without giving too much of the plot away, I'll just say that the juggler turns his back on the two ... at first. But in the end, he does the right thing and he does it well.

The best heroes are not necessarily the ones with little to no fear, nor are they the ones filled with bravado. Sometimes the best heroes are the ones who are scared to death and yet still step up to the plate and go beyond what is ever expected of them. They're the ones I personally gravitate toward.

Overall, I found this story to be fun and enjoyable. I was barely able to put it down until I could get to the last page. First, because there is an intriguing mystery to solve (who is the knight and what is his quest) and who doesn't love a good mystery. Second, it is always fulfilling to read a story with strong characters who are good examples for our own lives. I believe that such fantasy stories help give us strength to do the right thing, right here in the real world.

Questions to Ask Yourself as You Read:

What makes a hero?

Is the Church treated fairly?

Do I have what it takes to do the right thing even in the darkest of times?

Is it good for future leaders to have experienced hard times? To have lived amongst the poor?

What is it that drives the knight?

How is the juggler living out Scripture?

Other Books by This Author (both are long out of print):

Jonathan

Sir Halmanac and the Crimson Star

If You Like This Book You May Also Like:

Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle (available FREE on Kindle)

Beorn the Proud by Madeleine Polland

Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray

*Note: When you click on the hyperlinked book titles, you will be taken to the book on Amazon to learn more about it. If you choose to purchase books through Amazon after clicking on the link, I do receive a percentage which is applied to my future book purchases. This helps me purchase more books to review. However, I encourage you to use your public library as much as you can.

Picture Book Review: Chickens to the Rescue

Chickens to the Rescue, by John Himmelman [Henry Holt and Company]

Grade Level: Preschool

Pages: 32

This is just a plain fun book. I mean, come on, when aren't crazy chickens fun?

Chickens to the Rescue is for the very young and the very young at heart. The illustrations are colorful and will most certainly make you smile.

I won't give away the intricate plot (that's a little picture book sarcasm) other than to say that the chickens save the farm day after day from the crazy mayhem of the family. Well, except for Sunday. Sunday is a day for rest even for super hero chickens.

Make sure to put Chickens to the Rescue on your list for the next trip to the public library. Enjoy!

100 Books for Kids Who Love to Read

I put my last book project up on the shelf when I got involved in Homeschool Connections. I'm still deeply involved in the daily running of HSConnections and working like crazy on it, but I have been feeling a strong tug to get back to work on 100 Books for Kids Who Love to Read. I've set aside time each week to work solely on the book.

I've also neglected this blog since taking on HSConnections. This book project should pump a little bit of life back into the blog. I'll use this forum to work out ideas, post book reviews, and get your opinion now and then.

In the meantime, please pray for me and this project.

Review: Belisarius: The First Shall Be Last

I truly enjoy discovering new authors and new books. I just finished reading Belisarius: The First Shall Be Last by Paolo A. Belzoni (Kindle version). Belisarius is published by the small, yet wonderful, Catholic press Arx Publishing.

In a nutshell, I loved it. This is a great one to read yourself, especially if you like historical fiction. You can also give it to just about any high school student. You could give it to a middle school student as well but please know ahead of time that there are graphic war scenes and it does touch on the fact that some characters, well, lack character. That is to say some of the males are womanizers and some of the females have a past.

However, a book written with only perfect characters is worthless. How do we learn from their mistakes if they don't make them? How do we learn that we too can be heroes if the book's hero is too far beyond our grasp?

Belisarius does possess great humility and piety with just a few stumbles. However, he is not without trials. He rises up from a simple farm boy to a great general in the Roman army. He meets failure on the battle field but perseveres and learns from his mistakes. He is met with temptation, yet stands strong. He is a model for us and for our children that with tenacity, hard work and dedication combined with strong Catholic principles you can achieve greatness for the Kingdom.

In addition to being a good, uplifting story, Belisarius can be tied into your history studies. The story begins in 504 AD as the Roman Empire is struggling with the Barbarians on one front and the Persians attacking on another. We follow Belisarius from childhood to manhood and we see how he changes history through his skill and dedication. He is considered by historians to be one of "The Last of the Romans".

We're studying the Middle Ages this upcoming school year. We'll begin in September with the 6th Century. We plan to read a large variety of historical fiction to accompany our studies and Belisarius: The First Shall Be Last is, fittingly enough by it's title, first on the reading list.

I did have one quibble and it wasn't even about the story. The cover of the book is quite lovely but to me it says, "This is a book for younger children." In my opinion, this is a book for high school to adult. Other than that, and a few minor editing errors, I truly loved this book. It's a story worth reading. Now, if it was available on audio that would be really sweet!

Note that this is the first in a series of two books so you don't get a nice clean ending. I hope to get to Belisarius--Book II: Glory of the Romans soon. Very soon.

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?

What I Bought at the Dayton Conference

Small Steps for Catholic Moms by Danielle Bean and Elizabeth Foss

The Search for the Madonna: A Saints in Progress Story by Donna Alice Patton, illustrated by Julia Fahy

Alex O'Donnell and the 40 Cyber Thieves: A Fairy Tale Retold by Regina Doman

Trespasses Against Us: JP2 High by Christian Frank

Bleeder: A Mystery by John Desjarlais

Awakening: A Crossroads in Time Book by Claudia Cangilla McAdam

2 New Book Releases

Dayton is the place to be next week!

The super awesome Regina Doman will be debuting her newest book, Alex O'Donnell and the Forty CyberThieves, at the Catholic homeschooling conference. I already have loads of local girls begging me to pick up a copy for them while I'm there. Autographed of course.

And that's not all!

Behold Publications (formerly Ecce Homo Press) will be debuting their newest book, Search for the Madonna, a mystery for the 8-12 year old set. I'll surely be picking up a few for my kids and others as well. The totally cool part is that both the author and illustrator will be there to autograph books. I love autographed books!

So, if you're within a day's drive of Dayton, hop in your car next Friday and join us for all the fun. I'll be giving a couple of talks and hanging out in the vendor hall so stop and say, "Hi!"

Books for Boys (and Girls) and Tale of Manaeth

When I speak or write on the topic of literature, the one comment I always get is, "I need book ideas for boys!" I've written on this topic countless times and still people ask me, "What are good books for boys?" So, when my friend Phillip Campbell gave his new book to me, Tale of Manaeth, I just knew I'd have to tell you all about it. If you have boys, buy this book. Gosh, if you have girls, buy this book. The boys will love the blood, guts, and gory war scenes. The girls will love the fact that the hero is a girl.

First, about the author. I know Phillip through our Catholic homeschool group. He's a homeschool dad who also provides tutoring services for local homeschoolers. In fact, I was so impressed by his natural teaching ability (my kids love him!) that I hired him for Homeschool Connections. Phillip is an Ave Maria University grad and currently a Madonna education graduate student. He is also the Director of Religious Education for a terrific parish in Ann Arbor.

While Phillip's book is not overtly Catholic, Tale of Manaeth was written by a dedicated and faithful Catholic. I like that. I get weary reading kid lit and weeding out the trash.

As The Curt Jester wrote recently, "Tale of Manaeth is an old school fantasy epic written in the narrative style like the Iliad or Tolkien’s Silmarillion." When Phillip first handed the book to me he mentioned that he was concerned that the writing style might be hard on modern ears, but he had nothing to worry about. It's refreshing to immerse oneself in language that excites the soul, that makes you think about the words themselves.

Yet, it is not the writing style that puts this book at the top of my list. It's the girl hero. She is a princess, living the good life, when suddenly she is thrust into a life or death situation. Not just her own life, but the life of her royal subjects. It reminds me a little bit of Alice in The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor. (A book I really should review one day but for now I'll say I liked it but there is a huge red flag for the sequel Seeing Redd. Huge.)

But back to Phillip's Tale of Manaeth. Our heroine is Manaeth whose name is changed to Manissa. After all, she is no longer the same person. Manaeth was a young, naive girl. Manissa is a warrior queen. Unexpected, unplanned. She didn't ask for the job of warrior queen. Didn't necessarily want it. Yet rose to the occasion when called upon and saves the world with her wisdom, tenacity, and moral compass.

I love those kinds of heroes. That is the kind of hero a child can relate to and aspire to be. It demonstrates how everyday people living everyday lives can overcome the worst of situations and save the world. Isn't that what we all love about Peter in Narnia and Frodo in LOTR, who do things out of personal conviction, because it's the right thing to do and not out of a quest for fame and fortune?

So, if you're looking for a good read for your older tweens or teens, or gosh for yourself, I recommend Tale of Manaeth. (Make sure to ask the author to autograph for you!)

Trailer: Where the Wild Things Are

Another favorite children's book turned into a movie, not coming out until October . . .



Now I'm off to read a chapter or two of Redwall to the littles.

How a Little Boy Came to Love Books

Super Boy has always loved our read aloud time. Not so much for the books but for the cuddle time. At 6-years old he still loves nothing better than to snuggle and love with his mother. Dad won't do, big sisters won't do, only Mama. Words have never been his primary goal in asking for a read aloud. They were only a distraction, a way to get every second of lovin' possible out of his mother. In fact, he's never even been one to choose the book for reading time -- he's always left that to siblings or to me.

Then came Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Those rats, I think, changed his life forever.

The second he'd wake up in the morning he'd start begging for it. In the morning! When he gets a free hour of cuddling anyway. As soon as lunch was over, "MOM! Read Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh!" As soon as dinner was over, "MOM! Read!" At bedtime, again free lovin' time anyway, "Mom! Rats! Now! Please!"

And the cool thing? As soon as we finished, he couldn't wait to pick out a new book. Yeah, he actually cared about the content, about the words. After much discussion and consideration, Redwall was decided upon.

There are a lot of words in Redwall, but he's lovin' it, even if the rats aren't the good guys this time around. Perhaps I should change this blog post title to, "How Rats Changed a Boy's Life."

Goddesses and Kid Lit

I sat down last night to read Flora Segunda by Ysabeau Wilce. It came recommended by a homeschool graduate for inclusion in my book-in-progress 100 Books for Kids Who Love to Read. I got to page 23, closed it, and put it aside. I don't think I'll be including it.

The story was compelling thus far -- a girl with an inattentive military leader mom and a fruitcake alcoholic father who lives in a magical house with 11,000 rooms. Not exactly the ideal family but that's not what bothered me. Lots of great books have dysfunctional families. What makes those books great is how the hero deals with challenges along with a redemptive ending.

I don't know if Flora Segunda gets the ending right or if it contains the True and the Beautiful because I just couldn't get past the heroine's line, "Goddess knew what hungry uglies were lurking down there." Goddess? That bothered me.

Maybe I'm overreacting but I've got a hundred books to read in researching 100 Books and I don't want to waste my time with a book that is probably inappropriate to recommend to Catholic families.

So, if you've read Flora Segunda and loved it, please tell me why in the comments. Let me know how it can be baptized and what redeeming features it contains.

Meanwhile, I decided to take a break from fantasy and try a piece of historical fiction. The Sword of Clontarf by Charles Brady (Hillside Education) happened to be closest to me when I closed Flora Segunda so that's what I'm reading now. I'm four chapters into it already and I'm really enjoying it.

New Amazon.com Kindle 2

On my wish list:



What do you think?

UPDATE: Jeff Miller's (aka The Curt Jester) review.

The Seashell on the Mountaintop

In my book For the Love of Literature I ask readers to let me know when they find great books that should be added to future editions. In response to that call, I received the following email:

Hi Maureen,

I was just going through your book For the Love of Literature to look for some titles for my sons and myself. I recall a book I have recently heard through audio book that you might be interested in and even add to any future revisions of your book or recommendations on your website.

The title is, The Seashell on the Mountaintop: A Story of Science, Sainthood, and the Humble Genius Who Discovered a New History of the Earth by Alan Cutler. It is also in book form. If you haven't heard of this before, this is a fascinating story of Saint Nicholas Steno. I believe it is more of a high school and adult book. It relates not only Steno's life and scientific career but also gives the reader insight into what was happening in science at the time and scientific discovery in the age of Descartes and Da Vinci, who were contemporaries of Steno. It also discusses his conversion to Catholicism. I heard the audio version and it was very easy to follow.

Thank you for your book and God bless you in your work,
Rose

As you all know, I love discovering new, cool books. Thank you Rose! I'll be looking for this title in the library and consider it for the next edition of LOL, which btw is not too far in the future.

If you've read this book or listened to the audio, please leave a comment here. I'd love to hear other opinions.

Review: Warriors: Into the Wild

I'm finally getting around to the Warriors review I promised eons ago. If you haven't yet heard of this series, you may not have tween boys in your house. It seems to be all the rage among the middle school boys in our homeschool group.

I did let Buster read it before I got to it, but I wasn't too worried as I trust the boys who recommended it to him in the first place. However, when I finally picked it up I had a big red flag go up when I read the author's bio, "Erin Hunter is inspired by a love of cats and a fascination with the ferocity of the natural world. As well as having a great respect for nature in all its forms, Erin enjoys creating rich mythical explanations for animal behavior, shaped by her interest in astrology and standing stones. " (emphasis mine)

Needless to say, the interest in astrology did not excite me about this series. In fact, it motivated me to get on the ball and read the first book myself as well as check out the Warriors website.

First, I should mention that Erin Hunter is not a real person. Erin Hunter is a pseudonym for three separate authors who work together to crank out book after book in this series. A fourth author was added to help write a new, but similar, series on bears called Seekers.

As I'm sure you've all guessed so far, these are not great literature. They're dime store paperbacks. However, they are enjoyable stories and it's easy to see why kids love them. It was also surprising to me that they do offer quite a bit for you to baptize and teach moral lessons.

The first book in the series is Warriors: Into the Wild. It is the story of a house cat, a kitten actually, who decides to join a clan of wild cats in the woods. Firepaw turns out to be our hero, not only through his physical prowess but through his honesty and forthrightness.

Let's first address the astrology issue as I think this is important for us to consider as Catholic parents. From page 161:

"All Clan leaders have to spend one night at the Moonstone when they are first chosen. There, the spirits of StarClan [cats that died] share with them."

We also read on page 45:

"Graypaw didn't take his eyes off the dead cat as he replied, 'His spirit may have left to join Star Clan, but the clan will share tongues [verbal fellowship] with Redtail one last time.'

'Star Clan?' Firepaw echoed.

'It's the tribe of heavenly warriors that watch over all the clan cats. You can see them in Silverpelt.... Silverpelt is that thick band of stars you see each night stretching across the sky. Each star is a StarClan warrior. Redtail will be among them tonight."'

These passages are clearly pagan and not reflective of Catholic teaching. As such, since my child had already read the book, I sat down and talked about it with him. I highly recommend having this discussion with your child if he reads this book. It should be made clear that the books are pure fantasy. In the make believe world of talking cats they just may speak to the stars that are made up of their ancestors. But not in real life.

However, here is an opportunity to baptize. We do believe in the Communion of the Saints and that those who have gone before us in grace are in heaven and do intercede for us. So, I pointed this out to Buster and pointed other similarities and differences. Much like I did when we read the Greek and Norse myths.

Also important to point out is that the villain takes his power through deception and murder. While his evil ways do advance his position at first, in the end they bring about his downfall. It's a simple, basic story: good triumphs over evil.

That is one of the primary attributes that makes the series popular with children. Who doesn't want a good hero who wins the day after defeating the bad guy?

Another reason for their popularity is the intrigue of the secret lives of warrior cats. The everyday "kitty pet" leaves the cushy life of a house cat to join a clan of wild cats. He gives up all his comforts to go off and fend for himself and his clan. He can no longer depend upon his human master to bring him his daily meal but must hunt for it himself each day. Yet, the hunted mouse, gained through hunting skill, is so much more delicious than the dry, drab food that comes from a box. Even if it means a less-than-filled-to-the-brim tummy each day.

Then there are also the fight scenes throughout the books. This is certainly an attraction for boys. I must admit I know of a couple of girls who abhorred the book due to the injuries and deaths incurred by the cats. But the boys tend to find the the war scenes exciting.

I also think kids appreciate that the cats are cats. Not like some books (and movies) where the animals walk on two legs and don waistcoats and what have you. They don't have technology or magical powers. "Erin Hunter" writes in a way where you find yourself easily in her fantasy world, imagining how a clan of wild cats might speak or act if it were possible.

I did find a few annoying things, in addition to the whole pagan, astrology bent. This includes a few predictable story lines and the silly names of the cats -- Firepaw, Graypaw, Sandpaw, Tigeclaw. Not exactly original. Also, and this is my own pet peeve, there is the all-to-easy plot device of the main character having a vital piece of information that will save the day, yet he keeps it to himself, looking for the right moment to spill the beans, even though he has tons of opportunity, and instead takes matters into his own hands after it's too late. Sigh.

So, what's the bottom line here? Umm, I'm going to take the easy way out and say "Read it yourself." This isn't one to just hand over without a word. In the end I let Buster pass the book onto Sparky to read making sure to discuss the good and bad found in the authors' depiction of a make believe world of warrior cats.

Singing the Praises of A Christmas Carol

I'm currently reading A Christmas Carol. And loving it. I'd like to say, "I've forgotten how much I loved this book when I first read it way back when." But, alas, I don't remember loving it. I don't remember even kind of liking it. I only remember that back in grade school I was forced to read it along with 25 other grade school student so that I could pass the test.

But then again, I can't say that I'm reading it on my own now. I'm being forced into it. Again. Only this time not by my school teacher but by a bunch of middle school kids. It's the book chosen by our middle school reading club and I'm the leader.

I wasn't looking forward to it, remembering only less-than-love for it as a youngster. Now I'm so glad that the kids picked it for January.

If you haven't picked it since childhood you really oughta give it a consider. And don't keep it to yourself. Read it out loud. I'm amazed at how well it rolls off the tongue. Charles Dickens has a good sense of humor. I'm actually having fun reading it aloud.

But then again, I am a bit of a geek when it comes to books.

The Tale of Despereaux

I'm such a geek. I can't wait to see this movie.



I absolutely love The Tale of Despereaux. If you haven't read it, go right now to the bookstore and buy it. I'm not even sending you to the library as usual. It's worth owning. And after you've had a chance to read it you could even share it with the children.

Bravery, chivalry, honesty, selflessness and all kinds of virtues are extolled and yet not preachy -- just a plain good story. You can't get better than that.

Need Fiction Ideas for Boys

I'm going to be out all day so I'm leaving you all with an assignment. I have another mom looking for book suggestions. Here's her email:

I'm just thoroughly enjoying your blog with all the suggestions of fiction for the 6- and 12-year old girls. But (of my 28 homeschooling students), I need suggestions for my 23 BOYS. Though my students are in grades 4-8, if the questions on your blog were the same as they now are but for "sons," I'd really be in hog heaven! Any ideas of where I could find suggestions of great BOY fiction?

Wow, 28 homeschooling students! We definitely need to hand this mom some ideas. What are your grade and middle school boys' favorite books?

PS My boys are currently in a Warriors faze. I read the first book and have the review written in my head. Hopefully, I'll get it written on the blog in the next few days.

ADDENDUM: You'll find the Warriors review here.