American Literature - Curriculum Review

I'm really excited to tell you about an awesome American Literature Homeschool curriculum for your high school age children.  It is written by James P. Stobaugh and is a 34 week course and has selections from classic prose, poetry and drama.  The complete set comes with a 542 page student book and a 359 page teacher's manual.  The teacher's manual is designed in such a way that leaves minimal work for the parent/teacher.  The lesson plans are laid out for you and an answer key is also included.  It also includes a grading guide or you can incorporate your own grading system.

The course promotes independent learning from the student.  Literary content covered in the course includes works by: William Bradford, Edgar Allan Poe, Frederick Douglass, Emily Dickinson and many more!  It is a VERY thorough course that will equip students to think critically about philosophy and trends in culture. They will also learn to articulate their worldview through writing.

Each weekly chapter has 5 daily lessons with clear objectives, concept-building exercises, warm-up questions, and guided readings.  It will take approximately one hour per lesson.  There are weekly test to help assess student learning.

I know when it comes to high school a lot of homeschool parents begin to worry whether or not they will be able to homeschool through the highschool years.  This curriculum will help put you at ease.  It is such a complete and thorough American Literature curriculum and the fact that it is well laid out for the educator is an added bonus.  You can check out more about it at masterbooks.net

***This curriculum was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for my review.

Noah Webster Father of the Dictionary - A Book Review

It is no secret that I love books and if I had to pick a favorite from my own personal library I would be hard pressed indeed.  However, I can tell you that one of my most favorite books and a recommended must have for everyone is my 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary.  There is something special about it.  I still remember the day I got it and I have referred to it many times throughout the years.

I recently had the opportunity to read for review Noah Webster - Father of the Dictionary by Isabel Proudfit.  I was so excited and I knew it would be a valuable asset to our homeschool library.  The book is written for mid-elementary age children, but I also think older students would enjoy it as well.  It goes beyond just telling the story of Noah Webster writing the dictionary.  It also tells of his childhood, his struggles and successes.

If you are wanting to learn more about the man who wrote the Noah Webster Dictionary, or maybe you are doing a unit study, or you need a great resource to go along with your History curriculum, this book would be for you!

***This book was provided to me by the publisher through the bookcrash program in exchange for my review.

One Glorious Ambition - A Book Review

One Glorious Ambition by Jane Kirkpatrick is a historical fiction novel about Dorothea Dix and her crusade to help others, specifically the mentally ill.

Dorothea was born to an abusive father and to a mother who suffered from a mental illness.  As a young girl, Dorothea longs to take care of her younger brothers, but when she is fourteen she is sent away to live with relatives in order to be raised properly.  Everyone thinks she should find a husband, but Dorothea has no desire to live the life that others think she should.  She has a yearning to fulfill her God-given calling and soon she discovers that she has a gift for teaching.  Eventually she is reunited with her brothers and after a visit to a prison that houses the mentally ill, Dorothea finds were her heart and her true calling lies.  She begins a journey that takes her across the nation, where she meets many people in high authority.  She constantly seeks to help those who "are the least of these".

I love reading Historical Fiction and really had high hopes for this book.  I was greatly disappointed.  The book is divided into two parts.  The first part was just okay and I found the second part very dull and it was a chore just to get through.  In my opinion, Dorothea Dix's life is not exiting enough to be this large of a novel.  It would of been much better if the story was shortened.

***This book was provided to by Waterbrook/Multnomah in exchange for my review.

The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen - A Book Review

If you love Regency romances mixed with a little mystery you will love The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen.  This is a well written book about Emma Smallwood, who accompanies her widowed father to the Weston manor to tutor the two youngest son's.  Emma and her father have known the family for years.  The two oldest Weston boys, Phillip and Henry, attended Emma's father's boarding school when they were young.   Emma does not have pleasant memories of Henry as he always teased and bullied her, Phillip on the other hand has remained a good friend.  She also meets Lizzie who appears to be a ward of the Weston's, but clearly has some secrets of her own.

Upon arriving at the manor, mysterious things begin to happen.  Emma hears someone playing the piano in the middle of the night only to find that the room is empty.  Then someone begins sneaking into her bedchamber, leaving spine shivering evidence.  It seems that everyone there is hiding something and the lady of the house makes it no secret that she does not want Emma and her father there.

I absolutely loved this novel!  I could hardly put it down.  It was filled with suspense and mystery.  Add a little romance and I was enthralled.  Every time I thought I had figured out who was doing the bizzare things at the manor, something would happen to blow my theory.  It kept me guessing till the very end!  I loved the character of Emma and I can't wait to read more of Julie Klassen's writings!  I highly recommend this book!

Here's a book trailer that will give you a sample of what a great story this is.



****This book was provided to my by the publisher in exchange for my review.

Threads of Grace by Kelly Long - A Book Review

Threads of Grace - A Patch of Heaven - A Novel by Kelly Long

When Grace Beiler was eighteen years old she was married off to an older Amish man in order to save her family's farm.   After enduring years of abuse her husband dies and Grace finds herself a widow and a single mother to her young son who has Autism.  She decides to leave the past behind her and she moves to Pine Creek Pennsylvania for a more quiet life.

Seth Wyse is instantly drawn to Grace and not only cares deeply for Grace, but also for her Son Abel.  Grace wants nothing to do with Seth and is determined to protect herself and her son from another man.  Everything soon changes when Tobias, Grace's brother-in-law tracks her down and reveals Grace's late husband's will.  Seth instantly offers to marry Grace and supplies her with a way of escape from Tobias and another loveless and probable abusive marriage.  Even though Seth has rescued her, Grace is not ready to trust him.  As time goes by Grace's heart softens and love and hope begin to come into her heart for the first time.

My personal thoughts of this novel are a little mixed.  It is the 3'rd book in a series.  I have read many books from the middle of series before and most of the time I find that the Authors write in such a way that it doesn't matter.  You don't feel like you are missing anything and if done creatively enough it will give you the desire to read the previous books.  This was not the case for me with this novel.  There were several times that certain things or characters were mentioned that left me in the dark and not in an intriguing way, but more of an irritating way that I did not no what was going on.  So if you do read this book I would definitely recommend starting from the beginning of the series.

The story line concerning Tobias started out very exciting for me, I kept waiting for something to happen.  I expected some great mystery or suspense to come into play.  It was all set up for and intriguing story line, and with trying not to give too much away, I'll just say I was very disappointed.  There was such great potential to go somewhere exciting with this plot and it was such a let down as it all seemed to just drop.

I also felt like many of the things were not true to the Amish culture.  I know it is just a fiction book, but some of it was so unbelievable that you just kwno would never happen in an Amish community.

On a more positive note, I did find this book easy to read and in the beginning I was very intrigued by it, but as I already said, the deeper I got the more I was let down.  I have read other novels by Kelly Long and have been pleased with her writing, so I will definitely read more of her work, but this book just did not work for me.

***This book was provided to me by the publisher through the booksneeze program in exchange for my review.

Awesome Science - Explore Mount St. Helens with Noah Justice

I was really excited for the chance to view Awesome Science -Explore Mount St. Helens with Noah Justice.    I have always been curious about this Science program and think that it is a very unique idea.  How many educational programs can you find where a 14 year old  becomes your teacher?  I think the idea of a Science series created by kids for kids is something that will catch the attention of homeschoolers everywhere.  As a mother/homeschool educator one of the things I liked most about this program is the fact that it is biblicaly based.

Each video including Explore Mount St. Helens has a Study Guide that goes along with it.  I really love this!  Not only does it help reinforce the things you watch on the video it helps give teacher's an idea of how much the student payed attention and retained.  Plus, it digs deeper giving more opportunities for learning.  The main thing I disliked about the video is the quality.  The images were not real sharp or clear.  Other than that I think it would be beneficial for the homeschool family and definitely spark the interest of kids who are struggling in Science.

***This video and study guide were provided to me by the publisher in exchange for my review.

Focus on the Family Les Miserables Audio Drama

One of mine and my daughter's favorite pastimes is to enjoy and evening of listening to Focus on the Family Radio Theatre.  I have yet to listen to a recording that I have not enjoyed.  Recently I had the opportunity to listen to Les Miserables for review.   Once again, I have not been disappointed.  Focus on the Family Radio Theatre is so much more than just an audio book, it is a complete drama with different actor's and actresses for each roll and a beautiful orchestra playing the background music.  All of that, along with the sound effects, brings you right into the story in a way that is truly enjoyable.

Les Miserables is one of the world's masterpieces.  It enthralled audiences worldwide as a great novel, as a major motion picture (most recently starring Anne Hathaway) and also as a blockbuster musical play.  This audio performance is true to the original novel as it follows Jean Valjean, a man who has spent years in jail after stealing a loaf of bread.  After being shown mercy he becomes a changed man and spends his life helping others.  It is a great story of redemption and forgiveness.

It is told in such a way that you have no problem imagining in your minds eye that you are sitting on the sidelines watching as the story unfolds before your very eyes.  It is very family oriented.  In the book and the movie Fantine is portrayed as a prostitute, but Focus on the Family does not dwell on this point, but more emphasizes that she is not a nice lady.  This makes it much more suitable for younger children, however, I do feel that it would be best for older children.  Only because I don't think it would keep the attention of younger children.  The French dialogue is thick with lots of accents and names which would be hard for younger kids to follow.  

I personally would recommend this version before going to see the motion picture.  Mainly because you don't have to worry about the wholesomeness of it.   Focus on the Family is known for providing good quality, christian entertainment and something you can enjoy together as a family without worrying about bad words, nudity, innuendo, etc.

***This copy of Les Miserables Focus on the Family Radio Theatre was proivided to me by Tyndale House Publisher in exchange for my review.

An Amish Kitchen - A Book Review

An Amish Kitchen is a compilation of three Amish stories.  A Taste of Faith by Kelly Long, A Spoonful of Love by Amy Clipston, and A Recipe for Hope by Beth Wiseman.  All three stories are set in Paradise Pennsylvania and the characters are intertwined in some way.  I have previously read books by Kelly Long and Beth Wiseman so I was certain I would love this book and I was correct!!

The first story, A Taste of Faith by Kelly Long is about Fern Zook who grows herbs and is learning of their healing properties from her grandma.  Her neighbor Abram Fisher is taking care of his younger siblings while his parents are away.  It seems like he is constantly needing Fern's services for one ailment or another.  It doesn't take long for sparks to fly between them.

I really enjoyed this story and it was probably my favorite out of all three!!

The second story, A Spoonful of Love by Amy Clipston is about Hannah King who is running a bed and breakfast, her mom is busy taking care of her Hannah's dad who recently had a stroke.  Stephen Esh comes to the bed in breakfast and the town of Paradise in hopes of a fresh start.  Hannah's mom is uncomfortable with Stephen being around Hannah and is determined to run him off.  Despite her efforts Hannah and Stephen are drawn together.  When Hannah finds out about Stephen's past will she still want him around.

I really liked this story but felt like it ended way too soon.  About the time I was getting really into it, it was over.

The third story, A Recipe of Hope by Beth Wiseman, is about Eva Bender's family.  After a storm damages their home they are forced to stay with her parents while working on the repairs.  Eva and her mother have never gotten along.  Will staying with her now mend their relationship or tare them further apart?

This was a cute story that had me laughing out loud a couple of times.  There was also a little love triangle going on between Eva's two twin son's and a young Amish girl that added to the story!

I would definitely recommend An Amish Kitchen if you like reading Amish fiction stories!

***This book was provided to me through booksneeze.com in exchange for my review.

Courting Cate - A Book Review

Courting Cate by Leslie Gould is a beautifully written Amish love story. It is the first book in the series The Courtships of Lancaster County.

Cate is not your normal Amish girl.  Her mother died while giving birth to Cate's sister Betsty.  Cate has spent her life raising her sister and taking care of her father.  She loves to read, desires to remain single and wants to run her own business.  Due to several events in her life she has become a very stubborn, feisty  bitter and standoffish gal.  She tends to think that everyone is against her and feels very unlovable.

Cate's sister Betsy is a very selfish girl.  Cate has always put Betsy's needs first and now the results are a girl that thinks the world revolves around her.  She manipulates Cate to get what she wants.  Betsy's character drove me crazy.  She was irritating and I really wanted to see her get her comeuppance.  Regardless how irritating she was, the book would not of been as good without her character.

Pete is a vagabond.  After leaving his home due to a falling out with his family he travels to Lancaster County.  He looks to Cate's father for a job and makes it no secret that he is also looking for a wife.  Cate instantly thinks he will be interested in Betsy, because she is so pretty and everyone likes Betsy.  Pete on the other hand is instantly drawn to Cate.  Due to her low self esteem Cate builds walls around her and continues to push Pete away, but when the unexpected happens Cate once again puts her sister first and enters a "marriage of convenience  with Pete.   Will a marriage without love be enough for Cate?

I absolutely loved this book.  I could relate so much with Cate.  One of the things she says so often is "I read somewhere...."  I can't tell you how many times those exact words have come out of my mouth!  I usually am not a fan of first person narrative which is what this book is written in, but the story is so entertaining that it didn't even bother me.   You are sure to love this book!  It is full of so many twists and turns.   It has humor, heartache, faith, and love.  What more can you ask for in a christian fiction book?  Well done Leslie Gould!!

***This book was provided to me by Bethany House Publishing in exchange for my review.

If you would like to find out more about the author and other books she has you can check out her website HERE.

A Clearing in the Wild - A Book Review

A Clearing in the Wild by Jane Kirkpatrick is the first book in the Change and Cherish Historical Series and is based on a true story.
You'll read about a community searching for refuge and a woman who finds her voice.

The story is set in Bethel, Missouri and the people there seek to live a simple life, but young spirited Emma Wagner does not like the constraints of her culture and wants to be independent.  When her outspoken ways clash with the colony's leader she finds new ways to pursue her dreams of independence.  As she clears a pathway West she discovers something she never expected...a yearning for the warm embrace of community.

I really do love reading historical fiction.  I was intrigued with this book in the beginning since the setting was in my home state and it was based on a true story.  I was highly disappointed.  I found the book extremely boring.  I am not a fan of the Author's writing style and have never been more happy to finish a book.  I don't like giving such negative reviews, but this book just was not for me.

***This book was provided to by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for my review.