hanging over my head all month. I had to read it before my book club meeting on March 30, and each day I pulled out my calculator to figure out how long I could procrastinate reading it. Second, the power supply for my laptop went kaput so I'd been using my hunny's pc...which worked perfectly except for the fact that I didn't have access to my Word doc where I keep track of the books I'd read. So you see, I had very little idea that I'd read more than 10 books. It actually looks as if I've read 13 books in March (that puts me at 38 for the first quarter). That's what homeschooling will do to you (9 of them were related to school somehow). You'll have no doubts about what we've been studying in history this month. Here they are:The Winged Watchman
, Hilda VanStockum. This book is scheduled as a read-aloud in Sonlight's Core 4. It takes place in Holland during WWII, and gives a vivid picture of what life was like for these brave people during those hard years. Not only is this book an introduction to life in Holland, but it fully examines the quality of one's character, and has a great story to tie it all together. It was thoroughly satisfying to read.
A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt
, C. Coco De Young. I read this aloud to my kiddos, and it was one that they begged to hear more of each day. It is included in Sonlight Core 4 as well as WinterPromise American Story 2. It gives a example of a family trying to make it through the Great Depression, introduces all the work Mrs. Roosevelt did during that time, and manages to make this hard time feel uplifting. One of my son's complaints when learning about the Great Depression was that it was too depressing! Not so with this book. This book is engaging and relevant, and uplifting at the same time.When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
, Judith Kerr. I didn't even realize that this book was included in Sonlight's Core 100. It was recommended, I think, in the activity guide for The Story of the World Vol. 4
. I enjoyed the autobiographical nature of the book, although I have to admit that I kept waiting for some action. If I'd had some idea beforehand that this book held it's value mostly in the little parts remembered from childhood, I would probably have thought more highly of it. It follows Anna's family as they remove themselves from Germany to Switzerland, then further on to France, and ultimately in England. The majority of the book relates the difficulty the children had learning new languages and cultures.One Eye Laughing, The Other Weeping
, Barry Denenberg. My apologies to Mr. Denenberg, but this book is the worst I've read to date on any historical matter whatsoever. I'm pretty sure. Yeah, I'm sure. This is part of the Dear America series published by Scholastic. I'm completely unfamiliar with this series, but I figured that a junior historical fiction series such as this warranted looking at. I've no idea why it has such great reviews on Amazon. I'm baffled. I'd say that the book was written on about an early 4th grade reading level, and yet the content is questionable for even my 7th grader. Not that it was graphic, and understanding that I very well may be more picky than most, but the insinuations were enough for me. Comments about how "making whoopee" was the girl's favorite American phrase, and the fact that her mother committed suicide after Nazi soldiers had basically ravaged her (made her dress in an evening gown, took off with her, and returned her beaten, sullied, and sullen...she wouldn't tell anyone what happened, and they all wondered). I could understand mentioning some general injustices of the time, it wouldn't be much of a book about WWII without something. But theses things, combined with the overall attitude of the main character felt contrived at best, and like a completely rewritten history at worst.
Number the Stars
, Lois Lowry. Now this is a beautiful book about WWII. Age appropriate in writing style and content, and seemingly historically acurate, it was also engaging, informative, suspenseful. This is a book I'd hand to my kids and recommend to others any day.Children of the Dust Bowl
, Jerry Stanley. As enrichment for our 1930's studies, I gave a "good parts version" to the kids. I found it very interesting, and so did everyone else for the first few sentences. But after that I'd look over at my children and they'd be looking at me like "yeah. we get it. it was dry. really, really, dry."
Children of the Great Depression
, Russell Freedman. Ditto the above review, Great Depression style. I like it, it was a little much for the kiddos. It was condensed, and they are glad it's done.The Gadget
, Paul Zindel. This is a perspective that you don't often see in junior historical fiction about WWII. It primarily takes place in New Mexico, and revolves around the development of the atomic bomb. It is a boy book, in that it is filled with adventure, spies, bombs, and intrigue. It's a fairly quick and easy read, too. An easy way to get a taste of the other side of the apple...done in what seemed to be an objective way.Journey to America
, Sonia Levitin. I read this aloud for school, as it was part of WinterPromise's American Story 2 program. It very similar to When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit in plot, yet was more engaging for a younger audience. It did a great job at giving a gentle look at the Holocaust.
The Canterbury Quintet
, Geoffrey Chaucer. This is part of Sonlight Core 530. Let's get one thing straight: this version was not a translation, it was simply spelling corrected. And lest you think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, let me just tell you that the translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was so much easier to read than this original version (both written around the same time--Middle English). From this I have realized that I am by no means a purist. Give me the translation any day--that I might enjoy it, not labor over it. I was dreaming in iambic pentameter.I Know This Much is True
, Wally Lamb. I did it! I finished it by March 30, and with days to spare. It was not a difficult read, although it was emotionally involved. I'm definitely (in case you hadn't noticed) more into historical fiction and 19th century British Literature, and the language and subject matter of this book just about did me in a couple of times. The book had a good message, if you can either convince yourself that someone with the worst life imaginable can end up with a happily-ever-after due to a great psychiatrist, or just not care that it's not realistic. There are very realistic portions: the character development was amazing, the setting was done great, the emotional responses were right on for the characters. I'm just not used to reading about all that crummy stuff. But what did I expect? It was an Oprah book after all.The Secret
, Beverly Lewis. I received and Advance Reading copy of this book free through LibraryThing.com (yay!). Reading this directly after I Know This Much is True was probably not the best idea. I was struck by how opposite they were. The Secret was fairly short, the first in a planned series, filled with wholesome people, and light on the character development. Like most of Beverly Lewis' books, this took place in Amish Pennsylvania. I'm not planning on reading the others in the series, but it sure was awfully fun to get a free advanced copy of a book!
The Importance of Being Earnest
, Oscar Wilde. Another from Sonlight Core 530, this was an absolute delight. I'm smitten--it was so funny! I actually watched the screen version with Colin Firth the night before reading the play, which definitely did not do any harm. I do often like to watch the film version of a book/play before reading it, because the book is typically so much better. This was really great. I might start collecting multiple copies.
Jackaroo
, Cynthia Voigt. The author of Dicey's Song has written a wonderful piece of historical fiction for the junior audience. In Jackaroo, she provides an insightful jaunt into medieval life. The book showed a woman's plight in the Middle Ages wonderfully, as well as the exsistence of massive class distinctions (and the helplessness therein). I loved how insightful and educational it was, whilst remaining eventful and interesting. I bought this from 
, Elizabeth Enright. This is a 
, Marden Dahlstedt. This is another 
, Kathleen Kudlinski. Hmmm, I don't know if this should even be included on my reading list, because it is really short. But here it is. This was a 
The Bell Jar
, Sylvia Plath. This is a haunting story about the cloud of depression that can affect the most normal of people, and how improbable it is that anyone on the outside will understand. This book made me ache. It will definitely be one that I'll read again sometime.
, Beverly Cleary. I've always loved Ramona, and reading her aloud to my girls is a joy indeed.
, translated by W.S. Merwin. This is a 
, Gail Carson Levine. This book was fun to read. It reminded me of the movie Ever After, but this book was much more alive and interesting. Fun, yet thoughtful.
, Theodore Taylor. My 12 year-old son requested that I read this, and it was a good recommendation. It takes place in the Caribbean during WWII, and is a great coming-of-age novel.
, Stephenie Meyer. Okay, so I admit that I kind-of jumped on the bandwagon with this one. This book was left at our house after our Christmas party (on purpose--it was left over from a white elephant gift exchange). It stared at me long enough and I decided to read it. It's over 500 pages, but takes the brain activity of watching a tv series (that's not a compliment, btw). It took me about 5 hours to complete. Hmph.
, Anne Bronte. This somewhat autobiographical novel depicts highly believable characters. It was nice steady reading. Thoughtful, yet not overly descriptive. It tells the tale of a young girl who decides to become a governess for the sake of helping children, and finds her task to be much different from what she'd expected.
, Horatio Alger Jr. I have a 1908 copy of this book, and came across it not long after we'd studied the New York newsboys in our homeschool history. I read it quickly (as it is junior fiction) and enjoyed it. Most of my enjoyment stemmed from how the style of writing differed from today's junior fiction. It was fun to read the small lectures on morality, and to notice the overtones regarding the importance of cleanliness and not being lazy. Fun stuff!
, Beverly Cleary. Another wonderful entry in the life of a misunderstood, and very funny, girl.
, Virginia Sorenson. This is another 
The Best Christmas Ever
by Sylvia Green. This was my 8 year-old daughter's "break-through" book. She hasn't been a huge reader, and until recently it was a struggle for her. She saw this book at the bookstore and instantly wanted to take it home and read it. I was surprised because it was much bigger than the other things she was reading. She read it and loved it, and it was my honor to indulge her wish for me to read it too. Now she is reading more often and more willingly, and fondly remembers how great this book was.
by Chris D'Lacey was a book that my 12 year-old son wanted me to read. It was not the best piece of literature, but it did have some fantasy/adventure elements without anything questionable. Personally, I was not too thrilled with it. But since said 12 year-old is also reading The Hobbit, I figured I'd let him learn about good fantasy literature by himself.
by Bill Bryson is a book that I first saw in a bookstore in London. I love Bill Bryson; I don't love Shakespeare. No, that's not quite right. I get very tired of hearing how very god-like Shakespeare was. I've never been a fad-chaser. But this book is very balanced and enjoyable to read. It was a nice brief overview of Shakespeare and what we know about him (not much actually).
by Jim Trelease. How I wish that I'd read this back when my kiddos were new! He spends a lot of time talking about public schools and "at-risk" families, but there is a lot of other pertinant information. I borrowed it from the library, but ended up buying a copy.
by Beverly Cleary. What can I say? I love Ramona. Always have, always will. I read this aloud to Melinda. We both enjoyed it very much.
Honey for a Child's Heart
by Gladys Hunt. I wanted very much to like this book better than the Read-Aloud Handbook. I had such high hopes for it. I will use it for the book list, but the first half of the book was nowhere near as valuable to me as the first half of the other book. It was written/published within a Christian framework, and I felt like this was very limiting. It seemed as though the author was very consciously trying to defend some of her opinions (and indeed she has been blasted on Amazon reviews for recommending Harry Potter, so it was not unwarranted) and as a result felt watered down and nearly meaningless to me. Bummer.
by Yann Martel was great fun to read! This all in spite of the fact that most of it takes place on the ocean--of which I'm not the biggest fan. Chris, my husband, has been wanting me to read it for some time. I'm very glad I did.
Growing Up in Coal Country
by Susan Bartoletti was one of our school books. It is included in Winterpromise's American Story 2 package. I love how Winterpromise approaches history. This was a great book!
by Ralph Moody. This was my second time around for this book. I read it to myself last year, and just finished reading it aloud to my kids for school. I cried both times at the end. I'll be reading the next in the series to myself sometime later this year.
by Kate DiCamillo. Fun to read, like The Tale of Despereaux, with humor, heartbreak, and lovely illustrations.
Emma
by Jane Austen. I love Jane Austen. Emma is no exception. This book is filled with the social workings like Pride and Prejudice, but with the special treat of being inside Emma's head. Fabulous.