Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Looking for Fantasy Books to Read?

I read these series's before I got a blog and don't remember enough to write a review.  However, I do remember how much I loved and enjoyed reading them and most definitely recommend them to other readers :) (They are all labeled Fiction too)

The Inheritance Series by Christopher Paolini
      Fantasy
The DragonKeeper Series by Donita K. Paul
      Fantasy, Christian
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
      Fantasy, Christian
The Dragon King Trilogy by Stephen R Lawhead
      Fantasy, Christian
The King Raven Trilogy by Stephen R. Lawhead
      Fantasy, Christian
Binding of the Blade Series by L. B. Graham
      Fantasy, Christian 
Love Comes Softly Series by Janette Oke
      Christian, Romance
Legends of the Guardian King series by Karen Hancock
      Christian, Fantasy
The Pendragon Cycle by Stephen R. Lawhead
       Fantasy, Christian

Have fun reading these books as I know you will! :)

Monday, November 15, 2010

A Gathering of Days by Joan W. Blos

144 Pages: Journal of New England Girl

This story is set in the 1830s in New Hampshire of the young American nation.  Catherine's life has been tough and fraught with hardships including her mother dying.  In this book she has to reconcile her father's remarriage and the death of another person close to her.  There's also one really cool adventure of sorts she gets herself into.  It was a very touching and melancholy story about the rough life of the farmers and pioneers of the 19th century.  Get ready because her story may touch your heart.  It's perfect for young readers interested in the pioneer life.

(This book was part of my Sonlight U.S. History curriculum and I recommend it to other home school families.)

Streams to the River, River to the Sea by Scott O'Dell

163 Pages: Sacagawea's Story

This story of an Indian Princess is well known to many but not the details.  Not even I knew that Sacagawea had a disturbing love story within the great westward expedition.  The story starts off with her capture by the Minnetarees when they attack her tribe, the Shoshones, which ends up leading her to join Lewis and Clark's expedition.  With trials around every corner, this Princess is forced to be strong and courageous against the odds and still be a mother to her young baby.  Though some parts are sad or brutal, you can learn from these mistakes of others.  All in all, this was an exciting book that piqued my interest and I gladly recommend it to other young readers.

(This book was part of my Sonlight U.S. History curriculum and I recommend it to other home school families.)

Monday, November 8, 2010

Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare

274 Pages: A French and Indian War Prisoner

The high strung and talented Miriam Willard's journey, from our past, was the interesting story of an indian captive.  This story tells of the hardships captives must go through as they are brought through the wilderness and sold in Montreal, Canada to the french.  Miriam goes through much on her journey and matures as a result of it.  Figuring out who she wants to have as her husband was an accomplishment of hers and you may be surprised who she ends up choosing.  This book was a very colorful and captivating story of a girl's struggle to survive.  It kept me reading it till the end and is great for young readers interested in suspense, indian prisoners, and history.

(This book was part of my Sonlight U.S. History curriculum and I recommend it to other home school families.)

Amos Fortune: Free Man by Elizabeth Yates

181 Pages: An African Prince who became a slave

The Prince of an African Tribe was Amos's position in life before the slavers came and took him away.  He was then sold in Boston in 1725 after enduring the harsh Middle Passage but never did he forget his dignity.   He clung to the hope of freedom and along the way to his, he bought other people's freedom.  His kind nature and hopeful spirit got him through the rough life in the colonies before blacks were treated as equals.  His story is filled with ups and downs worth reading so we can learn that other people, whatever the skin color, are equals.  This book was a touching story worth your time and perfect for young readers.

(This book was part of my Sonlight U.S. History curriculum and I recommend it to other home school families.)

Traitor: The Case of Benedict Arnold by Jean Fritz

179 Pages: An American Revolution General, Hero, and Traitor

The story of Benedict Arnold is interesting indeed.  Many people, including me, think how could anyone ever betray the Patriots?  This book starts off describing his bad childhood in the town of Norwich, Connecticut where he did crazy stunts.  He did these stunts because he liked the feel of adrenaline.  This eventually led him to enlisting in the colonial forces so he could become a great hero.  He was a daring military leader but he made many enemies which made his life hard.  He always wanted money and was greedy for it and you can guess what happened because of that.  This was a very educational and interesting book that I really enjoyed reading.  It's perfect for young readers who love to learn about unusual history figures.

(This book was part of my Sonlight U.S. History curriculum and I recommend it to other home school families.)

Guns For General Washington by Seymour Reit

120 Pages: An American Revolution Story

This book starts off during the stalemate in Boston of the American Revolution.  It's about a courageous man's journey through lakes, forests, hills, and treacherous territory pulling heavy cannons and guns to the colonial headquarters so as to help the patriot cause.  This man was known as Henry Knox and he became the colonel of artillery in the rebel force.  The downside though to this position was that there wasn't any use able artillery anywhere near the headquarters in Cambridge, outside of Boston.  So he came up with a daring plan to bring the cannons captured, earlier in the war, at Fort Ticonderoga to Cambridge with the help of his brother Will.  However, their journey is anything but easy as they meet many unforeseen difficulties.  This was very interesting and educational book, great for younger readers.

(This book was part of my Sonlight U.S. History curriculum and I recommend it to other home school families.)