Bethlehem Books is having a two day sale on their ebooks today (March 20th) and tomorrow (March 21st) only. Their eVersion books (electronic editions of books in print) are $2.95 and the eStacks books (electronic editions of books not currently available in print) are $0.95. I don't think I've read a book from Bethlehem Books I didn't like, and there are many that are absolutely wonderful. If you have an ereader for your children, this is a great opportunity to select enough quality books to last them through their summer reading or to supplement studies with independent reading. Because of their quality, the print versions tend to remain relatively expensive, even used.
I've read a couple of their ebooks on my Kindle and they worked perfectly. Their easy to navigate and include all the illustrations. Most of the books mentioned below, a few of my favorites from Bethlehem Books, I read in print.
The Mitchells: Five for Victory, Canadian Summer, and Friendly Gables by Hilda van Stockum is a trilogy focused on the Mitchell family. My kids and I enjoyed these books tremendously as family read-alouds. They are appropriate for all ages, but Canadian Summer might be one of my favorite books of all-time.
Old Sam, Dakota Trotter by Don Alonzo Taylor was another favorite read aloud for our family. I enjoyed the book myself, and was surprised at how much more it delighted the children.
Victory on the Walls by Frieda Clark Hyman is historical fiction of the best sort, bringing the time of Nehemiah to life through the eyes of his young nephew. I read it just this month as I began preparing for our studies next year. First Son will be reading it independently in fifth grade.
I'm in the middle of Hittite Warrior by Joanne Williamson right now, also in preparation for First Son's independent reading next year. It's definitely for more mature readers as the book includes the destruction of Uriah's home and murder of his mother and sister before the first couple of chapters are through. There's human sacrifice, prayers to pagan gods, torture of prisoners, and war. Even as an adult, though, I've never felt such a great interest in the clashes of the cultures of the Hittites, Canaanites, Egyptians, Hebrews, and others, in the time of Deborah.
Big John's Secret by Eleanor Jewett is the wonderful story of a young man who serves as a page and squire in
England and the Holy Land during the time of the Fifth Crusade. He is
searching for his place in the world and his father. It has a
surprisingly balanced presentation of the Muslims in the Holy Land, with
whom John lives for a year. St. Francis of Assisi makes an appearance
as well. It's highly recommended.
Once Upon a Time Saints and More Once Upon a Time Saints by Ethel Pochocki are enchanting tales of saints perfect for young readers or to read aloud to the whole family. They are almost two volumes of the same book as the saints are arranged alphabetically across the two books. More Once Upon a Time Saints is not yet available as an ebook. Ethel Pochocki's Saints and Heroes contains many stories of more recent saints and is appropriate for older kids ready for tales of martyrs for the faith in modern times.
Of course, Bethlehem Books publishes a great many print only books as well that are worth your time. The Fairchild Family books will ever be one of my favorite series to read aloud to a young family and I can't recommend them highly enough.
This post is entirely my own. I have not received anything in exchange for this post and will not receive anything if anyone follows a link and makes a purchase.
