Mikis and the Donkey by Bibi Dumon Tak is the story of a young boy on a Greek island who adores the donkey his grandfather purchases to carry firewood. I came across is recently and thought it might make a good substitute for one of the Level 1A Year 1 People and Places selections for Second Daughter. (She listened to all of The Wheel on the School rather closely just this year.) It has its moments of humor and would be an adequate book for modern Greece, so it's a possibility, but I might keep looking. (library copy)The Perfect Egg: A Fresh Take on Recipes for Morning, Noon, and Night by Teri Lyn Fisher and Jenny Park - my review. (review copy from Blogging for Books)
Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography by Laura Ingalls Wilder, edited by Pamela Smith Hill - my review. (library copy)
Persuasion by Jane Austen is wonderful. I'm still thinking about it weeks later. Read it. (library copy)
Thunder from the Sea by Joan Hiatt Harlow is the story of an orphaned boy in 1929 Newfoundland who goes to live with a new family. He miraculously rescues a dog in rough seas, fulfilling a life-long wish. It would be great as a read-aloud or for young independent readers. (library copy)
The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 5) by Lemony Snicket. I'll probably write more about this series when we finish all the books. (audio CD from the library)
The Ersatz Elevator (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 6) by Lemony Snickett, performed by Tim Curry, continues the story of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. In this book, one of their guardians is obsessed with the current fashions, even of ridiculous things. For example, elevators are "out" so she successfully campaigned to have the elevators removed from their building. While walking around in Chicago on a recent vacation, Second Daughter (6) commented, "Mom, I think headphone are in because everyone is wearing them." Perceptive. (audio CD from the library)
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry, second in The Giver Quartet. I reviewed this for another website, but you can read about it on the blog here. (library copy)
May B. by Caroline Starr Rose - my review. (library copy)
The Sod House by Elizabeth Coatsworth - my review. (library copy)
Lost in the Barrens by Farley Mowat is a story of adventure, courage, friendship, and ingenuity in a freezing Canadian winter. It is a good book for First Son (11) to read this summer. (PaperBackSwap.com)
Books in Progress (and date started)
- Open Mind, Faithful Heart by Pope Francis (January 2014)
- The Education Of Catholic Girls by Janet Erskine Stuart (February 2014)
- Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol 2 (sixth edition) (August 2014)
- Good Poems ed by Garrison Keillor (October 2014)
- For the Children's Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay (January 2015, with my Start Here book club)
- The Story of the Amulet by E. Nesbit (February 2015, listening with the children on LibriVox)
- Humility of Heart by Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo (February 2015)
- The Reb and the Redcoats by Constance Savery (April 2015)
- A Midsummer Night's Dream (Shakespeare Made Easy) (May 2015)
- Towards A Philosophy Of Education (Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series) by Charlotte Mason (May 2015)
These reports are my honest opinions.
