An Irish Story: The Hedge School

The Hedge School

by Gloria Whelan

I bought this book in paperback many years ago to read aloud to the children, but never got around to it. Recently, I found a copy in my Audible account and decided we'd listen to it in the van when the older one or two were not with us. (All together, at the moment, we are listening to Peter Duck.)

In this book set in the 1730s, Irish youth gather in the hedges for school while their country is under harsh English rule. It's a good historical novel showing some of the long-standing antagonism between England and Ireland. All the Irish in the novel are Catholic. One young man is even traveling to France to become a priest and return in secret to Ireland.

I enjoy sharing stories with my children that emphasize the value of education. Not only do the teacher and children sit outside in the cold and rain to do their lessons, they and their families are breaking the English law. They must keep even their ability to read and write a secret. And yet they study not just Irish and English, but Latin. The main character loves reading and reciting the Latin he learns.

My children enjoyed listening to the sometimes foolish risks of Padraic as he secretly plotted against the local English lords, but my daughter often worried about him when we had to stop while he was not yet in the clear. Because it was an audiobook, she would have to wait until our next time in the van to hear how he escaped the danger. 

I'm sure this is a lovely book on its own, but I particularly enjoyed listening to the narrator. He provided a wonderful voice for Padraic.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. I purchased the paperback version of the book from the publisher, Bethlehem Books, and the audiobook from Audible, an Amazon company. Links to Amazon are affiliate links.

January 2019 Book Reports

Coraline by Neil Gaiman - This twisted fairy tale was wonderful and disconcertingly creepy. Coraline goes through a door in her house into a copycat world. She escapes only to find her parents are trapped there. She emulates her father's courage and follows her mother's love to try to save them. Pre-read if you have sensitive children. My twelve-year-old read it and thought it was pretty good. It may be the kind of book that speaks to parents in a way children miss. (library copy)

The Glorious Adventure by Richard Halliburton - link to my post. (purchased used)

Season of Storms by Andrzej Sapkowski - the newest Witcher book, though it goes back in time a bit. I've been reading some of the King Arthur myths (part of our ninth grade curriculum) and it struck me how much the Witcher is like a roaming knight. (library copy)

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman - link to my post. (purchased Audible book)

Tales of Ancient Egypt by Roger Lancelyn Green - link to my post. (purchased new)

Red Hugh Prince of Donegal by Robert T. Reilly - This is another great book from Bethlehem Books, recommended by RC History for Connecting with History volume 3. I read it aloud to the children and they were very interested (even when I was a little tired of poor Hugh being stuck in a tower). It's kind of fun to read a book in which the English are the "bad guys" and I was able to torture my own children with my not even passable Irish accent. (purchased new)

Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman - I picked this up at a library sale. Some of the stories were interesting. Many were a bit disturbing. I think if you're a Gaiman fan, you'd enjoy it, but it's probably not the first Gaiman book I'd recommend. (purchased used)


These opinions are my own. I received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon and RC History are affiliate links. The link to Bethlehem Books is not an affiliate link.

November 2015 Book Reports

Editha's Burglar by Frances Hodgson Burnett is the story of a little girl who confronts a thief and foists upon him her own treasures in a courageous effort to prevent discomfort to her mother. It's a short book and sweet in its way. First Daughter (in third grade) will probably want to read it. (library copy)

The Diary of John Wesley Powell, Conquering the Grand Canyon edited by Connie and Peter Roop is an abridged and edited version of Powell's diary of his first expedition through the Grand Canyon. The editors claim to have remained faithful to Powell's meaning when adapting the text. From what I can tell, his writing would have been well served by better editing before his original book was published, so I wouldn't be too wary of sharing an edited version with my children. This book was created for young readers and I would expect First Daughter (in third grade) to be able to read it easily. I am considering reading this aloud to all of the children in anticipation of a hoped-for trip to the Grand Canyon ourselves. The natural world is portrayed in glorious and exciting language and the real risks of the expedition are clear. (library copy)

Francie on the Run by Hilda van Stockum is the second book in the Bantry Bay series. I read the first, The Cottage at Bantry Bay, aloud to the children last year. The one finally made it to the top of the pile. Though my mother's heart stopped at the thought of a six year old boy wandering Ireland, his adventures lead him to kind and generous hosts and all turns out well. I loved reading in my pale imitation of an Irish accent, too, and the children did not complain. They all loved Francie! (purchased Kindle version directly from the publisher)

Good Poems ed by Garrison Keillor is a book Kansas Dad and I picked out with a gift card on a visit to a bookstore on our anniversary. Oh, how exciting we are! I enjoyed reading the variety of poems selected. Well-known names like Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman are mingled with new poets. A book like this is a good one from which to read a poem a day, which is what I did. (purchased copy)

Laudato Si -- On Care for Our Common Home by Pope Francis in an encyclical which teaches the important of being good stewards of the earth and how that stewardship is intertwined with care for all people, most especially the weak, the manipulated, and those trapped by poverty. We read this with the adult education class at our parish. (copy provided by our parish)

Don Camillo and His Flock by Giovanni Guareschi, translated by Una Vincenzo Troubridge - Read my review. (inter-library loan copy)

The Education Of Catholic Girls by Janet Erskine Stuart - Read my review. (free Kindle version)

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare - I have the Shakespeare Made Easy version. I like these editions because I can read the play as Shakespeare wrote it without interruptions unless I want to check my understanding. Then I can glance at the other page to see a contemporary version. Often I turn to the modern words for the comic scenes. The puns and allusions are the most difficult to understand. The children are memorizing lines from Twelfth Night right now with How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare. (received in a swap on PaperBackSwap.com)

In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden - Read my review. (library copy) 


Books in Progress (and date started)

• Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol 2 (sixth edition) (August 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)
• Humility of Heart by Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo (February 2015)
• Towards A Philosophy of Education (Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series) by Charlotte Mason (May 2015)
• George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War by Thomas B. Allen (November 2015) 
• Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child by Anthony Esolen (November 2015)
• The Long Christmas by Ruth Sawyer (November 2015)
• The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi (November 2015)
• The Nature of Kansas Lands edited by Beverley Worster (November 2015)

The italic print: Links to Amazon are affiliate links. As an affiliate with Amazon, I receive a small commission if you follow one of my links, add something to your cart, and complete the purchase (in that order). Links to PaperBackSwap could give me a referral credit if you follow the link, establish a new account, and post ten books. Links to RC History are affiliate links. Other links are not affiliate links.

These reports are my honest opinions. 

My Favorite Picture Books: The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane

The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane by C. M. Millen, illustrated by Andrea Wisnewski

Brother Theophane isn't very focused on his copywork in the scriptorium. He's sent to make the brown ink, instead, but a foray into the forest for bark yields more interesting results. This book lets us peek into the world of illuminated manuscripts during the Middle Ages. Brother Theophane is an imaginary monk, but the development of beautiful colored ink and elaborate decorations on manuscripts is real enough. A nice note at the end gives background to the creation of inks and illuminated manuscripts.

I like how Brother Theophane, while not quite like the other staid monks, is portrayed without condemnation or bitterness. His colored ink is welcomed by the others but their calm and steady monastery life continues.

Andrew Wisnewski's illustrations are fabulous. They manage to create some of the beauty of illuminated manuscripts within a print with lots of wonderful details that connect to the story for those willing and eager to seek through them.