Beautiful and Enduring: The Hundred-Year Barn

The Hundred-Year Barn

by Patricia MacLachlan with art by Kenard Pak

This 2019 picture book came too late for our American History in Picture Books studies, but is definitely worthy of inclusion. 

The book begins with the building of a barn in 1919. It is a collaborative work of a whole community to create a beautiful functional barn that will last a hundred years. Then, as the book continues, we see the barn, animals, and people grow, change, adapt, and endure.

The cover calls the illustration "art," and I agree whole-heartedly. The figures and shapes are more symbolic than realistic. The warm tones throughout evoke feelings of nostalgia and the natural world.

As the barn lives it's hundred years, the book fits into a wide range of time periods for an American History study. I think it fits best with World War I and the years just following (as the barn is built in 1919). That would allow the future in the book to foreshadow what children might hear later on. 

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Bookshop are affiliate links. I borrowed this book from our library.

The Great War on the Homefront of Hungary: The Singing Tree

The Singing Tree

by Kate Seredy

This book is the sequel to The Good Master, which I read aloud to the children this past school year. Both books are mentioned for the Level 4 history program at Mater Amabilis™.

In The Singing Tree, Jansci and Kate are three years older and face a time of uncertainty and anxiety as the Great War (World War I). Jansci's father (the Good Master) and Kate's father both enlist. Kate's father spends most of the war in a prison camp in Russia, though his trials there are not mentioned in the story. Jansci and his mother shelter a motley crew of vulnerable people from the village (a young mother and her infant, a wayward girl whose father enlists and mother is ill), a work crew of Russian prisoners, and a half-dozen nearly starving children from Germany, Hungary's ally. They manage the farm well, comfort each other, and struggle to understand the changes wrought by war in the land and the people.

The greater politics of the war play little part in the novel. It is instead focused on how all people are suffering and the goodness of even those we may be tempted to treat as enemies. Jansci and Kate learn the need to protect a Jewish couple in the village, renown locally for their generosity and guidance. There are a few scenes and sentences that seem condescending (even while complementary) against modern sensibilities, but not so much I fear would be troublesome for children to read.

The original copyright for the book is 1939 but it gives no indication the author sensed a greater war on the horizon. There is also a reference to a "holocaust" in France, which we probably wouldn't say today given the Holocaust still to come.

I enjoyed this book, but not quite as much as The Good Master. I know First Daughter will happily read hundreds of extra books a year, though, so I intend to keep this on the shelf for her to read independently in eighth grade when she's in Level 4.

I purchased this book used on Cathswap. Links to Amazon in the post are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Lenin and Mary: 1917: Red Banners, White Mantle

1917: Red Banners, White Mantle

by Warren H. Carroll

This book appears on the list of supplemental history reading for the study on Russia and the Fall of Communism Level 4 history program at Mater Amabilis™. It is recommended to choose one of these supplemental books, many of which are historical fiction, to read over the six week study. I flipped through four or five of the options listed for the Russian study (ones our library had or that I purchased inexpensively) and, without reading any in full, choose 1917: Red Banners, White Mantle because it included information on Fatima, which otherwise we only touched on, and because the writing seemed particularly eloquent. As I read it, in fact, I found the writing so rich I created a list of words for First Son to look up each week before his reading. (He probably could have figured them out well enough to get by, but I wanted him to appreciate them.)

The Mater Amabilis™ page states this book is a "Catholic perspective on the events of 1917." That's clear from the very beginning of the book.

In the short November afternoon, Francis Joseph felt a great weakness coming upon him. He understood what it meant. He knew he faced death, and he knew death faced his empire, hard beset by the enormous, incalculable perils of a world disintegrating under the stresses of a conflict far more protracted and cosmically destructive than anyone had imagined possible. And he knew the quality of the radiant young couple who had visited with him that morning: their goodness, their hope, their relative innocence, their inexperience, their crystal simplicity of purpose and conviction, but with scarcely a trace of the touch of the ruthless which is very close to being necessary in a temporal ruler in the fallen world.

The book covers, in chronological and detailed order, the events on the World War I battlefields, in the fields of Fatima, and in Russia from December 1916 (after a few preliminary chapters) through December 1917, with a chapter to briefly describe pertinent events through the death of Lenin.

Carroll does not shy away from descriptions of the horrific war or the madness of its beginning and repeated refusals of diplomats to come to peaceable solutions.

These gigantic losses were not suffered in a struggle for some overriding moral or religious principle or right that might not be sacrificed at any cost. Except for one small country, Belgium, the war did not involve any nation's essential freedom or existence. It was a war of fronts in border regions, a war of trenches and attrition, a war that pitted the deadly machine gun against unprotected human flesh. 

His description of Lenin:

Lenin was not a monster. He had a happy childhood, his parents taught him Christian morality (though he rejected it), he loved music and the countryside; he could even care genuinely for people when they did not get in his way. But over and through and above all else throbbed the pounding power of his relentless will, fixed immovably on the revolution, to be achieved by any means, at any cost.

While the author's descriptions of the people and events of the book are riveting, it's sometimes difficult to discern how much those descriptions are shaped by the author's opinions rather than facts. For example, a significant part of his description of the actions of Emperor Charles and Empress Zita upon hearing of Germany's return to unrestricted submarine warfare is based on Zita's remembrances many years later. That doesn't make it untrue, of course, merely weakly supported by the evidence he quotes if one were disinclined to believe Empress Zita. Later, he describes President Woodrow Wilson's re-election.

Thomas Woodrow Wilson, the former professor who had first been elected President of the United States when two opponents split the vote against him and was then re-elected by an eyelash because his opponent forgot to shake the hand of the Governor of California, is one of the most improbable figures in Americn [sic] political history.

That seemed surprising to me, so I researched a little, trying to wade through websites online. It seems Hughes (running against Wilson) did neglect to shake the California governor's hand, but it might have been more deliberate than it seems from this statement. Also, while the election was close, it seems unlikely that was the only reason Wilson won and rather flippant of the author to suggest it was.

The book presents a rather confusing series of diplomatic negotiations, with many different people involved. I found an article at 1914-1918 Online that helped me understand exactly what was happening. I added it to a page of notes for First Son as well. The article views Charles's attempts at negotiations more as a result of the ravages of war suffered by his country than his professed desire for peace for all Christendom, which is the view presented by Carroll. It seems likely to me it was both and historians choose to emphasize one or the other as they lean themselves.

The author only touches briefly on the horrors experienced outside Petrograd as the peasants were provoked into violent action by Communist agitators.

The full story of the ensuing horror has never been, and probably never will be told. It is composed of ten thousand local tragedies of burning and looting and smashing and killing, of old scores settles [sic] and envy slaked, of just and imaginary grievances all jumbled together and avenged in blood and ashes, each one a bit in a mosaic which it has never served anyone's interest to assemble, and for which most of the needed records either never existed, or vanished in the cataclysm.

Even as I neared the end of the book, I found it difficult to discern the relationship Carroll was attempting to draw between the apparitions at Fatima and the events as they occurred in Russia. He would make these kinds of grand sweeping statements:

The war that came upon the world from 1914 to 1918 was not only a war of men and nations, generals and armies, monarchs and revolutionaries. The legions and the powers of Heaven and of Hell were engaged as well, as well-attested events from December 1916 to October 1917 clearly show to those with eyes to see, and ears to hear.

The author seemed to believe they were clear, but other than the chronology and the reflections written some twenty years later by someone who was a sometimes frightened and impressionable child, I don't think he made his case very well. I am not saying the apparitions at Fatima did not occur or that the documentation of them made later were inaccurate, just that this book did not seem to explain exactly what effect the prayers of the children and believers at Fatima had on the events in Russia.

It remained to be seen how many, even yet, would hear and heed her words and help her by their prayers, and by lives more pleasing to God, to change the course of history--to convert the Russia which was about to fall into Lenin's grasp.

But...what was the effect? Is he arguing it would have been worse? Or that the people did not sacrifice and pray enough? Or that we should be continuing to sacrifice and pray for the people suffering under Communism in the USSR (in 1981, when the book was published)? I couldn't tell!

Only in one place, late in the book, does he refer to one possibility. Carroll was writing of how Lenin thought all of Europe, and then the world, would revolt and become Communist in the wake of the horrors of World War I.

His euphoria was somewhat premature, even in light of what he did surely know and reasonably suspect. But he was not so far wrong as nearly everyone since has tended to think. There is good reason to believe that the Western world stood very close to final catastrophe in that ghastly autumn of 1917. How many more Passchendaeles could any nation, however disciplined and loyal to its leaders, have endured without breaking? We may presume that no inconsiderable part in preventing that ultimate collapse was played by the prayers offered for peace--by Pope Benedict XV, by the children of Fatima offering their daily rosary for peace as the Lady had asked, by the suffering and the dying, by the victims of the rural terror in Russian, and by millions more throughout Europe and the world.

So, we are presumably to believe that the prayers of Fatima offered in response to Mary's request, did save the world from a massive Communist movement that would have begun in Russia and enveloped the world. There's no way to argue against that and it might very well be true, but it was odd to me that this was the only instance where he mentioned what might have been an outcome. There are other times when he points out how Lenin's plans nearly fell apart (like when he was not arrested the night before the revolution in October, despite being stopped by two mounted officers while wandering the streets without papers). It would be just as easy (thought not in line with the rest of the book) to argue that the prayers of the faithful benefitted the revolution.

Warren talks about how Woodrow Wilson, in his speech asking Congress to declare war, said it was necessary in order to help bring democracy and freedom to the world. Warren contends that almost the opposite occurred.

The principal historical consequence of World War I was to be the establishment, as far into the future as human eyes can see, of the most fearful, pervasive, far-flung tyranny in the history of mankind--a tyranny so gigantic and so evil that, in the end, only the Mother of God in person can conquer it.

A powerful statement, and one that might be interesting to consider: Was the most important consequence of World War I the rise of communism in Russia, especially given Germany's obvious use of Lenin as a disruptive agent delivered to Russia? It's seems a different argument then to move from that to Mary being the only one who can conquer it.

There are clear references to Rasputin's debauchery and lewdness that would be inappropriate for some younger readers. Additionally, descriptions of the trench warfare are also graphic and horrific, as befits the war.

Here's a link to the Google Doc I made for First Son with a list of vocabulary to check before reading and some articles of interest. I divided the book into five readings and planned for him to read one each week. That gave us some leeway, which we ended up needing when his World War II book (the unit just before this one) went a week over.

I am glad I read this book as I found it an interesting and engaging account of the events of the Bolshevik revolution in 1917. I have assigned it to First Son, though I didn't finish it before he started it. Having now read the whole book, I will leave the assignments as they are, though I'm not convinced I'll assign it to the other children. I think that will depend on discussions I may have with First Son about it. There's nothing overtly wrong with the book, but I feel like the author makes vast statements without adequate support and I'm not sure how that may come across to a Level 4 student. Will First Son believe it all at face value? Is it necessary that he does not? I don't know! Unless there are some amazing discussions around this book, I'll probably choose something else as there are lots of other options. But we'll see.

Eighth Grade History: The World Wars

The World Wars

by Paul Dowswell, Ruth Brocklehurst and Henry Brook

an Usborne book

Mater Amabilis™ gives some lesson plans for History in Level 4 (8th grade) in which a student studies national history for twelve weeks followed by four six-week terms chosen from six options. I picked this book for our twelve weeks on World War I and World War II because I already owned it. Mater Amabilis™ recommends Witness to History: World War I and Witness to History: World War II by Sean Connolly. My library didn't have a copy of either book, but I was able to request a copy of the World War II one from PaperBackSwap. I liked the aspect of the eyewitness accounts and used it in addition to the Usborne book.

You can see the lesson plans I developed for this book on my posts on World War I and World War II. I found they needed little alteration for First Son to complete them in roughly the 45 minute time period. I did combine a few readings in order to accommodate missed days and will probably alter them a bit more when we come around to these plans again for the other three in order to leave time for more thoughtful narrations, perhaps even a longer paper, or an exam.

I think I will also integrate our world war studies with The Century for Young People rather than touching on the wars in the first twelve weeks and then studying them in-depth in the second twelve weeks.

This Usborne book provides a thoughtful introduction to the world wars. The text is more fluid and connected than in many Usborne books which just have paragraphs here and there on the page around a general topic. Most topics here are covered in a two-page spread of mainly text with one or two photographs. Because the book is written from a British perspective, it covers the wars in an intimate and personal way throughout. It's respectful of the contribution of the United States in both wars without being overly patriotic. The only topic I added for the American angle was Japanese internment camps.

The breadth of The World Wars is excellent, covering action on every front, in the air, on the sea, and on land. They include sections on what life was like in Britain and in Germany as well. It does not neglect the Holocaust or other atrocities and is open about the British bombing of German cities in addition to the Blitz. As with many Usborne books, there are internet links for many of the topics. We didn't use those. I think our sketchy rural internet service struggled too much to connect with servers in England where most of the sites seemed to be hosted. I had gone through ahead of time to select a few subjects (often following the suggestions of Mater Amabilis™) and saved them on a Google sheet for First Son. Those are included in the lesson plans I have linked above.

There was plenty of time to explore a few topics in depth after reading the pages in the Usborne book as an introduction. It's probably a little light to use in eighth grade without supplementing, but I think directing my son to primary sources like the speeches and additional articles allowed us to personalize the study a little. For example, I included some chapters from a book by Eisenhower, who was born and raised in Kansas.

My father, who devours history books, noticed this book on my shelf and read the whole thing over a few days. He thought it provided a great amount of information in an approachable format. He even learned a few things.

The book is well published. First Son hauled it around for twelve weeks and he's none too careful of books, often leaving them lying around, but it's held up well with an intact binding. The pages are thick and glossy, too.

I purchased this book from a friend who sells Usborne books, but you can find it on Amazon (affiliate link above). You can also find it at RC History (affiliate link), where it's recommended for Volume 4. That's where I learned about the book, though I later decided not to teach twentieth century history at all to the kids until they were in eighth grade and then used the Level 4 plans instead.

World War I on the Homefront with Eisenhower: At Ease chapter 10

For twentieth century history in eighth grade (Level 4 history program at Mater Amabilis™), First Son is reading a chapter from At Ease: Stories I Tell to Friends by Dwight D. Eisenhower. "Camp Meade, Camp Colt: Training for the Invisible War," chapter X in the book, describes Eisenhower's experiences in creating, organizing, governing, and dismantling a training camp for the newly created Tank Corps during World War I. I chose to include a bit of this book in our studies because Eisenhower is a native Kansan but it's worth the time of non-Kansans as well.

Eisenhower missed out on World War I. The Army assigned him one job after another and he performed them each competently and diligently, so much so they apparently couldn't spare him. He was scheduled to ship overseas in November 1918 but the Armistice came first.

Whenever I had convinced myself that my superiors, through bureaucratic oversights and insistence on tradition, had doomed me to run-of-the-mill assignments, I found no better cure than to blow off steam in private and then settle down to the job at hand.

The style is humorously self-deprecating.

I could see myself, years later, silent at class reunions while others reminisced of battle. For a man who likes to talk as much as I, that would have been intolerable punishment.

This chapter shows what camp life was like, some of the difficulties training camps had, and the prompt actions of camp surgeons which probably saved many lives when influenza appeared in the camp.

Throughout the chapter, Eisenhower names man after man who served faithfully and well, honoring their work and speaking always respectfully. There are a few men who misstepped, but those are not named.

I haven't had time to read the entire book, but from this chapter I think there could be a lot of value in adding it to the Level 4 history study. I think First Son will get away with just this chapter, but when it's First Daughter's turn, I may try to find  away to include it. I've placed this assignment after the second chapter of The Century for Young People in the first term but it would obviously also work while studying World War I.

Our Level 4 (8th Grade) Six Week Unit on World War I

Mater Amabilis™ gives some lesson plans for History in Level 4 (8th grade) in which a student studies national history for twelve weeks followed by four six-week terms chosen from six options.

In the first term, First Son will follow the Mater Amabilis™ study reasonably closely, modified only a little to add in a few Kansas-related books.

Beginning in the second term, First Son will spend six weeks studying World War I. Mater Amabilis™ recommends Witness to History: World War I by Sean Connolly as the main book but our library didn't have it and I already owned The World Wars by Paul Dowswell, Ruth Brocklehurst, and Henry Brook so I decided to use that instead. You can find it on Amazon, but I bought my copy from a friend who sells Usborne books. 

Because my main book is different than that recommended, I had to revise the lesson plans considerably and thought I'd post them here in case anyone else happens to have this book and wants a six week study of the First World War. I haven't seen Witness to History: World War I, but I do have the World War II book of the same series. It is shorter than the part of The World Wars devoted to World War II and I think would therefore allow for more exploration of topics of interest, World War II saints, or the Church in World War II. It's probably also cheaper than the Usborne book.

I haven't actually read any of the books yet, but I have no reason to believe my plans are any better than the Mater Amabilis™ plans, so this post is for the few people who might already have the Usborne book lying around.

Also, these plans have never been used. Hopefully I have the courage to report back if they turn out to be a disaster!

Mater Amabilis™ says history at this level should take about 45 minutes each day three times a week. In addition, a supplemental reading book should be chose from the recommended books. (I picked War Horse which I was able to find on PaperBackSwap.com.)

Our Resources

• Usborne The World Wars (I purchased this new through a friend.)
• Kingfisher HistoryEncyclopedia, as recommended in the Mater Amabilis™ plans (I bought this used from a mom in my local homeschool group.)
• MapTrek Outline Maps of World History (I've had this for years as it's recommended in Connecting with History; I probably bought it at RC History.)
• I printed to PDF most of the articles linked in the plans and placed them in a binder before the term began. Movies or audio files I linked in a Google doc I shared with my son.

Week 1

Lesson 1

Kingfisher History Encyclopedia p 376-377 and 386-387 - Narrate. (The Balkan Wars 1921-1913, The World at a Glance 1914-1949)

The World Wars p 9-11 – Narrate. (The Great War)

MapTrek Modern World Map 20: The Balkan Wars

Review the map of World War I in your history notebook (MapTrek Modern World Map 21 completed during the first term’s American History)

Lesson 2

Kingfisher History Encyclopedia p 388-389. (The Start of World War I 1914)

The World Wars p 12-17. (Balance of power, Assassination and crisis, Europe in arms)

Notebook: Write a brief note on the causes of the First World War.

Lesson 3

The World Wars p 16-19 – Narrate. (Plans unravel)

Read First Battle ofMarne from History.com.

Notebook: Write a brief summary of the Schlieffen Plan or the First Battle of Marne.

Add an event to your Book of Centuries from this week.

Week 2

Lesson 1

The World Wars p 21-27 – Narrate. (Over by Christmas?, Carving a new frontier, Fire, wire and mud, Going up the line)

Watch a video of life in the trenches onHistory.com.

Notebook: Sketch a copy of the map on p 23 of the battles and front lines in the first year of the war. Write a brief summary of life in the trenches.

Lesson 2

The World Wars p 28-29, 32-37 – Narrate. (A storm of steel, North Sea raiders, Your country needs you, A day of peace)

Read more about the Christmas Truce in two articles in your history binder: a BBC special news report and a Smithsonian article.

Notebook: Write a summary of the Christmas Truce.

Lesson 3

The World Wars p 39-49 – Narrate. (Going global, Cruiser warfare, African action, Turkey enters the war, Jihad and genocide, The Eastern front)

Notebook: Sketch the map of the Eastern front on p 48.

Add an event to your Book of Centuries from this week.

Week 3

Lesson 1

The World Wars p 51-55 – Narrate. (Deadlock, A deadly mist, Settling in)

Watch a video on poison gas in World War I.

Lesson 2

The World Wars p 56-61 – Narrate. (A dangerous voyage, Out of thin air, The home front)

Read more on the Lusitania in articles in your binder: A survivor story from Slate, Lost Liners Lusitania on PBS, RMS Lusitania: The Fateful Voyage on FirstWorldWar.com.

Notebook: Write a newspaper account of the sinking of the Lusitania from England or Germany’s point of view.

Lesson 3

The World Wars p 62-65 – Narrate. (Gallipoli, War in the snow)

See photos and watch the video on The Gallipoli Campaign.

Notebook: Sketch the map shown on p 63 of the Gallipoli campaign and write a brief summary of its failures and successes.

Add an event to your Book of Centuries from this week.

Week 4

Lesson 1

The World Wars p 67-77 – Narrate. (The mincing machine, Dreadnoughts duel, Doomed youth, Sky fighters, Slaughter and Sacrifice)

Flying Aces by John Wukovits (from our library) – read Introduction and chapter 1 on the Red Baron.

Notebook: Written narration on the Battle of Verdun, Battle of Jutland, Air warfare in the First World War, or the Battle of the Somme.

Lesson 2

The World Wars p 78-87 – Narrate. (Trials and trauma, Women in uniform, Shock tactics, Secrets and spies, Desert wars)

Read about Lawrence of Arabia at IWM, found in your notebook.

Notebook: Write a short biography of Lawrence of Arabia.

Lesson 3

Read Pope Benedict XV’s Peace Note of 1st August 1917, found in your notebook.

Explore the EWTN Fatima website: https://www.ewtn.com/fatima/

Notebook: Written narration on the apparitions at Fatima.

Add an event to your Book of Centuries from this week.

Week 5

Lesson 1

The World Wars p 89-91 (Riots and Rebels)

Kingfisher History Encyclopedia p 392-393 (Ireland: Civil Unrest 1916-1923)

MapTrek Modern World Map 24: The Division of Ireland.

Notebook: Written narration on Ireland just before, during, and after World War I.

Lesson 2

The World Wars p 92-93 (Peace, bread and land)

Kingfisher History Encyclopedia p 394-395 (Russia 1917-1924)

MapTrek Modern World Map 23: The Russian Revolution.

Notebook: Write a summary of how Russia’s participation in World War I ended.

Lesson 3

The World Wars p 94-95 (Waking the giant)

Read Wilson’s War Message to Congress and what it meant, both in your binder.

Notebook: Question to answer – Do you think the USA should have entered the war earlier? Explain your answer.

Add an event to your Book of Centuries from this week.

Week 6

Lesson 1

The World Wars p 96-105 – Narrate. (Drowning in mud, Backs to the wall, Death throes, Armageddon, The time for peace)

Review MapTrek Modern World Map 22 of the final allied offensive, in your binder from first term.

Lesson 2

The World Wars p 107-113 – Narrate. (Peace and its aftermath, Coming to terms, Redrawing the map, The glory and the pity)

Read some war poetry in your binder: Dulce etDecorum Est by Wilfred Owen and The Soldier by Rupert Brooke.

Review MapTrek Modern World Map 25: Europe, Post WWI, in your binder from first term.

Lesson 3

The World Wars p 114-121 – Narrate. (A changed world, Soldiers’ stories, Visions of war, Lest we forget)

Notebook: Write an essay sharing what you have learned from studying World War I.

Add an event to your Book of Centuries from this week.

May and June 2017 Book Reports

Richard Halliburton's Complete Book of Marvels: The Orient by Richard Halliburton - link to my post (purchased used copy)

The Breadwinner: An Afghan Child in a War Torn Land by Deborah Ellis is recommended as a possible fiction supplement to a short study of Afghanistan in the Mater Amabilis™™Level 4 history lesson plans. First Son will be using those plans next year for eighth grade, though I haven't decided whether we'll have time to include Afghanistan. It's the story of a young girl who ends up dressing as a boy in Taliban-controlled Kabul to earn money for her family after her father is arrested. Through the course of the story, the reader learns about the changes in Kabul from the wars and the occupation by the Taliban. There are a few graphic descriptions of things like soldiers cutting off the hands of accused thieves, people shot in the streets, and bodies left to be eaten by dogs, but they are not unnecessarily gory or excessively described. (library copy)

Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan is another Mater Amabilis™™Level 4 history supplement book. A young girl in India is married to a sickly boy who dies, leaving her a widow with a mother-in-law who resents her. With the assistance of others, she gradually learns to support herself and begins a new life. This is a sweet story that reveals much about Indian life and culture. When Koly is abandoned by her mother-in-law, she sees poverty and callousness as people live and starve in the streets, but not in a way I'd refuse to share with my 10 year old (though it's the 8th grader that might be reading the book). I did think it odd that Koly didn't consider supporting herself with her exquisite embroidery earlier in the novel, especially because her mother earned extra money that way herself. (library copy)

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo, another Mater Amabilis™™Level 4 history supplemental novel, shows some of the horrors of World War I from the point of view of a remarkable horse. It begs a little in believability if in no other way than that the horse understands a variety of languages. It's a good way to tell the story, though, because while the injuries, deaths, and sufferings of the soldiers and people of Europe are depicted, most of the bloody action of the war is removed from the action. (requested from PaperBackSwap.com)

Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight is the original Lassie book. I read this aloud to the kids (13, 10, 8, 6) and they all adored it. Highly recommended as a read-aloud of adventure, devotion, and virtue. We also watched a few episodes of the Timmy show and the original movie, Lassie Come Home, which did a surprisingly good job of following the book. (book and movie were library copies)

Blessed Miguel Pro: 20th-Century Mexican Martyr by Ann Ball - link to my post (purchased from the publisher)

The King's Thane by Charles Brady, Beowulf by Michael Morpurgo, and Beowulf the Warrior by Ian Serraillier - link to my post (library copies of The King's Thane and Beowulf, Beowulf the Warrior purchased from the publisher)

Old Sam and the Horse Thieves by Don Alonzo Taylor is the sequel to Old Sam, Dakota Trotter, one of our favorite books. I finally bought a copy and read it as we began our summer. Old Sam continues to astound everyone except Johnny, right up to the end when he helps catch actual horse thieves. There is a shootout at the end of the book. Bodies are lying as if on a battlefield. The actual events are just described to the twelve-year-old narrator, though, so it wasn't too gruesome to read aloud. (purchased from the publisher)

Kingfishers Catch Fire by Rumer Godden - link to my post (purchased used on Amazon)

Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol - link to my post (purchased used on Amazon)

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame - I'd tried to read this book a few times to the children and never made it through it, but I kept seeing it as a book that should be read. So I finally got the audiobook which I've found to be a good option for books I have trouble reading aloud myself. Kansas Dad listened to this with us. We found it a rather odd book. I'm glad Toad learns his lesson, but it seems a shame he had to escape prison to do it. (We have a copy illustrated by Michael Hague from years and years ago and an unknown source, but we listened to this Audible audiobook.)

The Long-Legged House by Wendell Berry - link to my post (library copy)

The Book of Saints and Heroes by Andrew and Lenora Lang - link to my post (copy First Son received as a gift)


Books in Progress (and date started)

• Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol. 2 (sixth edition) (August 2014)
• Prayer and the Will of God by Dom Hubert van Zeller (March 2017)
• Joan of Arc by Mark Twain (April 2017, with my book club)
• A Century of Sonnets edited by Feldman and Robinson (May 2017)
• Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery (June 2017)
• A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf (June 2017)
• The Good Master by Kate Seredy (June 2017)

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). Try Audible - another affiliate link.

Links to RC History and PaperBackSwap.com are affiliate links. Other links (like those to Bethlehem Books) are not affiliate links.

These reports are my honest opinions.

Latin Humor and Dedication: Good-bye Mr. Chips

Good-bye Mr. Chips

by James Hilton

This book is recommended by Mater Amabilis for Level 4, as a classic of twentieth-century literature. It's a rather brief book, describing a beloved teacher at a boys' boarding school in England. His tenure extends through multiple heads of the school, including his own service in that role after his retirement during World War I. The war itself is far away, but touches the school and its students in the deaths of its instructors and former students as well as bombings by German planes. Mr. Chips endures it all with his steady fortitude and good humor. In my favorite scene, he continues to lead his Latin class during a bombing, making quiet jokes and assigning lines from Caesar about the fighting style of Germans.

I'm looking forward to First Son reading this book next year in Level 4, eighth grade.