After being very impressed with Constance Savery's insightful writing style and unique plot line in The Reb and the Redcoats, I had rather high expectations for Enemy Brothers. I wasn't disappointed in the least. This story is set in the early years of World War II (before the United States joined the Allied Forces) and tells of a young British man (Dym) whose toddler-aged brother was kidnapped from their large family ten years earlier. Dym loses both his parents within a short time of the kidnapping, but promises his mother before she dies to continue to search for little Tony. He spends many years in Germany and Switzerland looking for the boy, studying the books that his brother might be brought up on, but has to return to England when war breaks out. As an officer in the British Air Force, Dym is introduced to a young lad (Max) from Germany who has been captured and brought to England because of his pro-Nazi escapades in Norway. Known to be a real trouble-maker, his captors have a difficult time finding a place for him to live. Dym, suspecting that this is his long-lost brother (who was raised in the Nazi ideology) offers to take him home to the family estate the White Priory (fans of The Reb and the Redcoats, will recognize the same house from a different era). Although evidence mounts againts him, Max insists that he is not Tony and demands to be sent back to Germany. He lives up to his reputation for trouble by attempting numerous escapes, playing harmful pranks and even trying to spy for his home country right under their noses. The plot is thoughtful, engaging and not at all "predictable".

The story is a classic tale of the conflict between good and evil, love and hate - particularly on an intellectual level (the plane in which so many of today's moral conflicts lie). Much of Max's indoctrination is of an intellectual nature and I appreciate the fact that the good side is portrayed as fighting on God's side, despite errors of judgment in the past. The story is filled with interesting details of the time period. As I read the story, I found myself stopping frequently to comment to my husband about this or that aspect of the way things were during World War II, that I had never heard of elsewhere.

The writing quality and the beautiful way the author describes certain subtleties (such as how Max slowly discovers how different life in England is from life in Germany and how much of his beliefs about the English were simply German propaganda) are just wonderful. The thoughtfulness of the scenes in portraying some of these details makes the reading very enjoyable for adults as well as children. In some cases, as a family read-aloud, these scenes may require a little explanation for the younger children. A few tidbits made me and my husband laugh out loud which prompted the children to beg for an explanation! Overall, we have found that our children really love these opportunities to stop and talk about the story a bit and these tangents can be one of the real blessings of reading books as a family.

Although the story touches upon some intense and difficult concepts, like the Reb and the Redcoats, it is presented in such a manner as to be appropriate for a wide age range and could be used as a family read-aloud. The conflicts and relationships between the main characters of the story provide a beautiful opportunity to thoughtfully consider how our actions and example can affect the moral decisions of others. Highly recommended.

Escape from Warsaw, also known as the Silver Sword, is a very historically accurate account (based on a conglomeration of many true stories) of a Polish family who are separated by war and struggle and find each other again through many hardships. An interesting and likeable story beloved by many, it's a great read for ages ten and up.

I came across this little gem of a story from the 19th century while visiting the Paidea Classics website. This is a website with resources for Eastern Orthodox home schooling families. If you are studying the time period of the early Church you will find a lot of primary sources and resources there.

Exiles of the Cebenna was originally written in the 19th century and pretends to be the long lost journal of a priest from the 3rd century. The language is delightful and the story very moving. It takes place at the time of the persecution by Decius, a particularly brutal time of martyrdom. The people of Arles, France have been told that they must appear at the arena to give sacrifice to the Roman gods. If they refuse, they will be tortured and killed. A small group of Christians under the leadership of the priest telling the story plan an escape through a secret tunnel. The Bishop however, must stay behind.

On the day of his appointed appearance, the Bishop quails under the torture and makes the sacrifice. He is utterly devastated that he could not bear witness to his faith and has failed his people. Hearing of this, his daughter who was one of the escapees, tries to return to see her father and comfort him. Since the tortures, the people and officials are subdued by the horrific spectacle, and the Christians feel that it is now safe to travel in the open. They are recognized however and taken to the prison. The daughter is told that she must sacrifice. She refuses, and in the most moving scene in the book begins her torture. Her life is spared at the last moment, but she does eventually die from her wounds. Her death indeed helps her father to proclaim his faith, and, according to the epilogue, he is also eventually martyred.

Although, a student may have trouble getting into the language of the story at first, it does become more readable and draws the reader in. The ending is worth every word of the rest of the book. It gives a truly inspiring image of the trials and glory of the martyrs.

Recommended for 7th grade and up.

This is a fun and colorful book of cut-out paper dolls that you assemble with small brads or brass fasteners (available from an office supply store), allowing the arms and legs to be moved and posed. The book is printed on heavy cardstock (with perforated pages for easy removal) and there are two copies of each paper doll – one in full color and one ready to be colored. There are 20 historical figures included, making a total of 40 paper dolls. These are the historical figures represented: Narmer, Khufu, Sargon the Great, Hammurabi, Moses, King David, Ashurbanipal, Nebuchadnezzar II, Cyrus the Great, A Greek Hoplite, Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Qin Shi Huangdi, Hannibal, Hannibal’s Elephant (a great favorite among my younger children!), Julius Caesar, Caesar Augustus, Jesus, Constantine and Augustine. My children are very much enjoying working with this book and even my eight year old was successful at cutting the pieces out and assembling them herself. Having two copies of each doll made it especially enjoyable to share among four children and I really appreciate that they have the name of each character printed on the back of the doll, so you don’t have to worry about keeping track. The book also includes a very brief, even cryptic biography of each historical figure. Just enough information to help get the names straight.