What's New

Happy Birthday, Dear Beany

Book cover: 'Happy Birthday, Dear Beany'
Author(s): 
Lenora Mattingly Weber

Beany is delighted when she hears that her dear childhood friend Miggs Carmody has moved back to Denver, but when they meet up again there is a strange wall between them. Is it because Miggs' family has become very wealthy? There is a scene in which a boyfriend shakes Beany and hurts her. It might be important to talk to your daughter about this scene and how wrong the boyfriend is no matter what Beany's faults in the situation were.

Stations of the Cross for Children Poster Set

Book cover: 'Stations of the Cross for Children Poster Set'
Author(s): 
Julianne Will
Illustrator(s): 
Patricia Mattozzi

This is a very nice, very inexpensive, large-size set of the Stations of the Cross created especially for children (the same pictures as are in the Stations of the Cross for Children book, also reviewed here) appropriate for homes and classrooms. The drawings are simple (they remind me a little of Tomie dePaola's drawings) and what my husband would describe as "sanitized".

Letters to a Young Catholic

Book cover: Letters to a Young Catholic
Author(s): 
George Weigel

In this small bok, author George Weigel takes us on a journey around the Catholic world, both literally and figuratively. Weigel had the idea to present each different aspect he wanted to discuss with young adult Catholics (and any adult interested in learning a little more about the Faith) by taking his book reading companions on a journey to several noted Catholic destinations, such as Chartres Cathedral in France, the Sistine Chapel in Rome, and various destinations in Poland and America. At each location, Weigel stops to discuss some aspect of Catholic Christianity with his reader.

G.K. Chesterton's The Blue Cross, Study Edition

Book cover: G.K. Chesterton's The Blue Cross, Study Edition
Author(s): 
Nancy Carpentier Brown
Gilbert Keith Chesterton

First, let me say that I'm a "study guide, unit study" kind of homeschooling mom. I love it when someone else has found all the links and critical vocabulary words within a book or subject to be studied. I do however almost always "tweak" the study guide to ensure that my kids are getting everything they can from the resource.

With this study guide I don't have to tweak much. Mrs. Brown has given her reader everything they need for a study of the short story "The Blue Cross" – even the story – in this 90-page study guide.

Christian Kids Explore Chemistry

Author(s): 
Ridlon
This book, written for fourth-eighth grade, provides an introduction to the different topics in Chemistry. Written from a general Christian perspective, there is nothing in the book that would pose a problem for Catholic readers. While the book appears hefty at 384 pages, the extra wide 3 inch margins, space devoted to clip art and blank pages that run throughout the book result in a light weight approach to chemistry. Each topic is briefly explained in three-five paragraphs (250- 500 words on average) and is followed by a short “Review It” section made up of fill in the blank questions.

Canadian Summer

Book cover: Canadian Summer
Author(s): 
Hilda Van Stockum

Canadian Summer continues the story of the Mitchell Family (this is the second book in the series) several years after World War II. Baby Catherine has joined the family. Father is back from the war and has moved to Quebec for his job. He has difficulty finding housing for the family, but finally makes arrangements and sends Mother, Granny and the children up on the train. Upon arriving, the ladies are shocked to find that accomodations consist of a remote ski cabin lacking electricity or running water.

The Mitchells: Five for Victory

Book cover: The Mitchells: Five for Victory
Author(s): 
Hilda Van Stockum

This is a charming and thoughtful story of an American family of five children during World War II (based on Hilda Van Stockum's own family) whose father is away at war. The family is very real with plenty of worries and troubles...but they manage to find joy with each other. For independent reading, it could be one your children's first full-length chapter books.Wit and wisdom make it a can't miss for adults as well (a perfect read-aloud). This has been a favorite with our family (for children as young as four or five) for many years.

Friendly Gables

Book cover: 'Friendly Gables'
Author(s): 
Hilda Van Stockum

Friendly Gables is the final book in the Mitchell's Series and our favorite of the bunch.The family has recently settled into a large, comfortable house in Quebec. Mother has just given birth to twins and a cranky nurse comes to help. The children are adjusting to life in Canada – including French schools and a boy who's itching to pick a fight with "Yankee" boys.

The Trees Kneel At Christmas

Book cover: The Trees Kneel at Christmas
Author(s): 
Maud Hart Lovelace
Illustrator(s): 
Marie-Claude Monchaux

Maud Hart Lovelace is famous for her Betsy-Tacy series of chapter books. The Trees Kneel At Christmas is a delightful story of two Lebanese-American children in 1951 Brooklyn. Their grandmother tells them how the trees kneel on Christmas in their homeland of Lebanon, but in their new home of Brooklyn the people do not have enough faith for the trees to kneel.