Angels in Iron is the absorbing tale of the siege of Malta in 1564 between the Knights of St. John of the Hospital (a military religious order) and Suleiman's forces. Suleiman, the most famous sultan of the Turkish Ottoman Empire (who has at this point significantly expanded his empire) has grand plans to conquer the world – and that includes Malta, the new home of the Knights of St. John of the Hospital. The Grand Master of this order witnessed their surrender at Rhodes (their former home) when he was a young knight. Now he is determined to hold on to Malta to the bitter end. Will he succeed in defeating the Turks against incredible odds or will his stubborn pride be the ruin of his Order and cause the loss of many lives?

Prata brings this fascinating tale to life by giving the characters real personalities. They are not mere pawns used to further the plot of the story. Interesting subplots abound. Will the feuding Florentines, Di Corso and Rembaldi, succeed in killing one another before the enemy has a chance or will the grace of God intervene?

Because of a few "choice" words, very minor sexual references (nothing coarse or inappropriate), and extreme violence at times (bodies are getting hacked to pieces), this novel would be more appropriate for a mature high school student than younger children. While the violence is definitely graphic at times, especially in the heat of battle ("The decapitated body stumbled down the hill, neck spewing blood...") since war is hell, it is most realistically portrayed.

Why read a story of such blood and gore? The overwhelming theme is courage, honor, and the Catholic faith. The knights know what the loss of this island will mean. They are willing to die for their faith. There are also many touching moments regarding their Faith. Even though they are in the midst of war, the knights celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi. A conversation takes place between a squire from Germany who wants to take up arms in defense of the Faith and a knight from Italy who advises, "All in good time, little brother. Youth must learn that service is more than death. We must strive to live for The Word before we can die for it."

This book is a real page-turner: Will the knights be able to hold on to the forts in the midst of wave after wave of bombardments and attacks? What really happened at the siege in Malta? Who is going to win the battle of wits and psychological stamina? And ultimately, will the knights be able to fearlessly defend Catholic Europe from the invasion of the scourge of Islam? Read Angels in Iron to find out.

One of the things that fascinates me most about Wisconsin winters (I grew up in California) are the animal tracks clearly visible in the snow. It leaves a temporary record of what was visiting while you weren't looking – what a fascinating thing for homeschoolers to look into. Animal Tracks will make a nice resource for younger students to study local wildlife. This is an illustrated narrative of animal life with a little guessing game on each page based on the tracks left by each animal. The book also contains four pages of identified tracks (including humans) and instructions for "preserving" the tracks with plaster of paris or by tracing. An excellent way to spark children's interest in nature.

This is a charming Counting Book with a colorful two page spread for each number from zero through twelve. The pictures show the beginnings of a town. For zero, you see a snowy field with a river running through it. The next page has one house built, one snowman, one person skiing, one pine tree, one crow, one dog, etc. Each month another building is added as more people come to the town. Young children, who often enjoy small details in pictures, can find how many things on each page can be counted up to the same number. Some of the details are quite creative, such as the clock on the church showing the appropriate time for the particular page.