Text
The New St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism No. 2
Book no. 2 has the same division and order as book no. 1, reviewed here, but the lessons are more in depth for the older student, taking a spiral approach. Its recommended use is for grades six through eight.
This book is available from nearly all Catholic homeschool providers.
Our Quest for Happiness
I was introduced to the series as a high school freshman. I enjoyed the text very much at that time (even though I was working with a photocopy). I was equally impressed with the Sophomore text when I taught with it nearly ten years later.
The first book, Our Goal and Our Guides, focuses on understanding our goal in life – attaining Heaven – and spiritual and doctrinal issues that are related to that goal (such as the roles of faith and reason, the liturgical year, the Blessed Trinity, the Fall, and Salvation through Christ).
Simply Grammar
A very simple and lovely grammar book based on the text First Grammar Lessons written by Charlotte Mason in 1928. The text is illustrated with charming 19th century drawings which are used within the text for exercises such as: completing sentences and making sentences of certain types and telling stories using certain parts of speech. The text is intended for fourth grade and up (the Charlotte Mason method recommends waiting until then for formal grammar studies - focusing on reading and narration earlier).
Our Holy Faith Series
My Father and Mother on Earth and in Heaven (Book One) is a small text, heavily illustrated with black-and-white drawings, designed to be a sort of "religion storybook" for first graders. The text is very brief, particularly in the beginning (when they expect first graders to have more limited reading abilities) and is well suited to discussion with a parent as well as drawing in supplemental resources, such as the full stories from the Bible. It covers beliefs and spirituality in a simple way, very appropriate for those just being introduced to their faith.
Christ the King Lord of History
This very interesting and readable World History text covers the beginnings of History through the early reign of Pope John Paul II from a Catholic perspective. Old Testament History, the great ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome, the Life of Christ, the growth of the Church, the Great Heresies, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the "Reformation" and Counter-Reformation, the French Revolution, the Age of Napoleon, World War I, the Russian Revolution and World War II are all included in fascinating details.
Christ and the Americas
Christ and the Americas is a high school American history text by the same author as Christ the King, Lord of History. It is difficult to describe in a paragraph or two a book that covers so much. The book is packed with stories and information about major aspects of American history, from the ancient civilizations of the Mayans, Aztecs and Incas, to post-Cold War America.
Founders of Freedom
This first volume in the Catholic American history program, Land of Our Lady, is intended for the fourth grade. It overviews history from Creation to just before Columbus' voyage in 1492. The focus is mostly on Western History – Europe and the Middle East – but Ancient China is also touched upon. Emphasis is placed on the origins of democracy and people in history who were instrumental in its development in various forms (as a preparation for the study of American History – this year's text develops the "background").