The River of Time Series by Lisa Bergren

When my daughter started reading Waterfall, my Kindle disappeared for a week until she had consumed the series. Here's what she says about the book.

I usually don't read a lot of medieval books. So I wasn't sure I would like this one. Boy, was I wrong. I really liked the time travel elements of the story. It was really cool because each time they entered a new world -- slipping from modern times to an medieval setting: battles and more. I really liked the she-wolf element -- the heroines are called the she-wolves of Normandy after a severe battle. Gabby and Lia show Marcelo and his friend that they are capable of fighting right beside the men. The book is packed with action with romance threaded in the story and a small dose of faith. These books are thrilling and great for readers (young and old) who love action and adventure in new settings.

Great Research Tool:History Detectives

At our house, we don't watch much TV, but when we do watch, it's often PBS. The kids watch it in the morning with breakfast. And occasionally we catch something in the evening.

This week I came home from a meeting to find my family watching History Detectives. I think I might be hooked...or have found a fourth career.

Each show has three short episodes where someone tracks down the backstory to an artifact. Is it what the owner thinks? Can the story that's told be supported by evidence?

It's fascinating to watch the "detectives" at work. And I've been very impressed with the World War II segments I've watched. If you're studying something in history, this can be a great tool to get some fun information.

And if you're a writer, it's chock full of story ideas!

Fun History Books with a Twist

The other day my kids and I walked into the children's section of the library... a common occurrence. What was unusual was the display the librarians had assembled of history books. These books had cartoonish covers and touched on a wide swath of history. But the take was unique...perfect for tween boys. Why you wouldn't want to be...

• on the Mayflower
• at the Boston Tea Party
• in Alexander the Great's Army
• a Victorian Mill Worker
• an Aristocrat in the French Revolution
• live in Pompeii
• and many, many more titles 

My son just spend twenty minutes telling me about several of the books and why I should read them...which I will especially the one on World War II pilots.

The covers are great, drawing him in, especially after he discovered the focal character of the book is often depicted on the cover. And the colorful, cartoon style continues inside the book. Each two-page spread has a paragraph or two of text and a bunch of drawings that are filled with short snippets of facts. Guess which ones my son read? Yep, the snippets. There is also a Handy Hint which he read.

So if you like to read comics, but aren't so into history books, give these a try. I think you'll enjoy learning all sort of gross facts like the Romans and their Britton enemies both liked to cut off and collect the heads of their slain enemies. EEEWWW!

Wildflowers of Terezin Review

Wildflowers of Terezin by Robert Elmer is set in Denmark during World War II. Terezin is a labor camp in Czechoslovakia where many Danish Jews were deported by the Gestapo. The book tells the story of nurse Hanne and her experiences while hiding and helping other Jews escape until she is captured.

My daughter is like me and loves the World War II time period. That's what attracted her to the book initially. It's been on my to be read pile for ages, and has leapt up several positions thanks to my daughter's enthusiasm for the story. She felt like she was Hanne as she read, experiencing all the heroine did. "It's a great book about faith in our Creator and love." The pacing kept my daughter's attention. She literally couldn't put it down, carrying it around the house and reading it in the car. She said the best part of the book comes at the end -- but I won't tell you why and spoil it for you.

Now I'm eager to read this book!

Ralph Moody's Man of the Family

Little Britches is back in Man of the Family. Now as a young boy, he's the man in the house and works with his mother and older sister to find ways to survive. They're off the ranch and living in town. In the process they find incredible ways to make a living. Entrepreneurship at its best.

This book is filled with the importance of community, neighbors, and standing on your own. Little Britches makes sacrifices in order to accept his role as the man in the family. Grace, the eldest daughter, also shoulders a lot of responsibility. Together they try to take as much of the load off their mother as possible. The author has a way of writing scenes so vividly that you are transported into the middle and feel every emotion.

This book can be read on its own. But for those who have read Little Britches, you will love seeing so many characters return. These books make me think of Little House on the Prairie, only for boys. But everyone can enjoy them.

Synopsis: Fortified with Yankee ingenuity and western can-do energy, the Moody family, transplanted from New England, builds a new life on a Colorado ranch early in the twentieth century. Father has died and Little Britches shoulders the responsibilities of a man at age eleven.

Ralph Moody: Little Britches

I remember my mom reading this book out loud to us kids at lunch time when we homeschooled. This spring I pulled it off the shelf to read to my kids. I had forgotten how rich the writing is. The characters leap off the page and come to life. I love that!

Here's the synopsis: Ralph Moody was eight years old in 1906 when his family moved from New Hampshire to a Colorado ranch. Through his eyes we experience the pleasures and perils of ranching there early in the twentieth century. Auctions and roundups, family picnics, irrigation wars, tornadoes and wind storms give authentic color to Little Britches. So do adventures, wonderfully told, that equip Ralph to take his father's place when it becomes necessary.

Cara Again: one little note. One of the ranchers uses a bit of colorful language. The kind I had to edit as I read. I didn't remember that, which probably means my mom did the same thing. That is the only caveat on this book. And I would encourage you to get the book. My ten year old daughter enjoyed the stories and the family immensely. But the life lessons on how to grow up to be a man of character are incredible. The father is full of wisdom that is passed to us through the books pages. All of your kids will enjoy these stories of growing up on a ranch in Colorado at the turn of the century, but your boys will especially love it.

Just a note: the ending is sad...but the book leads you there with compassion. And it was real life back then.

Richard Peck's Wings of Eagles

On the Wings of Heroes is another great offering from Richard Peck. I loved this one because it told the story of a young boy and his friends in small town America while World War II was fought across the oceans. He illustrates what the war was like on the homefront in a way that truly entertains.

Here's the synopsis: Davy Bowman's dad looks forward to Halloween more than a kid, and Davy's brother, Bill, flies B-17s. Davy adores these two heroes and tries his best to follow their lead, especially now. World War II has invaded Davy's homefront boyhood. Bill has joined up, breaking their dad's heart. It's an intense, confusing time, and one that will spur Davy to grow up in a hurry. This is one of Richard Peck's finest novels—a tender, unforgettable portrait of the World War II home front and a family's enduring love.

Cara again: I love the way the story illustrates you can be a hero by donning the uniform or by living like one every day. This family was one that we loved to come back to the pages and read more about. My seven year old son loved it, and my ten year old daughter kept asking to read just one more chapter. Each chapter represented an experience Davy had that propelled him from childhood to becoming a young man. And the recapturing of the time and history was perfect. I loved it! This was our first try with one of Richard Peck's book and was a delightful start.

The School Library Journal also has this book at a 4-8th grade reading level.

Richard Peck's A Long Way from Chicago

My friend Jenny B. Jones pointed me to Richard Peck when I asked her for advice on age appropriate but challenging books for my ten year old to read. It's a challenge, isn't it, to find books they can enjoy.

A Long Way from Chicago tells the story of a brother and sister who spend one week of each summer with their grandma who lives in a small town that seems miles from Chicago. Each chapter tells an outrageous story from their stay in one year. My kids loved the stories and begged me to read just one more. The chapters are about twenty pages each, though the last one is only two pages and will grab your heart.

August 1929: They see their first corpse, and he isn't resting easy.
August 1930: The Cowgill boys terrorize the town, and Grandma fights back. August 1931: Joey and Mary Alice help Grandma trespass, poach, catch the sheriff in his underwear, and feed the hungry -- all in one day. And there's more, as Joey and Mary Alice make seven summer trips to Grandma's -- each one funnier than the year before -- in self-contained chapters that readers can enjoy as short stories or take together for a rollicking good novel.

The town is a character. And the people who populate it will make you think of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. But Grandma is the jewel in the book. She claims to be a loner who cares nothing for her neighbors. Instead, I'd label her a free-wheeling individual who won't follow what others want. Yet she has a way of helping those around her. In the process Joey and Mary Alice have some pretty incredible experiences in the midst of the Depression. 

The kids and I can't wait to start Mary Alice's story.
The School Library Journal slates this book at a 4-8th grade level.