Sep. 14, 2007 - Audio Book Review --- Miracles on Maple Hill
Audio Book Review
Miracles on Maple HIll
About the Book
Miracles on Maple HIll by Virginia Sorenson is a wonderful, Newberry Award winning novel about a father's recovery from the ill effects of a prison camp and war. Endearing yet funny, this book surprised me as I had no idea what it was about. The family moves to Maple Hill during Sugaring season during which the people make Maple Syrup. The book chronicles an entire year as narrated by the youngest daughter Marley, and keeps the listener or reader interested.
About the Reader
This book is my first experience with unabridged full cast audio; and I must admit the children and I enjoyed it. I did not really think I would; but it was well done and engaging. All of the readers did an excellent job. I don't think you will be disappointed by this book.
We found this book at the library. If your library doesn't have it; be sure to ask as they often order new material from the requests.
Aug. 16, 2007 - Audio Book Review -- The Children's Homer
Audio Book Reviews The Children's Homer by Padraic Colum
About the Book
If you remember Homer, you are probably expecting strange names, difficult language structure, obtuse vocabulary, and long passages. You might also vaguely remember the story of Odysseus long struggle to get home. Perhaps the story of the Sirens, or the Cyclops. I remembered bits and pieces from my own education and was skeptical when my husband recommended this recording. It was hard enough to enjoy Homer when I was in High School; and my children are all 8 and under. Much to my surprise, my children and I were entranced right from the start. The story is fantastically adapted for children, yet the original style and spirit of the work is preserved with excellence. The stories become accessible and delightful; while retaining their old world feel. Mr. Colum's adaptation is a worthy addition to any library
About the Reader
While I love this book; I would never want to attempt reading it out loud myself. The long names and many voices are much more enjoyable as read by Robert Whitefield. His voice and accent are perfect for this book; and he is one of the few readers I am willing to assign two thumbs up. If you are studying ancient History, you need to use this audio cd.
Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel is the harrowing yet fascinating tale of a young bat in search of freedom from the night and ultimately, truth. This book is very reminiscent of the Redwall series for me. The evil is very evil; and I do not recommend this book for young children. It is acceptable for older elementary children or Jr. High. A significant amount of true bat information is woven throughout the fictional book. Many references to false Gods are woven throughout the story.
Book Details
ISBN:
Run Time: 8 CD's; 7.5 hours
Publisher: Recorded Books
About the Reader
Read by John McDounough; whose character voices are excellent and exciting. Very well read and captivating. I found this audio book at my library, and it does not seem to be available on cd from any other source.
Jun. 9, 2007 - Audio Book Review -- Elsie Dinsmore
About the Book
Elsei Dinsmore by Martha Finley is the first in a series of books about a little girl and her Christian life from youth to adulthood. When we meet Elsie, she is young and living within the bonds of verbally and emotionally abusive family members who are raising her in the absence of her father. The first book chronicles Elsie's journey of faith during her father's return and eventual conversion. I find Elsie mostly delightful if not to inclined towards frequent bouts of tears for an eight year old. I find the adult characters in her life to be frightful in the first book; but having the read the second book discovered that the series redeems itself more in this area as more and more members of the Dinsmore family become Christians and as Elsie herself grows up a little.
Running Time: 480 Minutes
Publisher: Vision Forum
ISBN: Not Applicable
About the Reader
Narrated by Bill Potter for Vision Forum. Bill does a fine job; however the recording quality of this first book leaves a bit to be desired. I had several faulty parts of my new cds, but volumes 2 and 3 turned out fine. Also, Mr. Potter's reading is a bit stilted at first but improves greatly as he relaxes into the role. I am fairly certain I would prefer to hear a female voice as Elsie.
Jun. 3, 2007 - Audio Book Review -- Story of the World Volume 1
About the Book
Story of the World Volume 1* by Susan Wise Bauer is a children's history text written in traditional storytelling style. The text is engaging, informative and memorable. This is as close a combination of "Living book" aka Charlotte Mason and "textbook" aka public school as I have ever seen the two concepts meshed. My chief complaint about Story of the World is the complete absence of a Christian Worldview. Clearly written for secular audiences, stories about Moses, Abraham, and Jesus are treated with the same "fictional" storytelling style that stories about Greek gods and godesses are told. Since I believe in the One True God; the phraseology does bother me on a not infrequent basis. Candid discussion with your children is necessary to balance this approach.
ISBN: 0974239119
Publisher: Peace Hill Press
Running Time: 10 hours on 9 cds.
About the Reader
Barbara Alan Johnson is clearly a professional reader; does a quality job and certainly my children enjoyed every minute of this recording more then once. I am looking forward to a different narrator for volume 2. All four volumes are now available from Jim Weiss of Greathall Productions and I highly recommend any and all of his recorded materials as my narrator of choice.
*Note that the link in paragraph one is to the Barbara Alan Johnson recording.
May. 24, 2007 - Audio Book Review -- Little House on the Prairie
About the Book
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder is my favorite series from childhood. I am sure I read the books ten or more times each in elementary school. I know most people recognize the value of these books; but would like to offer these comments in regard to questions I have received. 1. Aren't Little House on the Prairie books just for girls? Answer: No! First of all, these books are full of anecdotes about Pa, a kind, gentle, disciplinarian who loved his girls, worked hard and walked miles to provide for them and always put his family first. What a role model! Boys will find fascinating accounts of how to make a door for a log cabin, how to make fish traps, all kinds of little details about the things Pa does. Secondly, the third book in the series (Farmer Boy) is the wonderful account of Almanzo Wilder and his antics -- this one is clearly more of a boy book then it is a girl book. Finally, the series itself is a far cry from the TV show; so if your only exposure so far has been the TV version, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. 2. Are Little House books o.k. for Christians since they are all about a good family completely devoid of any mention of Christ. Answer: This is a great question, and one each family will have to grapple with. As I listen as an adult; I notice many references to God and at least one reference to salvation that I never noticed as a child. The salvation referrence comes in Little Town on the Prairie as Laura and Mary are on one of their walks out on the claim. Laura has just commented about how different Mary is and then proceeds to talk about how Mary is sure about (her salvation.) It is all implied, not spoken directly, but it is still clearly there. I am ashamed to note how much of the book of Psalms Laura had memorized at the age of 7 or 8. While references to the Scripture are not overt in the book; it must have been read often and heard well to be memorized to such a great degree! Also, I will leave with this thought, since almost none of the books in this set of reviews have overt references to Christ, I wonder if we would rob our children of all the joys of classic literature written for their age in the name of protection? Is it not, in some small measure, the love of reading fostered by these books which will draw them to God's word? I, myself, have not suffered from a lack of Christian focused literature now that I am an adult. Literature written full of Christ for a young age is limited and often poorly written and boring. Elsie Dinsmore would be the one exception I have found. Of course, the example of the parent is tantamount, and of course, care must be taken. But, overprotection is as grievous an error.
About the Reader
Cherry Jones is already reviewed as a reader under Because of Winn Dixie; and I will repeat myself. Ms. Jones is a masterful reader, one of the very best in our opinion. We love her voices for each character, her slightly off key singing for Pa's music, which is on key when it is Laura joining in. Her talent is very clear and because she reads each book in the series, the effect is a continuous masterpiece.
May. 18, 2007 - Audio Book Review -- The Railway Children
About the Book
The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit is a wonderful story set in England during war; in which 3 children become suddenly poor when their dear father is framed for selling secrets to the Russians and must move from their well established home in the city out into the country near a railway. They spend hours watching the trains, and making friends at the station. They commit several heroic acts because they put others above themselves; and in the end they are reunited with their father. A very touching book about family, kindness, bravery and courage. When we were finished, my daughter asked "Did she write anymore?" and when I said, "Yes, but not about The Railway Children," she replied -- "Oh, That doesn't matter --let's get them!"
Book Details
Publisher: Tantor Media
Running Time: 6 hours and 45 minutes
About the Reader
Renee Raudman reads well enough. I found her male voices to be surprisingly good. I thought her "mother" voice often sounded bored. After 3 chapters, we were all hooked though. Other readers are available at Audible as well; and you can hear a sample to choose.
May. 17, 2007 - Audio Book Review --- THe Voyages of Dr. Doolittle
About the Book
The sequel to The Story of Dr. Doolittle; which is Sonlight K book; The Voyages of Dr. Doolittle by Hugh Lofting is the delightful continuation of Dr. Doolittle's adventures as he communicates in the language of each animal and travels to distant Africa to save the monkeys from a dreadful disease! This series is a must read; it is great for younger children.
Book Details
Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks
Running Time: 7 hours and 48 minutes
ISBN: 0786198222
Recommended Ages: 3 and Up
About the Reader
William Sutherland is probably one of my least favorite readers. His words are hard to understand; he reads really slowly, and pedantically. We did enjoy this audiobook; well at least the children did. My husband and I had a very hard time getting through it; and ended up taking to the hallway before bedtime so that we didn't have to hear it! The car was just too close of quarters for that voice. The children have listened to it all the way through at least twice.
May. 16, 2007 - Audio Book Review -- The Report Card
About the Book
The Report Card by Andrew Clements explores the value (or lack thereof) of report cards, grades and testing. Perfect for homeschoolers! A genius child forms a plan to "teach" the principal, teachers and her parents about the true worth of evaluation and the negative effects it can have. I love how Mr. Clements gets inside the mind of his characters. His books are rapidly becoming our favorites, which is really funny since they are all set in the pubic school. Perhaps it is because my children are so curious about public school.
Book Details
Running TIme: 3 hours and 21 minutes
Publisher: Listening Library
ISBN: 030720751X
About the Reader
Dina Sherman does a good job reading this book. Her voice for the 10 year old Stephen is a bit annoying. Her teacher voices are amazing in that they are each subtly different.
Redwall by Brian Jacques is really, really good; but I highly recommend you save it for Jr. High ages. The violence and suspense comes as a complete surprise. The writing is superb, good triumphs evil; but the bad guys are really bad. In addition, the author is a professing atheist; and while I didn't notice any atheistic slant; we should expect the books he writes to stem from his world view. Later books in the series include the torture and slaughter of the infants -- a reason we are not continuing with that series. We are also ones who don't recommend the Episode 3 of Star Wars for this very reason.
About the Reader
This series is read by the author and a full cast. It is read very well; but can be difficult to understand. It definitely took us 3-4 chapters to adapt to his accent and understand each word of the characters.
Book Details
Publisher: Listening Library
Running Time: 10 hours and 26 minutes
Recommended Age: Jr. High to Adult
May. 15, 2007 - Audio Book Review -- The Saturdays
About the Book
The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright is the story of an adorable family of four children who have distinct personalities and are always finding fun and mischief! In this book the children decide if they pooled their allowance each week they could each take turns doing something really cool with the resulting $1.50! It is so neat to see what each child does with his/her Saturday and the unintended results! This is a great book about family and teamwork. This is the first book in a series of 4. We are on the third and love this series. My children will be very sad when we run out of Melendy books!
About the Reader
Pamela Dillman does an excellent job of reading this series. Her voices are distinct and fun; especially Mrs. Olephant's voice!
Book Details
ISBN: 1593160208
Running Time: 4 Hours and 1 minute
Publisher: Listen and Live Audio
Recommended Age: 4 and up
May. 14, 2007 - Audio Book Review -- Because of Winn Dixie
About the Book
Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo is a very sweet story of transition. A new community means finding new friends, and learning a little something about yourself along the way, and growing up a little. In this case, an adorable dog found in a grocery store helps ease things along for Opal in her new town. I di not appreciate the changes made to the movie version.
Awards: Newberry Honor Book and Book Sense of the Year Award
Pubisher: Listening Library
Running Time: 2 hours 28 minutes
ISBN: 1400091497
Listening Ages: 4 and up
About the Reader
Cherry Jones is one of those rare gems for audiobook lovers -- Masterful. Her reading is superb, and we have thoroughly enjoyed her work on this book as well as The Little House series.
May. 13, 2007 - Audio Book Review -- Things Not Seen
About the Book
Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements is definitely a page turner. By the time we got to the 3rd chapter, and realized it might be a little mature for my crew; (who are ages 8, 6, and 3) we were hooked! It would have been cruel at that point to make the kids stop listening. Interestingly, this book transcends age labels. I think most adults will find it equally interesting; and while my children certainly did not understand all the symbolism in the book -- they are still talking about it a couple months later and begging me to get the sequel! Ideally, your children would be in the 9-14 age range when you pick this one up.
About the Reader
Narrated by Daniel Passer. This book is in first person, so it is narrated by the main character. The really great thing about this reader is that I could forget I was being read to! It was like the guy was really telling me his own story. That's a pretty big complement.
Note: The recording referred to in this blog is available at librivox.org or as part of Kara's Free Audiobook Podcast. Other versions are available for purchase; but this free recording is excellent!
Heidi by Johanna Spiri is a classic which probably needs no summary. It was one of my favorite books in childhood; I read it often and with relish! A little orphaned girl goes to live with her grandpa in the mountains and is a blessing to all around her. I was astonished in listening as an adult how much Christian content is in the book. All those readings as a child I never noticed the Prodigal son story; the reunion of Grandpa and the church nor all the references to Scripture and life lessons by Heidi.
About the reader
Kara Shallenberg is the owner of a free podcast called Kara's Free Audiobooks. This podcast is part of the ongoing project at LIbrivox.org to make all Public Domain works available on audio for free. Our family thoroughly enjoyed Kara's reading of Heidi and feel that she does an excellent job. The children are always asking to listen to Heidi again.
May. 11, 2007 - Truth In All Things -- A Note About Audio Book Reviews and My Blog
A Word from the Author
The purpose of the Audio Book Review series is to allow anyone concerned to make an educated choice. It is so hard to pick Audiobooks from thin air; and nearly impossible to prescreen all of them. My pledge is to always tell the truth about my opinion. Some books you will see that I do not like the content; while others I love the content and do not like a particular reader. Some books, I love both; and with some books one will be excellent and the other will be good enough. I will try to make my opinion very clear.
It is never my purpose to "sell" these books. If you click on the links embedded inside reviews, you will notice some that are affiliate links (Amazon, Homeschool Estore, Christianbook, Usborne) and some that are not affilliate links (Audible, Jim Hodges, Jim Weiss, Librivox.) In some cases, I am suggesting that you not purchase books from the affiliate links because I prefer to purchase directly from Jim Weiss and Jim Hodges! I am not choosing books to review based on how I might or might not benefit.
In hopes that my book reviews will be a blessing to your family,
May. 11, 2007 - Audio Book Review -- The Cat of Bubastes
About the Book
The Cat of Bubastes by G.A. Henty is a traditional Henty tale as I have mentioned before; complete with the tragedy, trauma, slavery, protection of a girl, and ultimate triumph. However, this book uniquely portrays the Egyptian culture with amazing yet interesting attention to detail; while taking the reader on a path of geography up and down and all around the Nile. I found the educational opportunities in this book to be nearly limitless. Religion, mummificatioin, government, livelihood of peasants, life on the Nile in different areas, life in the cities, and the life of slaves are all detailed so vividly you can imagine yourself to be there.
About the Reader
We purchased this book from Audible; and more then once I wanted to stop listening just because of the reader (John Bolen). You can listen to a sample at Audible before you buy; and I should have. Nevertheless, the book itself is amazing; and you can purchase an unabridged version recorded by Jim Hodges which I think will be significantly better. You can listen to a sample of Jim Hodges work as well; buy downloading the first chapter of With Lee in Virginia also by Henty. Jim Weiss also has an abridged version for younger listeners; however I do not know how much of the rich detail of this one would be lost and it is not as graphic in its unabridged form as other Henty novels.
May. 11, 2007 - Audio Book Review -- Beric The Briton
About the Book
Beric the Briton by G.A. Henty is a historical novel for boys typical for Henty's style. Each Henty novel follows the life of a young boy through adulthood, steeping the characters in real life history, and realistic tragedy, trauma, and triumph. Along they way, the boy usually meets several real historical characters including Bible characters, converts to Christianity, and protects a female who eventually becomes his wife. In this case, a young Briton boy is enslaved by Romans and raised in the home of a Roman official. He eventually gains his freedom; and returns to his home only to rise to leadership in the British rebellion. I find the Henty novels to be full of suspense, action, intrigue and thrills; even if I do know the plot ahead of time! These books are recommended by Vision Forum and we have enjoyed as a family each one we have listened to. This is another book that my husband put on his IPOD! One word of caution is that the books do contain some pretty intense battle detail; which I wouldn't necessarily call graphic but it certainly is more information then my younger children were used to hearing.
About the Reader
Jim Weiss is well known among homeschool families as a masterful and accomplished reader. This book is no exception. Our family is steadily purchasing all of his materials as we love his work. One note about his recordings of the Henty novels; he does record abridged versions such that they are accessible to younger listeners. I find his adaptations perfect to introduce my oldest boy to Henty novels; and hope that they impress him enough that he will read for himself all of the novels when he is older. Much to our sorrow, Mr. Weiss only has five recordings of Henty novels at this time. You can purchases Mr. Weiss' material directly from him at www.greathall.com and support his recording efforts.
May. 10, 2007 - Audio Book Review -- The Boy Who Saved Baseball
About the Book
The Boy Who Saved Baseball is a really interesting book about a town fighting a battle with developers who want to turn it into suburbia. Apparently, many funny referrences to baseball history are included for the baseball fan -- I did not noticed because I know almost nothing about baseball culture. The story is actually quite delightful in spite of its anti-sprawl message. I am sure my children did not catch on. The book is written from a strong Hispanic reference, and frequently small bits of Spanish is spoken. I found this aspect to be very fascinating and delightful. Nearly always, my children understood what was being said due to context. I will say that the book included some subtle references to teenage romance which aggravated me. Overall, however, we truly enjoyed this work. You can read what the author has to say on Amazon; unfortunately they do not currently carry the cd version. We found it at the library :)
About the Reader
Robert Ramirez reads this book very well; though I did feel it took him a couple chapters to find his rhythm. It took my children a short amount of time to adapt to the Spanish inserts. As with any audiobook; I recommend you give the reader 3-4 chapters before deciding you don't like the reading style. We develop a kind of loyalty to whichever reader we have just listened to; and unless the next reader is above excellent, it is hard to get into their rhythm sometimes.
May. 10, 2007 - Audio Book Review -- The Cricket In Times Square
About the Book
The Cricket In Times Square by George Seldon is the wonderful story of a cricket that accidentally hitches a ride in a picnic basket all the way into the Subway station at Times Square. In the Subway Station; he lives in the newstand of an Italian family, develops loyalty for the son Mario, and eventually brings them out of financial ruin by "playing" classical music with his legs. Along the way he becomes best friends with a cat and a mouse. Sounds cheesy; but it is really wonderful! It is full of rich characters, suspense, intrigue, crisis, and a wonderful climax. I will not give away the ending.... My children listened to this first at ages 6, 4, and 2. They loved it -- even the little one. We started it again recently, and we love it again! i suspect we will still love it when my children are in Junior High.
About the Reader
This book is available in several audio versions; but is masterfully read by Rene Auberjonois who is the author who acted in Benson and later played the shape shifter in Deep Space Nine. Definitely get this version. Auberjonois has subtle yet clear changes in voice for each character, even Mama. His interpretation of the work is outstanding and brings the book alive. Even my husband has enjoyed listening to this book more then once and for him this is rare.
The bottom line is; We try not to insist on parent-led learning or gravitate toward child-led learning. We try instead to focus on God-led learning and ask for His input and perspective on every aspect of our home school. That way, when others fuss about what Dan and I are doing and make me second guess our decisions -- I can go back to our decision process and find God's fingerprints, reminding me that this is His way.
