(Note on language levels: 1. Nothing objectionable; 2. Common euphemisms; 3. Some cursing or profanity; 4. A lot of cursing or profanity; 5. Obscenity or vulgarity.)

     Bakeless, Katherine and John.  Spies of the Revolution (Published in 1962 by Scholastic Book Services, a division of Scholastic Magazines, New York City, NY; based on material published in 1959 by J. B. Lippincott Company).  Co-author John Edwin Bakeless was born on December 30, 1894, at Carlisle Barracks in Carlisle, PA, to Oscar Hugh Bakeless and Sara Harvey Bakeless.  Oscar was head of academic instruction at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and later became a professor of pedagogy at Bloomsburg State Normal School.   Edward received his B. A. in philosophy from Williams College in 1918.  His academic career was exceptionally brilliant and successful. While at Williams, Bakeless received the David A. Wells Graduate Prize for his essay The Economic Causes of Modern War, which later became his first book. In 1920 he married Katherine Little, a writer and musician, later writing several novels with her. He continued his studies at Harvard and received his M. A. in philosophy in 1920 and Ph. D. in English philology in 1936.  While at Harvard, Bakeless completed his dissertation, “Christopher Marlowe, A Biographical and Critical Study,” which ultimately resulted in two books, Christopher Marlowe, The Man in His Time and The Tragical History of Christopher Marlowe. Having begun his journalistic career at his hometown newspaper, the Bloomsburg Morning Press, as a part time reporter in 1911, he continued to write for the Morning Press during his college vacations. In 1921 he accepted the position of literary editor of The Living Age and later advanced to the position of managing editor and editor. He also spent time working as the managing editor of The Forum, literary editor of the Literary Digest, and literary advisor to The Independent. As a student at Williams Bakeless had joined the R.O.T.C. in 1917. From 1918 until his retirement in 1953 Bakeless served in the United States Army.  His military career was very successful and included service as Colonel on the General Staff, assistant chief of the Balkan and Near East Section of the Military Intelligence Division in the War Department from 1940 until 1946, assistant military attaché at Turkey in 1944, and as Chief Intelligence Officer on the American Delegation of the Allied Control Commission in Bulgaria in 1945. During Bakeless's military career he was awarded a Bronze Star and then served as a consultant to the Central Intelligence Agency during the post-war period. In 1927 Bakeless began his teaching career at New York University where he taught journalism and literary criticism. He also taught at Sarah Lawrence College for five years and at Finch College for four years.  In addition, he spent time lecturing at many colleges and universities such as Dickinson College, Harvard, Yale, and the Universities of Colorado and Michigan.  During his post-war period academic career and the years following , Bakeless also spent much of his time researching and writing books about war, expedition, traitors, heroes, espionage, and biographies on America's first explorers. Some of his most well-known works include Lewis and Clark, Partners in Discovery; Daniel Boone, Master of the Wilderness; Fighting Frontiersmen; and Signers of the Declaration.  The clarity, occasional conversational tone, and accuracy of Bakeless's works make them suitable for use as educational material for young children, and they have been used in classrooms across the country.  Indeed, Spies of the Revolution is the kind of book that used to be used in schools when students actually studied history from real sources instead of "social studies" from watered-down revisionist textbooks.  In order to devote his full time to his books, he retired from teaching in 1953. In 1940, Bakeless purchased a historic farmhouse near New Haven, CT, and lived there until his death on August 8, 1978.  The time Bakeless spent training and working as a consultant to the Central Intelligence Agency prepared him for his research on the role of military intelligence in American history. His extensive research resulted in the accumulation of many unique and previously unknown materials. He used these resources to write books on military intelligence such as Spies of the Confederacy and Turncoats, Traitors, and Heroes: Espionage in the American Revolution.  Spies of the Revolution is a version of Turncoats, Traitors, and Heroes made by Bakeless and his wife Katharine for young people.  It is an absolutely fascinating look into a very little-known aspect of a very important part of our nation's history!   The product description for this book on the Barnes and Noble website reads, "A strange message in code! Messages in silver bullets and jacket buttons! Letters written in invisible ink. All across revolutionary America, spies for the patriots and the redcoats are stealing through enemy lines, getting vital information. Who are these spies? No one can be sure. Who would suspect the schoolmaster, or a fourteen-year-old boy, a Quaker housewife, a Yankee farmer, a Boston surgeon? Yet each one is risking his life on a secret mission that may change history."  In addition to giving a fresh perspective to such well-known figures as Paul Revere and Nathan Hale, the former general staff intelligence officer in World War II reveals the exploits and tribulations of scores of other spies, including the high-ranking traitor Dr. Benjamin Church, the Continental Army's Director General of Hospitals, who risked life and honor in a silent, anonymous shadow war.  Any study of the American Revolution would be greatly augmented by the use of this book.  Unfortunately, it is no longer in print.  Turncoats, Traitors, and Heroes is still available, but reading its description I concluded that there may be some things in it that would not be suitable for children.  In Spies of the Revolution, the "d" word is used once in a quote from a British officer.  Otherwise there is nothing objectionable.  Language level: I'll compromise and give it a 2.  Ages: 10-15.  GOOD.

     Jacques, Brian.  Rakkety Tam (copyrighted in 2004 by The Redwall La Dita Co. Ltd., and published by Philomel Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson St., New York City, NY  10014).  Another "Redwall Abbey" series book (#17)!  It was our homeschooled friend, George Bosworth, who turned us on to Redwall.  Mark, now seventeen and the epitome of realism, read the first book and said that he does not care for books with talking animals.  But the rest of us still enjoy them.  We have several of them, and Karen has checked out nearly all the rest of them out of the library.  In Rakkety Tam, both the badger mountain of Salamandastron and the Redwall Abbey are invaded by a wolverine named Gulo the Savage and his white-furred armies from the land of snow and ice across the great sea, but are defended by a squirrel named Rakkety Tam McBurl who, with his mate Wild Doogy Plumm, has come from the north country to serve the foolish squirrel king and queen Araltum and Idga.  Yes, the Redwall books are a little formulaic.  Peaceful field and forest dwelling creatures are attacked or enslaved by tyrants and then are saved by unlikely or unexpected heroes who fight and win despite seemingly insurmountable odds.  However, in their defense, they are clean.  You can let your children read them with little fear of anything objectionable (the only thing I found in this one was a few references about dispatching evil beasts to "Hellgates").  Also, there is a clear feeling of right and wrong in which those who stand for the right never lower themselves by stooping to the level of those who are in the wrong.  At the same time, they are not mere "feel good" books because characters do die (in fact, there have been times when reading aloud that I found my voice cracking and my eye tearing just a bit when some brave beast goes down while fighting for the right), but one thing I like is that the good guys are always characterized by a strong sense of duty and are willing to do what they have to regardless of the consequences.  And, finally, the books are just plain fun reading.  Eulaaaaliaaaa!  (Note: review published in 6/21/08 HomeSchoolBuzz.com newsletter; for more information, go to http://homeschoolbuzz.com ).  Language level: 2.  Ages: 9-12.  GOOD.

     McGraw, Eloise Jarvis.   Mara, Daughter of the Nile (published in 1953 by Coward McCann, New York City, NY; republished in 1985 by Puffin Books, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc., 375 Hudson St., New York City, NY  10014).  This historical fiction book for teenagers tells the adventures of an ingenious young Egyptian girl who undertakes an assignment as a spy at the royal palace of Thebes in the days when Queen Hatshepsut ruled, c. 1504 to 1450 B. C.  Mara is a proud and beautiful slave, seventeen years old, who yearns for freedom from her cruel master Zasha. In order to gain it, she finds herself playing the dangerous role of double spy for two arch enemies, each of whom supports a different contender for the throne of Egypt.  Purchased by Nehereh, the brother of Hatshepsut's favorite architect Lord Senmut, she is to serve as interpreter for Innani, the Syrian princess who has come to be the bride for the Queen's half-brother and next Pharaoh so that she can find out what the king-to-be and his supporters were doing.  However, while on her way to accomplish this, she is secretly engaged by the noble and handsome Sheftu to be a messenger in his plans of restoring Thutmose III to the throne.  After initially deciding to play both sides against each other for her own gain , Mara finds herself, almost against her will, falling in love with Sheftu, and she starts to believe in him.   But just when she is ready to offer Sheftu her help and her heart, her duplicity is discovered, and a battle ensues in which both Mara's life and the fate of Egypt are at stake.   Will she survive it?  Of course, as one would expect, there is frequent mention of various ancient Egyptian gods, which seems reasonable for a book set in ancient Egypt.  This fact does not necessarily glorify pagan deities or give them any credence.  It simply acknowledges that historically the ancient Egyptians did worship them.  There are also several references to drinking wine and beer.  Some might not like the kind of deceit in which Mara engages, but then it is a mystery story, and not all of Mara's behavior is held up as an example; yet at the end she does show courage in what she does.   Otherwise, I noticed little objectionable.  However, not everyone agrees.  On the Trivium Pursuit e-mail list, Sharon Williams wrote, "Mara, Daughter of the Nile is another disappointment recommended by Veritas. I had bought it thinking it might be something my daughter would enjoy. While it certainly did contain plenty of vivid portrayals of Egyptian life, it was really no better than a cheap Harlequin novel. I think it's a rather trashy romance albeit in a historical setting.  (I've just had a look through the latest catalogue I have from Veritas and I can't see it listed.  Perhaps they've thought better of it now.)"  Of course, this person also objected to G. A. Henty's Cat of Bubastes!  When I first started this review, I did not have the latest catalogue from Veritas, but found that Mara is listed on their website for second grade history.  Then I recently received a copy of the 2008-2009 Veritas Press catalogue and saw that Mara was listed there too.  It is also recommended by Beautiful Feet Books as part of their study of ancient history; by Sonlight Curriculum in several of their literature and world history packages; and by Greenleaf Press as part of their study of Ancient Egypt; Diana Waring (History Presents); and Rainbow Resource Center.  Some might not care for the "romance" facet of the book, and there might be some elements of it that would not be understandable by younger children and would have to be explained to them, but we did this as a family read aloud and I found nothing that I considered tawdry or risque.  This book, which goes into great descriptive detail about the daily activities and circumstances of ancient Egyptian life, would make an excellent accompaniment to any study of ancient Egypt.  Language level: 1.  Ages: 12-16.  GOOD

     Morison, Samuel Eliot.  The Story of the "Old Colony" of New Plymouth (published in 1956 by Alfred A Knopf).  Morison, a descendant of Priscilla Mullins and John Alden of Mayflower fame, was born at Boston in 1887, into a prominent family with deep roots in the Massachusetts past. After graduating from Harvard in 1912, where his dissertation, concerning Harrison Gray Otis, an ancestor whose papers were in Morison's attic, was sympathetic to the old Federalist, he joined the faculty there in 1915 and began writing.  His Maritime History of Massachusetts, 1783-1860 in 1921 traced broad social and economic trends in Massachusetts up to the Civil War and earned him considerable fame.  In 1922, he became the first Harmsworth professor of American history at Oxford in 1922, a position he held until his return to Harvard in 1925 to serve as Trumbull professor of American history. Morison's interest in textbooks was evident in 1927, when his Oxford History of the United States appeared. This book became part of the base for The Growth of the American Republic, written in collaboration with Henry Steele Commanger, which first appeared in 1930.  Morison retraced Columbus's voyages as commodore of the "Harvard Columbus Expedition" and turned this experience into Admiral of the Ocean Sea (2 vols., 1942). This work won him a 1943 Pulitzer Prize. Commissioned by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to write a history of U.S. naval operations in World War II and given the rank of lieutenant commander, he retired from the navy in 1951 as a rear admiral. The 15 volumes of his History of United States Naval Operations in World War II appeared between 1947 and 1962.  After the war Morison began a biography of John Paul Jones, which also earned him a Pulitzer Prize in 1960, as well as essays in which he attacked historical relativism, and remained an active proponent of history until his death in 1976.  This may explain why I found The Story of the "Old Colony" of New Plymouth so fascinating.  It is real history, told as it really was but in an interesting narrative-story form rather than what we find in modern, dry, revisionist textbooks where the Pilgrims are given perhaps a couple of paragraphs, no mention is made of the role that their sincere belief in God played in their actions, and accompanying exercises might ask, "List the ways the evil Pilgrims helped to destroy the idyllic life that Native Americans enjoyed."  This is the kind of book that used to be used in schools to teach accurate history.  In his preface, the author noted, "Historians seem to lose interest in the Pilgrims as soon as they were able to have three square meals daily, and own a cow," and said that their accounts "taper off sadly after 1630, when the most brilliant and prosperous period of the Colony began."  His purpose "in this book, written for young people of all ages," was to carry the story of the Old Colony right through to 1692 when it was absorbed by Massachusetts.  There are a few references to tobacco use and drinking alcohol.  These are simply mentioned as historical facts without being emphasized, but it is a little bit disappointing to learn that evidently our Pilgrim forefathers really liked their beer!  However, much emphasis is placed on the religious motivations for everything that the Separatist Pilgrims did.  Morison does use a few "earthy" expressions which, though not necessarily vulgar would be better left out, but otherwise there are no problems with the language.  While he does not gloss over the faults of the Pilgrims and make them sound like super-human heroes, neither does he overemphasize their faults and make them sound like the worst enemies of mankind.  He simply presents them as genuine human beings who, in spite of their weaknesses and mistakes, had a goal in which they believed and worked hard to achieve it against almost insurmountable odds.  The chapters dealing with the later relations of the Pilgrims and the Indians are especially well balanced, as opposed to many modern historians who paint all Indians as pure and pristine while picturing all white men as imperialistic invaders.  It is a pity that this book is no longer in print.  It is a wonderful, well researched, and highly interesting explanation of an extremely important part of our nation's past.  If your homeschool plans include a detailed period of studying the Pilgrims, you might want to find a used copy of this book.  Language level: 1.  Ages: grades 8-10.  GOOD.

     Russell, Lawrence T.  Ulysses Simpson Grant: Architect of Victory (published by The Russell Group and distributed by Americana Souvenirs and Gifts, 302 York St., Gettysburg, PA  17325).  I picked up a copy of this little book recently while visiting "Grant's Farm," an attraction here in St. Louis located on land once owned and farmed by U. S. Grant, because of my personal interest in the subject.  It forthrightly covers the life and career of one of the more neglected heroes of American history.  Revisionist historians have echoed the cries of Grant's enemies in his day that Grant was a drunkard and a butcher and added that Grant's presidency was a complete failure.  Grant was born at Point Pleasant, OH, and grew up in nearby Georgetown.  We have visited his birthplace, boyhood home, and schoolhouse, all Ohio Historical sites.  The author gives a little space on Grant's boyhood, West Point days, service in the Mexican War, and days between the war.  As already indicated, Grant had a St. Louis connection.  Russell says, "After the [Mexican] war Grant returned to St. Louis to claim the hand of Julia Boggs Dent," but strangely says nothing about his first time there.  After graduating from West Point, Grant was stationed at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis and visited the home of his West Point roommate Frederick Dent, falling in love with Frederick's sister, Julia.   However, most of the book deals with Grant's service and rise to power during the Civil War, as the title would indicate.  President Lincoln went through quite a few generals who seemed to dilly-dally at the war until he found that Grant had the gumption to push forward to victory.  A few pages at the end are given to talking about Grant's time as President and afterwards.  While not overlooking the corruption and scandals involving many in his administration, the author does correctly note that Grant himself was "personally honest and above reproach."  He quotes Grant as acknowledging his administration's failures by saying, "It was my fortune, or my misfortune, to be called to the office of Chief Executive without any previous political training."  Yet, we also remember Grant for something more important.  In his Memoirs he wrote, "The cause of the great War of Rebellion against the United States will have to be attributed to slavery....It is well that we had the war when we did.  We are better off now than we would have been without it, and have made more rapid progress than we otherwise should have made."  Yes, Grant evidently did have an alcohol problem in his early days, but that does not necessarily take away from his good accomplishments.  The author said, "Amdist rumors of alcoholism, which if true was undoubtedly caused by the separation, Grant tendered his resignation from the Army on July 31, 1854."  I found this book fascinating reading and think that it would be a good resource for studying the Civil War.  Apparently, it is not available in bookstores but rather in museums and other such sites, like the Liberty Bell Museum ( www.libertybellmuseum.com/MuseumShop/grantbiography.htm ).  Language level: 1.  Ages: suitable for all ages.  EXCELLENT.

     Slaughter, Frank Gill.  The Land and the Promise (published in 1960 by The World Publishing Company; republished in 1962 by Affiliated Publishers, a division of Pocket Books Inc., 630 Fifth Ave., New York City, NY  10020).  The author was born in 1908 at Washington, D.C., and became a medical doctor, but today is best remembered as an American bestseller novelist whose books sold more than 60 million copies.  Slaughter's novels drew on his own experience as a physician and reflected his interest in history and the Biblical world. He was "very active within his church, where he [was] ordained Ruling Elder."  His first novel, That None Should Die, was partly autobiographical and appeared in 1941. Slaughter rewrote it five times before Doubleday accepted it. After World War II Slaughter devoted himself entirely to writing, usually producing one novel a year. He continued to write in the late 1980s before his death in 2001 at Jacksonville, FL, where he had lived for nearly five decades.  His highly adulatory Immortal Magyar (1950) was about Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis (1818-1865), who was one of the heroes in solving the mystery of the terrible childbed fever, which killed young mothers. The last half of the book tells of the bitterness of Semmelweis, who eventually suffered a mental breakdown and died in an insane asylum after his new ideas were rejected.  Slaughter not only published medical novels but many novels of Biblical fiction as well, such as The Road to Bithynia: A Novel of Luke, The Beloved Physician (1951); The Galileans: A Novel of Mary Magdalene (1953); The Song of Ruth (1954, filmed in 1960); The Crown and the Cross: The Life of Christ (1959); The Thorn of Arimathea: A Novel of Joseph of Arimathea and Veronica (1959); The Curse of Jezebel: A Novel of the Biblical Queen of Evil (1961); David, Warrior and King: A Biblical Biography (1962); Upon This Rock: A Novel of Simon Peter, Prince of the Apostles (1964); and The Sins of Herod: A Novel of Rome and the Early Church (1968). Someone said that while Slaughter never visited Biblical lands, he managed to bring color and life into the most famous Biblical tales, and that his portrayal of Jesus was conventional (probably meaning that it was generally in harmony with the Biblical account rather than the rantings and ravings of modernist unbelievers who are erroneously called "scholars"). I enjoyed The Land and the Promise, which is a recounting in a narrative fashion, as if written by a novelist (in fact, since Slaughter filled in some of the unrevealed details to round out the stories, one could almost call it Biblical historical fiction), of the great Bible stories, or what those of us who have studied at Florida College might call "the scheme of redemption," drawing upon his extensive research into the life and times of the ancient Biblical world, from creation to Paul's first imprisonment.  I do not necessarily agree with every conclusion that Slaughter reached or every suggestion that he made as he tried to fill in some of those details left out of the Biblical stories or all of his explanations as to how and why certain things happened; for example, he does have John the Baptist joining the Essenes, something conjectured by modern scholars but for which there is absolutely no evidence whatever, and he affirms that "In the early church, all converts were required to sell their property and give it into the common fund," which is also without any foundation at all.  Many of these suppositions are based on extra-Biblical traditions, some of which may have some basis in fact while others are pure imagination and speculation.  There are places where he provides a somewhat more naturalistic slant to events that most Bible believers consider miraculous, but even in these things he still gives the credit to God.  In general I found the book very well done and was even amazed at some of the good points which he made that I have not seen elsewhere.  It appears that Slaughter's books are for the most part out of print.  My copy of The Land and the Promise is an old paperback edition given to me by my great aunt, Edith Doggett, my grandfather Workman's older sister, who died back in 1986, just shy of 100.  I ran across it as I was packing my office into tubs back in January for storage in my garage in preparation for a possible move and brought it home to read.   I am glad that I did, even though, again, I do not agree with everything in it.  Language level: 1.  Ages: intended for adults but older teens could profit from it.  GOOD.    

     Tarkington, Booth.  Penrod (originally published in 1914; republished in 2006 by The Echo Library, 131 High St., Teddington, Middlesex TW118HH, England).  Newton Booth Tarkington (1869–1946), born in Indianapolis, IN, and named for his uncle, Newton Booth, who was governor of California at the time, was an American novelist and dramatist primarily remembered for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novels The Magnificent Ambersons (1918; awarded prize 1919), his best known work today due in part to its famous film treatment by Orson Welles in 1942 and its frequently favored listing on the Modern Library's list of top-100 novels, and Alice Adams (1921; awarded prize 1922).  He was one of the most popular American novelists of his time, with The Two Vanrevels (1902) and Mary's Neck (1932) each appearing on the annual best-seller lists nine times.  Penrod is a collection of comic sketches that was first published in 1914. The book follows the trials and misadventures of Penrod Schofield, an eleven-year-old boy growing up in a large pre-World War I Midwestern United States city, in a similar vein to Tom Sawyer.  Penrod establishes the characters and the relationships between them who go on to appear in two further books, Penrod and Sam (1916) and Penrod Jashber (1929). The three books were published together in one volume, Penrod: His Complete Story, in 1931.  In Hand that Rocks the Cradle: Good Books to Read Aloud to Children, Nathaniel Bluedorn wrote, "Penrod Schofield is twelve and has been volunteered by his mother for 'The Pageant of the Table Round' in which he is to play the 'Child Sir Lancelot du Lake.'  He gets himself into mountains of trouble when he, at the last minute, exchanges his gaudy costume of castoff silk stockings and flannel long-johns (made by his well meaning mother) for the janitor's overalls.  So goes the story with other boyish adventures, or should I say misadventures, of Penrod and his cohort in crime, Sam Williams.  This book is one of our family's favorites to read aloud.  This is one of those books that will cause you to lose your dignity and roll about the floor wheezing in agony."  Based on Nathaniel's recommendation, Penrod was one of our son Mark's assignments for his junior American Literature to cover early twentieth century novels.  Mark thought that it was silly, but I think that it is hilariously funny.  There are a few references to tobacco use--in fact one of Penrod's classmates, Maurice, regularly smokes cigarettes (at 12!)--but these kinds of things seem to have been much more common in the early 1900s.  There are also some instances of prejudices towards African Americans that were characteristic of that day.  And Penrod's twelfth birthday involves dancing.  The euphemistic "dern" is used a few times and "gosh" appears occasionally.  In one chapter, the fact that preachers talk about "hell" seems to give license for its broader usage, but the whole premise is that such language is not acceptable.  Penrod's father starts to say "that da--" and changes to "that third-hand concertina."  Penrod is definitely NOT an example of exemplary behavior, so this might not be a good book for small, imitative children, though if done as a family read aloud perhaps some lessons about how not to act could be drawn from it, but many teenagers would probably enjoy it.   My only other suggestion is to get an American edition of the book (used if you have to, but several new editions are now available).  The Echo Library edition from England that I purchased, because it was the only new copy that Barnes and Noble had available at the time, not only has British spellings (e.g., colourful, favourable, behaviour--I would assume that Tarkington would not have spelled them that way) but also lacks paragraph indentations in chapter one and contains numerous errors (e.g., in describing his feelings about his pageant costume, it says "he was a degree worse then nude" instead of "than").  Language level: 2.  Ages: 13-18.  GOOD.  (An abbreviated version of this review appeared in the 5/24/08 issue of the Home School Buzz e-newsletter; for more information, go to http://homeschoolbuzz.com .)

     Todd, C. Angela and C. Ann.  Watch Out for the Elephants (published in 2004 by Leathers Publishing, a division of Squire Publishers Inc., 4500 College Blvd., Leawood, KS  66211).  In 1945, when racial tensions were still fairly high in the United States, James Todd became only the eleventh African-American man accepted into the United States Foreign Service and, with his wife of one year Norma, began a career with the State Department that spanned 35 years and ended with his retirement in 1980.  Two daughters, the authors of this book, were born to the Todds, and the book chronicles the family's experiences while living in the Middle East (Egypt, Israel); Europe (Austria, France, Germany);  Barbados; Africa (the French Congo, Chad, Northern and Southern Rhodesia, now Zambia and Zimbabwe, Nigeria); Canada; and Southern Asia (Indonesia, Pakistan, and India).  Angela and Ann do not shrink away from describing the prejudice that their family sometimes encountered, both at home and in the field, but that is not the focus of the book.  In fact, they say, "The truth of the matter is that Mom and Dad formed many lasting friendships over the years with numerous white American who were kind, decent, honest, and not racist at all."  Rather, they use everything that happened to them to encourage young people to be thankful for their blessings, turn life's challenges into learning experiences, approach life with a sense of humor, and enjoy the moment.  The fact is that all of us have various kinds of disadvantages.  We can either sit around whining and complaining about them, or we can "take the bull by the horns" and do something positive.  The Todd family chose the latter route, and this delightful, upbeat book is the daughters' testament to how their parents raised them to "count your blessings" and find "teachable moments" in everyday events of life.  I especially liked the attitude expressed in the statement on the back of the book, "If our parents could do it as black Americans living abroad in 1945, you can achieve anything you want to in the 21st century and beyond!"  The only objectionable items that anyone might have would be some references to dancing and drinking alcohol, although Ann specifically says, "My parents were non-drinkers."  The Todds were obviously very religious and when in Israel specifically visited Bible-related sites, although the story of Lot's wife is referred to as a "legend" and some of their church activities included celebrating Christmas and serving refreshments, which are common in denominations.  However, while the Todd girls were always enrolled in schools, Ann wrote, "Unlike my truly independent older sister, I did not want to be away from my folks.  Had they even been posted on Mars, I would have gone with them and done homeschooling."  In addition to several entries from Mr. Todd's journals and numerous black and white photographs throughout the text, there are 24 pages of full-color pictures in the back.  This highly enjoyable book would make a really good source material to accompany a study of world (and even American) history and geography during the mid-twentieth century.  Since it is written especially for young people, there are elementary and middle school teachers guides ( http://www.locusthillpublishing.com/wofte.htm ) available.  Language level:  1.  Ages: suitable for anyone.  EXCELLENT.

     Verstraete, Christine,  Searching For A Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery (to be published in July, 2008 by Quake/Echelon Press – www.quakeme.com ).  I really like reading mystery stories.  It is also my belief that for young people to read good mysteries written for their age level not only is a pleasant pasttime but also may help them develop critical thinking skills.   They can search for clues in the plot and try to find the answers that will help to solve the problem.  Having grown up with the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, I think that author Christine Verstraete has provided a worthy addition to this genre with Searching For A Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery.  Samantha Ann Carlton, better known as Sam, and her friend Lita, both age 13, go for a week with Sam's mother Grace to settle up affairs at the Wisconsin home of Grace's Aunt Hilda, who was a professional artist and art collector but had recently passed away at the age of ninety.  Grace plans to donate most of the Aunt Hilda's miniature paintings to museums, but while there, they find that one of the paintings, a miniature reproduction of The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, is missing and was replaced by a cheap imitation.  Sam and Lita, who enjoy sleuthing, set out to find the lost piece of art.  There are three main suspects:  Mrs. Ursula Drake, the crabby housekeeper; Mr. Jensen, the mysterious gardener; and Emma Taylor, a local librarian, all of whom were taught painting by Aunt Hilda.  The book follows the activities of Sam and Lita, accompanied by a mischievous dachsund named Petey, as they investigate and ends with a surprise conclusion.  It is well written, very exciting, and hard to put down, especially with the spooky old Victorian house, stories of an ancestor who died while burning the barn to exorcise demons then was said to have been seen as a ghost, scary goings-on at night, and a lot of suspense.  In addition to being a nice story, it has a great deal of interesting and educational information about art in general and specifically about miniature paintings.  I really enjoyed the book and look forward to seeing it in bookstores.  Language level: 1.  Ages: 10-15.  GOOD.  (Note: this review also appeared in the June, 2008, issue of Stories for Children Magazine, http://storiesforchildrenmagazine.org .)

     Werner, Dr. Carl.  Evolution: The Grand Experiment (copyright 2007 by Audio Visual Consultants Inc. and published by New Leaf Press, a division of New Leaf Publishing Group, P. O. Box 726, Green Forest, AR  72638).  New Leaf Press has a wonderful array of resources to help Bible-believing parents, including those who homeschool, in teaching their children science from a creationist viewpoint.  The atheists have been chanting the mantra "Evolution is science, creationism is religion" for so long that even a lot of people who call themselves "Christians" apparently have been deceived into believing it.  The truth is that science is science; facts are facts.  However, the scientific facts can be interpreted and understood either from an evolutionary viewpoint or a creationist one.  In other words, evolution, as commonly presented (macroevolution), has not been, and most likely cannot be, demonstrated absolutely as a fact.  It is simply a theory designed to explain the facts.  Furthermore, the evolutionary interpretation is just as much a matter of religious faith as the creationist interpretation.  Dr. Carl Werner, who received his undergraduate degree in biology, with distinction, at the University of Missouri, graduating summa cum laude, and then went on to receive his doctoral degree in medicine, does a great job of demonstrating this from a scientific standpoint in his book Evolution: The Grand Experiment.  In twenty chapters, Dr. Werner discusses from a scientific standpoint such subjects as spontaneous generation, acquired characteristics, natural selection and chance mutations, similarities, the fossil record (including invertebrates, fish, bats, pinnipeds, flying reptiles, dinosaurs, whales, birds, and flowering plants), and the formation of DNA, proteins, and amino acids, showing how each has been used to "prove" evolution and how each can be explained from a creationist view.  While Dr. Werner encourages the reader to examine the evidence for himself and reach his own conclusions, it is clear to me from the information which he presents that the evidence available in fact supports creationism.  The book is well illustrated with gorgeous full color photographs, drawings, and charts to help the non-scientific reader visualize some of the rather complex subjects that are being discussed, and the text is written so that it can be understood by the average person.  There is a teacher's manual with student objectives, class discussion questions, and tests to help children retain the material.  And there is an accompanying set of DVDs.  A couple of friends of mine who are familiar with Dr. Werner's work have also highly recommended the book.  Future books are in progress which will focus on speciality areas requiring more development than could be offered in this one book, such as geology and human evolution.  The second book in the series, Living Fossils, is due out in Feb., 2009, and will show the fossil evidence for the Garden of Eden. Specifically, the book will give 150 fossil examples of every animal and plant group (phyla) living today also found as fossils alongside dinosaurs.  I do believe that Evolution: The Grand Experiment will be a part of Jeremy's seventh-grade science curriculum next year.  Language level: 1.  Ages: grades 6-12 and above.  EXCELLENT.  (Note: an abridged version of this review appeared in the 6/7/08 issue of the weekly HomeSchoolBuzz e-newsletter; for more information, go to http://homeschoolbuzz.com .)

     White, Anne Terry.  George Washington Carver (published in 1953 by Random House; republished in 1963 by Scholastic Book Services, a division of Scholastic Magazines Inc., New York City, NY).  We have several Scholastic biographies, and most of them are fairly good.  Many of the earlier Scholastic biographies were actually reprints from other publishers, and a lot of them were eventually discontinued.  For the most part, I think that older biographies for young people are better than a large number of the more current biographies because they are less subject to historic revisionism and political correctness.  Scholastic's biography of George Washington Carver that is presently in print is Story of George Washington Carver by Eva Moore; we have read it, and it is not bad.  This previous one by Anne Terry White was originally No. 38 in Random House's excellent Landmark Series and entitled George Washington Carver: The Story of a Great American.  I learned things from it that I have not seen in other biographies of Carver, who truly was a great American, and wish this book were still available.  It chronicles his accomplishments both in science and in paving the way for the benefit of later African Americans.  Hopefully this does not sound racist, but I would much prefer observing the births of George Washington Carver (even though his birth date was never known) or Booker T. Washington rather than Martin Luther King.  Author Anne Terry White lived from 1896 to 1980, and was born in the Ukraine, then a part of Russia.  She attended Brown University in 1918 and Stanford University in 1925. White married in 1918, and had two daughters, Ruth and Joan.  During her life, she was a teacher, social worker, editor of Young Citizen, and writer for Social Security Board, as well as an author.  Some of her other well known books include David the Giant Killer; Eugene Debs: American Socialist; and W21 Shakespeare.  Language level: 1.  Ages: 8-12.  EXCELLENT.

     Taken from the July, 2008, issue of Biblical Homeschooling; to receive this free e-mail homeschooling newsletter, send a blank e-mail to biblicalhomeschooling-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and follow the instructions that will be e-mailed to you, or subscribe from the web at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biblicalhomeschooling/ .