Homeschoolbuzz.com Reviews

Doomwyte: A Redwall Tale

November 13 2009 19:25:02

Doomwyte: A Redwall Tale

by Brian Jacques
Reading Level: Young Adult
Reviewed by Benny Davis

Set your paws on the track of a great adventure my friend. Who stole the great-jeweled eyes of Doomwyte long ago? What is Korvus Skurr and Sicariss the snake planning next? What mysteries and adventure await you in Redwall Abbey? Get ready for the latest installment in the Redwall series!

The story starts out when a magpie caught in a storm is trying to seek shelter. It found Redwall Abbey and perched on a dormitory sill where she overheard Bisky the mouse telling the Dibbuns the story of how Gonff the Mousethief stole four jewels from the Great Doomwyte Idol. Having heard the gist of the story, the magpie flies off again to seek out Korvus Skurr, leader of the Doomwytes, to tell him of the story because Korvus has the idol and is looking for the jewels (A Doomwyte is anyone that is willing to follow Korvus Skurr.). He then sends out a raven to kidnap one of the dibbuns. Thankfully, as the raven is carrying the little one away it is shot out of the sky by a hare named Bosie of Bowlaynee. Bosie then agrees to be Redwalls' defender for food and shelter. Korvus, now in outrage, hires the mighty slayer Baliss the giant snake -who is rumored to be a descendant of the legendary Asmodeus.

While looking though the records, the Redwallers stumble upon the first clue that will tell them where the first eye of Doomwyte is hidden. They decide to take up the treasure hunt, not knowing that Korvus Skurr will to wipe them all out if he has to. This book is filled with loveable characters, action, adventure, mystery, suspense, and of course good humor. This installment might be one of the best Redwall books, if not THE best. I greatly enjoyed this book and encourage you to read it. I would give it a 10/10.

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Justin Morgan Had a Horse

November 13 2009 19:10:26

Justin Morgan Had a Horse

by Marguerite Henry
Reading Level: Ages 8 - 12
Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker

Justin Morgan’s main claim to fame in history has been as the owner of an unusual runt work horse raised in Vermont and originally known as “Little Bub” which became the sire of a famous American breed of horse named after its first owner, the Morgan horse. However, Justin Morgan was not a horse breeder. He was an early American school teacher, singing master, and composer. Those of us who are familiar with American concert music may be acquainted with a piece called “Fantasy for Double String Orchestra on a Hymn Tune of Justin Morgan” by Thomas Canning which is based on “Amanda,” a hymn tune composed by Justin Morgan. The book tells the story of how Morgan, with his young friend and student Joel Goss, goes from Randolph, VT, to Springfield, MA, in 1795 because Farmer Beane owes him some money that he needs.

Farmer Beane cannot pay, but he gives Morgan a fine steed named Ebenezer instead. Little Bub seems to want to go with Ebenezer, so Farmer Beane throws him in the deal as well. However, the main character of the book is not Morgan but Joel, who gentles Little Bub for Morgan, watches the horse outpull and outrace other horses while being rented out to a local farmer, and then tries to buy him at an auction after Morgan’s death. Unfortunately, he does not have enough money, and Bub is purchased by the local carpenter but is then sold very quickly to someone else who takes him away. Joel looks for Bub while an apprentice at Miller Chase’s inn, searches for the horse while fighting during the War of 1812, and continues to think about him after becoming an adult and a partner of Miller Chase. But will he ever see the horse again? Marguerite Henry has written several good horse stories. We have read her series beginning with Misty of Chincoteague (a 1948 Newbery Honor book) and also her Newbery Award winning King of the Wind. Justin Morgan Had a Horse was a Newbery Honor book in 1946. We did this as a family read aloud and everyone enjoyed it.

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Dead Fred, Flying Lunch Boxes, and the Good Luck Circle

November 13 2009 19:03:50

Dead Fred, Flying Lunch Boxes, and the Good Luck Circle

by Frank McKinney (with Kate Mason)
Reading Level: Ages 9 - 12
Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker

Ppeekk (pronounced “Peekie”) Rose Berry is a thirteen-year-old eighth grade girl who has just moved with her dad, a vacuum cleaner salesman, and mom, who is a pastry caterer, from Indiana to Delray Beach, FL. Because she played peek-a-boo with her parents when she was young, they nicknamed her Peeker, and when she got older she changed the spelling to make it unique. Since her parents don’t seem to have much time for her, she begins walking to school, although her dad does drive his old Yugo behind her till she crosses the drawbridge from the barrier island to make sure that she is safe. One day, when some workers are pouring concrete for a new sidewalk, an Old man looking like the grandfather of the Lucky Charms character blows a smoke ring toward her. When the workers drive off, she picks up a stick and draws a “Good Luck Circle” in the soft concrete. As she walks on, she picks up a dead-looking fish that talks to her and tells her that he is Frederick the Ninth, King of High Voltage, a magical underwater kingdom in the Intracoastal Waterway channel beneath the rickety old bridge. She calls him “Dead Fred.”

Ppeekk learns that a prehistoric monster named Megalodon has returned to life, dethroned Dead Fred, and is trying to take over High Voltage. However, Dead Fred has a plan to save his kingdom which involves the very shy Ppeekk, who seeks help from the two neighbor children, Quatro and Mini Romey, and six of their other friends from school. In High Voltage, they find that manatees talk, clownfish encourage children to throw their lunch boxes off the bridge, and flying fish carry the lunch boxes to special nearby rocks. But when a hurricane comes, will Ppeekk’s plan to destroy Megalodon and save High Voltage work?

Author Frank McKinney conceived the idea for this children’s fantasy novel while walking his daughter Laura (the inspiration for Ppeekk) and her friends to school, over the drawbridge on the Intracoastal Waterway in Delray Beach, FL every day of her school life – so far that's over 1,200 walks as she is now in 6th grade!

High Voltage has been likened to both Oz and Narnia. The book is well written and very exciting to read. Parents may want to know that there are a few euphemisms, an instance of tobacco use by the old man, and some references to life on earth 50,000,000 years ago. On one occasion, Mini Romey is said to be wearing short shorts and a halter top. Also, there is a time when “Ppeekk felt funny telling a lie, but it was for a most important cause.” As to age range, the scene where Megalodon’s remoras turn into a voodoo priestess, an albino demon, and a blood-spitting monster might be a bit intense for children who are younger or a little sensitive. However, there are beneficial lessons portrayed about believing in oneself, gaining courage, friendship, and parent-child relationships, especially when Edward Berry goes out into the hurricane looking for his daughter. In addition, proceeds from book sales go to benefit Frank McKinney’s Caring House Project Foundation, a non-profit organization which provides a self-sustaining existence for the most desperately poor and homeless families in Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Africa, Indonesia, and the United States with homes, medical clinics, orphanages, schools, churches, clean water, and renewable agricultural assets such as livestock and crops. If you are interested in a breath-taking journey into a magical fantasy world, you should enjoy Dead Fred, Flying Lunch Boxes, and the Good Luck Circle.

Acknowledgements to the publisher for providing Wayne with a copy of the book for this review.

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My Friend Flicka

November 06 2009 17:19:34

My Friend Flicka

by Mary O'Hara
Reading Level: Ages 16+
Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker

When I was growing up out in rural southern Ohio, many of the girls with whom I went to school had horses, and many who did not have horses still loved them anyway. I worked in the high school library, and the three books that I noticed were constantly being checked out by the horse living crowd were Black Beauty, National Velvet, and My Friend Flicka, which is about a horse and a boy, Ken McLaughlin, who lives with his father, a retired military officer turned rancher and horse breeder, mother, older brother, and two ranch hands on Goose Bar Ranch in Wyoming. Ken chooses a half-wild yearling as his horse and works to tame the filly who tries to escape and is severely injured, then Ken gets very sick while seeking to keep the horse from being shot.

Having read the unabridged version, I can attest to the fact that it does contain a lot of profanity and cursing--even the mother, who is normally placid, uses the "d" word on one occasion. However, I had seen a version among those cute little books for girls with the lockets wrapped up with them, and I suspected that it had been edited with much of the offending material removed. Then a friend wrote me, "I did find a Reader's Digest condensed version - it is much, much cleaner. RD removed most, if not all, of the profanity to my recollection. Yet they retained the better language usage and higher level of vocabulary words."

In addition to the bad language, there are numerous references to smoking tobacco and even a few to drinking alcohol. Also, the scene where the young male horses were gelded I thought was a little more gruesomely detailed than needed to be. Then the attitude of the father toward Ken was not always the greatest. Although it is clear that Mr. McLaughlin truly loved his younger son, he is initially presented as gruff, petulant, distant, and cold, probably because he does not understand or appreciate Ken's dreamy and, probably in his eyes, "not manly enough" disposition. However, more than a story of a boy and a horse, the book is really a story about how the relationship between the boy and the horse affects how the father and son come to understand each other better. The story is actually not a bad one, and Jeremy (who was about ten at the time), to whom I read it aloud (with A LOT of editing!), enjoyed it, although he did get a little upset with the father's attitude on occasion.

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Wright on Time: Arizona (book 1)

November 06 2009 16:48:35

Wright on Time: Arizona (book 1)

by Lisa Cottrell-Bentley
Reading Level: Ages 9 - 12
Reviewed by Kathy Davis

Join the Wright family as they homeschool and RV around the United States in search of exciting and new learning experiences. In this easy chapter book, we are introduced to dad Harrison, mom Stephanie, and kids Aiden and Nadia, a family who loves learning and spending time with each other. Their first stop is Arizona, where they do some spelunking and digging for gems. Readers will enjoy learning right along side the Wrights as they explore such things as iron pyrite, garnet, bats, stalagmites and stalactites (and read how to tell the difference between the two), and a mysterious device.

What a nice series this is, educational and appropriate for your children. I had a chance to chat with the author, Lisa Cottrell-Bentley about her Wright in time series. Here's what I found out:

HSB: Lisa, what's the story behind the series – how did you come up with the idea to write about a homeschooling family that RV's.

My (always homeschooled) daughters are currently 13 and 9. For years my older daughter and I read books together (my younger daughter and I have, too, but my older daughter has always had more opinions about the books she's read). While she loved the books, she was often disappointed with the school-centric views of the characters. She was also always bothered by the mean spirited sibling and friend relationships and the lack of parents in the stories.

One day, while swimming together, we got to talking about what the best book series ever would be and the Wright family was created! Over the course of weeks of many conversations, we created the characters in the stories and the overall story arc for the series. Since I was already a writer, I took it upon myself to actually start writing the Wright family's stories.

We knew we wanted the whole family involved in each story, and what better way to do that than to have the family *BE* together in a physically small vehicle? Since the Wright family travels so much, the only consistent characters are the two parents, two children, and their pet turtle.

HSB: Did you do any cave exploring as part of the research for the book?

Oh, yes! My older daughter has been fascinated with caves for years, so we always go to as many caves as we can find wherever we are. While researching this book, we went to all the Arizona caves we could find. I also talked with a private cave owner.

We recently went on two different trips (one to NM, TX, AR, LA, MS) and went to two different caves, and then another trip (to IL, MO, IA) and went to several more. We always find it amazing how each cave can be so different. My daughter's love of caves has made her interested in bats and geology, too (she's currently taking a 4 credit college class in geology).

HSB: What's your style of homeschooling?

My family considers ourselves "Life Long Learners", or "Radical Unschoolers". It's hard to give a label to exactly what we do, especially now that our 13 yo is in college. Suffice it to say that my husband and I facilitate our daughters' interests to the best of our abilities. We've never felt the need to give them homework assignments or use a curriculum since their lives have been full and rich without them. While there are a variety of homeschooling styles, this has worked really great for our family.

HSB: How many more books do you plan in this series?

I plan to write at least 50 Wright on Time books, one for each state.

It has been recommended to me that I write ones for Washington D.C., the U.S. territories, and possibly other countries, too. I may; I am definitely not ruling them out, but I'm starting with the 50 U.S. states.

In these books, the Wright kids (Nadia and Aidan) will age and grow.

Each book is set in a new month. We'll see the children as they age, get new interests and abilities, and get bigger. They start the series at ages 7 and 11 and will end the series 50 months older. :) I'm planning for the last 12 or so books to be closer to YA (Young Adult) in nature rather than children's chapter books. My readers have been really excited about this since they, too, age and grow.

At this time (November 2009), the first book is published, the second book will be published in December, and the third has had its illustrations started. I've written the first six completely and the next two are well on their way to being completed.

HSB: It's nice to see a book about real world homeschoolers. Do you have any advice to send out to your fellow homeschoolers about how to stay inspired?

Follow your heart and your children's interests! I've learned more as the mother of my two daughters than I ever imagined I could possibly learn. I love seeing the world through their eyes and realizing that everything amazing is possible. If you lose your inspiration, spend some time really looking at your children. They are amazing people AS-IS. Be their partner in life and you'll never fail.

Thanks to Lisa for providing me with a copy of Wright on Time: Arizona for this review.

To learn more about the author or the series do stop over to the website: http://www.wrightontimebooks.com/

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Learn to Study the Bible

November 06 2009 16:42:26

Learn to Study the Bible

by Andy Deane
Reading Level: Older teens and adults (but with help could be used by younger students)
Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker

Many families who homeschool for religious reasons include Bible study as part of their “core curriculum.” Some complete homeschool curricula include Bible study, but a lot of us prefer to do even our homeschool Bible study directly from the Bible itself. This book by Andy Deane, who serves as an associate minister on the staff at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge in central New Jersey, is designed not only to encourage Bible study but also to help people learn how to study the Bible and to make Bible study interesting so that they will get more out of it.

Following the introduction on the joy of Bible study, the first five chapters provide tips for profitable Bible study and give some general guidelines about determining what a passage says, what it means, and what it asks us to do. There follow forty more chapters with forty different Bible study methods. Andy says, “The hundreds of hours spent researching and experimenting with these forty methods will enable you to find one or more that will fit your goals and begin enhancing your understanding of God’s Word today.” Trying different methods will help one stay fresh in his approach to God’s Word, draw out spiritual truths from the Scriptures that he may have otherwise missed, and avoid the dryness that can sometimes creep into routines. Some of the chapters are basic study methods with simple ways for everyone to study the Word. Others are major study methods with time-tested approaches for those who want to go deeper. Still others are creative study methods that add variety to Bible study. There are chapters on studying specific kinds of passages, and even study methods suitable for younger students. The last two chapters have information on building a Bible reference library and some final thoughts.

Of course, the principles found in this book would be beneficial for any private, individual Bible study, but I believe that they could well be used in homeschool Bible study also to give variety. It might be interesting to try one method for a few weeks, then move on to another, using several different ones over a period of time. And the application section of each chapter will guarantee that even the homeschool Bible study will result in more than just an academic exercise. The book is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to dig deeper into the Bible and for anyone who has the opportunity to teach the Bible to others. The related website is http://www.LearnToStudyTheBible.com.

Note: Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of the book for this review.

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Black Beauty

October 30 2009 20:02:00

Black Beauty

by Anna Sewell
Reading Level: Ages 9-12, but suitable for anyone
Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker

Growing up, even though we lived in the country, I was never a “horse person.” Many of the girls that I went to school with were horse fanatics and read every horse book there was (i.e., National Velvet, My Friend Flicka, etc.). I have read Marguerite Henry’s “Misty” books in the last few years, but had never read Black Beauty until now. It is truly a lovely book about a horse who is loved and then later mistreated. The story teaches high morals, hard work, kindness for animals, and fair treatment of others. There is absolutely no bad language. The author maintains a good balance between the fact that horses are part of God’s creation put here on earth to serve the needs of mankind and the need for man to be a good steward of God’s creation by treating animals with kindness. She also has a lot to say about the evils of drinking alcohol and how it causes misery for both humans and animals.

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Shakespeare's Julius Caesar Remixed

October 30 2009 19:52:58

Shakespeare's Julius Caesar Remixed

by Goldspike Audio Productions
Reading Level:
Reviewed by Kathy Davis

At some point, Julius Caesar is one of those plays you probably would like your highschooler to read. But what if you just can't seem to find the time to add another book to the list or maybe your student can't get past the Shakespearean language and stumbles through it. Then you may want to try the hilarious musical from Goldspike Audio: Shakespeare's Julius Caesar remixed. Made up of 20 tracks (with 9 original songs) with a running time of over 50 minutes, JC remixed is an exciting, novel way to hear this classic tale. Complete with sound effects, a full dramatic cast, and orchestral music this production is both original and fun. Impressive work from a homeschooled, high school

Senior - 17 year old Forrest Brazeal serves as director, producer, and co-writer. I had the chance to chat with Forrest regarding this ambitious project. Here's what he had to say.

HSB: Forrest, tell us how Julius Caesar remixed came about?

My sister Elizabeth and I have been recording musical audio productions for years now. We knew we wanted to record a “remix” of a subject from literature, and in October of 2007 we decided on Julius Caesar, because the majority of students, whether of history or literature, study Julius Caesar before they graduate from high school. And there’s very little material out there that gives a fun, kid-friendly introduction to the play.

HSB: It's quite an endeavor, how much time would you say you devoted to it?

Scriptwriting for the project began in fall 2007; the finished CD was released in July 2009. During the arduous 21-odd intervening months, I personally managed to devote around 1,000 hours to the production. A great learning experience!

HSB: What was the most challenging aspect of the production?

Due to the limits of a basement recording studio and the conflicting schedules of the actors, nearly all the dialogue lines for the CD were recorded "wild" (individually) and edited together in post production, which necessitated large amounts of time and seemingly endless adjustments to preserve uniform quality. Really, the surprising thing in retrospect is that, despite the crazy recording situations, the finished CD turned out to be very technically respectable.

4. Do you have a favorite song from the remix?

Wow. "Brutus Is An Honorable Man," the song version of Mark Antony's speech, is kind of a landmark moment in the CD, but I had a great time sampling the ping-pong sounds for "Life Is Just A Game of Ping-Pong," too. I also love the harmonic construction and zany lyrics (creations of my genius older sister) in "I'll Never Leave You", and then there's "Beware The Ides of March"...

5. What words of advice do you have for your peers who may have a dream to accomplish something big but just aren't sure they can do it.

Stop dreaming - start working! To be honest, I had no idea what I was getting into when I first proposed to create a full-length audio musical (if I'd known, I might never have tried) and I became pretty discouraged at times along the way, but with some perseverance I was able to complete the endeavor. I think I learned that sometimes you have to stop hesitating about your ability to reach a goal and just start working at it - you may get better results than you expect!

6. Do you have any plans to remix any other classic works?

My next project will be similar in style, but quite different in subject. I'm not saying too much about it yet, but look for a very unique musical take on the creation/evolution debate!

Thanks to Forrest Brazeal and Goldspike Audio for providing Homeschoolbuzz.com with a complimentary copy of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar remixed for this review. Want to hear a sample from the CD? Scoot over to http://goldspikeaudiohh.com/ to hear a clip.

Matilda

October 23 2009 18:44:14

Matilda

by Roald Dahl
Reading Level: Ages 8 - 12
Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker

This is the fifth book of Dahl’s that I have read. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a good book and I liked it. Fantastic Mr. Fox was all right but nothing to write home about, and The Vicar of Nibbleswicke, though written to draw attention to the problem of dyslexia, tended to lean toward the vulgar in places. James and the Giant Peach was an interesting, if rather fantastic, story, but I did not care for the way that it made most adults seem evil and untrustworthy. Matilda has the same problem.

Matilda is a very precocious young girl whose father is a crooked used car salesman and whose mother is a slob who cares for nothing but soap operas and bingo. And when Matilda goes to school she encounters Miss Trunchbull who is “two-hundred menacing pounds of kid-hating headmistress.” The only adult in Matilda’s life that bears any resemblance to humanity is her teacher Miss Honey. The message seems to be that children really cannot depend on most adults to look after their best interests. The book is filled with euphemisms (heck, darn, golly, gosh, and even a couple instances of “oh my gawd”), but even worse than this, lying seems to be condoned under certain circumstances and Matilda’s acts of revenge to get back at her parents and Miss Trunchbull are presented in a sympathetic way. Yes, I know that evil people exist in the world, sometimes even parents and teachers, but the Biblical response is to love your enemies, not seek to get back at them with revenge.

The story is told in an interesting and very readable fashion, but I was reminded of Cecil B. DeMille’s adage that if a film is not worth doing, it is not worth doing well. If a book is not worth writing, it is not worth writing well. Dahl is a little like what someone said of Harry Potter’s J. K. Rowling, a good story-teller trapped in the body of a bad author. In commenting on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, our friend Dave Pratte said, “This author has other similar books, but some are highly questionable.” Matilda falls into the “highly questionable” category. I did not care for it, and we shall not do it as a read aloud. Also, the book was made into a movie, but the previews did not even look good to us so we never saw it.

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Horrid Henry and the Scary Sitter

October 21 2009 19:24:05

Horrid Henry and the Scary Sitter

by Francesca Simon
Reading Level: Ages 7 – 10
Reviewed by Kathy Davis

Horrid Henry lives up to his name – his behavior is atrocious! In Horrid Henry and the Scary Sitter, Henry is the star of 4 short, comical stories. Geared to reluctant readers, Horrid Henry will have you yelling, oh no, don't do it Henry over and over! Henry has your average parents, but he claims they are horrible. He also has a little brother who is Perfect Peter – an adorable lad who always does the right thing, and that just throws Henry over the edge – he doesn't tolerate good behavior. So what sort of mischief does Henry get into? In the chapter tricks and treats Henry gives his poor little brother a shocking haircut and loses his chance to go trick or treating. He gets to hand out oranges and walnuts instead, but not without first playing his own tricks on the unsuspecting halloweeners while stealing some of their candy at the same time.

In the chapter called the Scary Sitter, Henry has met his match in the bad department. Rabid Rebecca, the toughest teen in town doesn't take any baloney from Henry - that is until Henry finds out she's afraid of spiders. He taunts her with one and gets his way of staying up to watch TV and eat junk food.

In each of the stories Henry shows dastardly behavior - he is the ultimate brat. No, Henry is not a good example for your children. But not to worry, they will have no problem recognizing that for themselves, and for the most part Henry suffers consequences for his behaviors. The black and white illustrations are great, and add that much more humor to the book.

Note: Acknowledgments to Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for providing me with a copy of this book for my review.

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