THE INHERITANCE GAMES by Jennifer Lynn Banks For those of us who fell in love with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, then rejoiced when we discovered Mr. Lemoncello's Library, The Inheritance Games is the natural next step in the progression. Avery Grambs is at the bottom of the proverbial social food chain. In fact, she's basically living out of her car, and because of this it takes the lawyer a little while longer to track her down for the reading of billionaire Tobias Hawthorne's will. Her presence is required at the reading, and Avery can't figure out why. She's never even heard of the man. Receiving a chilly welcome from the six family members who have had to wait to get their hands on what they believe is coming is nothing compared to the outrageous shock when they find out that they've each received a pittance compared to the bulk that Avery's just inherited. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Hawthorne was known for his games and puzzles that he would challenge his four grandsons to solve, so they know that there is deeper meaning and reasoning going on here. This last ultimate game is going to make them face the past while evaluating their futures. While the book itself is an engaging read with some thrilling moments, there are some things to be aware of. HEADS UP- Language- There are 2 ways that Barnes handles language in her book. The first is that d*** and h*** are used a fair amount. The second is how Avery's best friend uses it. She's not allowed to cuss, so she substitutes words for the real ones. An example is " That faxing chiphead can go straight to elf and eat a bag of ducks!" We all know what she is saying. This character pops in and out of the story, so this comes in waves. With both of these components I would rate the language at a medium level.

THE MOTH CATCHER by Ann Cleeves The days are warmer which means we are starting to see butterflies during the day and moths at night. I love these marvelous creatures. I love following their flutters around the yard and photographing them. Two nights ago my daughter caught a beautiful promethea moth. (I'll share a picture in the comments.) With my love and the perfect season how could I resist a Vera Stanhope mystery that had moths at the center of it? Valley Farm is a quiet, upscale community. When two bodies are discovered, one in a ditch on the side of a road and one in the apartment of the Big House, the peace and quiet that these wealthy individuals crave disappears. Who are these two? No one seems to know them, and there doesn't seem to be a thing that connects them except for a love of collecting moths. The deeper Vera digs, the more the shiny veneer comes off of this perfect little community. Someone knows more than they are saying, and maybe even enough to kill them. If you have followed my page for any length of time, you know I enjoy Ann Cleeves' frumpy Inspector, Vera Stanhope. While still an enjoyable read, this wasn't my favorite Vera book of the series. Without giving it away, there was a part that I wished she would have developed deeper. HEADS UP- There are probably about 5 profanities in the book. Two of them are F-bombs almost back to back.

THE MERMAID WITH NO TAIL - by Jessica Long. Illustrated by Airin O' Gallaghan During the Super Bowl in 2021 a moving commercial was aired. It was of a swimmer with no legs. The commercial focused on a young lady who was swimming through several scenes that we later found out were from her life. Originally born in Siberia, she was adopted by parents who were willing to take on a child with challenges. This young lady was a fighter and desired more than anything else to be able to swim and swim competitively. I can't tell you who played in the Superbowl that year, but I can tell you that that commercial made a lasting impression on me. I've included a link in case you're not familiar with it or desire to see it again. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Dzvxqtalk1FU&ved=2ahUKEwiyl83_hJ-GAxX_l4kEHZwqCGEQwqsBegQIDRAG&usg=AOvVaw03JYLKD8sWrAu4nGYHcOAD Today's picture book is written by that young lady, Jessica Long. Long shares her story through the eyes of a mermaid who has no tail. She tells about how the other mermaids really wanted nothing to do with her, because she was so different. This story is a beautiful tale of working on and overcoming difficulties in life. These stories are so important for our kids for 2 reasons. 1. They teach us to be kind to those who struggle. People with physical challenges are still people! 2. They also teach that when we struggle, which everyone does at some point, that doesn't have to be the end of the story. Tatiana's fins don't grow back. She has to accept what she doesn't have, but she strengthens what she does have and moves forward. This is a lesson we could all take to heart! This book also gives a wonderful nod to adoption! O'Callaghan's illustrations are exactly what you would desire in a book like this. Ocean colors such as teal and sea green are prevalent. Coral, lavender, and blue-gray accentuate bringing life and movement to the mermaids and sea creatures.

TEACHING A LITERATURE CLASS - PART 1 A few of you asked for details about my literature classes, so I've sat down to reflect on the year. When I made the decision to start, I had a couple of goals in mind. 1. Keep it on the small side so that all the kids participate. 2. If possible, do it in a comfortable environment. I hold my classes at my home. In the winter we sit in a room surrounded by thousands of books on comfortable couches and chairs. In the fall and spring we sit on a covered porch. Nature surrounds us. It is relaxing and beautiful. 3. Choose books that cover different genres and different time periods. Why? I completely understand why curriculums pair books with their history focus for the year. I've used several. Some have worked really well for us, but some we dreaded continuing on book after book, because we didn't like the style, time period, etc. (Can someone say Middle Ages?) It is no fun when you feel like you are sludging your way through homeschool days for an entire year. In my book, it's a recipe for burnout for both mom and child! I know not all of you will get this comparison because some of you are math lovers, but as a kid I lived for what I call " the breath of fresh air problems." I can remember around fifth grade looking at my math book with multiple long division problems (the ones with the three digit divisors) and dreading it! One mistake in the entire LONG process and the whole problem was off. It was a proverbial mountain to climb every lesson, but then what a breath of fresh air it was to get to the area problems or pint/quart/pound conversion problems. Don't get me wrong! I believe it is necessary to do long division, and I believe that it is necessary to read books that we may not particularly enjoy, because it stretches us. However, I do not think it is necessary to do a whole year of misery. Do that book, then put a breath of fresh air behind it! My students work on a five day schedule. Monday we meet for an hour discussion. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday I assign them reading in the book we are working through for 30 minutes. I don't assign chapters. More on that in a minute. Thursday I give them FREE READ DAY. This day is for them to choose a book and read for 30 minutes. I don't care the genre, I don't care if it's comics in the newspaper, graphic novel, etc. There's a reason for this. I am interested in hearing what they naturally gravitate to. When we meet the first question I ask them after greeting them is what did you free read this week? It gives us a moment to share something that they picked before we slide into the deeper stuff. It's an ice breaker. I want to take a moment to say that my assignment sheet that goes home with each student says the days with those assignments, but they know they are free to mix those days up how they please. Free read fits better on Tuesday this week because of sports, etc? Great! 3 days reading the assigned book for 30 min, 1 day of the free read before I see you at class on Monday. Real life is calling me, so I'll be back with more thoughts later!

My memory isn't as sharp as it used to be. Maybe it's all the books that I'm reading at the same time, maybe it's the constant interruption of life that breaks the concentration, maybe it's the brain of a 48-year,-old. Who knows. All this to say, I have a notebook next to me as I read, and I take loads of notes. Within that stream of notes, I'm also tracking my line of discussion. Meaning that within each book, I know why I've chosen the book and direct the discussion accordingly. We recently read The Secret Garden and a modern retelling, The Humming Room in my high school group. I had several reasons for reading these books. First, we read The Secret Garden in spring and sat outside as much as possible. As most of you know, it is a beautifully written, classic book. Life was breaking open around us in nature and we were able to enjoy it. Second, The Secret Garden is an amazing piece of literature, but it is very spiritual, and not from a Christian perspective. I was dealing with high schoolers, so we chased down the idea of the Magic that Burgess refers to so often. What is it? What does Colin mean when he says he wants to study it and perform experiments with it? Third, The Humming Room offers a version that the students could relate to easier. It's opening scene sounds like something we would hear in the news. Fourth, while the students said they enjoyed The Humming Room more than The Secret Garden, it had an unsatisfactory ending. Each student then went around and said what would have wrapped the book up in a more satisfactory way for each of them. It leaves gaps and questions, so we answered them. Fifth, I put up a huge piece of paper with markers labeled Compare and Contrast and I had the students call out and then go write down under the correct heading how the story was alike, how was it different, how were the characters the same, how were they different, etc. Sixth, while I don't catch everything, I do want these students to have a working knowledge of literary terms and their uses within works. We hunt and draw attention to literary techniques within works. I certainly don't claim to be a master at this, but with each book that we do, with each bit of study I put in, my abilities grow alongside the students. Real life is calling again! I'll be back soon!

TEACHING A LITERATURE CLASS - PART 3 I'll just close this series of posts with 2 things - recommended resources and my lists of books. The first resource to share is The Center for Literature. Adam and Missy Andrews have done a spectacular job equipping educators to teach lit discussion using Socratic questions. My kids have taken their online classes over the years, I've sat in many of their talks at the homeschool convention, and I use their wonderful resource Teaching the Classics and Worldview Detective. https://www.centerforlit.com/ The second resource is Not Consumed's Reading Journal. This journal is Christian based and is a series of questions that can be applied to the books of your choice. Each of my students has one and I assign one very short reflection for each day of my assigned reading (not for their free read day). https://store.notconsumed.com/collections/homeschool Before I move to the lists, I just want to leave you with one more thing. I have been homeschooling my 5 children for 17 years now. I have covered a lot of literature curriculum and read a lot of books in those years. I am FAR from knowing everything, but I continue to stretch and grow every day. Give yourself grace to try and grow as well! You don't need to know everything to start this journey! Okay now for my lists- 2023-2024 Elementary Aesop's Fables/Arnold Lobel's Fables Indian in the Cupboard Misty of Chincoteague The Penderwicks Biography of their choice Gone Away Lake Who is Helen Keller Trumpet of the Swan 12 Days of Christmas Picture Books with Activities 2023-2024 High School The Faithful Spy The Taming of the Shrew Sleeping Murder (Agatha Christie) Christmas Carol Biography of their choice The Secret Garden The Humming Room (modern retelling of The Secret Garden for Compare/Contrast) 2024-2025 Elementary King of the Wind Because of Winn Dixie Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? Where the Red Fern Grows Number the Stars Mr. Lemoncello's Library The Witch of Blackbird Pond Biography of their choice 2024-2025 High School Huck Finn Hunger Games The Hound of the Baskervilles Tale of Two Cities Shakespeare or the Illiad Biography of their choice Watership Down The Great Gatsby

THE WARRIOR POET WAY: A GUIDE TO LIVING FREE AND DYING WELL by John Lovell When John Lovell came back from serving five tours as an Army Ranger, he noticed something. The men that he served with were losing their families when they came home. They would cross the ocean, fight for their loved ones, come home, and not be able to successfully integrate back into the society and the families they were fighting for. There were two big problems - (1) the warrior didn't know how to develop the "poet" side that connected with his family in a tender way while still being their strong protector and (2) he now returned to a world that constantly battles against "warrior" type men. What did Lovell do? Well, it took a little time, because he had some figuring out to do himself, but he caught onto something. A balance of both the warrior and the poet was needed. He formed The Warrior Poet Society, a society that was born of being that much needed protecting warrior and the man who can relate to his wife and children. This book shares that journey and what it means to be a Warrior Poet in today's world.

ISRAEL ON HIGH ALERT by Ron Rhodes Before I really dive in and talk about this book I want to remind everyone that this page is not for debating issues. It is solely to give you information about books so you can decide what is a good fit for you or your family! We all have seen the news about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas. Israel on High Alert dives in and explains the history of Israel and the wars (including the current one) they have fought. Coming from a Biblical foundation, Ron Rhodes walks the reader through Scripture about God's plan for Israel and how these events play into the end times.

A SECRET PRINCESS by Margaret Stohl and Melissa De La Cruz Lauren's Literary Life - a review by my daughter, Lauren A Secret Princess is the combination of three books, The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, and Little Lord Fauntleroy. The book tells the story of three friends: Mary Lennox, Sara Crewe, and Cedric Errol. The three meet at the Select Seminary for Young Ladies and Gentlemen, after they are sent there by their families for various reasons. Sara is a target of Headmistress Minchin’s cruelty, and Mary, who has a quick tongue and an imagination that often comes up with mischievous ideas, quickly wins Sara’s friendship as she stands up to the headmistress. Cedric struggles with a leg condition, but the girls befriend him and are determined to take him along on their adventures. When tragedy strikes and fortunes are lost, the teens decide to run away together rather than face servitude to the headmistress and the threat of being sent to relatives in America. The three soon discover that running away is not a grand fairy tale as they face encounters with the police, workhouses, and the feeling of going hungry. However, one of the teenagers has a secret past that leads them to a mansion and a life full of riches – but the mansion holds mysteries of its own, including a secret garden that is waiting to be discovered. LAUREN’S OPINION: A couple years ago I read Jo and Laurie, Margaret Stohl and Melissa De La Cruz’s first book, and absolutely loved their rewritten version of the story of The Little Women. So when I saw The Secret Princess at the book store, I was excited to buy it and read it. However, if you don’t mind me using a baseball analogy, Jo and Laurie hit it out of the park, but The Secret Princess was a strike. I think the authors tried to combine too much into one book. It was anticlimactic, and I found myself confused as many things were not explained or wrapped up in the end of the book. I was very disappointed with the ending. My thought is if you want to meet Mary Lennox, Sara Crewe, and Cedric Errol, go buy the original books. They tell the story much better. HEADS UP: There are two things to be aware of in this book. First: There are a couple uses of d*** throughout the book. Second: There is magic in the book. Mary is visited by a Genie who tells her what her future will hold if she is brave and runs for her destiny. The secret garden is a magical place that grows all sorts of plants and is warm and sunny even when it is cold and rainy around it. In the garden there is also a well in which Mary sees the ghosts of the people she’s lost. It is said that the garden is haunted by the dead lady of the mansion, and the fog in the garden shows Mary the story of what happened there. The magic is not explained in detail.

SWIM TEAM: SMALL WAVES: BIG CHANGES by Johnnie Christmas Even though we are in the season of spring, school is winding down and we are starting to think about summer and summer reading lists. Swim Team is one of my first picks with summer specifically in mind. Swim Team is a graphic novel that covers a myriad of topics: moving, new school, fear of swimming and overcoming, joining a swim team and the dynamics that involves, segregation of pools in our history, healing past hurts/forgiveness etc. When Bree and her father make the move from Brooklyn, NY to Florida, they're in for some BIG changes. One of the biggest changes- when Bree goes to register for her fourth period elective she finds out that all that's available is Swim 101. The problem is Bree can't swim and is AFRAID of swimming. What unfolds is a journey of facing her fears, making friends, getting to know her neighbor, and helping fix a wrong done years ago that killed a friendship. HEADS UP- There are a couple uses of Oh my G**.

TWENTY-ONE STEPS: GUARDING THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER by Jeff Gottesfeld. Illustrated by Matt Tavares. Twenty-One Steps is one of my TOP PICKS and is the very moving picture book dedicated to the remembrance of the Unknowns, the soldiers who died on the battlefields and remained "nameless and faceless," and the guards that watch over them.  In 1921 one such unknown was brought home in remembrance of all. He lay in state in the Capitol where many passed by, especially those who had family members that were left behind. He was a way for them to grieve and say goodbye to their sons and fathers. He was buried in Arlington Cemetery in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Over time a few more joined him in the tomb representing the unknowns from other wars. The book goes into the honor that is shown to these men 24/7 by the special group of soldiers that watch over their tomb. They are called Sentinel Guards, and they are an elite group of soldiers whose goal is one thing - perfection. They have stood guard uninterrupted since July 2, 1937 when they first began their post. This book is one of those books that helps us to be grateful for what we have and for the men and women who serve to protect us.

TREE TABLE BOOK by Lois Lowry Sophie Henry Winslow and Sophie Gershowitz are neighbors and best friends. What makes their friendship so unique and different than the typical friendship is that Sophie W. is 11-years old and Sophie G. is 88-years-old. Even though there is a large span of years between them, they both like the same types of things and get along very well together. Life continues on in a typical pattern until.. Sophie G's short term memory starts slipping. Her out of state son is returning soon to take her to be tested for something called dementia. Sophie W is a precocious child, and takes it upon herself to prepare her friend for the testing and in the process prepare herself for what the outcome of this testing may mean. Question number two of the test deals with short term memory. Three words are given to the subject for them to remember. A few minutes are waited and then the subject is to repeat the three words from memory. When Sophie G. fails this part, Sophie W. decides to give her the words and have her associate them with a story from her life to hopefully hold onto them better. The stories that end up coming out are three from Sophie G's childhood in Poland that she has never shared with anyone before. Two that take place during WWII and share persecution her Jewish family endured. This story is very moving story celebrating the gift of friendship and does have the possibility of being a tear jerker. HEADS UP- There are a couple of areas to share. The first has to do with a game the Sophies play. It is an ABC type game where you try and use the letter as many times as you can in a sentence such as "Bill the Bartender from Boston is a Bully." They make up these sentences about people and then pair them up with others in their game to make stories out of them.One of these pairs is a same-sex couple that is attempting to have a child through a surrogate mother. This takes up one small paragraph of the story and is never mentioned again. -11-year-old Sophie uses a profanity one time. It appears as D*** in the text. -There are a couple of crass stories told.