THE WOUNDED SPIRIT by Frank Peretti The Wounded Spirit by Frank Peretti is one of my Top Picks of the year. As I sit down to write the post for this book, I am praying that the Lord will help me do it justice. We are living in a time surrounded by people who have "wounded spirits." We are seeing the effects of that every day on the news. I believe it is due to a culture shift away from the Lord and a devaluing of His most precious creation, life. If you are not familiar with Frank Peretti, it is worth your while to be. A popular, Christian author in the 80s-early 2000s, Peretti didn't tackle your run of the mill Christian romance. No, his genre was spiritual warfare, and it's the kind of stuff you don't read right before you go to bed! His most popular books are probably This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness, but then Peretti came out with two books that broke from his normal style. The first was entitled Tilly, and it tells the story of a Christian woman who has an abortion. Through a series of events she meets her aborted child. The theme is healing and forgiveness. It is seriously powerful. But, I'm not here to discuss Peretti's fictional works. I'm bringing to the table his second book that broke from his traditional works, a nonfiction book about his life entitled The Wounded Spirit. Peretti's birth was not a normal, no-complications event. In the process, he was injured and left with a lasting deformity that kept him small in size and the butt end of many jokes and abuse in school - especially in gym class. This was before video games, but not before the start of "horror" movies. Peretti admits how he respected the monsters from movies that were deformed but were able to act out on their abusers, but coming from a Christian family, Peretti knew that was not a possibility. There really didn't seem to be any other options at that time, except to endure it. Until a breaking point happened. You'll have to read the book to know the rest of the story. Peretti doesn't just leave it at his story though. Even after going through everything in school, he shares that at points he picked on other kids. Then he asks us to examine ourselves. Were you picked on in school? Can you still remember where you were and who did the picking? It only happened to me a couple of times, but I can remember it to this day! Did you pick on other kids? I'm not talking about teasing here. I'm talking about smash somebody under your heel and ground them into the ground type of picking. I have. Do you want to know what prompted Peretti to share his story that he had never shared with others before? The Columbine shooting. Don't get me wrong, he in no way justifies what happened in that school, but the truth is we're forgetting to remember that each of us is created in the Image of God. Oh yes, there's a lot of actions and behaviors going on in our world that we do not agree with. We need to stand against the behavior and not forget that God's desire is for ALL to know him personally. People are VALUABLE! Read the book! HEADS UP- Some of the abuse revolves around being abused in the groin area during showers after gym class. There is not explicit detail.

LESSONS AT BLACKBERRY INN by Karen Andreola. Illustrated by Nigel Andreola. When I began "officially" homeschooling 16 years ago, the first book I read was For the Children's Sake. The second was Karen Andreola's Pocketful of Pinecones. I then bought all of Karen Andreola's back issues of The Parents' Review. The life portrayed in these books/magazines spoke not just to my mind, but to my heart as well. I am a lover of books, and I am a lover of God's creation. How could this method (Charlotte Mason) not speak volumes to me? After graduating my oldest two, who are both in college, and continuing to school three more at home, I realized I have kept some of the foundational CM principles, but sometimes I found myself reaching for other methods when I wasn't sure how to make the process work in certain subjects with certain ages. I'm okay with that. It is okay to be a CM purist, and it's ok to be a mixed bag homeschooler. (It's fine to choose another method as well). It worked for us. However, recently I was at our homeschool convention, and I picked up a copy of Lessons at Blackberry Inn. I dipped right back into a book that filled my soul like a drink from a cold spring on a hot day. Literally! If you have drunk from a spring like this you know what I'm talking about. I probably will never be a purist, but I am returning more to those ideas. It is very interesting to come full circle in a life journey.

THE LAST TRAIN TO LONDON by Meg Waite Clayton The Last Train to London by Meg Waite Clayton is a very moving book documenting the change to Vienna, Austria when Hitler and his Nazis took over. Following the story of a wealthy, influential, Jewish family, The Last Train takes us through the utter destruction that happened to so many families during this occupation. While much of the story is one of deep sadness, it also highlights those that risked their lives to do what they could to help others as we follow one brave woman's constant attempts to help as many Jewish children escape as possible. This book is very powerful. It is not an easy read as a mother considering the choices that parents had to make at that time. It is a book that will cause some self examination to occur as you consider what you would have done in the different situations that are presented. HEADS UP- There are a couple of sexual comments made, and at one point there a person hiding in a room where an affair takes place. There's not a lot of detail, and it's an easy part to skip over.

INSECT BOOKS Ohio weather hasn't been the most cooperative for nature walks/outside activities. It's been chilly and rainy. On days like today, it's great to bring the nature walk inside! Usborne has some great resources to help that happen. Lift-the-flap Bugs and Butterflies can be used well with a range of ages. For littler ones name what is on the outside of the flap and just say in your own simple words what is happening. This is a little meatier of a lift the flap book, so it works well for a little older child. But the real question is do any of us really grow out of lift the flaps? I know I haven't! The Big Bug Search is not your simple search and find book. It is challenging! Usborne is king at showing just little parts of bugs with the rest hidden by foliage or other obstructions. If I handed my fourth grader this book to do on her own, she would quickly become frustrated if I expected her to complete a page. I would do one of two things. One, set a timer for 10 minutes and see what your child can find on their own or sit down and hunt with your child. I can attest that some of these little bugs are not easy to locate!

THE UNDERNEATH by Kathi Appelt. Illustrated by David Small When you have a book that is a Newberry Honor winner, a National Book Award Finalist, and Amazon's #1 Book of the Year you have high expectations. While The Underneath is a book that checked all of those boxes, I was a bit disappointed with the story. However, reflecting back on it, I can see that it has grown on me a bit. Instead of me recounting the story to you (which will result in a 10-mile-long post), I'm going to give you a very broad overview. The Underneath is actually 3 stories coming together to form one. Set in the bayou along the Louisiana-Texas border, the first story focuses on a mother cat, her kittens, and an old injured dog. The second story is about an angry, young man named Gar Face. The third revolves around two snakes who can shape shift one time to human form. (These three subjects are about as far apart from each other as possible, but they do eventually come together in one coherent story.) The overarching theme is love and the choice of forgiveness or hate. As the 3 stories intersect, each group must choose which emotion they're going to hang on to due to events in their lives. There's not an intense focus on magic, however the shape shifting snakes and a hummingbird that accompanies the spirits of those who have died into the afterlife give the book a folklore feel. Something interesting about this book is the author, Kathi Appelt, is a creative writing teacher at Texas A&M (or was), and this was her debut novel. HEADS UP- If you have a sensitive child, this book is not for them! There are some details of abuse. Gar's face is mangled due to his father punching him. The father also beats Gar Face's mother. There is alcohol abuse. One of the main characters dies at the hands of Gar Face.

TRYING by Kobi Yamada. Illustrated by Elise Hunt Are you familiar with the author Kobi Yamada? If not, his powerful books are seriously worth checking out! If you have a child that balks at stepping out and trying new things, then Trying is a book you should get your hands on. This book is actually perfect for any age. I read it out loud to the whole family at the supper table the other night. We all can use encouragement from time to time to step out and try something new. That's not where the book stops, though. Oftentimes we might give something a try, but then we throw in the towel prematurely because we are unhappy with the results. I often have to remind myself and my kids that Avengers are not real people. Rarely are people born with their gifts already perfected. It takes time and growth to hone and master our gifts. Our current gotta-have-it now culture rarely celebrates the string of failures that leads to an accomplished goal, but Trying does! So go ahead and celebrate the end result of mastery with your loved ones, but don't forget to acknowledge the attempts in the process. Illustrator Elise Hurst nails it with her artwork. Black and white blurred pictures lend an air of hopelessness and defeat, but then we start to see hints of life where green creeps into the illustrations. Beautiful!

JULIUS CAESAR by Shakespeare Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once. Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, It seems to me most strange that men should fear, Seeing that death, a necessary end, Will come when it will come.                                                               - Julius Caesar Thus Caesar says and thus he meets his death a short time later at the hands of the senators on the Ides of March despite being warned by a soothsayer and his wife. But this play isn't really about Julius Caesar although it bears his name. No, this play is about the honorable Brutus and his struggle to do what he thinks is right for Rome even though Caesar is his friend. Hence the surprised infamous line from Caesar, " Et tu, Brute?" This play is full of great discussion topics to launch into with your pre-teen/teen. Topics such as true friendship, the price and benefits of power, death (fear of), what is a coward, what is true courage are just a few of the many possibilities. Does the idea of Shakespeare make you nervous? Don't let it! I am by no means a master of Shakespeare, but with each play we plunge into, I gain a little more understanding. There are tons of resources to help you decipher the text. Google literary analysis or study guides for whatever play you are doing. Use Folgers book versions of the play. They have definitions of words on the left side pages and the original text on the right. I am committed to ploughing through Old English texts with my kids. You know why? Our founding documents are written in Old English. Learning to read and comprehend it instead of depending on another to interpret it for you is so valuable in the days ahead! Whew! Off my soap box! Have a great weekend!!

HORSE PICTURE BOOKS Some of my favorite horse picture books are Black Beauty (by Anna Sewell, adapted by Robin McKinley, and illustrated by Susan Jeffers) and War Horse (by Michael Morpurgo and illustrated by Tom Clohosy Cole). Both of these are heart warming stories that deal with difficult situations that end in a good way for the horses. The illustrations in both are absolutely delightful.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORSES Looking for detailed info on the different breeds along with gorgeous photography? Then the Encyclopedia of Horses is a great book to check out!

ANDREA CARTER STORIES by Susan K. Marlow More great horse stories for a range of ages. This is another great series that one of my daughters ate up. The fun of this series is that your child can age right along with Andi through three levels starting with some easy chapter books then graduating to the middle grade age range and finishing out with a series designed for high school age. These books are written from a Christian perspective and teach some great lessons along the way.

HORSE STORIES by Marguerite Henry Marguerite Henry writes brilliant horse stories for kids. If you are looking for a great chapter book on a particular breed of horse, she should be one of your first go-tos. While you can't go wrong on any of her books, a couple of our favorites are King of the Wind and Justin Morgan Had a Horse. If you have a horse lover in your home, these are a great place to start! Highly Recommend!!

HORSE DIARIES Do you have a child that loves horses like I do? If so, you'll want to check out the Horse Diaries series. Written by different authors, each book in this series is dedicated to a different breed of horse. Sometimes the story deals with the horse's origin, sometimes it deals with the type of job that the horse might do, and sometimes it deals with the region that the horse lives in. All-in-all they are a great way for kids to learn about horses surrounded in the context of a story. My daughter highly recommends these stories!!