MEL FELL by Corey R. Tabor Mel Fell is a sweet picture book about a Kingfisher fledgling that decides it's time to fly. She takes a step out of the nest and down she goes! There are a whole host of creatures that try and help her on the way down, but she ends up surprising everyone with what happens. This fun book starts sideways, but then you have to turn the book around to continue the journey! Mel Fell is a Caldecott Honor Book. Great fun!

Every child has their go to books. Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales are my son, Isaac's. These are historical graphic novels written mainly about events happening in wars. These are not your typical fluff, comic books. They are packed with lots of text, sometimes even using actual quotes from historical people. They are well done and tend to be very engaging for upper elementary and middle grade readers. Heads Up- Sometimes the quotes will include a swear word. These are few and far between.

THORN by Intisar Khanani Thorn by Intisar Khanani is a middle-eastern retelling of the fairy tale Goose Girl for YA readers. Princess Alyrra has no value in her kingdom. Her queen mother is always upset with her, because she doesn't know how to be political. She's too honest. Her brother, the crown prince, is physically abusive towards her and hates her. (Her father is dead.) So when a prince from a neighboring kingdom asks for her hand in marriage, she jumps at the chance to escape her world and hopefully enter a better, more loving one. What she doesn't know is that the prince's family is cursed. Little by little they are killed off and no one says why. (There is a revengeful sorceress at the source.) Needing a chaperone to travel to the new kingdom with, Alyrra's mother chooses one of Alyrra's peers who she had a falling out with, Valka. The sorceress approaches Valka for help in getting to the prince and lays a trap that ultimately ends up switching the two girls' identities. The true Alyrra is removed from the castle and becomes the goose girl. Happy in her new identity where she finds friends and peace, she knows that ultimately the prince's life is hanging in the balance, and she can't hide away forever. Heads Up- There is approx. 5-6 d***s in the book including 1 G-d****. There are also "snatchers" in this book who abduct young women and children. They are rarely seen again. One of Alyrra's friends is taken and beat up. You do know that she was raped but not a lot of focus is put on that. The friend ends up dying.

A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT DREAM by William Shakespeare Ahhhh Shakespeare. We can't complete our school year without turning our attention to The Bard! Annie and I read A Midsummer's Night Dream this year, and Callie's reading I'll share in a separate post. All truth be told my kids are NOT big fans of Shakespeare. It's because it takes work to understand what he is saying in the Old English wording. That doesn't stop me from putting it in our lineup! I definitely don't want all their reading to be difficult, but I do want them to dig in and learn how to use resources. I make sure they understand what is going on or we sit down and discuss it! After all our founding documents are written in Old English, and we need to be able to understand it, so we don't lose our freedoms! Okay off my podium and onto the book at hand! Midsummer's Night Dream is the story of lots of love, rejection, a play (yes inside the play), and a rascal named Puck (whose master Oberon is the real rascal). King Theseus is about to marry Hippolyta. They are happily looking forward to their wedding. In the middle of the planning you have Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia, and Helena. The two guys love Hermia. Hermia only loves Lysander, and Helena loves Demetrius who can't stand her. Then throw in Oberon and Titania, the king and queen of fairies, who hate each other. Meanwhile you have another group who are trying to prepare a play for the upcoming wedding. They are seriously stupid but hilarious. When several of these different characters fall asleep in the woods for different reasons, Oberon commands his servant Puck to put a magical juice on certain ones' eyes that will cause them to fall in love with the first thing they wake up and see. This causes a complete rearranging of loves and hates and complete chaos! So why is this called A Midsummer's Night Dream? When everything is finally righted it all seems like a dream! Don't be afraid to goggle summaries or notes when you get hung up on a spot! It's not a fail! You will find yourself growing the more you familiarize yourself with Shakespeare. There is also a wonderful series by Folger that gives you the original text on one side and the explanation on the other. I would encourage you to read the original text first and then check yourself. Don't just read through the explanations.

CIRCUS SHIP by Chris VanDusen Sometimes on a slow Saturday morning I'll tell Callie to grab a book, and we curl up in bed and read together. This time she chose The Circus Ship by author/illustrator Chris Van Dusen (illustrator of the Mercy Watson series). Written in rhyming verse this picture book tells the story of a ship carrying circus animals that sank in a storm. The animals make it to shore and are hidden by the towns people, so they don't have to return with the uncaring ringmaster. Part of the fun is a 2-page spread where all the animals are hidden, and you get to find them around the town! Although highly embellished for our enjoyment, there actually was a ship that sank off the coast of Maine!

THUNDERCAKE by Patricia Polacco What a perfect day for reading Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco! Do you have a child that is afraid of rain or thunderstorms? Grab this book and snuggle down with a blanket together! Polacco is a master story teller with most of her books dedicated to true events in her life. Her books share triumph and tragedy and usually highlight a person in her life that walked through the event with her. Thunder Cake shares her fear of thunderstorms and her grandmother's plan to help her overcome that fear. Alongside Activity- Bake the cake! The recipe is included at the back of the book. There are some very unique ingredients! Talk about what normally is in a cake and what is not. The kids and I will be doing this sometime soon!

AN UNEXPECTED COOKBOOK: THE UNOFFICIAL BOOK OF HOBBIT COOKERY by Christ Rachael Oseland We kicked off reading The Hobbit tonight, so Callie and Claire made a Hobbit meal from the cookbook An Unexpected Journey: The Unofficial Book of Hobbit Cookery. It was delicious! There was spiced, hot apple cider, meat pie, and a lemon pie. Tons of fun on a rainy evening! If you want some good hardy recipes of stick-to-your-ribs styled food, this is your cookbook!

MADE IN HEAVEN: MAN'S INDISCRIMINATE STEALING OF GOD'S AMAZING DESIGN by Ray Comfort and Jeffrey Seto When we finish our science curriculum for the year I read science oriented books to Callie and Isaac to finish up the school year. This year we started Made In Heaven by Ray Comfort and Jeffrey Seto. The idea of this book is really cool. It gives 32 mini lessons on how scientists are looking to God's creation to invent new technology. According to Master Books this book is written on a 12 and above age level. However, we often found ourselves laughing at the technical jargon we were having to wade through. We completed approximately half the book and did learn some amazing things about the complexity of creation's design. I am going to contact Master Books and let them know how much we enjoyed the concepts, but maybe they would want to step down the scientific terminology a level so the layman could appreciate it a little more. All that being said it did launch us off on some cool internet searches such as safety features on the $100 bill and appreciation for our moisture-wicking athletic clothes. If you have a child who is very scientific this could be a great fit!

JOHN RONALD'S DRAGONS:: THE STORY OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN Once upon a time there was a boy named J.R.R. Tolkien who loved dragons. As he went about his life he looked for them everywhere. Life was not easy as he dealt with the passing of his mother, boarding school, the war, etc. His imagination helped him through the difficult times. Then one day, he discovered his own dragon. John Ronald's Dragon: The Story of J.R.R. Tolkien is perfect if you have a child who loves dragons, if you want to introduce your child to Tolkien, or if like us, you are starting The Hobbit. T The Author's Note and Illustrator's Note at the end of the book offer lots of extra fantastic information.

THE SCHOLAR by Dervla McTiernan When a student at Galway University is found dead from a hit-and-run accident on the college grounds, and Detective Cormac Reilly's girlfriend, scientist Dr. Emma Sweeney discovers the body, you know you are in for a serious ride. The victim has the ID card in her pocket of one Carline Darcey, granddaughter of the owner of one of the most powerful pharmaceutical companies. Is it her? Everyone must tread carefully as this case will be in the media spotlight. Twists and turns abound in The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan. Heads Up- approx. 25 f-bombs, ample use of Christ, one suspect is thought to be gay since she doesn't have a boyfriend (she's not), and Sweeney and Reilly live together (there's no scenes).

PLAN YOUR YEAR: HOMESCHOOL PLANNING FOR PURPOSE AND PEACE Are you a new homeschooler or are you spinning your wheels thinking about planning for next year? Plan Your Year: Homeschool Planning For Purpose and Peace by Pam Barnhill can provide some excellent guidance. Barnhill starts off with having you create a vision statement for your homeschool. She then continues on with crafting goals, different types of scheduling, etc based off of that vision. If you are desiring to create your own study on a subject, there's a chapter for that. Set up in a workbook style with pages to copy at the end to organize your journey, this is a book you can read through or just hit the parts where you need some reinforcement. As stated in one of my other reviews, I find that Pam Barnhill offers a lot of very practical advice.

PAY ATTENTION, CARTER JONES by Gary D. Schmidt I just finished reading Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary D. Schmidt out loud to our family. Don't let the comic-styled cover fool you. This book is dealing with very difficult situations. Carter's younger brother passes away, and his father is in the military stationed overseas and decides he's not coming home. Everything at home is a mess. Then unexpectedly, Carter's wealthy grandfather's butler comes to help out. He starts a cricket team and in the process helps Carter walk through his tragedies and learn to live again. Well written, and if you have ever desired to learn about cricket or love cricket, this book is for you!