Tag: book reviews

More Tales From Circle C: A Circle C Adventures Book Review

Several years ago, we were blessed with the chance to review Susan K. Marlow’s Goldtown Beginnings series. My children loved it, which led me to try even more of her books. She has some wonderful, wholesome series that our whole family has enjoyed.

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One of the things that is different about her books than many authors is that she often has several series for a character that follow them at different ages and are written for different-aged (or ability) readers.

The Circle C books follow Andrea Carter, a wonderful, horse-loving young lady. From the Beginnings series, where we meet young Andrea (Andi) at age 6, to the Stepping Stones books when Andi is 9, up next are the Circle C Adventure Books when she is twelve. There are also the Circle C Milestones books that feature her as a teenager.

Throwback to our first time with Goldtown

More Tales From The Circle C Ranch (Book 8)

This review focuses on the newest book in the Circle C Adventures series, book 8, More Tales from the Circle C Ranch.

This book is a compilation of six short stories featuring Andi and her family and friends. The stories range from an unfortunate roping incident to a summer on the pond. The book is about 139 pages long, and each story is from twelve to almost forty pages long.

The stories are broken up into short chapters and their are a few black and white sketch style illustrations sprinkled throughout the book.

Throughout the stories, Andi has adventures and mishaps. You get to see her handle trouble and grow through the process. For readers who have read the other books in the series, we also get to visit a few “old friends” from previous books. 

More Tales from the Circle C Ranch takes place in 1880 and 1881. While they are not primarily history books, they introduce readers to various events and the lifestyles and cultures of the historical period.

This is a great way for students to make more connections with their history study and better understand the times. For example, in one of the stories, Andi’s friend’s brother had just gotten a bicycle. Bicycles were a new invention, and the girls did not even know what they were.

Who Should Read More Tales From the Circle C Ranch?

Overall, I highly recommend this book for independent reading for upper elementary and middle-grade students or as a family read-aloud for all ages. The short story style makes it easy to use as a read-aloud and could also benefit children who struggle to read or get frustrated with longer selections.

If you want to start at the beginning, you can try Circle C Beginnings for young readers, the very beginning, or the first book in the Circle C Adventures series.

Resource Library and Affiliate Disclosure

When you sign up for the Schoolin’ Swag free resource library you will get a link and password to the library, we are adding to the library each month with new items. You will also get a bi-weekly newsletter email to keep you up to date on what we have going on.

Resource Library 

This post may contain affiliate or referral links, including Amazon affiliate links. As always I will never recommend a product that I don’t believe in and you will never be charged more for purchasing through our links. It does help pay for the costs associated with the blog.

Book Recommendations: Summer 2024

Reading is something that I enjoy year-round, but our summer schedule often allows more time for reading than other times of the year. While summer is never quite the slow, easy time I have in my dreams, I do take homeschooling off my plate for a few months.

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My children go to camp, do 4-H activities, spend time at the river, and engage in many other activities that keep us on the go, but many of them do not require much of my time. This leaves me with a little more flexibility to read.

This summer, I read several great books, both fiction and nonfiction. For years, I was staunchly on team “real paper books,” and while in many ways that is still my preference, I have found it easier to hold a baby and read on my phone. Going digital also opened up lots of more cost-effective options, like Kindle Unlimited and borrowing ebooks through Hoopla from our library.

Book I Read This Summer

Habits of a Sacred Home by Jennifer Pepito

                Habits of a Sacred Home was a wonderful book to start my summer reading. I found it inspiring, challenging, and yet not so heavy as to be hard to read. It covers “9 practices from history to anchor and restore modern families.”  By reading one chapter a day, I could take the time to focus on and reflect on each habit. I was most inspired and challenged by the chapters on the habits of prayer and simplicity.

Until the Streetlights Come On by Ginny Yurich

                This book has been on my bedside table since shortly after it was published, but life kept getting in the way of me reading it. However, I am so glad that I could take the time to read it this summer. It reaffirmed my desire to give my children more time outside, more time engaged in authentic play, and more time adventuring together as a family. It also brought up some great points about different types of light and some other science behind all of this that I had not known before.  I am excited about growing further in these areas this year.

Once a Queen by Sarah Arthur

                On my own, I would never have picked up Once a Queen, but I am so glad that I did. It is a middle-grade fiction novel with excellent fantasy elements reminiscent of Narnia. Read Aloud Revival was doing it as a book for mama book club, and I decided it would be fun to read it with them and have my teenage daughter read it.  It was the perfect summer reading, light, and fun, with a little mystery and some fun references to Narnia for those who know the series. My only complaint is that the sequel will not be out until next year!

Your Teenager Isn’t Crazy by Jeramy and Jershua Clark

                Your Teenager Isn’t Crazy: Understanding Your Teen’s Brain Can Make You a Better Parent is an engaging book that offers lots of scientific information and practical application. I have not quite finished reading it, but I have loved what I have read so far. It really helped me better understand my teenagers and gave me ideas for how to respond to them and help them through the emotions and reactions of the teenage brain. (As a bonus, this is available on Kindle Unlimited!)

Chasing Slow by Erin Loechner

                Chasing Slow: Courage to Journey Off the Beaten Path is the story of how Erin Loechner, a TV show star and viral blogger, took control of her life and slowed down. It is less practical self-help strategies and more autobiographical, but inspirational ideas are intertwined into the story.  It was a good, easy read, but I wish there were more practical tips. I felt like it did a great job showing the benefits of Chasing Slow, but I would have liked a little more help with the application side of the equation. (This title was also a Kindle Unlimited read.)

My Current and Upcoming Books

Michael’s Gentle Wife by Karen Andreola

I had a gift card for Amazon last month, and I knew just what I would buy. Michael’s Gentle Wife by Karen Andreola was at the top of my wish list. I had already read the two books before this one, Pocketful of Pinecones and Lessons at Blackberry Inn. So, I knew that I wanted to get my hands on this latest book. I am only a few chapters into it, but I love it so far. It is an easy-to-read story full of ideals and slower living. Set in the 1930s, things are different than today, and while it is written a bit more idyllic than real life, I also find it to be encouraging as we seek to slow down and enjoy our homeschool day.

The Opt-Out Family by Erin Loechner

Within about a month, I saw several references to The Opt Out Family by Erin Loechner in books I read. I also had several friends mention it. I want to take a second look when something keeps appearing like that. I found this one as a digital loan in our library app and have just started it as well.

I am looking forward to reading it and hopefully gaining encouragement and practical strategies for further reducing our family’s dependence on screens while balancing our desire to stay connected.

 Well Lived by Sally Clarkson

Finally, Sally Clarkson is one of my favorite authors who has encouraged and inspired me along my homeschool journey. She writes about the ideals that we try to impart to our children and share in our home. She has encouraged me to continue living out those ideals over the years, even when things are imperfect, which has paid off in many ways. I have had the privilege of reading the first chapter of her new book, Well Lived: Shaping a Legacy of Gratitude and Grace, and I look forward to reading the rest of it when it comes out next month.

In addition to all of these wonderful books, I have been indulging in some fun Christian fiction through my Kindle Unlimited subscription. A chapter or two at night before bed is a great way for my mind to unwind and relax. My son has been reading some books on his Kindle, and my daughter has as well, so we find it to be a great deal, and we save money each month over what we would have spent to buy the individual books.

I am always adding books to my pile, and I would love to hear your recommendations as well.

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The Wonder of Creation (Review)

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew

We received The Wonder of Creation: 100 More Devotions About God and Science from Indescribable Kids for our review. The day it arrived in the mail, my seven-year-old immediately spotted it and asked me to read it to him. He loved the bright, colorful cover and inviting pictures. I decided to read it with both the seven-year-old and my three-year-old (who turned four during this review).

What is The Wonder of Creation?

The Wonder of Creation is a devotional book by Louie Giglio and Tama Fortner and illustrated by Nicola Anderson. It is a beautiful hardcover book that includes 100 short devotionals, each covering a two-page spread in the book. In addition to the colorful cover, there are bright and engaging pictures throughout the book.

I appreciated that the book included an attached ribbon bookmark that helped us keep our place each night. There is a table of contents and an index to find a specific devotion instead of going through the book in order.

Each devotional includes a Bible verse, a devotional thought that ties something from creation into God, and some fun scientific information. For example, one of the devotionals talks about snowflakes and light reflections, and then it talks about how we should reflect the light of God’s love.

What Did We Think About the Wonder of Creation?

My boys loved listening to me read these each night. They would remind me we needed to read, bring me the book, and climb into the recliner with me. They enjoyed all of the incredible science facts and seeing the pictures.

I thought this book was a great way to help children internalize the connection between God and science. God created science, and it points us back to him instead of the worldly view that science is against the Bible.

I think it is important to note that this is not a Bible study, and I do not believe it should replace regular Bible study. It ties in the Bible and biblical concepts but does not study scripture.

Who Would You Recommend Use the Book?

This book is excellent for Christian families with children through preschool through early elementary years. The devotionals are short enough to keep the attention of younger children, and it helps them start understanding science from a Biblical worldview.

We used it as part of our bedtime routine, but it could be a great addition to morning time. Parents could also use it as a part of science by finding the devotions that relate to your topic of study.

While we enjoyed reading and discussing it together, students who can read well could easily use it independently.

Overall, we thought that  The Wonder of Creation: 100 More Devotions About God and Science did not replace our Bible study but provided a fun read and a great supplement.

I highly encourage you to click the graphic below and see what other families thought and how they used the book.

Marvel

Buck Academy Coins and Currency Book Review

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

BUCK Academy

I love books and always appreciate the opportunity to review a new children’s book. This month we have been checking out not just one but two new children’s books from Buck Academy. We spent time reading Baby BUCK, How Much Am I… and BUCK Making Cents together with my three-year-old and seven-year-old sons. These books teach children about American currency, specifically coins, and the dollar bill.

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Buck and Baby Buck Books

Baby BUCK, How Much Am I…

Baby BUCK, How Much Am I… is a toddler board book. Written by Dustin Goss and illustrated by Febyalla Goss. It is a cute book with a purple cover and adorable illustrations. This book teaches young children about the value of a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter. It also talks about a dollar bill.

The sturdy board book pages will hold up better to young hands than a standard paperback. And the smaller square shape makes it easy for small hands to hold and flip the pages.

Inside the book, there are excellent shiny illustrations of the various coins and flaps to lift and see the values. This makes it very interactive and engaging for young learners. The short eleven pages are just enough to give young readers a fun and straightforward introduction to currency. It would be interesting for those ages 2-6 as a read-aloud.

BUCK Making Cents

BUCK Making Cents is a picture book also written by Dustin Goss and illustrated by Febyalla Goss. This book is geared towards elementary-age children and is a hardback picture book. With twenty-nine pages, this book goes into more details about coins.

In addition to teaching the values of the coins, it discusses the front and back of each coin, how many of each coin it takes to make a dollar, has questions at the end to see what students have learned, and includes other fun facts. The authors recommend students have one of each coin and a dollar bill to interact with as they read the book. I recommend this for elementary students learning about money, but even my three-year-old enjoyed listening to me read it aloud.

Conclusions

Overall, these were cute books that are great for introducing students to American currency. They have adorable illustrations with very realistic coins. They are great for younger children through the mid-elementary level. Make sure to have real coins available for the children to inspect to help round out the experience. The BUCK Making Cents book would also be good for older students who are new to American currency.

Be sure to click on the graphic below to see how other Review Crew families used these books from Buck Academy.

 

Financial Literacy for Kids with BUCK Academy

 

“Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible” (Book Review)

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

*Includes affiliate links; see disclosure below*

I recently had the opportunity to review Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible by Danika Cooley.  Reading the Bible is nothing new in our home, but I knew that we had slacked off over the summer because it was no longer attached to our school day, and I also wanted to see if there were any new ideas for ways to increase the amount of scripture in our home each day.

I am so glad that I took the time to review this book, and I found that it gave me some fresh ideas for Bible time in our home as well as the encouragement that I needed to get us back on track. While this book is a great tool for a homeschooling family, it is also really great for any family that wants to help their children “learn and love the Bible.”

About the Book

This paperback book, published by Bethany House Publishers, is just under 200 pages and divided into 11 chapters which are split into three sections: You’re the Leader, Faithful Reading, and A Daily Walk.

You’re the Leader

This first section discusses ways that we can include scripture in our days. It also spends some time talking about different age groups and how to approach scripture among those ages. For example, your Bible time with a preschooler will look different than what you would do with your teenager.

Faithful Reading

In an age of social media and a time in which there is much emphasis on interpreting things based on your feelings, I felt that this section was much needed. It spent time talking about reading the Bible in a way that is faithful to the words. This means understanding the context of the words, the literary genre of the particular book of the Bible, the history behind the book and who wrote the book, and understanding how it all fits into the overarching story of the Bible.

A Daily Walk

This final section was full of practical hands-on advice. There were ideas for making the Bible fun and easy to understand for young children, tips on helping with Bible memorization, and suggestions for praying through scripture.

There were also some great suggestions for being consistent even when things are challenging and working around unexpected delays and distractions.

Our Experience

In our family, Bible time is fairly consistent during the school year because we do it as a part of our school day, and it happens automatically. However, I realized that we tended to be less consistent during the summer when those anchors were not in place. Reading this book was a good reminder, and we started using breakfast as the anchor for our daily Bible time.

I wanted to ensure that our summer reading was simple and easy to implement because I knew that summer can get busy and there is much less routine. We started in the middle of July by reading a chapter from Proverbs each day to correlate with the day of the month.  

We were all pleasantly surprised when our preacher challenged the whole church to do the same thing for the month of August.  I love it when God works things from different parts of our lives together as a reminder that He is working in all of it.

We are also using some of the suggestions in the book to be more diligent in our scripture memorization. I feel like this book was very encouraging to me, and I look forward to seeing how implementing the strategies will positively impact our family.

Conclusions

Overall, I recommend this book for any family that wants to teach the Bible in their home. It would also be great to use as a church to support families in their efforts at home. I am strongly considering trying to use it for a book study in our church because I feel like many families struggle to make Bible time consistent in their homes, and it is vitally important that church not be the only place our children learn about the Bible.

Whether you are brand new to including the Bible in your home or you have been teaching the Bible in your home and just want some fresh ideas or encouragement, I think this book is great for all families.

Don’t forget to click on the graphic below to see how other Crew families used Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible.

Bethany House Publishers

Resource Library and Affiliate Disclosure

When you sign up for the Schoolin’ Swag free resource library, you will get a link and password to the library; we are adding to the library each month with new items. You will also get a bi-weekly newsletter email to keep you updated on what we have going on.

Resource Library 

This post may contain affiliate or referral links, including Amazon affiliate links. As always, I will never recommend a product that I don’t believe in, and you will never be charged more for purchasing through our links. It does help pay for the costs associated with the blog.

Thomas Nelson, Everybody Always for Kids (Review)

Thomas Nelson Publishing

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

If you have been reading this blog for very long, it is no secret that we love books and reading. My personal motto is “never too many books, only too few bookshelves.” So, when the opportunity came to review Everybody, Always for Kids by Bob Goff and Lindsey Goff Viducich I was happy to accept.

I was not familiar with the author but I was familiar with other books from Tommy Nelson Publishing and was excited to give this one a try. The book was recommended for ages 6-10 and I planned to use it with my seven year old son.

A New Book!

When the book arrived in the mail, I let my son open the package. He was immediately drawn to the bright colors of the cover art.  The book has a very cheerful cover that entices the reader.

While he was most drawn to the cover, I could not help but notice the sturdiness of the hard cover book. It seemed well made, with thick glossy pages and even a ribbon attached as a bookmark.

Rather than being one long story, the book is a collection of forty different stories. The goal of the book is to help children understand that they should love “everybody, always”.

Each story is an example of how the author was able to show love to someone through his actions.

How We Used the Book

While, I planned to use this primarily with my seven year old, my three year old would most often come join us while I read. He loves to curl up in the recliner with me reading.

I did not really think that he would understand most of it, but welcomed him joining us for reading. However, he quite surprised me when he started talking about the stories.

 In one of the earlier stories the author jokingly talks about swimming with sharks. After we finished that story, my three year old looked at me and said, “Mommy, we not swim with the sharks, they might eat us.”

I am quite sure that was not the point the author was trying to get across, it certainly proved to me that he was paying attention.

My seven year old loved the book and would ask me to read each night and try to get me to read two or three stories at a time, instead of the one that I promised.

 I appreciated the opportunity to talk with him about showing love and kindness to others in a variety of ways.

Bonus!

In addition to the book, we were given a five day lesson plan set with questions and hands-on ideas to go along with five of the stories from the book. These lesson plans included fun hands-on activities as well as discussion questions. They are available as a free bonus download on the website.

Thoughts and Conclusions

Overall, we really enjoyed Everybody, Always for Kids and felt like it was a great way to start conversations about different ways that we can show love to those around us. While I think the target age of 6-10 is probably the ideal age for this book, I do think that younger children can get something from the book and that it could still be a great jumping off point for conversations with older children.

Be sure to click on the graphic below and see what the other Review Crew families thought and how they used this book in their homes!

Everybody Always for Kids Reviews