madameblogalot

Corrie ten Boom, Heroine of Haarlem: I have always found Corrie ten Boom’s later life to be interesting. This short biography was interesting. But there were several editing errors close to the end of the book. (I don’t know why that has been so prevalent in the books I’ve read lately!) When you turn the page, it began with a whole other thought, as if in the middle of another sentence. Or another time, it repeated something from the previous page. The story itself was a HIT, but the editing mistakes were a MISS.

Mary Poppins: We were blessed to be able to see the stage production of this touring show. It is truly outstanding! We were at first disappointed when we learned the actress who plays Mary was not performing that night. However, the understudy did a fantastic job! The actor playing Bert was really great, and the little girl we saw was incredible! We all loved the show. From the opening scene I loved the way they did the set for #17 Cherry Tree Lane. I loved how the house opened up like a pop up book. I loved the use of color. The singing and dancing were great. I love how they integrated the stories from the book and the Disney production. I don’t want to give anything away, so if you get the chance, be sure and go see it! This one was a HIT with me!

Carry on Mr. Bowditch is a book I had heard of years ago when my kids were younger, but we never read. It has been sitting on my shelf for some time now, so I thought I’d give it a read. When I began reading it I thought I was reading fiction. Then, as I got further into the book I thought it must be historical fiction. Much of it was “too good to be true” so I thought it surely had to be a work of fiction. When I finished reading about the fantastic feats of young Mr. Bowditch, I learned that I had in fact read a biography. This young man’s life was fascinating. He worked hard and learned much through his life that he shared with others by writing The American Practical Navigator also known as The Seaman’s Bible. Though the story only showed Mr. Bowditch’s good points (besides his occasional outbursts) I found this book to be a HIT.

My daughter read The Slave Dancer for a school project. I had not heard of this book so when she finished reading it, I did too. The book tells the story of a young man who is kidnapped and taken on a slave ship then forced to play his pipe to make the slaves “dance” to get their exercise on the long voyage. The story is heart rending and I am sure there is a lot of truth to the way things were on the slave ship. Told from the boy’s perspective, it is for middle school and up readers. Though the subject matter is intense, I rate this book as a HIT. (note-also pretty cool that within the story one of the sailors referred to his Seaman’s Bible that I had read about in the book about Nathaniel Bowditch!)

The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education-I have read this book before. This is a newer revised version. I only read it when my son started talking about maybe homeschooling again. I had already pledged not to bring up the subject to him anymore, but when he started thinking it over, I of course plunged in. I guess that scared him off! As I got into this book, there are statements that are nearly word for word things that he has said. But as he decided to stay in public school, I had to quit reading this book, it was just too depressing for me.

The book is written by a lady trained to be a teacher. She has taught in different formats of the educational system. She tried to implement ideas into the system but they just don’t fit. That is what led her to the idea of “unschooling”, a type of homeschooling approach to education. The book has some radical ideas that I think teens will latch on to. Since I did not finish the book this time around, I am not sure of all the revisions it holds. I do know that this book is a HIT with me in many ways. In some ways it’s a scary idea to give this to strong willed free thinking teens. But it may be just what they need!