Tales of Survival

I recently finished reading Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell from the local library just as I discovered I have a personal copy in a box of children's books in the basement. *Sigh* It will be nice to have all of my books shelved and ready for students to read as I begin my first official school year.

I loved this story. Island of the Blue Dolphins is about a Native American girl who suddenly finds herself living alone on an island off the coast of California after her people leave. She struggles as she tries to find a way to survive her new life alone. In her quest to survive, she faces certain challenges that she only remembers the men of her tribe being able to overcome.

Negative Elements for Discussion
It contains some politically correct stereotypes: the white man being evil and dishonest with the Native American people. Most youngsters won't pick up on this and will simply enjoy it for the adventure that it presents. Also there is a moment or two when she refers to multiple gods, but I think it is healthy for young Christian kids to read this and recognize that it is outside the truth of God's Word.

I think there is a secret part in each one of us that enjoys the hypothetical question of 

What Would I do to Survive Alone in the Wilderness?

In reading Island of the Blue Dolphins and placing myself in the various scenarios in the story, I found that I was reflecting back upon another wonderful tale of survival. I may have mentioned Hatchet by Gary Paulsen before, but I find it to be the perfect counterpart to Island of the Blue Dolphins being that it is better suited and more relateable for boy readers while Island of the Blue Dolphins is more relateable to girl readers.

Follow your reading of Hatchet up with a reading of Brian's Winter. It is a wonderful sequel!

Other books in this series by Gary Paulsen include: The River, Brian's Return & Brian's Hunt. I love that he wrote so many about this young Brian. 

Faith Builders

As I have been trying to accomplish so many goals this summer, I find myself slowly making my way through a pile of childrens' chapter books... "Why?" You ask.
Well, people lend me books to read all the time, and when I borrow a book that is really important to someone I love, I want to read it right away. Thus, it takes me much longer to get through my personal pile because I am reading multiple borrowed books at the same time.


Today I am going to share two of my favorites that I have been lent/given in the past years that have truly impacted my faith and my life. I can guarantee these books will inspire your faith, challenge it and there may even be moments while reading them when you stop and praise God. It's always good to have a fresh faith building book.


One of my new favorites is God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew with John and Elizabeth Sherrill. This is about a missionary, during the time when Communism was taking over Europe, who smuggled Bibles to the believers in need all across the European front and even into Cuba. It is a true story which had me gripped at quite a few moments as I recognized Brother Andrew's need to rely upon Christ's amazing power to get him out of some very difficult circumstances. I appreciated this book for multiple reasons including the fact that I think I got a better picture of what Europe was like during the time of the Cold War. I love it when I'm enjoying a book, and yet I'm unaware that it's teaching me history at the same time.

Another favorite was first gifted to me on my trip to Cairo, Egypt five years ago. I had a stack of books to read on this trip, but for some reason I picked up Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose first. It didn't have a fancy cover, just the promise that I would enjoy it from a trusted friend. Looking back, I know now that the testimony of the missionary in this book was meant for my life at a time before I made some radical decisions in my own faith. I have not been able to hold onto any copies of this book since I first read it. I have lent and relent, lost and replaced and continued to replace it over the past five years. To this day, I will say it is one of the best books that I have ever read.


It is the story of a missionary woman to the Phillippines (I believe) during the mid 1900's. When World War II strikes, and Darlene is ordered back to the states, she doesn't make it in time and is carted off to a Japanese Prison Camp. They believe she is an American spy. This woman lives out her faith in Jesus Christ as her Lord. There are multiple scenes in this story that brought me to my knees as I recognized the almighty power of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Another Newbery Winner & Wonderful Book

I finished another wonderful Newbery award winner last night.

The book is entitled The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois. I believe the original version was written in 1916. Because chapters 1 through 4 set up the backdrop of the story, it was difficult to get into this book at first. But after chapter 4 ended and chapter 5 began, the real story started! This was when I couldn't put this book down.
I recommend this book to both boys and girls between approximately age 8 & 13.
This story is about Professor William Waterman Sherman and a balloon trip that went poorly. He landed on an island, Krakatoa, a legendary island with many untold secrets. As the story unfolds unimaginable things happen on the island. It was quite the tale! William Pene du Bois also included many illustrations in this book which really added to the depth of the story. Enjoy!

Books for Boys

Just a short post to recommend some of my favorite books to boys looking for something enjoyable to read this summer. I think that the books in this post are best read between 4th grade and somewhere around the end of Middle School.


#1- The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
When I sat down to read this book I was immediately sucked in to the mystery. This book required my intellect to solve the different mysterious scenarios that the four main characters found themselves sucked into. I really don't want to give away the main plot-line. This is a must read! Also, I appreciated the fact that there were no hints of romance or awkward middle school topics that seem to be included in most children's literature. I don't always find those necessary, if you know what I mean. There are three books in this series by Trenton Lee Stewart. And I just checked the prequel out of the local library last week. So that means there are officially four. I will let you know how it is after I finish. I am very excited about that!

#2- The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

I discovered this wonderful piece of literature on my way through the Newbery list. It is about a Jewish boy in the time of the rule of the Roman Empire; and guess who steps onto the scene... That's right. A carpenter from Nazareth: Jesus. This boy has various encounters with Him throughout the book. I thought Elizabeth George Speare did a great job of writing this historical fiction novel. I pictured myself vying for a chance to see and listen to Christ preach in many scenarios retold in this story. 

#3- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

I recommend this book with great caution. This was my "read in a day" book last Thursday. While I greatly enjoyed the story-line following the friendship of Leslie and Jess, I found that this book taught Universalism. (SPOILER WARNING: Do not read the following remarks if you plan on reading the book and don't want it to be ruined for you.) In Chapter 8 entitled "Easter", Jess and his family attend church for Easter Sunday. It is quite clear that they are portrayed as the Christian family in this story. Leslie asks to join Jess, and she is allowed to come along. It is the stereotypical description of a loud, screaming, red-faced preacher whom Jess decides to ignore for the entire sermon. Afterwards when Leslie is questioning Jess, she asks him if he believes all of "that stuff about Jesus". Jess has no idea what she is talking about but says yes, and she decides to disagree with him. She says she would like to read the Bible, and she doesn't think that it is all true just because a preacher said so. Leslie is the Universalist. She is a free thinker and doesn't see how an all-loving God could send anyone to Hell. I don't appreciate how the Christian family is portrayed in this book. After Leslie tragically dies, Jess asks his father if she is in heaven. There was a part of him that was upset by the conversation he had with Leslie about God previously in the story. His dad tells him that God could never send anyone so sweet to Hell. 

While this poor portrayal of Christians bothers me a lot, I think this book presents many conversation starters to have with your child: 

1. What could this family do differently to follow Christ?  

2. How could Jess share the gospel with Leslie? 

3. Would an all-loving God send a sweet person such as Leslie to Hell? 

These are big questions, and I would use this book to get the ball rolling on answering some of them. 

Start the Summer with a Good Book

I got to do one of my favorite things today... I took some children to the library and walked through the shelves with them pulling some of the best books for them to read. It was so exciting! I could have done this for hours. I love to pitch books to both boys and girls. It is definitely a pretty quick way to win a child's approval, for when they get sucked into a book that I ranted and raved about, they gain respect for my opinion. Then I can lead them to other wonderful books! This is one of the things I look forward to the most as a teacher.

To start off your summer here is a post to wet your appetite about a few of my favorites. If you read them and have an opinion to add, please comment. Also, if you would like further recommendations, email me at smacleod@harvestchristianacademy.org. Give me a description of what your child is interested in reading, a little note about whether their ability is high, low, or at grade level as well as if they enjoy reading. I find that students that enjoy reading are much less likely to be overwhelmed by the thickness of a book that I recommend. I truly believe that every child can enjoy reading. It is all a matter of finding the right book!


For teachers or parents who want more passion for teaching children to read, I highly recommend:

This book offers a variety of concrete
suggestions to teach your child(ren) or
students to enjoy and embrace reading.

For primary students: I recently read an old copy of The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, and I was entertained. I truly can't wait to read this aloud to my students next year. The adventures of the four characters: Mole, Otter, Rat & Toad are both hilarious and imaginative. This would be a wonderful book to read to your child as a bedtime story this summer. I can promise that this book is good because it is one that my husband remembers being read to him when he was 3 or 4 years old. 

Until last summer, I always wondered who John Midas was. There are so many references in culture to "The Midas Touch". This story answered that question, and the main story-line teaches children that their parents know what is the best for them. I love when the world view is so clear and the story so entertaining.

I read this book in one hour to a five-year
old boy last summer. He was engrossed as
it contains a few illustrations along the way.

The children's author that I recommend reading this week is Chris Van Allsburg. His illustrations are highly entertaining! He has written books that you may recognize such as Jumanji and The Polar Express. One of my favorites that I read back in college is entitled The Wretched Stone. For a complete listing of his books and more information about him follow the link below:

http://www.chrisvanallsburg.com/books.html

While Chris Van Allsburg may entertain a little bit of an older reader, Arthur Geisert is an author that any elementary child will enjoy. His books offer a chance to teach your child make lots of inferences. One of my favorite books of all time is Oops! There are no words in these stories, but the high quality of the images and the chance to make really close observations will entertain your child greatly.

Other fun books by Arthur Geisert include:
Ice, Hogwash, Lights Out, The Giant
Ball of String, Pigaroons, and more.

For the upper elementary students, I recommend the following. It is so hard to choose which books to pitch, but I can honestly say that girls will enjoy the series below. Betsy and Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace. The setting is the turn of the century in Minnesota. This series begins when the main characters are eight years old and follows them into adulthood. You may want to read aloud the first few chapters to get your girl(s) interested, but with the craze about American Girl dolls and old America, I think you will find that students are highly interested in reading about girls from another era more than they were when I was a child. 

This is an entire series of books. These
books are based upon the real childhood of
Maud Hart Lovelace and the multiple
adventures that she took.

For boys this week I highly recommend My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier. This book offers an intense look into family life during the Revolutionary War. It gives great insight into how people in America became divided between fighting for the British or fighting against the British. The corruption in war is quite evident. I think this book would be most enjoyable for boys in the 5th-8th grade. It definitely has some war content that might be too intense for younger boys.

The author that I am recommending this week for upper elementary students is Andrew Clements. I recently read Dear Mr. Henshaw in an afternoon. Andrew has a way of writing that will bring a smile to any reader's face while reading his stories. You may recognize some of his more popular titles: Frindle, Room One, Extra Credit, and much more. For a complete listing and more information about Andrew Clements, follow the included link below:

http://www.andrewclements.com/index.html

I will pick some more favorites and write another post soon! Happy Reading!!! I'm off to finish one that I suspect I will be writing about quite soon. 

Signing Off.

Love

Each time I meet a group of students, I think: There is no way that I'll ever be able to love these students as much as I loved the last students.
And then God takes my heart and opens up more space for more children.

Ephesians 3:20-21~ I love that My God goes above and beyond all that 

I could think and ever hope for!

Author Party (final post)

The final blog containing another wonderful tale about the Digestive System.
Presenting:

Munchie's Journey

I dedicate this book to HCA and Christ.

"Hi, we are the Munchies. There are four of us."
"I'm Captain Cheeto."
"I'm Sergeant Sun Chip."
"I'm Private Pretzel."
"And I'm Dummy Dorito."
P.S.- Dummy Dorito is new.

"Today was just a normal day of walking around our camp, then something happened. We were called to the General of the Munchies. He said we had to be digested. I gladly accepted that offer, but then he said that we had to bring our newest recruit: (Hint) Dorito. Well the good news is that I could bring two other men. I brought Pretzel and Sun Chip. When we got out of the camp, we ended up in some disgusting mouth."

"Then the tongue pushed us down the esophagus. It felt like we were going down and endless hole. While we were falling, Pretzel was singing some strange song about us falling down the esophagus AND screaming."

"We finally landed in the stomach. Well I really don't want to tell General Munchie what we did in there. We kind of threw a pool party. It was fun!"

"Then out of nowhere, a giant hurricane made us go down a drain of some sort. The current was so strong that it snapped Pretzel in half. Also Sun Chip got separated from Dorito and me. I think we won't be seeing him anymore."

"Then we figured out that we were in the large intestine, and it, well, it leads to the rectum. But the current got slower, and we had to swim hard to get there faster. I didn't really care because I was a good swimmer. But Dorito wasn't. He was horrible. Lucky he had me with him, otherwise, he would have been killed."

"Finally after what seemed like an entire day... we got out. I was so happy I didn't care how I smelled. We got back to our camp and got promoted. I am now First Lieutenant General and Dorito is now Lieutenant Captain."
THE END