My Name is Asher Lev

This is probably my favorite book. Mary just read it and absolutely loved it as well.

If you haven't read this book, read it. Give it to your twelve year old or older (maybe 14 or 16 would be better). It will change the way you think about people and talents and love.

It is a book that will change you.

My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok (I also love the sequel, the Gift of Asher Lev)

How We Do Homeschooling (right now) Part One

MARY

Age: 14 (scary!)
Temperament: Good. Pleasant.
Struggles that might make homeschooling tricky: Prone to despair. Time management. Organization.
Passions: Music

This is Mary's ninth grade year, so these are the things we decided she should study:

Geometry
Anatomy
Music History along with some art history
Music Theory
Alexander Technique (a truly awesome thing)
Literature
Shakespeare
Writing
Cultural Geography
Music
German

Boy, that sounds awesome doesn't it? I should just leave it alone at that. Superhero homeschool Mom of the universe!!!

In truth, this is Mary's day:

Practice viola—four to five hours
Math—one hour
Reading/Literature—at least one hour (She's currently loving THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO)
All her other subjects, she squeezes in whenever she can around math, practicing, and her bazillions of music rehearsals. She probably spends three to four hours per week on each subject. Other than German (which she takes through BYU's Independent Study Program) and her math, she doesn't have tests. I don't require assignments other than some writing. She studies her books, takes notes—the end.

So how do I know she's studying and learning?

Tough to say. I don't 100% know anything. I examine her notebooks regularly, and they are chock full of great stuff. She's allowed to write in her textbooks, and there is a great deal of underlining being done. But is that enough to know?

I second guess myself constantly on this issue with all of the kids. Kids in the United States now spend an average of 30-40% of their time in school taking tests. Kids in Finland spend 3% or less of their time taking tests, and Finland rocks the rest of the world on every measurable test. I'm on the side of Finland!!! I remember so little of what I memorized in Junior High and High School and College. So very, very little. Memorization only takes you so far especially when we live in this age with such easy access to all sorts of information.

What I'm trying to worry about is her ability to express herself and her ability to think and her ability to learn on her own and, finally, her ability to take ownership for that learning.

She is studying anatomy because she wants to better understand how music affects the body and how a musician physically learns to play.

She is studying literature with my guidance, but selecting her own books.

She is studying Music History rather than plain old World History because it relates so deeply to her passions.

She is studying German because she wants to live in Germany or Austria one day with its deep tradition of music.

She talks about her learning regularly in casual conversation. Her writing is clear and well-organized. She needs to work on it, as we all do, but she's growing. I can see it.

Most importantly, she works enthusiastically and independently all day long. She decides when she does what. She keeps a record. She knows if she doesn't do what she needs to do, going to college is going to be tough. She knows what she is learning will impact her now and in the future—and not just because of college. She knows that time wasted is gone forever.

I am writing this down because it is tough to remember this. It is tough to remember that I know my daughter is learning and growing when people say things to you like, "They've got to go to school to face the tough knocks. How else will they be prepared for life?"

I have no answer for this but that I want her to learn a great deal more than just tough knocks.

Here are the texts Mary is using for her various subjects. There are pros and cons to them, but, for the most part, they are the best we could find, and we're satisfied. We do Teaching Textbooks for math and LOVE it. We also have a Shakespeare class she takes on Fridays and I teach a writing class to the same group (about eighteen teens). It gives her a chance to present, discuss things in groups, etc... She really loves that.

Falcon Fever—Can any kid love falconry?

This is a bit of a strange post. It's a lot about schooling and it's also about a book I haven't read. It's also about my quest to help my kids figure out the things that they love.

Calvin loves facts. He loves facts about everything. If there was a job where you could memorize facts and quiz people about them, Calvin would love that job.

It's not hard to find him a book he will like, but to find him a book he will love... that's a trickier thing.

All of my kids have to read some non-fiction and take notes/write about it every day. What they read is up to them as long as I approve it (mostly to check the complexity).

I have a lot of visions for my kids, and one vision I've occasionally had for Calvin is that he might be a falconer one day.

I know. That's weird. A falconer. Aren't there, like, three falconer jobs in the entire world? Why would I encourage this as an interest?

The answer is this: I don't know.

But in my desire to encourage falconry (???), I bought Calvin this:

Falcon Fever by Tim Gallagher. 

This is not juvenile nonfiction, and as much as I wish I could say differently, I've never had success getting my kids to read most adult nonfiction. This book doesn't have pictures. Any. Zero. It's 336 pages long.

But this is one of the reviews of the book:
*Starred Review* Falconry, a sport most of us equate with medieval kings and Arabian potentates, is alive and well in the twenty-first century. Gallagher, author (The Grail Bird, 2005) and editor in chief of Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s journal Living Bird, brings this arcane sport to life in his memoir-cum-travelogue-cum-falconry-history. Although he was born in England, Gallagher’s family moved to Canada and finally California in his childhood. An abusive father drove the young boy to nature, and when he discovered the thirteenth-century book on falconry by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, he was hooked. In part 1 of the book, Gallagher recounts his boyhood, obsessed with hawks and falcons, running with a less-than-perfect crowd, getting arrested for selling marijuana, and spending time in jail. This formative period segues into part 2, when the author decided to spend a year following in Frederick II’s footsteps, both figuratively and literally. This engaging book draws readers in from page 1, and we want to learn more about Gallagher’s life, his quest for understanding the souls of falconers from Frederick II to himself, and the majesty of the hunting falcons. A gem.

The reviewer says: "This engaging book draws readers in from page 1." 

It drew Calvin in, but I doubt it would draw many other kids in, because how many kids are going to love a book about falconry (actually maybe a lot would...). The point is, I had a hunch about a book Calvin would like despite its lack of flash and lack of pictures. He likes this book FOR THE TOPIC. He is interested in this subject, and he will, therefore, read difficult books about it. He's not finished with this beast, but he's already asking for more books on falconry.

I believe the same thing can happen for ALL CHILDREN on a lot of different subjects. If we as parents, teachers, the community as a whole, would recognize that we should help children find their particular interests, nurture them, help them grow, the children of this country would grow exponentially in their reading and writing abilities and other basic skills. 

And they wouldn't even know it was happening because they'd be too focused on falconry to wonder if they're going to make benchmark this year.

A writing class for teens

I'm teaching a writing class for homeschooled teens this year. I'm really excited (and a little nervous). I poured over all of my writing books for essential texts I wanted them to read. What I ended up choosing surprised me.

These kids aren't necessarily striving to be fiction writers. Many of them aren't striving to be writers at all. Most of them will probably be there because their parents are forcing them, so my goals are pretty simple:

1) To help them learn how to think like a writer
2) To develop within them an energy for writing—the beginning of passion
3) To help them feel creative, powerful, and strong as they write

I also feel like the goals of any kind of writing are the same:

1) To communicate an idea
2) To convince your audience
3) To capture your audiences attention (and possibly heart)

With those things in mind, I chose these two books:

The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life by Twyla Tharp

A Dash of Style: The Art and Mastery of Punctuation by Noah Lukeman.

Neither of these were books I planned on choosing. I still can't believe I did, but after looking over everything, I decided I wanted books to inspire. Twyla Tharp's book is nothing but inspirational and encouraging. It is also full of ways to embrace creativity and make any project your own—autonomous.

I am opposed to the serious study of grammar before a love of writing is firmly in hand. So why would I pick a punctuation book?

This book shows how punctuation is a tool to empower the writer. It is also chock full of fabulous examples of great writing. It is not about grammar. It's about flow.

If anyone else has any great ideas for texts, I'd love to hear them. I think I'll post my first lesson plan here, just to remember it!

For your fantasy lover...

For anyone who loves Lord of the Rings or Wizard of Earthsea or Game of Thrones...

The Abhorsen Trilogy beginning with Sabriel. This is a NY Times bestselling series, but I don't hear people talking about it, and it's old enough, you might not know about it for your child who loves fantasy.  AND IT HAS A GIRL PROTAGONIST! That is saying something.

Ages 12 and up

Since childhood, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who refuse to stay dead. But now her father, the Abhorson, is missing, and Sabriel must cross into that world to find him. With Mogget, whose feline form hides a powerful, perhaps malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage, Sabriel travels deep into the Old Kingdom. There she confronts an evil that threatens much more than her life and comes face-to-face with her own hidden destiny. . . .

LOOT

Whoa, this is a great book. Great mystery. Well-written. Really enjoyed it. Give to any kid who craves adventure!

Ages 12 and up.

From Amazon:

On a foggy night in Amsterdam, a man falls from a rooftop to the wet pavement below. It's Alfie McQuinn, the notorious cat burglar, and he's dying. As sirens wail in the distance, Alfie manages to get out two last words to his young son, March: "Find jewels."
But March learns that his father is not talking about a stash of loot. He's talking about Jules, the twin sister March never knew he had. No sooner than the two find each other, they're picked up by the police and sent to the world's worst orphanage. It's not prison, but it feels like it.
March and Jules have no intention of staying put. They know their father's business inside and out, and they're tired of being pushed around. Just one good heist, and they'll live the life of riches and freedom most kids only dream about.
Watch out! There are wild kids on the loose and a crime spree coming . . .

Cracks in the Kingdom

I don't know if I posted about A Corner of White, and I'm too lazy to check, but CRACKS IN THE KINGDOM by Jaclyn Moriarty was so good. It's strange and normal at the same time. Simple and deep. Enthralling—I savored every word. I'm dying for the third book in the series, hopefully out next year...

Ages 12 and up.

The second in Jaclyn Moriarty's brilliant, acclaimed fantasy trilogy, THE COLORS OF MADELEINE!

Princess Ko's been bluffing about the mysterious absence of her father, desperately trying to keep the government running on her own. But if she can't get him back in a matter of weeks, the consequence may be a devastating war. So under the guise of a publicity stunt she gathers a group of teens -- each with a special ability -- from across the kingdom to crack the unsolvable case of the missing royals of Cello.

Chief among these is farm-boy heartthrob Elliot Baranski, more determined than ever to find his own father. And with the royal family trapped in the World with no memory of their former lives, Elliot's value to the Alliance is clear: He's the only one with a connection to the World, through his forbidden communications with Madeleine.

Through notes, letters, and late nights, Elliot and Madeleine must find a way to travel across worlds and bring missing loved ones home. The stakes are high, and the writing by turns hilarious and suspenseful, as only Jaclyn Moriarty can be.

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia

If you're looking for a book that will take you out of your comfortable life and into another, not so comfortable existence, this is the one. I love Russian history. It is fascinating how leaders were chosen or not chosen, how brutality led to more brutality, how it took death, starvation, and absolute despair for a people to rise up against autocracy. 

And this book tells the story well. Read it! Ages 12 and up.

[A] superb history.... In these thrilling, highly readable pages, we meet Rasputin, the shaggy, lecherous mystic...; we visit the gilded ballrooms of the doomed aristocracy; and we pause in the sickroom of little Alexei, the hemophiliac heir who, with his parents and four sisters, would be murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918.” 

The Summer I Saved the World... in 65 Days

I did not expect to like this book. But I did.

Perfect for girls ages 12 and up. You will finish this book inspired. At least, I did!

It's summertime, and thirteen-year-old Nina Ross is feeling kind of lost. Her beloved grandma died last year; her parents work all the time; her brother's busy; and her best friend is into clothes, makeup, and boys. While Nina doesn't know what "her thing" is yet, it's definitely not shopping and makeup. And it's not boys, either. Though . . . has Eli, the boy next door, always been so cute?
   This summer, Nina decides to change things. She hatches a plan. There are sixty-five days of summer. Every day, she'll anonymously do one small but remarkable good thing for someone in her neighborhood, and find out: does doing good actually make a difference? Along the way, she discovers that her neighborhood, and her family, are full of surprises and secrets.
   In this bighearted, sweetly romantic novel, things may not turn out exactly as Nina expects. They might be better.

Love Among the Walnuts

Another Jean Ferris book today. This book was pure pleasure. Pure absolute romantic fun. If you liked Much Ado About Grubstake or Once Upon a Marigold, you will LOVE this. And your kids will too.
(Your older kids).

New results show that kids have an average of seven or eight hours of screen time per day. This includes texting, surfing the web, instagramming, watching TV, playing video games, etc...

Please don't let this be the case in your house. Empathy comes from reading books. Aesthetic enjoyment comes from quiet thinking. Lives change because of books.

Give your kids books. Buy your kids books. It will, in the end, make all the difference.

Sandy Huntington-Ackerman's life becomes increasingly complicated when his bungling, moneygrubbing uncles try to shanghai the family fortune by poisoning a birthday cake. Luckily, those conniving uncles prove yet again that they can't do anything right. Instead of bumping off the whole family, they put Sandy's mom and dad and their pet chicken into mysterious comas. Sandy joins forces with his loyal butler and a wise and wacky nurse to save his parents and squelch his uncles' felonious high jinks.

Much Ado About Grubstake

We love this book. Love, love, love it. It's simple. Fun. Romantic. Clever. Mary read it for the first time and has a new favorite. Give this to your daughter craving a sweet, quick, but intelligent read.

Ages 12 and up. 

All the Truth That's In Me

Please ignore this cover. It is one of the worst I've seen—I suppose it's meant to capture the attention of teenagers, but it just put me off reading the book, though I'd had it on my shelf for a long time.

But then this book won award after award. And friend after friend encouraged me to read it. 

It's worth it. Give this book a read, or give it to your teen. It will make you think and feel in a way you may not have for some time. 

From Amazon:

Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Top Ten title. A 2014 Edgar Award nominee for YA. A Kids' Indie Next List Top Ten Pick -- #5, Best Books of Winter '13-'14. A School Library Journal Best Book of 2013. A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book for 2013. A Horn Book Fanfare 2013 title. A Junior Library Guild Selection. A 2014 TAYSHAS Top Ten Pick.  

 

Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family.

 

Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who's owned her heart as long as she can remember--even if he doesn't know it--her childhood friend, Lucas.

 

But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever.

 

This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith's passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last.

Sorrow's Knot

This is a terrific fantasy. I really was swept into this story, and I loved the characters, let alone the writing. Great for your teenager or yourself!

From Amazon:
In the world of SORROW'S KNOT, the dead do not rest easy. Every patch of shadow might be home to something hungry, something deadly. Most of the people of this world live on the sunlit, treeless prairies. But a few carve out an uneasy living in the forest towns, keeping the dead at bay with wards made from magically knotted cords. The women who tie these knots are called binders. And Otter's mother, Willow, is one of the greatest binders her people have ever known.

But Willow does not wish for her daughter to lead the lonely, heavy life of a binder, so she chooses another as her apprentice. Otter is devastated by this choice, and what's more, it leaves her untrained when the village falls under attack. In a moment of desperation, Otter casts her first ward, and the results are disastrous. But now Otter may be her people's only hope against the shadows that threaten them. Will the challenge be too great for her? Or will she find a way to put the dead to rest once and for all?

The Clockwork Scarab

For your teen who loves a good mystery that isn't too gory or sexual:

I'm always wanting to read a Sherlock Holmes YA novel. I have a bit of a fascination with Sherlock Holmes, probably thanks to the Young Sherlock Holmes movie that came out forever ago. There are quite a few young Sherlock Holmes series out there, but I haven't liked any of them. Until now. 

This series revolves around the niece of Sherlock Holmes who teams up with the niece of Bram Stoker (she's a vampire hunter, but there weren't any vampires in this book) to solve a mystery. I really, really liked Sherlock Holme's niece in this book. I related to her, so while the mystery was good, I kept on reading for the character. I had to jump ahead to find out the ending because of time limitations (I know, I know! Evil, some may say!), but I still went back to read what I'd missed.

For me, that's saying something.

Ages 12 and up. 

Daddy Longlegs

Have you (or your daughter) read this book? This is a book for Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, Christy sorts of people. It's one of my favorites when I'm in the mood for something wintery (?) and romantic. I don't know why I said wintery, but I picture curling up with a mug of hot chocolate when I think about this book.

Get it, for pete's sake. It's winter!

Ages 12 and up

One Came Home

I loved the narration in this book, and the story was so compelling. It wasn't comfortable reading, but the best reading is usually not comfortable. That's why it's so difficult to sometimes read the best reading.

If that makes any sense.
Ages 12 and up.

From Amazon:

In the town of Placid, Wisconsin, in 1871, Georgie Burkhardt is known for two things: her uncanny aim with a rifle and her habit of speaking her mind plainly.

But when Georgie blurts out something she shouldn't, her older sister Agatha flees, running off with a pack of "pigeoners" trailing the passenger pigeon migration. And when the sheriff returns to town with an unidentifiable body—wearing Agatha's blue-green ball gown—everyone assumes the worst. Except Georgie. Refusing to believe the facts that are laid down (and coffined) before her, Georgie sets out on a journey to find her sister. She will track every last clue and shred of evidence to bring Agatha home. Yet even with resolute determination and her trusty Springfield single-shot, Georgie is not prepared for what she faces on the western frontier.

I Capture the Castle

I know everybody knows about this book, but just in case you don't. Just in case.

Mary read this book for the first time last week, and she absolutely loved it. She loved the choices made by the main character at the end. She grew from reading it. I just love this book, and Mary couldn't put it down.

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (author of 101 Dalmations!)

From Amazon:

I Capture the Castle tells the story of seventeen-year-old Cassandra and her family, who live in not-so-genteel poverty in a ramshackle old English castle. Here she strives, over six turbulent months, to hone her writing skills. She fills three notebooks with sharply funny yet poignant entries. Her journals candidly chronicle the great changes that take place within the castle's walls, and her own first descent into love. By the time she pens her final entry, she has "captured the castle"--and the heart of the reader--in one of literature's most enchanting entertainments.

Ghosts in the Fog: The Untold Story of Alaska's WWII Invasion

Did you know Alaska was invaded by Japan and the U.S. Navy denied it ever happened?

If you did, awesome. You should still read this book though, because it's that good. It's like a conspiracy theory book THAT REALLY HAPPENED!

Few know the story of the Japanese invasion of Alaska during World War II--until now.
Ages 12 and up

GHOSTS IN THE FOG is the first narrative nonfiction book for young adults to tell the riveting story of how the Japanese invaded and occupied the Aleutian Islands in Alaska during World War II. This fascinating little-known piece of American history is told from the point of view of the American civilians who were captured and taken prisoner, along with the American and Japanese soldiers who fought in one of the bloodiest battles of hand-to-hand combat during the war. Complete with more than 80 photographs throughout and first person accounts of this extraordinary event, GHOSTS IN THE FOG is sure to become a must-read for anyone interested in World War II and a perfect tie-in for the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Enthusiasm

Well, this is a book for girls. I say that because we listened to it on tape, and Calvin nearly died during the kissing scene, so I had to promise to not make him listen to this book ever again.

But us girls thought it was fun.

This is a candy book for teens. But everyone needs a little candy, right? Okay, I don't need any candy, but sometimes I need to read something light and easy.

Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman

Ages 12 and up (maybe ten and up if you have a romantically inclined ten year old)

From Amazon (I don't know what the deal is with the question marks)
There is little more likely to exasperate a person of sense than finding herself tied by affection and habit to an Enthusiast.? Julie knows from bitter experience: her best friend, Ashleigh, is an Enthusiast. Ashleigh?s current fancy is also Julie?s own passion, Pride and Prejudice, and the heroine?s quest for True Love. And so Julie finds herself swept along with Ashleigh, dressed in vintage frocks and sneaking into a dance at the local all-boys? prep school. There they discover several likely candidates for True Love, including the handsome and sensitive Parr. And Julie begins to wonder if maybe this obsession of Ashleigh?s isn?t so bad after all.

The Nazi Hunters

This is fantastically well-written and an important story for kids to read. Narrative non-fiction! Prepare to moved and enthralled and to have some great discussions with your kids about the past and its implications for the future.

The Nazi Hunters by Neal Bascomb
Ages 10 to 12 (read together with a parent)
Ages 12 and up

In 1945, at the end of World War II, Adolf Eichmann, the head of operations for the Nazis' Final Solution, walked into the mountains of Germany and vanished from view. Sixteen years later, an elite team of spies captured him at a bus stop in Argentina and smuggled him to Israel, resulting in one of the century's most important trials -- one that cemented the Holocaust in the public imagination.

THE NAZI HUNTERS is the thrilling and fascinating story of what happened between these two events. Survivor Simon Wiesenthal opened Eichmann's case; a blind Argentinean and his teenage daughter provided crucial information. Finally, the Israeli spies -- many of whom lost family in the Holocaust -- embarked on their daring mission, recounted here in full. Based on the adult bestseller HUNTING EICHMANN, which is now in development as a major film, and illustrated with powerful photos throughout, THE NAZI HUNTERS is a can't-miss work of narrative nonfiction for middle-grade and YA readers.