Book Review: St. Patrick's Summer

Do you have a child who likes to read stories that involve some element of adventure?  If you do, and he or she is a Catholic youth, St. Patrick's Summer: A Children's Adventure Catechism is likely to please.  I wasn't all that sure what to expect based on the title of the book.  Was it a book just about St. Patrick or was there more to it than that?

Without spoiling the book, St. Patrick's Summer is a story about two children who are preparing to receive their first Holy Communion.  The boy and girl in this story remind me an awful lot of the children in the Magic Tree House series of books, only the children in this book are older than the Magic Tree House children.  The adventures the children go on with St. Patrick and the other visitors the children encounter also remind me of the Magic Tree House books.  My daughter thoroughly enjoys books where the past comes alive for modern day children, and this is just the sort of book that appeals to her.

Through the adventures and encounters the children have with St. Patrick and the other visitors they receive solid catechesis in areas that many people (children and adult alike) may have trouble wrapping their mind around.  For example, there is a wonderful explanation of the Blessed Trinity that will give your child a better understanding of this mystery than I've managed to find in any religious education text book.

It's worth noting that this book was originally published in 1950 and makes reference to the Mass being in Latin and not English.  Because of this your child may be slightly confused, but it's something I feel is easily explained to a child who is old enough to read this book.

As far as the reading level of this book is concerned, I'd say it's best suited to children in grades 4-7.  The book will easily appeal to both boys and girls.  I found the book to be well written.  The story line will keep young readers wanting to know what will happen to the story's main characters next while they receive solid catechesis at the same time.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher, Sophia Institute Press, in exchange for my honest review.

Twenty Tales of Irish Saints Book Giveaway

I have yet another book giveaway to host.  This time I'm giving away a new copy Twenty Tales of Irish Saints from Sophia Institute Press.  I reviewed this book a little while back and not only did I enjoy it, my daughter, Madeline, liked the stories as well.

If you would like to be entered in the giveaway, please leave a comment.  If you follow me, mention it in the comments and I will give you three additional entries.  Commenters who blog or tweet this giveaway and leave the link in the comments will be given three more entries.

I will draw the winner at 5PM EST next Monday, December 6th.  Good luck!

The Catholic Homeschool Companion Book Giveaway

Last month I reviewed The Catholic Homeschool Companion from Sophia Institute Press.  This month, I have a brand new copy of this book to giveaway courtesy of the publisher.  The giveaway will close at 5PM on Monday, November 22nd.

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment telling me why you would like a copy of this book.  If you follow me, let me know in the comments and I'll give you three more entries.  Blog or tweet about this giveaway and leave the link in the comments and I'll give you another three entries.

Book Review: The Catholic Homeschool Companion

Currently I'm in the process of deciding whether or not homeschooling is the path I'm going to take for educating my children.  Currently one child is in a private school and the other is enrolled in the local public school.  For years now, I have felt a strong pull to homeschool so I figured it might be beneficial for me to learn more about homeschooling.  The Catholic Homeschool Companion has been a wonderful book for answering questions I have about homeschooling.

The book is a collection of essays written by forty-three authors on a wide range of homeschool topics.  The book is divided into eleven chapters each of which covers a specific topic.  Perhaps you're new to homeschooling or are like me and are trying to decide if it's right for your family.  You can page through the contents and find the chapters that hone in on your most pressing questions or concerns.  Prior to reading this,  I felt pretty confident that I can, in fact, homeschool my children, but I was not sure that I could do so into the high school years.  After reading this book and many of it's edifying essays, I no longer feel that homeschooling for  high school would be totally out of the question.  Maybe you struggle with homeschooling your children and maintaing your home.  There's a chapter that can offer you insight and support in this book.

Overall, I found this book to be an incredibly helpful reference.  You can read this book cover to cover, like I did, or you can jump around to the chapters or essays that specifically target a particular aspect of homeschooling.  This book is filled with valuable insight and wisdom from veteran homeschooling parents.  Should I decide to make the decision to jump into the world of homeschooling next year, I feel confident that I can do it.  And if I hit a snag? I'm certain that I can turn to this book and find some support.  I highly recommend this book to those who are interested in learning more about homeschooling or those who already homeschool.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of The Catholic Homeschool Companion by the publisher, Sophia Institute Press in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Twenty Tales of Irish Saints

I recently had the pleasure of reading Twenty Tales of Irish Saints by Alice Curtayne.  This book is a lovely collection of legends about some of Irelands saints.

I found all of the tales to be well written and quite delightful.  My nine year old daughter has been enjoying reading about Ireland's saints.  She's used to reading books about saints that are a bit more dry, so she was surprised at the lighter tone of this book.  Of course, just because this book is fun doesn't mean your child won't be learning about the saints.  Children who read these stories will still learn what makes these twenty saints so special and how they chose to serve our Lord.

This book is best suited to an older child who will happily read a book that isn't illustrated.  There are many  little illustrations worked into the capital letters that are "illuminated" throughout the book, but there are no full page illustrations found in the book.  The lack of illustrations does not detract from the book in my opinion, but I know such things are important to some people when they are looking for a book for their child.

I found the author's storytelling to be very engaging.  A child who is interested in reading about saints and Ireland will be sure to delight in reading this book.  I liked that my child was able to learn a bit about her Irish heritage while reading this book.  I believe the original intended audience of this book was Irish children based on the fact that the author makes many references to regions of Ireland and local customs that she references the reader already knowing about.  In those instances, a reader who is not native to the emerald isle may feel like they're out of the loop.  I suppose when it comes to references to specific regions, it might not be a bad idea to have a map of Ireland so your child could plot out where in Ireland each saint lived.

Overall, it's a nice book that is sure to captivate and enthrall many young minds.

I was provided with a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher, Sophia Institute Press, in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: The One-Minute Apologist

I recently had the opportunity to delve into Dave Armstrong's The One-Minute Apologist.  The book is a collection of over sixty Catholic replies to common Protestant claims.  Many of the Protestant claims/arguments against Catholicism are ones which I have been faced with in the past when talking to Protestant friends or relatives, or have had questions about prior to my conversion to Catholicism.  The book is separated into nine categories: scripture, the Church, the papacy, the priesthood, the sacraments, salvation, theology of God, Mary and the Saints, and other topics.  Each category has several common Protestant claims (or misconceptions, if you will) and the Catholic response to those claims.

I liked the over all tone and flow of this book.  There were some areas where I felt the writing was a bit dry, but the majority of the book was very readable.  I liked the way the book was set up with the Protestant claim followed up with the Catholic rebuttal complete with references from either the Bible or the Catechism of the Catholic Church to back up the Catholic answer.  The vast majority of the apologetic answers are backed up with multiple scripture references and that's exactly what you want/need when you are trying to defend Catholicism to a sola scriptura Protestant.

I think this book has two valuable uses.  For one, it can give a Catholic who often finds him/herself needing to respond to Protestant claims against Catholicism the answers they need to explain what it is that we, as Catholics, believe.  This book could also be a great jumping off point for a Protestant who is interested in knowing more about the Catholic Church.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book by Sophia Institute Press in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: A Book of Angels

Over the past several weeks my daughter, who is nearly nine, and I have been reading A Book of Angels.  The book is comprised of well known bible stories that feature angels.  The vast majority of the stories are taken from the Old Testament and there are a few stories that are from the New Testament.

I liked how this book took stories that may not be well understood by young children and presented them in a way that could be easily grasped and retained by the reader.  My daughter was able to read this book chapter by chapter and then summarize each story for me.  She came away from reading this book with a newfound appreciation for bible stories.  She enjoyed reading the stories and found them very interesting.  I particularly liked when she would read a story and then come to me and ask me if we hadn't heard that story before at Mass or somewhere else.  I was really happy to see her making those connections.

I think the reading level for this book is easily in the 4th to 6th grade range.  My daughter, who is entering 4th grade next month, was able to read this book with relative ease.  The stories in this book could easily be read aloud to younger children, but the lack of illustrations may make their attention wane.  Each story has a single illustration at the beginning of the chapter.  The illustrations are black and white, but they are nicely done.

One of the things I really love about this book is it nicely mirrors some of the lessons found in the Baltimore Catechism and the Faith and Life text book that we use for my daughter's religious education. I think it's great that this book complements those books so wonderfully.  That simple fact is one of the reasons I love the children's books put out by Sophia Institute Press.  This book is among many from this publisher that I like to refer to as  stealth catechesis: she's enjoying herself and learning her faith at the same time.  It's a win-win situation.

I was provided with a complimentary review copy of this book by Sophia Institute Press in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Catholic Tales for Boys & Girls

Over the past few weeks my children and I have been enjoying a great little book entitled Catholic Tales for Boys & Girls.  The book is a collection of stories about children that teach children a deeper understanding and appreciation for their Catholic faith through lovely stories.  This book was originally published in 1957 under a different title.  With that being the case, it goes without saying that the stories contained in this collection of tales have a very nostalgic feel.  

I started out reading this book to my youngest daughter who is five.  She loves to hear stories like the ones contained in this book, so this book was well received by her.  Her only complaint about this book was that there weren't enough pictures (Each tale has one black and white illustration.).  When you're five, things like illustrations in a book can make or break the experience for you.  While she certainly would have preferred to see more pictures, she did still enjoy the book.  I suspect she liked the stories in this book because they're very similar to the Catholic Children's Treasure Box series.

My older daughter started expressing an interest in the stories contained in this book when she heard me reading one of the stories to my younger daughter.  She found the tale I had been reading to her sister to be rather interesting and she decided she wanted to take a look at the book.  She found the book to be easy to read (She's entering fourth grade in the Fall.) and she finds the stories to be rather enjoyable. 

Overall, I think this book is a lovely addition to the bookshelf of any Catholic family with young children.  While the book works as a read aloud story book for younger children, I do think it works much better as a book to be read by an older child.  The book appears to be written on a fourth or fifth grade level.  

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Sophia Institute Press in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: My Path To Heaven

Over the past few weeks I've been having my 8 1/2 year old daughter read My Path To Heaven.  The book is an Ignatian retreat for children.  The back cover of the book suggests that this book is best suited for children between the ages of 9 to 12, but I see no reason why a child as young as seven would have any difficulty grasping and understanding this book provided he or she is a good reader.

While it is not an ARKive book from Sophia Institute Press, this book was originally published in 1936 under a different title.  I think knowing that can be useful information for parents who are looking for books with good sound catechesis.  Most Catholic children are getting a watered down version of their faith in religious education classes and a book like this is a real find in the sea of Catholic books available for children today.  As I read through the book I stopped many times to marvel at how well the book meshes with the Baltimore Catechism.  I've recently begun to teach my daughter from the Baltimore Catechism and I loved how well this book supports it and in some ways makes it easier for her to understand.

My daughter hasn't finished reading this book yet but she has enjoyed the chapters that she has read.  She says it's a very easy book to read.  She likes looking at the black and white picture that is at the beginning of each chapter and she really enjoys looking for the additional pictures hidden within the drawing that are listed in the appendix.

I think this book would be a lovely addition to a homeschooler's religious education materials.  It works as a nice supplemental source of catechesis for children in religious education classes, too.  In fact, I think this would be a wonderful book to give to a child who is preparing for his or her first communion.  It's a lovely book for imparting/reinforcing the basics of the Catholic faith.

Sophia Institute Press provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: The Young People's Book of Saints

Over the past two weeks I've been reading The Young People's Book of Saints.  I chose to review this book because I thought it would be something my girls would enjoy and I was hoping it might also be of some use in the religious education classes that I teach in our parish.  The book tells the story of sixty-three saints.  The story of each saint is covered in a chapter that averages about 4 pages in length.  Each saint story is accompanied with a black and white illustration that pertains to the story.

I think the book has great potential as a bedtime story book for younger children.  This book will allow young children to know the saints.  Because the stories are relatively short, I doubt the little ones will tire of the story before it's over.  My daughter who is nearly nine has picked up this book to learn about the saints featured in this book and she enjoyed the stories.  One of her first questions to me after reading about St. Helen was to find out if there was a book where could learn more about her.  So while you aren't going to get a comprehensive saint biography in this book, your child may be inspired to learn more about his or her favorite saints.

While reading through the book I came to the conclusion that the intended audience of this book is not American children, but rather those living in the United Kingdom.  Frequently there are references made by the author to events in British history that he assumes the children are familiar with from their history lessons at school.  I'm a bit of a history buff and I found myself in the dark several times with some of the references that were made.  I think in light of the rich story telling contained in the book it's only a minor distraction, but one I certainly noticed.

This book is an ARKive Edition which means it's an exact reproduction of the book as it was published in 1960.  Bearing that in mind, the reader should not be too surprised when he or she sees the followers of Islam referred to as Mohammedans.  I had never heard that term before and I found it a bit interesting to learn that followers of Islam weren't always referred to as Islamic.

The book has its quirks that I mentioned already, but over all I think it's book worth having in any home with Catholic children.  It may not be the most comprehensive book of saints (some very notable saints, such as St. Augustine are not featured) but the story telling in this book makes up for anything that it lacks.

Sophia Institute Press provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Meet Mary

I just finished reading Mark Miravalle's Meet Mary.  Miravalle is a Catholic deacon who is also a Mariologist.  In his book he introduces his readers to the Mother of God, Mary.  This book wasn't written just for Catholics.  He invites non-Catholics to come along with him and get acquainted with our Blessed Mother and he explains why she's relevant to all of us and not just Catholics.

This is not an apologetics book and is not intended by the author to be such but even still, it could still quietly carry out that function if read by a curious non-Catholic. In the book Miravalle makes it clear that Catholic do not worship Mary and he beautifully explains Marian devotion and how it brings one closer to our Lord.

So who would benefit from reading this book?  Anyone with a curiosity about Mary could certainly learn something from this book.  If you're a Catholic who doesn't exactly know why we honor the Blessed Mother, you certainly could gain some valuable insight by reading this book.  If you're a protestant who thinks Catholics worship Mary or are just flat out crazy for praying to her, you could learn a lot about why she is so important and how she can lead us closer to her son and our Lord, Jesus.  If you're in RCIA and the idea of Marian devotion seems strange to you then this book would be a great springboard of catechesis for you on Mary.

At 90 pages, the book is a short read, but it is packed with information.  Miravalle's writing style is engaging and to the point.  Because this book is an introduction to Mary, it's more or less an overview of Mary and not an in-depth study.  If you're looking to get you feet wet and become acquainted with Our Lady, then this book is a great starting point.

The book also sports a nice appendix that covers the Rosary and other Marian prayers.  In this section you will find a short how to on praying the Rosary and a brief explanation of all twenty mysteries of the Rosary.  Prayers such as the Angelus, Regina Caeli and Memorare are also included in this section along with a few others.

Overall, I think this book is well done and can nicely serve a broad audience.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Sophia Institute Press in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Book Review: Memorize the Faith!

When I picked up my copy of Memorize The Faith! (And Most Anything Else) I was very skeptical that the memory method would really work.  Much to my surprise, the mnemonic memory method of loci that was presented in this book made memorization a snap.

While learning to memorize key components of the Catholic faith with the loci method was delightfully easy, it is not a book that you'll want to sit down and devour in one sitting.  In fact, I think you'll probably put yourself into memory overload if you try to do just that.   I'm one of those people who can easily consume a well written book in a sitting [or two if it's lengthy] and I took my time getting through this book so that I could properly digest the material.  I did not memorize everything presented in this book, yet, but I have no doubt that I will be able to do so.  There is a lot of material presented in this book, but I think one could easily memorize everything presented in it in a month's time.

I'd say first and foremost, this book is a great work of catechesis.  Any Catholic who is not well versed in his or her faith could pick up this book and easily commit the basics of the faith and more to memory.  Now, if you are among those Catholics who are well versed in their faith, don't discount this book as something you don't need to bother reading.  Even if you think you know it all, this book can still offer you plenty.  For one, you can learn the loci method and use it to neatly file away apologetic arguments that may evade you when you need them most.  You could even use this method, or the two other mnemonic methods that are briefly covered towards the end of the book to expand upon what you already have committed to memory.

The beauty in learning the loci memory method taught in this book is you can use it for anything.  Maybe you need to remember a shopping list, or maybe you need to remember you key speaking points for a speech.  This method will help you keep track of your thoughts.

To help further your understanding of the memory method, Vost included "Memory Master Tips and Facts" at the end of each chapter.  These facts give you more insight into the science of memory.

Overall, I was incredibly pleased with this book.  I felt the mnemonics presented were particularly effective in helping me to learn and retain the information I was seeking to commit to memory.  The explanation of how to employ the loci method was expertly conveyed.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their ability to memorize anything.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Sophia Institute Press in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Book Review: Please Don't Drink the Holy Water

Thoroughly amused.  That's how I would describe myself after having read Susie Lloyd's Please Don't Drink the Holy Water.  From start to finish I found myself laughing, crying from laughing and nodding my head in agreement with what she had to say.  I'm fairly certain that my kids, my husband and the neighbors all think I've gone off the deep end.  They're not used to seeing me laugh so much while reading a book.  I fielded way too many questions asking me if I was all right and what was so funny.  I suspected in most cases relating the humorous bit which sent me into hysterics would not merit laughter from the interested party given that they aren't mothers.  Any mother who has a sense of humor will have a hard time not laughing at this witty book.

The author infuses anecdotes from her life as a Catholic homeschooling mother of six girls with hilarious commentary of her dealings with her children, her husband and the members of the subversive "Real World" group "H.R.u.M.F. (Hairdressers, Relatives, und Malfunctioning Friends)."  She gives those of us who don't homeschool a peek into life as a homeschooling mother.  Her wry account sheds a spot light on a lifestyle choice which some of us who live in the "Real World" might want to assume.

I loved this book and I think it's every bit as good as her other book entitled Bless Me, Father, For I Have Kids.  I don't think you could go wrong with either of these books.

I was supplied with a complementary copy of Please Don't Drink the Holy Water by Sophia Institute Press in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Bless Me, Father, For I Have Kids

I just finished reading Susie Lloyd's Bless Me, Father, For I Have Kids a few days ago.  Susie Lloyd is the Catholic home schooling mother of seven who amusingly writes about her life as such.  Her book is entertaining and captivating.  I picked up the book expecting to read a chapter or two and wound up reading about a third of the book in a very short time span.  Then, I got up, did a few things around the house and found a few moments to dive back into the book.  Before I knew it, I had read the entire book.  It was the funniest book I've read in a long time and one I simply could not put down and stay away from for very long.

If you're a mom, you'll find yourself nodding your head in agreement as you read the about the antics of Susie Lloyd's adventures in mothering.  The book is punctuated with many side splitting moments of hilarity.

You don't need to be a home schooling mother to fully appreciate this book.  I think this book will likely appeal more to Catholic moms, but I think any mom with a sense of humor will thoroughly enjoy this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it to any mother who could use a good laugh.

I received a complimentary copy of Bless Me, Father, For I Have Kids from Sophia Institute Press in exchange for my honest review of the book.

Book Review: The Year & Our Children

I recently had the opportunity to read Mary Reed Newland's The Year & Our Children.  The book walks you through the liturgical year, starting with Advent and progresses chronologically through the major and popular feast days and seasons.  The book offers a litany of suggestions for how you can help your child celebrate the Church year at home.  The book was written in 1956 (pre-Vatican II) so some of the suggestions in this book seem a little dated, but there are still plenty of suggestions that are relevant for today's Catholic family.  There are a few areas in the book where you can see how some Church traditions seem to have disappeared as a result of the changes brought about by Vatican II.  I found those areas to be rather interesting.

For every season or feast day, the author offers many suggestions for introducing prayer into your daily family life.  Some of it seems a little over the top, but much of it seems totally feasible.  What you chose to incorporate into your own family's spiritual life will depend on what your family is up to trying.  She also offers ideas for craft projects and treats.  Some of the craft projects seemed a little difficult to visualize since there are no pictures or diagrams to accompany the suggestions.  For that reason, I would not classify this book as a craft book.  Many of the food suggestions have the recipes, but there were a few that simply suggested a treat.  For the cooking challenged, like myself, I found the instances where a food was suggested but no recipe provided to be a little disappointing.

The book reads much like a modern day Catholic blog.  The author walks us through how she and her family live out the liturgical year.  She beautifully shows by example how using manipulatives like story telling, crafts and foods help children to understand their faith better.  From personal, experience, I can say that I find this to be true for my own children as well.  When the children have ways of connecting the celebrations of the Church in their own homes through a variety of activities and objects that help them to learn and live their faith, the results are amazing.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  The tone was very pleasant, and I loved seeing how so many problems and concerns that many mothers have today with regards to raising their children in the faith were also concerns of mothers back in the 50's.

If you are looking for a book that will help you understand the liturgical year better so that you can be better armed to impart the faith in your children, then this would be a great book to consider reading.

I received a complimentary copy of The Year & Our Children from Sophia Institute Press in exchange for my honest review of the book.