Canyon of Danger - review

Book 3 of Susan K. Marlow's Goldtown Adventures series has just come out!

Canyon of Danger continues the adventures of 12-year-old Jem Coulter and his sister Ellie during the waning days of the California gold rush. Pa has to be gone for a few days and leaves Jem in charge of the ranch. Jem is excited about this new responsibility... until everything starts to go wrong. It's a great story for tweens about making wise choices and being dependable. You can read an excerpt here.

 Susan's books are well-written and engaging, even for us "kids" who are a "little" older than her target demographic. She offers lapbooks and free study guides to go along with each title which makes them great for homeschoolers.

The fourth book in this series, River of Peril, will be out in the Spring of 2014. You can also read my previous reviews of Book 1: Badge of Honor and Book 2: Tunnel of Gold.

Thank you to Kregel for sending me a review copy.

On Distant Shores - review

I have thoroughly been enjoying the World War II romances by Sarah Sundin. Her most recent book is On Distant Shores which is the second book in her Wings of the Nightingale series.

The main characters of On Distant Shores are Georgie and Hutch, a flight nurse and a pharmacist, both working on the front lines of the war. It has been interesting to learn more about the World War II flight nursing program in this series, and this particular book focuses on the challenges of war-time pharmacists as well. The other "educational" element of the story had to do with astronomy.

In addition to the "I didn't know that!" moments throughout the book, I also appreciated the real-to-life struggles that Georgie and Hutch each had to deal with. In reading novels, I like to see the [fictional] characters overcome challenges in a believable way that can translate to similar situations or trials in my own life.

A well-written story makes me think, and hopefully, grow.

And if it broadens my education, so much the better.

Thank you to LitFuse Publicity for providing me with a review copy.

 

Mount St. Helens

After our thwarted attempt to visit Mount St. Helens last fall, we decided she would be more likely to be receiving visitors in August. We took a detour yesterday on our way home from the coast to see. (Understand, Mount St. Helens is a destination. It's not "on the way" to anywhere else. Approximately 50 miles in, and then 50 miles back out.)

The clouds cast a shade on her during our visit, so pristine pictures were not possible, but at least we could see the mountain this time. We could have taken a 14-mile hike to get a little closer, but we didn't have that kind of time.

Pictures and stories in the visitors' center were fascinating. One interesting tidbit we learned was that on the day the volcano erupted, people 20 miles away heard nothing, but people 500 miles away heard the eruption.

Even 30+ years later it's obvious that "something" happened to the landscape.

Scrubby bushes, young trees, and wildflowers grew up through the ash around the remains of the ancient trees that lived there previously.

Do you remember when Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980? I was in 8th grade and we lived in Louisiana at the time. Friends who lived in this area at the time tell me that ash covered the ground around here (300+ miles away) for weeks or months afterwards.

Small Town Girl - review

Small Town Girl by Ann H. Gabhart is a gripping love story set in, as you might assume from the title, a small American town during the early days of World War II. While it probably would be considered a romance novel, the story had a little more depth to it than your typical romance. I loved the characters and found the plot to be engaging and believable. Here's the publisher's synopsis:

In the autumn of 1941, rumors of war whisper through Rosey Corner. The town waits in anticipation as if holding its breath. But for Kate Merritt, it seems life is letting out a prolonged sigh. As Kate watches her sister marry the man Kate has loved since she was fifteen, her heart is silently breaking. And even the attentions of handsome best man Jay Tanner can’t draw her interest.
Then suddenly, Pearl Harbor changes everything. Kate’s friends are rushing to get married before the boys go off to war. The newspapers talk of women making airplanes and bombs. Everyone in town begins rolling bandages, planting victory gardens and collecting scrap metal. Kate finds herself drawn to Jay in surprising ways, and when he enlists she can hardly breathe worrying about him getting killed. Could she truly be in love with him? And if she is, will she ever see him again?

Thank you to Revell for providing me with a review copy.

Goldtown Adventures - review

Fellow homeschool-mom Susan K. Marlow's new book series for kids, Goldtown Adventures, has launched!

Badge of Honor  is an exciting historical novel for kids. It takes place in the waning days of the California gold rush, as seen through the eyes of 12-year-old Jem. There is still gold to be found (small amounts, anyway) if one is willing to work hard at getting to it. Jem and his little sister, Ellie, are willing. Too bad their pa thinks they ought to be in school. What's even worse is that Pa got elected sheriff, so now that means they have to be on their best behavior. And to top things off, "city" relatives arrive from back east to live with them. In spite of all that, Jem and Ellie, and their city-slicker cousin manage to find plenty of adventure... if not plenty of gold.

 Targeted for children ages 10-14, my 17-year-old daughter and I both thoroughly enjoyed the story. My favorite character is Strike-It-Rich Sam and his obstinate burro, Canary. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series which is due out later this winter.

Susan offers free study guides for all of her books. She also offers lap books that coordinate with the novels. These are great for turning a fun story into an educational unit study.

American Tapestries - review

 Today I get to participate in the blog tour for the first two books in the new American Tapestries series from Summerside: Queen of the Waves and Where the Trail Ends. The time periods of both novels intrigued me, so I was happy for the opportunity to read them. Thank you to Litfuse Group for providing me with review copies in exchange for my honest reviews.

Queen of the Waves, by Janice Thompson, is a Titanic story. Even though I'm intrigued by the tragic story of the Titanic, I thought this might be just another re-telling of a society debutante experiencing the great ship. Instead, the main character was actually of the working class, but got to travel on the Titanic in First Class, as she is standing in for the high society lady I expected. That gave an interesting twist to the story. It was well-written and not too melodramatic or sappy.

Here's the publisher's synopsis:

When pampered Jacqueline Abington secretly elopes with the family gardener, she asks another woman to take her place on the much anticipated maiden voyage of the Titanic. Tessa Bowen hails from a poor corner of London but has been granted the opportunity of a lifetime—a ticket to sail to America aboard a famed vessel. But there’s a catch: she must assume Jacqueline’s identity. For the first time in her life, Tessa stays in luxurious quarters, dresses in elegant gowns, and dines with prestigious people. Then a wealthy American man takes an interest in her, and Tessa struggles to keep up the ruse as she begins falling for him. When tragedy strikes, the game is up, and two women’s lives are forever changed.

Where the Trail Ends, by Melanie Dobson, is an Oregon Trail story. The novel starts towards the end of the overland journey, just as the wagon train is preparing to cross the Blue Mountains. This was particularly interesting to me, as I've seen that part of the Oregon Trail and have been over the Blues several times. This story was set in the 1840s, in the very early days of westward expansion. The wagon train in the story was one of the first ones to make the trip, so there were fur-trappers and Indians at the end of the trail to greet them rather than other pioneers. That was an interesting perspective that I hadn't read about before. I liked the main character, and found the story believable and well-researched.

Here's the publisher's synopsis:

For two thousand miles along the trail to Oregon Country, Samantha Waldron and her family must overcome tremendous challenges to reach the Willamette Valley before winter. Together they weather autumn storms, hunger and thirst, and the dangers of a wild and unfamiliar country. But when their canoe capsizes on the Columbia River, they must rely on handsome British exporter Alexander Clarke to rescue them from the icy water. Alex escorts Samantha and her young brother, Micah, to Fort Vancouver. There Samantha is overwhelmed with men vying for her affections, but the only one who intrigues her-Alex-is the one she cannot have. When his betrothed arrives unexpectedly from England to escort him home, Samantha becomes determined to create a home for herself and Micah in the fertile valley far away from the fort. But how will an unmarried woman support herself and her brother in the wilderness alone? Then Micah disappears into the wilderness one rainy night, and Samantha must rely on the man she loves-the man she’s trying desperately to forget-to rescue her brother before it’s too late.

 

One fortunate winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• Where the Trail Ends by Melanie Dobson
• Queen of the Waves by Janice Thompson

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 17th. Winner will be announced at the American Tapestries Author Chat Facebook Party on 10/18. Connect with authors Janice Thompson and Melanie Dobson for an evening of book chat, trivia and fun! There will also be gift certificates, books, and a Book Club Prize Pack to be won (10 copies for your book club or small group)!

So grab your copy of Queen of the Waves and Where the Trail Ends and join Janice Thompson and Melanie Dobson on the evening of the October 18th for a chance to connect with the authors and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the books – don’t let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 18th!

With Every Letter - review

I thoroughly enjoyed Sarah Sundin's Wings of Glory trilogy about brothers who fought in World War II. I was very excited when I heard about her new series, Wings of the Nightingale, featuring World War II nurses. I was even more excited when I had the chance to review the first one: With Every Letter. And it didn't disappoint!

You remember the movie You've Got Mail? It's one of my favorites, about "secret" pen pals who know each other in real life but don't know that's who they are writing to. With Every Letter has the same premise.

Here's the publisher's synopsis:

Lt. Mellie Blake is looking forward to beginning her training as a flight nurse. She is not looking forward to writing a letter to a man she’s never met–even if it is anonymous and part of a morale-building program. Lt. Tom MacGilliver, an officer stationed in North Africa, welcomes the idea of an anonymous correspondence–he’s been trying to escape his infamous name for years. As their letters crisscross the Atlantic, Tom and Mellie develop a unique friendship despite not knowing the other’s true identity. When both are transferred to Algeria, the two are poised to meet face-to-face for the first time. Will they overcome their fears and reveal who they are, or will their future be held hostage by their pasts? Combining a flair for romance with excellent research and attention to detail, Sarah Sundin vividly brings to life the perilous challenges of WWII aviation, nursing–and true love.

The novel is well-written, well-researched, and a great story. Sarah Sundin has become one of my all-time favorite authors. I can't wait for her next book! I highly recommend this title and will be giving it 5 stars on Amazon.

***

Celebrate with Sarah by entering to win a eReader (winner's choice of Kindle Fire or Nook Color)!

See what folks are saying about With Every Letter!

One fortunate winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire or Nook Color (winner’s choice)
• Handmade With Every Letter First Aid Kit
• With Every Letter by Sarah Sundin

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 26th. Winner will be announced at the “With Every Letter” Author Chat Facebook Party on 9/27. Connect with Sarah, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at a trivia contest, and chat with readers just like yourself. There will also be gift certificates, books and a Book Club Prize Pack to be won (10 copies for your book club or small group)!

So grab your copy of With Every Letter and join Sarah on the evening of the September 27th for a chance to connect with Sarah and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the book – don’t let that stop you from coming!)
Don't miss a moment of the RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 27th!

The Eldorado Courier

My grandparents and their children moved away from Eldorado, Oklahoma in 1958. Many of our relatives still lived there, so my grandparents had a subscription to The Eldorado Courier (pronounced "Elda-ray-duh Coo-yer") to keep up with the happenings in their hometown. Sometimes Grandmother would include a clipping from the Courier in a letter to Mother when I was growing up.

When I walked into the Eldorado Historical Society Museum the other day, and saw the Courier masthead on the wall, I had my hopes up that I would be able to pore over the archives of the small town newspaper. I love family history and research.

One issue from 1929 was lying on the table. As you can imagine, the pages are very brittle and crumbly. I lifted the first page carefully and just peeked at the next page. I wondered where the other issues were. I hoped they were micro-filmed somewhere.

So I asked Mr. Goodin, the man who had opened the museum for us, if he knew where the archives were for the Courier. He knew exactly where they were. There was a door I hadn't noticed before just under the masthead (in the first picture). The archives are behind the door!

However, due to extreme brittleness of the paper, we wouldn't be able to take them out to look at them-- which is completely understandable. Mr. Goodin didn't know if they had ever been microfilmed or not. One of my cousins said he would try to contact the district library to find out, or to see about having it done.

I hope they are able to be preserved some way. After all, tidbits like this (from 1934) are just priceless...

...even if they did misspell Grandmother Ernesteen's name!

For more posts about vintage treasures visit Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady.

The Home Demonstration Club Quilt

As far as I could tell, downtown Eldorado, Oklahoma only has two or three "inhabited" buildings. There is the community building, where we met for our family reunion Labor Day weekend... an apparently current insurance office... and across the street, the historical museum. All the other buildings are vacant.

For such a tiny, dying town, the museum is quite impressive and full of interesting artifacts from the pioneering days of the community. It is open by appointment only, but one of my cousins who lives there made arrangements for the man to open it for us the afternoon of the reunion.

The most exciting discovery (for me) was a quilt made by the Midway Community Home Demonstration Club back in 1934-1935. Each member embroidered her name on a block. It was folded on a quilt rack hanging on the wall. My grandparents lived in the Midway Community (out in the country) when they were teenagers. I remembered reading about the Home Demonstration Club meetings in Grandmother's diary which she kept in 1934 and 1935 as a senior in high school, so I was pretty sure she had worked on this very quilt.

The name showing on the display just happened to be "Liffa Shumaker"-- my great-grandmother.

 Pinned to the quilt, just below Mother Shumaker's block, was a list of the other names on it. "Ernesteen Shumaker" (Grandmother's maiden name) was on that list!

My cousin asked the man if we could possibly take the quilt down and unfold it, so we could see the other names. He kindly consented, and helped us with it.

 Mother recognized quite a few of the names on the quilt, as she was born about 5 or 6 years after this quilt was made, in the Midway Community, and lived there until she was 17.

And sure enough, there was Grandmother's square!

Another square of interest was Aunt Thelma's. She was Granddaddy's sister and also Grandmother's best friend when they were teenagers. She ended up marrying Grandmother's brother, so their children were double cousins with my mother and her siblings.

I love that it was a friendship quilt, so each person's square featured their name in their own handwriting.

I could have easily spent several days in this little building, poring over records and documents from earlier generations.

For more posts about vintage treasures visit Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady.

Granddaddy's Barn

 Once upon a time a path led from the driveway along the edge of the garden to the barn where the hens lived. Red-the-cow and the nanny goats congregated there morning and evening to be fed and milked. We called tending the livestock "the chores." Usually the teenage uncles were responsible for doing the chores. We little nieces and nephews considered it a privilege to get to help occasionally. It was fun to scoop out a portion of grain or to reach into a hen box and pick up a warm, freshly laid egg to add to the bucket.


The years went by, as years are wont to do. Old Red died. The uncles grew up and went off to college. The rest of us lived other places. Granddaddy's "herd" of livestock gradually grew smaller and smaller, until finally there were none.

The barn is abandoned now, and while my dad gives it a fresh coat of paint every now and then to keep it looking nice, mostly it serves as storage for no-longer-useful-or-needed implements. The used-to-be garden and once busy path are now covered over with neatly mowed grass.

The farm is no longer very productive, but it holds countless memories for the generation of children who once ran barefoot all over the hillside. What a wonderful way to begin life's many adventures.

Ozark Back Roads

 Tuesday afternoon's route took us winding through the Ozarks from Arkansas into Missouri. It was a gorgeous afternoon, sunny and warm like we never see in Idaho in March. We opened the sun roof and enjoyed the fresh spring air and the rolling hills. (We can't bring ourselves to actually call the Ozarks mountains.)

 Wednesday morning was cooler and overcast, but still a pleasant day for a drive. This view is from my uncle's yard where we spent the night. They may not be true mountains but the Ozarks do have a beauty all their own.

And of course I couldn't pass through Mansfield without stopping by to say hello to Laura Ingalls Wilder. I didn't have to time to stop for tea, but as it turns out, she wasn't home anyway. So I just snapped a quick picture to prove I'd been there, and we went on our way.

We stopped in Rolla to visit with Lyle's parents for a few hours then headed on over into Kansas where we spent last night.

How Huge the Night - review

When I post book reviews on Amazon I am asked to assign a star rating to each title, from 1 to 5 stars. I don't give very many books 5 stars simply because I like to reserve the 5-star rating for those which are real stand-outs. How Huge the Night by Heather Munn and Lydia Munn is such a stand-out. It is one of the best novels about the Europe during World War II that I have ever read-- right up there with The Hiding Place and The Diary of Anne Frank.

The setting is southern France after it had been invaded by Germany. The main character is a 15-year-old boy named Julien who is trying to adjust to all the changes brought about by the war and make sense of it all. I especially appreciated the wisdom of Julien's grandfather as he helps him learn how to talk to and listen to God. There is a parallel story woven throughout the book about Jewish siblings, Nina and Gustav, who are on the run from the Nazis in Austria. It is very well-researched, based on actual events which the authors explain in a note at the end of the book.

You can read the first four chapters in PDF format, but I will warn you, if you do, you will likely be hooked and want to read the whole book. It is one of those stories that is hard to put down. I guess I don't need to say, "I highly recommend this book!" I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Free Advent Resource

As we've been studying Ancient Times this year, we've been reading Bible stories that follow along with the chronology of World History. Interestingly enough, as we approach the Advent season we have reached the time of the Roman Empire in our history studies.

This morning I found a free resource that I plan to use along with our history and Bible studies this month. It is the Jesse Tree Advent Devotional Book. You may download it for free by subscribing to A Holy Experience blog. It includes daily devotionals for the Advent season telling the story of the Old Testament leading up to the birth of Christ.

It also includes artsy "ornament" print-outs to go with each devotional. The idea is to put one on the tree each day, or use them however you would like. I think they will be great additions to our Book of Time, as we'll be doing this devotional at the beginning of our school time each day.

Often families take the month of December off from doing their regular school work to focus on holiday activities. I think this could also be the foundation of a very special Christmas unit study, if you wanted to add in some supplemental reading and crafts. Just an idea! Enjoy!

Fort Walla Walla field trip

Yesterday we drove down to visit the Fort Walla Walla museum. My "neighbor" blogger, Katey @ Crazy Homeschool Mama, posted about their visit to the museum a few days. It looked so interesting, and since Walla Walla is only about 3 hours away we thought it would be a fun day trip for the family before Lyle and I take off for our "second honeymoon" next week. We had a great time!

I really enjoy museums with exhibits set up to look like actual rooms or buildings, not just artifacts in a showcase behind glass. There was an actual little village to stroll through and peep in the windows, with several cabins and places of business.  I was especially impressed with how small the homes were, and how sparsely they were furnished. It's hard to imagine living so simply, isn't it? (We've been watching Hoarders recently, which has convicted me to get rid of a lot of clutter. These exhibits helped encourage that endeavor even further!)

After our visit to the museum we stopped to "play" at a dog park that was in the same neighborhood. Cookie had stayed in the car while we were in the museum, and we thought she would enjoy getting out to run. She (and we) had never been to a dog park before, and she didn't quite know what to think. She was a little intimidated by some of the more rambunctious, over-friendly dogs. It was a lot of fun to watch!

Then we stopped for ice cream at Dairy Queen before heading home. We listened to the old time radio channel on XM as we drove. Fun times!

Lolo Motorway

This past weekend we took "a step back in time" and traveled the Lolo Motorway which follows one of the most difficult parts of the Lewis and Clark trail. "Motorway" makes it sound like a super highway or something, doesn't it? Um. It's not. It's a very rough 75-mile long dirt road. I guess back in the '30s when the old Indian trail was widened into a road suitable for automobile travel that's what roads were called. If you could drive your Model T on it, then it was a motorway.

 We began our journey on Friday evening by driving east on I-90 to Montana. Our student driver was behind the wheel for this leg of the trip. It was just a little hairy for her over Lookout Pass with some road construction and Friday evening traffic on an already twisty part of the Interstate, but she did very well.

In Missoula we turned southwest to head back into Idaho toward the Lolo Pass. We didn't bring our trailer this time, for obvious reasons. We tent-camped on Friday night in the forest just a few miles before the turn-off for the Motorway.

Saturday was a beautiful day for a drive in the mountains. It was 41 degrees, clear and sunny, as we left the campground. Starting out, the road was relatively wide and smooth.

Our new-to-us Toyota Tundra was all clean and shiny early in the day. It didn't stay that way for long.

We didn't get very far before we had to stop to fix a rattle. Really? We're going to be driving on a dirt road all day and there is one rattle that bugs you? Okay, then. We were all very happy that he found the loose wire and was able to "fix" the rattle so it wouldn't be bugging him the rest of the day.

In some places we could see across the valley to the next mountain where the road continued on.

"From this mountain I could observe high rugged mountains in every direction as far as I could see." --William Clark, September 15, 1805.

Since we had read how Lewis and Clark nearly died in the deep snow in these very mountains in mid-September, it was hard for us to imagine winter coming on so quickly in less than a month. Though it was pleasantly cool (in the 60s and low 70s) throughout the day, there were late-summer wildflowers in abundance and no signs of frost.

 Most of the route the road was pretty narrow. On the rare occasion that we met another vehicle, one would have to pull over  into the brush to let the other pass.

One section of the forest was burned out. We remembered bad fires in this area several  years ago, but couldn't recall just how long ago it was. Maybe 3-5 years based on the size of the little new trees?

Interesting rock formations added to the beauty around us.

A sparkling lake which was much further down the mountain than it seemed at first glance. R was pretty sure she'd be able to throw a rock into the lake. So Lyle and the kids had a little contest to see who could throw a rock the furthest. Daddy won, of course, but none of them came anywhere close to hitting the lake.

In places the road was very rough, rocky and steep. (I failed to get pictures of some of the worst places.) We were glad we hadn't attempted it in the car.

By the end of the day, the truck was covered in dust. We felt a little like that ourselves after 9 hours on the Motorway. Yes, it really did take us 9 hours to travel 75 miles! As we came down out of the mountains the temperature climbed into the '90s.

Rather than tent-camping again we had made reservations to stay in a cabin Saturday night, so we could take showers and be ready to go to church Sunday morning with our dear friends who pastor in central Idaho.

It was a lovely weekend!