History

The King's Shadow is a story of a welsh serf, Evyn, who dreams of becoming a storyteller. In retaliation for his uncle's crime, however, Evyn has his tongue cut out, thus shattering his dreams to become a storyteller. Evyn is then sold to the king's wife, and eventually becomes the king's squire and then his foster son.

The book is set in the 11th century, shortly before the Battle of Hastings. It gives accurate details of King Harold's life, and the life of English nobility of the time. It would be a wonderful complement to a history unit on the Middle Ages.

The King's Shadow is an excellent work of historical fiction, recommended for ages 10 and up. It has great "boy appeal" because of the battle scenes, adventures, intrigue, and the profusion of male characters. Not recommended for a read aloud.

Full of imagination and an adventurous spirit, 12-year-old Kit likes nothing more than to roam the fields playing pretending games with her best friends, Pony and Helen. But life never stays the same. After an illness, Kit goes to live with her elderly Aunts and often visits her nearby cousins. In her cousins’ home, she is introduced to a totally new world of lively interests, music, and enduring friendships.

When she returns home, her life turns upside down. Cook, who had always been a dear friend, leaves for America to live with her brother, father seems more isolated and emotionally distant than ever, and Laura, her ever-busy cousin, who acts as her substitute mother, wants her troublesome charge out of the way.

Off to boarding school Kit is sent. Here Kit struggles to find the meaning of her life. Her brothers all seem so sure of what they want to do and who they are. Kit, on the other hand, wants to sing like her happy cousins. But Laura calls her singing “awful noise.” Will Kit rise up like the lark in the morning to find her voice, her true self, and the happiness she longs for?

The Lark in the Morn offers a peek into the life of a Quaker girl growing up in England during the mid-twentieth century.

Suggested reading level ages 11-up.

What would you do if you knew you were going to die? For most of us, that is a reality that we push to the back of our minds as someday, but not soon. In the case of Randy Pausch, that reality came much sooner than he expected with a diagnosis of terminal, pancreatic cancer. In The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, shares the PowerPoint presentation he gave as his last lecture on September 18, 2007.

Besides the salient points and accompanying stories from his lecture, The Last Lecture includes much more. Not in the least maudlin, The Last Lecture is a book about daring to dream the impossible and achieving those dreams. It is a book of hope and inspiration. He opens the story with the reasons that motivated him to consider this last lecture, then delves back into the past to show the many influences on his life’s journey, especially his remarkable, loving parents, mentors, teachers, or coaches who profoundly influenced his life.

Each chapter is short and to the point. While it would be easy, as with any autobiography, to fall into the trap of naval gazing, it is a refreshingly honest portrait of his life and life’s situation, his strengths and human failings.

In a world filled with negative news, it is uplifting to read his genuine love and admiration for his parents and those who encouraged him along the way, as well as had the honesty to point out his faults, so that he could become a better person.

The book is broken down into five sections: The story behind the last lecture, achieving his dreams, the lessons he learned, enabling the dreams of others, “It’s about How to Live Your Life,” and closing thoughts.

With humor, wit, and common sense, Pausch relates his quest for happiness through achieving his childhood dreams. Over the years, he has gained much wisdom, from his parents, mentors, teachers, and students. His advice as a teacher can be applied to many situations.

In The Last Lecture, he shares this legacy of memories, hopes, and advice for his three young children to see someday. As a teacher, he wanted to continue to teach them long after he was not with them; the result was this inspiring lecture about the joy of life; each day is a gift.

Incredibly uplifting, full of hope and inspiration!

Thank you, Randy for sharing your story. Thank you, Jai for sharing Randy during your precious time together.

Randy Pausch died on July 25, 2008.

The Legend of Odysseus, by British author Peter Connolly, was first published in 1986. It tells the legend of the Trojan War and of the homecoming of Odysseus. The Legend of Odysseus is a wonderful recounting of Homer's classic tales, The Iliad and The Odyessey. The most outstanding feature is the vivid, full-color drawings in every page. This book is suitable for most children, ages 10-16. There are additonal informative pages telling about life in Ancient Greece. My only caution is that it has some questionable pictures in it. (Two of the goddesses aren't wearing any tops in three pictures.) This book is an excellent complement to any unit study on Ancient Greece.