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This is the intriguing and classic story of Artaban, the "other" wise man who searches for Jesus his whole life while "foolishly" spending his treasures - which had been intended as a gift for the newborn king - on the poor and needy. A beautiful and touching story, it is quite short, but the vocabulary is challenging enough to be appropriate for upper grade school or high school.

This is the actual book, written in 1949, which inspired the script of the movie the Sound of Music. It is Maria and her family's autobiography, covering some early details of the Captain and Maria's separate lives and the history of the family from Maria's position as teacher to the young Maria all the way through the late 1940s. After reading the World of the Trapp Family (reviewed below), I finally picked up this book which I had started to read years earlier, but never finished.

I found this a really delightful and engaging book. Maria, who in not a professional writer and is writing in her second language, comes across with a style that is a little unusual, but very charming and personable. In many little details, the movie is surprisingly faithful to the book, but in other ways, it actually understates rather than exaggerates some of the amazing aspects of the story. This book also goes well beyond the scope of the movie, even when looked at chronologically. There are many reasons to recommend the book, but my favorite aspect of the book is how Maria comments and reflects (in a very Catholic way, may I add) upon the events surrounding her and her family - the providence of God in many parts of their lives, the importance of music in culture, her thoughts on the discipline of children, some of the terrible events and persons of Europe during World War II, and on and on. Although I was reading the book to myself (and there are many reflections of interest to Catholic mothers), there were many, many little fascinating and humorous stories within the story that I had to share with my husband and children.

The Faroe Islands are located almost midway between Scotland and Iceland. Locals sustain themselves through fishing and bird-hunting. The meeting of the Gulf Stream with an icy Polar current makes for unpredictable weather that can lead to great dangers on the island of Mykines; a place whose rough landings and wild weather make accessibility nearly impossible for all but the locals who are accustomed to its tides and rocky beaches.

In The Strange Intruder, an injured schooner, an unusual passenger and fierce weather conspire to bring grave danger to the islanders while they attempt to save those on the doomed boat. Sixteen-year-old Sven is thrust to the fore-front of strategies and dangerous missions (lots of intense rock-climbing) since most of the men and boys on the island are away on a whale hunt. Heroism, teamwork and quick-thinking are essential to success...and even survival.

This thrilling adventure story will keep you on the edge of your seat and is recommended for ages 10 and up. I think some sensitive youngsters may find it too intense. It also provides a unique and memorable geography lesson!

This book is available in either three individual volumes or a newer paperback compilation. The books are collections of individual Tightwad Gazzettes, a newsletter filled with thoughts and ideas about saving money, getting out of debt, living on one income, etc. Some of the ideas seem a little extreme, but Mrs. Daczycyn explains that she has had people in very desperate situations call her for advice. She feels that it's worthwhile to include all of these ideas as they may be helpful to some. Most of the ideas, however, are very creative way of stretching a dollar and will be helpful to many. Also, the ideas are indexed so that you can easily go back to the recipe for homemade playdough or her statistics on the money/time saving comparisons of owning a dishwasher or washing by hand. She does have ethical lines she won't cross just for the sake of saving money, but most homeschoolers won't agree with EVERYTHING she says - she feels that public schools and network television are GREAT deals. You may be surprised to discover that the books are rather engaging. One of my sisters-in-law even described them as "addictive."