G.K. Chesterton

Nancy Brown and Hillside Education have teamed up for a second volume of kid-friendly mysteries adapted from G.K. Chesterton's Fr. Brown mysteries. It's a little difficult to say what age these are appropriate for since, unlike the first volume, these are all based on murder-mystery stories, and sensitivities vary from child-to-child. My rough-and-tumble seven year old son loved them as a read-aloud, but the general subject matter is off-putting for my very sensitive thirteen year old daughter.

There are four stories in this volume:

This is a truly amazing and beautiful "sketch" of St. Francis of Assisi - not so much a story (though a number of stories are included) as an appreciation and elucidation of who Saint Francis was and, quite simply, the impact he had on the world.

The Man Who Was Thursday is a great classic, beloved by many, and not easy to do justice to in a review (even after reading it twice, leading a teen discussion on the book and attending a Chesterton conference which particularly highlighted this book!), but I'll give it my best shot.

Nancy Carpentier Brown’s newest book, The Father Brown Reader: Stories from Chesterton, is an adaptation of four of G.K Chesterton’s Father Brown mysteries. It’s a delightful and captivating read-aloud, as well as a perfect book to hand to a young child to read on his own. The four stories – The Blue Cross, The Strange Feet, The Flying Stars, and The Absence of Mr. Glass – are all easy reads, short enough to read in just one sitting.

Found on pages 82-86 of G.K. Chesterton Collected Works Volume XIV, 1993, Ignatius Press, 802 pages, softcover, Catholic perspective

This is a charming and humorous story about the spirit of Christmas through the ages. Good for a chuckle and a little perspective.

The volume in which this story can be found is available from Ignatius Press
You can also read this story online by clicking here

Includes copious synopses and notes (pages 175-231)

As an avid Chestertonian, I am frequently asked which G.K. Chesterton title I recommend for young people to read.

First, let me say that I'm a "study guide, unit study" kind of homeschooling mom. I love it when someone else has found all the links and critical vocabulary words within a book or subject to be studied. I do however almost always "tweak" the study guide to ensure that my kids are getting everything they can from the resource.

With this study guide I don't have to tweak much. Mrs. Brown has given her reader everything they need for a study of the short story "The Blue Cross" - even the story - in this 90-page study guide.