High School

A Map of Life

Author(s): 
Frank Sheed

This is a really beautiful little book about morality and the Catholic Faith. It would make a great supplement for high school age or excellent reading for an adult. It's not too difficult to understand, but also interesting and really makes you think.

The author has this to say about the purpose of this book:

de-coding Da Vinci

Book cover: 'de-coding Da Vinci: The facts behind the fiction of The Da Vinci Code'
Author(s): 
Amy Welborn

The 2003 release of the novel The Da Vinci Code created one of the largest literary crazes in recent history. With sales of almost 6 million in its first year, the novel gained a cult-like following. Author Dan Brown's ability to blend fact and fiction left many readers questioning what they really knew of the origins of Christianity. News is now out that we can expect to see the story in theaters in about a year. Certainly viewers will come away with many of the same questions readers had as to how much, if any, of the story line is factual, and how much is fiction.

Beginning Apologetics 1: How to Explain and Defend the Catholic Faith

Author(s): 
Father Frank Chacon
Jim Burnham

When I first considered converting from a "mere Christianity" form of Protestantism to the Catholic faith, I had several issues to deal with. I believed that "Scripture alone" was the rule of faith. I thought that the Catholic Church had added several non-Biblical doctrines throughout the years -- for example, praying to Mary and the saints and the existence of Purgatory.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens

Author(s): 
Sean Covey

We sometimes think of teenagers as immature, selfish and lacking in objectivity. Sean Covey believes they can learn to be otherwise. Using humorous story lines and a heavy sprinkling of anecdotes Covey has set forth a series of steps leading teens toward a more mature and compassionate view of life. While this is a secular book, it is written from a Christian perspective and "the Golden Rule" underlies most of the content.

Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin

Book cover: 'Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin'
Author(s): 
Leo F. Stelten

All Latin students will benefit from ready access to a Latin dictionary, but Catholic Latin students using a Catholic textbook, or reading from Church documents and the Vulgate Bible in their original Latin, will especially benefit from access to a Catholic Latin dictionary. The Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin has been written to help both seminary students and laypeople as they advance beyond their introductory Latin studies. The hardback binding, clear typeface, and non-shiny paper combine to make this book a pleasure to use.

501 Latin Verbs Fully Conjugated in All the Tenses

Book cover: '501 Latin Verbs Fully Conjugated in All the Tenses'
Author(s): 
Richard Prior
Joseph Wohlberg

This is a dream come true for teachers, like myself, struggling to keep up with a group of teenagers studying Latin. Quite simply the book devotes one page to each of 501 verbs. Each verb has all of its endings written out completely and includes the four principle parts. Some notes at the bottom of each page offer "compound and related words", "alternate forms", "usage notes", and a model Latin sentence using the word. (These are written by famous authors of old!) The format is very user-friendly and easy to read. The verbs are arranged alphabetically in Latin.

Conversational Latin for Oral Proficiency

Book cover: 'Conversational Latin for Oral Proficiency: Phrase Book and Dictionary'
Author(s): 
John C. Traupman

Conversational Latin for Oral Proficiency (Third edition) is a beefy, but easy-to-use supplement for Latin teachers and older Latin students.. Each of the twenty-five chapters tackles a particular subject matter; providing Latin and English conversations on three different difficulty levels and an extensive list of topical vocabulary and related phrases (some chapters also include suggested classroom activities and additional notes).

Declaration Statesmanship

Book cover: 'Declaration Statesmanship: A Course in American Government'
Author(s): 
Dr. Richard Ferrier
Dr. Andrew Seeley

Since the last review of this work, the name has changed, and it now comes with a teacher's manual and book of readings. It was formerly called America's Declaration Principles in Thought and Action. The main text has not changed, but is now printed in an attractive 8 X 11 comb-bound book.

Original Review: