“Scrub”: The Story of a Northern White-Tailed Deer

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: “Scrub”: The Story of a Northern White-Tailed Deer

Author: Forest Halvorsen Sr.

Publisher: AB Publishing, 1996

ISBN-13:  9781881545231 Paperback

ISBN-10:  1881545237 Paperback

Language level:  1

(1=nothing objectionable; 2=common euphemisms and/or childish slang terms; 3=some cursing and/or profanity; 4=a lot of cursing and/or profanity; 5=obscenity and/or vulgarity)

Recommended reading level: Ages 8-12

Rating: ***** 5 stars

(5 stars=EXCELLENT; 4 stars=GOOD; 3 stars=FAIR; 2 stars=POOR; 1 star=VERY POOR; no stars=NOT RECOMMENDED)

Category: General youth fiction

Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker

Disclosure:  Many publishers, literary agents, and/or authors provide free copies of their books in exchange for an honest review without requiring a positive opinion.  Any books donated to Home School Book Review for review purposes are in turn donated.  No other compensation has been received for the reviews posted on Home School Book Review.

For more information e-mail homeschoolbookreview@gmail.com

Website: https://homeschoolbookreviewblog.wordpress.com

     Halvorsen, Forest Sr.  “Scrub”: The Story of a Northern White-Tailed Deer (published in 1996 by AB Publishing).  A beautiful doe gives birth to two fawns, out of season in the winter.  The larger, a female, is rather small, but her even littler brother is truly a “scrub” if there ever was one.  But Mother Deer takes care of them, and they survive until spring.  However, with howling hound dogs, hungry coyotes, school busses on the roads, farm tractors in the fields, and ever-present hunters, will Scrub manage to make it into summer?

     Scrub is a true-to-life nature story about white tailed deer in northern Michigan. The story, which was originally written in the 1960’s, is based on the personal observations of author Forest Halvorsen Sr., the “barbershop tales” of farmers and sportsmen whom Mr. Halvorsen met, and facts gleaned from the Michigan Conservation magazine.  The book is somewhat similar to Thornton W. Burgess’s nature books about animals, such as The Adventures of Mr. Mocker and The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver, or those by Sam Campbell like How’s Inky?

Let It Go

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: Let It Go

Author: Marilyn Halvorson

Jacket Illustrator: Joe Csatari

Publisher: Fitzhenry and Whiteside, reprinted 2004

ISBN-13:  978-0385294843 Hardcover

ISBN-10:  0385294840 Hardcover

ISBN-13:  978-1550051056 Paperback

ISBN-10:  1550051059 Paperback

Language level:  3

(1=nothing objectionable; 2=common euphemisms and/or childish slang terms; 3=some cursing and/or profanity; 4=a lot of cursing and/or profanity; 5=obscenity and/or vulgarity)

Recommended reading level: One says ages 13 and up and another says ages 15 – 18

Rating: ***** 5 stars

(5 stars=EXCELLENT; 4 stars=GOOD; 3 stars=FAIR; 2 stars=POOR; 1 star=VERY POOR; no stars=NOT RECOMMENDED)

Category: General youth fiction

Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker

Disclosure:  Many publishers, literary agents, and/or authors provide free copies of their books in exchange for an honest review without requiring a positive opinion.  Any books donated to Home School Book Review for review purposes are in turn donated.  No other compensation has been received for the reviews posted on Home School Book Review.

For more information e-mail homeschoolbookreview@gmail.com

Website: https://homeschoolbookreviewblog.wordpress.com

     Halvorson, Marilyn.  Let It Go (Published in 1985 by Irwin Publishing Inc., Toronto, ON  Canada; republished in 1986 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers, a division of Delacorte Press, 1 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York City, NY  10017).  Fifteen-year-old Jared Cantrell, nicknamed Red because of his bright red hair, lives in rural Alderton, Alberta, Canada, with his father Ken, formerly an Inspector of Detectives in Calgary but now a policeman in the small Canadian community, and mother Kate, a dental assistant.  Red’s best friend, Lance Ducharme, also fifteen years old, is part Indian and lives with his father Mike who manages Silverwinds, the biggest ranch around Alderton. Their friendship is tested by the secrets that neither boy can bring himself to reveal to the other. Lance’s mother Ann-Marie Charbonneau walked out when Lance was five.  Now a famous singer, she shows up and wants custody. Red arranges a meeting between Lance and his mother, but Lance, who’d considered her dead, is devastated by her reappearance, becomes sullen, and turns to drugs.

     How does all this affect Red’s already troubled relationship with his father?  What will Lance decide to do?  And what is the family secret that Red is hiding from his friend?  In addition to a few common euphemisms (gee, heck), it is said that “Lance swore under his breath” and the “h” word is used once.  There are instances of smoking cigarettes, and references to drug use.  The latter is an important part of the plot and is presented in a very negative way.  There are several other things to like about the story.  In describing the boys’ private discussions, Red says, “We both believed in God.  Neither of us understood Him, but we still believed He was real.  When you’ve watched a Valley sunset, it’s pretty hard not to believe in someone….”    Red and Lance sound like real teenagers groping toward maturity with the theme of retaining the love of others by giving them the right to their own choices.

Dangerous Affirmation: The Threat of “Gay Christianity”

Home School Book Review

Book: Dangerous Affirmation: The Threat of “Gay Christianity”

Author: M.D. Perkins

Cover Designer:  Canada Burns

Publisher: American Family Association, 2022

ISBN-13:  9781935932376 Paperback

ISBN-10:  1935932373 Paperback

Website(s): http://www.afa.net (publisher)

Language level:  1

(1=nothing objectionable; 2=common euphemisms and/or childish slang terms; 3=some cursing and/or profanity; 4=a lot of cursing and/or profanity; 5=obscenity and/or vulgarity)

Recommended reading level:  Teens and adults

Rating: ***** 5 stars

(5 stars=EXCELLENT; 4 stars=GOOD; 3 stars=FAIR; 2 stars=POOR; 1 star=VERY POOR; no stars=NOT RECOMMENDED)

Category: Non-fiction

Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker

Disclosure:  Many publishers, literary agents, and/or authors provide free copies of their books in exchange for an honest review without requiring a positive opinion.  Any books donated to Home School Book Review for review purposes are in turn donated.  No other compensation has been received for the reviews posted on Home School Book Review.

For more information e-mail homeschoolbookreview@gmail.com

Website: https://homeschoolbookreviewblog.wordpress.com

      Perkins, M.D.  Dangerous Affirmation: The Threat of “Gay Christianity” (Published in 2022 by the American Family Association, 107 Parkgate Dr., Tupelo, MS  38801).  Since 1968, the L.G.B.T.Q+ movement has made significant inroads into churches that call themselves Christian. The affirming church movement has become mainstream through the erosion of mainline denominations. Queer theology has taken hold in many academic settings. The emergence of “gay celibate theology” is causing confusion in evangelical churches through its appeal to modern psychology and L.G.B.T.-lived experience. How did we get here? What does the Bible say about all of this?  Dangerous Affirmation is an insightful analysis of the influence and spread of “gay Christianity.”

     Author M.D. Perkins exposes the way this movement handles theology, biblical interpretation, the church, personal and group identity, and political activism. John N. Oswalt summed up the book by saying, “At the heart of his argument is the claim that homosexual desire is not an ‘orientation’ to be accepted but a temptation to be overcome.”  While many people who identify as Christians are being won over to this immoral cause, Dangerous Affirmation serves as a sober-minded call to faithfulness amid cultural and religious chaos.  I seldom regard any book, except the Bible, as a “must read,” but for those concerned about the culture wars in our society, this one is a must-read.

Keystone Kids

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: Keystone Kids

Author: John R. Tunis

Cover Illustrator: Paul Bacon

Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books, republished 1990

ISBN-13: 9780152056346 Hardcover

ISBN-10: 0152056343 Hardcover

ISBN-13: ‎978-0152004958 Paperback

ISBN-10: ‎0152004955 Paperback

Language level:  3

(1=nothing objectionable; 2=common euphemisms and/or childish slang terms; 3=some cursing and/or profanity; 4=a lot of cursing and/or profanity; 5=obscenity and/or vulgarity)

Recommended reading level: Ages: ‎ 9 – 12

Rating: **** 4 stars

(5 stars=EXCELLENT; 4 stars=GOOD; 3 stars=FAIR; 2 stars=POOR; 1 star=VERY POOR; no stars=NOT RECOMMENDED)

Category:  Period fiction

Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker

Disclosure:  Many publishers, literary agents, and/or authors provide free copies of their books in exchange for an honest review without requiring a positive opinion.  Any books donated to Home School Book Review for review purposes are in turn donated.  No other compensation has been received for the reviews posted on Home School Book Review.

For more information e-mail homeschoolbookreview@gmail.com

Website: https://homeschoolbookreviewblog.wordpress.com

     Tunis, John R.  Keystone Kids (Published in 1943 by Harcourt Brace).  Spike Russell at shortstop and his younger brother Bob on second base play minor league baseball with the Nashville Vols under manager Grouchy Devine.   Both are orphans and become known as the “Keystone Kids” because of the complete coordination with which they work together.  They come up to join the Brooklyn Dodgers under manager Ginger Crane.  Then Spike becomes the youthful manager of the Dodgers and is confronted with more than the stresses and strains of a mere game. The situation that threatens to split the team and even menaces the understanding between Spike and his brother is dissension and prejudice against the new Jewish rookie catcher Jocko Klein.  Can Spike bring the team together?  Will Jocko ever be accepted by the others?  And what happens between Spike and Bob as a result of Bob’s bias against the “Jew Boy”?

    The only major league sport that I ever cared anything about is baseball.  I was born and raised a confirmed Cincinnati Reds fan.  John R. Tunis (1889–1975) was a novelist and sportswriter best remembered for his series of novels about the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s and ’50s.  Keystone Kids is the only one that I have read.  In addition to a lot of common euphemisms (gosh, doggone, gee, heck, golly, darned), the “d” and “h” words are, sad to say, each used a couple of times, and there are references to drinking beer, smoking cigarettes, and chewing tobacco.  The novel, although it is filled with action and struggle, is not just a story of sport. Here one will find, as in Tunis’s other books, belief in the importance of principle as against expediency, and courage in facing questions which are paramount in American life as it deals with one of the vital issues still confronting us even today—racial prejudice.

      Parents wishing to instill a sense of conscience in their kids, especially those who like baseball, could do a whole lot worse than getting them any of the baseball books by Tunis. Keystone Kids is listed as Book 2 of 3 in “The Brooklyn Dodgers” series.  Book 1 is The Kid from Tomkinsville, and Book 3 is World Series.   However, Amazon lists it as one of eight, Books 4-8 being Rookie of the Year, The Kid Comes Back, Highpockets, Young Razzle, and Schoolboy Johnson.

Death of a Nation: Plantation Politics and the Making of the Democratic Party

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: Death of a Nation: Plantation Politics and the Making of the Democratic Party

Author: Dinesh D’Souza

Publisher: All Points Books, reprinted 2019

ISBN-13: 978-1250163776 Hardcover

ISBN-10: 1250163773 Hardcover

ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1250167842 Paperback ‏

ISBN-10: ‎ 1250167841 Paperback ‏

Website(s): http://www.dineshdsouza.com (author), http://www.allpointsbooks.com (publisher)

Language level:  1

(1=nothing objectionable; 2=common euphemisms and/or childish slang terms; 3=some cursing and/or profanity; 4=a lot of cursing and/or profanity; 5=obscenity and/or vulgarity)

Recommended reading level: Teens and adults

Rating: ***** 5 stars

(5 stars=EXCELLENT; 4 stars=GOOD; 3 stars=FAIR; 2 stars=POOR; 1 star=VERY POOR; no stars=NOT RECOMMENDED)

Category: Non-fiction

Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker

Disclosure:  Many publishers, literary agents, and/or authors provide free copies of their books in exchange for an honest review without requiring a positive opinion.  Any books donated to Home School Book Review for review purposes are in turn donated.  No other compensation has been received for the reviews posted on Home School Book Review.

For more information e-mail homeschoolbookreview@gmail.com

Website: https://homeschoolbookreviewblog.wordpress.com

     D’Souza,Dinesh.  Death of a Nation: Plantation Politics and the Making of the Democratic Party (Published in 2018 by All Points Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Ave., New York City, NY  10010).  My younger son, a fan of such media personalities as Larry Elder, Candace Owen, and Tucker Carlson, bought this book at WalMart where he works from the discount table and encouraged me to read it.  I really needed no encouragement because I am a big fan of Dinesh D’Souza.  The author traces the evolution of “the plantation,” referring to a cradle-to-grave system of the massive nanny state that bred dependency and punished any urge to independence, from its origin in Andrew Jackson’s antebellum slaveholding South, through Martin Van Buren’s political machines in the north that traded government handouts for votes from ethnic immigrant blocs, Woodrow Wilson’s and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Progressive” plantation, Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” plantation, to Bill Clinton’s and Barak Obama’s multicultural plantation of ghettos for blacks, barrios for Latinos, and reservations for Native Americans.  Notice that all these Presidents were Democrats.

     Then the book asks, who is killing America? Is it really Donald Trump and a GOP filled with white supremacists?   To answer these questions, D’Souza provides the historical evidence that Democrats and progressives on the left are the ones killing America by turning it into a model based on the racist Southern plantation system for their present-day political purposes.   Whites are the only holdouts resisting full dependency, and so they are blamed for the bigotry and racial exploitation that is actually perpetrated by the left.  One reviewer wrote, “Who should read the book? Every American from the 5th grade and above and especially those who call themselves Democrats.”  I would add that it needs to be required reading in every American history class for homeschooled teens.  Death of a Nation has been made into a movie.  When our local Tea Party wanted to rent our Community Theater to show D’Souza’s previous film Hillary’s America in 2016, we were allowed to do so.  However, when our local Republican Party wanted to show this one in 2020, the left-leaning Community Theater board said no.

Last Queen of Hawaii: Liliuokalani

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: Last Queen of Hawaii: Liliuokalani

Author: Hazel Hutchins Wilson

Illustrator: W. T. Mars

Publisher: Knopf , 1963

ASIN: B0006AXPT2

Language level:  1

(1=nothing objectionable; 2=common euphemisms and/or childish slang terms; 3=some cursing and/or profanity; 4=a lot of cursing and/or profanity; 5=obscenity and/or vulgarity)

Recommended reading level: Ages 8-12

Rating: ***** 5 stars

(5 stars=EXCELLENT; 4 stars=GOOD; 3 stars=FAIR; 2 stars=POOR; 1 star=VERY POOR; no stars=NOT RECOMMENDED)

Category: Biography

Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker

Disclosure:  Many publishers, literary agents, and/or authors provide free copies of their books in exchange for an honest review without requiring a positive opinion.  Any books donated to Home School Book Review for review purposes are in turn donated.  No other compensation has been received for the reviews posted on Home School Book Review.

For more information e-mail homeschoolbookreview@gmail.com

Website: https://homeschoolbookreviewblog.wordpress.com

     Wilson,Hazel Hutchins.  Last Queen of Hawaii: Liliuokalani  (Published in‏ 1963 by Borzoi Books, an imprint of Alfred A. Knopf Inc., New York City, NY). This book is the life story of Liliuokalani, the last days of the kingdom of Hawaii, and its transition into territorial status. Liliuokalani was born on September 2, 1838, in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu. While her natural parents were Analea Keohokālole and Caesar Kapaʻakea, she was informally adopted at birth by Abner Pākī and Laura Kōnia and raised with their daughter Bernice Pauahi. Baptized as a Christian and educated at the Royal School, she, her siblings, and cousins were proclaimed eligible for the throne by King Kamehameha III. She was married to American-born John Owen Dominis, who later became the Governor of Oahu.

     Liliuokalani ascended to the throne on January 29, 1891, nine days after her brother’s death. P;ro-American elements in Hawaii overthrew the monarchy on January 17, 1893,  bolstered by the landing of US Marines under John L. Stevens to protect American interests.  The coup d’état established the Republic of Hawaii, but the ultimate goal was the annexation of the islands to the United States.  After an unsuccessful uprising to restore the monarchy, the oligarchical government placed the former queen under house arrest at the Iolani Palace. On January 24, 1895, Liliuokalani was forced to abdicate the Hawaiian throne, officially ending the deposed monarchy. She had conspired against the government, they said, but she thought that the only crime she was really guilty of was being a queen.

    Liliuokalani was the only queen regnant and the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom.  Of noble blood, but unluckily born in time of constant strife and change in the tiny island kingdom of Hawaii, the proud and pathetic figure of Queen Liliuokalani had to hold her head high with queenly pride, as she watched the power of the throne being slowly and inexorably sapped by self-interested men. The composer of “Aloha ʻOe” and numerous other works, she wrote her autobiography Hawaiʻi’s Story by Hawaiʻi’s Queen during her imprisonment following the overthrow.  Living out the remainder of her later life as a private citizen, Liliuokalani died at her residence, Washington Place, in Honolulu on November 11, 1917. This children’s biography is very similar to the “Childhood of Famous Americans” series.

Rebel: A Tibetan Odyssey

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: Rebel: A Tibetan Odyssey

Author: Cheryl Aylward Whitesel

Jacket Illustrator: Michael Hays

Publisher: Republished independently, 2017

ISBN-13: 978-0688167356 Hardcover

ISBN-10: 0688167357 Hardcover

ISBN-13: 978-1521315767 Paperback

ISBN-10: 1521315760 Paperback

Website(s): http://www.harperchildrens.com (publisher)

Language level:  2

(1=nothing objectionable; 2=common euphemisms and/or childish slang terms; 3=some cursing and/or profanity; 4=a lot of cursing and/or profanity; 5=obscenity and/or vulgarity)

Recommended reading level: Ages 10 and up

Rating: ***** 5 stars

(5 stars=EXCELLENT; 4 stars=GOOD; 3 stars=FAIR; 2 stars=POOR; 1 star=VERY POOR; no stars=NOT RECOMMENDED)

Category: Historical  fiction

Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker

Disclosure:  Many publishers, literary agents, and/or authors provide free copies of their books in exchange for an honest review without requiring a positive opinion.  Any books donated to Home School Book Review for review purposes are in turn donated.  No other compensation has been received for the reviews posted on Home School Book Review.

For more information e-mail homeschoolbookreview@gmail.com

Website: https://homeschoolbookreviewblog.wordpress.com

     Whitesel, Cheryl Aylward.  Rebel: A Tibetan Odyssey (Published in‏ 2000 by HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York City, NY  10019).  It is around 1900, and fourteen year old Dorje, nicknamed Thunder, lives with his parents, older sister Dolma, seven year old younger brother Joker, baby brother Razim, and second uncleTendruk, in the Tibetan village of Chu Lungba.  In the closed society of turn-of-the-century Tibet, the outside world is a threatening place. but not to Thunder. Ever rebellious, he longs to become a trader and visit faraway places.  However, he has forbidden contact with a foreign explorer, is banished from his village, and is forced to join a monastery to lead a quiet life of study and meditation under the tutelage of his first uncle Gyalo, a high-ranking monk.

     At the monastery, though, life is anything but quiet. Thunder has to stand up to Zang-po, his uncle’s resentful servant, and defend himself against Pounder, the menacing soldier who endangers his life.  Can Thunder find peace at the monastery?   Or does he rebel against the life set out for him?  And will he ever be able to return home?   Author Cheryl Aylward Whitesel integrates descriptions of the food, trading system, and customs of the time, and includes a glossary of Tibetan words, so that the reader not only finds that the book is it filled with adventure and excitement, but also learns a lot about Tibetan culture.  Of course, the beliefs and practices mentioned are Buddhist.  Some childish slang is used (e.g., one character is called a turd), but this book is a good story to read out loud.

Stranger Than Fiction II

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: Stranger Than Fiction II

Author: Martin Walsh

Publisher: Scholastic Inc., 1978

ISBN-13: 978-0590415750

ISBN-10: 0590415751

Language level:  1

(1=nothing objectionable; 2=common euphemisms and/or childish slang terms; 3=some cursing and/or profanity; 4=a lot of cursing and/or profanity; 5=obscenity and/or vulgarity)

Recommended reading level: Probably for ages 8-12

Rating: *** 3 stars

(5 stars=EXCELLENT; 4 stars=GOOD; 3 stars=FAIR; 2 stars=POOR; 1 star=VERY POOR; no stars=NOT RECOMMENDED)

Category: Youth non-fiction

Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker

Disclosure:  Many publishers, literary agents, and/or authors provide free copies of their books in exchange for an honest review without requiring a positive opinion.  Any books donated to Home School Book Review for review purposes are in turn donated.  No other compensation has been received for the reviews posted on Home School Book Review.

For more information e-mail homeschoolbookreview@gmail.com

Website: https://homeschoolbookreviewblog.wordpress.com

     Walsh,Martin. Stranger Than Fiction II (Published in 1978 by Scholastic Book Services, a division of Scholastic Magazines Inc., 50 W. 44^th St., New York City, NY  10036).  It seems impossible, but did you know that in 1977, the human spider, George Willig, climbed 110 stories straight up the side of the World Trade Center in New York City?  This and nine other amazing tales where it is claimed that truth is stranger than fiction are related in this book.  In the first two chapters, the author seems to give a great deal of credence to Jean Dixon’s supposed prophecy about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and to Erich Von Daniken’s fanciful theory that aliens from outer space helped build the Egyptian pyramids and other ancient monuments.  

     Some of the stories are rather dated, like the one about the killer bees.  I can remember all the hype of the 1970s that the killer bees would come north from South America and bring death and devastation to the United States.  It turned out to be a big “ho hum.”  The one on killer sharks drew upon the sensationalism of the movie Jaws, but while attacks a shark can be very dangerous and even fatal, the author admits that “more people are killed by bee stings and lightning each hear than by shark attacks.”  Also the shark chapter avers that the “shark’s body is a remarkable product of millions of years of evolution.”

     Other tales do present some degree of curiosity, such as the fact that within six years of the opening of King Tutankhamen’s tomb, 22 people who were involved died, some under mysterious circumstances, or are of historical interest, such as the ones about a Japanese soldier who, refusing to believe World War II was over, remained hidden on a Philippine island for thirty years, and the lost Tasaday tribe on another Philippine island.  Author Martin Walsh’s first book of this nature, entitled Stranger Than Fiction: Weird Stories and Ghostly Happenings, was originally published in 1973.

The Twin in the Tavern

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: The Twin in the Tavern

Author: Barbara Brooks Wallace

Publisher: iUniverse, republished 2006

ISBN-13: 978-0689318467 Hardcover   

ISBN-10: 0689318464 Hardcover

ISBN-13: 978-0595410675 Paperback

ISBN-10: 0595410677 Paperback

Language level:  1

(1=nothing objectionable; 2=common euphemisms and/or childish slang terms; 3=some cursing and/or profanity; 4=a lot of cursing and/or profanity; 5=obscenity and/or vulgarity)

Recommended reading level: Ages 8 – 12

Rating: ***** 5 stars

(5 stars=EXCELLENT; 4 stars=GOOD; 3 stars=FAIR; 2 stars=POOR; 1 star=VERY POOR; no stars=NOT RECOMMENDED)

Category: Mystery

Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker

Disclosure:  Many publishers, literary agents, and/or authors provide free copies of their books in exchange for an honest review without requiring a positive opinion.  Any books donated to Home School Book Review for review purposes are in turn donated.  No other compensation has been received for the reviews posted on Home School Book Review.

For more information e-mail homeschoolbookreview@gmail.com

Website: https://homeschoolbookreviewblog.wordpress.com

     Wallace,Barbara Brooks. The Twin in the Tavern (Published in 1993 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers; republished in 1995 by Aladdin Paperbacks, an imprint of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York City, NY  10020).  Not yet turned eleven year old Taddy Buntz, who has lived with his Uncle and Aunt Buntz outside of Alexandria (VA?), was told that he was an orphan.  Then Uncle and Aunt Buntz die of a dreaded disease.  The last thing his uncle tells him is that he is in terrible danger and should look for his twin to find out who he really is.  When the villainous Ebenezer (Neezer) Scrat, proprietor of the Tail of the Dog tavern, and his doltish friend Lucky come to steal furniture out of the Buntz house, they kidnap Taddy and put him to work in the tavern.

     There he meets another kidnapped boy named Beetle, and is then sent to work in the mysterious house of the rich Mrs. Mainyard that may unlock his hidden past, as he sees a boy named Jeremy who looks exactly like him and could be the twin his uncle told him about.  What really happened to Taddy’s parents?  Why is Taddy in such great danger?  And will he be able to locate his twin to learn his true identity?  This Dickensian novel is filled with orphans, musty passages, mysterious relatives, and despicable villains.  It also has red herrings and a surprise twist at the end.  The characters and plot will draw the reader into the story, making the book hard to put down.  With enough mystery to keep even adult readers riveted, it’s a great read for any age.  This is one of the best and most engaging books for young readers that I have read in a long while.

A Whisper in the Night: Tales of Terror and Suspense

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: A Whisper in the Night: Tales of Terror and Suspense

Author: Joan Aiken

Jacket Illustrator: Mark Gerber

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, republished 1984

ISBN-13: 978-0385293440 Hardcover

ISBN-10: 0385293445 Hardcover

ISBN-13: 978-0006721338 Paperback

ISBN-10: 0006721338 Paperback

Language level:  3

(1=nothing objectionable; 2=common euphemisms and/or childish slang terms; 3=some cursing and/or profanity; 4=a lot of cursing and/or profanity; 5=obscenity and/or vulgarity)

Recommended reading level: Ages 12-15

Rating: **** 4 stars

(5 stars=EXCELLENT; 4 stars=GOOD; 3 stars=FAIR; 2 stars=POOR; 1 star=VERY POOR; no stars=NOT RECOMMENDED)

Category: Short stories

Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker

Disclosure:  Many publishers, literary agents, and/or authors provide free copies of their books in exchange for an honest review without requiring a positive opinion.  Any books donated to Home School Book Review for review purposes are in turn donated.  No other compensation has been received for the reviews posted on Home School Book Review.

For more information e-mail homeschoolbookreview@gmail.com

Website: https://homeschoolbookreviewblog.wordpress.com

     Aiken,Joan.  A Whisper in the Night: Tales of Terror and Suspense (Published in 1981 by Delacorte Press, 1 Dag Hammerskjold Plaza, New York City, NY  10017).  I picked this book up from the free table of our local library because of the writer’s name.  Joan Aiken was the author of The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and Bridle the Wind, both of which I enjoyed reading immensely.  However, Whisper in the Night is not a novel but a collection of thirteen tales blending the commonplace and the bizarre which focus on the encounters of young people with the supernatural, as in “Homer’s Whistle,” the tale of an unpopular student who masters the powers of a ghostly artifact to seek refuge in a happier time.

     Along with “Homer’s Whistle,” the stories in this collection include “Lob’s Girl” in which a stray dog adopts a family and is loyal to his mistress beyond death; “Finders Keepers” where an unpopular schoolboy finds that some lost things should stay lost; and “Two Races” about a detective who is unable to save the victims of a tragic local ritual.  Besides some common euphemisms (e.g., gosh), the words “God” and “Lord” are used as interjections, and there is a reference to drinking beer.  These “strange” stories are identified as “terror” and are probably best for older readers but in my estimation are fairly tame, more spooky than true horror.  Aiken’s idea is to create weird situations and then leave things open at the end.