Timothy’s Adventures

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: Timothy’s Adventures

Author: Tanya Packer 

Publisher: Westbow Press, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1973626893 Hardcover

ISBN-10: 1973626896 Hardcover

ISBN-13: 978-1777717520 Paperback

ISBN-10: 1777717523 Paperback

Related website(s): http://www.westbowpress.com

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 ‏8-10

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 to a library.  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

     Packer, Tanya.  Timothy’s Adventures (Published in 2018 by Westbow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan, 1663 Liberty Dr., Bloomington, IN  47403).  Timothy lives with his mother (Mom) and grandmother (Nanny or just Nan) on the fourth floor of a big apartment building.  His father (Daddy) had been killed in a big accident two years earlier by a drunk driver, and his grandfather (Poppa) has also recently passed away.  Timothy has friends at church and at school all of whom have different backgrounds and characteristics, but he also meets some children in various situations who are not so friendly and make fun of others.  What should Timothy’s attitude be when people are mean?  How should he react in such circumstances?  Is it possible to learn any important lessons from these events?

     Getting along with others can be difficult, especially if there is something different about them.  In this book by Tanya Packer, author of Kaylee’s Adventures and Kaylee’s Easter Treasure Box, Timothy, his puppy, and his buddies make new friendships while sharing well known Bible stories that help them deal with racism, bullies, and other difficult problems that they are dealing with.  Every story can stand alone, or they can be read as part of a sequence. Each of the fifteen chapters includes a devotional for parent-child discussion time with questions meant to generate meaningful conversations for the entire family while having fun at the same time. A sequel, Timothy’s Special Christmas Nativity, is planned.

Out of the Beaks of Birds: Our Crazy, Pesky…Verbs

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: Out of the Beaks of Birds: Our Crazy, Pesky…Verbs

Author: Cinda Klickna

Illustrator: Jim Edwards

Publisher: Clovercroft Publishing, 2021

ISBN-13: 978-1954437104

ISBN-10: 1954437102

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 2 – 7

Rating: ***** 5 stars

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

Category: Children’s book

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 to a library.  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

     Klickna, Cinda.  Out of the Beaks of Birds: Our Crazy, Pesky…Verbs (Published in 2021 by Clovercroft Publishing, Franklin, TN).  One spring day Dominic and Grandma look out the window at the bird feeder, and Dominic sees several colorful birds, like a red cardinal and an orange oriole.  But while listening to Grandma explain about the birds, Dominic also learns about some irregular verbs such as bring-brought-has brought and fly-flew-has flown.  What is the yellow bird that they see?  What is the past tense of go?  And what is the past participle of take?

     Ah!   A woman after my own heart.  Children need to hear and learn proper language from the time they are born.  I try not to be a “grammar Nazi,” but it irks me no end to pick up a newspaper, magazine, or book and read that “he laid down on the bed” or “she set up in her chair.”  We homeschooled both our boys, and when they started to talk, each of them, five years apart, started saying “tooken” for the participle of take.  We don’t know why or where they got that, because they didn’t hear it from us, but without our being overbearing about it, just using gentle reminders, they soon learned better.

     Author Cinda Ackerman Klickna taught middle and high school English in Springfield, Illinois, for over 25 years. Five different varieties of birds are used in the stories, and each story focuses on the use of a certain verb, with the verb tenses printed in the color of the bird in the story. The book is useful on several levels. Preschool children will learn their colors while looking at the birds and will hear correct language through listening as someone reads to them.  Early elementary students can hear correct usage and practice reading.  Older students doing reports on birds can turn to the pages in the back with facts about the birds and follow links to websites for more information.  This is a great book.

The Seed of Faith: A Christmas Miracle

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: The Seed of Faith: A Christmas Miracle

Author: Daniel Petronelli 

Illustrator: Emily Pritchett

Publisher: Walnut Ridge Publishing Company, 2021)

ISBN-13: 978-1737485513 Hardcover

ISBN-10: 1737485516 Hardcover

ISBN-13: 978-1737485506 Paperback

ISBN-10: 1737485508 Paperback

Related website(s): http://www.TheSeedofFaith.net (book), http://www.emilypritchettart.com (illustrator)

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: Suitable for everyone

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 to a library.  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

     Petronelli, Daniel.  The Seed of Faith: A Christmas Miracle Hardcover – October 26,

(Published in 2021 by Walnut Ridge Publishing Company, P. O. Box 25, West Bridgewater, MA  02379).  A father tells a story to his young daughter that had taken place forty years before. On Christmas Eve, the small mountain village of Shiloh is suffering from a severe drought.  In addition to not having water for their crops and livestock, the people have no Christmas trees.  However, a town on the other side of the mountain, Reidsville, has plenty of water and Christmas trees, but the selfish mayor refuses to allow anyone to share with Shiloh.  Two groups of young boys, one from Shiloh and the other from Reidsville, one of the latter the mayor’s son, independently hatch secret plans to climb over the mountain and see that Shiloh has a beautiful, living Christmas tree.

     Unfortunately, what the boys do not know is that a fearsome blizzard is on its way.  Can they survive the snowstorm?  Does Shiloh ever get a Christmas tree?  And what will Mayor Reid of Reidsville have to say about his own son’s involvement in the plot?   This parable of faith vividly illustrates the importance of having courage in the most challenging moments in life and knowing that God is by one’s side.  The book was a winner in the 2021 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, receiving a Gold in the category of Religion/Spirituality.  It certainly deserves the honor and may well become an enduring Christmas classic.

All Things – Even Frisky

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: All Things – Even Frisky

Author: Matilda Nordtvedt

Publisher: A Beka Book (Pensacola Christian College), republished 2000

ISBN-13: 9780802410696

ISBN-10: 0802410693

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 to a library.  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

     Nordtvedt, Matilda.  All Things – Even Frisky (Published in 1973 by Moody Press, a division of The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, c/o MLM, Chicago, IL  60610).  Billy lives in Burlington with his dad, George, who has a new job that will keep him traveling and away from home much of the time, and their black and white puppy named Frisky.  Billy’s mother has died, and Dad has brought Mom’s younger sister, Aunt Kate, to take care of Billy.  But Aunt Kate hates dogs.   Will she ever learn to tolerate Frisky?  How does Frisky react when Billy and his friend Peter go to a “haunted” house to look around?  And what is the news that Dad and Aunt Kate have for Billy at the end?

     It is always nice to read children’s fiction books which are written to illustrate Biblical principles.  In this good novel, a young boy learns to trust that God will “work out all things together for good,” even with his dog and aunt.  There are enough touches of adventure (with the “haunted” house), mystery, and excitement to keep the reader interested.  I read a copy of the original Moody Press edition, but we used a number of the A Beka Book reading books from Pensacola Christian College in our homeschool and always found them to be excellent.

Cornerstones

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: Cornerstones

Author: Tom Gaskins Jr.

Cover Illustrator: Don Smith

Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing Inc., 2021

ISBN-13: 978-1098077112 Hardcover

ISBN-10: 1098077111 Hardcover

ISBN-13: 978-1098076221 Paperback

ISBN-10: 1098076222 Paperback

Related website(s): http://www.christianfaithpublishing.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 to a library.  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

     Gaskins, Tom Jr.  Cornerstones (Published in 2021 by Christian Faith Publishing Inc., 832 Park Ave., Meadville, PA  16335).  Author Tom Gaskins is a life-long native Floridian who calls himself a constitutional conservative and says that he “openly, avidly, and unashamedly loves his country, the United States of America.”  The purpose of this book, copies of which were mailed out to people and churches throughout this nation, is explained by the rather lengthy subtitle: “A positive effort to support the individual, our beloved nation, while giving our civilization a lift, one person, one day at a time.  A book for all ages and through THE AGES.”   After beginning with some of the simplest of entities in our life, Gaskins moves on to many of the most complex issues of today. He tackles a wide variety of topics, including alcohol and drug abuse, economics, evolution, faith, abortion, shootings, voting, fairness, and others.  In everything he admonishes, “Follow truth, not people.”  To be honest, I personally found myself in practically 100% agreement with him.  Other people may not like the book at all, but at least it will make one think.

Too Young

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: Too Young

Author: A. Bean 

Illustrator: Thea Elliot

Publisher: The Rebel Christian Publishing, 2020

ISBN-13: 978-0983730361

ISBN-10: 0983730369

Related website(s): http://therebelchristian.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 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: Fantasy

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 to a library.  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

     Bean, A.  Too Young (Published in 2020 by The Rebel Christian Publishing, 141 Sidway St., Buffalo, NY  14210).  Ten year old Tatianna T. “Titi” Williams, who with her  parents, father Trevor and mother Cecelia, has just moved from Michigan, where she left behind her best friend Sheila, to Arkansas so that her mother can pursue her job as a pediatric brain surgeon, is too young for anything. Her parents say that she is too young to understand why they had to move to a new town and a new school, and all the new neighborhood kids say that she’s too young to hang out with them. All alone, Tatianna turns to her imagination to keep her company; in her dreams, she visits another world that she and Sheila had played, with giant trees, glowing fruit, dancing children, and a mystical white buck. Then Tatianna realizes that her dreams have become reality, but none of her friends can see this new world.

     What is happening to Titi?  Where is this world which she had been imagining and now seems so real?  And will she ever make friends in her new home?  This book is listed as Middle-Grade Christian Fantasy.   A. Bean, who says, “My plan for writing is to simply bring God glory and expand His Kingdom one child, young adult, and soul at a time,” is identified as a Christian author who writes fictional stories for children that reflect the body of Christ and the Bible.  This one could be recommended especially for young people who struggle with identity issues and self worth.  There are a couple of euphemisms (gosh, gee) and some childish slang (“stick it up fatso’s butt”), but its message deals with such elements as faith, trusting God, sharing the good news with friends, and bullying.  Titi learns that she is never too young to be used by God.

Always Love: The Timeless Story of God’s Heart for the World and What it Means for You

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: Always Love: The Timeless Story of God’s Heart for the World and What it Means for You

Author: Sara Lubbers 

Publisher: Peregrini Press, 2019

ISBN-13: 978-1999607951

ISBN-10: 1999607953

Related website(s): http://www.peregrinipress.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: Suitable for everyone

Rating: ***** 5 stars

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

Category: Bible study

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 to a library.  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

     Lubbers,Sara.  Always Love: The Timeless Story of God’s Heart for the World and What it Means for You (Published in 2019 by Peregrini Press, a division of Awen Collaborative Limited).  In Always Love, author Sara Lubbers seeks to retell the Bible’s overarching narrative as a seamless story from beginning to end.  Certainly, as Reader’s Digest found out, any attempt to condense the Biblical account always brings up the questions of what to include and what to leave out.  “Every word of God is pure…” (Proverbs 30:5).  Nothing is “non-essential.”  However, Sara does a pretty good job of choosing key stories of the Bible, many well-known but others more obscure, including even some difficult passages normally glossed over, and weaving them together into one cohesive story with the thread of God’s “Always Love.”  Of course, as she combines creative prose and theological wisdom, a little fictionalization occurs, but I found nothing out of line or beyond “poetic license.”

     In the interest of geographical accuracy, I would note that Caesarea Philippi is near the source, not the “mouth,” of the Jordan River (p. 239).  As is true of any religious book, people of different theological backgrounds may find statements with which they would disagree.  Jesus is quoted as saying, “But I can assure you that even though you don’t know exactly when the Rescuer will return, you’ll be able to look around and tell His coming is near.”  That’s not really what He said (read Matthew 24:36-51).  And Peter is quoted as saying on Pentecost, “Be baptized, letting your outer life reflect what has happened on the inside.”  This sounds a lot like the denominational doctrine of baptism as an outward sign of an inward grace.  What Peter actually said was, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38).

     Some people may be a little uncomfortable with Jesus calling the Father “Daddy.”  I know that, when He prayed to God in Gethsemane, Jesus used the word “Abba” (Mark 14:36), which is a familiar Aramaic term of endearment that Jewish children often used when speaking to their fathers, but most of the translators have seen fit to leave it simply as “Abba,” perhaps because something like “Daddy” seems just a bit too familiar and mundane.  Other than a few minor objections such as these, the book is interesting reading.  I will add that while there are many different interpretations of Revelation, Lubbers’s description of the Apocalypse is general enough that most Bible believers should have no major problems with it.

Germy Blew It

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: Germy Blew It

Author: Rebecca C. Jones 

Publisher: Troll Communications LLC, republished 1988

ISBN-13: 978-0525442943 Hardcover

ISBN-10:‎ 0525442944 Hardcover

ISBN-13: 978-0816713141 Paperback

ISBN-10: 0816713146 Paperback

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  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 to a library.  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

     Jones,Rebecca C.  Germy Blew It (Published in 1987 by Dutton Juvenile, a division of E. P. Dutton, 2 Park Ave., New York City, NY  10016, a subsidiary of NAL Penguin Inc.).  Ten year old Jeremy Bluett, known to his friends as Germy Blew It, lives in Ohio with his parents, father Henry (Hank) who works in the advertising department of The Advocate-Journal, and mother Sally (Sal) who works in an office, and eight year old sister Robin.  He is a fifth grader in Mrs. Scheeler’s class at Dolley Madison Elementary School, and his best friend at school is Squirrel Hutchinson.  Jeremy devises a fifth grade strike to protest the cancellation of field trips due to lack of money.  Unfortunately, he is the only student who stays home.  However, the local television station comes to the school and interviews some of the other students for the evening news.

     Dying to be on television and become famous, Jeremy tries all sorts of schemes to get his 15 minute share of fame.  But every time he tries to get himself on TV, something goes wrong.  What schemes does he try?  Why do they all seem to go wrong?  Will Jeremy ever make an appearance on television?  As to language, a couple of common euphemisms (gee, heck) and some childish slang (butt for rear end) are found, and the term “Thank God” is used once, more as an exclamation than a prayer.  Otherwise, there’s nothing in this book that is really objectionable but not much that is truly edifying either.  It is just a fun story with a fair amount of humor, although Jeremy does learn some important lessons in the end.  There is a sequel, Germy Blew It Again (1988).

Jesus’ Silent Years, Volume 1: Foundations

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: Jesus’ Silent Years, Volume 1: Foundations

Author: Vance Shepperson 

Illustrator: Dorine Deen

Publisher: ‎ Carpenter’s Son Publishing, 2021

ISBN-13: 978-1949572810

ISBN-10: 1949572811

Related website(s): http://www.vanceshepperson.com (author)

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 16 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 to a library.  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

     Shepperson, Vance.  Jesus’ Silent Years, Volume 1: Foundations (Published in 2021 by Carpenter’s Son Publishing, Nashville, TN).  This book is intended to give a picture of Jesus, the very human teenager, as He figures out how to leave home, make friends, manage moods, deal with complex identity issues, cope with the murder of his father, fall in love with Caesar’s beautiful granddaughter Claudia, risk loving a beautiful woman from another culture and yet stay loyal to his felt destiny or calling, and struggle with temptation, doubt, and longing as a young man.  There are a few Scriptural disagreements that many Bible students might have with the picture of an adolescent Jesus given in the book, such as His performing miraculous feats before John 2:11, or calling the Holy Spirit “Windy” and often using feminine pronouns for the Spirit (cf. John 16:13).  But, as one reviewer noted, “There are enough variations in theology that anyone who is trying can find something to be offended by.”

     I completely agree that Jesus was fully human while on earth and experienced the entire range of temptations that normal teenage boys go through.  However, some might feel that in emphasizing this fact the author goes a bit overboard with Jesus having wet dreams and statements like “Woody has no conscience whenever he pops up.”   This “pop” vocabulary echos teenagers of the 21st century rather than the 1^st and may be just a bit on the racy side for some.  Though nothing is actually vulgar or obscene, because of the stress given to sexual temptation and some rather graphic descriptions of bodily injury, I would not think that the book would be appropriate for small children.  After all, there are even some portions of the Bible that we normally don’t share with youngsters until they are older.  But mature teens and adults should have no problems with it.

     One critic wrote, “This book should never be read by anyone who calls themselves a Christian. It is a sin to write a fake story about Jesus that depicts him in this way….It’s extremely unbiblical.”   I wouldn’t go that far.  The copyright page says, “This is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or locales is entirely coincidental.”  That is a standard disclaimer.  But the author in his “Author’s Note” repeats that it “is a work of historical fiction viewed through the eyes of an American psychologist.”  I would underscore the word “fiction.” With the understanding that, however plausible or implausible the story may be, it is purely “a work of historical fiction” and is “the product of the author’s imagination,” it can be interesting reading and maybe even have some benefit.  Foundations is Book 1 of 4 in the series “Jesus’ Silent Years” and covers the ages of 13 to 17.  Parable (Book 2) covers ages 18 to 22; Journey (Book 3), ages 23 to 26; and Homecoming (Book 4), ages 28 to 30.

A Ticket for a Seamstitch

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: A Ticket for a Seamstitch

Author: Mark Harris 

Cover Illustrator: Jack E. Davis

Publisher: Bison Paperback Books, republished 1985

ISBN-13: 978-0803272248

ISBN-10: 0803272243

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 16 and up

Rating: **** 4 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 to a library.  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

     Harris, Mark.  A Ticket for a Seamstitch (Published in 1956 by University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE; republished in 1984 by Bison Books).  It is 1956, and Henry Wiggen, called “Author,” by his teammates, is a six-foot three-inch, 195-pound, left-handed pitcher for the New York Mammoths. A seamstress from “somewhere out West” writes to Henry, her hero, that she plans to travel across the country and be in New York to watch the Mammoths play on the Fourth of July.  Both the married Henry, with one child and another on the way, and his roommate and pal, the very unmarried young catcher Thurston “Piney” Woods, are at a loss as to what to think. How does she look?  Will she even make it?  And if and when she dies arrive in New York, what can the two ball players do with their visitor?

     Baseball fans may enjoy the book more than others.  In the essay “Easy Does It Not” Mark Harris describes the origins of this wonderfully comic novel.  Some bad language occurs, including cursing (both the “h” and “d” words, the latter even in the form of “g*dd*m”), profanity (“Lord” and “For God’s sake” as exclamations), and near vulgarity (“s.o.b.”).  Piney has pictures of naked girls on the wall of their room, and there are instances of smoking a pipe.  This is the third of four novels narrated by Henry, who began as a rookie in The Southpaw, developed into a pro in Bang the Drum Slowly, and is a mature veteran in A Ticket for a Seamstitch. In the sequel, It Looked Like for Ever, Henry returns to narrate another novel in his inimitable manner.