Plumfield Moms

"Not everyone was willing to listen to John’s assessment of their sin. Many were disappointed that the news wasn’t more spectacular. This wasn’t what they had been hoping for. Where was the mighty king coming in a procession with his servants, his throngs of followers, and his army to set his people free from Rome? Those whose hearts were too crooked and rocky to allow them to agree with God and turn completely around missed the fact that their king had indeed come."

Welcome to our July 2024 episode of Our Librarian Life where we chat with our dear librarian friends, Kristi Stansfield and Sherry Early, about our reading lives. We are so glad that you are here! Valerie’s Living Library Who Should We Then Read Volumes 1&2 by Jan Bloom 1924 Project Plumfield Library Renewal Template LibraryThing TinyCat Biblioguides Semicolon Book Review Roundup Mighty Networks Shelf Notes Picture Book Preschool Find us at The Card Catalog website: https://thecardcataloglibrarians.com/

“The first thing to understand is that mathematics is an art. The difference between math and the other arts, such as music and painting, is that our culture does not recognize it as such.” There is an astonishing amount of power and truth packed into this 140-page book. If, like me, you feared and resented math in school because it made you feel stupid, perhaps you will understand why Lockhart’s lament almost had me crying by the end of the second chapter. Crying for “what if?” What if I had had even one math teacher in school who had loved mathematics as an art and taught it as such? What if even one of my teachers had given me time to explore the beauty of patterns and have ideas about them? What if, sometime in my twelve years of school, even one teacher had believed, “Being a mathematician is not so much about being clever . . . it’s about being aesthetically sensitive and having refined and exquisite taste”?

"Paths, wagon tracks, and roads are fit for their intended uses but are difficult places for vegetation to grow. Reclaiming them for growing things would take back-breaking work. But if God wants hard-packed earth to produce fruit, it will. Just because a place looks like barren desert to me doesn’t mean it would be the least bit difficult for God to grow a garden there if he chose. “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

“For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: ‘Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.'” (Isa. 8:11-13 ESV)

"Through a series of extremely fortunate events, over the past nine months or so, I have become acquainted with several women scattered around the country who run private lending libraries. The ones I know are homeschoolers or former homeschoolers who collected good books for their children’s education and edification. At some point each of them began to share books with other families. Along the way they developed their own process. Each has her own method of storing books, cataloging them, shelving them, and lending them. These women are not trying to duplicate the public library any more than homeschoolers are trying to duplicate public school. There is no formula for the “right way” to open your own lending library. It starts with a desire to fill a need. We’ve been so immersed in our current system that we believe we’ve always done it this way. Often, the first response is to hasten to a board meeting expecting to effect reform within the system. That could happen. But we also have the option to repossess our freedoms and reinstitute our institutions."

Team Burger Shed by Tavin Dillard made my reserved and faintly aloof husband snort and then laugh out loud. And I wasn’t even reading it to him. In fact, he was sitting on the couch reading his own book while the kids and I were talking about Tavin Dillard’s latest antics in the chapter I had been reading. I reached for my phone and turned on the audiobook to play a section for my boys. Before I knew it, I was laughing at my husband, because he could not resist laughing at Tavin. I don’t know what else to say… this book makes my daughter roll her eyes, me groan, my boys fall over themselves laughing, and even drew my otherwise reticent husband into the fun. I have concluded that this is a quintessential boy-humor book that is fun for the whole family. Even if half of the fun is just laughing at those who think it is hilarious. https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-book-reviews/team-burger-shed-by-tavin-dillard

"Peter later elaborates on this. “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:13). “Preparing your minds for action” is one way to translate the Greek words that mean, “girding up the loins of your mind.” Picture, then, gathering up extraneous thoughts and fastening them out of the way, preparing your mind for exertion. The book of 1 Peter is full of instructions for inspecting the readiness of our minds. Be holy as He is holy. Purify your souls by obedience to the truth. Love one another earnestly with pure hearts. Live as people who are free yet as bondservants (doulos) of God."

"Because God is the all-powerful, all-knowing Creator, it stands to reason that his ways and thoughts are higher than ours. But he explicitly tells us who he is if we’re willing to seek and hear."

Tanya’s References The Winged Watchman by Hilda Van Stockum Plumfield Reads Book Club Packets: The Winged Watchman Hilda Van Stockum Patsy and the Pup by Hilda Van Stockum Little Old Bear by Hilda Van Stockum The Mitchells Books by Hilda Van Stockum The Cottage at Bantry Bay Series by Hilda Van Stockum The Borrowed House by Hilda Van Stockum When the Dikes Broke by Alta Halverson Seymour Sarah Kim’s References Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott The Arthurian Trilogy by Rosemary Sutcliff The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend Sara Masarik’s References Gary D. Schmidt Interview S. D. Smith, Beloved Author Jack Zulu and the Girl with Golden Wings (Jack Zulu Series) by S. D. Smith and J. C. Smith The Found Boys by S. D. Smith Mooses with Bazookas and Other Stories Children Should Never Read by S. D. Smith Diane’s References The Vanishing of Carolyn Wells by Rebecca Rego Barry The Wordhord by Hana Videen The Deorhord by Hana Videen General References Biblioguides Semicolon Book Review Roundup Mighty Networks Shelf Notes

"Like most of us, I haven’t physically committed the big, obvious sins like murder and adultery. I can honestly say I don’t outright lie or steal. But am I persuaded of what Jesus says about the sins of the heart?"

Brodart Laminate Southern Skies Publishing – Stephen Meader Purple House Press Living Book Press Bethlehem Books Mistmantle Card Catalog Shelf Notes Find us at The Card Catalog: https://thecardcataloglibrarians.com/

I decided to listen to Connie Willis’s Bellwether while my seventeen-year-old and I were doing a renovation in my library. He loves science and is starting to love Connie Willis’s writing. This novella was especially fun for us to listen to together. Chaos theory, trends, group behavior patterns, and human nature are all part of the dynamic human experience. And it is fun to poke at the synchronicity and see what falls out. Sandra Foster is a scientist at HiTek corporation and studies fads. Specifically, she is working on the science of how and why trends or fads get started, what disrupts them, and possibly, how they can be manufactured by those who wish to nudge culture for good or for profit. Sandra is smart, likable, and very funny. Her snarky comments about ridiculous people and things give me a vent to my own frustrations about the ridiculousness of so many things in our modern culture. Bennett O’Reilly is a chaos theorist who studies group behavior at the same research facility. When Flip, the disinterested, lazy, and entitled office “helper,” delivers a package to Sandra which is meant for a different department, Sandra decides to circumvent the chaos of dealing with Flip and delivers it herself. This delivery sets a chain of events into motion that leads to romance, intrigue, and a fun story about interdepartmental collaboration and problem solving. Standard Connie Willis, no character is wasted and no storyline is inconsequential. And, remember, this is about scientific research into human psychology and chaos theory. This short, clean, quirky, and fun novella would be a good fit for mature teens and adults who just want to chuckle on a lazy afternoon. I have reviewed many other Connie Willis books, you can find those reviews here.

After God had brought the Israelites out of Egypt, he told Moses to tell the people, “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel” (Ex. 19:4-6). Think of that! They were brought to God on eagle’s wings to be his treasured possession . . . Jesus told us, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” What more do we want before we will love and trust him to lead us in the right direction even when the way is through the rapids? Even if it looks like we’ll never see calm water again?

"Huck is terrified when he first sees the stegosaurus. He goes as quickly as he can to Chief Whitewater to tell him there is a monster someone needs to kill. Of course, the chief doesn’t believe him. So, the next time Huck goes to the spring to wash clothes, he takes his grandfather’s gun with him. Before Huck can shoot the dinosaur, he learns that George is friendly, and he also learns that the two children, Joey and Joan, already know George. Huck goes to the resort to swim with them, and they go fishing with Huck. They take George with them and introduce him to picnics. He likes the food and loves Indian wrestling, which Huck teaches them all. It’s great fun for George because he wins every time." https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-book-reviews/the-shy-stegosaurus-of-indian-springs

"It is right, with proper humility, for us to ask God to incline toward us. But it is we who need practice inclining toward God."

In the middle of the 21st century, historian Ned Henry has a severe case of “time-lag.” Exhausted from fruitless time-travel jumps to Coventry Cathedral in various times before the WWII bombing and fire, Ned has not been able to satisfy his boss, and find the hideous but elusive “Bishop’s bird stump.” Lady Shrapnel is on a mission to have every detail perfect for the Cathedral reconstruction and dedication, and she doesn’t seem to care whatsoever how exhausted her team is, just so long as they finish the cathedral in time. “God is in the details,” she retorts when anyone suggests anything less than a perfect restoration. This hilarious and delightful story is shelved in “science-fiction” because of the time travel aspect, but in every other way is a romantic comedy in the style of The Importance of Being Earnest or anything from Jeeves and Wooster. And, in case that wasn’t enough fun, Connie Willis also has her main characters constantly referencing and quoting mystery authors like Agatha Christie, G. K. Chesterton, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-book-reviews/to-say-nothing-of-the-dog

“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” One last thought, in case I’m still wondering if I couldn’t just give up and go watch ducks in the park. Paul says to the Galatian believers: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:7-9).

Join us as we discuss barcodes, book tape, inventory, summer reading programs, and renovations! Picture Book Preschool Five in a Row Biblioguides Book Tape Book Tape Dispenser Label Protectors Shelf Notes Barcode Generator Barcode Scanner Dymo Label Printer Library Thing Barcodes The Card Catalog

In the last few years, I have heard the great American classic, To Kill A Mockingbird, frequently being recommended for middle-grade readers. I staunchly disagree with the general practice of recommending that tough book to readers below eleventh grade. Could there be a particular child for whom it is a good fit? Maybe. But, it is my opinion that that essential work of American fiction was written for adults and should be considered worthy of waiting for. Even if a middle-grade reader could handle the darkness, I wonder if they could really grasp the fullness of the story and its power at such a young age. Some have mentioned that Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk would be a better fit for a younger crowd looking for a story set in small-town America about a misunderstood social outcast. I was curious, so I read it this weekend. I see why some think that way. I see the appeal of this story. I see how easily it could be fairly compared to Mockingbird. I agree this could be a good substitute for Mockingbird if there were a reason to wrestle with these themes. I ask, however, if something else might be better for a young reader and better overall? I do not, however, like Wolf Hollow even a fraction as much as I love To Kill a Mockingbird. And I am a little unsettled about why that is. In this story, the protagonist might be more likable than Scout. The maligned outcast is more sympathetic than Boo Radley. And the parents are more attentive than Atticus. The writing is excellent. The story is interesting. And the way Americans treated Germans during WWII is good for us to grapple with. I think that what mars the story for me is that the burdens on the protagonist are inappropriate for the target age of the readers. Annabelle adopts some troubling behavior that is unnecessary and designed only to further the plot. And some of the events of the story are almost as graphic and disturbing as Mockingbird. Read more: https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-book-reviews/wolf-hollow-by-lauren-wolk

"We know that not everyone is called to stand in the spotlight before crowds. In fact, few of us are. We are not all called to fill the same holes in the wall, but we are all called to do something. There is no checklist of day-to-day activities for a breach-stander. However, the more we read the word, pray, and listen, the more the general commands become astoundingly specific and personal. You are the light of the world, you are the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13-14). You are called to be saints (1 Cor. 1:2), called to peace (1 Cor. 7:15), called to freedom (Gal. 5:13), called to walk in a manner worthy of your calling (Eph. 4:1), called to suffer (1 Pet. 2:21), called to be holy (1 Pet. 1:16). What do the calls to all believers mean for your specific calling? Ask God to show you."

Join us for our May 2024 Our Reading Life episode where we talk about spies, codebreakers, and geeky grammar. Tanya’s References The Pink Refrigerator by Tim Egan D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II by Sarah Rose Sarah Kim’s References Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott The Little Ships: The Heroic Rescue at Dunkirk During World War by Louise Borden The Dolphin Crossing by Jill Paton Walsh The Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish: Based on a True Story by Jaqueline Briggs Martin Sara Masarik’s References The Mark of the Thief Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen The Woman All Spies Fear: Code Breaker Elizebeth Smith Friedman and Her Hidden Life by Amy Butler Greenfield The Fifth of March by Ann Rinaldi - Sara's Review Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace Diane’s References The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English by Hana Videen Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer

"When the Ferris wheel seems to be running again, Timothy and the duck get stuck at the top. 'Up above, the duck on the seat whispered excited little whispers to Timothy. He liked it far above the noise of all the crowd. He was glad to be away from all that noise. He flapped his wings and whispered. He quirked and jerked his stubby tail. He was proud to be so high.' Throughout Timothy’s adventure, several people think the duck has brought them luck. In the end, Timothy is lucky to have a pet, and the duck is lucky to have found a quiet home." https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-picture-book-reviews/good-luck-duck

"As I think about it in terms of wishing, in the midst of all our moves, for a place to nestle, I can see how gently persistent God was in teaching me to find my true dwelling place in him. He had moved me from what had become my comfort to a new state where we were strangers. Then he took us to a different country altogether, one where we knew we were sojourners. After some time to get used to that, he left me there with my children and took my husband to war. He seemed to be saying, You’re catching on. Now it’s time for a test."

1924 Project It was indeed a different era. What was going on in 1924 when these books were being published and read? The 1924 Paris Olympics, Leopold and Loeb murders, the premiere of Rhapsody in Blueby Gershwin. Vladimir Lenin died, and Mallory and Irvine disappeared while attempting to summit Mt. Everest. Robert Frost won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and crossword puzzles were all the rage after Simon snd Schuster published their first book of crosswords. As far children’s literature was concerned, the field of books written especially for children was just coming into its own. The Horn Book Magazine, the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children’s literature, was founded in Boston in 1924. The Newbery Medal for “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children” was only a couple of years old. The medal-winning book for 1925 (published in 1924) was Tales from Silver Lands, a book of Central and South American folktales, collected and recorded by Charles Finger. Two other 1924 books were “runners-up” for the Newbery: The Dream Coach by Anne Parish and Nicholas: A Manhattan Christmas Story by New York Public Library’s head children’s librarian, Anne Carroll Moore. Unfortunately, all three Newbery-honored books from 1924 seem to me to be not horrible, but forgettable. The South American folktales are perhaps of interest to scholars and storytellers, but I doubt the average child would glom onto them. The other two books are more the sort of books that adults think children should like than they are the kind of story that children do enjoy. A reading team comprised of librarians and excellent readers made it a goal to read as many of the books published in English in 1924 as possible and record their thoughts as they went. Sherry and our book friend Terri Shown joined Sara and Diane on the podcast to discuss the project and what we learned. You can find out a lot more about the books themselves, here. Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag Sherry's 1924 Blog Post The List We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne Theras and His Town by Caroline Dale Snedeker Nicholas: A Manhattan Christmas Story by Anne Carroll Moore The Dream Coach by Anne Parrish Tales From Silver Lands by Charles Joseph Finger The New Moon: The Story of Dick Martin's Courage, His Silver Sixpence and His Friends in the New World by Cornelia Meigs Down the Big River by Stephen Meader Down the Big River - Sara's Review America’s Children by James Otis (Living Book Press) The Boy Whaleman by George Fox Tucker The Boy Whaleman Sherry's Review The Pearl Lagoon by Charles Nordhoff The Pearl Lagoon Sherry's Review Boy's Games Among the North American Indians by Edith Stow Rascal by Sterling North Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field Calico Bush by Rachel Field Taxis and Toadstools by Rachel Field The Child’s Garden of Verse by Robert Louis Stevenson The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner The 1964 Project

Whether they loved her or hated her, everyone who knew her considered her an amazing and memorable woman. Klaus Barbie, the infamous Butcher of Lyon became obsessed with finding the “Limping Lady of Lyon.” He had posters made and offered a huge reward for information leading to the arrest of “The Enemy’s Most Dangerous Spy.” https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-book-reviews/virginia-hall-an-extraordinary-woman

"Don’t you love this sort of pithy proverb? You can toss the platitude to a teenager whose friends you don’t approve of with the assurance that its truth is indisputable and needs no context – exactly the way we like our favorite Bible verses. Because the maxim is simple to understand and examples of its truth abound, it was a perfect topic for an essay assignment for my writing class. Since I asked my class to contemplate the saying, I thought I should do the same. What, precisely, do the few words mean? Do they have anything to say to me?"

Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis Perelandra by C. S. Lewis The Biblioguides Online Community – Plumfield Reads The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis The Screwtape Letter by C. S. Lewis The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis George MacDonald Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis The Walking Drum by Louis L’Amour The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler by William Shirer Landmark Book Club: The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler by William Shirer That Hideous Strength Audiobook The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald Cautionary Review of the Space/RansomTrilogy

"What child wouldn’t love to discover a living dinosaur in the backyard? What if that dinosaur could talk? That’s what happens to Joey and Joan Brown, freckled, red-headed twelve-year-old twins. On the first few pages of the story, we are made aware of the family Problem." https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-book-reviews/the-shy-stegosaurus-of-cricket-creek

Part of the plan to sneak the gold out right under the noses of the Nazis involves teams of Riswyk children each carrying 75 pounds of gold on their sleds down to a fjord where the crew of a fishing boat waits to load the gold for transportation to America. The plan works seamlessly. Until the snow starts to melt before they have transported half the gold. And until the Nazi Commandant decides the lazy, impudent children need to go back to school. And until the children realize they have been discovered by one Nazi soldier who has been spying on them. https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-book-reviews/snow-treasure

The Pharisees dogged Jesus so relentlessly they should have known his teachings as well as his disciples did. It’s tragic that they weren’t trying to learn anything from him other than how to discredit him. Have I learned what Jesus meant when he said, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”? It is hard to misunderstand what he means in the first chapter of Isaiah. “‘What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices;’ says the Lord; ‘I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats . . . Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean! Remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.’” (Isa. 1:11, 16, 17 ESV).

"If you are a believer, someone had to plant the seed in your mind. Someone else watered it. Acknowledging these gospel gardeners gives us perspective. When it seems like life has been mostly dark, it can remind us that Jesus has been there all the time."

I found that Downton Abbey and the Jeremy Irons Brideshead Revisited miniseries gave my imagination some kind of scaffolding upon which to understand this very subtle, very restrained, and very sophisticated fictional memoir. To be perfectly frank, I really don’t know what this book is about. I know that it’s about dignity. I know that Mr. Stevens has a great deal of pride and prejudice related to the word dignity and that this book chronicles his awakening into other understandings of the word dignity. https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-book-reviews/the-remains-of-the-day https://plumfieldandpaideia.com/the-remains-of-the-day/

"We know Jesus did say, 'Judge not, that you be not judged.' Are we to take this as our motto without context? In this same sermon, Jesus also tells us to beware of false prophets. How will we know true from false if we don’t judge anything?"

Picture Book Preschool by Sherry Early The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss 100 Best Book for Children by Anita Silvey Kristi’s Totes The Card Catalog Biblioguides Online Community Private Lending Library Directory League of Lending Librarians

“The historical novels Sally Watson has laid in Great Britain and America are separate and complete, yet are united by a family tree. They romp across four centuries, from 1582 London to 1892 Northern California. No one gets a starring role twice, but main characters sometimes reappear in another book in a relatively minor role as grandparent, sibling, cousin, lover or even a wayward eyebrow. The predominant family trait seems to be producing and marrying strong-willed women. Though the protagonists range in age from eleven to adult, and some are specifically juvenile and others definitely adult, the characterization, vocabulary, and plotting are appropriate to all ages from—say—eleven up.” Wikipedia, Sally Watson page https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-book-reviews/lark

"Do I trust God enough to stand before him with an open mouth and allow him to feed me? Am I absolutely sure that whatever he chooses to put in will be good? My head knows it will. His Word assures me that all his intentions for me are good. Is my heart so convinced that I can open my mouth wide before him and accept whatever he feeds me?"

Books and Links: Space Trilogy Book 1: Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis Space Trilogy Book 3: That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien George MacDonald Gene Stratton Porter The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis Medical Corp Heroes of World War II by Wyatt Blassingame Medical Corp Heroes of World War II Book Club Episode Plumfield Reads The Biblioguides Online Community Perelandra Audio Book The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien Learn More About the ladies of Biblioguides Where You Can Find Us: Plumfield and Paideia Facebook Page Plumfield Reads Book Club Discussion Space at the FREE Biblioguides Online Community Plumfield Moms Podcast Page Plumfield Moms Instagram

The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier is a compelling historical fiction novel written in 1959 about a Polish family torn apart by the Second World War and, happily, reunited afterwards. https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-book-reviews/the-silver-sword

"When I feel inadequate for the tasks I’m called to, isn't that right where I need to be? It’s only with God’s help that, when called upon, I will be able to run through a whole troop of men, even if they’re all staring at me. With the shield of salvation and God’s right hand to hold me up, I’ll be able to cover more and more ground with my ever-lengthening strides without turning an ankle. As for God, his way is perfect, the word of Adonai has been tested by fire; he shields all who take refuge in him."

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare (The Bruce Coville retelling is out of print.) The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare The Tempest by William Shakespeare Shakespeare Story Book: Folk Tales that Inspired the Bard by Patrick Ryan Let's Play Math by Denise Gaskins A Long Road on a Short Day by Gary D. Schmidt Gary D. Schmidt Saturday by Oge Mora Raccoons are the Brightest People by Sterling North The Call of the Wild by Jack London White Fang by Jack London Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott The Mark of the Thief Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde The Aunt and Amabel by Edith Nesbit The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood Rascal by Sterling North To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Little Britches by Ralph Moody Lad: The Story of a Dog by Albert Payson Terhune Gene Stratton-Porter Armadale by Wilkie Collins Aurora Floyd by Mary Elizabeth Braddon The Mayor's Wife by Anna Katherine Green The Virginian by Owen Wister One Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt

Despite being an English major at Hillsdale College, I had never read Frankenstein. Truthfully, I had always avoided it. I thought it was just a gothic novel, like Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, and I hated that book. I also hated Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. I just do not care for ghost stories or creepy stories of any kind. I can read Flannery O’Connor and beg for more, but not creepy stories about ghosts or monsters. This is not a story about a monster. Or at least not the kind of monster I was anticipating. There is no brainless creature terrorizing the countryside. The “Monster” was a created being with human thought and reasoning, emotion, and the capacity for ethics. But, the real monster in this novel is Dr. Frankenstein himself who created this being and then cruelly abandoned him. It is a riveting tale of the human condition. https://plumfieldandpaideia.com/frankenstein/

"Once they had seen that what the angel said was true, they were to go quickly and tell his disciples that Jesus was alive. They joyfully ran to do just that. I imagine their faces looked like my little sister’s when she saw the piles of gifts. How long was it before they could stop grinning? "These women obediently told Jesus’s disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead. His disciples told others, and those others told more, and on and on until someone told ME! What about you? Will you come and see?"

Books and Links: Plumfield Reads Page Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis Perelandra by C. S. Lewis That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis Screwtape Letters C. S. Lewis Mere Christianity C. S. Lewis The Great Divorce C. S. Lewis The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton The Dark Tower by C. S. Lewis (Lewis is the generally accepted author, but not always) The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Father Brown Mysteries by G. K. Chesterton Lark Rise to Candelford by Flora Thompson The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis The Keeper of the Bees by Gene Stratton-Porter The Keeper of the Bees Book Club Enchantress from the Stars Book Club Enchantress from the Stars by Silvia Engdahl Ashtown Burials by N. D. Wilson A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle The Great Courses The Great Books of the Western World The Medieval Mind of C. S. Lewis by Jason M. Baxter Pretty Copies of Out of the Silent Planet C. S. Lewis at War C. S. Lewis and Paul McCusker Learn More About the ladies of Biblioguides Where You Can Find Us: Plumfield and Paideia Facebook Page Plumfield Reads Book Club Discussion Space at the FREE Biblioguides Online Community Plumfield Moms Podcast Page Plumfield Moms Instagram

Wow! What a story! I would have been impressed if The Stout-Hearted Seven had been fiction. To know that it is non-fiction is exhilarating and tragic all at the same time. Reading true stories like this makes things like Marvel movies seem ridiculous. True courage and fortitude are not found in superheroes with capes but in stout-hearted people with a will to follow God’s leading and their own conviction. I read the Sterling Point reprint of the original text written by Neta Lohnes Frazier. Frazier opens this memoir by explaining her personal relationship with two of the Sager sisters and pointing to her sources which were mostly primary source material. She explains that she has added dialogue but that even that is based on research and reasonable deduction. After she sets the stage, she begins at the beginning and tells the entire ordeal in the voice of an omniscient narrator. This book reads like an excellent Landmark Book or Messner Biography. It is easy to see why Sterling Books reprinted this one alongside the many Landmark reprints that they did. This is absolutely worth reading. And the audiobook is excellent. https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-book-reviews/the-stout-hearted-seven-orphaned-on-the-oregon-trail

At the moment Jesus yielded up his spirit, onlookers were mocking him. The land had been in darkness for three hours in the middle of the day. At the moment of Jesus' death, the veil in the temple was torn in two and there was a rock-splitting earthquake. Tombs were opened and dead saints came out of them after Jesus’ resurrection. Events were so startling that even the pagan Roman soldiers on guard said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” When Jesus’ disciples realized he had really died, they must have believed they had come to the end of the path to glory they had thought they were following with him. Though they didn’t understand what was coming, they had to have been thinking, “Well, this changes everything.” Not for good but for evil.

This book is an exquisite introduction to the world-changing advent of machine-printed books. It would also be an excellent starting point for a discussion with older children. Every invention that has been hailed as progress by many has also been met with dire warnings by some. Ancient philosophers cautioned that writing would be the ruin of man’s memory, and in some ways, that has proven true. https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-picture-book-reviews/from-the-good-mountain-how-gutenberg-changed-the-world

Living Book Press Charlotte Mason Charlotte Mason AudioBooks Howard Pyle Collection Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif Railway Children by Edith Nesbit America’s Children Books by James Otis Hannah of Kentucky by James Otis How the Heather Looks Audiobook Let’s Explore the British Isles First Books Purple House Press Little Britches Series by Ralph Moody The Mistmantle Chronicles by M. I. McAllister David Weitzman Stephen Meader Glen Blough Wyatt Blassingame Combat Nurses of World War II by Wyatt Blassingame The U.S. Frogmen of World War II by Wyatt Blassingame Medical Corps Heroes of World War II by Wyatt Blassingame Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif Evelyn Sibly Lampman Shy Stegosaurus of Cricket Creek by Evelyn Sibly Lampman Shy Stegosaurus of Indian Springs by Evelyn Sibly Lampman Elizabeth Ripley Artist Biographies Purple House Press Nature Study Library Jeanne Bendick Smidgen Press Charlotte Mason Centenary Edition Little Men by Louisa May Alcott Louisa May Alcott L. M. Montgomery Christmas Collection by L. M. Montgomery The Daisy Chain by Charlotte Mary Yonge Frankenstein by Mary Shelly General Plumfield Reads Guides I am David (North to Freedom) by Ann Holm

Peter says said our inheritance is being kept in heaven for us. Our salvation is ready to be revealed in the last time. When is that last time? No one knows. It will come like a thief in the night. Be ready.

Join us for the March episode of Our Librarian Life. In addition to Kristi and Sherry, this month we are joined by Sarah Kim and Tanya Arnold to talk about what Biblioguides is and how we use it as librarians. Biblioguides.com LibraryThing TinyCat – librarycat.org Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt Jan Bloom’s Who Should We Then Read Volumes I and II I am David (North to Freedom) by Ann Holm Biblioguides Partner Guides Picture Book Preschool The Little Girl with Seven Names by Mabel Leigh Hunt Ted and Nina books by Marguerite de Angeli Biblioguides Online Community Private Lending Library Directory Find us at The Card Catalog: https://thecardcataloglibrarians.com/