Up & Down By Don Brown

The Adventures of John Jeffries, First American to Fly
After the American Revolution, Dr. John Jeffries, a Tory, was thrown out of Boston and decided to settle in London.  He loved observing the weather and took careful notes.  When the hot balloon craze, hit Europe, Dr. Jeffries imagined what kind of weather observations he could make up in the air in a hot air balloon.  French balloonist Jean-Pierre Blanchard offered him this opportunity and they took a short 1 1/2 hour trip.  This adventure, however, was not enough.  The two planned a trip across the English Channel from Britain to France.  The rest of the story focuses on their harrowing experience with humor woven into the retelling. My favorite pages were 30-31!
Pair with

Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride by Marjorie Priceman.

-Borrowed from the library.

Pass Go and Collect $200 by Tanya Lee Stone illustrated by Steven Salerno

The Real Story of How Monopoly Was Invented
Lizzie Magie was disturbed how the urban areas seemed to teem with financial inequality so she created a board game called the Landlord's Game to show the disparity.  People liked the game so much that they began making their own versions of it.  Unfortunately, the Parker Brothers thought the game was too challenging and educational and refused to market it.  Then during the Great Depression, Charles Darrow took the game and improved it and began making copies of it in his basement to sell.  He changed the name to Monopoly.  In the end, Mr. Darrow was the one to receive the credit and earnings for this game!  Lizzie only received $500 for it!
-Borrowed from the library.

Come Home Already by Jory John and Benji Davies

The third book about Bear and Duck
Bear ventures out into the woods to fish at a lake for peace and quiet (away from Duck).  He discovers that he misses Duck and even needs his companionship! 
Humorous and sweet!
A great book to create into a Reader's Theater (for two -three children).  Also could be used to build fluency with a beginning reader (parent reads either Duck or Bear's lines while the child reads the other character's lines).
-Borrowed from the library.

Rice from Heaven by Tina Cho illustrated by Keum Jin Song

A young girl from South Korean meets with a group of people to secretly deliver packages of rice to North Korea via balloons filled with hydrogen.
I especially appreciated the "author's note" section which offers more details behind this true story.  She also includes facts about the Korean peninsula, the politics and North Korea.  A map is also included to reinforce understanding.
The author actually participated in this event.
A great book to discuss with children about this sad situation in North Korea.
The illustrations are beautiful.
 The text is short and almost every page contains figurative language which makes it excessive in my opinion.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Hawk of the Castle by Danna Smith illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline*

The Story of Medieval Falconry
A young girl describes the life of a falconer within a medieval castle.  She assists her father as he trains the hawk to hunt food for the castle.
A beautifully illustrated book.  The reader can learn a lot about the medieval time period by simply studying the illustrations.
The main text is simple and can be read to younger children.  On each page there is a text box which explains in more detail about the page's main concept.  As a result, many different ages will enjoy this book and learn from it.
Well researched and developed.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Of Numbers and Stars by D. Anne Love illustrated by Pam Paparone

In 4th century AD, in Alexandria, Egypt  Theon decided that his daughter should be educated in the same manner as a boy.  He taught his daughter, Hypatia, to spear a fish, ride a horse, and row a boat.  He also encouraged her to learn to read and write.  He provided opportunities for her to learn grammar and speak properly.  She also studied poetry, science, astronomy, philosophy and ultimately,  mathematics.  Eventually she was a beloved teacher.
I would have like to have learned specifically about what she contributed to mathematics and other disciplines but unfortunately there are few records available .  It felt more like a book to encourage girls (girl power) than a biography about someone who contributed greatly to mathematics and science.
In the author's note, Ms. Love describes how Hypatia died (very sad) and shares why the book could not offer more specifics.
-Borrowed from the library.

Redwall by Brian Jaques*

Cluny, the one eyed rat, threatens the peace at the abbey of Redwall.  The mice long for the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior to help them to win this seemingly impossible battle.  Enter, Matthias, an unlikely hero . . .

My eleven year read this book to himself to support our study of Medieval.  He liked this book a lot  . . .maybe even better than The Ranger's Apprentice and The Brotherband (he has to read more in the series to come to a definite conclusion).
Warning: one d--n word
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
The library categorizes this series as "young adult".

Drive Thru History with Dave Stotts-East Meets West DVD

Two episodes feature areas in Turkey-Cappadocia and Instanbul. 
Mr. Stotts explores the fairy chimneys which were carved by the Hittites and later utilized by the persecuted Christians.  The underground cities there were also fascinating. 
Both episodes support our current study of early church history.
*Highly recommend for the entire family.
-Borrowed from the library.

Twice Freed by Patricia St. John

Onesimus, a slave to Philemon, longs to be free.  His desire to be free deepens when he meets Eirene, a rich merchant's daughter.  In his society, to have her as a wife, he must be free and have wealth.  He plots his way to his freedom, but discovers where true freedom resides.
He encounters many men of faith from the Bible. 
This book brings the reader to the setting and times of the early church.
I was going to have my eleven year old read this, but since Onesimus was so obsessed with  winning Eirene's love, I thought he would not enjoy it. 
Points to discuss: orgies to gods, Onesimus kills his friend when he is a gladiator
-I own this book.

Beowulf by Michael Morpurgo illustrated by Michael Foreman*

This retelling of Beowulf made me fall in love with the story.  It is beautiful retold and focuses on the character of Beowulf.  The speeches are inspiring and make one think about life and how one should be.
It is, however, quite gruesome (word choice and illustrations).  The library has categorized it as "young adult" for good reason.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Beowulf A Hero's Tale Retold by James Rumford*

To retell the ancient story of Beowulf, Mr. Rumford utilizes only the words that can be traced to the old language.  Three words (dragon, ogre and giant) come from Greek or Latin and three words: they their and them are not Anglo-Saxon words, but he could not tell the story without incorporating them. 
The art work and a few Old English phrases make this retelling unique and memorable. 
Warning: Some of the word choice is quite gruesome and graphic- "The sinews were bursting, the arm bones loosening .. . " just one example.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Beowulf by Gareth Hinds

This graphic novel depicts the old Epic English tale of Beowulf well. 
This version is quite violently graphic so the library has it either labeled as "young adult" or "adult". 
-Borrowed from the library.

What's the Difference by Emma Strack illustrated by Guillaume Plantevin

Originally published in France in 2015, this book compares two things that may seem very similar. 
It is divided into six categories: animals, food/drink, geography, fashion, human body, and city.

Facts about each item being compared are displayed across the bottom of the two pages.  A chart on the second page displays how they are different/same.
An awesome book when discussing comparing/contrasting.
-Borrowed from the library.