The Year of the Horseless Carriage 1801 by Genevieve Foster*

 I bought Music Study with the Masters by Sonya Shafer (Simply Charlotte Mason) to support my son's study of Beethoven. The booklet included a list of books for "further study". This book was on the list.

Ms. Foster connects many influential individuals during this time period and through narrative, points out how they impacted the world and interacted with each other. Children who love relationships and finding connections will appreciate this method of relating history. I recommend reading it in one sitting or over a couple of consecutive days. I read a half of it and then resumed reading it a couple of weeks later. As a result, I had forgotten some of the connections.

People whose stories are told: Richard Trevithick, Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon Bonaparte, Toussaint L'ouverture, Robert Fulton, Lewis & Clark, James Madison, George Stephenson

*Highly recommend.

-I own this book.

Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers*

 Harriet Vane, the woman Lord Peter Wimsey wants to marry, is lunching on a beach when she notices a body on a rock. The man is dead. Being a detective novelist, she analyzes the situation and takes photographs. By the time she finds the authorities, the tide has washed the body away. Based on her photographs and the information they can gather, the police conclude it was suicide. Case-closed. Lord Peter Wimsey arrives and does not believe the case is that simple. Convoluted days ensue as Lord Peter, Harriet, and the local police uncover facts,times, and alibis that do not line up.

I read this aloud to by sons (ages 15 and 18) at lunch on our school days. My youngest son figured it and thought it was too easy-just like Strong Poison (He liked The Nine Tailors best). My other son liked this one best because the characters interact more, and the story takes place over a few weeks  (In The Nine Tailors Lord Peter returns almost a year later to finally solve the case). Ciphers were included in this book and described step-by-step how Peter and Harriet solve them. I skipped these sections and just summarized their findings to my sons. The ciphers would be more fun to solve while reading the novel to yourself.

*Highly recommend for high school and older. See considerations.

Warnings/consideration: Since I read this novel aloud, I skipped these concerns-some swearing, some innuendos, Mr. Weldon is a lady's man and makes a grab at Harriet, murder-description of the crime scene, discussions about suicide and why the victim did it-Peter even goes into detail why he would do it-narrating why/why not. 

-Borrowed from the library.

Wintergarden by Janet Fox illustrated by Jasu Hu

RAR recommends this book. 

A girl and her mama plant seeds to grow on their windowsill in their city apartment during the winter. The similes are apt and descriptive. The illustrations are surreal and a bit too abstract for the age group who would listen to this book. After the story, the author offers tips on growing one's own wintergarden plus a great list of other gardening picture books.

-Borrowed from the library.

Secret Engineer How Emily Roebling Built the Brooklyn Bridge by Rachel Doughtery*

 Even though most girls during her time period rarely pursued a higher education, Emily loved science and math and was able to attend a school where these subjects were taught. She married an engineer, whose family built bridges. Soon Emily's husband is building the Brooklyn Bridge, incorporating new technology. Unfortantely, he becomes ill. Thankfully, Emily is intelligent and an eager learner. Although she does not receive credit, she is the one who oversaw the building of the Brooklyn Bridge!

An amazing story!  I liked this story so much that I requested two other picture books about her!

Kids who love to build, who want to understand how things work, and who have an engineer mindset will love this book.

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

This Beautiful Truth by Sarah Clarkson*

 Sarah Clarkson reveals how OCD has impacted her life and how God's goodness and beauty breaks through it, giving her hope and joy. Sarah's writing is concise yet stunningly beautiful. The manner she relates stories and truths is through imagery and apt word choice. Weaving in quotes, depictions, and  narratives, Sarah has created a memorable book that will give the reader hope.

A deeper read requiring concentration and comtemplation.

Consideration: She is Anglican, so her style of worship is liturgical. She, however, clearly states salvation is found through believing in Christ as the Savior and how His death and resurrection was necessary to connect us, sinners in need of a Savior,  again to the Father. She does not state that salvation is found in good works or in that style of worship. 

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

Pizza for the Queen by Nancy Castaldo illustrated by Melisande Potter

 Raffaele, the pizza chef of Napoli, loves making pizza for his town. Queen Margherita wants to taste this pizza! Raffaele gathers up fine ingredients and tries to imagine what kind of pizza she would enjoy. 

A recipe for Pizza Margherita and the history of the real story is is included in the back.

A great book to read on International Pizza Day, Feb. 9th.

-Borrowed from the library.

Rags Hero Dog of WWI A True Story by Margot Theis Raven illustrated by Petra Brown

 Many WW II books exist. WWI ones for kids are challenging to discover. This WWI picture book relates how Rags, a stray dog, becomes an invaluable asset for the First Division U.S. Army. Private James Donovan finds him in an empty doorway in Paris. Donovan brings him back to the base, where Rags quickly learns how to perform a myriad of tasks on behalf of Donovan.

A sweet story about loyalty.

Discuss: Donovan lies to a French policeman. Donovan dies at the end of the story.

-Borrowed from the library.