We've been reading LOTS aloud this week. Last week we had started (and finished) Shiloh, and this week dad is reading Shiloh Season to the children each evening. They are such good books - everyone loves them! Be warned that there is a little bit of rough language, and one of the main characters drinks heavily and totes a gun. It's all a part of the setting in the West Virginia countryside.
A few weeks ago, I won a tote full of books from The Booksource! When it came in the mail I was so excited. This week we have finally broken into the bag. From the cover I could tell that Iron Hans was going to captivate my children, and I was right! A retold Grimm's fairytale, it stresses the point of humility and using what you have been given for good. The children were so interested in the book that after we read it I asked them to draw a picture from the story... I loved what they did and we had fun talking about the book while they were drawing. This is also a great thing for me to save and put in their portfolios so we can remember our books more vividly.
Our big read-aloud which corresponds with The Story of The World (we are currently approaching the time of Jesus) is The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth Spear. Two years ago we read The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and The Sign of the Beaver (thank you Sonlight!) and loved each of them, so I'm sure another book by Spear will not disappoint. We are just a few chapters in, but you can tell it's going to be a book we'll always remember.
Finally, I wanted to tell you about a book you MUST READ to your pre-teen and teenage daughters: Beautiful Girlhood by Karen Andreola. I haven't seen another book or resource that deals with the changes taking place in our girls at this age. When you first start the book it may seem old fashioned, but this is where the beauty lies -- it takes me back to a time when the family was more important. I'm reading this aloud to my daughter a little at a time and I'm surprised how much she enjoys listening... it's definitely something we will reread as the years go by. The Christian approach to the transition between girlhood and womanhood is so refreshing! Here's a little excerpt:
The most precious earthly treasure a girl can have is good character. Her character is what she really is. If she will look beyond what she appears to be, and what people think of her, and look at her heart fairly and honestly, judging herself by the standards of right and wrong to which her own conscience gives approval, then she can know whether she has a good character... 
