The Faroe Seeker (the sinking schooner) was coming home from a fishing trip, when the crew saw a polar bear on an ice chunk, near Greenland. They thought that they could sell it to a circus, so they nursed it back to life on their way home. When they were a few miles from shore a piece of wood got stuck in the propeller which then blew up the engine, crippling the schooner. That’s when the storm hit, and the polar bear was washed overboard.
Tag: Bethlehem Books
On the Edge of the Fjord
This story is fictional, but it feels as if it were true. Living in the U.S., Alta Halverson Seymour published this book in 1944. Because of that, there is no resolution on how the war ends for the Engeland family. By the end of the book, the war is still raging. We know that the family is reunited and as safe as they can be doing the dangerous work that needs to be done. The fact that there is no resolution does not, in my opinion, lessen the book in any way. As a matter of fact, I think that it makes it more incredible.
The Reb and the Redcoats
I am always on the lookout for books that would be great as book club books. That special kind of book that will please the target audience while also challenging them. A book that is easy to want to read even if it isn’t always easy to read. A book that is well-written and thought-provoking….
The Red Keep
Years ago, I purchased all of the Allen French books that Bethlehem Books had available: The Red Keep, Rolf and the Viking Bow, and The Lost Baron. I listened to the John Lee audio version of Rolf and the Viking Bow one summer when I was gardening, but for some reason, I never came back…
Drovers Road Trilogy
Series Overview When interviewed a number of years ago, Joyce West quoted a letter she had received from at least one sympathetic publisher of New Zealand literature at that time. ‘You must not feel that writing children’s books is a sign of arrested development. In publishing circles, writing for children is regarded as one of…
Sun Slower Sun Faster
This novel is, as the note to the reader indicates, lively and exciting. I would whole-heartedly recommend Sun Slower Sun Faster to any reader who likes a good historical adventure. Exciting and well-written like the We Were There books, this one is written in a style more reminiscent of something like Edith Nesbit or The Secret Garden or the early parts of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe when the children are exploring the country house.
The Winged Watchman
A Plumfield Kids Book Review by Jack Masarik, age 11 “The Watchman . . .The Watchman . . . Joris looked at it in despair. Winged Watchman . . . guardian angel . . . his breath came in wheezy gasps. He heard footsteps coming closer. Soon he would not be able to run anymore;…
The Cottage at Bantry Bay
Listen to this review here When Diane and I were preparing for our formal interview with Dr. John Tepper Marlin, son of Hilda van Stockum, he told us that people would often remark to his mother that she had “such interesting children.” Marlin said that his mother always chuckled at that remark because she thought…
The Strange Intruder
As a boy mom, a small part of my regular reading diet includes previewing books that come from trustworthy sources as possible reads for the often difficult-to-please 8-14-year-old boy niche. In this book list article, Diane and I mention that, in our experience as teachers, boy moms, and encouragers of readers, we have learned that…
The Mitchells: Five For Victory
Drawn from real-life World War II experiences, Hilda van Stockum created an endearing story about children and family life during the second world war in Five For Victory. Hilda van Stockum was born in Holland to Dutch-Irish parents where she was homeschooled through the age of eight. As a teen, she moved to Ireland to…
The Miracle of St. Nicholas
“Why can’t we celebrate Christmas tomorrow in St. Nicholas?” Set in a small Russian village, young Alexi asks his babushka (grandma) why they cannot celebrate Christmas in their village church of St. Nicholas. In the wake of the Bolshevik revolution, the communists vigorously worked to eradicate religion because it threatened the Russian people’s dependence on…
Happy Times in Noisy Village
In another post, I commented that my first exposure to Astrid Lindgren was through Pippi Longstocking and I wasn’t terribly impressed. Along the way, however, I was persuaded to try some of her other work. I read Children of Noisy Village and fell in love. In my review of that book, I note a Santa…
Old Sam Dakota Trotter
“It was this way with many things, for there was no sure guide to go by. It was the beginning of experience. Of course no two settlers were working under the same conditions, and their methods differed… as they learned to overcome their own difficulties in their own way, uncertainty gave way to a good…
The Red Falcons of Tremoine
The Red Falcons of Tremoine by Hendry Peart opens in the middle of a complex story. It took this reader more than a few pages to feel at home in the text, partly because it felt as though I had walked into the middle of a conversation, and because I was met with a lot…
Good Old Archibald
When Bethlehem Books was having their big summer sale, I combed through their catalog for books that would captivate my reluctant boy reader. My nine-year-old son is a much better reader than he gives himself credit for, but he is easily intimidated by long or text-heavy books. I knew that Bethlehem Books would have some books…