MrsK's K-8 Books Worth Reading

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MrsK Books's book recommendations, liked quotes, book clubs, book trivia, book lists (best-reads-for-k-8 shelf)

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Booked to Dine: Jan-March Book Picks 2022

golden,star,christmas,favourite,bookmark
 Each of these titles have been woven with strands of life, hope, and determination.
With every turn of the page, you will discover moments of "new" mornings dawning,
as well as a display of daily strength.

ISBN: 9781590522691
Publisher's Synopsis:
Follow a horse where no one else can tread, through the minefield of pain that surrounds a broken child's soul. From a mistreated horse to an emotionally starved child and back again, a torrent of love revives their barren places.

In the presence of unconditional love, a mute girl speaks for the first time. A defiant teenager teaches a horse to trust again...and opens his own heart to love. A rescued horse gives a dying man his last wish. A battered girl finds love and protection in the friendship of a battered horse...

Come visit a place where the impossible flourishes, where dreams survive the inferno of reality--a place where hope rises.

MrsK's Review:
Have you been called to make a leap of faith and move to place that was not on your radar and beyond your imagination? What if the whispering within your heart was calling you to bring hope to the hopeless? What if the hopeless were abused or abandoned horses? What if that leap of faith opened up a ranch for those horses? Finally, what if there is still more to be done?

Meet Kim Meeder! Her story unfolds through-out this collection of life-changing moments. These moments of redemption, renewal, and  hope provides an inside look "into" the heart of one who answered, "Yes" to the calling of a mighty God. Whether it is the purchase of a horse in need or it's the open-arm invitation to those broken by life. These chapters are more than stories from a ranch, they are moments in which you, the reader, will recognize the touch of His handiwork.

With an eloquent weaving of words, each chapter witnesses the healing of a soul, a spirit, and a future. Once you've entered the first chapter, Angels in Horsehair, your connection becomes more than a page-turning adventure. Your heart begins to grow a desire to see "healing" in action. 

When this book finds it's way into your hands, you will face the grip of "anger and compassion," you will drink in the inner peace of the "broken now restored." Your search for a perfect match will be restored when your heart is shattered by a destructive "stony prison" tenderly transformed into a "captive soul" unchained. 

If wishes could come true... your spirit would soar like an eagle on the wings of our Lord's hope for all of his creation. Are you ready to be inspired? Are their areas within the recesses of your heart that is longing for hope? When was the last time you read a book that is filled with "real-life" hope?
MrsK

Meet the Author:



Kim Meeder has seen horses go where no one else can tread - stepping through the minefield of a broken child's soul in a dance of trust that only God can understand. From a mistreated horse to an emotionally starved child and back again, a torrent of love washes away their barren places. Kim's ranch is a place where this miracle happens over and over again. It is a place where the impossible flourishes, where dreams survive the inferno of reality - a place where hope rises.  Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch  

Christina Alger
ISBN: 9780143122753
Publisher's Synopsis:
A sophisticated page-turner about a wealthy New York family embroiled in a financial scandal with cataclysmic consequences. Now that he's married to Merrill Darling, daughter of billionaire financier Carter Darling, attorney Paul Ross has grown accustomed to New York society and all of its luxuries: a Park Avenue apartment, weekends in the Hamptons, bespoke suits. When Paul loses his job, Carter offers him the chance to head the legal team at his hedge fund. Thrilled with his good fortune in the midst of the worst financial downturn since the Great Depression, Paul accepts the position.

But Paul's luck is about to shift: a tragic event catapults the Darling family into the media spotlight, a regulatory investigation, and a red-hot scandal with enormous implications for everyone involved. Suddenly, Paul must decide where his loyalties lie-will he save himself while betraying his wife and in-laws or protect the family business at all costs?
"The weather is optimal...This has to be done now."
MrsK's Review:
9:30pm Paul slips into the ballroom for the live auction. Even though he wasn't feeling up to the after-party, Paul knew that Merrill needed him to make an appearance. The Darling family expected loyalty, honesty, and above all a social etiquette that was becoming of their New York status. Including the Thanksgiving weekend in East Hammond.

Since the Wall Street collapse, Paul had begun his job with Delphic. Merrill's father, Carter, was a powerful investor.  He was just beginning to find a new rhythm. Then came the phone call on Wednesday at 6:23am... Morty was dead!

Steeped in "deep" deception, you the reader are invited into the world of the financial elite. The Darling family has enjoyed generations of east coast living. Careers have been profitable, daily lives are free from the worry of what daily living costs, and high-stake relationships are formed. Given the fall of Wall Street, many find themselves without their jobs... without connections once relied upon... without the assurance of someone having your back. What will be revealed about Morty... endangers the Darling family and all who have invested, trusted, and knew to be secure. What will be learned... that depends on who can hold on to their "truth and moral" foundations.

It has been many years since I've opened the cover of a social drama, the promise of a thriller delivered this novel into my hands. Although this book took some time for me to reacquaint myself with this genre, it was so well written... I had to continue my journey with the Darling family! It was worth renewing my interest in books about the "echelons of New York,"
MrsK

Meet the Author:

      

Christina Alger is a native New Yorker and former attorney, Alger’s intimate knowledge of the financial world and legal system gives her novels and screenplays additional depth, intrigue, and expertise. As said by The Wall Street Journal, “Cristina Alger knows her way around 21st Century wealth and power, and she tells a twisty, suspenseful story.” Prior to her writing career, Alger was a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs and a corporate attorney at Wilmer Hale. She is a graduate of Harvard University, where she studied English and American Literature and Language, and NYU School of Law.

ISBN: 9780785219958
Publisher's Synopsis:
In 1943 Germany, Helene is just about to wake up her children to go to school when a group of policemen break into her house. The policemen want to haul away her gypsy husband and their five children. The police tell Helene that as a German she does not have to go with them, but she decides to share the fate of her family. After convincing her children that they are going off to a vacation place, so as to calm them, the entire family is deported to Auschwitz.

Helene, with the help of two Polish Jewish prisoners and four gypsy mothers, organizes the buildings. Though Mengele provides them with swings, Disney movies, school supplies, and food, the people are living in crowded conditions under extreme conditions. And less than 400 yards away, two gas chambers are exterminating thousands of people daily.

For sixteen months, Helene lives with this reality, desperately trying to find a way to save her children. Auschwitz Lullaby is a story of perseverance, of hope, and of strength in one of the most horrific times in history.

MrsK's Review:
Indifference between Life and Death
Berlin, May 1943. Helene is a mother of five children, she works double shifts to keep her family afloat. Her husband Johann is a violin virtuoso in the Berlin Philharmonic. Given that Helene is of Aryan decent, at first, her marriage to a Gypsy was given permission to remain in their home. As occupation continued, the horrific conditions brought that dreaded "knock" of despair. Helene had choices to make. First, she had to explain to her children that it was their turn to go to a type of a "summer camp," and finally she would not need to accompany her family, for her nursing skills were needed.

Filled with trepidation, Helene stood firm. On the rails to Auschwitz, would prove to be a foreshadowing of what the camp experience would become. Separated from Johann, Helene would discover that the "life" at camp would forever leave its mark upon her heart, a lasting imprint upon her children, and unwavering hope that soon the world would discover the value in humanity.

"Mothers capable of generating life could never become accomplices to so much death."
Helene begins helping at the camp with her nursing skills, yet her heart went out to the children who had nothing to do. How could she bring joy to them and necessary nourishment? Her legacy will be found in the establishment of a nursery and school.

This story is crafted with the truth of an oppressive regime. The horror of man's egotistical hunger for control. Yet, the hearts of the mothers, will usher in the strength of hope for their children. The value of life in the midst of death. United in an incomprehensible reality... 

May we be blessed with the value of life...
MrsK
"Human beings are momentary breaths in the midst
of the hurricane of our circumstances."
Meet the Author:




Mario Escobar Golderos has a degree in History, with an advanced studies diploma in Modern History. He has written numerous books and articles about the Inquisition, the Protestant Reformation, and religious sects. He is the executive director of an NGO and directs the magazine Nueva historia para el debate, in addition to being a contributing columnist in various publications. Passionate about history and its mysteries, Escobar has delved into the depths of church history, the different sectarian groups that have struggled therein, and the discovery and colonization of the Americas. He specializes in the lives of unorthodox Spaniards and Americans.

Margaret M Lothrop
The Wayside: Home of Authors
Concord, Massachusetts
Synopsis:



















MrsK's Review:
Did you know that eleven authors have published at least one book while living at The Wayside? Often times a book will choose you... to be it's reader. That is exactly how this delightful journey began. With such a heavy heart during the world's lock down, this book became my own evening retreat.

I learned about the farming abilities of Mr. Alcott, including the aromatic beauty of his flower garden. I learned that the family gave protection to escaped slaves in 1847 and that each of the girls enjoyed their adventures at Hillside. The old house, it's big attic, the barn, and the hillside became their "special playground."

At the age of 48, Mr. Hawthorne was financially ready to own a home, a place to "discover the psychological processing in which man determines his actions." Social engagements (dances), visiting writers, games, political discussion gatherings, and writing impromptu opportunities became a weekly life style.

In 1883, The Wayside became the home of Margaret Sidney (pen name),The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew had already been published as the Lothrop family was moving into The Wayside. Mr. Daniel Lothrop established his publishing firm, D. Lothrop & Co., in 1868. A publishing company that has remains in business (1905=Lothrop, Lee & Shepard; William Morrow & Co. (Harper Collins in 1999).

Mr. Lothrop was convicted that they would "never publish a book purely sensational, no matter what the chances of money it had in it. Their published books will make for true, steadfast growth in right living. They published the first reading/literacy magazines for young readers of all ages (Babyland; Our Pansy; Little Men and Women; Wide Awake=oldest readers).

Mrs. Lothrop continued her writing at The Wayside. Even after the death of Daniel, she continued to bring together those whose values and traditions were organized for future generations (Daughters of the American Revolution; Sons of the American Revolution; National Society for Children of the American Revolution). Her continued gathering of that which needed to be "taken care of" for the generations were many homes, meeting places, and sights of the Concord Revolution history. For me, it was the stories of the Five Little Peppers! May these authors never be forgotten. History is not perfect... but those that have walked before us lived and died for us to learn how to be the leaders of true freedom.

Meet the Author:

  
"Margaret Sidney," as hostess reigns well, and exhibits one secret of her success in the writing of books…she puts aside her own personality and throws her whole heart into whatever interests those around her. It is impossible to forget this when talking to her, and the delightful atmosphere…was due largely to this influence. - Boston Evening Transcript, 1887

Harriett M. Stone was born on June 22, 1844 in New Haven, Connecticut. Although her life spanned more than half of the 19th century, we know little about her until the 1880s when her "Five Little Peppers and How They Grew" appeared in Wide Awake, a children's magazine, and she met and married its publisher, Daniel Lothrop.

Together they bought Hawthorne's home, The Wayside in Concord, Massachusetts in 1883.From that time on, her boundless energy and sunny disposition was seen in all that she undertook –raising her daughter Margaret who was born at The Wayside in 1884, writing for children under the pen name Margaret Sidney, founding the National Society Children of the American Revolution in 1895, saving historic houses, and celebrating with grand fetes the rich heritage of The Wayside and the people who lived there.

No comments:

MrsK's Reading Bio

Reading is important! No questions asked, not even a blink of the eye from any student I grew up with. On the first day of the First grade, we were given our first books. Day two we all read aloud, round robin of course. Day three we were place in our first basal, now known as a lit circle group. Books were so important, publishers designed new curriculum so that every student was reading by the end of the first week. These early readers had images that looked like what we could see in the classroom, beyond the classroom, even on the big screen. Reading is important, throughout history every generation has believed that “Reading” opens up the world for endless possibilities.

I adore the 1950’s Dick and Jane books. Actually, most reading specialists and experienced (45+) educators believe that every student learned to read with Dick and Jane. Since these books are being re-issued, I have heard many parents, grandparents, and students claim that Dick and Jane stories of repetition does teach students to read.

Early influences from my mother influenced my desire to read. I would watch her read and we would go on “secret” excursions to the library. The library became my playground. I owned every book I could carry home, of course they needed to be taken back to their home after visiting with me for a week or two. My first book that I could pull off of the library shelf and read was, Father Bear Comes Home. I only saw my dad on Sundays for a few hours. I would pull this beginning reader off of the library shelf every week. Every week I would try to read the first chapter. Every week I got further in the story. My mom would let me check it out, only if I could read it myself (She didn’t like the illustrations therefore she didn’t want to take time to read it to me). One day, I pulled the book from the shelf and when mom came to get me from the children’s corner, I realized that I had read the whole story. I ran to the check out desk and the Librarian KERCHUNKED the checkout card. My mother, brother and neighbors read. My teachers read. We all read aloud all day long in school. The Priest read aloud every day at mass, even in Latin. Everybody in the Doctor’s office read. People on the bus read. Dad’s waiting in their cars as the Mom’s and children grocery shopped, read. In fact, once you could read and write, Sunset Magazine considered you a reader and sent you mail every day.

Reading is important; I’ve spent my life reading. I’ve traveled around the world and into space through books. My favorite genre is whichever book I have open at the time. Children’s Literature is my passion. Book clubbing is one of the best past times, especially if food is involved. In fact my friends of old are in a book club and we are about to embark on a beach trip to “read” and discuss our newest selection.

My “home-run” book story has helped every student find his or her own “home-run” reads. Every year, I have shared my, Father Bear Comes Home, and every year my students have brought in their “home-run” books. That’s the “diving board” into our Lit. Studies.

In “Growing Up Digital,” Tapscott’s insights into the new generations enthusiasm for the Net reminded me of my generation’s enthusiasm for reading, movies, TV, parties and our driving permits. The Net-Generation, as Tapscott describes, “are learning, playing, communicating, working, creating communities, and enforcing a social transformation.”
N-Geners are interactive “techies” who are always looking for a way to “work it” verses the TV Generation of “Baby Boomers” who started out looking for “how it works.” Reading development is tougher today, society moves too fast to invest their “non-working” free time into a book or even “home work.” Since I stepped into my own classroom, I have seen students being told to read, being forced to read, and threatened into reading. Homework is not any longer the vehicle for students to gain their future lifestyles or careers with. Yet, the Internet does create an enthusiasm for learning. Since I have been enrolled in these courses, I have used the computers in every subject. My students are using the newest technology in the classroom because I am giving them investigative sites to use as they learn from each other and books. I agree with Tapscott, in order to bridge the gap with this up and coming generation we must “live and learn with them.”


FTC Required Disclaimer: I receive these books from the publishers. I did not receive monetary compensation for these reviews. These reviews have been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

2014

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Booked 4 Success: Inspired Learning