Books we read this year in our homeschool !

Bro: A Novel Robert Newton Peck (2004), 160 pages Audience: 7th Grade - 8th Grade Category: Especially for Boys, Fiction Tug hasn't said a word since the day, six years before, that he watched his grandfather do something horrible. His brother, Bro, is the only person who understands him, even though he doesn't speak. Bro stands up for him, telling people that Tug is a smart kid, and that he will speak when he is ready. Unfortunately, some of the things Bro does to help his brother are not strictly legal, and he ends up at a prison camp. The book opens when Tug and his parents are in a car which is smashed by a freight train. His parents are killed, but Tug comes away without a scratch. The local authorities send him to live with his grandfather, the one who committed the terrible act. Luckily, there are some good, helpful people in Tug's life, including the local police chief, and his great-aunt. The police chief tries to arrange the release of Bro, but Bro escapes before he finds out. Will there be a happy ending for Tug and Bro? ISBN-10: 0060529741 ISBN-13: 9780060529741 Crossing the Wire Will Hobbs (2006), 224 pages Audience: 5th Grade - 8th Grade Category: Adventure, Especially for Boys, Fiction, Realistic Fiction Victor has lived in the small village of Los Arboles, Mexico for as long as he can remember. Every spring, many of the men in the village embark on the dangerous trip north trying to cross the border to help support their family as migrant workers for the summer. When Victor's father fails to return in the fall, Victor has to become the man of the house and try and support his family. Victor's best friend, Rico, decides that this is the year he will take the trip north and he is hoping that Victor will come with him. Victor doesn't want to go, until the corn crop his family has been raising fails to bring in enough money to support the family. Victor is faced with a decision that will change his life. Without the money to pay for a coyote to help him across the border into El Norte, he will have to try traveling north on his own. Will he be able to make the dangerous trip north and enter the United States illegally, or will he get caught by the border patrol? Read this great adventure and find out! ISBN-10: 0060741406 ISBN-13: 9780060741402 Epic Conor Kostick (2007), 384 pages Audience: 6th Grade - 8th Grade Category: Especially for Boys, Fiction, Science Fiction Generations ago, violence was banned on New Earth. Society is governed and conflicts are resolved in the arena of a fantasy computer game, Epic. Everyone plays. If you win, you have the chance to go to university, get more supplies for your community, and fulfill your dreams; if you lose, your life both in and out of the game is worth nothing. When Erik, seeking revenge for the unjust treatment of his parents, dares to subvert the rules of Epic, he and his friends find themselves up against the ultimate masters of the game: the Committee. If Erik and his friends win, they may have the key to destroying Epic's tyranny over New Earth. But if they lose . . . ISBN-10: 0670061794 ISBN-13: 9780670061792 Hatchet Gary Paulsen (2000), 208 pages Audience: 4th Grade - 7th Grade Category: Adventure, Especially for Boys, Fiction A kid is going to live with his father when the plane crashes. He must learn to live in the wild with only his trusty hatchet. If you liked this book, also read The River, Brian's Winter, Brian's Return, and Brian's Hunt. ISBN-10: 0689840926 ISBN-13: 9780689840920 Heart of a Shepherd Rosanne Parry (2010), 176 pages Audience: 4th Grade - 8th Grade Category: Especially for Boys, Fiction, Realistic Fiction Eleven-year-old Brother is left helping his grandparents care for the family ranch in Oregon after his dad is deployed to Iraq. Although he works hard, he's not sure if he wants to become a rancher, nor does he really want to follow his father's footsteps into the Army. Where will his heart lead him? Read this book for a positive look at small-town ranching life and coming of age surrounded by a loving community. ISBN-10: 0375848037 ISBN-13: 9780375848032 Jack Bolt and the Highwaymen's Hideout Richard Hamilton (2007), 192 pages Audience: 3rd Grade - 5th Grade Category: Adventure, Especially for Boys, Fiction, Time Travel Jack Bolt is alone in bed in the middle of the night when he hears strange noises. All of a sudden, a knife begins slicing through his wall, making a hole. When men come through the opening, both Jack and the men are shocked to meet each other. The men are bizarrely dressed, speak oddly, and keep saying Jack's room is above the pigs. It turns out that the men are highwaymen, robbers from the 18th century (1752), and they have somehow found a way to travel forward in time. When they want to store their loot in Jack's room, he agrees. He discovers that he can travel back in time through the same door, and soon he is recruited as a part of the highwaymen's gang. Jack is in for the adventure of a lifetime. ISBN-10: 1599900904 ISBN-13: 9781599900902 Recycling George Stephen Roos (2002), 144 pages Audience: 4th Grade - 7th Grade Category: Especially for Boys, Fiction Twelve-year-old George's mother died when he was young, and his dad is in search of get rich quick schemes in Florida. So George lives with his pregnant sister, and her husband, in the Versailles trailer park in Ohio. George's brother-in-law works at the town mill, like most of the town residents. One day the mill is closed down due to pollution violations, and George comes home to find his family has driven off in search of a new job. They have left him $50 to follow them. Instead, George decides to live above the pool house of the towns' richest family, whose son George knows from school. When the family discovers him, and he meets and impresses the family's matriarchal grandmother, they invite him to live in the house, at least until the school term is over. George goes from ripped jeans and faded flannels to khakis and polo shirt, from the school bus to a chauffeured Mercedes. It's the life about which George always dreamed. When school is over, the Grandmother wants to legally adopt George- but what does George want- will he stay- or join his sister and brother-in-law? ISBN-10: 0689831463 ISBN-13: 9780689831461 Schooled Gordon Korman (2008), 208 pages Audience: 5th Grade - 8th Grade Category: Especially for Boys, Fiction, Humor, Realistic Fiction Cap Anderson was home-schooled on the Garland Farms commune until he began attending Claverage Middle School. He'd never seen TV, he'd never tasted pizza, but he does practice tai chi on the front lawn, and he knows how to tie-dye. When his grandmother is hospitalized Cap is sent to live with his new social worker. Smart but inexperienced, Cap earnestly takes on the coolest and the brightest as he adjusts to his new life. Cap is elected Class President as a prank, but slowly, the tables start to turn. Will Cap learn the name of all 1,100 students? ISBN-10: 1423105168 ISBN-13: 9781423105169 Season of Gifts Richard Peck (2009), 176 pages Audience: 5th Grade - 8th Grade Category: Especially for Boys, Fiction, Humor, Realistic Fiction Grandma Dowdel is back, and the new preacher and his family live right next door. 12-year old Bob shares his older sister's dismay at the small town, little sister Ruth Ann's fascination with their neighbor, and his attempts to avoid the town bullies. Mrs. Dowdel becomes a friend and ally in spite of her outlandish behavior. . ISBN-10: 0803730829 ISBN-13: 9780803730823 Small White Scar K. A. Nuzum (2008), 208 pages Audience: 5th Grade - 8th Grade Category: Especially for Boys, Fiction Will has always had to take care of his twin brother, Denny, who has Down syndrome, while helping out on his family's ranch. They each have a small, white scar on their fingers from the time they became blood brothers, as well as twin brothers. Will loves his brother, but feels that Denny is standing in the way of his dreams. Will runs away to the rodeo, hoping to win some money and get a job as a professional cowboy. However, Denny catches up with Will and won't go back home. While Will is trying to figure out how to get Denny home safely, Denny almost drowns and gets bitten by a rattlesnake. Will and Denny ride to the house of a doctor, who's a friend of their father, where Will learns just how much he has meant to Denny and Denny to him. As for the rodeo and Will's dream for the future, read the book to see if Will is as good as he thinks he is. ISBN-10: 0060756411 ISBN-13: 9780060756413 Soup Robert Newton Peck (1998), 112 pages Audience: 3rd Grade - 5th Grade Category: Especially for Boys, Fiction Rob's best buddy is Luther Wesley Vinson, but don't ever let him hear you call him that! He always goes by the name of Soup. Together, Rob and Soup have many adventures, and get into quite a bit of trouble ' usually, it's Rob getting into the trouble, and Soup nowhere to be seen when adults ask, 'What happened here?' An innocent game of 'whipping apples' ends in the breaking of a church window. Or, they play prisoner with his aunt, tying her up for questioning, but neglecting to tell her that she would have to free herself...... If you enjoy these stories of Soup and Rob, there are several sequels, including Soup & Me, Soup 1776, and Soup Ahoy. ISBN-10: 0679892613 ISBN-13: 9780679892618 Who's Buried in the Garden? Ray Villareal (2009), 160 pages Audience: 5th Grade - 8th Grade Category: Especially for Boys, Fiction, Mystery Joshua and Artie have been best friends since Kindergarten. Over the years Artie has told some pretty amazing stories, claiming that 'It is really true!.' So when he tells Joshua that their neighbor has killed her husband and buried his body in the backyard, Joshua is sure that this is another flight of imagination. However there is a flower bed just about 7' long in the lady's backyard and her husband hasn't been seen in a while. When Joshua overhears a conversation in which the lady tells a neighbor that the poison worked well. Could Artie be on to something? Shouldn't they tell their parents or the police? Or, as Artie suggests, should they gather 'evidence,' like a dead body, before they tell anyone? ISBN-10: 1558855467 ISBN-13: 9781558855465

Christian Liberty Press curriculum

We have used Christian Liberty Press Curriculum for 6 years now. It has been wonderful. The price is right. We get the whole curriculum each year and I add to it some times.. Its wonderful. The teachers guide is great. The best thing is my Grandson loves it. It is so nice that he enjoys it, makes learning fun. Each subject is well planned, and taught. As a Grandmother and teacher, I think its important to have a curriculum they like. It sure makes teaching easy. I just love when he comes to me and is excited about something New he has learned. Check it out

Pick and Draw

This is a wonderful thing for kids of all ages. I am 57 years old and enjoyed this.
The kids learn how to make shapes and put them into drawing. It gets their minds working. I use this in our homeschool class. Pick and Draw! The cost is $10 and it brings hours of fun.
Its great in a co op class.

I give this a five star rating ! Its great

Product reviews!

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