A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

This is the book that, after years of thinking I detested history, convinced me I actually love it. Beautifully constructed, each chapter begins with a copy of a page or pages under consideration, followed by a transcription, followed by a carefully constructed picture of some portion of life in the time described. Logically and rigorously put together; a wonderful, wonderful book.

How to Cook Without a Book by Pam Anderson

Cynical about the titles of books, it was a long time after I heard about this before I read it. Then I bought it. Because it really does what the cover says - it teaches you to cook without constant reference to a cookbook. The rhymes at the start of each chapter are probably helpful for some people; what I found most useful, though, was the explanation of what you're doing with each technique. This is one of the books I lend out frequently; I'm only on my second copy, only because I've been luckier about getting it back before people moved than with other books.

Rascal the Dragon by Paul Jennings

This is the first in a series of books that I have found perfect for beginning readers. Repetition in just the right doses; an amusing storyline - in each book; and excellent illustrations.
I especially like this because I find most beginning reader books lack one of those things - repetition is too much or too little, which damages the storyline, and the illustrations tend to be dreadful.
Given that it is my general practice to refuse to read books that I find too boring or inane to my children, it's nice to have something to teach them from that doesn't involve lowering my own standards of reading enjoyment. There is some (mild) potty humor - one of the dragons is named Bomber - so it may be a judgment call - but this is a series we will keep. Difficult to find in the U.S; getting a little easier. I finally gave up and imported the series, since I could only find the first two here. Australian.

Zita the Space Girl by Ben Hatke

This is a book I heard of through the grapevine - and I loved it, loved it, loved it. It seems that where comic books are available, children will read them - I enjoy the format myself, but often the values are less than stellar, even while the color, format, and adventure draw you into the story. This is about a girl with real courage - not just the earth-saving kind, but the "fess up when you're wrong" kind, the "fix it if you did wrong" kind - and the being kind kind. Without sacrificing story. So I loved it. And all the sci-fi, amazing creatures and funny and/or beautiful bits are just cream.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

As a perennial sucker for stories about superheroes or people with special magic or talents, I found this a delightful book about children who are different, good-hearted, and adventurous. Light and sometimes silly, excellent for mid-late elementary on. Not without a truly fearful villain; my favorite part is the interactions of the gifts and personalities of each of the characters.

Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

I have an entire shelf of cookbooks, and there are several that I use regularly. But this is the book I send my kids to for all those basic recipes I remember and use but don't remember the measurements for. Muffins, biscuits, cakes and pies; breads, roasts, cookies, soups, stews, gravies - if it's a standby, it's almost certainly in here.
Really the most basic and comprehensive of cookbooks. Not essential, but only in the way that a written addition table is not essential - because anyone who cooks regularly will soon know much of this by heart. So, really, fundamental.
Very, very good.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein

Such a classic, there's very little I can add that's useful. That said, I am putting down here what I often forget and wish to remember: First, The Hobbit is a gentler, funnier book - less intense - than Lord of the Rings. As such, it is suitable for a much younger audience (ostensible reading levels notwithstanding). Reading aloud, I've had much success with this book from early elementary on (really - as young as about six or so). The plot is nicely divided out into story-shaped chunks, which makes it just right for bedtime fare - each chapter is largely its own episode, as it were. And - well, it's interesting enough for the whole family. Not something every book, even those good enough to read aloud, can boast.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

We've gone through at least three copies of this book; a classic of classics, it's one of the rare board books which don't drive the adult read-aloud-er batty on the second time through.
The illustrations are simple and pleasant; as a board book, there's not much more to say about it.

Literacy With an Attitude: Educating Working-Class Children in Their Own Self-Interest by Patrick J. Finn

Written about teaching true literacy - not just being able to understand words, but how to use them to get what's important to you; using much of the method developed by Paulo Freire (Pedagogy of the Oppressed); containing the most concise, irebuttable, and scathing review of Ruby K. Payne's work (A Framework for Understanding Poverty) - primarily, that she had no idea what she was talking about - this is a book for understanding teaching from an entirely different point of view. I loved it because it teaches that you have to understand what people need before you can presume to give them something they'll want; none of this is accomplished without truly recognizing what they lack (usually, at the base of it, power and/or money). And, in the process, what they do not lack - ambition, drive, intelligence. I love the critical - and I mean that in every sense - analysis of the majority of programs designed to 'help' the poor. To help people, you must know them, not just their stereotypes. And you must be willing to do what works, not just what supports your view of them. Really, really, excellent book.

Nurtureshock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman

This is another book that has changed the way I do things. In the first part (I forget if it's the first chapter or the introduction) we learn that the two reporters who wrote this are parents themselves; bewildered (as who isn't?) by the many, contrary pieces of parenting advice out there, they decided to spend some time finding out what the research out there really says. This book is the result.
Bedtime, praise, racism, lying, social success; ten chapters of well-written science--I don't think there was one I didn't learn something - and something valuable - from.
Probably read-aloud-able; certainly for adults (interesting and informative, but maybe not the most interesting subjects for children - then again, maybe very interesting for children). A book I think every future (or current) parent should read.

Andy Buckram's Tin Men by Carol Ryrie Brink

This book was another yard sale find from my elementary school days. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful - it's the story of a boy who decides to make some "tin men" to help him with his work, and all that follows.
Remarkably, the author managed to make it sound exciting and ingenious, without overstating what each of the robots could do. (I don't know if it would have been possible with the technology when the book was written, but most of it would be now.) Just the book to inspire an interest in mechanics, electronics, building, and innovation. Well-written and delightful. Good enough to read aloud.

Born to Run:A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall

This book was recommended to me by the wonderful women of book club - their collective taste has proven repeatedly excellent in the past, so when several of them said they'd enjoyed this, I put it on hold at the library.
So now both I and my husband have read this, and it was well worth the time. The biomechanical chapter was probably my favorite (second or third from the end, I think) closely followed by the chapter on evolutionary arguments (immediately following). Basically, the book is a defense of the proposition that human beings are, literally, designed for running. Not speed, as in sprinting, but endurance - long distances. Really, really long distances. That running injuries come from oversupporting the arch of the foot, leading to the dual problem of weakened muscles (anyone remember when women were mistakenly told to wear girdles all the time, to support those overworked muscles?) and insufficient motion for the foot to do what it's designed to do - capture, spread, and re-release the energy of the impact when you land on it.
There's a bit of language that eliminates this from my read-aloud list, unless you're willing to edit on the fly, which is a pity, because otherwise the writing is clear, engaging, and informative- perfect for the pre-teen/early teen who is interested in the how as well as the why of running.

The Book of Mormon

I was thinking to start in on some books which have significantly changed my life for the better - and then I realized that I was about to ignore the longest-standing of books in that category, which for me would be the Book of Mormon.
My mother read the Book of Mormon when she was 18 or so, and over the course of a year discovered the positive effect it's teachings had in her life. She was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints when she was 19. When she was 21, she met and married my dad.
So the influence of this book in my life started a long time ago. Because of it, I was taught from an early age to be kind, to be generous, to try to do good with the resources I have. That I am not here for my own pleasure, but for the eternal good of myself and those I come in contact with. That is a remarkable difference in attitude, and makes a great deal of difference in how I live.
Don't get me wrong - nobody (that I know) lives up to those ideals perfectly. But this book has another gift - and I will quote it here: "if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you." So it clarifies the truth found in the bible - that God will speak to his children, will not leave them directionless - and in doing so helps us to access that much more power to make the changes we all need to make in our lives.
It testifies of Christ with such clarity that I understand, in a way that is not always clear to me from the Bible, who he is and why I should want to be like him. And it gives simple, powerful ways to change my life to do so.

The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen

I acquired this book shortly after my marriage, a number of years ago, and used it frequently (to the point that my copy has now completely fallen apart - one of the hazards of actually using cookbooks). I had been using it for at least a year and a half before I realized - there's no meat in any of the recipes. Which means it was especially useful for a couple of starving students, just starting out, who loved to have people over to dinner and send them away feeling fed. -- Because, meat or no, the recipes in this book will leave you feeling well fed; also, they lend themselves very well to an attractive visual presentation (always nice, especially for entertaining).
The other surprising thing about this cookbook (well, maybe I'm the only person to be surprised by it's vegetarian nature) is that it's readable -- by which I mean, you can leaf through, enjoying the commentary and instructions for each dish, and find yourself just reading them for the pleasant, chatty style of it. Like discussing good food with a good friend, it's a happy pastime.

The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet by Eleanor Cameron

I first met this book, tagging along with my mother to yard sales of a Saturday morning. It was in a box of books in my price range - presumably ten cents or so - an proved to be one of those rare and delightful finds which I enjoy revisiting every few years, and am now reading to my children.
Science fiction from the time when science was definitely cool, this is the story of a boy (two boys, really- David and his best friend, Chuck) who answer an ad in the newspaper to design and build a boy-sized spaceship. The reward, as described in the ad, is the chance for an adventure and to do a good deed.
I don't want to spoil it, so I won't say more about the plot. It's good enough to read aloud; the science is very cleverly done, so that it remains... if not likely, within the realm of the imaginable. From a homeschooling perspective, this is a wonderful launch pad for a discussion about what is possible, what is not, and what we just don't know with regards to space, space travel, other planets, earthly and other biology.

The Errand of Angels - Movie

I admit to having a sometimes morbid fascination with LDS movies - I will often watch them, even if I am reasonably sure they are useless, kitchy drivel. I have come to steel myself against that, in hopes of finding the occasional gem. This is necessary, because reviews on LDS movies are pretty useless. The crowd that watches them seems to consider it unfaithful to mention anything unfavorable - no matter how badly they were done - and nobody else reviews them, unless it's to say something unflattering about the LDS church in general. Not really helpful if I'm trying to find out if I will enjoy it of an evening with my family.
So, knowing where I'm coming from, I will say: this was really quite reasonable. The story was neither overblown, with things that most LDS missionaries - or members in general - never experience in their lifetimes (though we all hear about them); nor so understated that it lost all sense of plot or direction. It was the simple, pleasant story of a young woman's experiences on her mission, how hard it was, and how rewarding. So I will give it the highest praise I give to LDS movies: yes, I would recommend it to a friend.

The Ordinary Princess By M. M. Kaye

The Ordinary Princess is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it. As a baby, Amy's last christening gift was being Ordinary. In the author's note it says that she had always loved fairy tales, but before she began writing this she noticed that all of them were about blond haired blue eyed beauties (with the rare exception of those like Snow White). She wondered what would happen if the princess were ordinary so she decided write about one herself. I must say that the results are spectacular, and although it is a rather quick read I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Food Storage for the Clueless by Clark L. and Kathy H. Kidd

This is one of the few books I have given away multiple times - I am currently in need of yet another copy. As the title suggests, it is a comprehensive overview of food storage - the whys, wherefores, and 'how-to's. Reading this for the first time, I finally understood food storage as a principle of frugality. Full of recipes and humorous anecdotes, it includes instructions on making fruit leather, yogurt, and sourdough (both bread and start).
One of my favorite arguments for/explanations of how to use food storage is from the first chapter of this book. It goes something like this: if you eat two cans of tuna a week, that's approximately 100 cans of tuna a year. Suppose that tuna normally costs $.75 a can. Now suppose that you find the tuna on sale for $.50 a can. If you buy a hundred cans now, you will save yourself $25 over the course of the next year - if the price of tuna stays the same. If, instead, it goes up to $1.00 a can, you've saved yourself $50 - so that's a guaranteed %50 return on your investment, and a possible %100 percent return. No other use of money is likely to get you such good results (especially in the current economic climate). Now, if you buy 200 cans, and you only eat 50, you have not saved yourself any money. So it's important to know what you really can and will eat. And don't neglect the expected shelf life. But with those things in mind, food storage suddenly becomes a no-brainer, obvious way to take care of yourself and your loved ones.
I don't generally give stars on reviews (I'm thinking about it, but it becomes so arbitrary) - however, if I were giving stars, this book would get my top rating.

The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull

As a long-time reader of fantasy novels, and as a homeschooling mother with a busy household to run, I have long turned to children's novels as a way to find my allotment of magic and adventure within the span of a naptime or two.

First of all, let me say that this did not disappoint. For a little while at the beginning, I was worried; I really hate books that purport to be about magic but are really about people who can't tell imagination from reality - but this quickly resolved into genuine, full-fledged fantasy.

Surprisingly enough - to me, anyway - my favorite part was not the magic, in this - it was the morality. As an individual, it has become more and more important to me that the basic truths of morality - hurting people is wrong, and helping people is right - should, in some way, be present in the universes I read about. As a parent, I have come to really resent stories in which it is taken for granted that parents are so stupid, uncaring, or selfish that the only reasonable thing to do is lie to, deceive, and avoid them at every turn. While Mull was perhaps a little heavy-handed in his treatment of these points (he's developed a much lighter touch in his Fablehaven series- more about those later) it was so refreshing to read a children's book in which all of the parents seemed like honest, ordinary people that I could have loved it for that alone. All in all, the story was fun enough and the characters intriguing enough that I just plain enjoyed it - and that, at the end of the day, is what makes me call this a good book.

At Home: A Short History of Private Life, by Bill Bryson

On mild reflection, it seems particularly appropriate that a blog devoted to reviews of things I love best - books, music, the occasional movie, and useful or remarkable objects of other varieties - should begin with a review of Bill Bryson's book, At Home. Bill Bryson lives in an old house in England, which was built for a clergyman around 150 years ago. The chapters of the book are titled, for the most part, after the rooms in the house, and each is a history of the things to be found in - or related to - that room. It is a remarkable book, suitable for reading aloud (though I expect the chapter on the bedroom may want abridging for the younger set), delightfully set out in Bryson's best tradition - humorous, witty, and informative. From the introduction: "Houses aren't refuges from history. They are where history ends up." And he makes his case over the next 480 pages or so most convincingly and delightfully.

As a homeschooling parent, I feel compelled to add a note about its educational value: For the advanced pre-teen and older, I have not seen a better introduction to world/European history.