The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
A review by AMM, age 9


Kid spies battle an evil genius in The Mysterious Benedict Society! The name of the author is Trenton Lee Stewart. This exciting adventurous mystery will take you far

At the beginning Reynie meets Mr. Benedict and joins a team of four spies. A fellow spy decides to name the team the Mysterious Benedict Society. The Society fits together important clues and riddles. In the end they fight an epic battle against their enemies.

I liked this book because it has kid spies. If you like exciting adventure stories then you will love this book.
                                                                        rated pg

In preparation for St. Patrick's Day

We usually celebrate March 17th in grand style at our house, but not because of St. Patrick. We celebrate because March 17 is also the Feast of St. Alexis the Man of God, the patron of my oldest son. However, in the last year or so, we've really enjoyed reading and learning more about the life of St. Patrick, so this year we're looking forward to really celebrating both feasts tomorrow! In preparation for the feast, I thought I'd mention some of our favorite books about St. Patrick. Some we own, some we've checked out from the library this month.

The first is The Life of St. Patrick by Zachary Lynch, published by Conciliar Press. I really like this version of the life of St. Patrick, told in nice prose by Zachary Lynch. It's really for older kids (I'd say at least 6 or 7 and up), because the prose is a bit long and has older vocabulary.  The illustrations are interesting and unique. I love the use of traditional Celtic designs, but the faces of the people sometimes seem a bit odd.  They are intended to be primitive and they are indeed interesting, just surprisingly unusual.

A nice alternative for younger kids is St. Patrick's Day by Gail Gibbons.  We recently read this one and my 3-year-0ld and 7-year-old liked it.  It has a simple retelling of the life of St. Patrick and then discusses various traditions associated with the feast.  It also has a list of miracles and other stories associated with the life of St. Patrick in the back.  A plus for younger children is that there are only a couple sentences on each page, so it moves quickly with new bright illustrations with each turn of the page.

This morning we read St. Patrick's Day in the Morning by Eve Bunting with illustrations with Jan Brett.  This is such a delightful little tale about a little boy who is too little to walk in the St. Patrick's Day parade in his Irish village, but manages to climb the hill alone in the wee hours of the morning on the feast.  My boys really enjoyed this one I and liked the illustrations in only black, white and green.  (Have I ever mentioned that I love Jan Brett?)

I haven't read this next one, but I'd like to find it and try it out.  It's St. Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland by Tomie de Paola.  I love de Paola's books and illustrations and I've heard others say that they really like this book.  Maybe next year, we'll find this one and try it out.

And finally, I'll mention one more book that deserves a whole post of it's own.   That post is coming soon, but for now, let me say that we really loved the Life of St. Patrick included in this wonderful book: Our Island Saints by Amy Steedman, published by Yesterday's Classics.

Grab a shamrock, talk about the Trinity as Three-in-One just like the leaves of the shamrock, read about St. Patrick, eat a potato, and get ready to celebrate the feast!  And, in the meantime, don't forget to celebrate the wonderful life of St. Alexis the Man of God!!!

Balentime, Be Mine!

We had a great "Balentime's Day" (and week) according to my youngest son. I never cease to marvel at how much the boys delight in choosing those silly little cardstock Valentine's, putting names on them and then giving them out. And even more they delight in receiving tons of those little slips of paper (along with too much candy, of course). It's fun isn't it? And it so often falls just before Lent, making it a fun time to celebrate just as we are thinking about getting in a little feasting before the Fast begins.

We had fun earlier in the week making and decorating boxes for them to receive all their Valentines.

And here is the Valentine that my oldest son made and gave me.

I couldn't get a good picture (starting to have some problems with my trusty old camera), but it says, "Sorry, my love for you is unexplainable." I was a little confused when I read it. He said, "Well, it's just so much love that I can't put it into words." Pretty sweet. During dinner, his dad s decided to introduce him to the word "inexplicable" to help his composition. Gotta love the Orthodox vocabulary!

Of course, Orthodox don't celebrate this St. Valentine on Feb. 14. And, in fact, I don't think we make much of his feast at all. (It's sometime in the summer I think?). However, I wanted to mention that my boys and I have really enjoyed reading the book Saint Valentine by Robert Sabuda. It has lovely mosaic illustrations and tells several stories/legends from the life of St. Valentine. We read it as part of our study of the Roman Empire (and the persecution of Christians before Constantine) earlier this year. But I was glad we had it around when Valentine's Day rolled around this year.

Nativity Book #34 - Born on Christmas Morn

This is the thirty fourth of my postings about our 40 books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here. 

Today's book was another of our Arch Books which I've blogged about in the past here. It is Born on Christmas Morn. This is book is fine, but not one of favorites. It kind of gets into why Jesus "had" to die for us at the end and isn't entirely an Orthodox representation of the events of Holy Week. But the Christmas part is fine.

Nativity Book #33 - My Merry Christmas

This is the thirty third of my postings about our 40 books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here.

Today's book was another of our Arch Books which I've 

blogged about in the past here. Actually, for this last week, all of the books will be Arch Books. We're down to those in our collection. We've got a few other new books arriving for Christmas, so I might blog about those later and they will be added to our basket next year (and maybe then I'll remove some of the general Bible story books). Today's book is My Merry Christmas Arch Book. It tells the Nativity story, but I like that in the end it talks about how to remember Christ's birth while decorating the tree, and eating delicious food and getting gifts. It's a nice way to explain how some of our regular traditions can be linked to our faith.

Nativity Book #32 - The Nutcracker

This is the thirty second of my postings about our 40 books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here.

Today's book is The Nutcracker with original text by E.T.A Hoffman and great illustrations by Maurice Sendak. This book is such a treasure to have, but honestly, we haven't managed read the whole thing today, because it's so long. At some point, I'd like to have a shorter version of the Nutcracker.

Nativity Book #31 - Tomie's Little Christmas Pageant

This is the thirty first of my postings about our 40 books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here.

Yesterday's book was a little board book called Tomie's Little Christmas Pageant. It tells the story of Christ's Nativity with illustrations by Tomie dePaola which show a children's pageant. It's kind of fun, and my 3yo especially enjoyed it.

Nativity Book #30 - Daniel in the Lion's Den

This is the thirtieth of my postings about our 40 books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here.

Sunday was two Sundays before Christmas which means it was the Sunday of the Forefathers. So, our book was about one of the Forefathers - the Prophet Daniel. We read an old classic Little Golden Book, Daniel in the Lion's Den. I think this book is out of print, but there are lots of old copies available in various places online. It's a nice retelling of the story of Daniel spanning reigns of Kings Nebuchanezzar, Balthazzar and Darius. The illustrations are nice and we especially liked seeing the drawing of Nebuchanezzar's Ishtar Gate which we studied in Art History this year.

Nativity Book #29 - North Star, St. Herman of Alaska

This is the twenty ninth of my postings about our 40 books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here.

Saturday's book was, of course, North Star, St. Herman of Alaska. I've blogged about it in the past. It's an absolute must-read on the feast of St. Herman and is a magnificent book by Dorrie Papademetriou, This has been a favorite since my youngest was less than a year old. The illustrations are so bright and eye-catching. And the story is told beautifully. We love the stories (and illustrations) of St. Herman feeding a bear with his bare hands, saving the island from a tidal wave with the icon of the Mother of God, saving the village from fire by digging a trench, and especially, making cookies for all the children of Spruce Island. And it's so good to hear over and over his words, "From this day, from this hour, from this very minute, we should love God above all and fulfill His holy will." This feast is also the patronal feast of our homeschool (my oldest chose our patron - probably based largely on loving this book since he was a toddler). And it's the day we put up our Christmas Tree!

Nativity Book #28 - Silent Night

This is the twenty eighth of my postings about our 40 books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here.

Today's book was another book in the Arch Books series by Concordia Press. I posted about this series in the past here. The book is Silent Night and is available from Concordia here. This is just a nice little retelling of the Nativity story with reasonable, but a little too cheesy illustrations. Remember, though, Arch Books are cheap ($2.50 per book), so if you find a few you like, it's easy to order several.

Nativity Book #26 - The Nativity of Our Lord

This is the twenty sixth of my postings about our 40 books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here.

Wednesday's book was another book from the series by Sister Elayne/Mother Melania and illustrated by Bonnie Gillis. This one is The Nativity of Our Lord and is available from Conciliar Press at the link given. I've blogged about this series in the past here. These can also be purchased from Archangels Books. Martha recently mentioned that she doesn't really like these little books, because it seems that something is missing. I actually really love Mother Melania's poetry in these books, because she imparts the depth of our theology as it pertains to each of the feasts. But Martha is right in that these aren't necessarily thorough narratives of each feast. Sometimes I stop to explain more detail, or discuss the very powerful imagery visible in the watercolor illustrations.

Nativity Book #27 - The Gift of the Magi

This is the twenty seventh of my postings about our 40 books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here.

Yesterday's book was an illustrated version of one of my favorite short stories in American literature. It is O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi with illustrations by Lisbeth Zwerger. My oldest son got this in his stocking from St. Nicholas last year. I blogged about it here last year. I knew the language would be a little advanced for him in some places, but with some paraphrasing her really enjoyed it last year. This year I was pleasantly surprised when he opened it yesterday and said, "Oh, this is one of my favorite books!" We read it over breakfast and when I started to paraphrase or explain some things, he told me to stop because he remembered the story and understood it. Honestly, I read this story for the first time in high school. I am delighted that he has already learned to love it. It always makes me cry, of course.

Nativity Book #25 - Jesus is Born

This is the twenty fifth of my postings about our 40 books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here.

Today's book is a wonderful depiction of the Nativity using the Nativity icon. This book is useful in so many ways for children, beginning with the very smallest. It is Jesus is Born by Sergia Clare Anatolios. I found this book in a parish bookstore when my oldest was just a baby and asked my mom and dad to buy it for him for his first Christmas. We have been enjoying it ever since, but the last two years we forgot to even read it and as a result it was new to my youngest this year. (Yet another reason that I'm glad we're doing this Nativity book tradition this year!) This is such a simple little book. I believe that if you only have one Nativity book (especially if you have toddlers) it should be this one!! There is really no text. The book just builds the Nativity icon piece by piece, page by page until it is complete on the last page. The words just identify the parts of the icon. So, the first two pages are The Cave, and the icon starts with just the cave. Then Plants and Trees, and the new picture is of the cave with the plants and trees added. Next is Manger, and the manger is added to the icon. Really it's a nice simple way to teach children about the Nativity icon. There are lots of ways to use this book (other than just reading it, which is also fun with little bitty toddlers). The author provides some nice suggestions in the front. Today my three year old had fun seeing each new part of the icon and pointing it out in the picture which grows in detail with each turned page. It's also fun to talk about the parts of the Nativity story while reading this book. So, there are good opportunities to talk about the manger, the shepherds, the angels, the wise men, etc. Thank you to St. Nectarios Press for making this book available!!

Nativity Book #24 - The Visit of the Wise Men

This is the twenty fourth of my postings about our 40 books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here.

Our book for today is one of the best Arch Books we own. I really love it. It is The Visit of the Wise Men. It was published in 1988 and is a great example of the really nice older Arch Books. It tells the story of the coming of the Wise Men, including their visit to Herod and their dream to go back home a different way. The rhymed verse text seems natural (not forced like the rhymes in some of the Arch Books) and the illustrations are quite lovely. Sadly, it seems to be out of print and I can't find it available anywhere on the web.

Nativity Book #23 - Who Was Born this Special Day?

This is the twenty third of my postings about our 40 books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here.

Yesterday's book was Who Was Born This Special Day? by Eve Bunting and Leonid Gore. This such a pretty book and I've blogged about it before. It has gentle light illustrations and is really written for a toddler, but we all enjoy it.

Nativity Book #22 - The Legend of St. Nicholas

This is the twenty second of my postings about our 40 books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here.

Of course, on December 6th (after the gifts were found in the stockings, and they had been eaten and enjoyed for a while), we had to open and read this book about St. Nicholas. I've already said that The Life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is my favorite children's book about St. Nicholas. But this one is a close, close second for our favorite.

This book is The Legend of St. Nicholas by Demi. I should first mention something very interesting that happened when we opened this book this year. In language arts and history this year with my second grader, we've been talking a lot about legends and what legends are. (For example, the story of King Arthur is a legend. He may have existed, but we don't know for certain, and the stories written about him are legends.) Well, when this beloved book came out, my 7yo immediately said. "But there's one big problem. This book is NOT a legend!" Yep. Good call kiddo!

Demi is not a specifically Orthodox writer, but she does a very respectful job telling the story of this saint, including many, many stories from his life. I only have to correct it a bit in one or two places. And it DOES tell the story about St. Nicholas hitting Arius which we really love, but not in quite enough detail. The best part about this book is probably the illustrations. They are wonderful - especially those images of St. Nicholas inside churches. They are great depictions of the interior of Byzantine churches.

Nativity Book #21 - The Life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

This is the twenty first of my postings about our 40 books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here.

Happy Feast of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (a little late)! All of our celebrating in the past week has left me with little time to blog. So I've got a lot of catching up to do.

On Friday, December 5th, our book was in preparation of the feast that would come the next day. We opened and read The Life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. This is certainly my favorite English language children's book about St. Nicholas. It has nice detailed iconographic illustrations and the text is told in a gentle rhyming verse. It gives many details from the life of St. Nicholas, including his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. But I will say, it leaves out one of our favorite stories - that of St. Nicholas hitting Arius for teaching heresy. Nicholas was defrocked, but that night the Mother of God appeared to the Bishops in a dream and told them to return Nicholas to his Episcopal seat. My boys really like the fact that Nicholas was so passionate about preserving the true teaching of our faith that his passions got the better of him and he just smacked Arius! But even without this story, we really like this little paperback.

Nativity Book #20 - The Donkey and the Golden Light

This is the twentieth of my postings about our 40 books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here.

Twenty days! We are halfway through the Fast and celebrating the feasts of St. Barbara and St. John of Damascus today!

Today's book is one I've blogged about in the past. I'm just repeating that blog here. The book is The Donkey and the Golden Light, which is a lovely folktale about a donkey whose life is closely tied to that of Christ. I won't give away the details. It also has beautiful illustrations. These were inspired by the paintings of Pieter Bruegel the Elder. In the back there is an explanation about each illustration and the painting that inspired it. We've had this book for years. Last year we studied the art of Pieter Bruegel in school with my then first grader. I didn't even remember it's connection to this children's book. Then when we pulled out this book to read this year, my son recognized one of the illustrations as being just like one of the paintings we had studied!! One of the things I really like about this book is that at the back it lists all of the illustrations along with an explanation of which Bruegel painting inspired that illustration. So this book would be great for art study in addition to being beautiful as a Christmas (and Pascha!) story.

Nativity Book #19 - The Little Drummer Boy

This is the nineteenth of my postings about our 40 books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here.
Yesterday's book was the classic The Little Drummer Boy with the wonderful illustrations by Ezra Jack Keats. We sing along as we read this one . . . I've been told many times that "The Little Drummer Boy" is Fr. Roman Braga's favorite Christmas carol.

Nativity Book #18 - A Gift from St. Nicholas

This is the eighteenth of my postings about our 40 books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here.

Tuesday we opened and read A Gift from St. Nicholas by Carole Kismaric. My mom gave us this book several years ago and I blogged about it last year on my fasting blog. This is a story about Christmas Eve in Holland, a retelling of a story from an old German book. The illustrations are wonderful and it's a magical story about St. Nicholas and his helpers. This is just a folktale, not a story about the actual saint, but the message is very beautiful.. My kids beg to hear this story about the little girl Cecile and the old lady Trinchen Mutser and the candy shop called The Sugared Nostril. Today Daddy got to read it to them at lunchtime and they all enjoyed it.