I am asking my children to read at least ten of the books on their individualized list before August 18, 2008. I will take each child who does so out to eat to the restaurant of his choice, and I will also buy a book for each child who finishes the challenge. This list is for Computer Guru Son, age 20, who is a sophomore in college. Computer Guru Son chose some of the books on this list himself, mostly the ones I haven’t commented on because I haven’t read them.

The Bible. Romans.

The Bible. I Samuel.

Eifelheim by Michael Flynn. Review by Elliot at Claw of the Conciliator. I read this one and liked it very much, but I never reviewed it here because it was so weird that I couldn’t get a handle on my thoughts well enough to write about it. But it’s a good book. And Computer Guru Son likes weird.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.

Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder. This book was published in 1981 and won a Pulitzer Prize and an American Book Award. It’s the true story of a bunch of maverick computer geeks at a company called Data General and their dedication to designing and debugging a new computer.

Perdido Street Station by China Meiville.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

A Scanner Darkly by Philip Dick.

Never Let Me Go by Kashuo Ishiguro. Semicolon review here plus links to other reviews of the book.

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon. Semicolon review here.

1984 by George Orwell. Classic, futuristic fiction, in spite of the dated title.

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare.

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. I’ve heard good things about this book written by the twin brothers of author and pastor Joshua Harris (I Kissed Dating Good-bye).

Ask Me Anything by J. Budziszewski. Professor Theophilus gives provocative answers to college students’ questions. The book is written by a professor of government and philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin.

Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey.

A Long Way Gone by Ismael Beah. Memoir of a boy soldier in Sierra Leone.

48 Days To the Work You Love by Dan Miller. Recommended by Dave Ramsey.

I am asking my children to read at least ten of the books on their individualized list before August 18, 2008. I also want each of them to memorize two poems this summer and present them for the family. I will take each child who does so out to eat to the restaurant of his choice, and I will also buy a book for each child who finishes the challenge. This list is for Red Rover Daughter, age 16, who just finished her sophomore year of high school. I must admit that several of the books on Red Rover’s list are left over from our study of twentieth century history and literature that we didn’t quite finish during the school year.

The Bible. Romans.

The Bible. I Samuel.

Brooks, Bruce. The Moves Make the Man. For Jerome Foxworthy, basketball is a metaphor for life. But trying to to teach the moves to Bix Rivers is a job that even Jerome may not be able to handle.

Jiang, Ji-li. Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution. A teenage girl survives the Chinese Cultural Revolution under Mao in spite of her family’s outcast status under the new Communist regime.

Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity. Classic apologetics and theology.

Lindbergh, Anne Morrow. Bring Me a Unicorn: Diaries and Letters of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, 1922-1928. Before she was married to famous aviator Charles Lindbergh, Anne Morrow, daughter of the American ambassador to Mexico, kept a journal and wrote a plethora of letters. This book is the first of five volumes of collected letters and journal entries of Anne Morrow soon-to-be Lindbergh. The others are called: Hour of Gold Hour of Lead, Locked Rooms Open Doors, The Flower and the Nettle, and War Within and Without.

McCaughrean, Geraldine. The White Darkness. The May selection for the Biblically Literate reading club.

MacInnes, Helen. The Hidden Target. MacInnes gives the flavor of the Cold War era in a story of terrorism, counter-terrorism, hippies, drug culture, and communist threats. Nina O’Connell, a college student in Europe, agrees to join a caravan across the continent to “find herself” and assert her independence. However, the driver and leader of the free-spirited group may have ulterior motives.

Myers, Walter Dean. Fallen Angels. Perry, a teenager from Harlem, experiences the horrors of the Vietnam War.

Paton, Alan. Cry, the Beloved Country. South Africa under apartheid. I love this novel about sin and lostness and redemption and reconciliation. Here’s a Semicolon discussion of Paton’s novel with some favorite quotations.

Ramsey, Dave. Financial Peace Revisited. I don’t follow the entire Dave Ramsey plan, but he has a good basic handle on money management and financial responsibility.

Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice.

Uris, Leon. Exodus. A novel of the Jewish return to Palestine and the birth of a new, modern nation of Israel. Some thoughts on Uris’s books.

Voeller, Brad. Accelerated Distance Learning. Earn your college degree or get a head start on your degree by using AP, CLEP, and other tests and distance classes to both lower the cost of a college education and cut the time it takes to earn a degree. This book explains how to do it.

Wilkerson, David. The Cross and the Switchblade. A Pentecostal preacher from rural Pennsylvania is called to work with drug addicts and gang members in New York City in the 1950’s-60’s.

Poems to memorize:

Portia’s speech from The Merchant of Venice:

The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy.

Red Rover Daughter can choose her other poem herself. I’ll let you know what she chooses.

I am asking my children to read at least ten of the books on their individualized list before August 18, 2008. I will take each child who reads ten of the books on his list out to eat to the restaurant of his choice, and I will also buy a book for each child who finishes the challenge. This list is for Betsy-Bee, age 9, who just finished third grade.

Bulla, Clyde Robert. The Sword in the Tree. This King Arthur story was one of my older daughters’ favorite story in the whole world when she was about Betsy-Bee’s age, and we’re studying the Middle Ages next year for history. (Adventure story category for the Summer Book Blast)

Cleary, Beverly. Emily’s Runaway Imagination. (Fiction category for the Summer Book Blast)

Clements, Andrew. Frindle. I’ve never read this one, but I know it’s a very popular book about a fifth grader who tries to invent a new word. I’ll probably read it along with Betsy-Bee. (Fiction category for the Summer Book Blast)

Cole Joanna. One Magic School Bus book that you haven’t already read.

Enright, Elizabeth. The Saturdays. Four siblings pool their allowances each month and take turns going on a Saturday adventure all by themselves.

Haywood, Carolyn. Betsy’s Busy Summer. (Fiction category for the Summer Book Blast)

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Best Friends. Poems about friends.

Kurlansky, Mark. The Story of Salt.

Montgomery, L.M. Anne of Green Gables. (Classics category for the Summer Book Blast)

Peterson, John. The Littles. The Little family, who all measure less than six inches high, have lots of adventures in the land of the Biggs. (Adventure stories category for Summer Book Blast)

Sidney, Margaret. Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. (Classics category for Summer Book Blast)

Stanley, Diane. Joan of Arc. A biography of the famous saint/warrior. (Christian biographies category for Summer Book Blast)

Thomas, Mack. What Would Jesus Do? This “retelling” of the classic by Charles Sheldon isn’t really a retelling at all, but rather a new story for kids based on the premise of the the original: what would happen if a group of people, children in this story, decided to ask themselves the question “what would Jesus do” before they acted? It’s an interesting question, even if it did get trivialized back in the 1990’s. (Faith Builders category for the Summer Book Blast)

Whaley, Richie. Samuel: Prophet and Judge. Part of the BIbLearn series published by the Southern Baptist in-house press, this is an easy-to-read biography of the man we’re reading about in our family Bible reading time. (Christian Biographies category for the Summer Book Blast)

I’m also asking them to memorize and present to the family two poems. Here are Betsy-Bee’s poems:

The Creation by Cecil Frances Alexander.

Eletelephony by Laura Elizabeth Richards.

I am asking my children to read at least ten of the books on their individualized list before August 18, 2008. I also want each of them to memorize two poems this summer and present them for the family. I will take each child who does so out to eat to the restaurant of his choice, and I will also buy a book for each child who finishes the challenge. This list is for Karate Kid, age 11, who just finished fifth grade.

Andrew, Brother. God’s Smuggler. The true story of a Dutch man who smuggled Bibles and other Christian literature into countries behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War years. (Christian Biographies category for the Summer Book Blast)

Batson, Thomas Wayne. Isle of Swords. Treasure, a mysterious island, shark-infested waters, a treasure map, flogging, cutlasses, swords, guns, the British navy in pursuit, and explosions and swash-buckling battles galore: what more could a boy ask for? (Adventures category for the Summer Book Blast) Complete Semicolon review here.

The Bible. Romans. (Faith Builders category for the Summer Book Blast)

The Bible. I Samuel. (Faith Builders category for the Summer Book Blast)

Clements, Andrew. Frindle. Nick, a fifth-grade boy, invents a new word for pen: “frindle.” Soon, the whole country is using it. But Nick’s language arts teacher, Mrs. Granger, isn’t so happy with his creative endeavor. (Fiction category for the Summer Book Blast)

Dingle, Adrian. The Periodic Table: Elements with Style. For sixty-four of the elements, each has its own “home-page” in this introduction to the periodic table.

Feldman, Jodi. The Gollywhopper Games. Reviewed by Becky here.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Spectacular Science: A Book of Poems. A collection of poems about science.

Jacques, Brian. Redwall. The Abbey of Redwall is home to a variety of animals who have adventures in this fantasy world. (Adventures category for the Summer Book Blast)

Katz, Linda. Gee Wiz. Subtitle: How to Mix Art and Science or the Art of Thinking Scientifically.

Kendall, Carolyn. The Gammage Cup. The story of five non-conformist Minnipins who become unlikely heroes probably hit a nerve in the non-conformist sixties, but it’s still a great story.(Adventures category for the Summer Book Blast)

McCaffrey, Anne. Black Horses for the King. A Roman Celtic youth, Galwyn, helps the future king of Britain, Lord Artos, acquire the legendary Black Horses of his legions. (Adventures category for the Summer Book Blast)

McCloskey, Robert. Homer Price. Homer lives in Centerburg where he tries to win a doughnut-eating contest and keeps a pet skunk, among other adventures. (Classics category for the Summer Book Blast)

O’Brien, Robert. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. A widowed field mouse, Mrs. Frisby, who seeks the aid of a group of former laboratory rats in rescuing her home from destruction by a farmer’s plow. (Classics category for the Summer Book Blast)

Robertson, Keith. Henry Reed, Inc. A great old-fashioned book about a boy who spends the summer in a small town with his uncle and aunt. Exciting things happen whenever Henry is around! (Fiction category for the Summer Book Blast)

Strobel, Lee. The Case for Faith for Kids. “Using kid-friendly language, Lee Strobel shares true examples of how people throughout the world demonstrate their faith in God while answering questions about the nature of God.” (Faith Builders category for the Summer Book Blast)

Wilson, N.D. 100 Cupboards. “Twelve-year-old Henry York wakes up one night to find bits of plaster in his hair. Two knobs have broken through the wall above his bed and one of them is slowly turning . . .” (Mysteries category for the Summer Book Blast)

Poems to memorize:

The Destruction of Sennacherib by George Gordon Byron.

The Tiger by William Blake.

You can’t find enough reviews in the Saturday Review of Books here at Semicolon? Do you hunger and thirst after book reviews? Do you want to find a review of a certain book and can’t find it in a search here at Semicolon?

Maw Books has a new blog called Book Bloggers’ Book Reviews. It’s a great resource, and if you can’t find it here, look there. Between the two of us we should be corralling every blogger book review on the internet.

Wanted! by Caroline B. Cooney.

Eifelheim by Michael Flynn. Recommended by Elliot at Claw of the Conciliator.

Hit the Road by Caroline B. Cooney.

AngelMonster by Veronica Bennett. Recommended at Becky’s Book Reviews.

Winter Haven by Athol Dickson.

The Christie Caper by Carolyn G. Hart.

Children of Jihad by Jared Cohen.

Tamar by Mal Peet.

The Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale.

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. (re-read)

Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis. (family read aloud)

Blood Brothers by S.A. Harazin.

The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty.

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko.

The Case Against Adolescence by Robert Epstein. Quite thought-provoking. Recommended by MatthewLee Anderson at Mere-O.

Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst.

Best old Movies For Families—Burr Recommended by Mental Multivitamin.

You’ll have to wait a while for the reviews since I’m “not blogging” for Lent. However, I couldn’t resist leaving you this teaser/list. See you all after Easter.

I’m posting this rec list on Semicolon because Eldest Daughter seems to listen to me more attentively in print than viva voce. Also, I thought there might be some others out there with similar interests to those of Eldest Daughter who would enjoy the list of books I’ve found for her perusal. I haven’t actually read all of these, but they all sounded like something Eldest Daughter would like.

The Story of French by Nadeau et Barlow. Eldest Daughter spent nine months studying in Paris a couple of years ago, and she’s particularly interested in medieval French literature and the development of the French language. From the authors’ website:

When people think of the “French paradox,” they are usually thinking about how the French can eat rich foods and drink great quantities of wine yet somehow remain slim. But there is another French paradox, this one about the language: In spite of the ascendancy of English, French has held on to its influence. Where did this influence come from, and how has French retained it? These are the questions we set out to answer in The Story of French.”

Lavinia by Ursula Le Guin. Blurb at Amazon:

“In The Aeneid, Vergil’s hero fights to claim the king’s daughter, Lavinia, with whom he is destined to found an empire. Lavinia herself never speaks a word in the poem. Now, Ursula K. Le Guin gives Lavinia a voice in a novel that takes us to the half-wild world of ancient Italy, when Rome was a muddy village near seven hills. Lavinia grows up knowing nothing but peace and freedom, until suitors come. Her mother wants her to marry handsome, ambitious Turnus. But omens and prophecies spoken by the sacred springs say she must marry a foreigner—that she will be the cause of a bitter war—and that her husband will not live long. When a fleet of Trojan ships sails up the Tiber, Lavinia decides to make her own destiny, and she tells us what Vergil did not: the story of her life, and of the love of her life.”

Maybe this one would be of interest, too, although I don’t know as much about it: Jo Graham, Black Ships, Orbit, a retelling of The Aeneid; historical fantasy about a slave girl, an oracle, who guides Aeneas on his quest, due out March 2008.

Leif Enger’s new novel: So Brave, Young, and Handsome, due out May 14, 2008.

A Natural History of Latin by Tore Janson. Recommended by Carol at MagistraMater. “This book is for everyone who wants to know more about Latin, about the language and about its influence on the culture and history of Europe.”

The Baylor Project by Barry Hankins and Donald Schmeltkopf. St. Augustine’s Press, 2007. The book asks the question, “Can a Protestant university be a first class research institution and preserve its soul?” Since Eldest Daughter just graduated from Baylor, I thought she might be interested in the authors’ answers to that question.