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Why These Books?









Historical Fiction—Modern Times

From the Old Testament era to ancient Rome to the Dark Ages--from crusader castles to frontier settlements to Federal era ships, these books run the gamut of history. Tale after tale of adventure brings these various historical epochs to life again with inspiring and unforgettable characters.

Ages 12 and up

Leave If You Can
by Luise Rinser

"Provided an excellent example of someone answering God's call to pursue the vocation He has laid before them."
—Day By Day in Our World: One Catholic Homeschool Family's
Journey Through Life blog


Two idealistic girls, Angelina and Guilia, run off to join the partisans in Italy during World War II to fight the occupying Nazis. An ardent communist, Angelina deplores the Catholic Church and imagines a world where all people achieve material salvation through social policy. The two girls join a partisan group led by the dashing Antonio and are soon in the fight against the Germans. After a particularly sharp battle, Angelina is missing and Giulia returns to the scene to find her. To her amazement, Angelina is living in the ruins of the abandoned abbey of Santa Maria del Monte.
     Originally written in German in 1959, Leave If You Can is a beatiful novella of wartime Italy that explores the challenge of God's mystical call versus the overpowering allure of the world.

Paperback ~ 156 pp. ~ $13.95 with 20% discount, $11.16
Leave


Ages 10 and up

The Mitchells
Five for Victory
by Hilda van Stockum

The five Mitchell children are based on the author's own family. In Five for Victory, the first of three books about their adventures, Daddy has just gone off to fight in World War II. One of his final words to his daughter Joan is, "No dogs!" She would dearly love a dog, but instead begins to accumulate a myriad of other pets. Along with her brother and sister and a few neighborhood children, Joan forms a club to do their part for the war-effort--first and foremost helping Mother, of course, but also defending poor Una, a war refugee who is cared for by their neighbors. Humorous and tender incidents combine with delightful illustrations to make the Mitchells truly unforgettable. Big families will empathize with their struggles and laugh out loud at their various misadventures.

Paperback ~ 236 pp. ~ $13.95 with 5% discount, $13.25
Mitchells


Ages 10 and up

Canadian Summer
by Hilda van Stockum

The large and growing Mitchell family, transferring their location to Montreal, can’t find a house to buy or rent. They settle, over Mother’s protests, for a remote, rickety summer house deep in the woods near a lake. The dangers, antics, quarrels, and fun which now unroll bring each member of the family into vivid characterization. Meanwhile we meet some delightful French Canadians and taste the special qualities of rural Quebec in the late 1940’s. Spiced up with van Stockum's charming illustrations and a raft of memorable characters, Canadian Summer rollicking good fun and enjoyable reading for the whole family.

Paperback ~ 181 pp. ~ $12.95 with 5% discount, $12.30
CanadianSummer


Ages 10 and up

Friendly Gables
by Hilda van Stockum

It is two years after the events in Canadian Summer. The Mitchells are settled in their new home, Friendly Gables—and twins have just been added to the family. With Mother recovering from the births and with other changes in the household, the children must come to terms with themselves in new ways. Joan’s first dance; Patsy loses her glasses; Peter’s disastrous fight; Angela’s misadventure in the woods; Timmy’s “good news”; and Catherine’s brush with fire--are only a few of the incidents in the life of this busy, growing family. With her usual humor, compassion, and lovely illustrations, the author brings the Mitchell “trilogy” to a satisfying close.

Paperback ~ 165 pp. ~ $12.95 with 5% discount, $12.30
FriendlyGables


Ages 10 and up

The Cottage at Bantry Bay
by Hilda van Stockum

This book, written in 1938, offers a vivid picture of an Ireland that has all but disappeared. The O'Sullivan family invites the reader to share their many homely adventures. Michael and Brigid brave the wilds and gypsies on an errand for their injured father and come home with a new friend; twins Liam and Francie keep everyone hopping and get into no end of trouble; Mother and Father draw the family together with story-telling, warmth and humor. Then Michael and Brigid find a treasure which, with the help of the wise and carefree Patty the Piper, changes the course of things for all. Accompanied by charming illustrations by the author, The Cottage at Bantry Bay is perfect for reading aloud with the whole family.

Paperback ~ 239 pp. ~ $12.95 with 5% discount, $12.30
Cottage


Ages 10 and up

Francie on the Run
by Hilda van Stockum

In this sequel to The Cottage at Bantry Bay, six year-old Francie O'Sullivan, has had a successful operation in a Dublin hospital to repair his club foot, but longs to return to his beloved family in County Cork. He heads out the hospital door, no permission asked, and boards a train--won't any train do? Francie finds himself making a speedy tour (in the opposite direction from home) around the Emerald Isle, a journey full of adventure, laughter, endearing friendships and unforgettable characters, for Francie and the reader. Enhanced with charming illustrations by the author, Francie on the Run is perfect for family read-aloud and will be enjoyed by all ages.

Paperback ~ 293 pp. ~ $13.95 with 5% discount, $13.25
Francie


Ages 10 and up

Pegeen
by Hilda van Stockum

Young Pegeen, one of the good friends Francie made on his trip around the Emerald Isle in Francie on the Run, has just lost her Grannie and is now alone in the world. When she is told that she can't stay on alone in the small mountain cottage, Pegeen remembers Francie's promise to come for her someday. With Fr. Kelly's help she writes to the O'Sullivans, to be welcomed temporarily into their household while she waits for word from her uncle in America. No one, except perhaps Francie, is quite prepared for carefree Pegeen's knack of turning the world up on end. Her spirit is a perfect match for his, but two such personalities in one small cottage on Bantry Bay have startling consequences. As with the previous books in the series, Pegeen is enhanced with numerous illustrations by the author and is perfect for family read-aloud.

Paperback ~ 266 pp. ~ $12.95 with 5% discount, $12.30
Pegeen


Ages 14 and up

The Borrowed House
by Hilda van Stockum

When Janna is suddenly summoned from Germany to join her actor parents in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, she is shocked by the Dutch hatred for the Germans. Her favorite Nordic tales and Hitler Youth indoctrination have not prepared her for the complexities of living in a house requisitioned by a military friend of her parents, or for the violence she sees on the streets. With her parents preoccupied by their perplexing adult world of careers and relationships, Janna is lonely and full of unwelcome questions. It is the house itself which begins to provide real, if painful, answers to Janna's bewilderment-but not before it adds its own set of mysteries to solve. A well-developed, true-to-life tale for teenagers.

Paperback ~ 221 pp. ~ $12.95 with 5% discount, $12.30
Borrowed House


Ages 10 and up

The Winged Watchman
by Hilda van Stockum

This acclaimed story of World War II is rich in suspense, characterization, plot and spiritual truth. Every element of Nazi-occupied Holland is united in a story of courage and hope: a hidden Jewish child, an underdiver, a downed RAF pilot, an imaginative, daring underground hero, and the small things of family life which surprisingly carry on in the midst of oppression. The Verhagen family, who live in the old windmill called the Winged Watchman, are a memorable set of individuals whose lives powerfully demonstrate the resilience of those who suffer but do not lose faith. Includes Illustrations by the author.

Paperback ~ 191 pp. ~ $13.95 with 5% discount, $13.25
Winged Watchman


Ages 12 and up

Outlaws of Ravenhurst
by Sr. M. Imelda Wallace, S.L.

For generations Ravenhurst had been the stronghold of Scottish chiefs who led Clan Gordon to battle for God and Our Lady. It was filled with memories of persecution. It was the scene of the last stand of the great Earl, Sir Angus. Back against the altar and outnumbered twenty to one, the giant Angus grasped his two-handed longsword and laid the sacrilegious enemies of his God around his feet like sproutings clipped from a hedgerow. The setting is 17th century Scotland and the characters are strong Catholics, outlaws remaining true to their Faith, even if it means drawing their swords and fighting (and possibly dying) for that Faith. This classic adventure is a favorite of young and old alike sure to be a story that most will want to read and read again!

Hardcover ~ 231 pp. ~ $16.00 with 5% discount, $15.20
Outlaws


Ages 10 and up

Red Hugh, Prince of Donegal
by Robert T. Reilly

Red Hugh was a true champion of Irish liberty during the harsh reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the 1580s. Hugh is captured and imprisoned in Dublin Castle, but manages to escape to attempt to rescue his family's castle. A rollicking adventure, Red Hugh is also a great teaching tool for Irish geography and culture. 

Paperback ~ 208 pp. ~ $13.95 with 5% discount, $13.25



Ages 9 and up

Nacar the White Deer
A Story of Old Mexico
by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño

A deep friendship springs up between a boy, who had lost his voice and his mother at the same tragic moment, and an ailing albino deer sent from China as a gift to the King of Spain. It is Lalo's task to nurture the sick deer back to health in the mountains of Mexico so that he will be well enough for the sea voyage to Spain. This gentle story of Mexico in 1630 follows young Lalo on his journey back to the Mountain of the Sleeping Lady. The journey and months the deer and the boy spend with Lalo's goats are full both of dangers found in a wild landscape and of charming incidents found in a people brimming with life and faith.

Paperback ~ 130 pp. ~ $10.95 with 5% discount, $10.40
Nacar


Ages 10 and up

Madeleine Takes Command
by Ethel C. Brill

Based on a true account of colonial New France, this book tells the tale of 14 year old Madeleine Verchère. Madeleine is left alone with two younger brothers and a few others to guard the family fort when the Iroquois unexpectedly attack. Using determined strategems, Madeleine and her small band attempt to stave off the assault in this harrowing tale of frontier life in colonial Canada.

Paperback ~ 224 pp. ~ $13.95 with 5% discount, $13.25



Ages 14 and up

With Pipe, Paddle and Song
by Elizabeth Yates

Son of a French nobleman and a Chippewa woman, Guillaume's life has been split between his father's chateau in Montreal and his mother's village. When his father returns to France, Guillaume joins a rough crew of voyageurs who trek into the wilds of Canada to bring back the pelts which have made New France prosperous.

Paperback ~ 272 pp. ~ $12.95 with 5% discount, $12.30



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