The Longest Night, subtitled A Passover Story, is a picture book version of the Biblical history of the exodus from Egypt. The story is told in rhyme from the point of view of a Jewish slave child who “built someone else a home” but “never tried to play,” wondering as she looked up into the sky after a long day of work “if the air tasted fresh and sweet up there.”

The story continues as the narrator tells us of the Biblical plagues from her childlike vantage point: water turning to blood, frogs and fleas, wolves(?), sickness among the herds of animals, hail and locusts. Not once does the child who is telling the story mention Moses or Aaron or God. In one line she does say, “I sat, too, and said a prayer.” Then, the longest night comes, and the saddest sound, the death of the firstborn, never spelled out in words in this story, but implied in the “cries like knives that split the dark.”

As in the Book of Esther in the Bible, God is never named or invoked (except in that brief reference to prayer) or, for that matter, held responsible for the calamities that come or the freedom that ensues. Perhaps this opacity and near-absence of any over-arching meaning reflects how the events would have played out in the mind of a child, but I tend to think that Hebrew parents would have told their children why all these plagues were coming and reminded them of God’s promises and eventually told them whom to thank for their deliverance.

It’s a beautiful book. The illustrations by Catia Chien are colorful and childlike, but with a heaviness and gloom that extends throughout the book until the final pages break out in song and smiles and pink glowing light in the pictures. Jewish and Christian families should enjoy this simple story, despite the questions left unanswered in the text, and use it as a springboard for further conversation about the meaning of the Exodus, the Passover story, and the freedom that God provides us in Christ.

Sometimes God works everyday miracles or even huge inexplicable wonders in our own lives, but we fail to see His hand at work until someone points to Him. Before or after reading this book with a child, someone needs to point.

Children’s and Young Adult Fiction:
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. My fellow Cybils judges in the Middle Grade Science Fiction and Fantasy category told me to read this novel because they found similarities between it and one of the nominated books for this past year, Jennifer A. Nielsen’s The False Prince, the book that ended up winning the Cybil Award in that category. I liked The Thief, but maybe my expectations were too high because I didn’t love it.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. This one is classified “YA” and won the Cybil Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. There’s a romance involved, and dragons, and war, and peace. Reviewed at the blog Things Mean a Lot.

Adult Fiction:
Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan. Spy fiction/romance with all the twists and turns that would be expected in both.

January Justice by Athol Dickson. Mr. Dickson, one of my favorite Christian authors, enters the genre of detective thriller with a complicated hero in a sticky situation. And there’s no explicit sex, bad language or nastily described violence.

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. This novel from a Nigerian/American author is classified as young adult fiction in my library, probably because the narrator is fifteen years old, but I think it will resonate with adults of all ages, and with readers around the world because the themes–abusive relationships, religious legalism, freedom, and the source of joy–are all universal themes.

The Litigators by John Grisham. Typical Grisham: seedy street lawyers versus equally dubious big corporation lawyers in a fight for the little guy. The novel was unchallenging, fun to read, and relaxing–just what I needed at the time.

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson. Lots of crude language made this otherwise complex story with engaging characters not as engaging as it could have been. Three generations of women try to break a family curse of sexual immorality and teen pregnancy.

Nonfiction:
Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad by Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller. Crude language and sexual misbehavior mar this otherwise inspiring memoir of a top model who began her life as the daughter of nomads in the Somali desert. The book probably began as an expose of the horrors of FGM (female genital mutilation), and it works best as a story showing the evils of that hidden practice and the courage of Waris Darie in standing against her culture in opposing it.

Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics by Ross Douthat. New York Times columnist Ross Douthat has written a useful, compact history of the progression of Christian thought and heresy in the United States in the twentieth century and into our current century.

Some of these ideas come from a good friend at our homeschool co-op. Don’t they all sound like fun?

ABC Storytime, courtesy of Mother Reader. Preschool or early elementary.

Butterflies: Insects of Beauty by Heather E. Langston. Kindergarten or early elementary.

Bats and Spiders. Incorporates a study of Stellaluna by Jannell Cannon and of Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White into a scientific study of bats and spiders as creatures that God created. For kindergarten or early elementary.

Journey North Mystery Class. Upper elementary or middle school students.
Journey North Mystery Class overview.

Rubik’s Cube Teaches Math. Upper elementary or middle school students.

Introduction to Shakespeare. All ages, but especially upper elementary, middle school, and high school.

Advanced Reading Survey. High school. Students could keep a notebook and discuss their reading each week.

Civil War. Study the Civil War through interactive simulation and discussion. Role-play Union or Confederate life in camp or on the homefront through such things as hearing telegraph dispatches, dramatizing soldier interview, reenacting Pickett’s charge, etc.

Modern American History Mini Simulations Through role-playing, students re-create key points in early 20th century U.S. history including a doughboy boot camp, depression era soup kitchen, Ford assembly line, and early radio shows.

Stock Market Simulation. Learn the fundamentals of the stock market, key terms, and how to read stock market data. Work in teams to decide criteria for selecting a company (or companies) to invest in, and then track and analyze the performance through the semester. See which team makes the “best” selections.

Lord of the Rings. Students read (or listen to audio) two books a semester (starting with The Hobbit), discuss them using primarily Progeny Press materials as a guide, complete light-hearted group activities, and hold a fun “movie watching event” at the conclusion of each book. For those desiring writing opportunities, one optional writing assignment is completed each semester (literary analysis – fall, literary research paper – spring). Brief “mini” lessons on building skills for these papers are covered each week, with periodic due dates towards completing the paper – including peer review opportunities.

Discover Houston. Learn about how Houston works and explore some of its less obvious locations. Students study and discuss the history, major sites, city government, city layout, major industries, transportation systems, etc. of Houston. Approximately monthly optional “meaningful” field trips are offered such as Metro/light rail trip to down town, tunnel exploration, medical center overview tour, Convention Center “behind the scenes” visit , short jury trial observation, historical district walking tour, etc. Field trips help students develop “life skills” as well as learn about various careers.

Travel Through Australia. Learn about the fascinating island continent of Australia and develop travel planning skills at the same time! Students work together to plan a dream trip to Australia by using travel guides and websites to plan and research all aspects of a special vacation: budget, flights, car rental, hotel selection, sites to see, food, passports, etc. Also consider careers in the travel industry and hopefully have a few guest speakers such as a travel agent, pilot, etc.

Boy Scout Merit Badge books are great sources and always have group and hands-on learning as well as technical “meaty” info. A teacher could just work their way straight down the requirements in the merit badge book. Here are good ideas of guide books available that could interest boys and girls:
– Architecture
– Chess
– Drafting
– Electronics
– Geocaching
– Insect Study
– Orienteering
– Radio
– Reptile & Amphibian Study
– Space Exploration