Asia: Its People and History by Bonnie Rose Hudson

Filled with stories, activities, and tons of information, Asia: Its People and History by Bonnie Rose Hudson is a wonderful resource for Christian parents seeking to introduce their children to the people of Asia and the wealth of history about the area.

With her desire to bring history to life, Hudson has created a phenomenal, engaging, and informative resource designed for children ages 8 to 12. The curriculum is divided into sixteen weeks that can be stretched or compressed to best fit your schedule. Each section contains a story, discussion questions, and activities to make learning come alive. Links to downloadable information make it easy to find what you’re looking for more of. After the Answer Key, you’ll find a list of resources that includes suggested reading, in addition to a special free offer from the author. I plan to share my copy with a homeschooling mom I know.

This curriculum will inspire children to learn more. Highly recommended.

Rating: 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Print length: 95 pages
Publisher: Bonnie Rose Hudson
Language: English
ISBN: 9781496041258

You can purchase a paperback or digital copy of this book from the author’s website at http://writebonnierose.com/products/ or the Kindle version at Amazon.

I received a copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

State of Reservations by Elysabeth Eldering

The Junior Geography Detective Squad (JGDS) returns in Book 3, State of Reservations by Elysabeth Eldering.

The adventure continues with the third book in this fabulous series for middle grade students. When Matt gets a surprise visit from Jolene, they decide to use his Junior Geography Detective Squad video game to study for an upcoming test. As usual, they place their bets, and the loser has to do whatever it is the winner has chosen–in this case, Matt will have to carry Jolene’s dance bag and participate in warm ups at her ballet class or Jolene will have to come to the skateboard park dressed in grungy clothes and watch Matt’s team compete on Saturday. Neither seems appealing and they are both determined to be the first one to figure out the clues and correctly guess the state in question.

I’ve been a fan of this series since it began. It’s a great way to help children learn interesting facts about the United States and it encourages them to learn more once the last page is turned. New characters pop up alongside the regular cast of characters in each book, which keeps readers eager to pick up the next book in the series.  The bets are funny and it’s entertaining to read along and see who ends up winning and witnessing the losers’ reactions. As with other books in the series, there is a section that includes additional facts about the state covered in the current book. There is also a set of discussion questions at the end.

I have a couple of tiny nitpicks for this one. I wasn’t as pleased with the illustrations in this book as compared to the previous two. There was one illustration I didn’t understand at all and another where I couldn’t even identify what the object in the illustration was until I read the text. I also noticed that the back cover spells Jolene’s name wrong twice. The word “Detective” was also left out of the series name on the back cover. Perhaps I received an ARC, but the  book isn’t identified as one.

Those small challenges don’t take away from a great story that will entertain and educate your children. State of Reservations by Elysabeth Eldering is just another reason for me to love the Junior Geography Detective Squad series. I’m looking forward to the next book.

Rating:  🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Publisher: 4RV Publishing LLC

ISBN-10: 0984070869

ISBN-13: 978-0984070862

SRP:  $12.50

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State of Wilderness by Elysabeth Eldering

Are you looking for a fun and unique way to get your school-aged child interested in reading and geography? Look no further than State of Wilderness, the first book in Elysabeth Eldering’s Junior Geography Detective Squad series.

When Matt Patterson’s mother gets him a new geography video game, he and his friend, Guy decide to try it out. Now, Junior Geography Detectives, the boys click through a series of clues to help them figure out which of the fifty United States this round of the game is referring to.

Just to make it interesting, Matt and Guy wager that the person who guesses the right answer first gets to pick something for the loser to do–and it probably won’t be nice. And when Mary Beth, Matt’s younger sister joins in on the fun, it’s a race to see who will uncover which state could be known as the State of Wilderness.

This is an impressive start to what I see as being a popular series of books to inspire a love of reading in young people. Eldering speaks their language, makes learning fun, and gives readers a reason to keep turning the pages. Readers will learn a variety of interesting tidbits about one of the fifty states in each book and this book ends with “Stay tuned for some more fun activities on the state,” followed by information about the state’s flag, a map and quiz, and a cryptogram that reveals the state’s motto.

Kudos go out to illustrator Aidana WillowRaven whose artwork added visual tie-ins to the clues, placing each in the screen of the video game.

The Junior Geography Detective Squad is a series you’ll certainly want to keep your eye on. I anxiously await the release of the next book.

 

Rating:   🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Publisher: 4RV Publishing LLC

ISBN-10: 0979751357

ISBN-13: 978-0979751356

SRP:  $12.50 (U.S.)