The Hidden Message BOOK REVIEW

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

History, some like it, some don't.  I must say, growing up that history was one of my least favorite subjects.  As I've gotten older it has become more interesting and important to me.  Our newest book review is The Hidden Message of the Great Seal (How Foundational Truth from The Dawn of Liberty May Rescue a Republic in Peril) by Michael Kanis from The Hidden Message, LLC.  I received a free copy of this 256-page softcover book.  It has a nice glossy front and back cover and heavy duty semi gloss interior pages.  It is a fairly heavy book!  It's approximately 9" x 12" and printed in landscape format.

Because of its size and orientation, it is a little awkward holding it to read.  The author clearly states that this is NOT a history book, but boy is it loaded with wonderful historical facts that supplement any historical study.  What a great supplement to any studies covering our founding fathers, the Declaration of Independence, or other histories from that time period (1774-1783).

1782 version of seal (it went through many revisions over the years)

Wow, can I just say "Wow?"  Sometimes I am easily impressed and I must say that I was not disappointed with the wonderful "nuggets" found in this book.  Our Great Seal.  From its creation, the seal had great meaning.  Just like the Declaration of Independence, our Founding Fathers had a great fear of God and their intent for all purposes was for us to be a nation founded on the principles of our God.  I LOVE how the author, Michael Kanis, has woven scripture throughout the entire book showing the connection to Godly principles.

Sample page

There are 24 chapters that carefully walk you through the history of the seal including important characters such as Charles Thomson and Francis Hopkinson (very well known for his allegorical stories and strongly extroverted personality).  Michael explains how the idea was birthed and who was involved in its creation.  He explains how much of the symbolism has been misinterpreted and corrupted over the years.  The Bible says there is "nothing new under the sun," and that is never more true than in the explanations of how many of the meanings about the symbols in the seal have been twisted to mean something else, something to do with the occult or contradictory to God's word.

Satan has always used diversion and confusion as a tactic in distorting true meanings.  As I read what Michael had researched I remembered hearing about many of the "meanings" he said we are used to hearing.  About what the seal stands for and means.  Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams were tasked with creating the seal and before it was finalized it was turned over to Charles Thomson who completed it in two weeks.  Learning more about the history of Charles Thomson (the seal's final creator) was very insightful and interesting.

Partial timeline that is included in the book

The Seal is an allegory. Symbols with deep meanings and stories behind those meanings.  With its creation over 236 years ago, why are we just now hearing about or learning more about the meaning behind the seal?  Over time, explanations have been given that seemed complete at the time so generally, no one questioned it anymore. I also believe that God moves in many ways and situations for "such a time as this."  We are in one of those times for sure and I believe that God tasked Michael Kanis with the job of digging back into what the Founding Fathers intended when the seal was created.  The deep meanings are timely for what we are experiencing these days and the historical and biblical connections are not just "coincidences."  There is a lot to learn from this text.

Michael spent thousands of hours on the research for this book and it is evident by the plethora of information that it contains.  He weaves into the story how everything was connected historically and it helps to understand what he has found and definitely broadens your horizons with the knowledge that comes from his research.

I am so glad that I decided to review The Hidden Message of the Great Seal (How Foundational Truth from The Dawn of Liberty May Rescue a Republic in Peril) from The Hidden Message, LLC and I highly recommend it.  There is so much more than just the history of the Great Seal.  Be sure to click on the graphic link below to read what my fellow Crew members have to say about this book.  Be sure to use the 50% discount code (HOMESCHOOL) before May 30, 2020 if you decide to get this book.  The coupon code is only valid on his website, https://www.TheHiddenMessage.org.

Amy Carmichael Book REVIEW

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

I just love the Christian biographies that YWAM Publishing produces.  Our newest read aloud was from the Christian Heroes: Then & Now series.  Amy Carmichael: Rescuer of Precious Gems by Janet & Geoff Benge was truly a "gem" to read.  I think it is my favorite one so far.  I received a paperback cover of this 203-page book.  It is a simple read and perfect for independent readers (approx age 8 and older) or as a read-aloud which is how we used ours for the most part.  The cover is a nice quality glossy coated paper and the pages are of easy to read font.  I also received a digital copy of the study guide which we also love!  This book is also available as an audiobook CD, audiobook MP3, Nook edition, Kindle edition, and YWAM direct ebook download.

Easy to read font

We mostly used this as a read-aloud, but with Little Bug loving to read so much she insisted on reading part herself.  Her patience or lack thereof never let her read much at once, but it was good practice for her (she was an early reader at the Kindergarten level and is just now finishing up 1st grade). It is a pretty quick read for an adult or advanced reader and a simple read for chapter book readers (should be an easy read for 3rd grade and up).

She loves to read

Amy Carmichael was born in Ireland in 1967 to a fairly wealthy family.  She was schooled in an English boarding school but soon had to return home when financial circumstances changed due to the innovation of steamboats and the decreased need for their product (flour) locally.  It was cheaper to buy the flour that was shipped in from North America.  She was one of 7 children and her and her two other brothers who were also in boarding schools had to be called home when the money shortage occurred.  She was a precocious, bold child who was easily bored with simple, mundane things.  She enjoyed adventure and changing scenery.

Biography from study guide

It was no wonder when she felt the call to missionary work.  One day after church her and her brothers ended up helping and escorting a less than accepted "shawlie" woman to her destination (shawlies was the term used for the poor who worked tirelessly in the linen mills).  Others from her church looked on in disgust and at first, Amy was embarrassed.  Then God got a hold of her heart and she decided she would serve others in any way that God called her to.  She began by starting bible studies with the local children from the "wrong side of the tracks."

Digital study guide homepage

Throughout all of her endeavors, God slowly grew Amy into a missionary who learned to listen to and trust Him.  Her initial station was supposed to be in China but her health dictated otherwise and she was unable to go when a doctor refused to give the okay with her health problems.  She ended up going to Japan but then God soon moved her on from there also.  Unknown to her at the time, Amy's final destination would be India where she ended up spending the rest of her life ministering to the people and children of that country.

Digital study guide includes guides and unit study with two parts

Amy ended up setting up a mission that housed over a hundred young girls and women and then later grew to house over eighty young boys and men.  Her life story is full of exciting adventures and God's mercy, grace, and provision. She never believed in begging for money and God always provided for what was needed in abundance.  Once even before she had prayed for the need!  I was continually fascinated with her determination and perseverance and God's constant provision always at the right time.

The digital study guide is invaluable in my opinion.  We have reviewed several of these books in the past and I have always LOVED the study guides.  They are very thorough and are easy to use and follow. You can complete all the activities or just pick and choose what works for your family.  It includes so much more than just a simple study guide.  In addition to chapter questions, it includes activities that cover creative writing, drama, movie critiquing, reading comprehension, essay writing, and history and geography concepts.

Sample guide TOC from digital study guide

Digital Study guide TOC

Curriculum areas covered in study guide

It really goes without saying that we give Amy Carmichael: Rescuer of Precious Gems a double thumbs up.  I highly recommend that you also purchase the available study guide.  You can connect with YWAM Publishing on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST.

Please also be sure to check out reviews from my fellow Crew members on this book and others available by clicking on the graphic link below.  You will be so blessed by these books!  You can also check out my other YWAM reviews at the following links:

• Heroes of History - Harriet Tubman
• Heroes Of History - Milton Hershey
• C.S. Lewis: Master Storyteller

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Adventures of Rush Revere REVIEW

We have been having so much fun reading the Adventures of Rush Revere Book Series from Adventures of Rush Revere #1 New York Times Bestselling Book Series by Rush and Kathryn-Adams Limbaugh.  This book series has been a fun journey in learning history while enjoying an entertaining story.  I have learned in our house that the best way to get retention and learning in history is to use autobiographies and entertaining stories like this series.



The books came packaged so nicely with a tied up ribbon.  There are 5 books in this series.  The hard backed books are of very nice quality.  The book jackets are very nice and colorful and the pages of the book are of a very heavy duty and glossy type paper.  These are books you will want to keep as part of your library for some time to come to use with the whole family.

Rush Revere is a comical character with his trusty horse Liberty.  The two of them along with the Time-Traveling Crew (Freedom, Cam and Tommy) go on many adventures through time learning about our United States History.  Liberty was struck by lightning and appeared in the present day and allows Rush and his Crew to travel back in time.  Liberty has a comical sense of humor and is able to make himself appear invisible by camouflaging himself into his surroundings.

The books are an easy read and I would recommend for ages 8-12.  As an adult I am really enjoying the series so of course older children would also enjoy the content. We choose to read these as read-alouds but my son would also pick it up on occasion and read on his own.  I would of course have to go back and "catch up" when he did this.  We have not completed the series yet due to "life occurrences" while we were working on this review (grandpa visited for a week among other things).  We would take about a week and a half or so per book.  My son is a slow reader and would probably easily complete a book per week.  An avid reader could complete in a day or two.



The series consists of:

• Rush Revere and the Star-Spangled Banner
• Rush Revere and the American Revolution
• Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims
• Rush Revere and the First Patriots
• Rush Revere and the Presidency

While reading the Star-Spangled Banner we learned so much more about our history.  While going on a field trip to Washington D.C. the Crew learned all about the nations capital, our constitution and the Bill of Rights.  Who is James Madison, Francis Scott Key or Betsy Ross?  What did they do and why are they important?  What is the meaning behind the song this book is named after?  Answers to these questions and so much more history were covered in this book. I also really like that there are pictures throughout the books.  Pictures of characters mixed in with real life pictures of actual monuments and places.

In Rush Revere and the American Revolution follow Rush, Liberty and the Crew as they travel back in time to visit Paul Revere and learn about the battles of Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill.  Cam learns to deal with his anger towards the fact that his dad is away serving in Afghanistan.  His mother, Danielle reaches out to Rush to ask him to help him understand.  Through all their adventures, Cam does come to understand and have a new respect for what his father is doing.

Travel back in time again to be aboard the Mayflower and learn about the Brave Pilgrims, Thanksgiving, Plymouth Rock and the history surrounding it all.  Who are William Bradford, Elder William Brewster and Myles Standish?  What was life like on the ship?  What is the Mayflower Compact?  It's a must read to find out!

Rush Revere and the First Patriots takes you back in time to British Rule and why our Patriots fought so hard for their freedoms. What were the 13 colonies and who were Samuel Adams, Ben Franklin and Patrick Henry?  What is the King's Stamp Act and why were the colonies opposed to it?  What was the Boston Massacre?  Learn about the Boston Tea Party and what the Intolerable Acts was.  This book has some overlapping themes that will help reinforce what was learned in some of the other books.

The last book on the Presidency covers the time of the first three presidents of the United States.  Learn about what went on during their time in office and about their wives and families. How decisions they made were important to the stabilization of the freedoms that had been fought for and how elections back then differed from today's elections.  Learn about the Louisiana Purchase and how it greatly expanded our territory.

I have nothing negative to say about these wonderful books.  They were easy reads that were entertaining and kept the attention of my 13 year old.  I enjoyed reading them myself and reliving parts of history in a fun and comical way.  Rush and Liberty keep you on your toes and a chuckle on your lips as you read through history.

You can connect with Adventures of Rush Revere on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and YOUTUBE.

Please be sure to check out the other reviews by clicking on the banner below.

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Iliad and Odyssey Complete Set REVIEW

My newest review is the Iliad and Odyssey Complete Set by Memoria Press.  We were so blessed to get this wonderful classical curriculum.  We only had a few weeks to review this set so of course we were not able to complete the entire curriculum but we made a dent in the Iliad.  I was able to look over The Odyssey for purposes of this review.  The set includes:

• Teacher Guide (one for each book)
• Student Guide (consumable for one student, one for each book)
• Both the Iliad and Odyssey books
• Instructional DVDs for both books

This set of books by the Greek poet Homer are translated by Samuel Butler. The authors of the books and study guides worked diligently to make the study available and useable by younger students.  This set is recommended for grades 7 - 12. The Teacher Guide and DVDs make these books very teachable even if you have not been exposed to any background studies on the subject. There are 48 books (chapters) total in the two books and it is recommended that you spend NO LESS than 4.5 hours per week for 18 weeks to cover the matierial.
The Teacher Guide has notes, answers to student questions, quizzes and tests. It explains the schedule recommended to follow, how the lessons are organized and a brief background on Homer. For each assignment the Teacher Guide covers some background, discussion help, answers to student questions, notes and essay and assignments.
The Student Guide covers each book (chapter) and identifies places and characters, asks comprehensive questions, includes quotations, and ends with discussion questions for each book. The lessons are fairly short (only 10 comprehensive questions). . The DVDs have an overview teaching of each book by Sean Brooks who is a teacher of classical studies and Latin.  The lessons are about 30 - 40 minutes long and each DVD set begins with and Introduction Lesson that sets the stage for the book.  The remaining lessons on the DVDs are meant to be watched after reading each book (chapter). The lessons review what was read and give more insight into what the book was all about.

This study is specifically designed to be taught to a younger student but with my 7th grader who is a struggling learner I found that it was still a little too much for him.  The problem for us is that he does not have a great attention span and the lessons ended up being too long.  The "books" or chapters were not all the same length and therefore some lessons were short or average while others were quite long.  Between the reading, student questions and video lesson, it was just too long.  We ended up breaking it up but then it was a little difficult for him to stay focused on what had been read in the review on the video.  I think in our case he just got overwhelmed and shut down.  For us I think this would be much better done as a unit study type with no other subjects covered.  Probably great for us for a summer "project" where he didn't have any other strict core curriculum studies to cause him to be so overwhelmed.  I also think for us we will shelve this study till possibly 9th grade.  I feel he will be better prepared and more able to stick with it at that age.

That being said, I really liked the curriculum and think it is an excellent resource for Greek study.  I personally feel it is best suited for 8-10th grade.  Perhaps their rating for 7-12 grade covers the diverse ability of homeschooled students.  A strong learner at 7th grade could easily cover this material and a struggling learner like my child would no doubt have a much better time with this during 11th or 12th grade.
You can connect with Memoria Press on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, and PINTEREST.
Please take a moment to check out my fellow crew member reviews on this set and others available at Memoria Press.  They have some WONDERFUL classical education resources.  You will be glad you did!