Growing up as a gifted child is not easy, as those whose unusual abilities cause them to be segregated from their less-capable peers will tell you. And tell us they do, in If I’m So Smart, Why Aren’t the Answers Easy, a collaboration by two experts with extensive experience in teaching and counseling gifted teens.… Continue reading Encouragement for the Gifted Student
The Case for Apologetics in Women’s Ministry
What do you believe about God and why do you believe it? If you are a woman who can answer this question confidently, you are in a minority. And churches need to do a better job of addressing the lack of theological foundations that affects women’s ability to articulate, defend, and share. At least, that… Continue reading The Case for Apologetics in Women’s Ministry
Whole30 Cookbook Fail
Disclosure: I do not own It Starts With Food CookBook: The Low Sugar Gluten-Free & Whole Food CookBook – 40 Delicious & Healthy Recipes Your Family Will Love. And I do not intend to purchase it — for two reasons. First and foremost, the book violates the copyright and trademarks of the Dallas and Melissa… Continue reading Whole30 Cookbook Fail
iSushi — customer service fail
I would really love to comment on the food at iSushi, but, unfortunately, I can’t. You see, I never got served. My teenage sons and I arrived at the restaurant tonight at 20:45 for a late dinner and were seated after a slight delay … which should have been a red flag, since there were… Continue reading iSushi — customer service fail
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Warning: This review may contain spoilers; if you have not seen the movie and haven’t read the book, please do not read further if you do not want key plot points revealed to you. If you are going to see The Hobbit, and you expect a straightforward, word-for-word and scene-by-scene rendering of the book into… Continue reading The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Casual Vacancy
The first thing that must be said about The Casual Vacancy is that it is an adult book. It explores adult themes in adult language from an adult or near-adult viewpoint. Those who read the Harry Potter canon and expected that Rowling’s first adult novel would be a nice, clean morality tale for grown-ups —… Continue reading The Casual Vacancy
Girl on Top
Maybe if I were younger, more sophisticated, or more trendy, Girl on Top would have resonated more with me. Part of it was the language … if you’re not accustomed to rough language, this book is going to hit you right between the eyes. And part of it was that the books is rife with… Continue reading Girl on Top
Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys
Wild Things is a fabulous manual for rearing boys. Authors James and Thomas first explain the fives stages of a boy’s development, and then detail how parents can help their sons grown through these stages to become strong, confident, capable men. Each section is replete with examples of how a boy may act in each… Continue reading Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys
I’m Outnumbered!
Laura Lee Groves celebrates all the reasons that boys — for all their wild, crazy, messy, rambunctious ways — are a wonderful blessing to parent. She does not gloss over the challenges, and her book is, in fact, full of excellent ideas for handling the challenges as they arise (and even for forestalling a few… Continue reading I’m Outnumbered!
Hands-On Engineering
This exciting project manual for grades 4-7 is well-designed and includes a variety of fascinating projects that will engage the interest of a diverse population of students. It would be an excellent adjunct for the homeschooling parent who wished to augment the regular science curriculum for a particularly gifted or scientifically-inclined child. Each project is… Continue reading Hands-On Engineering