World at War, 1944 - Review of a Magic Tree House Super Edition

by Mary Pope Osborne

Synopsis:




In World at War, 1944, a Magic Tree House Super Edition, Jack and Annie are transported to World War II by the Magic Tree House.  Europe is in trouble and they must go behind enemy lines to crack a code that could save a lot of lives. And.... this has to be accomplished before D-Day - which is the day after they are transported back in time to England, then parachute into Normandy, France. 



 

June 6, 1944

Sometime after midnight, 100,000 allied soldiers invade by sea & air to drive the Nazis out of France. It was to be the beginning of the end of World War II.

Super Edition Books from the Magic Tree House Series

 

Magic Tree House Books

This particular book is one of the Super Edition books, which goes beyond the story about Jack & Annie's adventures in time just prior to D-Day. With a longer story and additional facts and photographs, the Super Edition books also give facts about that point in time.  In World at War, 1944, young readers in the age group 7 to 10 years learn about spies and the resistance movement in France, the National Pigeon Service where trained carrier pigeons carried secret messages, and what life was like for the people of France during the second World War when their country was occupied by German forces. 

Background for the Magic Tree House Adventures

The Magic Tree House adventures for Jack and his sister Annie began one day in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania when a mysterious tree house filled with books appeared in the woods behind their house. Jack & Annie soon discover it was magic and that they could go to any time and place in history just by pointing to a picture in one of the books. As you read the Magic Tree House series, you will see how this magic came to be.

In each Magic Tree House book Jack & Annie are able to travel to various points in time.  They touch a picture of the place they want to go, say the magic words "I wish we could go there" and.... the wind begins to blow, the tree house spins, then everything is absolutely still.... and they are there!  This is also how they return home!

Why I Purchased "World at War, 1944".

David with his first Magic Tree House Book

In March, my young grandson, David, visited 'grandma's house with his family.  While the family was here in Coastal Georgia, we toured Fort Pulaski, a Civil War monument located east of Savannah, GA. David was quite fascinated with the cannons and the rooms set up in historical representation of that time in history. At the end of our tour, we stopped in the 'gift shop' and David found the Magic Tree House adventure about the Civil War. He was absolutely delighted with that book, so much so that he carried it everywhere their entire vacation and had read it 3 times before they left for home at the end of the week. You can read my review of that book, Civil War On Sunday, here on Review This!

David and his Birthday Book

David had his 8th birthday coming up the following month, so I'd asked him what he'd like to have and he pointed out the next Magic Tree House book he wanted, in a list at the back of the Civil War book.  He picked the next war history he wanted to learn about -- World War II and D-Day. This image shows David with his birthday book ~ World at War, 1944! And this is my review of the book, which I read before I mailed it to David in his birthday package from grandma. 

Happy Birthday.... and Happy Reading, David!

World at War, 1944 (Magic Tree House Super Edition

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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The Potter's Lady - Book 2 of Refined by Love Series Reviewed

Last week, I reviewed The Brickmaker's Bride from the Refined by Love series by Judith Miller.  If you haven't had a chance to read that review, I invite you to visit that review since that book is the foundation for the entire series.

The Potter's Lady picks up the story two years later from where The Brickmaker's Bride ended.  If you haven't read the first book in the series, this article will be a spoiler.  However, The Potter's Lady would be a delightful read regardless of whether you have read the first book.  It can easily stand on it's own merit.

This Christian historical fiction takes us back to the late 1800's where women were not encouraged to explore the working world.  Outside of being seamstresses or house help, there were very few acceptable jobs for women and none of them were considered proper for women in high society.

Review of The Potter's Lady

Rose has just graduated from Philadelphia School of Design for Women and she is quite anxious to get back home to her family, her place of security and love.  Because she is an Irish immigrant, she was not well received by the other girls in the school.  They took every opportunity to make fun of her and to remind her that, regardless of her connections with the Woodfield family, she is still an outcast in high society. 

 The Potter's Lady (Refined by Love)As soon as she sees her brother, Ewan, she knows something is wrong.  She insists that he tell her what has upset him.  When he finally relents and shares the latest news from home, Rose is distressed to hear that Ewan has been forced out of the family brickyard business.  Since he was never made a partner as promised, when Uncle Hugh died, his wife, Margaret became the sole owner and she had her own plans for the business.  On the train ride home Ewan needs to stop to visit two other businesses that are for sale.  He hopes to start over and would like his sister's help in deciding which company would be the best investment.

They visit both a small brickyard and a pottery works company.  Even though all of Ewan's experience has been in a brickyard, the family decides to purchase the pottery company instead.  Since Rose is an artist and Ewan has management and contract negotiating experience, the family believes they would make a great team in a new business.  That decision is also based on not wanting to compete with Margaret's brickyard and potentially causing a greater divide in their extended family.

At her graduation party, Rose reconnects with Joshua Harkness.  His family also owns a pottery works in another city and she believes he might have some insight to help her succeed.  Joshua has other ideas of his own and starts courting Rose, but he also takes a mistress who happens to be Ewan's daughter's nanny.  

Rylan Campbell is a longtime employee of the pottery works that Ewan and Rose purchase.  He is key to helping them grasp the intricacies of the pottery works business.  Rose immediately sees several changes that need to be made to the daily business.  She desires a cleaner environment, as well as a school for the children working at the pottery works.  She gets a tremendous amount of resistance from the workers and even though Rylan doesn't like change, he strives to help Rose implement her ideas.   Rose and Ewan's twin sisters come to the factory to set up the school that will teach around the children's work schedules.

In spite of their hard work and factory changes, the pottery works can't seem to land any new contracts.  That is, of course, detrimental to the success and longevity of the company.  When Rose hears of a contest with a reward of a huge pottery contract, Rose and Rylan go to work on a new design that they hope will win.  However, just as before, Joshua Harkness has other ideas and plans.


My Recommendation 

As I said in the introduction, this book can easily stand on it's own merit.  Honestly, I enjoyed reading this book more than The Brickmaker's Bride, but I was glad I knew the family background, especially where Margaret was concerned.   It was also nice to already be familiar with the history of how Ewan and his family came to America and met the Woodfields.



Reviews of the Books in the Refined by Love Series

The Brickmaker's Bride Book Review

The Artisan's Wife Book Review 

Read More Book Reviews at
ReviewThisBooks.com

The Potter's Lady Book Review Written by:

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Quick Flip Questions for Critical Thinking Charts: A Review

What Ever Happened to Critical Thinking in Education?

As we look around our American universities and the streets of many cities, we see that many people no longer care about critical thinking or examining any opposing opinions. In fact, you don't have to look any farther than social media to see that.  Yet schools used to teach logic and critical thinking. As recently as a few years ago, when I was still selling books online, my best seller was a small flip chart: Quick Flip Questions for Critical Thinking. Recently, its publisher, Edupress, sold its educational supply business to another supplier. Fortunately, it's still available for home, school, and business use.

Top Selling Critical Thinking Aid for Students, Educators, Writers, and Speakers
Collage of my scans edited on PicMonkey

When I Was Still Selling Teaching Resources Directly, This Flew Off My Shelves and I Shipped It All Over the Country.

Several years ago when I got my Edupress dealer catalog, it had a new item in it -- a small chart called Quick Flip Questions for Critical Thinking. I decided to try a few of them and listed it in my catalog. 

The results amazed me. It quickly became a best seller. Large school districts were ordering it in volume so they could give one to every teacher in the district. I discovered that education professors were giving workshops and recommending that everyone in the workshops buy this little chart. 

'Critical Thinking' Shirt with black text

Why is this inexpensive little chart so valuable to educators?

This handy chart, which is easily held in one hand, started a stampede of educators to get it because it took the work of Benjamin Bloom and made it easy to understand and refer to. Quick Flip Questions for Critical Thinking was the work of Linda G. Barton, who based it on the original Bloom’s Taxonomy. 

This little spiral bound chart can be held in the hand while teaching a class or leading a discussion. It doesn’t take up much room on a teacher’s desk when he or she is planning a lesson or writing a test. As you can see in the photo to the left, it has a separate page for each level of thinking in the cognitive domain. If a teacher wants to make sure her test or discussion questions and lesson plans cover each level, all she has to do is flip from page to page.

This Mug Will Remind You or Someone Else to Think Critically 

Do you know someone who needs it? 

Demand Evidence Think Critically Coffee Mug

As you can see in the picture below, each page is easy to flip open. On the other side of the page you open is a definition of the level of knowledge that page covers — in this case, Comprehension. Under the definition is a list of keywords — verbs– that tell how one would demonstrate mastery of this level of knowledge: eg. classify, explain, outline, summarize, etc. Under the spiral are open-ended questions that students would need comprehension to be able to answer.  

This little chart is so useful it finds its way into the hands of workshop leaders, Bible discussion leaders, and even writers. Why writers? It helps them organize writing, and its questions can also act as writing prompts when writer's block attacks. The questions can encourage you to take your topic in a new direction. 

A New Flip Chart Appears

Quick Flip Questions for Critical Thinking was so popular that more flip charts were introduced. People loved the original Quick Flip Questions for Critical Thinking but had also been requesting an updated version. Before long, it was followed by Quick Flip Questions for the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy. While it was still new, I sold more of these than of the original flip chart. But soon others discovered what I already knew -- this dirty little secret.

There is nothing new in this updated version. The words for the headings have been changed, but "Creating" has the same material as "Synthesis" had in the original version, and everything else that appears different is just in a different order. The levels of the cognitive domain of learning have been divided by the authors into these levels: Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, and Creating.

Either of these handy resources helps one improve thinking skills at any age with the flip of a page. Either is an indispensable tool that helps teachers write lesson plans, master Bloom's Taxonomy, and develop higher levels of thinking. It will help students develop analytic skills. They will learn to ask their teachers the right questions and to see through some of the nonsense they will find in their social media feeds.

How to Use the Flip Charts at Home

You Can Even Use the Flip Charts at Home
Photo © B. Radisavljevic

There are many ways to use the flip charts in families. They can even help improve child/parent communication. There are both threatening and non-threatening ways to ask questions. If it's your words which put children in a defensive stance (not your tone of voice), this resource can help you frame your questions in a way that may not raise the same barriers to communication. (I would not hold the book in your hand for these encounters. Learn the most useful questions and keep them in your head.)

Homeschoolers will also find these charts valuable. I still like the original version best. Home educators should get a copy for each child of middle school age and older. When the parent assigns reading she can also have the children answer one or two Level IV-VI questions orally or in writing afterward. After the family watches a video, TV commercial, or show together, maybe one of these Level IV and VI Questions would be appropriate to discuss together at the end:

1. How would you prove...? disprove? 
2. What choice would you have made?
3. How is _____ related to...?
4. What motive is there?

Parents need to help children get into the habit of analyzing what the media puts in front of them instead of just accepting it at face value. 

Why Not Get one of these Handy Critical Thinking Tools Now?

Edupress EP-504 Questions for Critical Thinking Quick Flip Resource, 0.38Quick Flip Questions for the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy

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Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Killers of the Flower Moon Reviewed

When Life For The Osage Should Have Become Easier

Perhaps The Flower Moon (image courtesy of Pixabay.com)

It isn't often that I read a non-fiction book but this was an exception so, today I will be reviewing the book Killers Of The Flower Moon by David Grann. It would be difficult to say that I enjoyed this book because the subject matter is more than just a little disturbing; however, I will say instead that I found it fascinating and heartbreaking. 

This book tells about the Osage Indians and the disturbing events that occurred on their reservation in Oklahoma during the 1920s. One might think that by this time the atrocities toward the Indians of North America would have been over. One might be mistaken. Yes, it was after the Indian Wars. Yes, it was after the tribes had been herded off to reservations like a bunch of cattle. Unfortunately, even in the 20th century many white men were not finished with their inhumanity towards the native peoples of the North American continent, in this case the Osage Indians. 

Mr. Grann does a remarkable job of detailing these horrible acts against the tribe. There were greedy people taking unfair advantage and there were murders of the Osage people for one reason: money. You see, it just so happened that the reservation that was created for the Osage tribe turned out to be more than just a rocky barren place for them to eek a living on. There was oil under those rocks! Lots of oil! 

Killers Of The Flower Moon

Typically in the history of the US if there was something of value that was found on an Indian Reservation our government would find a way to take it away from them. An instance would be the gold that was found in the Black Hills. At the time of that discovery the Black Hills was a part of the Sioux reservations. In order to get that precious land back, the government came up with an allotment system which forced the Indians to become land owners but there was a twist. In the guise of being fair, there would be a few parcels of land that would be alloted to non-indians (whites). Should we be surprised that the plots of land that had the gold on them would be the ones that were allotted to non-indians?

The allotment system had been dismissed by the government for quite a long time in the early 20th century. There was a push to get the "heathens" to better assimilate into the white culture and it finally became the Osage Indians turn to get serious about leaving their old ways. What the government did not know but the Osage did was that there was oil on their land. In a rather clever set of negotiations between the government and the tribe, a deal was struck. The Osage would agree to the allotment system but (and this is a huge BUT) they wanted the sole rights to the minerals on the land. And that my friends is where the Osage pulled one over on the men who thought they were pulling one over on them. After the agreement was signed, the Osage announced the discovery of oil. It would appear that the Osage had won!

Suddenly, the Osage people were rich, filthy rich! They built mansions, they drove brand new automobiles, they dressed in fine clothing and they hired servants. In the eyes of many white men this was absolutely unacceptable! So, it was declared that the Indians were not smart enough to handle their own money. The whites couldn't take the oil rich land away but they could control the money and keep a lot of it for themselves. It gets worse!

Mr. Grann walks us through the events of a time known as The Reign of Terror by the Osage. He tells of the deceit and wicked ways that many followed to get that money from the Osage people. Some married an Osage in order to get their grimy hands on the oil money. Some, even systematically ended the lives of the Osage so that the division of the monies grew as there were less to receive it.

This is not a pretty story. It is a factual one and a heartbreaking one but it is not pretty. If you like to read about real history, this might be a book that you will find fascinating. It is often times difficult to read about the dark side of humanity; however, it can also be enlightening. 

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Recommended Summer Reading for Dog Lovers

My summer vacation is fast approaching and I am happily preparing for it by gathering several books perfect for easy, summer reading. My plan is to spend much of my vacation relaxing, lost in books. As a person who loves dogs, I am choosing one of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books that focuses on dogs. The Chicken Soup for the Soul series are reliably comforting books with uplifting stories. In this review, I will share some of those titles focused on dogs. 

Not Familiar with the Chicken Soup for the Soul Books?

Chicken Soup for the Soul books have been around since the 1990's. The founders created the series with the thought that people can help people via the sharing of their personal stories. Since that time, they have published hundreds of books, selling millions of copies. Each book is focused on a different theme. And each book is a compilation of stories from every day people who have a story to share within that theme.

Why Read Stories About Dogs?

Dogs are our companions. Our guardians. Our best friends and our babies. I have recently been fortunate enough to witness some people doing really good things for dogs. 

I have watched people organizing huge events to do fund-raising for the organizations that care for dogs. And I have watched individuals repeatedly foster individual dogs until permanent homes are found. Whether it is in huge numbers, or only one person and one dog at a time, I have been witness to the love we have for our dogs.

At this time in my life, and during this time in the world, I want to spend my vacation immersed in stories that are loving and uplifting. Stories that take me away to happy places. Chicken Soup for the Soul stories sometimes include stories of grief and loss. But that grief and loss has meaning. Not the display of trauma and loss for ratings and site visits rather an exploration of the meaning of love and loss. I have not yet chosen the dog stories book I will be reading during my vacation, but I am familiar with this series of books and know that I can depend on what types of stories I will find in the newest copy being added to my library.

Related Links about Dogs from Review This! Contributors

The writers at Review This! love their dogs. In fact, several of us have dogs named Daisy. Below are links to some of the dog-related articles we have written.

My Daisy is a small dog with a short coat. She is a rat terrier. And while she loves being outdoors during all season, I provide a coat or sweater for her during the coldest months so that she can remain warm during our winter outdoor adventures. You can meet my Daisy in my article about Sweater & Jacket Choices for Dogs Who Need Them.

Susan shares her pick of Patriotic Dog Bandanas, Collars, and Clothes.  With patriotic and summer holidays upon us, check out this fun ideas for your holiday dog. Whether your dog is a fast and furious, frisbee-fetching machine, or a dainty little girl-dog in a dress, you will find something in her article for your dog. The adorable photos alone are worth a click. A very important note: Susan shares that July 5th is the day of the highest number of admissions of dogs to animal shelters. And she reminds us to take extra caution with our dogs during fireworks season.

Puppies. Who doesn't love a puppy?  But wow, potty-training a puppy can be so frustrating. And potentially damaging to your home as well as your sanity. Beverly has found a solution. She reviews the Puppy Potty Trainer - the system her family members chose to use for their new four-legged addition to their family. Beverly shared something I hadn't considered previously: when traveling or visiting with a new puppy during the potty-training stage, a portable and familiar potty system that can be taken into unfamiliar settings can aide in the potty training. Such a wonderful idea (and probably very welcomed by the home owners the puppy is visiting!).

Wednesday Elf wrote a wonderful Review of Greeting Cards for Pet Lovers. While she reviews a variety of sources of unique greeting cards for both dog and cat lovers, I was drawn to the adorable greeting cards she highlighted from the AfricanGrey store. That artist clearly loves Boston Terriers, but also offers a variety of dog breeds on these greeting cards. While browsing the site I saw cards for many different occasions. Including adorable Wedding Boxers, 

And last but absolutely not least - 

Dog lovers know that the best thing about a dog is loving a dog and the worst thing about loving a dog is when that dog passes. Our dogs are such intregal part of our lives that the void they leave when they are gone is enormous. Barbara shares with us both a loving memorial of her little "Girl Dog" and a wonderful wall decal. Every Time I Lose a Dog is a loving tribute to the dogs we've loved and lost. 

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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