Reading list expansion: The Time Machine and War of the Worlds.

Published in 1895, The Time Machine is an adventure tale that introduces us to the science fiction of the time machine, and is also an adventure tale about the Eloi and Morlocks in the year 802,701 AD. Many of the concepts in the novel are an imaginative expansion of

Thomas Huxley's ideas about entropy and decay in society.

Published in 1898, War of the Worlds is the first novel that ever explored the idea that other planets not only have intelligent life, but that those life forms might engage the people of earth in less than friendly interaction. Aliens land on British soil, and that leads to themes of interplanetary imperialism, technological holocaust and chaos. (Here's a helpful link to a site that discusses the Orson Welles radio broadcast in 1938.)

And here's a link to some strong review format H.G. Wells quizzes.

Expanding the school reading list.

We're fortunate that E's middle school experience has thus far been a rewarding one, but an area where we perceive a weakness is the reading list. So these are the first two books we're adding for the 2009 reading log:

White Sands, Red Menace by Ellen Klages - A sequel to The Green Glass Sea. It is 1946, and Dewey Kerrigan is now living near the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico with the Gordon family. Dewey and her "sister" Suze, share secrets, art, and science as they adjust to high school in an isolated desert town. Then, Dewey's long-lost mother, Rita Gallucci, reappears in their lives.

and

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt - A teenage boy's mishaps and adventures over the course of the 1967-68 school year. Holling Hood is a seventh-grader at Camillo Junior High who must spend Wednesday afternoons with his teacher. Holling finds Motivation in the most unexpected places and musters up the courage to embrace his destiny in spite of himself. Here is a helpful bookdweeb post.

Also, if you're seeking books for a middle school age kid whether home schooled or not, this list of eighth grade novels is exceptional.

Call of the Wild.

Buck did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was
brewing, not alone for himself, but for every tidewater dog, strong of muscle
and with warm, long hair, from Puget Sound to San Diego. Because men, groping in
the Arctic darkness, had found a yellow metal, and because steamship and
transportation companies were booming the find, thousands of men were rushing
into the Northland. These men wanted dogs, and the dogs they wanted were heavy
dogs, with strong muscles by which to toil, and furry coats to protect them from
the frost.

Reading comprehension quiz.

Decent research guide...scroll down.

This is a landscape by E., who is taking art in middle school this year, along with private lessons twice a month, and a class in sumi-e beginning next week. It's a good idea...so we theorize...to go for broke where your student is truly interested. Learning technique, different approaches, ideas, methods...it can't hurt.

Thanks to so many for checking this site so often, and come back, because we'll start updating Judging From His Tracks soon.

Visit Desert Plume.

E. is taking a break through the beginning of August. Please check out Desert Plume, her art and manga page, and also look at her current interest--the phenomenon of artist trading cards.

Summer stats.

We love Triple A baseball, which in addition to being fun and relaxing is also a great way to keep the mind limber over the summer....you can keep a scorecard, learn the strategy of the game, and begin to grasp statistics.

Jack Cassel of the Round Round Express signed a game used ball right at the sweet spot. Players in the minor league are very approachable, pleasant folks...maybe the big ego comes with the big league.

The Chronicles of Narnia. All of them!

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Horse and His Boy
The Magician's Nephew
The Last Battle

As an end to her homeschool year, E. finished the complete Chronicles of Narnia. Here is a fine HarpersCollins reading guide to the entire series.

Here are some good reading comprehension quizzes; you can choose the level of difficulty. You might also want to take a look at this interesting piece by Adam Gopnik in the New Yorker. And from Salon, a look by writer Laura Miller at why she thinks The Land of Oz is quite a bit less compelling than Narnia.

To all of you who homeschool and unschool your kids, have a wonderful summer! We'll certainly be updating this site as we proceed through June, July and August 2008, but this is the last day of our school-year program. Best wishes to all.