Insightful recounting of the Salem Witch trials

Excellent recounting of one of the darkest periods in Colonial history; the Salem Witch Trials. Painstakingly researched, Peni Jo Renner tells the story of one family and how the the witch hunt affected each person. She starts at the beginning, with the first teenage girls afflicted and describes how it travels through the entire community. Whether spawned from ignorance, malice, or jealousy, the accusations spread to affect an entire population. No one was safe, men, women and children were thrown into prison to rot and eventually be hung. Many confessed out of sheer terror, while others self righteously clung to their innocence, to die on the scaffold or in other hideous ways. The pressing death of Giles Corey was retold in horrific detail, as was Dorcas Goods and Rebecca's slow descent into madness. Graphic, realistic, and heart breaking, Renner captures the breakdown of society as neighbors turn against each other, using the laws of God and humanity to punish and destroy without conscience. This is the story of one family who faced the fires of this countries inquisition and emerged to once again find solace in their faith. A great book.

Happy Reading! 
Carole P. Roman

Black Friday Specials!

Black Friday Deals!!!

I Can Do Yoga Too, Captain No Beard, Stuck In The Doldrums, Pepper Parrot's Problem With Patience, If You Were Me And Lived In South Korea, Strangers On The High Seas, If You Were Me And Lived In Mexico, and If You Were Me And Lived In France are ALL free Friday and Saturday!

Great lessons that packs a powerful punch!

"No more" is a page from the life of every parent I know. There is always that one kid who torments everyone else in the class. I grew up with it, my brothers, my husband, my sons and now I watch my kids struggle with the same issue as their children go off to school. Just like the Mom in the book we teach our children to respect others, do not fight, go to the other side of the playground when Timmy, Johnny, or Josh is spoiling for a fight. But somehow, like the shark from Jaws, the bully seeks out the weaker child, the well behaved one, the sweet kid, and makes their life miserable. Dr. Shomer has the conflicted angst of both mother and child down to a tee. He also is able to tap into the bully's disastrous home life as well. He humanizes Josh, giving the explanation for his aggression without maudlin excuses. The mom reacts by sending her son to to learn martial arts. By teaching him how to protect himself, and by giving him tools, he is able to build his confidence, but fear still holds him back. Sam is fine fighting in the safe confines of his school with a teacher he trusts, but he is afraid to use these new skills on his bully. Mario, the instructor has taught him to tap three times when he needs to stop aggression in his partner, but Sam knows that Josh does not respect boundaries and his fear is holding him back. When at last, like a heat seeking missile, Josh pursues and then attacks Sam, Sam repeats the mantra he has learned at Judo school. "No more, no more..." and suppressing his fear he is able to fight back. Predictably, our bully runs away, with his tail between his legs, as we knew he would. I felt the same thrill reading the words as when I punched a bully in the eye for tormenting my baby brother, who is legally blind. I didn't realize I was holding my breath,until it rushed out of me and the memory of the shocked face of my brother's persecutor flashed into my mind. I swear my adrenaline was just as pumped as Sam's.

Dr. Shomer, relates the story in a concise, no frills fashion, and in the afterword admits that is his own experience. This book is a permission slip, letting parents know we have to change our tactics as our children leave the house and armor them against the sociopaths who fail to follow the basic rules of society. Dr. Shomer is a realist and this book should be required reading for all parents so we can stop the tidal wave of bullying that has made our children's playgrounds a minefield.

Happy Reading!
Carole P. Roman

Gorgeous and Informative tour of Tudor England

Delightful trip through England during the Tudor time period. Lipscomb is a knowledgeable and informative tour guide who explains the importance of each building, describing who lived there and how it looked. With a chatty prose, you feel as you are walking through each building and she is pointing out places of interest from four hundred years to today. I have been to many of the buildings and her interesting antidotes make for memorable information to file away with all the other trivia we share with others. She manages to even bring up contemporary use ( Harry Potter movies) for those whose eyes glaze over when discussing history. Not only could I smell the kitchens, hear the horses hooves and see Henry's glittering court, the small chapters connected the north, east, south and west of England into a beautiful tapestry, held together in almost a living history. Wherever Suzannah Lipscomb chooses to go next; count me along for the ride!

Happy Reading!
Carole P. Roman

Golden Grasses Review

The illustrations are simple and delightful, and each book features a boy and a girl that "guide" you throughout the book. At the end of each book is a pronunciation guide.

 

While these books are recommended for ages pre-K through 3rd grade, they would be a simple introduction to geography for older children too. In addidtion to geography studies, these books would be a great addition to a study on cultures or even as you pray for and study people around the world. Flower (10) loved them, "they were pretty cute!," and read them immediately when the package arrived. She also wanted me to read them to her, which I did, talking about pronunciation, differences and holidays as we went. 

Hopefully, Ms. Roman will continue adding to this series; great learning, disguised as a good read. Click to read more!

If You Were Me and Lived In...

As you may or may not know, I wrote my If You Were Me and Lived In... book series based on people who I have encountered in my everyday life. Everywhere I go, it seems like people want to tell me about their lives and where they come from. This excites me as a writer of children's literature.

Recently, I was interviewed in my hometown about the ideas behind my books. I want to share that article with you. You can find it HERE. Enjoy!

-Carole P. Roman

You can find my books:
Amazon
Goodreads

Review: If You Were Me and Lived In … Norway – An Introduction to Learning About Other Cultures

"Another book in the worldwide series, this twenty-eight page paperback book is targeted toward preschool to early elementary school children and readers who like to learn words from other countries. With no profanity, scary scenes, or violence, the book would best be read to beginner readers based on some of the more complicated, lengthy words. The sophomoric illustrations are easy to decipher and cover the complete page with a nicely sized wording font. There is a page at the end of the book on how to pronounce certain words.

Norway is an interesting place if you lived there. Besides having its capital as Oslo, the reader learns it contains three hundred and forty-three lakes with two rivers. With beautiful views of the colorful aurora borealis, it is home of the Kirkenes Snowhotel, completely made out of snow and ice including its furniture.

With plenty to do such as snowmobile, ice fishing, and riding a dogsled pulled by up to eighty huskies or dogs, there is also skiing, which has been enjoyed there for over four thousand years. One of the best days of the year is the seventeenth of May called Syttend Mai, the country’s independence day." Read more at bookpleasures.com!