How Three Brothers Saved the Navy

How Three Brothers Saved the Navy, by Charles A. Salter

(The Kare Kids Adventures #3)

(Outskirts Press, 2016), pb., 111 pp.

Think of the Hardy Boys in a military family and you have a good idea of what this book is like. Three brothers- Matt (12 yrs old), Ryan (10 yrs old), and Jake (8 yrs old)- like to play like they are Force Recon Marines drawing from various things they have learned from their father who is a Captain in the U.S. Navy. In one of their adventures they stumble across a terrorist plot to destroy US aircraft carriers using HALO jumpers. In the ensuing adventure the boys display heroism, courage, teamwork and perseverance as they help to foil the terrorist attempt.

This was a fun read and my 10 year old daughter and nine year old son loved it. Some will probably scoff at the idea of boys this age accomplishing what is recorded in this story or even fret over suggesting to other children that they should seek to take on armed enemies. Such people will miss the point of the book. Is the accomplishment of these boys outlandish? Of course! But that is part of the point. It isn’t likely that any of our children will discover a new world in the back of one of our wardrobes or closets and become kings or queens of those worlds. Nor are we suggesting they find wolves or witches to kill. Rather we want them to be inspired by the courage, initiative and care for others demonstrated in these stories. Salter’s story succeeds well in this goal as he portrays hard working confident children who engage the outdoors, work together and are attentive to their surroundings.

We really enjoyed this book and commend it to you.

Pirate Island Adventure

Pirate Island Adventure, by Peggy Parish

(Yearling, 1975), pb., 167 pp.

Ages 6-10

This is the third in the “Liza, Bill, & Jed Mysteries” series. I commented on the first in this series, Key to the Treasure, previously. Having enjoyed the first one so much we wanted to read another and since we did not have (or have lost!) the second book we moved on to the third.

This story is very similar to Key to the Treasure with the same strengths: fun, simple story, mystery, adventure and good family interaction. Adults will notice that the author has basically used the template from a previous, successful book to write another one much like it. For adult-level writing that could be a critique, but in this case I have no qualms at all. It is what I often do in making up stories for my children. And, when this results in a fun story which is enjoyed by all, then it is a success.

I will also take this opportunity to comment further on something which is true in both books. The positive interaction of children and grandparents is very nice. In a day where there too often seems to be less interaction between children and older adults, the portrait of this book is encouraging.

Furthermore, the children have to take initiative, work, and think creatively. They have their squabbles with one another but, in the end, resolve them well. These are fun books well worth reading.

The Lost World

The LostWorld, Arthur Conan Doyle
(Hodder & Stoughton, 1912; many reprints)

Ages 10 & up

My older boys (ages 16, 15, 13) read this for school recently, and we had some great conversations about it. They really enjoyed the book and my 10 year old loved sitting in on the conversations (I didn’t realize how much he was listening in until one day he was in tears when mom called him away for another task and he pleaded to be able to sit in on the older boys’ discussion).

Readers will probably recognize Doyle as the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, though we read that Doyle himself preferred Challenger, the main character of this story and some others, to Holmes. I have now read two non-Sherlock books of Doyle’s and really enjoyed them both (the other is The Refugees).

This story centers on the discovery of prehistoric animals in a remote area of South America. Professor Challenger journeyed to this area and got just a glimpse. Upon his return to England he was mocked for his claims, so eventually an expedition sets out to verify these claims and much adventure results. The adventure, suspense and humor made this a very entertaining story. Doyle obviously knew how to tell a good story. My boys said they enjoyed it immensely.

The story also provides opportunities for a number of good conversations. The book assumes the truthfulness of evolution and the expedition discovers a “missing link,” ape-humanoid tribe. This provided us with good conversations on whether the stories portrayal actually fits the evolutionary schema and even what suffices for good evidence (the Veritas Press Omnibus IV curriculum was quite helpful here).

The characters were also vivid and ripe for discussion. Professor Challenger is so arrogant as to be laughable in many places. Professor Summerlee is more humble but both men are assured of the reign of scientific explanation, relying on reason alone. Lord John Roxton is the prototypical man of action- industrious, courageous and honorable. Though intelligent, he is not as aware of or interested in the academic subtleties. He is, however, just the man you’d want on a dangerous adventure. He was the favorite character of my boys. Lastly, the narrator, Edward Malone is a journalist who is the novice in both science and adventure. He undertakes the journey in an effort to win the affection of young woman, and along the way demonstrates good common sense and bravery.

There are several fine print editions, as well as this free Kindle edition which I used and liked. We commend the book to you heartily. 

Amazing Tales Not so Amazingly Told

Amazing Tales for Making Men Out of Boys, Neil Oliver

(William Morrow, 2009), hb., 364 pp.

Ages 7+

Last year I wrote a post on this book just after purchasing the volume. I quoted the back of the book (which is what induced me to buy the book) and wrote, “How can a book that says this not be good!” Sadly, I must now write to say in answer, “They found a way.” In spite of the inspiring writing on the book cover this is not a very good book and I cannot recommend it. I like the concept but the execution was poor.

The biggest problem with the book is its total lack of a moral compass. I had seen criticism of the book along the lines that it simply gloried in men dying in combat. I dismissed the critique at the time expecting that it came from people who failed to consider the value of self-sacrifice in this way. Now, I appreciate the criticism. Without a moral compass nobility and valor are hard to distinguish. Various comments in the book demonstrate carelessness for real values apart from dying bravely. For example homosexuality among Spartan young men is discussed casually without any moral judgment. Profanity is sprinkled liberally throughout. This is not what I want to read to my boys.

Related to this, the book does not sound like it is really written to boys. Quite a bit of information is assumed and even examples used relate more to adult men. It sounds like a conversation between adult men which they imagine will resonate with boys.

Lastly, though many powerful stories were selected, the manner of retelling the stories was typically ineffective. These are great stories which ought to be powerful, but they never soared. They were like great lions that only meowed. So much more was expected so that the disappointment was great.

We do need to retell the great stories which used to be commonplace and which capture the imagination of young boys inspiring them to be men. However, manhood is not sheer recklessness. It is willingness to sacrifice for the good, an arranging of life according to a compelling moral vision which shows when it is right to fight and when it is not.

Amazing Tales for Making Men Out of Boys

Amazing Tales for Making Men Out of Boys, by Neil Oliver
(William Morrow, 2009; previously published in the UK by Michael Jospeh, 2008)
Hb., 364 pp.
Ages 6+

We just found this book at Sam’s tonight, but I wanted to go ahead and mention it because I love the concept. Just note these lines from the back cover:

Stories of heroism, exploration and sacrifice that will inspire boys to be courageous, honorable and open to adventure. TALES OF BRAVE AND SELFLESS DEEDS used to be part of every boy’s education. We grew up sharing stories with our fathers, uncles and grandfathers of how great men had lived their lives, met their challenges, reached their goals and faced their deaths. Becomign a young man was about comradeship and standing by your friends whatever the circumstances. And it meant that sometimes it was more important to DIE A HERO THAN LIVE A COWARD’S LIFE.

Yeah!! How can a book that says this not be good! This is exactly what I want for my boys. In the book the author recounts D-day and Omaha Beach, the Charge of the Light Brigade, the Alamo, Shackleton’s Journey, Scott in the Antarctic, John Paul Jones, and Thermopylae and other stories.

I think that the cover could be done better, but I am excited about this book and my 7 year old asked on the way home when we would begin reading it.

P.S. The trailer for the book is well done also! Note the comment that morals are handed down through good stories. This is a key point that was well understood in days past but often forgotten today.