The Riders of the Pony Express

This is a nonfiction book by Ralph Moody (Little Britches fame) and I LOVE it.  I've read it aloud to my kids twice, which is a rarity for me.  I usually only like to read a book aloud once to share the experience with the kids.  It makes me cry every time at the sheer guts, determination and heroism exhibited by the early riders of the Pony Express.  ***** stars all the way.  Perfect for 5th grade and up, though there is nothing inappropriate for younger ages - I just don't think they'd be as interested.

The Chosen

I just finished reading The Chosen by Chaim Potok for the second time and I have to say that this is one of my favorite books. I had forgotten how much I love it. It's the story of two Jewish boys who come from distinctly different religious backgrounds but share a common Jewish identity. Their friendship is akin to David and Jonathan of the Bible. The story takes them through the challenges that result from one of the boys' hardline orthodox father, their intensive schooling in the Torah, the impact of Hitler's holocaust, and the fear of breaking faith with family. I nearly started crying as I came to the end of the story. This story would probably be best appreciated by 12+.

Mrs. Mike

This was a great book!  It was billed as a romance which wasn't exactly what I wanted.  But it turns out, it is a classic romance about sacrifice and devotion and surviving hardship side by side with the one you love.  This is a wonderful example of a good marriage.  The story is fascinating.  It's set in the Canadian wilderness at the turn of the century.  I labeled the book as 12+ because of the very real struggles that are faced  by the characters that include varying sicknesses and deaths.  There was nothing inappropriate, it is just tough sometimes, to read about the struggles of others.
The adventures of "Mrs. Mike"  and her family are worth your time!

The Fields of Home

by Ralph Moody

This book is 5th in a series of 8 autobiographical books. I've read six of the books so far and highly recommend them all. Of the six that I've read, the first is my favorite, but this one runs a close second. There's a wikipedia entry on Ralph Moody that gives a brief synopsis of his life. A longer biography can be found HERE. All of his books are well-written tales of lessons he learned through hard work and perseverance, but they don't read like a morality tale. They are entertaining throughout!

Carry On, Mr Bowditch

Carry On, Mr Bowditch is another great read-aloud book for the family. Nathaniel Bowditch was a navigational whiz in the 18th century. His story is one of determined self-study and a desire to live a life of excellence. His nautical writings became a sailor's bible as he went through the existing nautical information and corrected long-existing errors. There are many great lessons to be pulled from this story and it could lead to some great discussions as a family.

I read this because Kelly and the kids had read it and they told me how much they liked it. It took me a year or so before I finally got around to it and I wish I had tackled it sooner. It is another family classic for us.

Little Britches:Father and I Were Ranchers

Little Britches is one of our family classics. We absolutely love and adore this book. Ralph Moody has taken his childhood and, in the tradition of the Laura Ingalls Wilder, given us a fantastic glimpse of life in the pioneer west. The lessons that he learns from his mom and dad are timeless and wholesome. The life lessons that the book teaches are the kind you can come back to repeatedly. It is at times laugh out loud funny and other times heart-wrenchingly sad, but never boring.

This is a great read-aloud book for the whole family. There are several more books in the set but we haven't read them all as a family so I can't tell you if they are the same quality as Little Britches.