This week, we feature a helpful guide for parents hoping to take charge of their child’s education and an excellent work that examines the Enlightenment ideas that gave birth to the Declaration of Independence.
Nonfiction
‘Rethinking School: How to Take Charge of Your Child’s Education’
By Susan Wise Bauer
Professor, homeschool mentor, and writer Susan Bauer explains how parents can take charge of their children’s K-12 education. She spells out how to “flex” a child’s education so that the school system and curricula fit the child and not vice-versa, ways to work with teachers and coaches, and much more. She also offers worthwhile advice on helping your child develop a vision for the future and plan for college or apprenticeships. Her clear thinking and engaging prose make this book a winner.
W.W. Norton & Company, 2019, 288 pages
Mystery
‘Definitely Maybe Not a Detective’
By Sarah Fox
Emersyn Gray is trying to get on with life and doing it badly. She is her niece’s guardian, but unemployed and broke. Her last boyfriend ran off with her money before dumping her. To get the money back she tells him she hired the fictional “Wyatt Investigations” to prove he stole it. A hunky stranger named Wyatt impulsively helps her when she confronts the boyfriend. Then, the superintendent in her apartment gets murdered, pulling Emersyn, her friends, and Wyatt in to investigate who did it.
Bantam, 2026, 352 pages
American History
‘The Making of the American Mind: The Story of Our Declaration of Independence’
By Matthew Spalding
When Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence, he was not bent on presenting any new ideas. He said he wanted to present “the common sense of the subject,” and therefore wrote many of the ideas and ideals already firmly believed by the members of the Second Continental Congress. Spalding’s new book demonstrates how the words of the Declaration echoed the political, religious, and philosophical beliefs held by the founders that were established centuries prior. An excellent work.
Encounter Books, 344 pages, 2025
Biography
‘The Old Alcalde: Life and Times of a Texas Fire-Eater, Oran Milo Roberts’
By John A. Adams Jr.
One of the most consequential figures in Texas history, Oran Roberts is almost entirely forgotten today. This new biography of Roberts remedies that. It reveals the full complexity of a giant of Texas history. He had many positive accomplishments, including terms as Texas governor, and furthering the Texas education system, including creating black colleges, in the late 1800s. Yet he was an unrepentant secessionist. This book shows even great men often mix shortcomings with brilliance.
Stoney Creek Publishing Group, 2026, 302 pages
Classics
‘The Intellectual Life: Its Spirit, Conditions, Methods’
By A.G. Sertillanges
First published in 1920, this guide remains in print for its wisdom and special insights. Though modern technology has dated some of its methods, it covers everything from the importance of silence and meditation for thinkers to ways of gathering information and writing. Sertillanges is an ideal guide not only for academics but for all serious students making their way through school and life. It’s a book that begs to be read with pen in hand—ready for underlining and commenting on his thoughts.
The Catholic University of America Press, 1992, 264 pages
For Kids
By Sarah Stewart and David Small
This Caldecott Honor-winning picture book takes place in the 1930s and features young Lydia Grace Finch who goes to live in the city with her Uncle Jim, a grouchy baker, as her parents struggle economically. Will Lydia Grace’s love of gardening bring a smile to her Uncle Jim’s face? Told through the girl’s letters, this is a charming read-aloud.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997, 40 pages
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