http://www.thelearningparent.com/

If you're looking for Christian books for and about homeschool kids, this is a good one. The main character is Kit, a homeschool boy 13 year old in the Ozarks, probably in the 1950s or 1960s.

Kit is the smallest boy his age in Flat Creek County, not unlike his pup, and feels like God isn't answering his prayers to be big and strong like his daddy, the Sheriff. Runt was not his first choice in a coon dog, but Kit soon bonds with him. Kit and his best friend "Simmer" spend a lot of time and effort training Runt to be a great coon dog, then to be a man tracker.

Along the way he learns that God doesn't always answer prayers immediately and not always in the way Kit intended. But he does learn that God's plans are best and sometimes it's good to be small.

Rick paints a good picture of the surroundings and action with his words. There are no scenarios that are truly implausible or impossible yet Kit and Runt both come out as heroes in the end. This would be a great book to read aloud as a family or for an 11-14 year old to read on his/her own.

To summarize, it is:
1. Christian in all aspects.
2. Home educated main character in an intact family.
3. Neither the public school, students, or teachers are vilified.
4. Truly interesting with fast moving excitement at the end.



-- Product Review by: Nancy Wagner, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine