The Reader's Guides are designed to help teacher and students better understand, analyze and evaluate some classic books and plays. There are 14 different titles available.

1. A Tale of Two Cities
2. The Red Badge of Courage
3. Julius Caesar
4. Odyssey
5. Jane Eyre
6. The Call of the Wild
7. Captains Courageous
8. Crime and Punishment
9. Great Expectations
10. Huckleberry Finn
11. King Arthur
12. Moby Dick
13.Robinson Crusoe
14. Wuthering Heights

The guides are geared toward the Christian reader with respect given to applying, "the perceptiveness and wisdom of God's word to the things we read."

Areas covered by the guides vary based on the book but some of the areas were:

Identity and characterization
Individual and society
Author's techniques
Vocabulary with definitions
Setting and perspective
Interpretation and appreciation
World view
Images and irony

Throughout the Reader's Guides, literary terms are introduced, developed, and examples given. The guides are written in a question and answer format, which could be useful in many ways. For example, the teaching parent could present the questions to engage the reader and steer the reading. Then, the answers could be compared to the students' findings after finishing a chapter. The format could also give useful essay topics. Additionally, the questions could be used to test the students understanding of terms and topics in the book.

The guides and the books are directed toward middle school and high-school aged students. Overall, these Reader's Guides would be quite helpful to parents and students when discovering classic literature.



--Product Review by: Stephanie D. Scarborough, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine