fiction

From Barbour Publishing, I bring to you Diary of a Real Payne: True Story. (Read that with a deep, theatrical voice.) This book was so much fun to read. Written for children ages 8-12, this is one book your readers will surely enjoy!

A few things we like about Diary of a Real Pain:

The star of the book is Emma Jean Payne. As most of you know, Emma’s a name favorite around here and the short version of my own sweet Emmalee. We actively seek out books using her name for her to read, so she was pretty excited to receive this one.
Emma Jean, otherwise known as EJ, lives in a super small town – the town of Spooner in Wisconsin. Population 2500. The town I grew up in, where my own Emma was born and lived the first years of her life, has a population of 2465. Georgetown, South Carolina, where we currently live, has a slightly bigger population of 9092. Still a small town in my book.
EJ plays an angel in the Christmas pageant somewhat reluctantly, as did my Emma, joyously when she was a little girl. Their age is a bit different but my Emma enjoyed this shared fact.
EJ has a Cockapoo Mix dog named Matthew Cuthbert T-Rex Payne and Poodles are a favorite of my Emma’s. Emma’s dog is a black lab named Hunter.
Emma LOVES to journal in her diary and so does EJ. Reading EJ’s journal has actually helped Emma fine tune hers and helped her to create better entries when writing. She is always jotting things down and now she’s doing so even more, including clippings, drawings and so many extra’s that she never did before.

As you can tell, Emma and EJ have a lot in common and that makes a great book in the eyes of my 10 year old. Emma really enjoyed reading the Diary of a Real Payne: True Story by Annie Tipton. She enjoyed the illustrations throughout the book. She enjoyed the diary sections which made her feel like she was really reading EJ’s diary. She felt like she had a friend in EJ, as the story unfolded.

Emma looks forward to the second story in this series which is set to release in March 2014. This book is written from a Christian perspective so even though EJ’s antics may not always be the best, they have the best interests at heart to guide my children in the lessons they learn through Emma Jean. That is a wonderful, blessing in itself.

This is a book Emma cherishes and will one day pass on to her little sister to cherish as well. She’s already read some of it to her and shown her the pictures drawn within. The illustrations have peeked Emma’s art interest as well. She’s considering drawing for children’s literature at this point but ever the artist, she is always changing her mind.

Want to know more about what happens in Diary of a Real Payne: True Story? Well, you will just have to read it for yourself. Diary of a Real Payne: True Story is very reasonably priced at $5.99. Get your copy today!

To read more reviews of Diary of a Real Payne: True Story from Barbour Publishing, please click on the banner below!

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Teaching The Classics DVD Seminar and Workbook from the Institute for Excellence in Writing is a full curriculum designed to help the user learn how to learn best from classic reading materials. Providing a literature style that brings literature understanding to everyone, Teaching The Classics makes understanding literature elements easy. This curriculum is sure to help everyone from teacher to student.

Teaching the Classics uses the Socratic approach to learning. Through provision of short classical materials this DVD seminar breaks down literature elements of plot, theme, character, conflict and more. This program begins with an explanation about Literature, taking the student all the way through each of the elements.

Lesson 1 prepares the student to analyze literature providing samples of some of the greatest authors known. It begins explaining the structure of the Five Elements of Fiction. It also discusses literary styles in writing. The Socratic Method is also taught and thoroughly discusses right away through this lesson.

Following lessons teach and break down Plot and Conflict, Setting, Character, Theme, and more. Each of these topics are backed up with short story models, charts explaining the information learned, and questions to provide a thorough understanding of the materials taught. The DVD seminars work with the materials to help the educator/student better understand the lessons throughout the book.

I personally used this curriculum to learn more about using the classics in our daily education. I try to use classics with my children because I feel they are rich in educational content and truly heartwarming books. I want my children to learn to enjoy classical books as much as I do. Teaching the Classics has helped me to provide a better education of the classics for my children in working as a reminder of the important elements I need to teach through the process of teaching them about the classics. This program would be excellent for an advance middle school or a high school student to work through on their own. It’s also excellent for a parent, like me, who needs that little extra reminder of these important elements in writing.

Teaching the Classics DVD Seminar and Workbook by Adam and Missy Andrews is available from the Institute for Excellence in Writing for $89. This program was written for parents of children of any age and for High School aged students. It can be purchased through the Institute for Excellence in Writing.

Barbour Publishing: Diary of a Real Payne: True Story {Crew Review}

IEW: Teaching The Classics {Crew Review}