Plumfield Moms
We are sisters in Christ who became friends over a shared love of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, found especially in good and great books. Our primary vocation is that of marriage and motherhood, but we feel a secondary call, as educators and homeschool moms, to walk with families who are seeking to help form souls who are capable of responding to the vocation God has called them to. Our objective is to form our children and grandchildren to the best of our ability, and in so doing share what has been meaningful to us with others that it may encourage them and lighten their burden. As homeschoolers, classical educators and Christians, we have a passion for the ancient Greek paideia and the loving education of Louisa May Alcott‘s Plumfield (from her novel Little Men).
Listen on:
Episodes
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt
Just Like That by Gary D. Schmidt
Okay for Now Book Club
The Wednesday Wars Book Club
The Biblioguides Online Community
Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary D. Schmidt
The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt
A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi
Downright Dencey by Caroline Dale Snedeker
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Spear
Our Reading Life
Around the World with Darwin by Millicent Selsam
The Voyage of the Beagle by Millicent Selsam
Stars, Mosquitoes, and Crocodiles by Millicent Selsam
Monday Sep 11, 2023
Monday Sep 11, 2023
Kentucky’s Pack Horse Library Project was part of Franklin Roosevelt’s Work Projects Administration (WPA) begun during the Great Depression to help put people to work. The Pack Horse Library Project started in 1935 in two Kentucky counties and lasted until 1943 (having spread to thirty counties), when World War II brought the U.S. economy back to life.
Companion Picture Books:
Down, Down the Mountain by Ellis CredleThat Book Woman by Heather Henson
Saturday Sep 09, 2023
Saturday Sep 09, 2023
"When was the last time you allowed yourself to be astonished to the limit by Jesus—by his teaching, by his works, by the wonders of your life? I use the word allow intentionally, because I think some of us are so jaded that we need to consciously loosen the tight hold we have on our sophistication and be amazed sometimes."
Monday Sep 04, 2023
Monday Sep 04, 2023
https://plumfieldandpaideia.com/the-red-keep/
In my lending library, Plumfield Living Books Library, I have a young patron who loves the Middle Ages. I reached for The Red Keep to preview before I put it in her “holds” box. I spent two days with my head in this exciting 370-page story of adventure and honor, and I am delighted to be able to recommend it to families. I loved it, and I am sure that my pre-teen and teens will love it as well. As I was reading, I kept saying to my John Flanagan Rangers Apprentice-loving readers: this is the story that Horace deserves!
Sunday Sep 03, 2023
Sunday Sep 03, 2023
Tanya's References:
Sun Slower Sun Faster by Meriol Trevor
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain
The School that Escaped the Nazis by Deborah Cadbury
Landmark Books
Lines of Courage by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Rescue by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
Hattie Ever After by Kirby Larson
Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons: The Story of Phillis Wheatley by Ann Rinaldi
Sarah's References:
In the Tunnel by Julie Lee
Brother's Keeper by Julie Lee
Medical Corps Heroes by Wyatt Blassingame
A Town Like Alice by Neville Shute
The House of Sixty Fathers by Meindert de Jong
The Bomb by Theodore Taylor
The Cay by Theodore Taylor
Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt
When My Name Keoko by Linda Sue Park
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt
Just Like That by Gary D. Schmidt
Diane's References
The Sin Eater by Gary D. Schmidt
Anson’s Way by Gary D. Schmidt
The Hedge School by Gloria Whelen
The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass, Aged 37 3/4 by Adrian Plass
The Horizontal Epistles of Andromeda Veal by Adrian Plass
Bed Knob and Broomstick by Mary Norton
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
One Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith
Sara's References
The Borrowed House by Hilda van Stockum
Blackout and All Clear by Connie Willis
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi
The Witchcraft of Salem Village by Shirly Jackson
Straw into Gold by Gary D. Schmidt
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Fire Watch by Connie Willis
Words on Fire by Jenifer A. Nielsen
Sunday Sep 03, 2023
Sunday Sep 03, 2023
What a gift it is to have Sherry Early as a friend! Sherry has been my librarian “phone-a-friend” more and more of late. As I worked with my patron, I asked Sherry for a list of books suitable for a teen girl with strong morals. She has a particular interest in historical fiction and specifically Westward Expansion. She likes The Virginian, The Girl of the Limberlost, and Bargain Bride. She loves a great number of the classics. And, of late, she has been reading and re-reading Jennifer A. Nielsen because of her carefully researched and exciting wartime fiction. Sherry and I both appreciate Nielsen as well and so Sherry knew what we were after.
Because I know that you will ask, here is a link to the list that Sherry compiled for me.Please remember that she made this list based on her standards for her library and in consideration of my needs. Please note that wherever either of us has reviewed the book, we have linked to that review and encourage you to read those reviews to determine the appropriateness of the recommendation for your needs.
Read More: https://plumfieldandpaideia.com/hattie-big-sky/
Sunday Sep 03, 2023
Sunday Sep 03, 2023
This book is utterly compelling.
In the Author’s Note at the end of the book, Rinaldi explains that her research into the Puritan era revealed that “people went right from childhood into adulthood, with no benefit of an awkward age in between. An orphaned child was allowed to choose his or her own guardians at the age of fourteen; the laws applied to all persons of the age of sixteen, which was also the age at which boys were liable to serve in the military. On the other hand, the average age for marriage was twenty-two for women and twenty-seven for men… They had no amusements or entertainment. Music, dancing, and even the traditional holiday of Christmas were forbidden. Toys were nonexistent. Anyone caught with a doll or “poppet” was suspected of practicing forbidden arts. Meeting on Sunday lasted several hours. Reading consisted of studying the Bible.”
https://plumfieldandpaideia.com/a-break-with-charity/
Sunday Sep 03, 2023
Sunday Sep 03, 2023
I have to say, this is part of why I love Gary D. Schmidt. Because never have I wondered why Rumpelstiltskin wanted the boy prince. Never have I wondered why he was so insistent. Those questions simply would not occur to me. But I sure am glad they worked their way into Schmidt’s imagination, because this is a fairytale re-imagining that I found to be exciting, unpredictable, elegant, and thoughtful. Leave it to Schmidt to turn a fairy tale into 172 pages of a princeling’s coming-of-age story. And to do it in a way that was devoid of tired tropes and modern prejudices. This felt like a fairy tale unto itself, and I delighted in it. Read More: https://plumfieldandpaideia.com/straw-into-gold/
Sunday Sep 03, 2023
Sunday Sep 03, 2023
Just Like That is hard. Not Okay For Now hard, but hard. It is also lovely. And tearful. And sweet. Typical Gary D. Schmidt, it has several key literary influences that are obvious, but it also reminds me of things that are not mentioned in the text. Diane and I both thought that this one had strong roots in Oliver Twist and maybe a little bit of David Copperfield. I also felt like it reminded me of the Anne of Green Gables books and the Kevin Sullivan mini-series – “Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel,” specifically the Kingsport Ladies College scenes. While this one can absolutely be read as a standalone, it makes sense to have at least read The Wednesday Wars so that you know who Meryl Lee is.
As I always try to do in my reviews, I will tell you enough about the story to catch its flavor, but I will try to avoid any real spoilers. That said, in the next paragraph, I need to talk about The Wednesday Wars. Something happens in the first paragraph of this book that is essential to your understanding of the rest of this story. If you do not wish to have any spoilers of any kind, know that this book opens with something shocking, and then Schmidt spends the rest of the book dealing with grief. I still think that Okay for Now is Schmidt’s most powerful work, but this one was very compelling and brilliant. Schmidt’s wife died in 2013, and while this book was published in 2021, I felt as though he let his characters carry his grief with him. Just Like That is tender and beautiful. Read More: https://plumfieldandpaideia.com/just-like-that/
Saturday Sep 02, 2023
Saturday Sep 02, 2023
Peter doesn’t want us to be passively aware of danger. He wants us to actively resist. All of his instructions involve some exertion on our part. “Make every effort to supplement your faith” by adding virtue on virtue. “Be all the more diligent,” “practice these qualities,” “take care,” and “pay attention.” Paying attention isn’t simply a matter of sitting up and looking around. The Greek word is a nautical term that means to keep a ship on a course toward a specific place. Stay the course!