Mystery of History Vol 2 *NOP Paperback – July 2, 2007

I went through Volume I with my 7th & 4th graders and found it to be interesting, thorough enough without being overwhelming, and offering the opportunity to do as much or as little as you want on a daily basis with the addition of extra activities and projects. This volume surpasses the first volume, which was great.My favorite aspect of her history courses are the pre- and post- tests scattered throughout the book. Never before have I seen a subject reviewed so constantly in such a fun way. My girls love to do the tests together as a form of competition to see who can remember the answer first in the post-tests and who can guess what the answer might be in the pre-tests. She whets their appetites for what is to come and keeps what has been fresh on their minds. In fact, the post-tests keep the subjects so fresh that by the end of the last topic in the book they still remember the first topic they studied. They are short and fun but require them to remember past lessons. What a joy!My own complaint is that Volume 3 is not ready yet!! I will need it next year!!!

This is the second Mystery of History book I've taught from. I also use the _Story_of_the_World_ series to which I can compare this. Mystery of History includes a great deal of biblical history, and it is evident the author has tried to make it Christ-centered. In many places it is written by the author in first-person, which is a little unorthodox for a history text book. Nevertheless, I think the subject demands a good teacher to keep the subject lively, fun, and engaging for many students. Story of the World, by comparison contains slightly more brief accounts of many of the same subjects, but doesn't include as much bible history (in volume I), or as much in the way of teaching aides, lesson plans, advice etc. I still use both and will continue to do so. I've also been using video from New Dimension Media (available on Amazon Prime Instant Video), Schlessinger Media (old VHS and some DVD from the library), and occasionally some Youtube content. I think this has sufficed so far for my 6 and 7 year olds, but as they get older I would like to find something that takes a little more critical look at history.

This book explains a lot of history and how Christianity fits into it. I enjoyed learning about St Valentine and St Patrick. I am helping home school my granddaughter and it has taught me a lot. Since she is in kindergarten I have definitely learned more than her. I want to go back and read the previous book.

We absolutely really like Mystery of History - we have all the volumes. My one child who is a history buff still goes back and reads them from time to time. Well written. Engaging for the kids. Lots of various depths you can take it, just as is, do the added activities, or add your own. Nicely laid out and very easy to follow. We liked the "take another look" reviews, "what did you miss" exercises, which really helps the kiddos to learn the material.For the time line we used Rose Book of Bible and Christian History Time Lines and added to it. It's a very cool timeline!No Cons

This book has short lessons to read and investigate. There are tips for enrichment for all three levels of schools: elementary, middle and high schools. Along in the back you will find additional recommended tips for learning, such as movies, additional books, charts which would have to be ordered separately or borrowed at a library. I like the chronological emphasis and the fact that it is world history. One learns about different cultures around the globe along with western history. Keep in mind that each lesson is only about ten minutes long. It truly leaves it up to you on how deep you wish to dwell into a subject/character/event in time. This makes it easier for one to pick and choose one's own interests, instead of doing whole pages full of factoids, details, etc. Though it is written from a Christian perspective, not everyone will likely agree with everything, but then again, which history book can claim that name to fame?

This is an impressive history book! It is a tome to be sure, even a bit intimidating for the younger grades, but it is easily adaptable to a wide range of age and ability levels. My 8-year-old son enjoys history, so he loves it, but I think the activities are interesting enough to engage less enthusiastic students, as well. It is also appropriate for much older students; the author, in fact, recommends going through the book in its entirety at different stages of a student's development. If you're looking for a great history series (this volume covers A.D. 29 through the Middle Ages)written from a Biblical worldview, you'd be hard-pressed to do better than this!

I enjoy Linda's conversational writing style. The book includes not just famous historical events and people, but also mathematicians, scientists and artists. I especially like the useful activities that encourage you go deeper into historical topics. Because history can be used as a connection to all subjects, I use this book almost daily in my homeschool because lessons about math, science, and the arts as they happen on the timeline of history are included. I find the pretests and activities for all ages extremely useful and although I am not of her faith, I like the Christian viewpoint and I can easily adapt it to my own beliefs.

Homeschooling for 20 years... Had been looking for history curriculum that would take us beyond the hum-drum, dry textbook. After several attempts I came across MOH. My kids (now grown and done with homeschooling) raved about MOH and were excited to do some of thesuggested activities and extra readings recommended (library carried many of them) Truly captivating presentations in each of for volumes written for all ages (read-aloud for younger audience) I can't say enough great things about this incredible history volume! I am saving all my volumes for grand children- read too them when they come visit Grammy! :)You won't be disappointed!