R. Kent Rasmussen

LOVED this book, although I point out that WWI was *not* for kids. And this book is a great overview to the war for readers of all ages. It covers the war by examining different themes -- each theme includes stories, photos, and an activity. Two of the activities are cooking -- I made the recipes for my husband and brother, who are also history buffs, and they loved them! All in all, this book provides a great way to learn a little about a complicated topic.

Mark Twain's Tales of the Macabre & Mysterious by R. Kent Rasmussen is a collection of psychological horror stories that surprised me, as I didn't expect Twain to write in this genre. While some of the stories successfully evoke an eerie vibe, the overall experience was a bit disappointing. Despite the book's intriguing illustrations, it failed to fully capture my attention. I had high hopes, but this collection didn't quite meet my expectations. I would give only 3 stars.

Kids these days hunger for books like this. When I place a book on the shelf about war or fighting or hunting, that book is grabbed and checked out so quick that I often can’t see who managed to wrest it out of whom’s hands. The text is too difficult for my primary children, of course, and probably too tricky for even the elementary kids to maneuver through, but they won’t be checking it out as a read-through book. No, it’s a browsable book, with photos that tell the story well show more enough that one can make it to the end with a good-enough understanding of this war by just reading captions. And for this generation of readers that’s perfect. show less

Skimming cuz I might find something fun to do. I appreciate & value the Capture Real Human Speech activity. Some might have fun making a Paddle-Wheel Boat.

But mostly it's a long book, mostly bio & history, and not particularly easy to use or appealing. Imo.

August 2021