Home Grown Hearts Academy Homeschool Blog: Jim Hodges Productions - In the Heart of the Rockies

Audio books have always been some of my favorite. There is something very relaxing, just being able to get all cozy and listen to a wonderful story. I was recently able to do just that when my daughters and I were able to review In the Heart of the Rockies MP3 CD and the accompanying Study Guide in PDF format from Jim Hodges Productions.

What is Jim Hodges Productions?

Jim Hodges Productions is a company that produces lively, fun, and professionally recorded audio book editions of G.A Henty Classics.

What is In the Heart of the Rockies?

In the Heart of the Rockies is an adventure story set in the unexplored areas of the Rocky Mountains. The story follows a young gentleman by the name of Tom Wade. Young Tom has lost both of his parents and decides to leave England and a young sister to head west. So he sets sail for America to find his Uncle Harry, who was prospecting for gold, in the Rocky Mountains. He finds a whole lot of adventure. He arrives in Denver, where he finds his uncle and makes new friends. During his adventures he encounters Indians, participates in big game hunts, and learns how to survive the cold mountain winters. When he returns home to his sister he is no longer a young sixteen year old boy, but a young man. There were so many areas of the story that had us at the edge of our seats, waiting to hear what was next for Tom. The story is set in the 1860s.

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My daughters and I felt that the story started off a little slow and it was a kinda hard to get use to the period language at first, but after a while, we became so enthused with the story that we had a really hard time stopping. Overall, I thought it was a fabulous story with a wonderful ending. I wasn't use to G.A Henty's writing, therefore I didn't exactly know what to expect. I'm certain now that I would love to read or hear more of his classics. I felt that not only was it a wonderful story filled with fun adventures, but that it also gave great descriptions of Colorado. It was fun to hear and learn more about the area. Listening to this family friendly story certainty made me eager to take a vacation to Colorado.

In the Heart of the Rockies has a total run time of 10 hours and 53 minutes. There is 19 chapters. Below is a list of the wonderful chapters.

1: Tom's Choice 33:47
2: Finding Friends 32:07
3: On the Plains 37:52
4: Leaping Horse 30:15
5: In Danger 34:38
6: United 32:09
7: Chased 33:43
8: In Safety 32:55
9: A Bad Time 34:22
10: An Avalanche 33:24
11: Winter 34:10
12: The Snow Fort 32:45
13: A Fresh Start 37:32
14: An Indian Attack 35:35
15: The Colorado 34:19
16: Afloat in Canoes 34:54
17: The Grand Canyon 37:30
18: Back to Denver 33:06
19: A Fortune 38:08

How did we use the Study Guide in PDF format?

Study Guide in PDF format is filled with wonderful information. You can use the study guide by viewing it on the computer or by printing it. We choose to print ours. We used it both verbally and by completing some of the activities. The study guide is full of vocabulary words, questions that correspond with all the chapters, and fun activities such as researching, making charts, crafts, and learning about various subjects talked about in the story.

My daughters had a ton of fun completing some of the hands-on activities. They learned a ton of new stuff, such as new words, the gold mining process, clouds, also about life-saving skills. I thought the study guide was put together very well and the amount of information learned was pretty cool. I have plans to go back through the guide and complete some of the activities that we didn't get around to doing.

The study guide also features quizzes and the answers to the questions are included in the back of the study guide. I loved that it did indeed have those answers, as it made it easier for me to check my daughters responses. Also another wonderful page is the very last page of the study guide. It is a page filled with character traits. We actually took that page out of the guide and placed it on our refrigerator.

~Final Thought~

We loved In the Heart of the Rockies. I'm pretty excited about actually ordering more of Jim Hodges Productions audio book CDs and study guides. I was very happy with the study guide and loved how many different subjects it covered. Not only do you hear a wonderful story, you also have a wonderful study plan laid out for you as well. We definitely recommend it.

What does it cost?

In the Heart of the Rockies MP3 CD - $25

Study Guide in PDF format - $12

Who is it recommended for?

Jim Hodges Productions audio book CDs are recommended for ages 10 and up.

Want to connect with Jim Hodges Productions?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jim-Hodges-Audio-Books/184979244857560

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