Showing posts with label audio book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label audio book. Show all posts

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Heirloom Audio Productions - With Lee in Virginia - Review




Recently my family and I were chosen to review With Lee in Virginia from Heirloom Audio Productions. I had no idea going into this review how much it would bring history to life and actually bless us.




With Lee in Virginia is a Civil War story of courage, honor, and duty. It's recommended for ages 6 - Adult. This dramatized version of G.A. Henty's book by the same title was a hit with my three daughters. We were blessed to receive the 2 1/2 hour audio theater on two CDs. We also received access to wonderful special bonuses online. 

The special bonuses include: 
  • PDF Study Guide and Discussion Starter 
  • MP3 download of the story 
  • eBook of the original G.A. Henty Story 
  • Official Soundtrack
  • Printable Promotion Poster
  • Printable of a saying from Robert E. Lee, 
  • Unlimited access to the Live The Adventure Letter E-Newsletter


The story follows a young gentleman by the name of Vincent Wingfield as joins the cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia. He finds himself fighting alongside famous Confederate generals such as Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. He is ultimately inspired by the duty and devotion to God that Robert E. Lee shows and Vincent is determined to take a stand for his country. 


One of the first things I did was access the PDF Study Guide and Discussion Starters and print them. I was so thankful that this awesome guide was included. The Study Guide is 48 pages and it really helps parents engage children with the story. A fantastic plus in the fact that the study guide doesn't have to be printed out and can be viewed on any device. The study guide is bright and vibrant but as you can tell by my pictures I was running a little low on the color ink.



We choose to listen to With Lee in Virginia during our car rides. We live in an area that requires quite the drive just to be able to visit the dentist or even shop at a major retailer. Anyhow, during one of our trips to the dentist I popped in the first CD and away we drove. Seriously friends my children were so quiet. They were immediately drawn into the story even expressing dislike for the fact that we had to stop it at certain times.  After returning home the first day we turned our attention to the study guide. We spent the next week listening and then studying. We all loved the way the study guide is set up. Each disc and track has a corresponding page that includes a listening well, thinking further, and defining words section.  Some pages even include fun facts and a recipe. We chose to use a notebook specifically for the defining words section. It was fun for my daughters to look up each word and write their definitions. It helped their vocabulary tremendously.  I was pretty surprised at how much information my daughters retained during the course of listening and reviewing by using the study guide. I'm positive that the study guide was very beneficial in that regard. 


What we loved the most about With Lee in Virginia

Without a doubt, the story was ultimately the best part of this review. From the very beginning to the end, the audio drama is exciting and has a way of making you want to continue listening. It's filled with adventure and also includes funny and some pretty sad parts as well. The cast does an amazing job. Speaking of the cast! The cast lineup is so wonderful! It was so fun to listen to the characters and find out who was behind the voice and find out that I actually have grown up watching and/or listening to them many times. 


Final Thought

We highly, highly recommend With Lee in Virginia! It was truly a blessing for my family and I believe it should be listened to by everyone. I'm positive that this is a story that will bless people and make them feel like their purchase was worth it. I've known people to spend money on a product and then later regret it. I'm sure this isn't one of those products. It's a story that can be listened to many times over and still be appreciated. I'm planning a Civil War study in the future and I will definitely be using this again as part of the study. 


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Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Jim Hodges Productions - In the Heart of the Rockies - Review


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.

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

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?


Who is it recommended for?

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



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