Mama's Bank Account

Next school year my daughter, Laura, will be reading this book with her history studies.  I have heard it is excellent, so I decided to read it for myself.  I don't always get to pre-read all of my daughter's books, the way I did when she was younger.  This is why I use recommendations from other Christians that I trust.  Heart of Dakota's choices have been trustworthy.  Their books don't contain things I don't want my children putting into their brains.  If there is anything questionable, they always put a note in the Teacher's Guide.

Mama's Bank Account is wonderful!  As a mom, I related the most with Mama.  Of course, my daughter might relate better to the writer, Katrin, the oldest daughter in the story.  

Mama's Bank Account is the story of a Norweigan family in the early 1900's.  The family is shown to hold the values that I grew up with: deep family togetherness, hard work, perseverance, education, frugality, forgiveness, and doing right.  

The family lived in San Francisco, and much is told of how the family slowly gained more and more of their identity from being American. So proud were the parents of their children being born in America that they framed each of their birth certificates and hung them on the wall. 

I smiled with pleasure at the joy in this family.  I felt their uncertainty and fear when things would go wrong, such as when Papa needed surgery or the house they moved to was horrible. I understood the desire in the parents for their children to have more than they did.  I watched them make the best of everything, even when it was difficult.

I am glad Laura will be reading this book in her studies next year.  We are doing Missions to Modern Marvels, beefed up for High School, with Government and Economics added.  With only two years of school left, I want Laura's heart and mind filled with stories of people like this family in Mama's Bank Account, where they learned tough lessons and what was truly important.