Trial at the Ridge- A Review – The Delight Directed Homeschooler

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

Y’all. This world we are in is a crazy place. It is so hard to navigate with all the agendas out there. It is easy to get swept up in all the different things that we are supposed to care about and fight for. It is easy to lose our focus and forget the Truth of God’s Word. My children have always consumed books. When they were little, I thought I could just read everything before them and be able to have a good grasp on what was good and what wasn’t. I was wrong. I could not keep up. I started relying on book reviews and advice from friends. Eventually, I had to simply teach my kids how to be discerning and pray that God would convict their hearts if something they were reading wasn’t honorable. When a book or book series comes along that is trutworthy and doesn’t cause me to do mental gymnastics and have to go down the rabbit trail of reviews, it makes me so happy. We were recently given the chance to review Trial at the Ridge by Kinsey M. Rockett. This book is part of the Whatsoever Stories.

When teaching my children to be discerning, we often reference this verse:

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Philippians 4:8

When you come across something and you aren’t sure if you should be reading it or listening to it or watching it… does it pass this litmus test? Is it true? It is honorable? It is just? Pure? Lovely? Commendable? Worthy of Praise?

Spoiler alert- not many things these days are!

Trial on the Ridge is geared for 10-14 year olds. It is a paper back book with 186 pages. The book includes a glossary of terms in the back. The book has 25 chapters. The author is a homeschool graduate… wahoo! Let’s support our greater homeschool community! She shares her story of how writing has always been an important part of her life on the website.

The story takes place in 1924 on a sheep farm owned by the Whitlock family. When their father has an accident, Nathanael and William take it upon themselves to find away to save the family farm. With the bank threatening to foreclose, a mountain lion killing off the sheep, and other obstacles, this book keeps the reader interested all the way through.

Trial at the Ridge would be a great read aloud for the family or good for independent reading. I love that it is saturated with goodness. Christian values are woven throughout the story as the Whitlock family’s Christianity is evident through their actions and the way they seek to solve their problems. This is a book that is in stark contrast to much of what is being produced and put out into the culture.

In addition to being a wonderful story, Trial At The Ridge gives a glimpse into what life may have been life for farming families who lived in the Roaring Twenties- just after World War 1 when the economy was booming, but then plummetted into the Great Depression. Historical Fiction is probably my favorite genre. This would be a great addition to a unit study.

Though it is geared for 10-14 years old, I think Trial at the Ridge could be a great Read Aloud for most ages. I’m excited to read Kinsey M. Rockett’s other books!