Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers by Douglas Bond is a delightful book that my children and I have enjoyed reading. Although it is listed for children from grades 7-10, my children 6th grade and younger were quite entertained, listening as I read. Not only were we reading an entertaining story but we were learning about some famous hymn writers.
Certain that their summer will be boring in the slow-paced village of Olney, Annie and Drew explore the town and make new friends. After some wonderful goodies at the Bakehouse and a stroll down a cobbled lane leading to an old church, their outlook changes. They’ve met Mr. Pipes and they start enjoying themselves.
With each chapter they learn about a hymn writer of old. At the close of these chapters, a hymn is shared-music and lyrics. Some of these were familiar to me, but many more were not. Learning about the lives of the writers behind these time-tested hymns is very interesting. The adventures of Annie and Drew held my children’s attention through it all (no boring parts they said 😉 ).
Other than the few references to the things they were missing – skyscrapers, fast food, etc. and Drew’s CD player/headphones – it is easy to forget just when the story takes place. Timeless. I love it when a story is so good the “when” doesn’t matter.
We are looking forward to reading the rest of this series. You can find all of them at Christian Liberty Press. Printed books are $9.89 and the e-book (pdf) version (which we received) is $8.79. If you like living books, you will want these for your own shelves.
Read more reviews from fellow Crew members by starting at the post on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.
Disclaimer: As a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew I received a copy of this book at no charge for the purpose of review. I was not required to write a positive review; all opinions expressed are my own.