PODCAST · education
Plumfield Moms
by Plumfield Moms
For years readers of www.plumfieldandpaideia.com have asked us to record our book reviews and reflections as spoken tracks so that busy mamas could ”read” them on the go.
Episodes
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Reflection: Be Amazed
"When was the last time you allowed yourself to be astonished to the limit by Jesus—by his teaching, by his works, by the wonders of your life? I use the word allow intentionally, because I think some of us are so jaded that we need to consciously loosen the tight hold we have on our…
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Book Review: There Was Once a Slave
"If all history books were written in Graham’s style, no child would ever say, “I hate history.” With lyrical descriptions of time and place, she quickly drops the reader into her subject’s setting. The fear and despair of the opening scene are palpable. Graham doesn’t relate facts, she tells a...
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Reflection: This Rule of Conduct
Restore, keep watch, bear, test, share, do not grow weary of doing good, do good to all. “As for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16).
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Book Review: Dan Morgan, Rifleman
Dan Morgan survived many amazing exploits, and the action in this story is exciting and almost non-stop. But the story doesn’t read like an adrenaline-soaked superhero tale. Dan was a real man who learned how to work hard, and who was dedicated to honing his craft and serving his country. He had...
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Reflection: Plastic Words
Peter doesn’t want us to be passively aware of danger. He wants us to actively resist. All of his instructions involve some exertion on our part. “Make every effort to supplement your faith” by adding virtue on virtue. “Be all the more diligent,” “practice these qualities,” “take care,” and “pay...
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Our Librarian Life: March 2025
📚 Our Librarian Life – March 2025 Episode 🎙️ Join us for another exciting episode of Our Librarian Life, where we explore the world of living books, private lending libraries, and the power of community in literature! In This Episode: Amanda Cleary Eastep's Tree Street Kids Amanda Cleary Eastep...
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Book Review - Cautionary: The Education of Mary
I feel betrayed by The Education of Mary: A Little Miss of Color: 1832 by Anne Rinaldi. Another disappointing novel by this author who is so often recommended to teens. I confess that I do not know very much about the real Prudence Crandall. What I do know is that she is celebrated as an...
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Reflection: Keeping Rank
"The Author and Finisher of our faith prayed that we believers would be one as he and the Father are one. Marching shoulder to shoulder with my fellow soldiers while keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus, who leads the way, will not only enable me to keep rank, but will also encourage those behind me…
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Our Reading Life: March 2025
Our Reading Life - February 2025 Sarah Kim’s References The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy Great Gusts: Winds of the World and the Science Behind Them by Melanie Crowder and Megan Benedict Sara Masarik’s References The Pig War…
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Book Review: What Came From The Stars
About two years ago, Diane and I did a deep dive into the works of Gary D. Schmidt, marveling at his ability to truly excel across genres. From the middle-grade brilliance of The Wednesday Wars to the magical fairy tale Straw Into Gold, from thoughtful and lovely picture books like A Long Road on…
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Reflection: Have I Become Your Enemy?
More than once, Paul asks his children in the faith to imitate him. That isn’t easy, but it does sound nice when he says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.” And who doesn’t wish to have the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,...
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Book Review: The Viking Quest Series
The Viking Quest series by Lois Walfrid Johnson is a truly excellent historical fiction saga that immerses teen readers in the riveting world of the 10th century. Spanning five books, this series transports readers from the lush coasts of Ireland to the cold farms of Norway and then to the icy...
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Reflection: A Balanced Life
In this life, I will sometimes feel like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. In the profusion of chairs my tail is likely to get caught once in a while. If I don’t get down from my comfortable perch and regularly exercise my discernment muscles, I will become trapped and useless. I can’t sit...
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Book Review: Up A Road Slowly
Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt is a lovely and thoughtful coming-of-age story about a young female writer. Though not strictly autobiographical, the novel brims with emotional authenticity and bears notable similarities between Hunt’s life and the lives of her characters. Like her protagonist…
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Reflection: An Increase of Faith
Surely my faith needs to be increased. I need to view situations as they truly are – absolutely in God’s control. I have to remember the person my faith is in – the Ruler of the universe. My problem is not a problem for him. Be still my soul: the waves and winds still know His voice who ruled…
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Book Review: The Lost Key by S. D. Smith
When Ember’s End was released, many Green Ember fans wondered if it marked the conclusion of the beloved series. Yet, S. D. Smith continues to surprise and delight us with new stories that delve deeper into the Green Ember world. When I spoke with Smith this summer, he mentioned that this might…
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Reflection: Wake Up and Watch
Because the passions of the flesh are waging war against our souls (1 Peter 2:11). As Jesus warned, our flesh is weak. It wants us to give in to our passions. Giving in, lying down, closing our eyes for just a minute, is so much easier than going to war against them. Especially if our passions…
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Our Librarian Life: February 2025
Thanks for listening! We are so glad that you are here! We open the episode with some of our banter. You won't hear the intro music for about 90 seconds. The 21st Century Pack Horse Librarian 1819 News Article Librarians in the News (at The Card Catalog) UV Light Bulbs Ozone Generator…
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Book Review - Cautionary: My Vicksburg by Ann Rinaldi
Having just finished another Ann Rinaldi novel, My Vicksburg, I find myself reflecting on some disturbing patterns that mark her work. Rinaldi’s books are nothing if not uneven. At their best, they provide interesting, historically rich narratives with strong female protagonists; at their worst,...
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Reflection: Love Turns the Lights On
“Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the...
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Our Reading Life: February 2025
Diane’s References C is for Cowboy by Eugene Gagliano Four Wheels West by Eugene Gagliano Esther Morris picture books The Viaduct Murder by Ronald Knox Tanya’s References A is for Arches by Becky Hall By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman Alice and Wonderland by Lewis Carol Prince Caspian by...
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Book Review: Jack vs. The Tornado by Amanda Cleary Eastep
Over the last seven or eight years, I have paid close attention to S. D. Smith, author of the Green Ember series. While I deeply enjoy his books, I’m even more captivated by what he writes to parents about his creative purpose and approach. I first discovered Smith during a season when my…
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Reflection: His Precious Blood
"He to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood." We humans need pictures, and we love drama, but we should also be mindful that our very lives depend on God daily placing himself between us and dangers of every sort all day every day. We seldom see drama in the mere fact of getting...
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Book Review: Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates
Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge is a classic I’ve known about since childhood. I vaguely remember seeing a movie adaptation long ago, but until now, I had never read the book. When I noticed the audiobook in my Audible library was about to leave the catalog at the end of…
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Reflection: No More Fire Lighting
As I look back over the means Jesus has used to form me, I see how gentle he has been with me. We all suffer trauma as we grow, but my burdens were tailor-made for me by my creator. Oh, it hurt at the time! It was unpleasant to have to look honestly at the weaknesses I’d spent a lifetime trying…
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Book Review: Marmee and Louisa by Eve LaPlante
Marmee and Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother by Eve LaPlante is a fascinating and insightful biography of both Louisa May Alcott and her mother Abigail. Because both Abigail and Louisa were private women who wanted their letters and journals to be destroyed upon their...
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Reflection: A Useful Servant
The Master calls Servant Three worthless. He hasn’t matured, he’s of no use to anyone else, he has borne no fruit. Bearing fruit is a recurring theme throughout God’s Word. Jesus himself warns us that “every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 7:19...
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Our Reading Life: January 2025
Welcome to our third year of Our Reading Life! Our Reading Life - January 2025 Diane’s References The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey Sarah Kim’s References The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Icon: A Novel by Georgia Briggs The Long Walk by Sławomir Rawicz Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian...
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Book Review: Lily's Victory Garden - A Tales of Young Americans Book
Lily’s Victory Garden by Helen L. Wilbur is a beautiful tribute to the healing power of gardening and neighborliness during WWII in America. Every night Lily’s family listens to the news from their second floor apartment. When it is all done, Lily and her dad snuggle together in his Morris chair…
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Reflection: The Cost of Obedience
"We are blessed to live in a country where freedom to be obedient to Christ has been guaranteed for over two centuries. We’ve taken that for granted. If I have ever lost anything because of my faith, it wasn’t significant enough to come to mind at the moment. What if that should change?"
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Book Review: Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloria Whelan
Gloria Whelan should be a household name. Her middle-grade fiction is excellent and, sadly, often overlooked today. Whelan’s historical fiction consistently features young protagonists navigating cultural crises, and their coming-of-age journeys are defined by moments of moral courage. Her…
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Reflection: Don’t Turn Out to Be a Coward
I remember when, several years ago, I read one of the many instances of Jesus saying, “Fear not,” and realized it wasn’t just a suggestion. It was a command. Until then, I think I had taken those “fear nots” as Jesus kindly giving me a choice. There, there, my dear, you don’t have to be afraid if...
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Book Review: Come Rack, Come Rope by Robert Hugh Benson
Come Rack, Come Rope by Robert Hugh Benson is a powerful historical novel that plunges the reader into the intense religious persecution of Catholics in Elizabethan England. I recently revisited this book with my Tuesday Night Classics Club, and on this second read, I was again struck by the…
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Reflection: It Was Good for Me
Our suffering is part of a bigger picture we can’t see from the ground. As the writer of Psalm 105 recounts God’s dealing with Israel, the emphasis is on the fact of God working out his word over hundreds and thousands of years. When he comes to the story of Joseph, the writer says, “When he...
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Book Review: Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan
Homeless Bird is a beautifully crafted middle-grade novel that transports readers into the heart of modern-day India, exploring the complex world of arranged marriages, cultural traditions, and the need for courageous virtue. Gloria Whelan’s compelling storytelling invites middle readers into the...
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Reflection: Don’t Be Outwitted
"What is it that Paul says he is afraid of here? He isn’t writing because he fears some of the Corinthians are on the verge of committing perjury or embezzling thousands of dollars or killing someone. He is afraid their “thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”…
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Book Review: A Lot Like Christmas by Connie Willis
With this recipe in mind, she has been writing Christmas stories for years and has pulled them together for this collection of short stories. All of them are deeply human while also being about everyday people. All of them deal with some aspect of humanity that needs the kind of transformation…
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Reflection: His Everlasting Light
There will come a day when “night will be no more” and we “need no light of lamp or sun,” because the Lord God will be our light. Until then, the eyes of our hearts can be enlightened, and we can walk as children of light. In the first chapter of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, he tells them he…
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Our Librarian Life: 21st Century Packhorse Librarian
Facebook Group - 21st Century Packhorse Librarians Jack vs. the Tornado by Amanda Cleary Eastep Down Cut Shin Creek by Kathi Appelt That Book Woman by Heather Henson The Tree Street Kids by Amanda Cleary Estep S. D. Smith - Favorite Author The Green Ember by S. D. Smith The Bark of the Bog Owl by...
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Book Review: The Scarlet Stockings Spy - A Tales of Young Americans Book
Trinka Hakes Noble’s The Scarlet Stockings Spy is a compelling historical picture book that captivates readers with the story of a young patriot, set against the backdrop of the American Revolution. Part of the celebrated Tales of Young Americansseries, this book brings history to life by…
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Reflection: Angels Long to Look
“Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them…
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Our Reading Life: December - 2024
Welcome to our December 2024 episode of Our Reading Life where we chat with our dear friends, Tanya Arnold and Sarah Kim from Biblioguides about our reading lives. We are so glad you are here! Sara Masarik’s References Tree Street Kids Series by Amanda Cleary Eastep Jack Versus the Tornado by...
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Book Review: Impossible Journey by Gloria Whelan
The Impossible Journey by Gloria Whelan is a fascinating sequel to Angel on the Square, delving deeper into the complexities of post-Czarist Soviet Russia with a storyline that grabs readers at the start. Now grown up, the heroes from the first book are married, have two children, and are living…
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Reflection: A Root of Bitterness
“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled” (Heb. 12:15). It’s disturbing the way God startles you into looking at something you’ve been busy not seeing. I’ve read through Hebrews many times…
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Book Review: The Voyagers by Padraic Callum - Smidgen Press Reprint
“The world is always at the beginnings of things,” writes Padraic Colum in The Voyagers, a testament to the boundless human spirit and its quest to explore as far as human ingenuity and tenacity would permit. In this exciting middle-grade adventure, Colum masterfully weaves together the stories…
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Reflection: My Word of the Year for 2025
by Sara Masarik A few years ago, I became aware of the practice of prayerfully discerning a word of the year (or phrase) that could be used as a touchstone for the upcoming year. This word is not a charm nor an omen, but rather it is a reminder of some spiritual concept or truth that I wish to...
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Book Review: The Secret Princess by J. C. Prins
The Secret Princess: A Tale of Hope by J.C. Prins is a delightful middle-grade illustrated chapter book that weaves Catholic themes and fairy tale elements into a touching story of faith, family, hope, and perseverance. The book is beautifully written. Prins incorporates devotion to the Sacred...
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Reflection: The Last Enemy to Be Defeated
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Our Librarian Life: November 2024
Mail Bag The Card Catalog Book Care and Book Repair Packhorse Librarians Book List 21st Century Pack Horse Librarians on Facebook The Green Writer Program Clementine by Sara Pennypacker The Town That Fooled the British by Lisa Papp The Scarlet Stockings Spy by Trinka Hakes Noble Books published…
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Book Review: The Misadventures Summer of Tumbleweed Thompson by Glenn McCarty
The Misadventured Summer of Tumbleweed Thompson by Glenn McCarty is a delightful, fast-paced western adventure that will capture the imaginations of middle-grade readers and families alike. Set during the settling of the American West, this story is a perfect blend of humor, action, and heart,...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
For years readers of www.plumfieldandpaideia.com have asked us to record our book reviews and reflections as spoken tracks so that busy mamas could ”read” them on the go.
HOSTED BY
Plumfield Moms
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Plumfield Moms have?
Plumfield Moms currently has 413 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Plumfield Moms about?
For years readers of www.plumfieldandpaideia.com have asked us to record our book reviews and reflections as spoken tracks so that busy mamas could ”read” them on the go.
How often does Plumfield Moms release new episodes?
Plumfield Moms is no longer actively publishing new episodes, but the existing catalog remains available.
Where can I listen to Plumfield Moms?
You can listen to Plumfield Moms on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening.
Who hosts Plumfield Moms?
Plumfield Moms is created and hosted by Plumfield Moms.
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