You are going to LOVE these wonderful new books on tape done by master storyteller Jim Hodges!!! For years we have wanted to introduce our children to the works of G.A. Henty, but never actually did so until we got these audio books. Henty's books are wonderful, but they are honestly still above the reading level of my boys. We thought about using them as read-alouds, but they are so long that I never found time to fit them in.

Then we met Jim Hodges! He has done an incredible job of producing these ***unabridged*** audio books of many of Henty's books. His voice is incredible, and he does a terrific job of bringing each character to life. Our whole family has enjoyed listening to these (We are currently listening to Under Drake's Flag) and he has kept all of us on the edges of our seats. Long car trips or rainy afternoons just fly by with one of these books to listen to. I love having these books on tape because I can knit, ride in the car, fold laundry, etc. and enjoy listening as much as the children.

Not only are these books very entertaining, they are highly educational. Each of these historical fiction books uses a story to bring a key historical era or event to life with rich and interesting detail. They are written at a fairly high level, so our children are learning new vocabulary words as we go. (This is a real benefit to hearing the books read aloud - it is easier to pick up on the rich vocabulary when you hear it because the context and Jim's expressive voice all add meaning!!) They are also incredibly inspiring and full of the sorts of character traits that we all want our children to imitate.

Under Drake's Flag is a is an edge-of-your-seat adventure story - from pirates, to sharks, to brave adventures in the face of danger and adversity - this is the ultimate tale of daring deeds on the high sea!! Jim Hodges did such a fine job of summarizing this very long story that I am going to use his own words below: