Caleb's Reviews

C. Hollis Crossman, who was raised by wolves, wrote a staggering amount for the website during his first stint at Exodus Books, writing most of the curriculum overviews and category intro essays, along with reviewing 700+ unique titles. Below you'll find links to his book reviews; this link will take you to an incomplete list of the category descriptions.

As our used book buyer and product reviewer for eight years, Caleb did much to shape the character of the store. He left Exodus in December 2014 for contract work on behalf of the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, where he researched and wrote about open source software. He also pursued graduate studies in theology.

In March 2017, an array of unforeseen circumstances brought C. Hollis back to Exodus Books as we prepared for an intended move, then shifted towards a close later that year; although we reopened, he had moved on. Again in August 2021, he came back for a short stint, before moving his family out of our crazy state. He remains dearly missed in our day-to-day work; however, we keep in contact and plan to continue having him write reviews and essays for us on an occasional basis.

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Caleb's Reviews
107 Items found Print
Active Filters: Home Schooling, 8th grade (Ages 13-14), New Books & Materials
Adam of the Road
Puffin Newbery Library
by Elizabeth Gray
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.99
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Penguin Classics
by Lewis Carroll
from Penguin Classics
Fantasy for 5th-8th grade
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$11.00
Amazing Dr. Ransom's Bestiary of Adorable Fallacies
by Doug & N.D. Wilson
from Canon Press
for 8th-Adult
in Introductory & Intermediate Logic (Location: LOG-CAN)
$23.99
Amos Fortune, Free Man
by Elizabeth Yates, illustrated by Nora S. Unwin
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1951 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
And Now Miguel
by Joseph Krumgold
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1954 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.99
Animal Farm
by George Orwell
from Plume Books
Utopian/Dystopian Literature for 6th-12th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.00
Art of Poetry
by Christine Perrin
from Classical Academic Press
for 7th-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$29.95
Beowulf
by Anonymous (translation by Seamus Heaney)
from W. W. Norton and Co.
Medieval Poetic Epic for 8th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$15.95
Big Truths for Young Hearts
by Bruce A. Ware
1st edition from Crossway Books
for 1st-8th grade
in Bible Doctrine for Kids (Location: BIBR-DOC)
$18.99
Bronze Bow
by Elizabeth George Speare
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade
1962 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by Jean Lee Latham
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 5th-9th grade
1956 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Christian Theology and Ancient Polytheism
by Marcia Brim
from Brimwood Press
for 6th-12th grade
in Tools for Young Historians (Location: BIBWV-TYH)
$35.00
Chronicles of Prydain - Boxed Set
by Lloyd Alexander
Box from Henry Holt and Company
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$44.95
Color the Western World
by Marcia Harris Brim
from Brimwood Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Tools for Young Historians (Location: BIBWV-TYH)
$19.00
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Trees, Garden Flowers
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$15.29
Conversations from the Garden
by Marcia Brim
from Brimwood Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Tools for Young Historians (Location: BIBWV-TYH)
$13.00 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Creative Writer Level 1
by Boris Fishman
from Well-Trained Mind Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Creative Writer (Location: WRI-CREATE)
$16.95
Creative Writer Level 2
by Boris Fishman
from Well-Trained Mind Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Creative Writer (Location: WRI-CREATE)
$18.95
Creative Writer Level 3
by Boris Fishman
1st edition from Well-Trained Mind Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Creative Writer (Location: WRI-CREATE)
$16.95
Creative Writer Level 4
by Boris Fishman
1st edition from Well-Trained Mind Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Creative Writer (Location: WRI-CREATE)
$16.95
Crispin: The Cross of Lead
by Avi
from Hyperion/Madison Press
for 4th-8th grade
2003 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Dark Frigate
by Charles Boardman Hawes
Dover 2018 from Dover Publications
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1924 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.99
Dear Mr. Henshaw
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 5th-9th grade
1984 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Drawing with Children
by Mona Brookes
2nd edition from Penguin Putnam
for 2nd-8th grade
in Art & Drawing Reference (Location: ELE-ARTREF)
$19.95 $11.00 (3 in stock)
European World 400-1450
by Barbara Hanawalt
from Oxford University
for 5th-8th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$39.95
Fallacy Detective - Workbook Edition
by Hans & Nathaniel Bluedorn
Workbook from Christian Logic
for 6th-10th grade
in Christian Logic (Location: LOG-CHR)
$32.00
Gift of Music
by Jane Stuart Smith & Betty Carlson
3rd edition from Crossway Books
for 6th-12th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$23.99
Giver
by Lois Lowry
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 7th-10th grade
1994 Newbery Medal winner
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$11.99
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!
by Laura Amy Schlitz
from Candlewick Press
for 5th-9th grade
2008 Newbery Medal Winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$12.99
Grammar of Poetry
Imitation in Writing Series
by Matt Whitling
from Canon Press
Writing Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$23.99
High King
Prydain Chronicles #5
by Lloyd Alexander
from Henry Holt and Company
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
1969 Newbery Medal winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Historical Fact Sheets
by Marcia Harris Brim
2nd edition from Brimwood Press
for 4th-9th grade
in Tools for Young Historians (Location: BIBWV-TYH)
$18.00
Historical Novels for Engaging Thinkers
by Jennifer Johnson Garrity
from Brimwood Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Tools for Young Historians (Location: BIBWV-TYH)
$55.00
Hitty
by Rachel Field
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Personification story for 4th-8th grade
1930 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.99
I, Juan de Pareja
by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño
from Square Fish Publishing
Realistic Fiction/Slavery for 5th-8th grade
1966 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99 $4.50 (3 in stock)
Invisible Man
by H. G. Wells
from Signet Classics
Science Fiction for 7th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$5.95
Island of the Blue Dolphins
by Scott O'Dell
Anv from Sandpiper Books
Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1961 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Johnny Tremain
by Esther Forbes
Reprint from Sandpiper Books
Historical Fiction/Adventure for 5th-9th grade
1944 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Jonah Copybook
by Kim McKay
from Alef Press
for 4th-12th grade
in Biblical Hebrew (Location: FL-HEB)
$14.95
Julie of the Wolves
"Julie" Trilogy Book 1
by Jean Craighead George
from HarperCollins
Adventure for 7th-10th grade
1973 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.99
Jump In - Student Workbook
by Sharon Watson
2nd edition from Writing with Sharon Watson
Writing Curriculum for 5th-8th grade
in Writing with Sharon Watson (Location: WRI-SWW)
$40.00
Kira-Kira
by Cynthia Kadohata
from Atheneum
for 6th-9th grade
2005 Newbery Medal Winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Kregel Pictorial Guide to the Story of the Bible
by Tim Dowley
from Kregel Publications
for 7th-Adult
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$11.99
Lincoln: A Photobiography
by Russell Freedman
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 5th-9th grade
1988 Newbery Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.99 $7.50 (5 in stock)
Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization - Set
by Andrew Pudewa
2nd edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
for 2nd-10th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$65.00
Luther
by Frederick Nohl
from Concordia Publishing House
for 5th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.99 $7.50 (4 in stock)
M. C. Higgins, the Great
by Virginia Hamilton
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 6th-10th grade
1975 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Malachi
by Kim McKay
from Alef Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Biblical Hebrew (Location: FL-HEB)
$14.95
Maniac Magee
by Jerry Spinelli
from Little, Brown & Company
Realistic Fiction for 5th-9th grade
1991 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study
by Starr Meade
from Crossway Books
for 6th-10th grade
in Miscellaneous Bible Curriculum (Location: BIB-MISC)
$79.99
Number the Stars
by Lois Lowry
Reissue from Sandpiper Books
for 5th-8th grade
1990 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Once and Future King
by T. H. White
from ACE Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$9.99
Our Northwest Heritage
by Richard M. Hannula
2nd edition from Sound Summit Books
for 7th-12th grades
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$36.95
Out of the Dust
by Karen Hesse
from Scholastic Inc.
Realistic Fiction for 6th-8th grade
1998 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Painless American Government
by Jeffrey Strausser
2nd edition from Barron's
for 6th-9th grade
in Government & Civics Curriculum (Location: GOV-CUR)
$16.99
Painless Math Word Problems
by Marcie Abramson
2nd edition from Barron's
for 4th-10th grade
in Story & Word Problem Books (Location: MATR-STO)
$11.99
Painless Spelling
by Mary Elizabeth
3rd edition from Barron's
for 7th-12th grade
in Spelling Resources (Location: REF-SPE)
$9.99
Painless Writing
by Jeffrey Strausser
3rd edition from Barron's
for 6th-10th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$9.99
Phantastes
by George MacDonald
from Eerdmans
for 8th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$16.99
Phantom Tollbooth
by Norton Juster
from Yearling
Satirical Fantasy for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Plants Grown Up
by Pam Forster
2nd edition from Doorposts
for 1st-12th grade
in Doorposts Materials (Location: BIB-CHDP)
$48.00
Poetry Primer
Imitation in Writing Series
by Matt Whitling
from Logos School
Poetry Curriculum for 4th-8th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$20.00
Praying through the 100 Gateway Cities of the 10/40 Window
2nd edition from YWAM Publishing
for 4th-Adult
in Prayer (Location: XCL-PRAY)
$9.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Protocol Matters
by Sandra Boswell
from Canon Press
for 7th-12th grade
in Manners & Etiquette (Location: BIB-CHMAN)
$18.00
Reading Roadmaps
by Adam Andrews, Missy Andrews
from Center for Literary Education
in Teaching the Classics (Location: LITCUR-TTC)
$39.00
Rifles for Watie
by Harold Keith
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
1958 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$15.99
Roar on the Other Side
by Suzanne U. Rhodes
2nd edition from Canon Press
for 7th-Adult
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$16.99
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Puffin Modern Classics
by Mildred Taylor
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1977 Newbery Medal winner
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
Rudiments of Anglo-Saxon
by Douglas Wilson
from Canon Press
for 8th-Adult
in Foreign Language (Location: FL-GEN)
$22.00
Ruth Translation Workbook
by Kim McKay
from Alef Press
for 4th-12th grade
in Biblical Hebrew (Location: FL-HEB)
$14.95
Science for Every Teacher Volume 1
by John D. Mays
1st Ed. from Novare
for Kindergarten-8th grade
in Novare Science & Math (Location: SCICUR-NOV)
$21.95
Shadow of a Bull
by Maia Wojciechowska
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1965 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Single Shard
by Linda Sue Park
from Sandpiper Books
Realistic fiction for 5th-8th grade
2002 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Slave Dancer
by Paula Fox
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
1974 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99
Smoky the Cowhorse
by Will James
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 5th-8th grade
1927 Newbery Medal winner
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$8.99
Sounder
by William H. Armstrong
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1970 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Story of Mankind
by Hendrik Willem Van Loon, updated and introduced by Robert Sullivan
from W. W. Norton and Co.
for 5th-8th grade
1922 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$18.95
Tales from Silver Lands
by Charles J. Finger
from Dover Publications
for 4th-8th grade
1925 Newbery Medal winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.99
Timeline of Classics
by Gail Ledbetter
2nd edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
for 1st-12th grade
in Recommended Book Lists (Location: LIR-REC)
$29.00
Treasure Island
by Sir Robert Louis Stevenson
from Bantam Books
for 6th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$4.95
Trial and Triumph
by Richard Hannula
from Canon Press
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$21.99
Trumpeter of Krakow
by Eric P. Kelly
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1929 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.99
View From Saturday
by E. L. Konigsburg
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 5th-9th grade
1997 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.50 (3 in stock)
Walk Two Moons
by Sharon Creech
from HarperCollins
for 7th-10th grade
1995 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Waterless Mountain
by Laura Adams Armer
from Dover Publications
for 4th-8th grade
1932 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.99
Westing Game
Puffin Modern Classics
by Ellen Raskin
from Puffin Books
Mystery/Suspense for 5th-8th grade
1979 Newbery Medal winner
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
What Every Child Needs to Know About Western Civilization
by Marcia Harris Brim
from Brimwood Press
for 4th-9th grade
in Tools for Young Historians (Location: BIBWV-TYH)
$42.00
Wheel on the School
by Meindert DeJong
from Inheritance Publications
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1955 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$21.90
When You Reach Me
by Rebecca Stead
from Yearling
for 5th-9th grade
2010 Newbery Medal winner
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$7.99
Whipping Boy
by Sid Fleischman
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1987 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$6.99 $3.00 (3 in stock)
White Company
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Illustrated by N. C. Wyeth
100th Anniversary from SeaWolf Press
Historical Fiction for 8th-Adult
in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW)
$10.36
Wind in the Willows
by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Robert Ingpen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$24.95
Witch of Blackbird Pond
by Elizabeth George Speare
Reissue from Sandpiper Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1959 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
World History Made Simple
by Ruth Beechick
from Mott Media
Non-fiction for 9th-Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$13.95
Wrinkle in Time
Wrinkle in Time Series #1
by Madeleine L'Engle
from Square Fish Publishing
Fantasy for 4th-9th grade
1963 Newbery Medal winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Writer's Guide to Powerful Paragraphs
by Victor C. Pellegrino
from Maui arThoughts Company
Writing Reference for 6th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$24.95
Writer's Guide to Transitional Words and Expressions
by Victor C. Pellegrino
from Maui arThoughts Company
Writing Reference for 6th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$16.95
Writing With Skill Level 1 - Student Workbook
by Susan Wise Bauer
from Well-Trained Mind Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Complete Writer (Location: WRI-WTM)
$31.95 $18.00 (1 in stock)
Writing With Skill Level 2 - Student Workbook
by Susan Wise Bauer
1st edition from Well-Trained Mind Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Complete Writer (Location: WRI-WTM)
$30.95 $18.00 (2 in stock)
Writing With Skill Level 2 - Teacher Guide
by Susan Wise Bauer
1st edition from Well-Trained Mind Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Complete Writer (Location: WRI-WTM)
$34.95 $20.00 (2 in stock)
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