Reference & Learning Aids

A lot of education is filling in gaps. Even more is simple fact-memorization, the primary building block leading to the ability to regurgitate ideas, analyze them, and form original ones. Either way, there often isn't a better solution than stuffing names, dates, and figures in kids' heads until they can recall them at will. They hate this, generally, but it's a necessary evil.

In no way as unpleasant, but just as educational, is something most kids love to do: getting comfy with a big compendium of knowledge and turning each page, learning little tidbits about history, the world around them, how their body works, or who's been in outer space until they've had enough and go outside to hunt trolls or dig up buried treasure.

The best word to describe such books is one that every college student learns to dread: reference. If you don't get an F on your paper because you wrote it two hours before class, you definitely will because you forgot to cite your references. It's important to remember, however, that the enemy isn't reference; the enemy (for lack of a better term) is a system that places more value on following arbitrary guidelines than presenting and commenting on thoughts and information.

We're here to put the RAD back in reference. And memorization—there's nothing that says learning the times tables has to be boring. It often is, but usually only because we look at it as a chore, and not a privilege or exciting activity. This attitude often starts with parents: we didn't like math in school, so we kind of groan along with our kids whenever the ol' numbers chart comes out. If we get excited instead, our children are likely to do the same.

Below you'll find a long list of books crammed with facts. Some of them aren't important facts (usually the most fun), some of them are essential; we're not sure where the distinction should or does lie all the time, so we'll leave you to sort that out for yourselves. We would simply encourage, whether you're teaching the tens chart in math, or adding nuance to a study of the Old West by reading a short bio of female outlaw Belle Prater, that you approach "just the facts" with as much joy and anticipation as you'd like to see your children exhibit.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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80 Items found Print
Active Filters: 10th grade (Ages 15-16), Trade Paperback, In-Stock Books & Materials
America's Christian History
by Gary DeMar
2nd edition from American Vision Press
for 10th-Adult
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
American Covenant
by Marshall Foster
from Mayflower Institute
for 9th-Adult
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Art of Fiction
by John Gardner
from Vintage Classics
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$14.95 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Atlas of the North American Indian
by Carl Waldman
1st edition from Facts On File
for 9th-Adult
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Baker Illustrated Guide to the Bible
by J. Daniel Hays & J. Scott Duvall
from Baker Books
for 7th-Adult
in Bible Reference (Location: XBI-REF)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Basic History of the United States - Complete Set with Teacher's Guide
by Clarence B. Carson
from American Textbook Committee
American History Reference for 9th-12th grade
in Basic History of the United States (Location: HISCUR-BHUS)
$104.55
Bible Jesus Read
by Philip Yancey
from Zondervan
for 10th-Adult
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$16.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Bible Study
by Kathleen Buswell Nielson
from P&R Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Reading & Study (Location: XBI-STUDY)
$11.00
British Museum Visitor's Guide
by John Reeve
from British Museum Press
for 9th-12th grade
in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Caught'ya!
by Jane Bell Kiester
3rd edition from Maupin House Publishing
for 7th-12th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Complete Rhyming Dictionary
from Dell Publishing
for 1st-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$8.99
Cruden's Complete Concordance
by Alexander Cruden
1979 printing from Zondervan
for 10th-Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Debunking Howard Zinn
by Mary Grabar
from Regnery Publishing, Inc.
for 10th-Adult
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$16.00
Drive Thru History America with Dave Stotts: Foundations of Character - Book Only
by David Barton
from Tyndale House
for 6th-10th grade
in Drive Thru History with Dave Stotts (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$6.50 (2 in stock)
Elements
by Theodore Gray
from Black Dog & Leventhal
for 9th-12th grade
in Chemistry (Location: SCI-CHEM)
$19.99
Elements of Style
by William Strunk & E. B. White
4th edition from Allyn and Bacon
Writing Handbook for 9th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$9.99
Elements of Style (Illustrated)
by E.B. White, William Strunk Jr.
from Penguin Books
for 7th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$18.00
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters
by Mark Dunn
Reprint from Anchor Books
for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$12.71
Essential Literary Terms
1st edition from W. W. Norton and Co.
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Facts Plus
by Susan C. Anthony
from Instructional Resources Company
for 9th-adult
in General Reference (Location: REF-GEN)
$19.95
Giggly Guide to Grammar
by Cathy Campbell
for 7th-12th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
by Douglas Stuart, Gordon D. Fee
3rd edition from Zondervan
for 10th-Adult
in Bible Reading & Study (Location: XBI-STUDY)
$16.99 $8.50 (2 in stock)
How To Write a News Article
by Michael Kronewetter
from Grolier Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
How to Write Irresistible Query Letters
by Lisa Collier Cool
from Writer's Digest
for 9th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$12.95
Human Anatomy in Full Color
by John Green
from Dover Publications
for 4th-12th grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$10.95
King Alfred's English
by Laurie J. White
from Shorter Word Press
for 7th-12th grade
in History of Books & Language (Location: HISV-BOOK)
$15.60
Land of Hope
by Wilfred M. McClay
from Encounter Books
for 10th-Adult
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$49.99 $25.00 (1 in stock)
Land That I Love
by Bobbie Ames
from Nordskog Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Lee's New School History of the United States
by Susan Lee
1995 reprint from Grapevine Publications
for 9th-Adult
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Meaning of Everything
by Simon Winchester
Reprint from Oxford University
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Merriam-Webster's Rhyming Dictionary
by Merriam-Webster
2nd edition from Merriam-Webster
for 9th-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$17.95
Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes
by Brandon J. O'Brien, E. Randolph Richards
from InterVarsity Press
for 10th-Adult
in Scripture & Hermeneutics (Location: XBI-HERM)
$22.00
MLA Handbook - Ninth Edition
9th edition from Modern Language Asociation of America
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
Molecules
by Theodore Gray
from Black Dog & Leventhal
for 9th-12th grade
in Chemistry (Location: SCI-CHEM)
$19.99
More Nitty-Gritty Grammar
by Edith H. Fine and Judith P. Josephson
from Ten Speed Press
for 6th-Adult
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$7.00 (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
National Audubon Society First Field Guide: Fishes
by C. Lavett Smith
from Scholastic Inc.
for 6th-10th grade
in Sharks & Fishes (Location: SCI-FISH)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Nelson's 3-D Bible Mapbook
by Simon Jenkins
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for All Ages
in Bible Geography and Surveys (Location: XBI-GEO)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
New Answers Book 1
by Ken Ham, Jonathan Sarfati & Carl Wieland
from Master Books
for 7th-Adult
in Faith & Science (Location: XAP-SCI)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
New World In View
To Pledge Allegiance #1
by Gary DeMar & Fred Douglas Young
from American Vision Press
American History Reference for 8th-10th grade
in To Pledge Allegiance (Location: HISCUR-TPA)
$12.00 (2 in stock)
Nitty-Gritty Grammar
by Edith H. Fine and Judith P. Josephson
from Ten Speed Press
for 6th-Adult
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
On the Road to Independence
To Pledge Allegiance #3
by Gary DeMar & George Grant
from American Vision Press
American History Reference for 9th-12th grade
in To Pledge Allegiance (Location: HISCUR-TPA)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Our Mother Tongue
by Nancy Wilson
2nd edition from Canon Press
for 7th-10th grade
in Miscellaneous Grammar Curriculum (Location: GRA-MISC)
$23.99 $15.00 (1 in stock)
Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
3rd edition from Oxford University
for 9th-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Pastfinder Berlin 1945-1989
by Maik Kopleck
from Ch. Links Verlag
for 7th-12th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Patriot's History of the United States
by Larry Schweikart & Michael Allen
from Sentinel
for 10th-Adult
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$32.00
Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Civilizations
by John Haywood
from Penguin Putnam
for 9th-12th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$25.00
Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece
by Robert Morkot
from Penguin Putnam
Atlas/Greek History Reference for 9th-12th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$18.00 $11.00 (2 in stock)
Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome
by Chris Scarre
from Penguin Putnam
Roman History Reference for 9th-12th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$22.00
Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings
by John Haywood
from Penguin Putnam
Atlas/Historical Reference for 9th-12th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$23.00
Pocket Dictionary of Biblical Studies
by Anthony J. Petrotta, Arthur G. Patzia
from InterVarsity Press
for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$6.00
Prague
by Heather Jones, ed.
from DK Publishing
for 8th-Adult
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Presidential Anecdotes
by Paul F. Boller Jr.
14th edition from Penguin Putnam
for 8th-12th grade
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
$6.50 (2 in stock)
Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail
by Theodore Roosevelt
from University of Nebraska
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Gilded Age & Progressive Era (1877-1918) (Location: HISA-19GI)
$18.95
Romans
by Anthony Marks & Graham Tingay
from Usborne
for 5th-12th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Smithsonian Guide to Historic America - 12 volume set
from Stewart, Tabori, & Chang
for 8th-Adult
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$48.00 (1 in stock)
Smithsonian Guide to Historic America: The Deep South
by William B. Logan and Vance Muse, with photography by Mary Z. Jenkins
from Stewart, Tabori, & Chang
for 9th-Adult
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Spirit of the American Revolution
by John Pevoto
for 8th-12th grade
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Story of Liberty
by Charles Coffin
from Maranatha Publications
Historical Reference for 10th-Adult
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$19.97 $10.00 (2 in stock)
Student Bible Dictionary
by Karen Dockrey, Johnnie Godwin, Phyllis Godwin
from Barbour Publishing
for 5th-12th grade
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIBR-STU)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Student's Guide to U.S. History
by Wilfred M. McClay
from Intercollegiate Studies Institute
for 9th-12th grade
$8.00
Student's Guide to Writing College Papers
by Kate L. Turabian
Fourth Edition from University of Chicago
for 10th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$17.00
Survey of the Bible
by William Hendriksen
4th edition from Baker Books
for 10th-Adult
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
Taking the Old Testament Challenge
by Judson Poling
from Zondervan
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Reading & Study (Location: XBI-STUDY)
$12.99 $6.50 (1 in stock)
They Say / I Say (old)
by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein
3rd edition from W. W. Norton and Co.
for 9th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Timetables of History
by Bernard Grun, translator
4th edition from Touchstone
World History Reference for 9th-Adult
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
$19.00 (1 in stock)
Timetables of History
by Bernard Grun, translator
3rd edition from Simon and Schuster
World History Reference for 9th-Adult
in Old Edition History & Geography (Location: OHIS)
$9.00 (3 in stock)
Timetables of History
by Bernard Grun, translator
2nd edition from Simon and Schuster
World History Reference for 9th-Adult
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
True Tales of the South at War
by Clarence Poe, ed.
from Dover Publications
for 10th-Adult
in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Uncovering the Logic of English
by Denise Eide
2nd Edition from Logic of English, Inc.
for 9th-Adult
in Logic of English (Location: PHO-LOE)
$14.99
Words You Should Know
by David Olsen
from Adams Media Corp.
for 6th-10th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Wordsmithy
by Douglas Wilson
1st edition from Canon Press
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$14.00
World History Made Simple
by Ruth Beechick
from Mott Media
Non-fiction for 9th-Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
World History Map Activities
by Marvin Scott
Rev Upd from Walch Publishing
for 7th-10th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$26.00 $15.00 (3 in stock)
Write Book for Christian Families
by Robert Allen
from Bob Jones University Press
for 1st-12th grades
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Writer's Guide to Perfect Punctuation
by Victor C. Pellegrino
from Maui arThoughts Company
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$14.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
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 $16.00 (1 in stock)
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 $11.00 (2 in stock)
Writer's Guide to Using Eight Methods of Transition
by Victor C. Pellegrino
from Maui arThoughts Company
Writing Reference for 6th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Writing Great Short Stories
by Margaret Lucke
1st edition from McGraw-Hill
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$5.50 (1 in stock)