Jim Hodges Audio Books – a Review

My family has loved audio books ever since I can remember.  I think they are a great way to learn and practice both listening skills and mental imagery.  Since my kids have gotten older, the number and type of good, quality, educational audio books has dwindled – until now.  Jim Hodges Productions has created audio versions of some of the G.A. Henty Classics.  We have been fortunate to be able to use the title “With Lee in Virginia” as a part of our studies. 
     We are focusing on American History in our homeschool this year.  I am all for anything that gives either a new twist or a spark of interest to those studies. Jim Hodges has taken over twenty of G.A. Henty’s books and converted them to audiobooks.  Intended for students ages 8 and older, these classic stories take you on a journey through history that will leave you breathless.   These audio books are recorded on a MP3 CD. This means that the CD will play on any computer CD drive, DVD player or MP3 compatible CD player. A standard CD player will not play a MP3 CD so check for compatibility before purchasing.  There is also a downloadable version available. 
     Since we are right at the Civil War era in our studies, “With Lee in Virginia” has been a fabulous way to

extend learning.  We have been able to use the downloadable study guide to further enhance our lessons.  This study guide is written in such a way that most any student could use it – some with assistance, some independently.  It serves as the perfect reinforcement to the information learned through the audiobook.  Not sure if the audiobook is for you?  Try before you buy – listen to a sample of the recording on the Jim Hodges Audio Books website:
Listen to Chapter 12 of With Lee in Virginia
     Since we don’t have any type of cd player in our cars anymore, my kids used the computer to play the cd and listen to the chapters of the book. The study guide is broken into sections that line up perfectly with the chapters of the book. As each chapters was listened to, we could easily move into the study guide. The study guide consists of vocabulary for each chapter, comprehension questions, and then extra activities for further research and study.Sample questions:
Chapter Five : ” What happens to several professors at West Point?”
Chapter 6: Learn about the Battle of Bull Run and create a map.
     My kids would listen to a chapter and complete the activities / questions in the study guide for that chapter.  This was a simple set of lessons to assign and it promoted great discussion times! The study guides were written by a certified teacher (K-8) who minored in history. The author is a homeschooling mom who understands how to write a meaningful and useful curriculum help.
     “With Lee in Virginia” MP3 CD Audio Book is recommended for ages 8 and up. (Jim Hodges recommends ages 10 and up for reading the print copies.) The entire audio book has a run time of 11 hours 20 minutes, but it is broken down into chapters of various lengths.
MP3 CD – $25.00 or the Downloadable Audio – $18
With Lee in Virginia Study Guide PDF  (58 pages) is available for $12
     My kids have thoroughly enjoyed using this audio book and study guide.  It is a no-frills way to learn some really interesting aspects of our history that are often neglected.  The only issue that they have had is that they wished the recordings were more dramatized instead of just ‘read.’ Audiobooks with a bit more emotion and feeling really enhance the types of images created in the mind of the reader as they listen.  For me, I would like for the study guide to be a bit more differentiated with regards to difficulty.  I think there should be some more challenging vocabulary and thought/essay type questions available for older students.  As it stands, the study is perfect for younger middle school students.  For elementary kids, it may be a bit challenging – for high school kids, it is really too simple.The options for additional studies were nice with links to activities online. This was extremely helpful for this busy mom!
     These audio books give readers a premium opportunity to explore history through the beauty of literature.  Audio books can be a fabulous resource to enrich your learning.  Jim Hodges Productions offers other audio books in addition to his Henty selections.  Many listening samples are available on the website. 
     Jim Hodges Productions is active on social media.  To check it out go to: 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jim-Hodges-Audio-Books/184979244857560
    Many of my friends on the Schoolhouse Review Crew have been trying out these awesome audio books.  To read their reviews, click on the banner below.