The Giant Slayers: Book One of the Village of Crossroads Series

By Anna Kaserman Harrold and R. Carol Skinner

ABOUT BOOK ONE AND THE BOOK SERIES

The Giant Slayers is a story about a little league baseball team from a small community. The story addresses the challenges that face these young people as they become a team made up of both boys and girls from different cultural backgrounds.

The Giant Slayers is the first book in the series The Village of Crossroads. This multicultural community provides a setting where youth experience growing up in todays world. In this exciting adventure series the Giant Slayers, with prayer, faith, and the word of God to guide them, confront and grow through the challenging situations and choices before them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 21, 2011
• ISBN: 9781463410537

Anna Kaserman Harrold

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anna Kaserman Harrold, the author of The Giant Slayers, taught elementary and middle school grades for over 30 years in Indiana and Virginia. Her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Indiana University span elementary and middle school education and guidance. She and her husband John are experienced Sunday school teachers and Church youth group leaders. Anna is currently Vice President of Family and Community Values, 21st Century Learning Communities, LLC. Her travels associated with her 21st Century Learning Community assignment has provided her insights into the rich cultural diversity in both America and the Peoples Republic of China. Annas capacity for understanding the diversity in life of todays communities is represented in her three-book series of The Village of Crossroads. ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR R. Carol Skinner has worked as a freelance artist and illustrator from her Carmel, Indiana, studio for the past 30 years. She is highly recognized for her extensive works in pen, ink, and watercolor as presented in The Giant Slayers. Her acclaim generated commissions from schools, universities, corporate enterprises, and community groups. Her interest in drawing and composition is evident in youth books such as Buds Prairietown Holiday, Buds Flatboat Adventure, The Winter of Gray Fox, and The Conners of Conner Prairie. ABOUT THE SERIES CONSULTANT John Andrew Harrold is President, 21st Century Learning Communities, LLC, and Senior Scholar, Vision-Based Community Development, Institute for 21st Century Learning. He is a past president of the Cumberland Town Council, Indiana, and currently serves as Commissioner, Cumberland Redevelopment Commission. John has had an extensive public education background, including 12 years as Director of Curriculum, Indiana Department of Education. As Director, his accomplishments included designing Indianas current programs for Home Schooling and Gifted and Talent Education. His State of Indiana service also includes the responsibilities of serving as Chairman, Indiana Textbook Adoption Committee and Executive Director, Indiana Curriculum Advisory Council of the Indiana State Board of Education.

Book preview

© 2011 Anna Kaserman Harrold. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 7/18/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4634-1053-7 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-1054-4 (sc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011909225

Printed in the United States of America

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

www.TheVillageofCrossroads.com

Copyright © 2010 by 21st Century Learning Communities, LLC

The Giant Slayers is dedicated to the author’s grandson,

John Andrew Harrold III,

and

to all young people growing up in

today’s highly challenging world as well.

About Book One and the Book Series

The Giant Slayers is a story about a little league baseball team from a small community. The story addresses the challenges that face these young people as they become a team made up of both boys and girls from different cultural backgrounds.

The Giant Slayers is the first book in the series The Village of Crossroads. This multicultural community provides a setting where youth experience growing up in today’s world. In this exciting adventure series the Giant Slayers, with prayer, faith, and the word of God to guide them, confront and grow through the challenging situations and choices before them.

About the Author

Anna Kaserman Harrold, the author of The Giant Slayers, taught elementary and middle school grades for over 30 years in Indiana and Virginia. Her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Indiana University span elementary and middle school education and guidance. She and her husband John are experienced Sunday school teachers and Church youth group leaders. Anna is currently Vice President of Family and Community Values, 21st Century Learning Communities, LLC. Her travels associated with her 21st Century Learning Community assignment has provided her insights into the rich cultural diversity in both America and the People’s Republic of China. Anna’s capacity for understanding the diversity in life of today’s communities is represented in her three-book series of The Village of Crossroads.

About the Illustrator

R. Carol Skinner has worked as a freelance artist and illustrator from her Carmel, Indiana, studio for the past 30 years. She is highly recognized for her extensive works in pen, ink, and watercolor as presented in The Giant Slayers. Her acclaim generated commissions from schools, universities, corporate enterprises, and community groups. Her interest in drawing and composition is evident in youth books such as Bud’s Prairietown Holiday, Bud’s Flatboat Adventure, The Winter of Gray Fox, and The Conners of Conner Prairie.

About the Series Consultant

John Andrew Harrold is President, 21st Century Learning Communities, LLC, and Senior Scholar, Vision-Based Community Development, Institute for 21st Century Learning. He is a past president of the Cumberland Town Council, Indiana, and currently serves as Commissioner, Cumberland Redevelopment Commission. John has had an extensive public education background, including 12 years as Director of Curriculum, Indiana Department of Education. As Director, his accomplishments included designing Indiana’s current programs for Home Schooling and Gifted and Talent Education. His State of Indiana service also includes the responsibilities of serving as Chairman, Indiana Textbook Adoption Committee and Executive Director, Indiana Curriculum Advisory Council of the Indiana State Board of Education.

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Authoring Team and Community Contributors

INTRODUCTION The Village Learning Community

CHAPTER 1 Mrs. Grant’s Dozen

CHAPTER 2 The Team’s First Practice

CHAPTER 3 The Giant Slayers

CHAPTER 4 Mrs. Grant’s Plan

CHAPTER 5 The Cookout

CHAPTER 6 School Is Out for the Summer

CHAPTER 7 The Accident

CHAPTER 8 Summer Break

CHAPTER 9 God Answers Prayer

CHAPTER 10 The Tournament

CHAPTER 11 The Bible Study

CHAPTER 12 The Championship Game

CHAPTER 13 What Next!

CHAPTER 14 The Celebration

PROFILES Jessica’s Album

REFERENCES Bible

GLOSSARY Word Power

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Authoring Team and Community Contributors

The Giant Slayers was conceived several years ago as I thought about how I might continue to serve and share my faith with young persons. I had taught elementary and middle school students throughout my professional life. The process I used to share my faith with my students was through my actions and the caring use of word when encouraging my students to be as good as they can be in everyday work and play. This sharing opportunity was interrupted when I retired from my professional teaching responsibilities. The Giant Slayers represents for me a new opportunity for me to encourage young persons and share my faith with them in action and story. I have many persons to thank for this opportunity.

First, I would like to thank my Heavenly Father who looked over my shoulder and guided my thoughts and crafted what I was to write. Next, I want to thank my best friend and husband, John, for counseling me early in my search for new service opportunities: pray, seek a niche that reflects your own life experiences, then enjoy the pursuit. I knew what John was telling me was true because it reflected a Bible verse, Matthew 7:7, that I learned in early childhood: Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

I want to thank family and friends who were wonderfully responsive during the writing and editing