I am so glad that I was able to review the second audio theater CD-set of the series “The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty.” This time the story is “In Freedom’s Cause: The Real Story of Wallace and Bruce” by Heirloom Audio Productions and teaches about the exciting lives of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, who worked to bring freedom to Scotland. It is adapted from the book In Freedom’s Cause by G.A. Henty (which was written in 1885).
This is a physical CD set with other digital downloaded components. I received the In Freedom’s Cause Single Package which includes the 2-CD set in a nice case with a booklet explaining about Heirloom Audio Productions and giving the link to the study guide. Inside the case is printed “The Prayer of William Wallace” (from the sacred song for King David, Psalm 23).
Also a part of the Single Package are links to some digital downloads: In Freedom’s Cause Study Guide (pdf file), In Freedom’s Cause Soundtrack (MP3 download), and Printable copy of The Prayer Of William Wallace (digital download).
We listened to the CDs in our car, and it played really well there. The story is 2 1/2 hours long. They recommend it for ages 6-adult. I will say that you might want to listen to it yourself to see if you think it would be ok for your younger kids. There is quite a bit of fighting and violence in the story.
I found the story fascinating. I really haven’t studied William Wallace or Robert the Bruce very much. It’s so easy to listen to since it’s told as a story using 2 main characters Ned and Gerald (who were also in the first story we listened to.) These boys go through the events and battles so we see first-hand what is happening in Scotland. You really feel the time period, the oppression, and the drive of the people toward freedom.
One of my favorite parts was the focus on the Psalter. Wallace and Ned’s mother speak about how wonderful reading the Psalms are. It’s important to know and follow God’s Word.
Watch a trailer of “In Freedom’s Cause” here:
The quality is top-notch! The soundtrack (which we also listened to separately through MP3 downloaded on our computer) is really nice–excellent instrumentation and adds to the excitement of the story. The actors are professionals. You’ll hear Joanne Froggatt from Downton Abbey, Billy Boyd from Lord of the Rings, Skandar Keynes from Chronicles of Narnia, and James Cosmo from Braveheart.
One thing that homeschoolers will really like is that you get access to a study guide along with your CD-set! It’s 49 pages long and nicely graphically-designed including some color photographs and pictures. There are Listening Well questions, Thinking Further questions (including some history links and study on geography), and Defining Words for each of the 37 tracks of the story (you could use these for vocabulary building or spelling words). It starts with short biographies of G.A. Henty, Sir William Wallace, and Robert the Bruce. After the questions and definitions, there are “Some Notes on the History of Scotland”, 3 Bible Studies, and a bibliography for further study.
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You can read my review of the first Heirloom Audio Production CD set “Under Drake’s Flag” here.
The next story coming out will be “With Lee in Virginia” (a story about the American Civil War). We started trying to read this particular Henty book and couldn’t get very far because the reading level is difficult. I know we will love it in the audio theater version! Help them out by following these new pages: Facebook , Google+, Twitter
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