Book Description

The Newbery Honor Classic

In the more than thirty years since The Cricket in Times Square was first published, it has become a classic for all ages, passed down from generation to generation. Georg Selden's whimsical tale of a little Connecticut cricket named Chester, whose entrapment in a wicker picnic basket leads to never-before-dreamed-of adventures upon his arrival in Times Square, in its original, unabridged form, becomes a delightful performance as retold by Rene Auberjonois.

The Cricket In Times Square

After Chester lands, in the Times Square subway station, he makes himself comfortable in a nearby newsstand. There, he has the good fortune to make three new friends: Mario, a little boy whose parents run the falling newsstand, Tucker, a fast-talking Broadway mouse, and Tucker's sidekick, Harry the Cat. The escapades of these four friends in bustling New York City makes for lively listening and humorous entertainment. And somehow, they manage to bring a taste of success to the nearly bankrupt newsstand. ... Read more

Reviews (73)

The Cricket in Times Square
I read The Cricket in Times Square and thought it was a fantastic book. I enjoyed the book because the author, George Selden, used good vocabulary words to describe his characters and settings. The story was easy to follow and fun to read.

The Cricket in Times Square is about a cricket named Chester. Chester lived in Connecticut. One day he smelled some food from a picnic and went over to investigate the smell. While sniffing, he got caught in a bag with sandwiches. The family eating the sandwiches got on a train to New York City. When he got to New York City, one of the main characters, Mario Bellini, found Chester outside. Chester was next to Mario's parent's newsstand so Mario picked him up and put him in a matchbox. While at the newsstand, Mario asked his mom if he could keep the cricket. After a few days Mario took Chester to buy a cage at a Chinese store. The cage was shaped like a Chinese building.

At the newsstand Chester met a mouse named Tucker and a cat named Harry. Chester became good friends with them. Chester became a very famous cricket and played his beautiful music at 8:00AM and 4:30PM for all the people at the newsstand.

If you want more details about Chester's exciting adventures, read this book or other books by George Selden! I hope this review makes you want to read The Cricket in Times Square, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

A Review On The Cricket In Time Square
It all started when Mario found his new best friend in a pile of dirt. He met Chester, Chester the cricket. Mario lives with mama and poppa, but they don't have a lot of money. They own a newsstand in Grand Central Station. Chester meets two other friends besides Mario. He meets Tucker, a mouse and Harry, a cat. Quickly these four learn a lot about each other and become best friends. The four friends work hard to bring success to Mario's newsstand. I think this book is great. When I was reading I couldn't put the book down because you never know what's going to happen next so you have to read on. I think many other people should read this book too. It so detailed so you can see every little part in the book happening in your head. This book is one of my favorite books I have every read in my whole entire life. There's nothing good missing in this book, it's great. I would most certainly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read. The four friends work hard to bring success to Mario's newsstand. Read the book to find out what happens in the end of this great, Newberry award winning book.

By:Jake Soffer

The Cricket in Times Square
Can you guess what book I read; well if you guessed The Cricket in Time Square you were right. George Seldne really gets you interested in the book. I didn't want to put the book down.
Mario owns a cricket named Chester. He picked him up by the family owned newsstand in New York.
The mother of Mario doesn't want the cricket in the house or in the newsstand, but Mario makes a little deal with her so he can keep the cricket as a pet.
This book reminds me of The Todd and Frog because in both books they develop good friendships. Chester is an outrageous friend that helps out this family by chirping famous songs. He also helps out these two friends in New York.
If you're a person that likes fantasy, where animals tell the story, then you should really enjoy reading this book.

By Tara Curry

Emily's Review of The Cricket in Times Square
I really liked The Cricket in Times Square because there are lots of funny and unusual characters! It is about a small boy named Mario who finds a very unusual pet - a cricket! The cricket, Chester, ends up takinga subway to New York, and meets two other friends, Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat.
This was a hilarious book as Chester tries to manage in the city,which is unlike his Conneticut home.
This book is realistic fiction which means that everything in the book didn't happen, but it could happen. The author created many interesting characters at very unsual times. I like the way George Selden made the characters come to life. He described every character, so that I could visualize them in my mind, even without the pictures.

I would recommend this book to people who like adventure stories.Younger kids,and most adults would like The Cricket in Times Square.

The Crickets in Times Square
This is a fiction book.I read ths book in the summer.I would recmmend this book to others because its really fun and exciting.I could read this book all the time.If you like funny,exciting,and clever you should read ths book.at the end does chester go back to his home town,Kansas if you want to Know this great seceret?Does he live with his owner?Unravel this great seceret and pickup the adventures of the Cricket in Times Squares. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A seminal work of American Literature that still commands deep praise and still elicits controversy, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is essential to the understanding of the American soul.The recent discovery of the first half of Twain's manuscript, long thought lost, made front-page news.And this unprecedented edition, which contains for the first time omitted episodes and other variations present in the first half of the handwritten manuscript, as well as facsimile reproductions of thirty manuscript pages, is indispensable to a full understanding of the novel.The changes, deletions, and additions made in the first half of the manuscript indicate that Mark Twain frequently checked his impulse to write an even darker, more confrontational book than the one he finally published. ... Read more

Reviews (298)

Mr. poppers penguins
Mr.poppers penguins is a very good book. It is very funny. If you were to read this book you would be laughing as hard as you ever have. When I first read the bok I thought it was going to be worse, but it was very funny. I would recomend this book to people 10 and under.

One Lousy Escapade
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, is a dull book that is kept alive only by its strong moral lesson that contradicts the rights of slavery.Jim, an African-American runaway slave, is on the search for his own freedom by escaping to the south.Shortly into his journey, he phenomenally runs into and befriends Huck, a rambunctious wild child who is also coincidentally running away from home!Although the lesson is important, I found that it clouded Twain in his ability to entertain me as a reader.Insignificant chapters and random characters slowly drag along as Huck defeats all odds in his unrealistic encounters that take place on the Mississippi River.Repeated character personalities and storyline ideas created confusion for me as I was also perplexed by Jim's heavy dialect.I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who is actually looking for an actual action plot as it is a huge disappointment as a sequel to the thrilling Tom Sawyer novel.

Huckleberry Finn Review
I gave this book four out of five stars for a couple of different reasons.First of all the book clearly shows the reader what is taking place in the U.S. at this time and it helps set the plot of the story.The second reason I gave it this rank is because throughout the whole book there is always something exciting taking place and plenty of action.This helps keep the reader focused and into the book.Another reason for my ranking is because even though the book is mostly serious, Mark Twain adds some comedy into the book to help reveal some of the more serious times in the book.The length of the book is just about perfect, because the author doesn't try and drag on a certain part of the story.This makes the book more interesting.Finally, the reason I didn't give this book a perfect five out of five is because of the ending.I feel that the ending doesn't fit the book.This is cause throughout the whole book there is always action taking place, and then at the ending of the book it kind of stops at a dull point.I think the ending could have been changed or something a little more exciting could have took place.

BOOK REVIEW BY: JESS
Huckleberry Fin was a good an exciting book. It was easy to visualize what was going on when you were reading it.It was about a poor 13 year old boy named Huckleberry FIn. His father was a drunk, and would beat him so he decided to run away.Huck ran away with A former slave named Jim.They shared many adventures as they went from town to town.Huckleberry fin was a good book, and if you take the time to read it you will enjoy it.

Huck Finn
Huck Finn Starts out great the first fifteen chapters or so are great, but then it starts to get more and more boring as the novel progresses. If your a reader that can just plow through chapters of maninless boring junk punctuated by periods of awesome literature this is the book for you ... Read more

Book Description

"The sixth horse shall be a bay -- not a dark bay, but a clear bay -- whose coal is touched with gold. When he flees under the sun he is the wind."

When the Sultan of Morocco selects six horses to send as a gift to the King of France, Agba, a young horseboy, is honored to have his stallion chosen. Sham, a beautiful golden bay named for the Arabian sun, is meant, along with the others, to sire a stronger race of horses throughout Europe. As his escort, Agba must protect Sham's pedigree and present him before the King. But when they arrive, poor Sham is seen as no more than a carthorse and is sent away. Bound by bonds of love and honor, Agba and Sham soon make their way from the streets of France to the racetracks of England and into the history books forever. Readers will be swept away by the riveting story of the world's most renowned Thoroughbred horse ever.

King of the Wind has captured the hearts of readers for more than fifty years. In this glorious, finely wrought gift book, readers will find a heartfelt introduction by Marguerite Henry's first publisher, manuscript notes from the author's private collection, and a painting of Sham, the Godolphin Arabian by Wesley Dennis. Lovingly written and beautifully illustrated, this keepsake volume details the creation of this remarkable story for a new generation of fans. ... Read more

Reviews (47)

Great historical fiction for kids
This book was given to me when I was barely eight years old, almost thirty years ago. I learned how to read books that took more than one sitting with "King of the Wind".

The story is of a mute Morrocan stable boy, Agba, and a foal, Sham, who is born to one of the royal mares Agba cares for. Sham...and Agba...are selected to be part of a gift to the King of France. Their adventures in Europe are filled mostly with despair and cruelty, until Sham sires a foal that becomes the beginnings of the Thoroughbred breed we know today (this part is true; Sham was renamed "The Godolphin Arabian"; all Thoroughbreds must include in their pedigreeone of the three specific founding sires, and the Godolphin Arabian is one of them).

There's a lot here: adventure, triumph over adversity, a respect for other cultures, the care of the creatures that share our lives, and a healthy dose of humor about the absurdities of the powerful or elite.

As a kid, I eagerly devoured any Marguerite Henry book I could find. It's well worth it to get hard-cover editions that include the wonderful full-color illustrations by Wesley Dennis.

Excellent book for kids who love horses
I am now 32 years old, and this book remains vivid in my mind as one of my all-time childhood favorites. The story of the mute stable boy Agba and his travels with 'his' beloved horse Sham exposes young readers to a variety of cultures and stressses the value of faithfulness and loyalty without being at all preachy. Sham, sent as a gift from the Sultan of Morocco to the King of France, is mistreated during the voyage and arrives looking like an old nag instead of the young, well-bred Arab stallion he is. The king's rejection of the horse is the beginning of a new journey as Sham -- with Agba always there to care for him -- passes from one owner to another, eventually becoming "The Godolphin Arabian" one of the three founders of the Thoroughbred bred. This book is worth buying in the hardback form, especially if that means getting Wesley Dennis' gorgeous illustrations in color

"The king of the wind is loes."
King of the wind is a great book. I am not a hores book person but I really liked this book. Sham was born with a singh of bad luk witch was the weat ear but he was also born with a white spot on his hind leg withc was good luk and that he would be a fast running hores. Sham, Agba,(is the mute boy who takes care of him) and a cat. Thoes three go through many things to gether and live many places. The book has a pretty happy ending and you should read it. I am going to give you about ten words of advice, GIVE THIS BOOK A TRY AND GO READ IT.

A Book For All Ages!
This will touch your heart in so many ways. It brings you into the life of a small boy and his special bond with a horse. You will follow their journey that goes many places.

The first time I picked up this book and read it I fell in love with it. I even now in my read this book at least once a year.

Could have told more of the real story...
Marguerite Henry took great license in telling the story of the Godolphin Arabian, but it's likely there were two reasons she did so; first, because she based the majority of her novel on heavily romanticised reports like that which appeared in Western Horseman in 1949; second, to illustrate to young children what could happen to perfectly good horses that were considered worthless because of prejudice or unwillingness to see what was there.

The real Sham was born in Tunis and given by the Bey of Tunis to King Louis XV with a group of other horses. But there's no evidence that he was reduced to pulling a cart in the Paris streets before rescue by Edward Coke. Coke probably got him from the Duke of Lorraine, who'd gotten him from the King.

A contemporary described Sham as "beautiful but half-starved", so the rough sea voyage with the greedy staff is likely true, even if the cart-horse story is not. He also said that Sham (he spelled it Shami, and other accounts have "Scham") was temperamental and generally disliked by the stable hands. A vet who cared for Sham in his last years said he was built to sire champions: "his shoulders were deeper, and lay farther into his back, than those of any horse ever yet seen. Behind the shoulders, there was but a very small space ere the muscles of his loins rose exceedingly high, broad, and expanded, which were inserted into his hindquarters with greater strength and power than in any horse I believe ever yet seen of his dimensions, viz fifteen hands high."

Agba was real; there are portraits of the little horse with a handsome dark-skinned young man in flowing Arab dress and turban. Whether or not he was mute is debatable. Again, many of the later accounts have been greatly romanticised. But Grimalkin the stable cat was real too, according to early records which report his presence in the famous portrait.

There is no record of the apocalyptic battle with Hobgoblin. We can look at that, and Sham's subsequent exile to Wicken Fen, as symbolic of the prejudice felt by the complacent English toward this relatively small, strange-looking newcomer. The truth is that Sham did mate with Lady Roxane and sired Lath. He sired 116 others in his long lifetime.

With all the interest in Seabiscuit of late, one would like to point out that as a direct descendant of Man O'War, he was also a direct descendant of the Godolphin Arabian. Just another horse who seemed worthless, but was not, and came from behind to prove the superiority of Arabian blood.

Look up "Davenport Arabians" to learn more about this proud line. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

New Beginnings
Laura Ingalls tells about her childhood experiences as her family travels from Minnesota to settle in South Dakota. She gives an account of how their lives changed from living in a more settled area in Minnesota compared to living in unsettled land which later becomes De Smet. Mary, Laura's older sister, has lost her sight to scarlet fever, and Laura hopes that she will someday be able to attend a college for the blind. Although Laura works very hard she rarely complains. She enjoys singing with her father as he plays the fiddle. Ingall's gives clear pictures of what life was like for a girl growing up in early American History. As an adult this was my first experience reading one of Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books; I found it most informative and enjoyable. This book is a great way for children to learn what life was like during the pioneer era.

I liked the title of the book because I like silver.
I liked the book because it was interesting the way Laura described everything to Mary because she was blind. I liked when Laura went horseback riding. It sounded fun. My Mom read these books when she was young and back then this was her least favorite when when she re-read it as an adult she found it much more interesting. Now she is reading the series to me. It was sad when Jack died. I cried because I liked Jack. Pa said he would go to dog heaven. Mom's favorite part of the book was when the family lived in the surveyor's house for the winter and they had a nice Christmas with the Boasts, and she liked the part when the family learned about the blind college, and they had hope that Mary could one day go there.

By the Shores of Silver Lake
I thinks This is the graatest bok I has evver reed. It was AUSOME!!!! I ca'nt thinks of a diffarent bokk I wuld love to reed!

Emma's Review
This book is probably the best book for kids other than Holes! It is about a girl named Laura and her sisters Mary,Carrie and baby Grace also Ma and Pa. She has to move to a new homested on Silver Lake. Her family has just gone through a very hard time-Mary got blind! She has many adventures-one of her scariest would be when a wolf almost atacks her! This is one of MY personle favorites!

A really great book!
When the book starts out, Laura's aunt comes, and Pa decides to move. Laura is 13. I really like this book because Laura puts detail in what pioneer life was like. It is a well-written book. You just can't miss a book like this. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (31)

Everyone, this is truely a wonderful book
I read this book in the sixth grade, and I thought I should just read it because my teacher, Ms. Aperribay, had us and I didn't want to get a "F" for this work. So I read it, bored with it in the first chapter. Then... I thought it was wonderful! Juan de Pareja is a true story of a slave of the famous painter, Diego de Silva y Velazquez, and he studies, just by watching, the arts of true painting. Secretly, he does his own pieces, and they are beautiful! He wishes he could share it with someone, but if he tells, he will be sinned because slaves aren't supposed to paint! This book disserves a 100 thumbs up, but I guess there is no such thing. I read this in spanish, and even though I didn't understand it well, I loved it.

Supremely Intelligent and Well-Done
Based on "thin threads" of truth, "I, Juan de Pareja" explores the relationship between famous 17th-century Spanish painter Diego Velazquez and his black slave, Juan de Pareja. Written in first person as if Juan is really telling his story, it is the chronicle of much of Juan's life and and his colorful experiences as apprentice to a master painter.

There are many excellent aspects of this book, yet I think that the "strength" of the character of Juan is the book's biggest asset. Many books that are simply first person narratives are dry and boring, yet one could never complain of boredom while reading "I, Juan de Pareja." Juan's intelligence shines through in every page and his intuitiveness fills the book with detail. Also, his struggle to paint (because Spanish slaves at the time were forbidden to practice the arts) is fascinating, suspenseful, and ultimately inspiring. This book would not be a 5-star read without a strong character like Juan.

Historical detail also adds great richness to the book. Author de Trevino has captured the mood of 17th century Spain perfectly, and her accounts of Juan's Italian travels fascinate the reader as well. Art facts and descriptions are well-placed, and the reader will find themselves interested in the rich history presented in the book, rather than bored by it.

Furthermore, supporting characters are excellent! The portrayal of Diego Velazquez was well-imagined by the author, and the master painter's comments ring with insight and truth. The nobles, the painter's family, the Spanish king, Dutch painter Ruebens...they all come to life in "I, Juan de Pareja."

Finally, the end of the book is triumphant and fitting. I can't say much more without spoiling the book, but trust me, it's one of the most well-done endings you could find. It is hard to find a single flaw in this book. Vibrant history, excellent characters...why aren't more people reading this book?

This book is a pathetic attempt for a novel
The theme of this novel I believe is something around equality or injustice. But the author poorly displays the emotions and feelings, but the storyline about a poor painter who commits crimes weakens its affect. The life of a painter has little to do with injustice, and being deprived of splashing ink onto a canvas isn't a powerful topic, nor injustice in large quantities. If the story were something of higher stakes, the message would have been brought better. The works of Dalasquez have been forgotten in the snap of a finger. As stated before, the irrelavent topic of art is constantly replaced. Art is a fad, and I, Juan De Pareja is the tale of a painter being deprived of being part of a fad. If the author wants a tale of injustice involving fads, he could just capture the diary of a teenager.

Before *Girl with a Pearl Earring*, there was Juan de Pareja
Putatively aimed at a younger audience, this book is in reality directed at a wider audience.

One of the deep pains of knowing something about art is the realization that paintings you know and love aren't a part of today's "Cultural Literacy." This makes books like *Girl with a Peal Earring* and *I, Juan de Pareja* a particular joy. Once you have read these books, the paintings will haunt (and enrich) your subconscious. I read first read *Juan de Pareja* as a child, during a recent trip to the Prado in Madrid, flashes of this book were still with me as I looked at Velasquez's masterworks.

This book, deservedly, has stayed in print through many, many editions, and I hope there will be more to come.

We all enjoyed it.
My daughter read this book first a few years ago and enjoyed it so much she read it twice. Then her brother and sister and I each read it. We all enjoyed it. We had been studying this time period and I found this book to be realistic and informative. The story line is about Juan's life as a slave and an artist, and that in itself is quite interesting if you enjoy learning about how people lived in other times and places. The fact that Juan was a real person in history, and that much of the story is based on truth makes it even more enjoyable to read. The book is well written and descriptive, but not bogged down in description. We liked it. ... Read more

Book Description

A BBC Dramatization
3 hours 35 minutes, 5 CDs

Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit, is a peaceful sort who lives in a cozy hole in the Shire, a place where adventures are uncommon—and rather unwanted. So when the wizard Gandalf whisks him away on a treasure-hunting expedition with a troop of rowdy dwarves, he's not entirely thrilled.

Encountering ruthless trolls, beastly orcs, gigantic spiders, and hungry wolves, Bilbo discovers within himself astonishing strength and courage. And at the ultimate confrontation with the fearsome dragon Smaug, the hobbit will brave the dangers of the dark and dragon fire alone and unaided. ... Read more

Reviews (44)

Audio brings the Classic to life!!!
EVERYONE SHOULD READ 'THE HOBBIT' AND LISTEN TO THIS AWESOME AUDIO RENDITION.

I cannot praise BBC enough. Their dramatizations are incredible! The sound effects and music in 'The Hobbit' especially deserve to be lauded ~ Gollum, the trolls, the elves, the eagles are all given the kind of sounds and voices we tried to contrive as kids. Everything the characters are doing - climbing mountains, riding in barrels down river, running, marching, drinking/eating - is captured with a multitude of sounds. Put on your headphones and you will disappear to Bilbo's discovered world.

Parents who are sick of bad programming and dumbed-down childrens' books should try this one out! They're great for long car rides. There are tons of other great titles from BBC - The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe, Great Expectations, The Lord of the Rings, etc. They all measure up to the same kind of superior quality!

An bedtime story that will stand the test of time.
The Hobbit is and always will be a classic adventure appealing to children and adults alike. It's just plain wonderful and if you haven't read it or had it read to you, you've missed out. It's that simple. Read it, listen to it or bribe someone into reading it to you. Buy it and save it for your grand kids. If you only own one book, this is the one to own.

(of course after you've read it you'll realize that now you have to run out and get the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Sorry!)

Not anything to jump at...
I recommend the Mind's Eye dramatization of this. At least Mind's Eye gets the pronunciation of names correct. GahLOOM for Gollum? All it takes is listening to Tolkien himself reading "Riddles in the Dark" (I recommend the Tolkien Audio Collection) to know that these producers didn't do their homework. Also, the split narrative is a bit distracting, and Bilbo's constant hemming and hawing makes him sound like he has a mental condition. The voice casting leaves MUCH to be desired as well. Gandalf (or GawnDAWLF as they mispronounce it) sounds awful! This actor would be interesting as Wormtongue in LOTR, but as Gandalf - PTOOIE! The script is not badly written, although they emphasize some WEIRD things in the plot, like an overlong description of Elrond.

Hard to follow...
This telling of the classic story seems to have had good intentions, however the attempt to bring the action to life through the use of actors portraying elves, dwarfs etc. leaves the listener confused as to who is saying what and exactly what is going on in the story. Having not read to book I found myself having to listen and re-listen to certain portions to prevent losing the plot in all the ruckus and jabbering voices. Additionally, many of the main charactor voices sounded so similar that it was hard to know who was speaking. For fans already familiar with the story or children who may enjoy the sound effects this could be a good option, but for those wanting to hear the plot unfold unencumbered the classic reading would definitely be a better choice.

Totally makes fun of Tolkien
I got this out hoping it would be like The Lord of the Rings dramas by BBC. Boy was I wrong! The music was horrendous. Gandalf didn't sound old or wise like he should. He sounds like most of the dwarves!! (and they don't husky voice like they should.) Some of the names weren't pronounce right. Thorin was Toreen and Gollum was Golloom. BBC where did you go wrong!! And LOTR was the earlier one. Stick to that and listen to the Rob Inglis reading of this book! ... Read more

Book Description

(Abridged.) One of the most popular books ever written about childhood charmingly recounts the homelife of four sisters: literary-minded Jo March; Meg, the older sister who marries a young tutor; fashionable and artistic Amy; and gentle, musically inclined Beth. An unforgettable depiction of mid-19th century New England life.
... Read more

Reviews (246)

A timeless classic and my all time favorite
When people ask me how I became such an avid reader, my answer is because I read Little Women in High School. This timeless classic of four sister growing up during the Civil War is my all time favorite book and I do not even know how many times I have read it. I treasure my copy of this book and it is one I could never part with.

Little Women is a coming of age story about four sisters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, and it always amazed me how Marmee would sit back and let them learn life's lessons and always find the right words to say to each of them afterward. Family values and morals as well are hard lessons to teach but through love and understanding they all learn.

Jo is my favorite character, she is so vibrant and full of life and the character based on Louisa May Alcott herself. My favorite movie version of this movie is the 1933 version with Katherine Hepburn as Jo, she truly captured Jo's spirit.

This story has been read by many generations and I'm sure that there will be many more generations enjoying the story of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy for many many years to come.

Home Sweet Home
Louisa May Alcott's novel, Little Women, is truly a classic story of family love. The novel chronicles the life of the four March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, during the time of the civil war.

Each girl has her own unique characteristics and traits which Ms. Alcott does a brilliant job bringing each of them to life. Meg, the oldest, womanly, beautiful and proper; Jo, the author and tomboy; Beth, the frail gentle caring soul; and Amy, the youngest, the vain artist.

Each of the girls lean on each other for support while their father is away at war and their mother taking care of the sick. The girls entertain each other by putting on plays in their attic that Jo has written. The girls also befriend their neighbor, Laurie, who falls in love with Jo.

Throughout the years the girls experience Meg's courtship and marriage to Laurie's tutor, John; Beth's sickness and brush with death; Amy's venture overseas to study and travel with Aunt March; and Jo's travel to New York to "escape" and further her passion for writing. It is there that Jo meets Fridrich.

This classic novel of home, family and love, inspired by the author's own life, will linger in your heart long after you have turned the last page.

An Overlong Soap Opera!!!
An adorable book that may seem long at times.

The story is about a family with four daughters,Meg,Jo,Beth and Amy. The book opens when the father is away at war. It is Christmas time and the girls and their mother, whom they call Marmee, haven't much to live on but love. This book is a diary
of their lives, until three of them get married and have babies
of their own.

The book ends with them all attending a birthday party, and each
realizing that they couldn't be happier for they all have what
they always dreamed of.

As I said before, this book is overlong at places. I
prefer to watch my soap operas on tv. And some of the words were British, and I never did find out what they meant. Other than those faults, it was a grand book, and I give it a rating of 3.5 stars:)

I Wish The Jamie Lee Curtis Audiobook was Unabridged!
I regret that I never read Louisa May Alcott's Little Women when I was a kid and I still haven't read the book yet but I just finished listening to this audiobook read by Jamie Lee Curtis and I liked the story and I liked all of the characters, Jo, Beth, Meg, Amy, Marmee, Laurie (AKA Teddy), Mr. March, Mr. Brook, Professor Bhaer, etc, but my favorite characters are Jo, Beth, Marmee and Laurie and I think Jamie Lee Curtis did a superb reading and did great with all of the different characters and making her voice sound different for each characters and I just wish she had recorded an unabridged audiobook intstead of abridged. This was a very heartwarming story with both happy and sad times and I found myself at times smiling and laughing, and crying at the sad times like with what happened to poor sweet Beth and I'm going to look for both the paperback edition and the unabridged audio recording and hopefully I will find both in a used book store but unfortunately the unabridged audio recordings aren't read by Jamie Lee Curtis and I hope the readers are good like her and I very highly recommend this book in any edition audio, paperback, hardcover, etc! BTW: I have decided that even though it's abridged that this audiobook is a keeper because Jamie Lee Curtis really did a spendid job reading it and even if I eventually get the paperback or hardcover books and an unabridged audio recording that this is just too good to get rid of so it is going on my keeper shelf in my closet and I could definitely listen to it again. I have the old out of print audiobook from Dove Audio which either went out of business or had a name change because the new in print edition of the Jamie Lee Curtis audio recording is now offered by New Millennium Audio.

An Overlong Soap Opera!!!
An adorable book that may seem long at times.

The story is about a family with four daughters,Meg,Jo,Beth and Amy. The book opens when the father is away at war. It is Christmas time and the girls and their mother, whom they call Marmee, haven't much to live on but love. This book is a recounting of their lives, until three of them get married and have babies of their own.

The book ends with them all attending a birthday party, and each
realizing that they couldn't be happier for they all have what
they always dreamed of.

As I said before, this book is overlong at places. I
prefer to watch my soap operas on tv. And some of the words were British, and I never did find out what they meant. Other than those faults, it was a grand book, and I give it a rating of 3.5 stars:) ... Read more

Book Description

Here is the action-packed sequel to Boy, a tale of Dahl's exploits as a World War II pilot. Told with the same irresistible appeal that has made Roald Dahl one the world's best-loved writers, Going Solo brings you directly into the action and into the mind of this fascinating man.

Performed by Derek Jacobi.

Reviews (19)

Roald Dahl Review "going solo"
In the book "Going Solo" Roald Dahl describes every fun and depressing part of his experience as a teenager to adulthood. Its in his hilarious style where no word is boring, and the language is easy to read, lots of photographs took by Roald Dahl himself, and the ending is satisfying.
Everyone dislikes going on wars but Roald Dahl enjoyed it. He thought that it was a free travel and it was interesting. The story is about Roald Dahl's first career in Africa (Sudan) working for the Shell Oil company. When the second world war broke up he joined the royal airforce throughout middle east and the coast of Greece. some of the things he gets himself into and out of are incredible...like when he captures the war's first prisoners, or crash-lands in the desert, or flys in the Battle of Athens...the list goes on and on.
Throughout the book you follow a period of his life, experiencing both the positives and negatives sides of his adventure. You also get to find out how he begins to build ideas, and these ideas become great children books that are so memorable today.
Best parts: all the flying missions, of which Dahl writes so enthusiastically, by a 6'6" pilot crammed into the tiny cockpit of a Hurricane.
Worst: I cannot believe how the RAF could send so many practically untrained flyers into combat in aircraft they had never even flown before

Going Solo was, like all of Dahl's books, wonderful. I only wish he'd have written a third about his later adulthood. unfortunately he died before he could do that.

This is so much better than watching it on Biography!
If you want to show your kid or student that an biography is fun to read, well, in "Going Solo" Roald Dahl describes every fun and depression of his experience as a teenager to adulthood. It is just as fun reading "Matilda" and "The Witches". The language is easy to read, lots of photographs took by Roald Dahl himself, and the ending is satisfying.
The story is about Roald Dahl's first career in Africa (Sudan) working for the Shell Oil company. When the second world war broke up he joined the royal airforce throughout middle east and the coast of Greece.
Throughout the book you follow a period of his life, experiencing both the positives and negatives of his adventure. You also get to find out how he begins to build ideas, and these ideas become great children books that are unforgettable to this day.
This is not just a great read for the Roald Dahl fans, but everyone who loves for adventures and wild creativities. Go get it and start reading!

Great
Great read, moves along very well, good adventure and reflections on author's time in Africa and WWII.

This may be even better than Harry Potter!
Going Solo talkings about Roald Dahl being from an tennager to an adult. In the book, Roald Dahl talks about his experience in Africa working for the Shell company
He also talks about WWII as a raf fighter pilot
His biograph isn't boring like most but very exciting!
I would reccommend this book to most readers who have finished reading the first part of Roald Dahl's biograph, which is called Boy Tales of Childhood
If you haven't read that yet, I suggest that you don't read Going Solo.

gOING sOLO IS GREAT!!!!
tHIS BOOK IS GREAT!!!
Roald dahls bio is actually like a story!
Instead of writing boring stuff about life, Roald Dahl will make u very intrest and will make want to read more
You would n't put the book down until you finish it
And even after finishing, you would dream of it and want to read it again
Another book reccomende is Boy, tales of childhood ... Read more

Book Description

A classic Amelia Bedelia story is now an I Can Read Book, and in full color too! With new illustrations based on the original art of Fritz Siebel, this laugh-out-loud favorite comes to life as the lovable, literal-minded housekeeper strips the sheets, pares the vegetables, and makes a jelly roll for Great-Aunt Myra's visit. This new edition is sure to please every fan of Amelia Bedelia'even Great-Aunt Myra!

... Read more

Reviews (6)

thank you amelia bedelia by peggy parish
Amelia bedelia is a very funny character when Mrs.Rogers told amelia to do something she would the opposite.I think that it is a great book and i think you should read this book to find out what Amelia does the opposite of what she is supposed to do.

Thank You Amelia Bedelia
...This is a good book to read. It was really funny. Well about the book, Amelia Bedelia was hired to be a maid. But when I read it some of the words were in script. The first thing she did she cut up all the towels.

We liked the Amelia Bedelia book.
We liked when she hung the beans.It made us laugh. We liked when she planted bulbs. It made us giggle.We like her books a lot.It was funny.

It's very funny we liked Amelia Bedelia.
We thought this book was funny because of the mistakes she made.These are the mistakes she made :Jelly ROLL,String Beans,Separate the Eggs,Match the vegetables,Stripe the Beds,Check the shirts and Change the towels.

The book was very cool.
We think the book is very cool because she does a lot of funny things. One of the funny things is when she makes a jellyroll.One other funny thing is when she strings the beans. ... Read more

Book Description

Introduce your students to a Newbery Award winning book with this engaging teaching guide. Includes an author biography, chapter summaries, creative cross-curricular activities, vocabulary builders, reproducibles, and discussion questions. ... Read more

Reviews (628)

Out of the Dust Critique
I think the novel "Out of the Dust" is a great, emotional story. It was very touching and I thought that it was neat that Karen Hesse wrote the story in free verse poems. The poems gave me enough information for my imagination to fill in. I could read the story at many levels.

It is about a 14- year old girl, named Billie Jo. She suffered terrible dust storms in Kansas, the death of her mother, a non- communicative father, and the burning of her hands. She really liked to play the piano and was the smartest kid in the state.

In the beginning of the book, her father worked on the farm, her mother did work around the house, and Billie Jo helped out, played the piano, and went to school.

In the middle, a terrible accident happened. The Dad placed a pail of kerosene in the kitchen, and Ma thought it was water. She tried to make coffee using the kerosene. Then the pail caught on fire and Ma ran outside. Billie Jo picked up the bucket to keep the house from burning, and ran outside with it. As soon as she was outside, she threw the pail. Ironically, Ma was running back inside. The burning pail hit Ma and she was engulfed in flames. Billie Jo pushed her down and tried to put out the flames, burning her hands badly. A month later, Ma died, giving birth to a baby, who died shortly after. The tragedy was so horrible that I was drawn to find out how the story would end. Yet, the author didn't overwhelm me with morbid details.

Billie Jo and her dad barely talked. It took time for the two to work out their problems. At the end of the book, they met a woman who acted like Ma. She was called Louise. Pa married her and Billie Jo forgave him and vice versa. They overcame the past and moved on in life.

I like how Billie Jo gradually developed the problems and gradually solved them. In doing this, the author made everything believable.

The whole story improved with the addition of Louise. There was always tension between Ma and Dad. Louise's influence brought calmness to Dad and Billie Jo. She also re-introduced Ma's good ideas to Pa, who finally acted on them.
Louise also helped Billie Jo's confidence and sense of family increase. Through all this, these three characters grew in positive ways.

In summary, the free verse poems, which encouraged my imagination and the gradual positive resolution of Billie Jo's and Dad's problems, left me feeling stronger and more positive about life. This story touches anyone who reads it.

Out of the Dust
I recently finished reading the book "Out of the Dust" by Karen Hesse. We are studying the Great Depression in history, and my History teacher thought it would be appropriate to read this book for further knowledge, and in depth descriptions. I think that reading this book, while studying the Great Depression is a great combination, and results in a rapid increase of knowledge. One of the most unique characteristics about this book is that it is written in diary format, completely in free verse poems, by Billie Jo, a 13-year-old girl living in Okalahoma, during the dust bowl. The best thing about expressing literature in poetry is that it adds emphasis on the dramatic parts; they also add emotion to places where emotion makes history a reality. Page upon page, Billie Jo describes how the dust storms impact the crops, as well as everyday life, and also how it feels to be living in the middle of the biggest dust storm in all of America; the Dust Bowl. As Billie Jo describes life during a dust storm, you are swept from your everyday life and brought into the reality of being in a dust storm. The descriptions are great, you feel as if you are Billie Jo, venturing into the wind, not being able to see, dust filling your mouth. This book explains the causes, effects, and impacts of the Great Depression, as well as many aspects of The New Deal. The FERA (federal emergency rescue association), a program in The New Deal, helps Billie Jo and her family with the farm, the CCC is also mentioned in the book. The story is not all about the dust storms however; "Out of the Dust" has a great plot, with many different things to pull you in farther. Many events happen that will alter Billie Jo's life forever, a horrible accident scars Billie Jo both mentally and physically, after which her relationship with her father will never be the same. As Billie Jo pursues to sort out her many family problems she surprisingly digs deeper into her soul than she ever thought was possible, finding things out about herself that she had never known before. I enjoyed this book very much, and I know you will too. If you enjoy learning more, while having suspense and a great, enthralling plot, this book is definitely for you!

it's a good story
Recommendation-
I recommend this book to anyone that's 13 years old and up because the first part of the story is emotional. Billy's mom died. "Ma died that day giving birth to my brother." Billy's mom died because of the fire in which she was burned badly. This is why I recommend this book to older kids. I like this book because when people that are close to you pass away it shows how you can get on with your live. "I was invited to graduation, to play the piano." This citation shows that people start to think that Billy is normal, and she can play the piano again.

Excellent book. Makes you think about what you have.
I read Out of The Dust when i was probably 11, and i LOVED it! For me, i love stories with a lot of drama and stories that make me cry. Some people don't like that feeling when reading a book. like i said though, i like it. As well as tears, there were also some laughs. it's a quick read and deffinately a good one!

NO GO FOR BILLIE JO
I'm sorry but unless you are looking to throw yourself in a state of depression, this book is of no use to you.
The story is about a girl who loses almost everything she has in a fire taking place around the time of the Dust Bowl. Sounds happy, huh?
And when I say that the girl, Billie Jo, loses almost everything, which is closer to 'everything' than 'almost', I mean, she loses almost everything.
Family? Her mother and unborn brother die in a kitchen fire, and the saddest part is that their deaths could have been prevented if Billie Jo hadn't flung boiling water out the door her mother had been walking through, and as you might imagine, that causes grief for Billie Jo, and her father as well. In fact, he goes on to become an alcoholic, or something like it, who lives in oblivion to pretty much everything. Even Billie Jo suffers from physical pain, when her hands were severely burned from the pot of boiling water she had unintentionally flung at her mother, causing her death.

Belongings? Well, her family, or as the previous reviewer put it, 'what was left of it'..(I give you credit, whoever you are!) ...lost their fields, which were their main staple of income, in the dust bowl.
Now, you might think that I'm exaggerating, but I assure you I am not. Before I had read it, my friends had told me how sick a book this was (and darn it, I couldn't agree more) and I just read it because I thought THEY were the ones exaggerating.
So, you can be like me, If you wish, and go along and read it, which might not be such a bad idea, so you can get a taste for yourself how morally depressing this book is, or you can play it safe and not risk the nightmares. ... Read more

Book Description

Karen Cushman has a long-standing interest in history. Growing tired of hearing about kings, princes, generals, and presidents, she wanted to know what life was like for ordinary young people in other times. Her research into medieval English history and culture led to the writing of Catherine, Called Birdy, her first work.

Contained in this program is Catherine's diary -- Catherine, called Little Bird or Birdy, daughter of Rollo and the lady Aislinn, sister to Thomas, Edward, and the abominable Robert.

Begun this 12th day of September in the year of Our Lord 1290...I am commanded to write an account of my days. I am bit by fleas and plagued by family...Tangled my spinning again. Corpus bones, what a torture...Spent two hours embroidering a cloth for the church and three hours picking out the stitches after my mother saw it...Picked off twenty-nine fleas today.

Catherine's mother wants to teach her the skills of the lady of the manor and to prepare her to be a gentle and patient wife. Her father wants only to see her married off, and profitably. Catherine fancies herself a painter, a Crusader, a maker of songs, a peddler, a minstrel, a monk, a wart charmer...Of all the possibilities, she has ruled out only one: being sold like cheese to the highest bidder.

Against a vivid backdrop of everyday life on a medieval English manor, Catherine's earthy, spirited account of her fourteenth year is a richly entertaining story with an utterly unforgettable heroine.

Kate Maberly's film credits include The Secret Garden, Friendship Field and Gulliver's Travels. She appeared in the ABC miniseries The Langoliers. ... Read more

Reviews (204)

Catherine, Called Birdy
Catherine, Called Birdy is a book in the form of a diary where the main character is writing. She has to do chores and act like a lady. She's always told to act lady-like by her mother or nurse. Catherine's dad tries to sell her to rich men, but she always figure out a way to get rid of them. Catherine just wants to have adventures like other villagers and people associated with royalty.
What I liked about the book is how she deals with her father and him trying to sell her to rich men. She always seems to get out of being sold to rich suitors by using her wits, luck, and trickery. Sometimes you would think that when you read an entry Catherine wrote it sound like the entry continues the next day. It was exciting to find out that she will finally marry because she refused and scared away so may suitors. Sometimes some entries won't make sense but once you start reading along it starts to make sense and get interesting.

Enjoyable Read
Birdy, is the willful, stubborn daughter of an equally willful and stubborn father. He is determined to marry off this difficult daughter to his advantage. She is equally determined not to be married. What follows is a battle of wills as Birdy tries to convince her father, and herself, that she is right and does not need to submit to any plans he has for her.

Written in journal style, Catherine, Called Birdy presents medieval life in a tangible, and quite humorous, way that pre-teens/teenagers will be able to connect with and understand. They will also be able to relate to Birdy as she finds herself on the threshold of adulthood, at that difficult stage where duty and rebellion intermingle, emotions run high and life often seems confusing, if not downright tragic.

This is a highly enjoyable book, both for it's historical details and for it's message. Over the short course of a year, we follow Birdy as she changes, looses some of her childish prejudices and finds herself--and those reading are encouraged to be strong and independent, while still be loyal and loving to family. Parents might wish to read this first, to decide if the veiled references to sex are appropriate for their child. I give this Newbery Honor Book an 8.5 out of 10.

boring with absolutely no plot
When I first started this book, I loved it. I thought it was hilarious. After a while, though, I got sick of Catherine's stupidity and immaturity and found that there was just no plot at all. I got so bored of the book I stopped in the middle, which I almost NEVER do. Normally I continue to the end of all books I read, no matter how badly written, because I just want to know what happens at the end. Not with this book! There was absolutely no suspense because there was absolutely no plot. Later, a friend of mine, as we discussed the stupidity of the book, told me what happens at the end of the nonexistant plot the back of the book suggests, and though I won't give it away here, it's as stupid as the rest of the book. I can't really say it was badly written, it was just a bad, boring book.

I was hoping for more
This book caught my eye as I was passing the children's section of the bookstore. From the summary and subject it sounded like my kind of thing. I read it all, and while it wasn't awful, I had hoped for something more; I was kind of expecting a humorous story about a girl trying to scare off all her suitors, but was mostly treated to a "diary" of the day to day life of a Medieval girl, which is okay, but not really what I was after. And truth be told, I caught many errors in the research, though mostly they would be called "nitpicks." (For example, the author seems to have no idea how men's clothing would have been constructed at the time.) I suppose it's fine for young teens who are kind of interested in the Middle Ages.

suitors, suitors, suitors
catherine is of an age to get married. And with her greedy pathetic excuse of a Father, she is going to be sold like a side of beef to the highest bidder. And she manages to avoid several suitors in the beggining by being gross and corse and rude.... blackened theeth, and such things. but then one of her suitors is nastier than she could ever be, so her plotting fails her. She does what is humanly possible to get out of the marriage.... which is tottaly gross 'cuase the guys way older than she is, but to no avail. And then the unexpected happens.... he dies..... so his heir gets to marry her... ... Read more

Book Description

Read by the author
5 hrs. 10 mins.
4 cassettes

The companion to the 1963 Newbery Medal winner A Wrinkle in Time.

Meg Murry can't help but be worried when her six-year-old brother, Charles Wallace, announces there are dragons in the vegetable garden. He's so bright and so different from other kids, he's getting bullied at school, and he is also strangely, seriously ill.

But Charles Wallace is right about the dragons--actually a friendly entity who has come to help Charles Wallace fight his sickness. Meg and her friend Calvin O'Keefe join the dragon on a terrifying, wonderful journey into galactic space--where they must battle the forces of evil to save Charles Wallace and themselves. ... Read more

Reviews (74)

Another gem in L'Engle's collection
It seems that as I am expecting wee ones, I've been reading more and more of my childhood favorites ~~ and this book is one of them. I just love L'Engle's writing style and how she gets the reader to think about things that may seem so far out ... but is it? She is a talented author that I admire deeply ~~ and my children will be read her books while still young.

Meg Murry worries when her little brother Charles Wallace announces that there are dragons in the twins' garden. She is already worried about him ... he's so bright and intelligent and having trouble at school. And he is strangely ill ... so Meg and Calvin are on another adventure ~~ this time to battle Charles Wallace's illness. Along the way, Meg learns about patience and love while battling the forces of evil that is trying to take over the universe.

While lots of people scoff at these books because of the fanasty they're written in ~~ I find that it's a classic book between good and evil. L'Engle always write with a moral ~~ and she writes in such a fun way, you can't but help apply the lessons to your life. It doesn't matter how old you are ... you are never too old to read these books! And I highly recommend this one to everyone ~~ whether or not they have children in their lives. It's just a good read with well-written story plot. And Meg, Calvin and Charles Wallace stay with you for a long time.

1-23-02

A Wrinkle In Time is still without equal.
Madeleine L'Engle's award winning "A Wrinkle In Time" stands head and shoulders above this sequel, the second entry in the "Time Quintet" series. Unlike the journey to distant galaxies of the first novel, in "A Wind in the Door" Meg Murray and her friend Calvin O'Keefe's main adventure involves a journey into the minute particles of her brother Charles Wallace, who is deathly ill. Meg's parents, a brilliant physicist and biologist, have discovered that human cells are made up of mitochondria, and these in turn are composed of farandolae. A dark power is at work among the farandolae, causing the illness of Charles Wallace, and more seriously threatening to tear up the entire galaxy. Only by entering one of Charles' mitochondria can Meg save Charles...and the galaxy.

In the end, all this talk about mitochondria and farandolae gets a bit much, and the idea of travelling inside someone's body just doesn't have the same magic as travelling to distant galaxies. The concept of kything (being able to communicate with thoughts, like ESP) had a somewhat new-age flavour that I was not entirely comfortable with. The idea of Naming (The first of three quests that faces Meg is to Name the school principal Mr. Jenkins) is never entirely fully developed or explained. The need for a farandola called Sporos to "Deepen" simply lacked charm. And the plot is rather complex and weighed down by scientific techno-babble, which many children may find rather frustrating. As such, this book doesn't come close to matching the fantasy and power of the first novel.

But those weaknesses aside, there is also much to commend this book. There are profound thoughts about the significance of everything having a name, and that the Creator "knows them all by name." "The stars don't need to be counted. They need to be Named." In this context, one's size doesn't detract from one's significance, because the tiny elements of the universe such as farandolae are just as important. The hostile forces are described as echthroi who want to X (annihilate) creation, and L'Engle uses them to picture a cosmic conflict between fallen angels (echthroi) and good angels (such as the dragon-like cherubim Proginoskes). The implied connection, however, between schizophrenia and demon possession (p123) will always be a controversial one. There are also several profound observations about life and faith. Memorable quotations that stand out in my mind include these: "Love isn't how you feel. It's what you do." (p116) "You have simply been faced with several things outside your current sphere of experience. That does not mean that they - we - do not exist." (p122). And the description of immature pleasure-seekers: "When we seek our own pleasure as the ultimate good we place ourselves as the center of the universe. A fara or a man or a star has his place in the universe, but nothing created is the center." (p172). And in the middle of all this seriousness, there are also moments of subtle humour, such as one instance where L'Engle pokes fun at Charles Darwin's theory of evolution: "What I really need are lessons in adaptation. I've been reading Darwin, but he hasn't helped me much." (p71) This book might not be the best in the series and might not be as captivating as "A Wrinkle in Time", but it's still a fantastic adventure worth travelling.

Not My Type of Literature
(...)BR>What I could get out of the book was that the star charcater Charles Wallace was sick, badly ill, and his sister, Meg, is really worried for him, and makes it clear she would do anything to help him get better. Then, the one thing I liked most of this book, the plot immediatley comes to play as Charles takes Meg out into a field near their home and tells her there are 'a drive of dragons' somewhere. But at first Meg doesn't see anything. But later on she actually sees this 'drive of dragons' is truly a creature named Progo(well the name's longer than that but this is what Meg calls him throughout the story.) He's a science-fiction masterpiece with many wings and eyes. This creature sparks a journey that involves Meg, her supposed boyfriend named Calvin, and Progo itself as they are assigned to help save Charles from fatally evil beings called the Echthroi, who want to destroy Charles, as well as the world itself.
This book just wasn't my type of literature, but I didn't hate it. I just wasn't into the novel; I didn't feel any sort of connection like you should in a book.

A Wind in the Door by Madelline L'Engle
A Wind in the Door, by Madeline L'Engle, is an extremely moving and exciting book. In this sequel to A Wrinkle in Time, Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace team up with snakes, teachers, mitochondria, and a Cherubum called Progo. It all starts one blustery day when Charles Wallace claims to have seen a drove of dragons in the twin's vegetable garden. Meg and Calvin then learn that Charles Wallace could have an extremely deadly condition: his mitochondria are dying. Charles Wallace is in danger of being X-ed.
This book sucks you in and won't let go until you have felt all of the emotion running rampant throughout. The story teaches the fact that amount doesn't matter, everything has a name, and it also teaches true, unconditional love.

Fabulous!
At the beginning there were two long and boring chapters, and I thought the book would not be that great after all. Then at Chapter 3, I began to sense that the book would be better. I loved the test to find the real Mr. Jenkins at Chapters 5-6, and the last few chapters were a little scary but they were the best.
"Her voice issued from her lips almost without volition, cold, calm, emotionless. 'Mr. Jenkins Three---'
He stepped forward, smiling triumphantly.
'No. You're not the real Mr. Jenkins. You're much too powerful. You'd never have to be taken away from a regional school you couldn't control and made principal of a grade school you couldn't control, either.' She looked at Mr. Jenkins One and Two.'
I absolutely loved this book! ... Read more

Book Description

Mrs. Eva Marie Olinski is charged with appointing four students to represent her sixth-grade class in the Epiphany Middle School Academic Bowl competition.When these four students, calling themselves "The Souls," go on to win the state Academic Bowl Championship, Mrs. Olinski begins to realize that these four students who appear to have little in common on the surface have been on a journey that interlocked their lives like pieces of a puzzle.
... Read more

Reviews (217)

Great Book!
:

E.L. Konigsburg has come up with a great book again! The View From Saturday is a great book for middle-schoolers. Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing Division published it in 1996. A View From Saturday is a great book because it teaches and is great to read. Noah, Nadia, Ethan, and Julian are four sixth-graders each with a different story that changed their lives. Noah ends up being best man at Ethan's grandmother's and Nadia's grandfather's wedding. Nadia has the greatest time of her life saving turtles from strong winds and high waves. Ethan is on the bus and realizes that he must help Julian, a new kid, fit in at school. Julian is tortured by school bullies and realizes that something is in him and the other three. This is a great book. The point of view changes from one student to the other as they tell their stories. By simply reading the chapter titles you can see whose point of view it is. If there's no chapter title, then the point of view does not change. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read books that make sense in the end.

Book Review
Noah, Nadia, Ethan and Julian started out as sixth grade classmates, but evolved into The Souls. Each Year,Mrs. Olinsky, the sixth grade teacher chooses as four person academic bowl team. This team competes in the grade and if they win they go on to compete in other competitions. Together this team accomplished wonderful things, such as winning the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade competitions. Nobody knew why they were chosen, and Mrs. Olinsky, the teacher, doesnt exactly know why she chose them either. So, fate brought them together to create a wonderful friendship that will last a lifetime and this shows through an extraordinary story of sucess of a team, calss, school and friends. In my opinion Noah is the most interesting character in this story. He likes to write in calligraphy, and enjoys spending time with relatives. At times he also complains about his family. Noah tells the long story of how he was the best man at the wedding of his grandparents' friends. I enjoyed reading about each of the diverse characters. The View from Saturday can appeal to a wide spread of people because of the interesting plot and way it is written. Many people have loved reading this book as you can see because it has won many awards, and I think E.L. Knonigsburg is a fantastidc author.

Teaspoons and afternoons
As you may know, the Newbery Award is the highest honor a children's book can garner in the United States. Newbery winners are a touch and go lot, and a lot of kids avoid them like the plague. I've always been particularly interested in those award winning books that appeal to kids just as much as they appeal to the adults that shower them with praise, moolah, and awards. For instance, many adults felt that the book "A Single Shard" was well written, while a host of kids looked on it as dulldy dull dull. Both children and adults have agreed that "Holes" and "The Tale of Despereaux" are great books that are fun to read. Then you come to "The View From Saturday". Honestly, I thought this was a fabulous book. It was the rare children's novella that took the great risk of offering wisdom to its readers. It dares to make you think about life, the world, and how one interacts with other people. I can tell you a million reasons to love it, but I honestly haven't a clue if kids would enjoy it. Therein lies the mystery.

"The View From Saturday" follows the lives of four sixth grade quiz bowl champs and their paraplegic coach/teacher. Alternating their final quiz bowl championship match with short stories about the different journeys each kid has had to make, the book is adept at distinguishing between each individual in the group. We begin by listening to a story told by Noah. Noah reminded me of nothing so much as the spaz boy in the spelling bee documentary "Spellbound". A bit of a nerd, but pleased with his own inventive thoughts and ideas, Noah becomes the best man at a geriatric wedding. Then we hear Nadia's story about staying with her divorced father and newly remarried grandfather (hence the Noah connection) in Florida. This flows nicely into Ethan's story. His grandmother married Nadia's grandfather, and he overcomes his reluctance to interact easily with others with the help of his new friend Julian. Julian is the least troubled of the bunch, a boy of Indian heritage who is coming to America after living on a cruise ship. Together, the four band together into a group called The Souls. They are selected by Mrs. Olinski (though for a long time she doesn't know why) as her newest Quiz Bowl team and work effortlessly together in a group as friends and teammates.

A synopsis of this tale really doesn't do it justice. Konigsburg is an adept writer and she knows exactly how to balance a story with both emotion and humor. I was particularly taken with Nadia's tale about living in Florida. Somehow, the author was able to conjure up feelings of being ignored and abandoned perfectly. As Nadia feels an (in my opinion) entirely justified sense of self-pity, we as readers understand what she's going through perfectly. Little triumphs are measured with small defeats. One of the things this book dares to say, and says so well, is how awfully mean people can be. That's a pretty loaded idea. Books today enjoy showing a mean person and then revealing the back story to their crimes. Here, we understand that sometimes a person's just mean to be mean, and it makes them unsuitable as friends as a result.

Then there's Konigsburg's usual jabs at adults in positions of authority. In this particular case she's aimed her sights at people who naturally expect themselves to be smarter than children, yet constantly make mistakes regarding multiculturalism, grammar, pronunciation, etc. And she doesn't drill this idea home by ever putting the adults in situations where they spar with the kids. Instead, they tend to spar with Mrs. Olinski, assuming that because she is a) Just a teacher and b) Confined to a wheelchair she must therefore be less worthy of intelligent human discourse. The result is usually both funny and profound.

Funny and profound is a good way to describe this entire offering, actually. It has its oddities, that's for sure. You have kids in this book saying sentences like, "Oh, that is too bad. Dad is picking me up before supper, and he will be disappointed if I do not eat with him". Not a contraction in sight. Do sixth graders actually act like the ones in this book? Probably not. Will you be amused by them anyway? Probably so. Will actual living breathing sixth graders be amused, intrigued, and challenged by this book? I have absolutely no idea. Maybe yes, maybe no. Whether or not they will, the book is fabulous, fun, and wise beyond its years. It's like a little dose of Zen religion without hokey mysticism or flowery prose. This book respects you, it respects your opinions, and it respects your sense of self-worth. If you have any desire to read something that accomplishes all this and more, pick it up for a glance.

Quotables
E.L. Konigsburg uses descriptive nouns and vivid modifiers to paint a vivid picture of the characters in your head in The View from Saturday. First you get to know the charcter. She does this by painting the vivid picture and you feel like you know the character personally. You also feel like you are a "Soul." She does this by making you feel like you are there during their conversations, and there while they win the Champion Bowl. Also seeing the vivid picture makes you feel like you are watching them. You feel you are watching them because you really can picture the conflicts between the Noah and Nadia . So in conclusion, this book really shows that character desciption delivers an emotional message. You should definitly read this book.

unique and intriguing
First off, the book is about four SIXTH graders. I note this because some of the reviews on Amazon erroneously say the characters are in seventh grade. Anyway, these four sixth graders go onto defeat the seventh, then eighth graders in their schools, and eventually take the regional trivia bowl championship.

The four children "can spell and define puberty but have not yet gone through it." Given this, I can accept the tea parties and some of the other pastimes they engage in in "The View." Also, they are NOT presented as perfect without any character flaws or problems. The "Souls' as they call themselves are exceptionally intelligent and compassionate, but they - at least for Ethan and Nadia - do not make the "right" decisions instantly. Nadia, for example, wavers between helping some stranded baby turtles, or holding on to her grudge against her grandfather and father.

This book also has some wonderful imagery. For example, ELK compares painting Nadia without her freckles to brushing the cinnamon off cinnamon toast.

In summary, I would highly recommend this book. ... Read more