Book Description

Everyone knows Rudyard Kipling's animals are the ones most worthknowing anywhere. This collection -- beautifully performed by Boris Karloff -- includes Kipling's Just So Stories (where we meet the animals when the world was new -- so new, in fact, that the Rhinoceros had not yet losthis buttons!) and stories from his timeless classic, The Jungle Book.

Book Description

All children, except one, grow up...

He is Peter Pan, you know, mother. At first Mrs. Darling did not know, but after thinking back into her childhood she just remembered a Peter Pan who was said to live with the fairies. She had believed in him at the time, but now that she was married and full of sense she quite doubted whether there was any such person. Besides she said to Wendy, he would be grown up by this time. Oh no, he isn't grown up, Wendy assured her... ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Trina Hyman's perfectly illustrated Peter Pan
I first read Barrie's tale of the boy who refuses to grow up when I was 16 (after watching Disney's movie), and I absolutely loved it. It is in every way better than any film ever made which it inspired (although Disney's version is fun to watch and the recent 2003 version is very good and most faithful to the story).

This review, however, is only to comment upon the illustrations. There are various illustrated Peter Pans; but this one is the very best. Trina Hyman's delicate, gorgeous drawings capture the characters to perfect. Peter is particularly good, looking suitably wild and beautiful, and Tinker Bell is a lovely fairy. In so many other illustrated books the characters are either over-dressed or simply grotesque, but Hyman's version of the characters are simply perfect (MUCH better than the Disney version of them!)

If you buy any illustrated Peter Pan, but this one.

Visit Neverland
No disrespect to Disney intended, but the animated version of Peter Pan does not do justice to this story. I didn't read this book until I took a Children's Literature course for adults...woe to me. Peter Pan is so sweet, pure, sad, funny, and magical. It is definitely not just a children's bedtime story. I'm glad I grew up, but I wish I still had a map to Neverland so I could visit every once in a while.

A book with aspects to appeal to both kids and adults
In almost a hundred years 'Peter Pan' has become a universal kiddie literature classic. Mostly basing on his personal experiences and people he knew, J.M. Barrie created a work full of subtle undertones that have been subject of deep controversies.

Rather than the story of a boy who refuses to grow up, a new approach on 'Peter Pan' has been developed. One of the most interesting is the one which is based on the analysis of the three primal female characters: Wendy --and Mrs. Darling, as well--, Tinker Bell and Tiger Lily. According to experts, they represent aspect in women that Barrie found intolerable. It is largely known that Barrie had serious problems with his mother, which may have led him to use such bipolarity on motherhood in the book. While on the one hand Mrs. Darling is a loving and concerned mother, on the other, Peter's --and the lost boy's as well-- mother abandoned him -- leading him to an eternal search of a mother figure, however unconscious it is.

The sexual aspect of the novel is so subtle that for many people it may be unnoticed. However, it is clear that the book deals with several taboos, being incest the most recurrent. Peter and Wendy have both a mother/son relationship, and also there is the wish of being 'lovers' --recurring to Oedipal myth. This is one of the most interesting aspect for the books --at least when it comes to an adult approach on 'Peter Pan'. According to Jacqueline Rose's 'The Case of Peter Pan, or, The Impossibility of Children's Fiction', "The sexuality which matters is both more and less explicit than this. It is sexuality in the form of its repeated disavowal, a relentless return to the question of origins and sexual difference which is focused time and again on the child". This is what makes the novel so intriguing: it is possible to read 'Peter Pan' is more than one way --and all of them are more and more interesting.

When it comes to kids themselves, this book is part a fairy tale, part an adventure and a familiar ode. These aspects make 'Peter Pan' appealing to both boys and girls. The characters while archetypical --this is unnoticeable to children-- are very vivid and it is not hard for young readers become their 'friends'.At the same time, all the 'sexual' aspect of the book is so subtle that parents can't be afraid of allowing their children to read the novel.

However, the unabridged 'Peter Pan' is not advisable to very young readers due to its fanciful language. When it was written in the early XX Century, that was the current language, but, nowadays some words like 'ofttimes' and 'diffidently' are not very common in a 10 year-old lexical. The narrative is told in first person, and the narrator used a lot of 'I''s which only bring the children closer to the story making it easy to feel part of the adventure --it was very smart of Barrie, because with that he makes friend with the child, and the story flows as if they were exchaging confidences.

All in all, J.M. Barrie's 'Peter Pan' will always be a children's fave and it deserves its place in the Fantasy Literature canon and will amuse young --and not-so-young-- readers forever.

If You Believe In Fairies...
Wow!What a great story this is!I picked it up on a whim years ago having enjoyed the Disney cartoon, and when I finally got around to reading it, I couldn't put the darn thing down.This is really exciting stuff!Peter is ten times as irrascible as he is in the toon.One line has always stuck in my head - its where Peter is faced with certain death (I forget exactly what).He thinks to himself that its quite possible he could die, and thinks `That would be the greatest adventure of all!'That line sums of the feel of this book.Imagine being a kid who can never grow up who has the power to fly through a world woven of dreams and fairytales....I learned later that this was probably the sincere wish of the author, James Barrie, who was afflicted with a disease which made it impossible for him to grow.Though an adult in mind, he was the stature and semblance of a child.The warmth of this story has a deep heartfelt resonance in the heart of any boy who has grown up having adventures in his mind.It can't really be described -it has to be read and appreciated.If you love fantasies in the vein of The Never Ending Story and The Wizard of Oz, you will love this book.

My daughter loves this Peter Pan.
My 10 year old daughter found this book in the school library. She read it one weekend and has checked it out several times. The classic story along with the beautiful illustrations by Eric Kincaid have made this one of her favorite books. When I surprised her with her own copy that I had found on Amazon she was thrilled and commented on it's excellent condition. ... Read more

Book Description

Out of a rare American tradition, sweet as hay, grounded in the gentle austerities of the Book of Shaker, and in the Universal countryman's acceptance of birth, death, and the hard work of wresting a life from the land comes this haunting novel of a Vermont farm boyhood.

In the daily round of his thirteenth year, as the seasons turn and the farm is tended, the boy -- whose time is the only-yesterday of Calvin Coolidge, whose people are the Plain People living without "frills" in the Shaker Way -- becomes a man.

That is all, and it is everything. The boy is mauled by Apron, the neighbor's ailing cow whom he helps, alone, to give birth. The grateful farmer brings him a gift -- a newborn pig. His father at first demurs ("We thank you, Brother Tanner," said Papa, "but it's not the Shaker Way to take frills for being neighborly. All that Robert done was what any farmer would do for another") but is persuaded. Rob keeps the pig, names her, and gives her his devotion ... He wrestles with grammar in the schoolhouse. He hears rumors of sin. He is taken -- at last -- to the Rutland Fair. He broadens his heart to make room even for Baptists. And when his father, who can neither read nor cipher, whose hands are bloodied by his trade, whose wisdom and mastery of country things are bred in the bone, entrusts Rob with his final secret, the boy makes the sacrifice that completes his passage into manhood.

All is told with quiet humor and simplicity. Here are lives lived by earthy reason -- in a novel that, like a hoedown country fiddler's tune, rings at the same time with both poignancy and cheer. ... Read more

Reviews (241)

This Book Is Informative But Short.
I thought that the book A Day No Pigs Would Die was a good book by the author Robert Newton. I don't read a lot and I thought that it was a good book for middle school students and up. It has content that I would have considered unusual or uncomfortable two or three years earlier. Robert Peck, the main character of the book goes through many changes over the course of this book (one year) and eventually becomes a man. This book contains little bits comedy, like in a part of the book when Rob goes to a fair with his neighbors and it shows his innocence, or with his vocabulary. Finally the story is has a large amount of thinking to it, you have to wonder what is going to happen in the next chapter. I chose four stars because this book informs me about the life of a shaker boy on a farm and how it is exciting and boring at the same time! If you like to read informative books than I recommend this book to you.

A Day No Pigs Would DIe
Maturity is to become fully developed or ripe.In the book A Day No Pigs Will Die Robert Newton Peck is faced with the dilemma of growing up to be a man at a young age.At age 13 his father died leaving him to be the man of the house and to run the farm.Robert learns from growing up that he has to do what has to be done.Robert Newtown Peck was not like any other child .He did not spend his days going to school fulltime and playing in the outdoors.He did exactly the oppisite.He was a fulltime provider.He provided help for his family to maintain their life without becoming financially unstable.He had to live by the Shaker way and was never allowed something that was not necessary. Robert Newtown Peck really did not experience a regular child's life style that you would experience today.For example, As I grew up I only had simple chores around the house.My chores were usually to wash the dishes,vaccum,and take out the garbage never had to milk a cow or work on a farm.Robert Newtown Peck had to experience being a man at an early age.He had to do the work that his father did daily.Maturance from a boy to a man is the most important topic in the book ,A Day No Pigs Would Die.This book has funny moments. Although it also has some gooey things but if you think you can manage check it out

Day no pigs would die
This is a kind of book that when you start it you can't put it down. A boy named Rob, decides to skip school. He sees a cow giving birth to a baby cow. He takes his shirt off and wraps it around the baby cow and pulled the cow out of its mom's stomach. He pretty much gave birth to the baby cow. The cow that gave birth to the baby cow had a goiter in it's esophagus so Rob thinks of another stupid idea and pulls it out of it's mouth. He got his arm stuck in the cow's mouth because the cow bit down and went rolling down with a very injured arm. For doing this, his neighbor (whos cows they are) rewarded him with a cute pid which Rob named Pinky. One day Mr. Tanner was going to the Runtland fair and wanted to know if Rob wanted to go to tshow Pinky. He did and of coure won first place which was a blue ribbon. A couple of weeks later, Papa couldn't find any food for their family so he had to kill Pinky and eat her. After that Papa, started to sleep in the barn. When Rob and his family wre going to eat dinner, Papa wasn't going to join them. He died in his sleep. Rob just didn't have aperfect life after he won the blue ribbon with Pinky.

Boring
Boring and uneventful plot. Not a memorable work at all.

A Day No Pigs Would Die
A Day No Pigs Would Die Random House, 1972, 150pgs., $5.50
Robert Newton Peck ISBN 0-679-85306-5

"I should have been in school that April day. But instead I was up on the ridge near the old spar mine above our farm, whipping the gray trunk of a rock maple with a dead stick, and hating Edward Thatcher. During recess he'd pointed at my clothes and made sport of them. Instead of tying into him, I'd turned tail and run off. And when Miss Malcolm rang the bell to call us back inside, I was halfway home."

Robert is a boy that, at age 13, lives in the country. He lives alone with his parents because his two brothers died when they were young, and his three sisters are all married and have moved away. He gains a best friend and becomes well known, heroic, manly, and brave. He doesn't know what the next few months will have in store for him, and that they will change his life forever.

This book is about a poor family that's rich with love. They go through fun, hardships, pain and loss together as a family. It has extremely good details and makes you feel like you're there during the whole story because the author uses country slang, details, and conversation. It's real to the author, though. This book is based on his childhood. It has many themes, such as religion, culture, education, and family.

I would recommend this book to people from Middle School and up, to anyone, boy or girl. It's not extremely challenging, but it's not too easy either. I would rate this book, from 1-5, a 4.5. It has everything that a good book needs, but it's not perfect. Read this book soon to find out what happens in Robert's life. ... Read more

Book Description

One of the most popular titles of the I Can Read series, featuring that lovable dinosaur and his friend Danny! In Danny and the Dinosaur, Danny spends an entire day with his newly-found friend -- a dinosaur. Silly antics ensue in Happy Birthday, Danny and the Dinosaur!, when Danny turns six and invites the dinosaur to his birthday party. In Danny and the Dinosaur Go to Camp the duo enjoy boating, hiking and roasting marshmallows.

In the bonus book, Sammy the Seal spends a day on the town and finds out what really goes on outside the zoo on an average day. When Sammy makes his way down the street, an ordinary day becomes an extraordinary adventure as he searches for a place to swim and learns how to read and write in school.

Reviews (16)

Dany and the dino
One day Danny decides to go to the museum where he meets a live dinosaur. Danny and the dinosaur then leave the museum and go exploring around town and have many adventures before it is time for the dinosaur to return to the museum.

The reason I only gave this book four stars is that I find the wording rather strained and awkward. Even though the words are not great, the illustrations are fun. Depending on the version, the illustrations are colored differently. The original (copyright 1958) has better colors in my opinion. They are a mix of pictures in shades of brown and pictures in full color. The main difference between the color quality in the original and reissue is that the reissue has a solid color, and the original almost look as if it were colored in lightly with crayons. I think the color in the reissue is harsher, and therefore prefer the previous. The drawing themselves are wonderful, cute and expressive.

So in my opinion this is a four star book because of the occasional awkwardness with the words and because of the way the pictures are colored in.

Loggie-log-log-log

Burned into my brain
This is a classic work, a brilliantly simple book, with a lovely fantasy story and exquisitely simple, highly memorable illustrations. Definitely a must for very young readers, especially dinosaur lovers.

Quite simply, Danny and the Dinosaur is forever burned into my brain as a favorite of my childhood, and now of my own children. It's Hoff's best, and I expect it will remain a classic for generations to come.

My two year old loves it!
This is one of the books we find him "reading" on his own. This is one of the most requested books he has (out of hundreds). It's a great read-aloud book because there's enough room to point out the words while your kid is pointing at the pictures. The whole Danny series is great, in fact.

My own book
I thought this book was alright but it was not the best book I have ever read. I liked the way Danny went to the museum and the dinosaur came to life and took Danny to all those places, including the baseball game that they went to. I wish that I could go and get my own dinosaur and we could do all that stuff, but since the dinosaurs are extinct I guess I could not do that. I still like the book.

Book and tape review
There are plenty of reviews of this book, I want to give my thoughts on the book and tape package available. There is a nice introduction and conclusion offered by the narrator and one side has page turn signals, while the other does not. While this is an unabridged recording, the narrator actually adds words on page 18, which may confuse the child trying to follow along in the book. Also, sometimes the narrator's child voices come across as whiney and nasal. However, all things considered, I feel this is a worthwhile purchase. ... Read more

Book Description

Poor, misunderstood Matilda fights back against an unappreciative world through a hidden talent: Matilda is the world's greatest practical joker! Little effort is needed to put one over on her obnoxious parents, but can shy little Matilda handle the formidable headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, and win the respect of every kid in school? Yes!

... Read more

Reviews (260)

Review of the novel Matilda of Roald Dahl
The novel Matilda by Roald Dahl is about a little girl, called Matilda, who is a complete genius. She taught herself reading and calculating. Her parents, who think a lot of themselves and who are criminal, neglect her. Miss Honey, Matilda's first teacher, is very nice and smart; also, she had a cruel childhood. Her aunt, Miss Trunchbull treated her all the time. Her aunt Miss Trunchbull is the brutal headmistress of Matilda's school. Miss Trunchbull hates all children and uses them to stay in shape as a hammer thrower. Since Matilda met Miss Trunchbull for the first time, they fight against each other. In the end, Matilda helps Miss Honey to get her property, which Miss Trunchbull stole, back and Matilda's family allows her to stay by Miss Honey.
We think this book contains a good humour and it is written with a lot of fantasy. Because it is also easy to read, younger people, who are not able to understand much English, are able to understand Matilda's adventure, either.
It might be a problem that Matilda does not spend much respect on her parents, what is shown very often, when Matilda punishes her parents for their behaviour. It could be a problem that younger children think that they are also allowed to play such tricks when they do not agree with their parent's decisions.

It's Amazing!
Matilda, is a book written mainly for children and thus much of it is not quite possible. In other words, the book lets your imagination run wild. An example would be the nasty Trunchbull who took hold of a child by his hair, lifted him up into the air and flung him straight out of the window just because he was eating chocolates in class! And it would be a Guinness world record if a child like Matilda could read books like Shakespeare! So in that way this book, mainly for children is just for stretching your imagination like a rubber band.

Roald Dahl has made every single character in this book marvellously exciting but that is probably the only similarity between them. All the characters have their own unique personalities. For example, I will compare Miss Honey with Mrs. Wormwood. Miss Honey is a school teacher who was very startled by Matilda's brilliance on her very first day at school. Mrs. Wormwood, Matilda's mother, on the other hand was absolutely not interested in education or Matilda. Her opinion was that 'A girl should think about making herself look attractive so that she can get a good husband later on. Looks is more important than books," By reading this you can see how totally different each character is.

My favourite character in the book is Matilda who is a genius and a child prodigy. In Roald Dahl's words ' ...extraordinary, and by that I mean sensitive and brilliant. ...Her mind was so nimble and she was so quick to learn that her ability should have been obvious to the most half-witted of parents.' The parts where she takes revenge on her parents for treating her badly are full of suspense.

I would recommend this book to my friends as I have thoroughly enjoyed this book.

A normal book for children
This book Matilda is about a five and a half year old girl who is a genius. Matilda goes to a school where an evil headmistress is. She doesn't likes children and she treats them very hard. Only the class teacher Miss Honey of Matilda is nice and kindly to their children. The parents of Matilda doesn't interests in Matilda and in her especially talents. Often Matilda punish her parents a little bit, because they aren't nice to her. I have one sister and one brother and when they get on my nerves, I play sometimes practical tricks on them. This book is very detailed and I like the characters of the person, because they describe the persons very good. I can imagine how the persons look like.

good book
"Matilda" by Roald Dahl is about a little girl called Matilda who is a genius and has got many problems with her parents because they are not intersted in her. Furthermore Matilda meets her monster-like headmistress, who hates small pupils and a very nice and kind class-teacher Miss Honey, who is the only one who encourages her talents.
I think the children's book "Matilda" is very well written because it is easy to read but I also think that the story is a bit unrealistic.

A book for children
The book Matilda is about a girl, called Matilda, who read books of adults since the age of three. But her parents don't assist her by her talent.
At school Matilda meets her nice class teacher Miss Honey and the headmistress Miss Trunchbull, who don't like children.
The book tells us how Matilda plays tricks to her parents and to Miss Trunchbull.

In my opinion the book is for children, because Roald Dahl wrote the book in a easy english with mostly easy words. The content is sometimes funny, but sometimes unrealistic, too. ... Read more

Book Description

The timeless classic and winner of the Newbery Medal

Jess Aarons' greatest ambition is to be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. He's been practicing all summer and can't wait to see his classmates' faces when he beats them all. But on the first day of school, a new kid, a new girl, boldly crosses over to the boys' side of the playground and outruns everyone.

That's not a very promising beginning for a friendship, but Jess and Leslie Burke become inseparable. It doesn't matter to Jess that Leslie dresses funny or that her family has a lot of money -- but no TV. Leslie has imagination. Together, they create Terabithia, a magical kingdom in the woods where they reign as king and queen, and their imaginations set the only limits. Then one morning a terrible tragedy occurs. Only when Jess is able to come to grips with this tragedy does he finally understand the strength and courage Leslie has given him.

Reviews (548)

A Great Friendship
Have you ever wanted a good friend? If you answered "yes", then you should read Bridge to Terabithia. This interesting and exciting book about friendship will teach you about love, determination, and loss. Jess Aarons wants to be the fastest runner in the fifth grade, but when his new neighbor, Leslie Burke, comes to school the challenge is even harder for him. Even though Jess didn't become the fastest runner, he found a new friend in Leslie. Jess and Leslie also found a magical place in the woods that they called Terabithia. It was a private place just for them. Jess likes to draw, he's a good friend, and he's nice. Jess has two older sisters. They're lazy, selfish, whiney, and bossy. Jess also has a younger sister named Maybelle. She follows him everywhere like a cute little puppy, but he draws the line when it comes to Terabithia. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who likes great books about friendship.

Bridge to Terabithia
Katherine Paterson wrote a book called, ''Bridge to Terabithia.'' The novel is about a fith grade boy namd Jesse Oliver Aarons who dreams of being the fastest runner in the fith grade. Jess has a poor family life, but when a tomboy named Leselie Burke moves in from Arlingtron, Virginia his self-esteem is jolted up. Together they create a magical kingdom named Terabithia. When a tradgety happens Jess realizes the strength Leselie gave him. Realistic fiction is this seventies book's genre. Find out what the tradgety is and read the novel, ''Bridge to Terabithia.''
Do I personally like this book? You bet! I especially like the special ending and how it matches the title. My opion is that it is a very entertaining and heartwarming novel. The novel, ''Bridge to Terabithia,'' is one book that I highly recommend. So read it and see how you like it. I'm almost positive you won't regret it.

Deliciously sad!
This book is hard to describe. I read it before buying it for my niece a few years after it was first published. I thought it was excellent, especially at depicting the mind of a pre-adolescent boy and how he confronts tragedy. Everything about the book struck me as honest, true and insightful at the time. Though looking at it now, some of the author's messages seem to lack subtlety. But how much subtlety do you want in children's literature? Still, I'm sure the author would be offended to hear me call this "children's literature." The fact is it's a great and enjoyable read that will keep your child thinking for a long time. But it's also a book that any adult can enjoy and will also have them thinking as well. If you don't own this one, buy it today.

Valuable Life Lessons
I have read "Bridge to Terabithia" many times as both a child and adult, and have continued to return to it for many reasons. Jess, an unappreciated artistic boy, feels pressure from his family and school to live up to their expectations of "male" behavior, yet he learns with the help of individualistic Leslie that he needs to be true to himself. Together they create a magical kingdom where they can be themselves, applaud each others' talents, and escape the closed-minded world that fails to understand them. When Leslie suddenly leaves Jess' life, Jess realizes he has gained the confidence (with Leslie's help) to face the world on his own. He then passes Terabithia on to someone else who needs its "powers" the same way he did. This powerful, touching book teaches readers to always be themselves, that struggles and tragedies can make us stronger and bring us closer together, that appearances can be deceiving, and that friendship and imagination have remarkable powers. My class of reluctant 6th grade readers loved this book as well.

WORST BOOK EVER!
This book is terrible! All my friends and I hate it. Sometimes for a whole chapter it talks about Jess thinking about things that nobody cares about. This would never happen in real life. All they do is say wow im in happyland. No wonder they dont have any other friends. LESLIE DIED! LETS HAVE A PARTY! ... Read more

Book Description

To Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and their baby brother, the house in the country promises a summer of freedom and play.But when they accidently uncover an accident Psammead--or Sand-fairy--who has the power to make wishes come true, they find themselves having the holiday of a lifetime, sharing one thrilling adventure after another.

Asleep since dinosaurs roamed the earth, the ill-tempered, odd--looking Psammead --with his spider-shaped body, bat's ears, and snail's eyes --grudgingly agrees to grant the children one wish per day.Soon, though the children discover that their wishes have a tendancy to turn out quite differnetly than expected. Whatever they wish whether it's to fly like a bird, live in a mighty castle, or have an immense fortune --something goes terribly wrong, hilariously wrong.

Then an accidental wish has horrible consequences, and the children are faced with a difficult choice: to let an innoncent manbe charged with a crime or to lose for all time their gift of magical wishes.Five Children and It is on of E. Nesbit's most beloved tales of enchantment.This deluxe gift edition, featuring twelve beautiful watercolor paintings by Caldecott medalist Paul O. Zelinsky, is sure to be treasured addition to every family's library.

Reviews (16)

Sandy delight
This 1902 fantasy, a gift from my parents when I was in fourth or fifth grade, features an irritable Psammead whom Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and their baby brother dig up in a sand pit. Then the magic begins. The sand-fairy does not like granting wishes, and his misshapen body with bat's ears and snail's eyes bloats when he does. The wishes, lasting only until sunset, all take unexpected, funny turns.

The sand-fairy and other personalities and Victorian details render the magic entirely real-world, believable. This was my favorite children's book and I relived the delight when I found a copy to share with my own children. That this volume is illustrated by one of my favorite people from one of my favorite families triples the delight.

The book is too challenging for independent reading for children under 10, but it's a great read-aloud for small children, as are the classics of Frank Baum, E.B. White and C.S. Lewis.

Edith Nesbit was like J. K. Rowling a single mother in need of a means to support her children. Her books in their era were as popular as Harry Potter in this one. Some of her observations are surprisingly humane. Nesbit's treatment of a clan of Gypsies, for example, transcends the deep prejudice of her time. Not to worry, the book is not preachy or teachy. It's just grand, eloquent fun. Alyssa A. Lappen

My review of "Five Children and It"
This book is about Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and their baby brother who discover a Psammead,
or Sand-fairy, who agrees to grant the children one wish per day.
Soon, their wishes start to turn quite unlike what they expected.
Then, an accidental wish has terrible consequences, and the kids
are faced with a hard choice: to let an innocent man be charged
with a crime, or to lose their gift of magical wishes.

I read this book in one day, and I thought it was pretty good.
This book turned out to be fairly interesting.
I would probably read "Five Children and It" again.

Be careful what you wish for...
E. Nesbit's classic story of about some Edwardian children who find a sand fairy one summer is an unsentimental delight. Each day the odd fairy grants them one magic wish, be it beauty, wealth, great size, etc. which will only last until sunset. Somehow each wish they make turns into a disaster, but through their own cleverness and a bit of luck, the children are able to make each problem work out in the end. Nesbit's writing is particularly full of amusing asides and offbeat humor in this one. Her turns of plot are inventive, and as the plucky children face their outlandish predicaments, it becomes clear that Nesbit has her finger on the pulse of the way real children might think. Her work has held up quite well considering it is over a hundred years old. This novel would be suitable for kids in about fourth or fifth grade.

sadly, this classic does not stand up to the test of time
Edith Nesbit is a charming writer. She tells her story with wit and humour, and interjects sly digs that engender a wink and a smile, but while the premise is timeless and interesting, the prose is extremely dated, making the book a bit tedious to read for any length of time. Also, the ideas and prejudices exhibited by the characters date the material.

The five siblings of the title, who have found a Sand-fairy willing to grant them one wish a day, continually make silly wishes that get them into trouble. Their first wish is to be "as beautiful as the day". Right there you get a sense of the book's outdated charm. This is of interest more as a tribute to a talented children's writer of a bygone era rather than for its own sake.

I wanted to enjoy this classic, but I found it hard slogging through. That is just my opinion, however, but I'd suggest you read a bit of the text before purchasing it unless you're already familiar with, or particularly interested in, author Nesbit.

Caveat: The occasional black-and-white line drawings are by H.R. Millar, not the Paul Zelinsky watercolors promised in the Editorial Reviews section.

A cynic's delight
I doubt I would have liked "Five Children and It" even as a child: an ordinary child's troubles are so much more troublesome than the challenges these kids face, it's almost (but not quite) funny. Cyril, Robert, Anthea, and Jane live in a countryside mansion replete with servants, they take trips to toy stores where they can buy whatever their hearts desire (the author informs us that this is the way children ought to be brought up), and inside a gravel-pit they have found a prehistoric sand-fairy that grants them wishes, one each day, but all their wishes have been turning out rotten so far. Well, boo hoo.

It isn't the concept that bothers me; it is the execution. Baum's and Carroll's heroines face comparable situations, but neither authors' books evoked such negative reactions from me. The reasons why the children's wishes fail I found especially abominable: when peerless beauty is wished for, the maid won't let them in since they look like "eyetalian monkeys"; when wealth is asked for and antique guineas appear by the bushel, the kids are arrested for thieves; when stolen jewellery magically reappears, it is Beale, the gameskeeper, who is immediately and incontrovertibly the chief suspect; when the four wish (accidentally) for the baby to grow up, the Lamb (Or Devereuz, or Hilary, or St Maur, as he should be rightly called) becomes a snappish fop. Nesbit draws miscellaneous moralistic lessons from her tale ("I cannot pretend that stealing is right"), but what use are these lessons when you are arrested whether or not you tell the truth? I would much rather Nesbit turn a cynical eye on the people she is describing, instead of using her keen powers of observations to weave an antithetical yarn.

At least her prose is reasonable enough. Nesbit's language is lucid, and while her sentence structure is rather sophisticated, it is not unduly so. Sadly, the same cannot be said of her characters. The four children who are the novel's protagonists are essentially the only developed characters, and while they are developed rather well, with plausibility and realism, they are bland. They are honest, noble, polite, friendly, sociable, and well-off; they treat the servants and people of lower station as functionaries, tools, ways of getting from A to B, and so does the author. Thus, there is little desire on the reader's part to come to know them better. They allow little conflict, little empathy. I'm probably the first to levy the charge that they have little wit and, if not for the fact that the wishes disappear at sundown, they would have great difficulty dealing with ther wishes.

But more about those wishes: it is quite surprising how many of them are accidental. In fact, there is little premeditated wishing going on past chapter six: otherwise, Nesbit would have been hard-pressed to find a reason for the children to wish for marauding Indians. What lesson are we, as readers, to draw from this? "Word your wishes carefully?" I'm reminded of the movie "Big," in where a twelve-year-old wishes to be grown-up to impress an older girl, and instead becomes Tom Hanks and scares the heck out of everybody. Just once I'd like a book where the characters get their hearts' true desires and have to come to terms with THAT. ... Read more

Book Description

For generations, J.R.R. Tolkien's words have brought to thrilling life a world of hobbits, magic, and historic myth, woken from its foggy slumber within our minds. Here, he tells the tales is his own voice.

Of historic note, these selections from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are based on a tape recording Tolkien made in 1952, which inspired him to continue his own quest to see his vision in print. Also included is a never-published poem, "The Mirror of Galadriel," originally intended for inclusion in the trilogy, yet edited out. And, finally, Tolkien's son, Christopher, reads selections from his father's The Silmarillion, the epic foundation upon which rests the whole of his work.

Reviews (9)

An amazing recordings!
I was always wondering how it would be if the Tolkien himself read his books - and this is it! Of course these are just different parts of his books, but some recordings are really long (30 min or so, like Hobbit:"riddles in the dark"). This would be a great present to every Tolkien fan.

The Tolkien Audio Collection [abridged] a most marvlous expe
Ever wanted to actually HEAR the voice of the author of "The Lord of the Rings" books reading some of his own wanderfull work? Well, whith this collection, you CAN!!! Yes, it's true, Tolkien reading his own writing!!! Among the many treasures contained in this fabulous four disk collection is a sample of Tolkien reading the two lines of writing on the ring, "one ring to rule them all..." No, he doesn't read it in the black speech, but I'd like to think that he DID record that. there's a pretty good sprinkling of Elvish here too: both spoken and sung. You will just love the first item in this collection. Here, Tolkien reads the passage about Golumb from "the Hobbit". It should be noted that He reads at a fairly fast rate so you may have to listen somewhat more closely than you might otherwise. This one will just keep you coming back again and again and again!!!!! You'll NEVER tire of it.

What a treat!
To a Tolkien fan since childhood, hearing the author himself reading his material was a somewhat emotional experience. Ideally, the recordings would be a complete reading of the whole LoTR trilogy or more, but even with the clips and bits available they are very much worth the buck.

To me, these recordings have confirmed that I have read the books "in tune" with Tolkien himself, and I feel that to a certain point they confirm that the movie pictures have captured Tolkien rather well, too.

J. R. R. Tolkien is a great reader of his own work.
It's too bad that Tolkien didn't get a change to read the whole of "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit". But, it's wonderful that these recordings survived for us to hear them since they were not professionally made and most were done before "Lord of the Rings" was even published, let alone popular. Also, also my thanks to who ever decided to put all these on CD. My LPs of these recordings are worn out.

Fantastic collection!
For anyone who has fallen under the spell of J.R.R. Tolkien, I can't recommend these recordings enough. For the price of one CD, you get 4 in the set, all chock-full of Tolkien and his son Christopher reading selections from The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, and The Silmarillion. The price of the CD alone is worth hearing Tolkien's 29-minutes-long reading of a piece of "Riddles in the Dark" from The Hobbit...absolutely marvelous! His Gollum voice is delicious!

I highly recommend this CD package. You will enjoy it immensely. ... Read more

Book Description

Sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!

When the world's greatest candymaker gave Charlie Bucket his amazing chocolate factory, Charlie's adventures were just beginning. Now he's cruising outer space with Mr. Willy Wonka in a marvelous glass elevator. The whole family is along for the ride -- Mr. and Mrs. Bucket, Grandpa Joe and Grandma Josephine, even Grandpa George and Grandma Georgina. But watch out! There are all sorts of oddities lurking in space -- strange creatures like Gnoolies and Vermicious Knids -- not to mention the President of the United States!

... Read more

Reviews (53)

Visit Willy Wonka¿s Wondrous World Again!
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
Visit Willy Wonka's Wondrous World Again!
* * * * * (5 Stars)
I chose this book because when I looked at the cover I thought it was cool. The cover shows and elevator flying up in space, so I thought it would be about space and cool inventions. The book wasn't like that at all. It was about Mr. Wonka, a man who owns a chocolate factory, and Charlie, a kid who will be getting the chocolate factory, and Charlie's family. They go into space and help people from dying and as a reward having a party. Since the book was different from the cover, I do like what's in the book better than the cover and the idea of the cover.

Mr. Wonka, Charlie and Charlie's family got into an elevator and ended up in space. They stayed in a Space Hotel for a day and later had to save it from space aliens. This book is for children 8 - 10. I couldn't put this book down. It is a great way of using your imagination. This fantasy is written by Roahld Dauhl.

I liked imagining what aliens looked like, and how they saved the space hotel.

You'll miss out if you don't read this book!

It was okay...
I agree with some reviewers in that mostly all of what the book talks about is the glass elevator and Charlie's grandparents. It does state nothing about what Charlie did after all of this with his new chocolate factory, but I disagree with those who say that book was awful. I enjoyed reading it, despite the above complaints. It was very well written, and interesting to read, althought I would have liked to read about what Charlie did with his inheritance.

The best book ever
Have you ever imagined an elevator that could fly? Charlie, in the book Charlie and the Great Glass elevator, went flying through space and time. Charlie and his family discovered the U.S.A. space hotel where they met three pilots being attacked by knids. A problem arises when the pilots can't get down to earth without burning up into ashes. There are to conflicts in this book: getting away from the knids and save grandma from minus land. The authors message in this book is "if you work hard at something you can get there". I would give this book a 5 star rating for its excitement and suspense. You should read this suspenseful book to find out what happens to Charlie and his family.

A Great Read for Anyone
This book is funny, interesting, and a great book for all ages. I loved this book because it's fresh and funny, and Roald Dahl is a terrific writer. This was the first book I read by Roald Dahl, and you really don't need to ready any other Chocolate Factory books before enjoying this one.

The story goes like this: Charlie Bucket & his family, plus Willy Wonka are riding in a great glass elevator (just as the title implies,) and they somehow crash into outer space and land in this space hotel. While in the the hotel they come across these gruesome creatures. They cleverly escape from them and head back to the Chocolate Factory. While there Charlie's maternal and paternal grandparents take a pill created by Willy Wonka to make them younger (or older). The results are hilarious, but you have to read this book yourself to find out what happens!
P.S.: I loved the poems in the book!

A boring book!
This book is not that good. Because there aren't too many things happeningin the begining. And then it just switches subject and another thing happens instead. Somrtimes it's very funny but when it's not funny, it's a very boring book.
However the characters in the book are guite good. My favorite character is mr. Willy Wonka. He is very funny and he's never scared.
I don't recommend this book to anyone, but if you want to read it it is better to read "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" first. ... Read more

Book Description

King Caspian has grown old and sad in the ten years since the disappearance of his only son.With time running out, Jill and Eustace embark on a perilous quest to find the Prince and bring back tranquility to the magical land of Narnia.

THE SILVER CHAIR
The Chronicles of Narnia

Journeying to the wild lands of the north, the friends and their companion Puddleglum battle mighty storms and encounter a race of giants who like nothing better than a tasty snack--of human children!Searching deep underground in the grim land of the Earthmen, they encounter the wicked Green Lady who has evil plans to overthrow King Caspian and become Queen of Narnia.

This acclaimed BBC Radio Dramatization perfectly captures the enchanted world where our young heroes must yet again struggle with the forces of darkness.With a stellar cast, authentic sound effects and stirring music, The Silver Chair will warm and engage the hearts of children and adults alike. ... Read more

Reviews (64)

Book 6 - A guide to the unending enchantment of Narnia
"The Silver Chair" was the fourth book published in the Narnia Chronicles, but chronologically is the second last in the series and is published as such by most modern publishers. The story revolves around cousin Eustace (a familiar face from "Prince Caspian") and his classmate Jill Pole. Eustace and Jill narrowly escape school bullies and find themselves in Narnia. In Narnia, Aslan himself commissions them on a quest to find Caspian's missing son and heir, prince Rilian, who has been abducted by an evil witch posing as a beautiful woman and a horrible green snake. They are joined in their quest by Puddleglum, a charming Marsh-wiggle whose extreme pessimism ( "he's always expecting the worst and he's always wrong" p.93) is matched by his bravery. Together they escape the perils of giants, and by rescuing Rilian from his enchantment in the Underworld and restoring him to his father, they prevent the Green Lady from by achieving her evil ambitions in becoming Narnia's queen.

As with all the Narnia Chronicles, on the level of children the story functions as a perfectly comprehensible and exciting fantasy adventure, but on an adult level it imparts powerful spiritual truths about Christianity by means of numerous recognizable Biblical allusions. Lewis intended "The Silver Chair" to portray the ongoing war against the powers of darkness. He emphasizes the truth of Deuteronomy 6 that in this war the signs of God's Word need to be carefully remembered and obeyed: "And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn your minds from following the signs ... it is so important to know them by heart and pay no attention to appearances. Remember the signs and believe the signs. Nothing else matters." (p.24-26). Failing to follow these signs makes the task more difficult, but not impossible. These failures, however, constitute sin, which is clearly portrayed as the fault of man: "We must just own up" (p.123) and "We've brought the anger of Aslan on us. That's what comes of not attending to the signs." (p.132) The only solution is to drink from Christ the living water, for there is no other source of water apart from him "There is no other stream" (p.20-21). There are also strong allusions to the doctrine of predestination: "You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you." (p.23) "There *are* no accidents. Our guide is Aslan; and he was there when the giant King caused the letters to be cut, and he knew already all things that would come of them; including *this*." (p.160)

As always, in all the upheavals and conflicts of Narnia, Aslan is the one constant, and it is his vital involvement that enables the children to complete their Narnian quest, just as it is Christ who inspires, comforts, guides, and saves in the real world. Narnia may exist only in Lewis imagination and ours, but these underlying truths about Christ ensure that a journey to Narnia is never without profit for the real world.

Azlan sends two children off to rescue Prince Rilian
"The Silver Chair" is the four and final adaptation of one of The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, although I am surprised that this series was not able to complete the entire set of novels In this story Eustace Scrubb (David Thwaites) is being tormented at school and while looking for a place to hide from the bullies ends up entering the magical world of Narnia from a garden shed, along with another persecuted classmate, Jill Pole (Camilla Power). There Aslan gives them the task of rescuing Prince Rilian, the stolen son of King Caspian. This requires them to travel, along with Puddleglum the Marshwiggle (Tom Baker), north to the Deep Lands of the underworld belonging to the Green Lady (Barbara Kellerman). There they meet the Black Knight, who is under the enchantment of the evil Green Lady, who tortures him in a Silver Chair that sends him into a terrifying rage.

By the time you get to "The Silver Chair" you have either accepted the limited special effects of this production or not. Yes, the animatronics of Aslan are almost unbelievably simplistic, but the kids always talk to him like he was a real lion and ruler of Narnia and that is all that really matters in the end. The costumes and sets are pretty good and above all the story is faithful to the Lewis narrative. One of the things I enjoyed most about the "The Silver Chair" is the way that Lewis elegantly works in Christian elements into the story. Azlan works hard to have Jill learn a series of signs, by which she and Eustace will be able to achieve their goal. However, Jill has problems remembering the signs and Eustace does not really seem up to the challenge. Then again, most great children's literature works on two levels, although clearly "The Silver Chair" and the other chronicles will appeal more to the kids, which is fine, because that is really who they were intended for even though they are arguably too good for the little ones.

A classic story and a spiritual allegory
If you have not read any of CS Lewis classic book series about Narnia, please do so. The stories are wonderfully written and will engage you like few other works. Part spiritual allegory and part fantasy and adventure, these stories are timeless.

My personal favorite of the 7 stories is this one: The Silver Chair. Starting with the unexpected trip into Narnia, the story involves the search for a missing prince and a dangerous and exciting journey to find him. While the plot is quickly engaging and always enjoyable, even after dozens of readings, in this story Lewis uses some of the most powerful of Christian allegories to depict faith, deception, and courage. Choices made along the way are often disastrous and are the result of convenience and comfort over faith. Truly a sound statement into our own journeys, and a spiritual struggle depicted accurately.

I will not spoil the plot, but if you have not enjoyed this series, pick up any of the seven books, or better yet get them all at once. The story starts either with "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" which was the first published, or "The Magician's Nephew" which is chronologically the first. Either way, you won't be disappointed. Next to "The Silver Chair", I also found "The Horse and His Boy" and "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" to be absolute classics.

Buy this series, and enjoy one of the true treasures in literature from a fabulous writer, the world renowned CS Lewis.

Prince Rilian, Lost Forever or Found
The book The Silver Chair, by C. S. Luis is a great adventure story that is part of a seven-book series. The story has two main characters; Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole. Eustace Scrubb is a schoolboy who goes to school at the Experiment House with Jill. He has actually been in Narnia before with his cousins; Lucy and Edmund. Jill Pole gets bullied around a lot at school, and didn't believe Eustace at first when he was trying to tell her about Narnia.
The book starts off at the Experiment House with Jill hiding behind a curtain crying because the bullies won't leave her alone. Eustace finds her and tells her about Narnia and how they might be able to get back there. At first Jill didn't believe him. Then bullies came in the room looking for her, so the made a dash for a door that isn't usually open but they tried it anyway because it was their only way of escape. To their surprise, the door was open, but not leading outside the school, but instead to Narnia.
Before I start telling you about Narnia and what happened there; I must give you some background information. The was a queen of Narnia (she was married to King Caspian the 10th) and she had a son named Prince Rilian. One day the queen and prince were out on a walk with some others. The queen was tired and decided to go asleep on the grass. The prince, not wanting to wake her, went off just a little way (so he could still see her) to play. After a little while they saw a green worm crawl out from the wood and bite her. The prince ran after the worm, but it got away. After a few minutes the queen was dead. After that the prince devoted his life to finding the worm and avenging it. After months of looking one of a lord suggested he stop looking for the worm. Prince Rilian told him for the past couple of weeks he no longer searched for the worm, but visited a lady in secret. The lord came with him one day and to his surprise, the lady was in the same spot where his mom died. She was a beautiful woman dressed all in green. The lord decided not to tell anyone because he thought there was no harm in it. The next day, the prince never returned from his journey.
They stepped into Narnia and found they were on the edge of a cliff. Eustace was afraid of heights and just stood there in shock. When he got away from the edge, Jill walked up even closer to the edge, trying to show off, and found she couldn't move and almost fell of the edge but Eustace saved her, and while doing so fell off the edge himself! The next thing Jill knew she was lying down in the same spot with a huge lion (Aslan, the 'Jesus' of Narnia) next to her blowing at something. Then she was Eustace floating, getting higher and farther away from her. She was terrified and very thirsty. Aslan soon left and she found her strength again to lift her-self up to go find some water. She finally found a stream, but Aslan was lying next to it. He said to her, "If you are thirsty, come and drink." She was to petrified to move, but eventually found her courage to go get a drink. He told her he needed her help. She was to, along with Eustace, find the lost Prince Rilian. He gave her signs and directions to recognize the prince; "First; as soon as the Boy Eustace sets foot in Narnia, he will meet an old and dear friend. He must greet that friend at once; if he does, you will both have good help. Second; You must journey out of Narnia to the north till you come to a ruined city of ancient giants. Third; you will find writing on a stone in that ruined city, and you must do what the writing tells you. Fourth; You will know the lost prince (if you find him) by this, that he will be the first person you have met in your travels who will ask you to do something in my name, in the name of Aslan."
Aslan soon blew her to where Eustace landed, and shortly afterwards, and owl came to them and told Trumpkin, the dwarf in charge, that they were there. He gave them good beds, food, ands baths. Jill was just about to go to bed when the same owl (Glimfeather) came tapping on her window and told her he would help them as much as the owls could, then went to tell Eustace the same. Glimfeather flew them both to the owls' meeting spot and got help from another owl to fly them to a Puddleglum's house.
Puddleglum is a marsh-wiggle, which is kind of like a very gloomy person, who always looks at the downside of things. He travels with them their whole journey. They started their journey north the next day. After a couple days of walking they came across what at first looked like boulders, then Jill noticed how they might look kind of like giants at night, then one moved. After a while they came to a bridge and decided to cross it. While they were crossing it they met a beautiful woman dressed in green riding along with a knight. She recommended the gentle giants' city near by to lodge in. After some arguing, they decided to take her advice.
When they arrived they were welcomed and treated nicely. Puddlegum tried to stay on the look out, but he got a little drunk and barely even knew who he was. It turned out the giants actually wanted to eat them, and kept them there for the Autumn Feast coming up. Will they ever escape? If they do, will they find Prince Rilian? To find out read the book The Silver Chair.

More of the same from Narnia - which is not a bad thing
Another installment in the classic children's series The Narnia Chronicles, "The Silver Chair" continues the pattern of presenting stand-alone stories that work within a grander story arc. Also like previous installments, "The Silver Chair" brings back familiar characters while also introducing new cast members, lending the story an air of familiarity while still remaining fresh.

In this installment Eustace, the ill-mannered lad who learned the error of his ways in "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," along with his schoolmate, Jill, pair up for adventure. While fleeing bullies at their school - a progressive and modern (for its time) institution that Lewis openly and repeatedly scorns - Eustace and Jill find themselves thrown into the world of Narnia. Once there, Aslan gives Jill a series of vague instructions to follow during their adventure.

Eustace and Jill find themselves on a quest to find the lost Prince Rillian, the son of King Caspian (who in this tale makes two brief cameos as an old man). They team up with Puddleglum, a gloomy a creature called a Marsh-Wiggle who always sees the down side of things. Together, the three go in search of the Prince.

The setup tells the reader right off what sort of story it will be: a traveling adventure in which the group works through a series of dangerous situations and visits new and strange lands. The story takes a few chapters to get moving properly, shortening the main quest; there are only three or so key locations. Still, those locations are a mix of classic genre archetypes and fantastic settings. For an important segment of the story - a castle of giants - genre archetypes rule the day.

"Silver Chair," though it visits places in Narnia not previously seen, feels less epic than previous installments. However, a glimpse of a greater and more wondrous world near the end helps alleviate that failing.

The character of Jill undergoes almost the same transformation that Eustace did in "Voyage," while Eustace himself plays the role that Edmund, Peter and the gang did in earlier books. That's not altogether bad, but it's not altogether good, either, especially if you are reading the whole series straight through. because Jill's transformation immediately follows Eustace's.

All in all, "The Silver Chair" is not as engaging as others in the series, with a loose plot tied together largely by a "you must trust Aslan" theme, but does not fall nearly as flat as "Caspian." For a good stretch the story moves along at a brisk pace and offers a playful series of adventures, delivering just the sort of engaging story that makes the Narnia Chronicles such a beloved series. Sure it suffers from too slow a start and too slow a finish, both which drag the story down, but at its core it's more of the same from Narnia. And that's not a bad thing at all. ... Read more

Book Description

Left alone to guard the family's wilderness home in eighteenth-century Maine, a boy is hard-pressed to survive until local Indians teach him their skills. ... Read more

Reviews (108)

A fifth grade reading book
Sign of the Beaver is about a boy named Matt that lives in the woods with his father. One day his father leaves while he is sleeping. He knows where he went. A month later he met some Indians and started to read a book to a Indian. The book was about the dad leaving and an Indian helping out. I think this is a great book! Matt thinks that the Indan (Attean) is very inpolite. But the more Matt and Attean are around each other they get used to one another and become good friends, and Attean teaches Matt to hunt. He never finds his father, but he finds a good friend and he is no longer afraid or alone.At the end his father comes back with his family and they lived a new life.I hope you love this book!!!

The Review of the Beaver
"THE SIGN OF THE BEAVER" is a adventure packed book that Justin really likes. It's about a family that is moving up to Maine in the late 1700's. Matt's dad left him at the cabin, while he went back to get the rest of the family back in Quincy, Massachusetts. Matt who is 12 years old decides to get honey from a bee's hive in a tree and instead he gets stung. Two indians save him and supply him with food for a while. The Chief Saknis and his grandson Attean help him back to full health. saknis asks Matt if he would teach Attean how to read and so Matthew Hallowell does. Attean also teaches Matt a lot of very usefull survival skills. He teaches Matt how to catch rabits with a snare and how to make a wood fish hook quickly and made well. Attean also shows him the signs of other indian tribes and warns him not to tresspass and to mark your path with like a broken branch or two rocks ontop of each other. Matt has a fun time but he can't get Attean to be proud of him. When Mr.Hallowell (Matt's dad) dosn't come after three weeks when he sould have Saknis asks Matt if he wants to come with them because his dad might not come back. Matt does wonder if he sould go North with Attean or stay and wate for his dad. What will he decide? It's a mind-unsettling question. Read to figure out what Matt decides and what happens after that...

We love it!
We first checked out this audio-tape out from the library when my son was 7. He loved it on that first long car trip, and we have checked it out 3 more times since then. Today, I bought it on Amazon.com for our trip this summer.
If you have a boy (or girl) who likes to listen to stories, this is a great one. As a Mom, I like that the boy learns to survive, works hard, and shows respect for others and their culture......a great role model for young kids today.

Horrible Put Down
I hated this book so much! It was horrible. Nothing ever happend, it was one big bore! Don't read this book unless you are forced to. I would rather eat vetegtables than read this book . DO NOT READ !

The Sign Of The Beaver
This is a good book. In the begining it is boring but keep on reading because it becomes fasinating. Matt's family leaves and
Matt has to watch over the cabbin. Soon after they leave, a guy named ben came and stole Matt's gun. The Native American tribe (the beaver tribe) found matt and helped him. He becomes good friends with Attean (someone from the beaver tribe). But soon Attean and his tribe have to leave and they ask Matt to come with them and matt says.............Wait i'm not going to tell you how it ends if I told you it would be a total waste because the book is better. So read The Sign Of The Beaver and you'll find out. This book is an adventure book and also fun book. I just didn't want to put it down. So read this book and I hope you feel the same way I do!! ... Read more

Book Description

Anne of Avonlea

For over half a century Anne Shirley, the charmingly unpredictable heroine of Anne of Green Gables, has captured the hearts -- and imaginations -- of millions. In this three-hour abridgment of the second book in L.M. Montgomery's unforgettable saga, Anne's story continues... in a tale that will delight children and grown-ups alike.

"When Anne reached the school that first morning, she was confronted by prim rows of shining morning faces and bright, inquisitive eyes. She hung up her hat and faced her pupils, hoping that she did not look as frightened and foolish as she felt and that they would not perceive how she was trembling."

It seemed only yesterday that the skinny, freckled redhead had first come to Prince Edward Island. Now here was Anne, a pretty sixteen, teaching at the Avonlea school and all grown up. Well, not quite grown up. In fact, Anne was not very different from her restless young pupils -- mischievous and high-spirited as ever.

With this special reading by Megan Follows, L.M. Montgomery's timeless classic will entertain you and your family again and again! ... Read more

Reviews (43)

A bit of a disappointment
If I could have, I would rate this book a three star one. But I had to rate it higher, just because it's an L.M Montgomery book, and an Anne one.
This book features a few new characters, one of them is a queer, bad-tempered bald man, called Mr. Harrison. Anne and her friends also start a club to improve the community, although some parts are interesting, this bores me a bit.
Gilbert is not shown a lot in the book, and when he is, it's usually for a few moments or for A.V.I.S, the club. Same with Diana.
You will find that this book is true to it's title, it focuses A LOT on the Avonlea school. Most of the book is about the children, one dreamy boy in particular.
Marilla and Anne also adopt two twins, a troublesome, yet lovable boy Davy, and the prim, unemotional Dora. They have a lot in the book.
Oh, and Anne meets a new kindred spirit, Miss Lavender, the spinster in the cozy cottage. Anne reunites Miss Lavender with her old, old sweetheart. And Miss Lavender gets married to him. This was sweet, but somewhat dull. At the very end of the book, Gilbert does give a hint to Anne, about how he feels about her.
Overall, this book was mostly disappointments, although I would highly recommend reading it. If you expect to be about Anne getting into interesting scrapes, Gilbert being romantic about Anne, and seeing Anne's old chums a lot, than stop expecting. But as I said, I would still suggest this book.

Unanticipated Anne Shirley Back In Action!
Red haired with a flaming temper, the phenomenal Anne Shirley is back in her 2nd book! Marilla, a kindly old maid who had set heart on bringing Anne up (when she was an orphan) has decided to also adopt two adorable little twins, Davy and Dora Keith. Anne is absolutely thrilled but adopting these twins causes big trouble. Davy is really a good boy at heart but always finds himself into scrapes: like making his sister Dora walk the pig fence! Davy??s idea of fun includes violence and humor ?V but only for himself. The girls have to teach Davy manners, which is a difficult task for such a cheeky little boy. Anne??s problems grow even more as she takes up responsibility of being a schoolteacher and suddenly feels very timid again, but she has to pull up her socks and jerk herself back into the adult world. At school, she regains her impertinence temper and broad imaginations as she shares happy times with her students, especially Paul Irving, this sweet little kid with brown hair and the most delightful face she has ever seen. He brings her flowers and calls her ??Sweet Teacher??. Her friendship with striking Gilbert Blythe (ex-enemy for calling her hair ??carrots??) has grown, but what is Gilberts real reason of being so sweet and pleasant? Has Diana (her bosom friend) finally grown up? I really enjoyed this book because it talks about Anne growing up and finding her place in the adult world leaving her wonderful childhood behind forever. I simply couldn??t put it down because after every page, Anne has another adventure so it is like a cliffhanger. My mom keeps telling me to go and do work but I cannot stop because this is the most wonderful book ever written. I like the others in this series also.Thank you L.M. Montgomery for bringing a bright light into my life!~~ Referring to the special collectors edition

A great book
I love this story. Echo lodge was great. It was about the last book where Anne is in Avonlea and a little girl. Very excellent book!

Beautiful Sequel
This is just a wonderful sequel to Anne of Green Gables.It deals with Anne's life after returning to Avonlea to teach and before she goes off to college.Seeing Anne begin to come into adulthood is exciting and yet a little sad.It is exciting to see her deal with the new challenges from being a school teacher and inspiring her students to starting the Avonlea Village Improvement Society (to which there is some resistance from the Avonlea elders at first).Anne is still of course a kindred spirit, but it seems that she is mellowing as she matures (which was is just a touch sad, but as Mr. Henderson says, all things must change).For anyone who liked the first book, this is sure to not disappoint.

ANNE'S STORY CONTINUES!!!! YES!
It never ends, luckily!!! I will never tire of Anne's wonderful, lively imagination. In this story, Anne is sixteen, with lovely dark red hair, gray twinkling eyes, and only seven freckles! Anyways, more happens in this story than a change in appearance: Anne becomes the Avonlea schoolma'am, and loves her students like crazy, especially little Paul Irving, who happens to have the same imagination and qeer ways as his teacher. Anne and Marilla even adopt little twins, who also win their love. But when Diana Barry and Anne are wandering down the lane one evening, they stumble upon the lovely Miss Lavender. She has the same imagination too! Well, everything in this story is just as perfect as it's prequel. It's not one of those great first books with dumb sequels...in this case they're both GREAT! ... Read more

Book Description

Pooh and Christopher Robin are the best of friends. Their adventures are always sure to be interesting -- especially if they're joined by Piglet, Eeyore, Owl, and the newest resident of the Hundred Acre Wood, Tigger!

Since 1926, generations of children have adored A. A. Milne's stories and Ernest H. Shepard's unforgettable drawings. The House At Pooh Corner is a very special place -- because imagination lives there.