Amazon.com

Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her garden grow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas in a pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and puts the blush of a wild rose in their cheeks; "It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of roses which were so thick, that they matted together.... 'No wonder it is still,' Mary whispered. 'I am the first person who has spoken here for ten years.'" As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin's sour natures begin to sweeten. For anyone who has ever felt afraid to live and love, The Secret Garden's portrayal of reawakening spirits will thrill and rejuvenate. Frances Hodgson Burnett creates characters so strong and distinct, young readers continue to identify with them even 85 years after they were conceived. (Ages 9 to 12) ... Read more

Reviews (165)

The Secret Garden a review by super-girl
The Secret Garden

Have you ever discovered a place that has bee locked up for a long time? If so, then you can relate to The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Mary Lennox, the protagonist, moves from India to Misselthwaite, England because her parents die of cholera. She lives with her cousin Colin Craven, who thinks he's a cripple and believes he is never going to walk. Mary tries to convince him that he's not a cripple. The children meet Dickon, a local boy who they call the animal charmer. Together they find a magical world inside a garden.

Mary, Dickon, and Colin find the garden left alone and locked. They find a key with the help of Robin and then start to garden without anyone knowing it. Mary and Colin are very frail like a toothpick, but then they grow because the fresh air makes them well. Dickon is a teacher because he shows them how to garden.

Then, on a rainy day, Mary and Colin go into rooms in the house that are locked up and they learn about their ancestors. In Colin's room Mary sees a portrait hidden under a tarpaulin, she opens it and sees picture of Colin's Mother (Mrs. Craven). Mary asks Colin why it is covered and he tells her that he doesn't want to see her because she reminds him of his Father and how he is mad at him because he will be a hunchback. Finally, Mary and Colin learn to overcome their tantrums and the fears of never seeing their parents again. When the children are in the garden, they were caught by one of the gardeners, however he said that he wouldn't tell because he himself had been inside the garden.

Read to find out if the children ever get caught in the garden again, or if Colin ever walks. Ladies and gentlemen, I invite and encourage you to read The Secret Garden.

One of my childhood favorites -- and I still love it!
I can't count how many times I read this book in elementary school -- dozens, I'm sure. I still read it occasionally and listen to the musical.

Here's a brief synopsis: Mary Lennox is a bitter child whose parents live in India during the very early 1900s (approximately). Her mother and father pay no attention to her, and she is spoiled, selfish and temperamental. When cholera kills her parents, she is sent to live with her uncle -- a hunchback who lives in a huge mansion on the Yorkshire moors.

Slowly and with the help of the maid, the maid's brother, and the gardener, Mary becomes a normal, happy child. But her uncle never sees her and is rarely there. He was devastated by his wife's untimely death years earlier and cannot bear to be in the house where they lived together.

Mary also hears a mysterious crying that no one else seems to. She investigates and discovers it is her cousin, Colin, who refuses to see anyone, believing he is crippled. His father can't bear to look at him because his mother died in childbirth. Mary and Colin discover his mother's garden, long neglected, and eventually Colin realizes he is perfectly healthy and learns to walk again.

This is one of those books every little girl should read. It will stay in your heart forever.

A Classic
I think that this is FHB's best book. Although I certainly enjoy the romatic ideas of diamond mines, life-size dolls, and (completly platonic) secret admirers (as all appear in "A Little Princess") nothing beats the spunky nature and burgeonng independance of Mary, Colin and Dickon.

After her parents die of Cholera, spoiled brat Mary is sent to live with her uncle in Yorshire. She is shocked, absolutely shocked, to find a world that is the complete opposite of India. Not just the weather: gone is the fully staffed nursery which completely revolved around her every whim (and she had a lot of them) and in its place is a local maid who brings her breakfast and that's about it. Mary doesn't even know how to dress herself.

Appalled at first by the notion of having to look after herself, Mary discovers that it's really not so bad. Especially when she discovers a secret garden that has been locked for ten years. Together with her cousin, a boy as bratty and obnoxious as she is, and Dickon, a local boy with a way with living things, she sets about to bring the garden back to life. Mary and Colin, who have been raised with fairly good intentions and plenty of material possesions but no real love, learn what love is as they care for and nurture the garden.

Burnett really has an ear for children's dialogue, and she brings a real sympathy to Colin and Mary even when they are at their most obnoxious. In addition, their transformation is believable, complete with little relapses into their self-absorbed natures.

This is a book that is perfect for people of all ages.

Anything is possible
AThe Secret Garden had an inspirational effect on me. Frances Hodgson Burnett was able to show you that no matter how rough life gets, you always have a single ray of hope. Through realistic characters, she was able to show the value of life. Each character was so detailed and developed it was as if you were watching it all happen. Whether you believe in magic or not, it feels as if something is with you while you are reading. This story has been made into a movie. However, the book has a warmer nature as opposed to the movie.
Mary was an unloved unwanted child with everything she could ever want except for a family. Due to the fact that her mother didn't want her around, her nanny would do anything for her to keep her happy. After her mother's death the only person left to keep her was her uncle in England. Coming from India, the people in England didn't expect Mary to be so picky. She finds that in order to stay amused she must overcome her selfish nature and do things on her own. This leads her to find her cousin, Colin. In time, they both learn to appreciate life and the only way to make it is to stop worrying and start believing. Mr. Craven, Mary's uncle, locked up parts of the manor and a special garden after his wife's death 10 years earlier. So, when it is found it is to be kept a secret between six new friends, until it can be revealed to Colin's father, which could or could not happen.
I would rate this book a 4 because, there were s things I didn't agree with. Some of the less important characters were too developed and it is a long story. I did like that it gave me a warm feeling, as if anything is possible. I'm still thinking about how I can change someone's day the same way they did for each other. The only way to enjoy the miracle is to read it yourself.

The Secret Garden
I liked the book alot because it had alot of excitment and talked about Mary finding a room that was her aun'ts room. I liked the part where she found a key that opened the gate to the secret garden. ... Read more

Book Description

Gentle Emmaline loves nothing more than books and flowers and her little brother Tommy. Sadly, her idyllic country life in Victorian England comes to an abrupt end when her father dies of cholera. The family is forced to move to a mill town, where Emmaline’s mother is dreadfully injured in a factory accident. To ease her pain she takes laudanum and is soon addicted, craving the drug so badly that she sells Tommy into servitude as a chimney sweep in London. Emmaline knows that a sweep’s life is short and awful. Small boys as young as five are forced to climb naked into dark chimneys, their bare feet prodded by nail-studded sticks to keep them working. If Tommy is to survive, it is up to Emmaline to find him.

Linda Holeman brings a bygone period to life in a book of serious historical fiction for young adults. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Lovely Surprise
When I picked up this book from the library, I wasn't expecting much to be behind the pretty cover. Was I ever in for a surprise! Linda Holeman has created a uniquely beautiful novel that deserves to be much more popular than it is.

In 1830's England, Emmaline Roke spends her childhood in a a quiet country village. Surrounded by her carefree father Jasper and an idyllic setting, she is shocked when her father dies and her baby brother Tommy's illness harms him tragically. Poverty-stricken without Jasper's money, Emmaline's mother Cat must begin a horrible life of mill work. Then her mother is injured in a mill accident-and the consequences of her accident endager both Cat and Tommy, who is the dearest thing in Emmaline's world. Intelligent, sweet, and determined, Emmaline goes on a quest to rise above her terrible life and save her precious brother.

Emmaline's story is wonderfully engaging. Holeman writes with beauty and skill, and her somehow quaint style captures the essence and sweetness of Emmaline and Tommy. While in other books a similar story would be dull, this book is filled with enough characterization, fascinating period detail, and complications that it grabs the reader. Emmaline inspired and impressed me, and I couldn't wait to see what happened to her.

My only complaint with the book is that the ending, although it had excellent themes, was that it seemed a little too rushed. However, everything else about "Search of the Moon King's Daughter" was completely wonderful.

You'd never know by the title
Picking up this book from the library, I figured it was a fantasy about some Princess on a quest. Imagine my surprise when I found out that it was about Emmaline, an English girl living in the 1800's. When Emmaline's father dies, her mother, her deaf younger brother Tommy, and Emmaline must move away from their country home into a dirty, crowded city. Emmaline's mother goes to work in the mills, and Emmaline herself must work as a seamstress to her Aunt Phoebe.
Then another tragedy strikes: Emmaline's mother is severely injured at the mills. She can no longer work and worse, she soon becomes hooked on laudanum, the pain-reliever she takes. Not only does she spend all the money Emmaline brings in on the drug, but she also sells Emmaline's few possessions and, eventually, even Tommy.
When Emmaline finds that her mother has sold Tommy to be a chimneysweep in London, she goes there to find him. The only problems are that London is a big city, and Emmaline has no idea where Tommy is. Besides that, she doesn't have enough money to survive until she finds him.
This is an awesome book that you will probably enjoy. It's historical fiction, but doesn't make you feel as if you've been lectured. I reccomend this book. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In this elegant, old-fashioned rambler, a sequel to the historical fantasy Sorcery and Cecilia, a party of five Brits (three of them are wizards)--Kate and Thomas Schofield, Cecy and James Tarleton, and Lady Sylvia--takes a "grand tour" of 19th-century Europe. What promises to be a pleasant exploration of old world antiquities and fancy shops turns out to be an adventure of a lifetime when Cecy receives a mysterious alabaster flask (a coronation treasure) from an agitated Lady in Blue. Before they know it, they are wrapped up in a magical conspiracy to take over Europe.

Written in two voices by two different authors, the novel alternates between Cecy's deposition and excerpts from her dear friend and cousin Kate's diary. Despite the crisp, clever dialogue and wonderful character subtleties in this Jane Austen-style comedy of manners, readers may be confused by the episodic nature of the novel whose mysteries take their sweet time in unfolding. Teens with the patience to savor this slow-as-molasses grand tour, however, will be amply rewarded by the novel's myriad delights. (Ages 14 and older) --Karin Snelson ... Read more

Amazon.com

Montmorency: thief, liar, gentleman?, a British import from debut author Eleanor Updale, is a smart, stylish antidote to the proliferation ofBuffy novelizations masquerading as mysteries these days. In a London cellblock in 1875, career criminal Montmorency is serving time for burglary. Captured while fleeing police, Montmorency suffered several grievous wounds that attract the attention of a brilliant young doctor named Robert Farcett. When Dr. Farcett displays Montmorency's newly healed body before the membership of London's Scientific Society, Montmorency overhears a presentation on the city's new sewer system that will change his life forever. Once released from prison, Montmorency uses his knowledge of the underground tunnels to steal from some of London's wealthiest neighborhoods. But in order to enjoy his new riches, he must assume a dual lifestyle. By day he is Mr. Montmorency, a mysterious opera going gentleman who resides in one of the city's most affluent hotels. By night, he is drain-dwelling Scarper, a smelly character who keeps a room in a dirty boarding house. How long can he keep up this agonizing pretense before someone, perhaps even the good doctor, recognizes his scars and exposes him as a fraud?

Middle school fans of John Bellairs, Lemony Snicket,and Philip Pullman, will delight in plowing through the cliff hanging pages of Montmorency. Updale's prose is clear and plot-driven, full of the kind of fascinating detail about the quirky Victorian thief's dual existence that young mystery readers adore. And, with a sequel coming in 2005, they won't groan too loudly at the wide open, although wholly satisfying ending. (Ages 10 to 14)--Jennifer Hubert ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Looking for sequels
Fast paced and elegant, this novel packs plenty of believable detail into this story of a thief's transformation into a decent 'gentleman'. Quite enjoyable and well worth reading. I look forward to a sequel.

Hoping for a sequel
Just finished this book and am hoping the author will bring her character back in future stories.
Set in Victorian England, this thief almost dies in a fall during a burglary. The doctor "puts him back together" and after serving his prison sentence, our thief becomes not only a "gentleman" but a daring burglar as well. Using the sewer system of London the burglar is very successful. He redeems himself with an act of courage and begins a new, honest, life.

A DEVILISH, DELIGHTFUL VOCAL PERFORMANCE
What more can one possibly say about British wunderkind Stephen Fry? He's actor, director, novelist, journalist, comedian, raconteur, philanthropist, and he wears all of these hats with apparent ease. His credits for radio, television, and stage would fill a large volume. Most recently he adapted and directed Evelyn Waugh's novel Vile Bodies for film under the title of Bright Young Things.

Having had the pleasure of watching him as Jeeves in the 1990s BBC series Jeeves and Wooster, I was delighted to see his name on this audiobook. My delight was doubled as his inimitable voice related an imaginative, original adventure, a first novel from British TV producer Eleanor Updale.

Set in London during the Victorian era we meet an inept thief who has run out of luck - he tumbles through a glass roof in an aborted effort to escape the police. However, that's not the end of him - far from it. A skilled doctor puts his poor body back together, and then he is released from prison.

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? No more roofs for this fellow - he takes to London's underground sewer system, and using this labyrinth becomes the city's most mysterious burglar. Eventually, he masquerades as not one man but two - a rich, respected upper class gentleman, Montmorency, and his rapscallion servant, Scarper.

What a balancing act, and therein lies the tale.

- Gail Cooke ... Read more

Book Description

CD of Pictures at an Exhibition included. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Pictures at an Ehibition
A wonderful picture book which brings true story, art and music together I have ever read. They harmonize well. Reading this book with the accompanying Mussorgsky's music is one of my greatest enjoyment,especially when in late afternoon. I highly recommend this book to the students who now are learning art or music but do not have much time for reading. It is a good opportunity for them to get started from it and will bring in something for them. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel.

Gemma, 16, has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother’s death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls’ academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left wi! th the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy. (Ages 12 up) –Patty Campbell ... Read more

Reviews (62)

Its not great, but its not terrible.
This book I had my eye on for quite some time and when i finally bought it it wasnt what i suspected.
Gemma Doyle is sent to a private school for proper girls after her mother dies. While she is there Gemma finds out that she can go into a realm and find dead people and communicate with them. When she brings friends along with her, Kartrik, a boy who is apart of a group trying to stop her stays close to her. She soon finds herself in trouble and has to get out.
As you can see it was hard to explain it. This book did have its great spots that i really got in to but it was slow. I read this book in about a week and a couple of days (thats long for me) and i finished it mainly to see what would happen to a character and also to see if it got better. Also I felt that the author threw in things everyonce in a while to give it a new spin and it didnt go well with this story.
I really wished I didnt buy this book but oh well, maybe I'll forget about it and maybe read it again later.

A new classic
While labeled a Young Adult novel, A Great and Terrible Beauty will resonate with women of all ages. Gemma is everywoman -- with all the dreams and conflicts, flaws and exceptional gifts, righteousness and selfishness that weave the fabric of a living, breathing person. Finally, a period novel that doesn't condescend to the reader, or make dutiful "womanly" choices seem somehow noble or predestined. It also doesn't make the mistake of modernizing the characters in a way that would have been socially impossible during the time. When Gemma and her friends try to be more than future wives of rich men, we feel their struggle. And even as 21st Century women, we can relate.

This is a book about magic -- to be literal, it is about a magical Order and the powers unlocked by a young, headstrong girl. But it is also about the magic we find (or choose to unleash) in our ordinary, mundane lives. Gemma and her friends represent the choices -- bad, good, well-intentioned and even those with malice -- that we all make.

Beyond the themes of this book is the sheer poetry of it. Some passages beg to be read aloud. Bray has a lovely, subtle way with words. She doesn't clutter the story with vocabulary acrobatics -- but she'll knock you over with a spectacular turn of phrase. I was also impressed with the dialogue. It feels authentic without being stilted.

I have given this book to all of my friends, and their daughters and nieces! But my husband loved Gemma's story, too. His comment: "It's like Harry Potter only better written and far more quirky and interesting."

Gemma is a REAL heroine, not a bodice-ripped caricature. I can't wait to read the next in Gemma's series. More, Ms. Bray, MORE!!!

Almost perfect
A Great and Terible Beauty skillfully combines a traditional Victorian setting with modern-style teenage drama. This is Mean Girls as gothic melodrama, and both the rich, repressive finishing school setting and the antics of troubled, bitchy teenage girls are familiar, but uniquely enjoyable combined like this. Teenage struggles against adult hypocricy are the same in all time periods, and the power of [repressed] female sexuality is a theme that arises perfectly from the Victorian-- and adolescent time period.

In these ways it is a perfect book, and the fantasy elements -- menacing secret societies, utopian alternate worlds -- should be the icing on a delicious cake, but this is where the author stumbles. As with so many supernatural plots, the mystery is tantalizing at first, but as more is revealed, it only gets confusing and messy. There will be a sequel, which might tie the mystical strands tighter into the overall structure of the story, but the ending of this novel left me unsatisfied, and not in a good way.

Still, it's a great read for anyone who enjoys period fiction or remembers what it's like to be 16.

still not exactly sure how I feel about it....
This book is about Gemma, a sixteen-year-old girl who lives in India with her mother and father. After her mother is murdered (something that Gemma witnesses in a strange and frightening vision), Gemma is sent to a finishing school in London. The story takes place in 1895. Gemma gradually gets to know the other girls at the school. Most of them are in some way emotionally damaged, and they deal with the hopelessness of their situations by taking everything out on those who happen to be weaker than themselves. What ends up tying Gemma to several of the girls is a diary she discovers, the diary of two girls who attended the school years ago and practiced magic. In a way, this book has the elements of a mystery, as Gemma discovers the link between her mother's murder, the two girls, and her own visions.

I'm still not sure if I like this book. For a great deal of the book, I had the feeling that I didn't really know any of the characters, not even Gemma, even though the book was from her point of view. Maybe this was intentional, but it was disconcerting. If you're looking for a book with nice, pleasant characters, you should look elsewhere, because there aren't really any here. They all do mean things, even Gemma, and the reasons they have for doing these things doesn't seem to detract much from the fact that they did them. Really, though, you'd think that, after reading all 403 pages of this book, that I'd feel like I knew more about the characters and events, but this book feels like it leaves more questions behind than it answers. I've heard that there will be more books about Gemma, which is good, since there needs to be more if the story is to be understood. The book leaves Gemma's powers, and her relationships with the people she calls her friends, in limbo.

Girl Power
Finishing this novel is like having been reminded of the question like Who am I?, Have I found myself yet?

The story itself is about a sixteen-year old girl Gemma Doyle, who had her biggest biggest surprise for her birthday that turned her world upside down.
Being sucked into the magic realms, being left with a horrible vision of the death her mother and hunted down by terrifying shadows are only part of the surprise. Plus the adjustment she has to make among new people and custom in a girl dorm school, where she found her circle of friends.

Set in the end of nineteenth century, Gemma was a girl with some very revolutionaire independence thoughts and some of them clicked something in me and reminded me of the power of female gender (so awesome). There are also a companion character, Miss Moore, her teacher, who gave more sights on choices in life and the balance between light and dark in lessons she had, accompanied with a famous poem by Lord Tennyson, The Lady of Shalott.

And there was also a romantic part in it (which I'm very grateful of) between Gemma and an Indian boy, who followed and watched her whereever she goes. I think this can be developed into an intense relationship.

I do hope there will be sequel to this because the journey of Gemma and her friends has just begun and there is no turning back, as once you make a choice, whether it would turn out to be a good or a bad one, you just have to accept the consequences and live with it. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (32)

A Unique and Fascinating Read
To best understand "Sorcery and Cecelia" one has to first flick to the back of the book in order to read the authors' afterword in which they explain the format and history of their story. After hearing of a game called "The Letter Game", Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer decided to have a go - each took on the persona of two young women in a more magically favoured 1800's, and wrote to each other concerning their activities. Patrica Wrede plays the role of Cecelia Rushton, living in the country and somewhat envious of her cousin Kate Talgarth (Caroline Stevermer) who is being presented to Society in London. And so the correspondance began, each woman drawing on the magical angle of their created world as well as a 'Jane Austen' flavour, so tell each other of the gradually more dangerous escapades that they both get up to.

Kate in London is well into the process of socialising and mingling, despite being overshadowed by her far more beautiful sister Georgy. But whilst watching a neighbourhood wizard Sir Hilary being installed at the Royal College of Wizards, she comes across a little door in the building that leds to a cloistered garden, where a woman named Miranda Griscombe tries to kill her via chocolate poured from a bright blue chocolate pot! It becomes increasingly difficult when her cousin (Cecy's brother) Oliver disappears while at a night time function, and everywhere she goes she seems to run into the odious 'Mysterious Marquis', a one Thomas Schofield, whom seems to be the target of Miranda's malice.

Cecelia meanwhile has come into contract with Dorothea Griscombe (any relation to Miranda?) who unintentionally seems to attract men to her like flies to honey, in particular James Tarleton, who prowls around behind bushes and under trees with very little skill at such activities. Finding herself quite accomplished at the magical arts, despite her Aunt Elizabeth's hearty disapproval, Cecelia begins to take lessons, 'borrowing' several books from Sir Hilary's library which may lend clues to Kate's situation in London...

Such does the story go, expanding with each letter, with each girl helping the other along, though in the entire course of the tale neither of them come face to face. It is a highly original way of telling a story, and for the most part works very well in presenting a tale. If there is one trouble, it is that we are never in any concern over the girls' safety in their escapades, as we know that they remain intact in order to write the letters chronicling their dangers. Furthermore its difficult to keep track of the myraid of characters that keep pouring into the storyline and their relationships with one another - three-quarters of the way through the book I gave up and began again from the start!

But "Socery and Cecelia" (why Kate is excluded from the title is a mystery since I found her story and attitude far more enjoyable than Cecelia's) is a funny, witty, exciting read, filled with magic, interfering aunts, enchanted chocolate pots, romance, adventure and a certain tone that reminds us continually that it is real letters that we are reading - we never really find out what the story was behind that goat that the girls are continually alluding to!

Jane Austen meets J.K. Rowling: Intriguing and Fun
Okay, here's another book that I snagged off the shelf for its gorgeous cover. I loved the idea of an enchanted chocolate pot and perhaps was even more overjoyed to find that it was written by two of my favorite authors, (Wrede, of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, and Stevermer, of A College of Magics.) and horrified that I hadn't read it before, as this was simply a republication of the original, published in 1987!

Already holding high expectations from the book, I was suprised when it started out slow. Used to the fast paced Harry Potter or the action-to-the-minute Enchanted Forest Chronicles, it took me a few chapters to really connect with the characters.

Written in letter form between two cousins, Kate and Cecelia, the book takes place in an alternate (magical) universe in England 1817. The two are well-born girls; Kate is off having a Season in London while Cecelia stays at home in the country. Kate feels pushed aside by her beautiful sister Georgina; Cecelia is put out by not being allowed a Season of her own.

But the plot soon picks up as the two girls' stories intertwine. In the country, ordinary Dorothea becomes irresistable to all men. Clever Cecelia befriends her and starts to unwind the mystery behind the weird attraction. Meanwhile, in London, Kate is almost poisoned by an "old" lady in a garden and befriends an "odious" Marquis to whom the retrieval of the the Enchanted Chocolate Pot is quite important.

The language and the magic in the book speak for themselves; I was completely drawn into this unique world. The intrigue and mystery were believable and definitely kept me turning pages. Kate and Cecelia's letters are witty and funny as they dabble in sorcery and try to save the Marquis of Shofield and themselves from the clutches of the estranged sorcerers Lady Miranda and Sir Hilary.

So...I would definitely reccommend this novel. IT WAS FABULOUS! This review really doesn't do the book justice. YOU HAVE TO READ IT! If you have any respect for fantasy novels, you simply must purshase this book. Consider making it a part of your permanent library. (You'll be wanting to read it again, I promise!)

Happy Reading! And watch for a its sequel, The Grand Tour, which might be out this summer!

Great Book!!!
From the very first page of this delightful book, I was sucked into the wonderful world of Cecelia and Kate. A very exciting book filled with romance, adventure, and fun! The way it was written, made it even more interesting. I could relate to the characters and their mischeif. Well there's nothing else to say, just read the book and you'll see what I mean!!!

Great read for all ages
My 10 year old, my husband and I all enjoyed this book - looking forward to the sequel. Best to read the "how this book was written" AFTER you read the book - otherwise you focus too much on that aspect. Enjoy!

its a wonderful book
this is one of the best books i have ever read.don't be put off by the format which i initially was.Caroline Stevermer and Patricia C. Wrede have wonderfully managed to turn the book into an interesting one through even only using letters!i like all four main characters and they are potrayed in a favourable way.the romance is also very funny and cute.it is in fact from my personal pt. of view nicer than magician's ward by patricia.c.wrede. the way the book was wrote is also very interesting.its a must read for all fans of patricia.c.wrede and fantasy readers.i m awaiting a similar book. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Can't put it down kind of book
Alright, I'm not one to finish many books. i read the first chapter and decide its boring but i couldn't put this book down i finished it in one day! Elvira Woodruff really pulls you into the story right from the beginning.

Another Woodruff Winner
I'm a huge fan of Elvira Woodruff's. I first started reading her books when my kids did, now that they're grown I keep reading them. In fact, I buy them and save them for my (fingers crossed) grandchildren. This one is my favorite along with the Christmas Doll. She is such an amazing writer, right up there with E.B. White and CHARLES DICKENS!
But now for the Ravenmaster. I don't know how she does it, but from page 1 I am right there in the tower of London with Forrest and Rat and the secret prisoner. I care from the very beginning what happens to each of them, and I also care for all the other characters in the book, 'cept one, but I'll let you read it so you can discover the Fagan.... Anyway, I highly recommend this book for any age child, even one in her fifties like me! I will be very suprised if this book does not become a classic. It should--and it should end up with a few awards, too. In my humbe (o.k.--I'm a librarian, too) opinion.

a five star read!
Not only does Woodruff write a darned good story, she knows her history. What a dynamite combination! What a great read - full of memorable characters, an intriguing setting and a plot that'll keep you breathless until the satisfying ending.

THIS ONE DESERVES MAJOR AWARDS
Ravenmaster's Secret has it all - well-rounded characters, interesting time period, fascinating setting and an intriguing, action-packed plot.
Read it with your children or by yourself and find your heart touched by lines like these: "I do know that a man's greatness cannot be measured by his size. 'Tis a man's character that is the source of his strength. And weakness there cannnot be hidden."
This one's a winner and will stay with you long after you've read it.

I can't stop thinking about Rat, Forrest and Tuck
I can't stop thinking about the characters in this book! And they aren't just people, theres ravens too! Also a castle with drawbridges and a moat that smells really bad. But the best thing about this book is the way the author makes you feel as if you're right there back in time! I really loved Forrest and Maddy, My favorite was Rat and I was worried about all of them when they tried to escape. I loved how you were on the edge of your seat, wondering what was going to happen next. I've never been to England, but I feel as if I've been to the Tower of London after reading this book.It was a scary, exciting, and best of all fun. It's now my all time favorite book. ... Read more

Book Description

When her father, Robert the Bruce, becomes King of Scotland, Marjorie Bruce becomes a princess. But Edward Longshanks, the ruthless King of England, has set his sights on Robert and his family. Marjorie is captured and imprisoned in a wooden cage in the center of a town square, exposed to wind, rain, the taunts of the townspeople, and the scorn of Longshanks himself. Marjorie knows that despite her suffering and pain, she is the daughter of noble Robert the Bruce&150and she will make her father, and her country, proud. For a true princess is a princess, whether in a castle or in a cage. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

I wouldn't read it again
There were choppy sentences and there were parts that were a bit too gory. An example of the choppy sentences was right in the beginning. The main character, Princess Marjorie,was imprisoned in a cage, and was talking about how people would throw turnips at her and how she hated it. 'If Father is ever king in more than name, I shall remember those turnips. And the people who threw them.' Throughout the rest of the book, there are many sentences like this that get very annoying to read after awhile.
There are also some unneeded gory parts too. When Marjorie and her family are passing through the Highlands, they are attacked by evil Highlanders. Marjorie gets knocked off her horse and described the scene as,
'All I could see was a blur of legs and horses' hooves and the fine red blur of blood as it spattered the air.'
Later on during the battle, the scene was described as,
'Bleeding horses whinnied and kicked on the ground, wounded and dying men groaned and clutched their wounds in agony.'
I think the authors were trying to be realistic,which is good, but they went a little overboard with the realism.
Overall, it was okay, but I wouldn't read it again.

This Book That Make Me Happy, And Stuff Like That !
Now this book like to make me happy cuse this book I read at my
school bus when I got home I was like can you pless give me this
book so I can keep this at the media ctr plessand she said O.K

Suspense is Everything
As Jane Yolen and Robert Harris flashback in and out of a young dynamic princess's life, the suspense of foreshadowing at the end of every chapter keeps you engaged and on the edge of your seat.I felt captivated and could almost tune the whole world out just to dive into Jane and Roberts realistic world brought alive by the imagery and strong emotional connotation.I assure you this book is a exciting, intense, sensitive and contains all the components of the real world.Try it out and you'll see!

Historical Novel Brings out the best in yolen and harris
this novel is greatly appreciated, believe you me. i began this book shortly after finishing breath by donna jo napoli (another great read, in a similar time period) and i was engrossed from page one. i finished it within 24 hours, and thanks heavens i had a snow day this week because i read for a few hours and barely lifted my head once to notice anything else.

it can get a bit dragging during the chapters where marjorie and her family (the Bruces) are leading the English through a merry hunt in the Scotish countryside, and i found myself wishing for the captivity days to come sooner. (though all chapters are wonderful, really!) my favorite characters were ultimately Isabel, who reminded me a lot of Alanna from the books by Tamora Pierce, and also Enid, the young snotnosed peasant who visits Marjorie and helps her establish her "court" while she is caged.

Truly a delightful read for young and old!

It Was Okay....
"Girl in a Cage" by Jane Yolen and Robert Harris seemed somewhat flat to me. I found myself irked when the authors left me at a suspenseful part of the story, only to go into a drawn-out flashback about Marjorie's life as a princess, as well as joyful when I finally finished the book. Although exposition is crucial to a story, more than half the book was spent detailing the events leading up to the caging of Marjorie. This was unnecessary, as well as tedious. Camp, battle, camp, battle.
However, Marjorie's term in the cage was well-written although I couldn't identify with Marjorie, mainly because she felt that insulting Longshanks as well as the cruel peasants, rather than trying to understand them, seemed very unprincess-like. When she creates a pretend world, with herself as "queen of the cage" and various people as "knights", "chaplains" and "ladies-in-waiting", it seemed all too familiar....if anyone who is reading this review has read "A Little Princess" you will understand what I mean. However, if you were to skip the drama and long, boring scenes, this could prove a good portrait of Scottish history. ... Read more

Reviews (36)

READS AS FAST AS A DOWNHILL SLEDRIDE!
Wow--this book is hard to put down; it skims along as swiftly as the kids riding their sleds downhill (smuggling gold bullion right past Nazi soldiers), to be loaded aboard a camouflaged ship and taken to America for safe keeping. What was a simple, childhood pasttime has now beome a matter of life and death.

Based on a probably true story, but Fact or legend, it could well have happened this way. This exciting little book is a tribute to the courage and dedication to Freedom of the people of Norway during the winter of 1940, when Nazis invaded even this tiny village. No one thought they could be defeated, yet Peter's Uncle Viktor suggested a plan which involved school children in a fabulously daring smuggling adventure! If you want to read more about Scandinavian resistance to the Nazi's, try Lois Lowry's Number the Stars, set in Denmark. Snow Treasure is a literary treasure of tension, histoircal fiction which might have been historical fact!

SnOW trEasurE
Ok,when i got this book i thought it would realLY sUCK!! and guess what IT DID!!!i put this BOOK down several times the reason why i read it all the way thru is because i had to for my STUPID book report it has poor vocabulary, poor description, it confuses ME! this BOOK suCKS to the MAX!!

Best Book in the WORLD!!!!!
When I saw this book, I thought that it would be just a normal book with non_exciting parts and exciting parts. I read the first chapter and didn't put it down for the rest of the evening. I wouldn't have put it down if my dad almost yelled at me to PUT IT AWAY.
This book is about a boy and his friends who have their life in their hands. They have to hide a bunch of money and keep it secret from the Nazis. I would recomend tthis book to anyone who loves action and to learn a little bit about the Nazis.

Snow Treasure
The book I am reading is Snow Treasure. Well this book is about this boy whose name is Peter Lundstorm who never thought he would be a hero. The winter of 1940 was like no other. Nazi troops attacked where Peter lived. Well the only way Peter coud keep them from getting gold was to put the gold under all the children's sleds. Peter had to throw a snowball at the chief of the Nazi party.He did that because he tried to keep the chief from getting the gold. They put Peter on their ship.The Nazi party did not get the gold.That's all for my summary.

My review of snow treasure
Oh No! Nazi troops have come to Peter Lundstormdstorm's small village and they are trying to take it over. Peter and his friends must risk their lives and their country's treasure to save them. I hope you will read this book because it is a really, really good book. I think if you will read this book you will like it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"I look up now into the oval mirror and see barely a trace of the mud-splattered girl tearing through the woodland on her horse, or the barefoot girl wading at Schonbrunn... I have become what Mama set out for me to be. Majestic. A Dauphine and eventually a Queen."

So writes the headstrong 13-year-old Maria Antonia--future Queen of France--in her diary on October 23, 1769. In this engrossing addition to the Royal Diaries series (Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile), Kathryn Lasky invents a diary of the young Marie Antoinette in 1769--the year she is to be married off to Dauphin Louis Auguste, eldest grandson of the French king Louis XV. Arranged marriages were common in that day and age--as the Empress Theresa (of the Holy Roman Empire of the Germanic Nations) sought to consolidate power among nations by marrying off her children. Thus, the future of Austria and France falls upon Maria Antonia's young shoulders.

To prepare her for this awesome responsibility, she must be trained to write, read, speak French, dress, act... even breathe.Things get even more grim as she is shipped off to the court of Versailles and introduced to her puffy, awkward future husband and confronted with the court's ridiculous customs. Marie--an opinionated and insightful young woman--mocks the court of "impeccable etiquette and manners" that makes up nasty rhymes about those they hate, but panics when her hair is mussed. Lasky has done an excellent job of creating a very human character in the young Marie Antoinette--one whom young readers will want to learn more about. Fortunately, her story is given plenty of context with an epilogue describing the history of the young Queen after 1769, a historical note offering an 18th-century context, a Habsburg-Bourbon family tree, and various portraits of the royal family. (Ages 9 to 13) --Karin Snelson ... Read more

Reviews (82)

A look at Marie Antoinette as a vulnerable young girl.
The year is 1769; the place, Austria. The pressure is on thirteen-year-old Maria Antonia, youngest daughter of the Empress Maria Theresa, to excell so that she will be chosen to marry the future king of France. Antonia, as she is called, must learn French language, fashions, customs, and etiquette so that she can impress the king's messengers. She is given no time to act her age; when she does attempt to enjoy life as a girl should, she is severely punished. When she is sent away to France, her life is little better - she makes enemies of the mistress of the current king, who is the grandfather of her husband-to-be. She is forced to observe customs she can barely keep straight. And she is having a hard time getting along with her fiance. I viewed Marie Antoinette differently after reading this book. It was obvious from the book and the afterword that Marie and her husband were not trained well by their parents and teachers on how to become good rulers, and Marie had been taught from the time she was young that the most important thing was to look good. This is most likely why they became such bad rulers and ended up losing their lives.

The Last Dauphine of France
"Marie Antoinette, Princess of Versailles" is a wonderful edition of the Royal Diary Series. Kathryn Lasky went all out on research and detail.

Born Maria Antonia, Marie Antoniette was the daughter of the Empress Maria Theresa of Habsburg. This book recalls her years before and during the early parts of her marriage with the Dauphin, Louis Auguste (soon to be Louis XVI). She loses many friends on her journey to become the future Queen of France, not knowing she would be the last.

This time in her life, depicts Antonia's (affectionately named by her mother and austrian friends) childhood in a naive carefree way such as it is with many young rich royals. The fussing of her marriage to Louis Auguste. The politics and the resentment given to Madame Du Barry, mistress of Louise Auguste's grandfather, King Louis XV. Lasky tells all, the culture, the fashion, the politics, and the ridiculous etiquette of the court at Versailles.

Marie Antoniette could have been a spoiled child as many thought but she was all too naive about the realistic world. She could have very well turned into that rueful Queen because of the arstictocrats and hypocrites at Versailles. Even though the story has 'happy' beginning, Toinette (affectionately named by Louis Auguste) will lead a tragic life to uprise the revolution of France and to end the French Moncarchy.

Perfectly FUN!
i thought this book was wonderful,very descriptive!! it is a fun,light summer read. It really describeS all the lavish clothes and crazy fashions of the time.

Best book ever!
This is a wonderful story! Is makes a great summer reading chalange! It really gives you a feel for the time, and how you would feel if you were in her shoes. I would recomend this book to any one who was looking for historical fiction. Best for pre-teen to teen

Get this book if you love history
I loved this book! It felt like I was really there and intimately knew Marie Antoinette as a young girl back in time. A great book for young girls interested in history. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Review
This is about King Spartas and his wife, Helena. Helena runs off with a Trojan man and she falls in love with him. This angers the king so he gathers an army of Greek troops too to go retrieve his wife. The Greeks made a plan to get into the city of troy and take Helena from the Trojans. They built a huge wooden horse and they set it outside the shores of troy. Once it was inside the city, the Greek troops that were hiding inside came out and attacked the city of Troy. They ended up winning the battle and getting the girl back.
I think this book did a really good job at describing the events that took place in the battle to get Helena back. I think it is a good book for children to read cause it can tell them about the story while keeping their attention. I think a lot of books that are about mythology do not good a good job in that aspect but this one did. I think the author was trying to write a book about the Trojan wars that would really grab a child's attention and this one does.

good history resource
This step into reading book is geared for 2-4 grades. The chapters are short and fully illustrated. The sentences are kept short but the story still remains interesting. There is a pronunciation guide at the back of the book for those unusual names like Menelaus. Great reading for a unit study on Ancient Greece. ... Read more

Book Description

Based on the true story of an Armenian boy who survives the near-extermination of his race.

It is 1915 and Vahan Kendarian, the pampered youngest son of one of the most influential Armenian families in Turkey, is confident that his privileged world will always include the house he loves, the laughter of his brothers and sisters, a sense of belonging. But when his uncle disappears and his father is taken away, when two brothers are shot before his eyes in the family garden, Vahan's world shatters. "Be steel," his father had always said when something tested his son's character. "Steel is made strong by fire." What is about to occur is Vahan's fire. In the next three weeks he will lose his home and know hunger and thirst for the first time. In the next three years he will become an orphan, a prisoner, a beggar, a servant, a stowaway in order to survive. He will meet and be befriended by the Horseshoer of Baskale, a Turkish governor famous for his practice of nailing horseshoes to the feet of his Armenian victims. He will live in a Turkish village, posing as a deaf mute and falling in love with the daughter of the only man in the village who guesses he is Armenian- and who is determined to kill him because of it. He will witness the murder and deportation of his neighbors and friends. And he will discover inside himself reserves of strength and courage he did not know existed.Based on the experiences of the author's great-uncle during the Armenian Holocaust, Forgotten Fire is the story of one boy's search for the survivor inside himself. It is the story of a lost nation-a powerful celebration of the resilience of the human spirit during the darkest of times. ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Excellent
This was a very touching book about the Armenian Genocide. It is a story told through the eyes of a little boy; son of a wealthy prominent Armenian Lawyer that loses everything. It's a very easy to read book that was very fascinating to me (I couldn't put the book down); I was able to read cover to cover in about a week. The author does an excellent job of portraying the horrors of the Genocide, the cruelty of man, the courage of a young boy as he struggles to survive...this book should be made to a movie. I would not recommend this book to younger readers as there are strong references to rape, molestation and cruelty. However, I would strongly recommend and encourage reading this book to high school students.

The Best Novel on the Armenian Genocide
I read this book two years ago and its impact is still fresh in my mind. The point of view of this story ... from the eyes of a child ... is creative and strong. I could not put this book down. I have recommended this novel to all of my friends and was thrilled to see that it was on the summer reading list of required books at the local high school. Finally, through the words of an Armenian author, the youth of our nation will be educated in the Armenian Genocide. Pass the word on to your local schools. A word of caution... there are portions of the novel that deal with sensitive issues, apart from violence. Teachers and parents should be made aware of this fact, yet use it in educating the students as to the ultimate brutality of the genocide. Thank you Adam Bagdasarian, your ancestors are smiling down at you and thanking you for such a moving novel. "Abrees!"

A story of survival
I was asked to read this for school and I was quite intrested in the book. I finished the book within the 2nd day I rented it. It was a real page turner for me. Things happen so fast in this book. It's a book containing all emotions

Vahan Kenderian goes from a rich man's son to a beggar and goes through a journey to survive and not get killed by the Turks. In this story, Vahan loses several loved ones but he continues until he finally reaches freedom.

I highly recommmend this book

Easy to read, hard to comprehend
A quick read but boy was it gut-wrenching. I think this is good to help us understand what young people go through anywhere there is genocide going on. I suspect Vahan has a lot in common with those in Bosnia, Cambodia, Poland and Rwanda.

It has been a long time since a book has brought me to tears. This one did it at the end.

Incomplete
Definitely not for younger readers, this memorable tale lacks the depth that would be expected. Bagdasarian tells of the horrors and tragedy of the Armenian Genocide, but fails to provide much historical background. It is of course important to know of the humiliation and despair, but readers would have been better served if we knew what was going on with the soldiers/armies/nations who were involved in the conflict. Instead we only learn of Vartan's personal hardships. Though important, without historical information the last 100 pages or so become tedious. I have read many memoirs written by survivors of the Shoah in order to learn about the horrors suffered by the peoples of each region. Bagdasarian's story is more generically horrific. It therefore lacks a completeness that is necessary to provide a reason to choose this novel over an historical account of the genocide or more poignant memoirs by holocaust survivors. ... Read more

Book Description

Nory Ryan's family has lived on Maidin Bay on the west coast of Ireland for generations, raising a pig and a few chickens, planting potatoes, getting by. Every year Nory's father goes away on a fishing boat and returns with the rent money for the English lord who owns their cottage and fields, the English lord bent upon forcing the Irish from their land so he can tumble the cottages and clear the fields for grazing. Times are never easy on Maidin Bay, but this year, a terrible blight attacks the potatoes. No crop means starvation. Twelve-year-old Nory must summon the courage and ingenuity to find food, to find hope, to find a way to help her family survive.


From the Trade Paperback edition. ... Read more

Reviews (47)

Austin's review
Nory Ryan's Song

Nory Ryan's Song is a book about how some families survived with little food and no money. These people still have to pay rent for their homes. If they did not pay rent then they were sent away and their homes were destroyed. In that part of the city no one even had a coin but Anna Donnely. One of the families named the Ryan's had two daughters and a boy. The oldest girl got married in her mother's wedding dress and after the wedding she went to America. The father of the Ryan's was fishing to get money to pay rent. Because he was gone this left Patch and Nory by themselves. Nory and Patch had a very hard life. They had to find food for a long time. Sean Red, a friend of Nory's, had an extra ticket to go to America because his grandmother died. He gave the ticket to Patch and Patch left for America. Later when the Ryan's father finally came home, he brought a ticket for Nory to go to America as well. So Patch and Nory got to live in America and have a better life.

Nory Ryan's Song a review by Amanda
"Nory, I'm moving to Smith St. Brooklyn, New York."

Have you ever had to leave somewhere you love because it was not safe for you anymore? Well, if you have, Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff is a story you can relate to. Around 1818, the English were taking over parts of Ireland. The taxes were coming due, and Papa still had not come home with the money. Will they be able to pay the taxes or not? Find out if Nory's family moves or pays their taxes. This book is great and Nory actually dealt with these problems. I highly encourage you to read Nory Ryan's Song, to find out if anything happens to her or her family. It is an excellent book that actually happened to a girl who lived in Ireland.

Nory Ryans Song
Nory has hopes for her family and she wants to see them once more.She lives in this little town in Ireland,it was known for their great potatoes , but they had a situation with the potatoes. All of the sudden people began to starve and the people are just drinking warm and dirty water for breakfast,lunch,and dinner.What will happen to them?Will they starve?Will they get better?I dont know ,that is why you should read this great book.

I like this book because it is based on a real world event. I liked it bcause it wasvery interesting to know how people tried to survive in Ireland. There was a rich guy named,Cunningham. He was watching all those people straving and he didn't do a dran thing to help them. There was markets around but nobody bought anything because they didn't have any money to buy anything.

I would recommend this book to young adults becasue this is no book for kids, because it is short but kind of complicated so I think that this book would mostly be for young adults,because I think that most of them will get the message easier than kids.I also think they will get sucked by this book right away when they get it and start reading it. So I recommend you read great this great amazing book.

Book review of Nory Ryan's Song
Welcome to Nory Ryan's Song by Patrica Reilly Giff... In this book there is this girl named Nory and she is a good,caring, and strong girl. But the town is kind of a poor town that has only potatoes as their main food. But this time was the "Potatoe Famine" time which means the potatoes rote and no food means starvation! And Da doesn't come home with the fishes that he'd catch. So they just have to eat very little and wait for a miracle to happen.

The things I liked in this book was that it told me about the history of the potatoe famine in Ireland. Another thing i liked about this book is it had a pretty good ending and it is kind of like a friendship book. And it also talks about the authors familys life in Ireland when all this happened. And I liked this book because it was based on a true story.

I recommend this book to the people who have good friends and to 7th graders. I would recommend this book to people that are Irish or people who want to know more about the history of the potatoe famine.

A Good Boook to Read
Welcome to Nory Ryan's Song. This book is about the Great Hunger that was in Ireland. To understand this book you could read more about the famine in Ireland that took place in 1845-1852.

In this book you will be stunned about what happens to the people when the potatoes go rotten and can't be grown. It becomes a "dog eat dog" world. Nory tries to find out what happened to the potatoes and look for food at the same time. But the richest guy in Ireland is being greedy and trying to buy everything from homes to the beach! And this is why I liked the book!

I recommend you read this book if your'e in Middle School. This book was a good novel for my age group. It will really capture your mind. If I liked this book, I am sure you will too. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

Heartwarming, Inspiring Story
Boxes for Katje is an excellent story that illustrates the idea that sometimes all it takes is one person to bring about changes - something we should strive to remember.

An inspirational story grounded in history
Written by award-winning picture book author Candace Fleming, and based on the real experiences of her mother, Boxes For Katje is an uplifting picture book whose story is set in Holland after World War II. The war has left behind immense devastation, yet Katje's pen-pal from America has sent a package that is part of a goodwill effort to help the people of Europe. An inspirational story grounded in history, Boxes For Katje is wonderfully enhanced for young readers with the artwork of Stacey Dressen-McQueen. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

A classic tale of medieval Europe.
This book won the 1929 Newbery Medal for best contribution to American literature for children. It is the story of a boy living in Krakow, Poland, in 1461 who becomes the trumpeter and night watch at the famous Church of Our Lady Mary. Back in 1241, a young trumpeter who held this same position felt it was his duty to continue sounding his trumpet at the appointed times even as the city was being overrun by Tartars. In the middle of the tune, he was killed by an arrow. Ever since then, all of the succeeding trumpeters stop playng the tune at that same point in memory and honor of that earlier trumpeter. The young lad in this novel has to continue this tradition, yet has to vary the tradition in order to warn others of a crime. Children love to read this story of medieval Europe and of a young man with a duty to do what is right.

Trumpeter of Krakow Review
This book is so good! I loved it! It's about a boy named Joseph Charnetski whose family is forced to live in medieval Krakow,homeless. An alchemist and his niece Elzbietka let them stay with them. However, the alchemist begins to have studies with a hypnotist that drive him mad. Joseph's father becomes the trumpeter at the Church of Our Lady Mary, forcing Joseph to practice the Heynal, a hymn that ends with a broken note. Then, a horrible man, known as Peter of the Button Face, comes to the alchemist's house to steal the Great Tarnov Crystal, a crystal that Joseph's family has been protecting for many years. He doesn't succeed, so he goes to the church tower to threaten Joseph and his father. Joseph made a deal with Elzbietka to add more notes to the Heynal when he plays it if he's in trouble. Will he? I won't tell you the ending. If you want to hear the ending, read this book yourself. This is a great book. I recommend this book to anyone.

So good I didn't care it was historical!
This is the exciting story of Joseph Charnetski, a teenage boy in medieval Poland bound by an ancient oath to protect the Great Tarnov Crystal at any cost. The Great Tarnov Crystal at first seems to just be a huge diamond, but it has a secret I will not tell or it will spoil the story. In the story, a Tartar chief is after the jewel and will stop at nothing to get it. This story gives two ideas of what things were like back then: how dangerous life was, and what alchemists discovered while searching for a way to change base metals into gold. I liked this book so much I didn't care that it was history!

First Lady Laura Bush presents book to Polish First Lady
First Lady Bush Gets History Lesson in Poland
(Excerpts from Reuters story by Katarzyna Mala)

KRAKOW, Poland (Reuters) - As President George Bush was mapping out future ties between the United States and Europe in Poland on Saturday, wife Laura received a history lesson in the former seat of Polish kings.

The first lady marveled at the splendor of the Renaissance Wawel castle in Krakow -- the southern city founded 13 centuries ago, which was the capital of this east European country between 11th and 17th centuries.

The women spent ove