Book Description

Love is in the air

Romantic love enters the lives of the four Conroy sisters when Ruth develops a crush on the school bus driver. Next she finds herself pining for Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre, smitten with the Temporary English teacher (to whom sister Naomi is attracted as well), and infatuated with Alan Adair from the butcher's shop.

Meanwhile, the younger girls have other things on their minds as Rachel longs to become May Queen and Phoebe practices to become an international spy. But when Big Grandma arranges for Philippe, a French boy, to stay with the Conroys, will all the girls fall head over heels for his charms? ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Brilliant!!!
This is the third book in the brilliant Exiles series. The 'Family Failing' (falling in love) has hit the Conroy household, as Ruth finds herself in love with the school bus driver, Alan Aldair in the sixth form, Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre and her temporary English teacher, Mr. Blyton-Jones. Naomi shares her sister's passion for their English teacher, but they both soon change their minds when they discover that he can't tell them apart. Meanwhile, Rachel has proposed to Phillipe, a French boy who comes to stay and Phoebe has decided to become an international spy. 'The Exiles in Love' is a hilarious book, and the Conroy girls are just as mad and funny as before!!! But sadly, it looks as though this is the last book about Ruth, Naomi, Rachel and Phoebe Conroy (sigh). ... Read more

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A Fifth Grade Teacher says ...
We just finished a week long, very intense study of Lewis and Clark. This was the book we used as a textbook. Neither the students nor I could put it down. They begged to read just one more chapter every time. The special education aide who comes in during reading even took the book home with her so she wouldn't miss anything. If you want to get kids excited about history, these "In Their Own Words" books by George Sullivan will do it!

My two cents worth ...
George Sullivan has created a very readable and fairly accurate book here. It suffers from a few errors, one of which is so glaring that it calls into question how thoroughly the book was checked or edited. This obvious error is related to the illustration on page 24, which is purported to be a drawing of William Clark's from his journal. In fact, it is not from the journals and was not drawn by Clark. The only accurate information in the book regarding this illustration is that it is credited to be among the collections of the American Philosophical Society Library. The picture on page 24 was actually drawn by Charles Willson Peale; is APS item 917.3 L58 Misc. VII, and can be viewed on-line at www.amphilsoc.org/library/guides/landc/fisher.jpg.

Other historical inaccuracies include his description of a pirogue (page 29); his claim (on page 35) that roasted beaver tongue was a favorite food (he apparently meant roasted beaver tail, or perhaps buffalo tongue); and, on page 75, where he claims that "In the Shoshone camp, Lewis met Cameahwait, the Shoshone chief." Actually, Cameahwait was among the sixty mounted warriors who came racing out at full speed to protect their people from these unknown strangers.

Still, all in all, it is a fine book and is certainly a better choice for children than the competing book by Kathryn Lasky entitled "The Journal of Augustus Pelletier : The Lewis and Clark Expedition." Lasky's book contains much fiction; is not well and obviously marked as such, and presents a very misleading picture to its youthful readers. ... Read more

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Excellent book for the age
My son was assigned a project on an explorer so i turned to Amazon for a book beyond the basic encyclopedia information.This is a wonderful reference book and lists numerous explorers/adventurers from the early days through current history.The format is very readable and easily understood.This will make a great reference book for us! ... Read more

Book Description

Exploring the universe has always been a dream of humans and, especially for the last 50 years, a constant aim of science. From the early days of rocketry to the creative minds of science fiction writers, Escape from Earth covers the thrilling history of humans venturing into space.

Peter Ackroyd's Voyages Through Time is a series of highly illustrated nonfiction books that illuminate the world's defining eras of history-from our humble beginnings to the exploration of space. Written in a fresh, bold narrative, this series is sure to become a publishing classic. ... Read more

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Offers considerable appeal for readers of all ages
Space has always held a fascination for mankind, and Peter Ackeroyd's Voyages Through Time: Escape From Earth provides an easy introduction to human journeys into space, packing in the illustrated pages of information boxes and reference material. This could easily have also been featured in our Children's Bookwatch, but Voyages Through Time deserves mention and recommendation for a wider audience than just a young adult readership alone, as it offers considerable appeal for readers of all ages. ... Read more

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Hernando Cortes: ruthless, greedy, fearless and clever
"Hernando Cortes and the Conquest of Mexico" looks at one of the most famous explorers of the New World whose reputation has suffered over the years because of his destruction of the Aztecs (see Neil Young's song "Cortes and the Killer). Author Gina De Aneglis points out that like many of the other Spanish conquistadors, Cortes was brutal in his treatment of the natives, but that he was also a fearless general and a brave explorer. Cortes was one of numerous soldiers sent by the Spanish to explore unknown lands after the discovery of the New World by Columbus in 1492. De Angelis relates how Cortes first arrived in the New World as a teenager, fighting against natives on Hispaniola and Cuba. He later convinced the king to let him explore the Yucatan peninsula, the area that is now Mexico. With a few hundred soldiers Cortes invaded the mighty Aztec empire, captured the emperor Montezuma, and conquered the natives. Whatever young readers may end up thinking about Cortes as a human being, he clearly helped shape the Mexico of today. Teachers and students can deal with questions of whether he should be judged by the standards of his own time or our own.

This book includes native artwork of Aztec rituals and the arrival of the Spaniards, as well as European paintings of other events described. You will find a Chronology from the founding of Tenochtitlan in 1325 to the death of Cortes in 1566, along with a Glossary, list of Further Reading, and Index. This book is part of the Explorers of the World series, which has 30 titles focusing on explorers from Marco Polo and the Vikings to Sir Edmund Hilary and the Apollo Astronauts.

A Century of Explorers
If you like this book of inquires then read Morgan Freeman, Black American Of Achievement by Gina Deangelis. It explains about Morgan Freeman and his times. This book shows his importance and how he evolve in life. What he stands for and so forth. This is also a very good Black History book. There is also a move out from this book and i belive the book would be good in a mini series about his life. ... Read more

Book Description

The US pledged to send a man to the Moon before the end of the 1960s. Here is the story of that race against time. This big book version of the DK Reader is ideal for shared reading during class. DK Big Readers provide excellent opportunities for students to understand what is involved in the reading process, such as cueing the text, location information, understanding print conventions, and -- most importantly -- learning to enjoy books! Normal-sized DK Readers can be used by individuals and pairs of students to rehearse and consolidate what they have learned in group sessions. Stunning DK photographs combine with lively illustrations and engaging g, age-appropriate stories in DK Readers, a multilevel reading program guaranteed to capture children's interest while developing their reading skills and general knowledge. ... Read more

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Alan's Greatest Book Ever
Alan'sGreatest Book Ever
October 10,2002

Spacebusters is the very best book I have ever read. It is the true story about the first people on the moon! Once you read this book, even if you read it a thousand times, it will still surprise you This book takes me out of this world.I learned a lot from this book, like did you know what Neil Armstrong described the moon as? So if you like space and are interested in history, I recommend this book to you! ... Read more

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Children's book on exploring Africa
Finally a book for children about the exploration of Africa.I have several students who are from the African Continent and this book will thrill them.Africa seems to be passed by in the curriculum.People need to know more about it and African students should be able to have their continent viewed as a legitamite place to study. ... Read more

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Just the facts
Written concisely, this is the interesting story of John C. Fremont, an amazing explorer, controversial soldier, and a failure as a Civil War general and a businessman. Black and white illustrations, photographs, and maps add to the book's visual appeal. My fourth grade son really enjoyed reading about Fremont's adventures. ... Read more

Book Description

Stefoff leads the reader through the sites of 12 buried and rediscovered cities. Each chapter focuses on one legendary city: What do we know about it? How was it lost? Who searched for it and failed? Who finally succeeded in finding and reopening it to the rest of the world? What has the newly refound city told us about the past?

Cities covered include:

Troy, the fabled city of Homer's epics, re-discovered by Heinrich Schliemann

Great Zimbabwe, the remnants of an ancient African civilization uncovered in 1871 by German explorer Karl Mauch.

Angkor, the ruins of an ancient civilization buried in the dense jungle of Cambodia and rediscovered by French-born naturalist Henri Mouhot in 1860.

Gournia, a Minoan settlement on the island of Crete and the first lost city to be discovered by a woman--Harriet Boyd, a graduate of Smith College.

Machu Picchu, the mountaintop citadel of the Incas, discovered in 1911 in Peru by a real-life Indiana Jones, Hiram Bingham, professor of Latin American history at Yale and a future U.S. senator.

Ubar, a city buried by the sands of the Arabian peninsula more than a thousand years ago and unearthed in 1991 by a team of scientists using the most advanced satellite technology available.

Other cities featured are Petra, Nineveh, Hattusha, Copan, Chaco Canyon, Knossos, and Ur.

Each chapter is lavishly illustrated with photographs of dig sites and unearthed treasures as well as detailed, newly commissioned maps pinpointing the location of the site. A chronology, suggestions for further reading, and a detailed index round out this unique book. There is no resource for the study of geography and the customs of ancient civilizations that is richer or more satisfying. Finding the Lost Cities is a wonderful way to stimulate a young archaeologist's imagination and curiosity. ... Read more

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Archeological book for children also appeals to adults
This book of archaeology's greatest hits is aimed at young adults, but it would be hard to imagine readers with a general interest in the science not taking to this large-size book with its plentiful illustrations, photographs and maps.

Because while Rebecca Stefoff tells the familiar stories, advances have always been made at these sights, so each of the 13 essays contain a familiar ring of the old shot through with conclusions drawn from the latest research.

And the stories themselves never lose their charge. Heinrich Schliemann's inspired use of Homer's Iliad and the Odyssey to locate Troy still has the power to enthrall, even as we deplore the methods he used along the way -- smuggling the gold treasures out of Turkey -- as well as the damage he did in excavating the site. Convinced that Homer's Troy was found at the bottom of the site, he carted away layer after layer of unsifted rubble to get there. As it turned out, Troy was older than even he suspected, and he ended up destroying that layer.

The history of archaeology is full of stories like these: Arthur Evans rebuilding the Minoan city of Knossos according to his idea of what they should have looked like (critics call his reconstruction "concrete Crete"); Colorado rancher Richard Wetherill exploring the pubelos once occupied by the Anasazis, carting off thousands of relics to sell to museums; archeologists in general denying that Africans were responsible for building Great Zimbabwe in order to fulfill their notions of white supremacy. But "Finding the Lost Cities" points out that time cannot support a story that is false, and that the truth, eventually, is sifted out. ... Read more

Book Description

Designed especially for beginning readers, First-Start Biographies trace the childhood years of famous men and women who overcame obstacles and achieved greatness. Illustrated in full color. ... Read more

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Great for Younger Students
This book gives a nice, organized view of Columbus' achievements. I especially liked how the book made the point that Columbus did not land in what is now the United States, but rather on the island of San Salvador. There are lots of illustrations, and the vocabulary is simple enough that younger students would be able to comprehend the information. ... Read more

Book Description

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A Good Insightful Book!
I really liked the book and will use it when teaching about Ancient Egypt in school. It focuses on famous mummies of the pharaohs. ... Read more