Book Description

Enter the hilarious world of 10-year-old Kenny and his family, the Weird Watsons of Flint, Michigan. There's Momma, Dad, little sister Joetta, and brother Byron, who's 13 and an "official juvenile delinquent." When Momma and Dad decide it's time for a visit to Grandma, Dad comes home with the amazing Ultra-Glide, and the Watsons set out on a trip like no other. They're heading South. They're going to Birmingham, Alabama, toward one of the darkest moments in America's history.
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Reviews (400)

heba heba heba heba
The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963

The Watsons Go To Birmingham-1963 is a magnificent book. I really recommend you reading it. It is filled with fun things and Historical Fiction at the end.

The setting is where the story takes place. It begins in Flint, Michigan. It was very cold and Byron and Buphead teased Kenny a lot. On the road trip, Kenny's mom had planned everything out like where to stay. At the rest stops, Kenny and Byron said that rest stop's restrooms stunk and were really dirty. When they finally got to Birmingham, everyone complained how hot it was. Then there were racial problems. This is how I remembered the setting.

Kenny is very smart but is also very funny. In Chapter 2, he reads a book to Byron's class up side down. Some times Byron tortures Kenny. In Chapter 1, Byron and his friend Buphead threw Kenny around in the snow. Kenny sometimes doesn't believe what Byron says and then does like in Chapter 13. He doesn't believe in the Wool Pooh and then does when he thinks he sees the Wool Pooh. That's how I relate to Kenny Watson.

In the beginning, Byron gets his lips stuck to the car mirror. Then his dad buys the Ultra-Glide and they go on a three-day trip to Birmingham, Alabama. After Kenny seeing the Wool Pooh and to white men bombing Joey's church, the finally go back to Flint.

As I said in the beginning, The Watsons Go To Birmingham-1963 is a very good book. I recommend it to children of all ages.
By Plunky Universe

The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963 book review
The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963, by Christopher Paul Curtis, is a great book. It takes place during the Civil rights movement. It is about a Family that lives in Flint, Michigan. The family is made up of Daniel (dad),Wilona (mom), Byron,Kenny, and Joetta, also known as Joey. I think the characters in this story are really interesting. Kenny is smart. He reads stuff to higher grades than he is in. He is also one of the least popular kids in his school. And, he has a lazy eye. Kenny's big brother Byron is a trouble maker. He is known as the god of the school children at Clark elementary. Joetta, Kenny's little sister, likes to protect Byron from her mom. She also believes all the tall tales he makes up. The whole family seems so realistic. Christopher Paul Curtis does something cool with Byron in the book. Byron changes from a trouble-maker to a nice person. He changes because of a true historical event that happened in this story.In the beginning of the story is parents get so mad because of the bad stuff he did. They decide to drive to their grandma Sands house in Birmingham, Alabama. That is how they end up going to Birmingham.

Christopher Paul Curtis has a cool bad guy for the story. When they are in Birmingham, Kenny goes some where he shouldn't go and meets the bad guy of the story,The Wool Pooh. He says that it has a gray body, no face, square feet, square shoulders, and square fingers. Kenny sees the Wool Pooh twice in the story. When he is swimming where he shouldn't and after the historical event. Kenny thinks that it means death.

I think there are some bad things about the book. Christopher Paul Curtis skips the part when they are going back to Flint. There are some other things he doesn't tell about. For example,He doesn't tell when Kenny tells his Mom, Dad, and Byron that Joey is back at Grandma Sands house I give this story four stars. It is a great book to read. One of the morales of this story is how important family is. That is why Byron became changed from a trouble-maker to a nice person. So all in all I think you should definitely read this book. And if you want to find out what the historical event is, read the book.

Dy-No-Mite!
This book had me lauging one minute, and crying the next. Curtis takes his reader on an adventure with the Watson family, whom coincidentally has family members with which we can all proably relate with in one way or another. I would highly reccommend this book to my fourth grade peers.

if you like history books
I read The Watson's go to Birmingham -1963.
The author is Christopher Paul Curtis.
I loved this book . It has 5 characters.
The character that I liked is Byron. Hi's a bully,
But he cares for his brother and sister. Kenny is
a great boy. He likes to hang out with his
brother. Joetta is a four year old girl. She likes to
go to Sunday school at church. Dad is a cool
He likes to decorate the brown bomber(the car). Mom is a women that likes stuff her way.
Whenever they travel she has everything
Ordered in her note book .I Enjoyed this book because it's fun and awesome and I loved it.

Review
I read the book The Watsons go to Birmingham - 1963 and found it very interesting and funny. The story is about a boy named Kenneth Watson who has an older brother, Byron, a younger sister, Joetta, a mom, and a dad. They all live in Flint, Michigan. Byron is constantly getting into trouble, so mom and dad decide that he should spend the summer with his grandmother in Birmingham. The whole family has to go on the trip because they can't leave anybody at home. While they are in Birmingham, the church is attacked by white people who throw a stick of dynamite into it. Kenny goes into the church after this and thinks he sees Joetta's shoe, and he thinks that the Whool Pooh, an imaginary evil twin of Winnie the pooh, is trying to kidnap her, so he leaves. When he finds out that Joetta wasn't in the church, he feels guilty because even if she had been in the church he wouldn't have helped her escape the Whool Pooh. After this, they decide to leave Birmingham. When they get back home, Kenneth hides behind the couch in their house and hopes to not feel guilty about not rescuing Joetta. Byron finally (...). I like this book and would recommend it to readers of any age. It is funny and entertaining. For example, one funny part is when Byron tries to kiss his reflection is the car mirror and gets his lips stuck to it. In conclusion, I think the book is amusing though it is sad and is a good book for anyone to read. ... Read more

Amazon.com

On a two-week pilgrimage to South Africa from Rockville, Maryland,16-year-old Berry and her estranged father attempt to come to terms with the murder, a year earlier, of Berry's sister Laura when she was volunteering at a Capetown school. Angry, sour, and ferociously cynical, Berry struggles with the concept of "truth and reconciliation," both for South Africa and in her personal life. Her father's efforts to educate his daughter about the country's political climate in the wake of apartheid are met with cold resistance: "He makes whatever is inside me catch fire. I hate everything. And I feel ashamed, which, for all I know, is why my father brought me here--Mr. Expense Account himself..." The delicious oblivion she finds underwater when doing laps on the swim team back home--or kissing her boyfriend Josh--or in the comforting stones she likes to pile on her chest when she's in her room don't seem to help her move beyond her despair and anger.

Carolyn Coman, author of the highly acclaimed and powerful Bee and Jacky, What Jamie Saw, and Tell Me Everything, seems to have direct access to the souls of troubled teens, plumbing thenot-always-pretty depths of her characters. But the current-events lessons and the soul-searching of Many Stones don't redeem the novel from its heavy, depressing tone that emanates from Berry's troubled teen self. While the landscape of Berry's psyche is deftly captured, her surly stance is tiresome and relentless, not letting up until the very last pages when she has "the big meltdown" with her father, and then finally finds her voice at her sister's memorial service. (Ages 13 and older) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (13)

an enthralling novel
in need of a subject for a book report, i came across this book while searching through my school library. little did i know the depth this book possessed. the author, carolyn coman, has an amazing ability to create rich characters that are extremely realistic. berry's struggles and changing attitudes toward her life make for a very interesting read. the novel is almost depressing in a way. while berry has to learn to live with her tragedy, the reader does as well, and its very easy to dive deep into this novel. it's rather short, and probably could have been longer, but power isnt always judged by size.

Quick but not Light Read
Many Stones by Carolyn Coman is a story about a teenage girl, Berry, who travels to South Africa with her estranged father to attend a memorial for her brutally slain sister.Just describing the plot makes for a long sentence yet somehow the book comes in at a slim 158 pages.This is my main criticism of the novel.It's hard to get into such a deep story about family tragedy so quickly.The reader kind of jumps right into the troubled lives of Berry and her family with little back story until a few chapters in.

Short as it may be, the book stll has several touching moments and may very well be a welcome change for someone looking for a quick read but is tired of the fluff that usually entails.

overrated
Berry is one strange cookie.Self-absorbed is an understatement.Why is she so mean to her father?...

A some-what interesting book
The novel Many stones deserves a three star award. I
believe this because the book isn't stupendous, however it isn't
terrible. The novel is about Berry, a self-absorbed teenager,
who has to deal with the death of her older sisters Laura, and
her parents divorce. Her sisterdies a disturbing death. While teaching children in South Africa, two men smash her head into pieces with a bat. To deal with this, she places stones on her chest as a relief method.

There was a memorial service and a reception in honor of Laura but, Her father, 'The Perfectionist", wants to have another memorial service, which will be held in Africa, at the school in which laura taught. (Berry doesn't like her father because he picked favorites with his daughters, and who do you think he picked? Laura, of course.)To precede with the service they need they need money and what better way, so berrys father thinks than to have a swimathon at berrys school. They raise enough money to continue with the idea.Berrys father invites her to come along to the service and she excepts(even though she doesn't what to.) On their trip, they have many arguments, and they even meet a "real live racist" as berry calls her. But, I'm not going to give it away, you're going to have to read it yourself!

I suggest this book for people 13 and older. But if you don't like books that have tragety and comedy mixed don't get this book!

AMAZING
This book is incredible because it is so well written and has a lot of great topics that it explores.What I love about it is that the ending doesn't try to fix it all up and make a wonderfully happy ending, it does what it would do in real life.Things don't get fixed up right away, healing takes time, and the ending, not to give it away, but you leave satisfied.Overall, the book was written very well, and is a great representation of the post-apartheid era in South Africa.Well worth the read.Another bonus is that the book is purse size! ... Read more

Book Description

Read by Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Approx. 12 hours, 15 minutes
8 cassettes

The prequel to Newbery Medal winner Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.
Paul-Edward Logan, grandfather of Cassie (Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry) is born during the Civil War, the son of a white plantation owner father and a former slave mother.Though this heritage was not unusual for the time, this upbringing is.Paul-Edward's father sees to it that Paul-Edward and his sister enjoy many of the same privileges as their white half-brothers.But, as the age of 14, Paul-Edward runs away to fulfill his dream: to won land as good as his father's plantation. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

READ THIS BOOK
When I discovered, through the note provided by Mildred Taylor, that The Land was more than five years in the making, I literally swooned in admiration of the freshness of the story. Any book which takes half a decade to research and write evolves with a certain degree of vulnerability. How can any author sustain such an endeavor, especially in the face of her readership, so familiar with her own impossibly hard acts to follow, and emerge holding such a live treasure as The Land, in the end?
The Land is a prequel, in that it tells the stories of the Logan family that chronologically came before those of her beloved, already known, characters. What sets this novel apart from typical prequel status, in my mind, is the electricity between its pages. The Land is filled with its own magical energy. Paul-Edward's many adventures, his beliefs in himself and his family (as well as his view of all the other people living on his father, Edward's, land) his complex relationships with his white father, his African-Indian mother, his white brother (Robert), and his African-American friend (Mitchell) are exclusively important. They are exclusive in that they are whole, in and of themselves, and a reader can appreciate their strengths without prior knowledge of Taylor's previous work. They are important in that they can and should be told, breathe, and stand on their own. I feel that comparing them might fail them, to a certain degree. That said, the stories of the life of Paul-Edward are certainly crucial... beyond their status as prequel. The private pain and pride of Paul-Edward that we come to know, as we follow his evolution into the young landowner we reluctantly must depart at book's end, all the great sorrows and victories that spill before him in his quest to, in his mother's apt words, have "something for himself"-his own land-while caring for Caroline, her brother, and Mitchell are wondrous, well told, at times lyrically rich.
There is nothing, in The Land, of the staleness that can threaten to tinge any writer's work when she is forced to write a prequel, by her readership, critics, or heart. Perhaps the staleness comes when a writer is not certain of the very something she must be precise about, as she attempts to trace steps prior to the heart of her matter (previous, related book(s)). I have come to believe that a great many prequels and sequels are created not in order to answer an author's own calling, but to answer the call of the readership. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Still, in Taylor's writing of The Land as a whole thing, contained in one book, which tells a before so well, as well, is wholly felt, the mold of the prequel is broken. The Land is exceptionally revealing for those who have known and loved the Logans. The Land is also its own, gorgeous, story.
I believe the heart of Mildred Taylor's matter is, actually, those family stories she finally tells, through fiction twinned with the breath of heritage, in The Land. The novel has clarity and life and a protagonist we love, and a singular life-almost as if The Land contained the most essential things the writer (the niece, the daughter, the landowner) needed to write; almost as if all those stories she'd already made were leading us to this great center.

Taylor Never Fails
Paul-Edward Logan has a unique life situation in the late 1800s. Born on a southern plantation following the Civil War, his mother is black and Native American, yet his father is a white man. As a child, he is treated with almost the same care given to his white half-brothers, yet as he grows up he begins to learn the harshness and injustice of his world. But Paul is determined to make something of himself. He wants his own land, he wants his own destiny, and he wants things that many others of his race wouldn't even dream of.

I was shocked with just how much I was impressed with this book! Throughout my life I have loved the powerful stories told in Taylor's "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" trilogy, yet often authors kind of fizzle after a couple of amazing books. But not here!

I think one of the best things about Paul-Edward's story is how once again Taylor draws on family stories. Anyone who has read "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" will recall that Paul-Edward is the grandfather of the Logan children, and will find it even more fascinating to read his own story. Which brings me to another point-the fact that Taylor not only draws on family stories, but brings them so vividly and credibly to life makes her writing all the better.

And the writing was indeed good. Paul's first-person narrative sounds intelligent and interesting, while still managing to sound realistic and fresh. He is a character full of pride and determination that makes him truly admirable. But the book never feels preachy, and the pride and strength that Taylor fashions into her stories never feels fake.

"The Land" is a book that is at once a story of hope and a realistic portrait of the ugly racism that plagued our society at the time. Just as in her other books, the author deals with racism in a balanced, up front, and intelligent manner.

I was so impressed with this latest from Mildred Taylor! The character-driven story is the perfect balance of timeless values and a compelling historical backdrop.

a good book
The book The Land was a great book a bout a boy named Paul Logan who was just trying to get by. he was th son of a white man and a black women. Paul was born with lighter skin so sometimes he could get away with things, but at other times they just treated him as if he were another one of the black people. Paul gets into a little bit of trouble along with his friend Mitchell. The boys end up becoming very close and helping each other out of achieving the goal of getting "the land." if you want to find out what happens, i recommend you read the book.

The Land
The Land by Mildred D. Taylor is a WONDERFUL book. It is the best book I have ever read. It is about a man, Paul Logan, and his life from childhood to adulthood. Paul has a hard life because he his half black and half white, meaning his dad white and his mom black. To make matters worse, it is right after the civil war. Paul has to learn that not all white men are going to treat him and be as fair to him as his white dad and brothers. This book has adventure, action, and suspense. It tells a GREAT story. I recommend this book to everybody!!!

The BEST Book
I loved this book. I could hardly put it down. Paul-Edward is a half black, half white slave whose owner is his father. He gets tired of his homelife and runs away. He meets Mitchell, a childhood friend, and they travel together. They work at a logging house and then find land that they would love to live on. I won't tell you the rest, because it would RUIN it!! This book has a whole lot of flashback and foreshadowing. I loved this book and encourage you all to read it!! ... Read more

Book Description

Reader TBA
approx. 9 hrs. 30 mins.
6 cassettes

A tale of dark secrets, deep love, and dangerous magic!

Since childhood, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the random power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who refuse to stay dead.But now her father, the Charter-Mage Abhorsen, is missing, and to find him Sabriel must cross back into that world.With Mogget, whose feline form hides a powerful, perhaps malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage, Sabriel travelsdeep into the Old Kingdom.There she confronts an evil that threatens much more than her life--and comes face-to-face with her own hidden destiny.

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Reviews (419)

2 good 4 words - who likes Harry Potter anyway?
Don't be misled by my title - I am an avid Harry Potter fan. But for crying out loud, why does IT get all the attenton when absolute JEWELS like "Sabriel" are around?

This book is AMAZING. As 170odd people have said already it's about a 18-year-old girl named Sabriel who has to destroy Kerrigor and free her father, the Abhorsen - except it might be HER turn to be Abhorsen!

Reading past reviews people say that she's a very typical teenage girl, and I agree. She is normal (as it goes) enough to symphathize with but weilds EXTRAORDINARY power. PS The charter mark-stuff is AWESOME! I wish Nix had explained that in greater detail.

So this book is a must-read for all you fantasy people out there. Others like it are His Dark Materials (Philip Pullman), any thing by Tamora Pierce, and of course MY books when they come out, which I HOPE is soon. Also, duxrox.

Garth Nix owns you. Yes, YOU.
When I first saw this book in my school library, when I was 12...

I blew it off.

Sure, it looked cool. The cover art is amazing, but the summary seemed too typical. Finally, though, I gave in. I checked it out, totally skeptical.

4 pages, and I was hooked. My mother yelled at me for trying to read it during dinner.

Now 15, I've read it over again, and I **still** go back to my favorite parts.

The main character is a strong, yet serious teenage girl named Sabriel. Normally, I hate that sort of character, but she was great. The characters are all amazing and VERY well thought out. Sabriel is the heir to the title of Abhorsen. An Abhorsen is a necromancer (thats a person who can raise/control the dead) of sorts, a holy one. Their job is "to bind and destroy" any 'problematic' spirits or necromancers. One night in her school, Sabriel recives word from her father that he is indeed trapped in death, a second dimension of sorts. Setting out to find his body and free him, Sabriel soon discovers there are darker things brewing. She meets up with Mogget, an all-powerful spirit...

stuck in the form of a cat. Definetely my favorite character. There is also Touchstone, a berserker prince who was sealed as a wooden figurehead. With these strange companions, the young woman travels in the Old Kingdom, fighting the dead and unraveling the tangled strings that are all tied to her fate.

There is also a sense of modernism. There is Ancelstierre, the New Kingdom, which is like a modern-day city. Then there is the Old Kingdom, an almost empty area where the dead don't tend to stay dead.

There is so much in this that is so original. The above wall,death being represented as "gates" (there being 9 in all), her weapons being bells...it's fantastic.

Buy this. You will not regret this.

If you're like me, you like happy endings and lighthearted books. While this is pretty heavy sometimes, it's so good you won't give a flying crap.

This book made me laugh, it made me cry, and it **SCARED** the heck out of me. Seriously!

Most likely one of the GREATEST fantasy novels I have ever read.

Also, read Lirael and Abhorsen, which are the sequels! They're JUST as good!!!!

The Ultimate Fantasy
Sabriel is the kind of fantasy book that glues your hands to the book. It draws you in further and further as the plot undergoes bumps, surprises, and spectacular twists. At times it can cause chills to run up your spine.
It's about an 18 year old girl who is just graduating college, but she's far from normal. She dwells in the dark and dangerous art of necromancy. Her family line is one known as the Abhorsens, who unlike most necromancers, who raise the dead, put those that should not walk in life, back to death. When her father doesn't show up for his monthly visit, Sabriel gets a disturbing message from a dead servant, telling her that his life is in danger, as he is trapped in the dark depths of death, itself. Sabriel ventures into the mystifying and dangerous Old Kingdom, where she grew up when she was little, in search of her father. Sabriel learns along the way a disterbing amount of information about necromancy, charter magic, and the dark world known as the Old Kindom.
Sabriel finds more then she ever thought she would while journying through the Old Kingdom, including deep love, dark magic, and an unspeakable evil.

(vomiting) if only there was 0 stars
This book got really good reviews so i thought, "humm this must be a worth while book." Oh, how wrong was I. The plot gets sluggish and lame and really predictable. I love fantasy books, they are the best category but this book had some strange ideas and I dont know. This was the biggest waste of time. I hope someone will take my advice and when you see this book just run away.

A page turner without much literary merit
First, the good news:

This book is very hard to put down. The suspense never lets up.

It's also quite creative in its own way. it posits a world with two countries side by side. In one country there is magic, but technology doesn't work. In the other country, there is technology, but magic doesn't work. Now, curiously, the magic country is *not* where you want to be. In the magic country, the place is being taken over by zombies (called "Dead"), since all dead bodies come back to life unless the Abhorsen properly disposes of them. Totally gross. It's kind of like "Night of the Living Dead." Also, most of the magic people are mysteriously devoted to bringing back more and more zombies and killing the living. It's very hard to understand their motivation to do this, but there it is.

The few people on the border in the non-magic country are constantly fighting to keep the zombies out of their territory.

Now the negatives:

I mean really, why would you want to have a magic country if almost all the magic is bad? This isn't escapist at all. It's makes you feel pretty good about your own life.

Also, the thing reads like a video game. Every time the main characters turn around there's another zombie or other bad, magic creature bearing down who has to be killed instantly, otherwise, you know, the boogie man will get you if you don't watch out. There's just no respite. I don't like even looking briefly at that kind of video game.

There's also precious little character development. It's all rushing around from one violent encounter to another.

Now some people seem to think that if you're only killing zombies, magical creatures, and wicked necromancers who are possessed baddies, it's not really killing somehow. I disagree. It's still violence, violence, and nothing but violence.

Then, the ending ... I won't give it away entirely, but this might be a bit of a spoiler. Anyway, you don't really get to enjoy it. It's awfully abrupt.

Another bad thing. It's so suspenseful that you have to get the other two, so just grit your teeth & get all three. ... Read more

Book Description

Animated pictures capture the drama and warmth of this historically based, affectionate story of good and bad times on a nineteenth-century wagon-train journey. Coerr packs strong emotions into the story, which is detailed and eventful enough to create vivid historical setting within the confines of a beginning-to-read format.

Now the beloved characters and adventures from this popularline of books come to life with I Can Read Book & Cassettes.Each package includes a best-selling beginning readerstorybook and a lively audio recording featuring:

Reviews (1)

Our favorite audiobook
We never tire of Josefina's story. It was a great introduction to the western migration, and sparked my daughters curiosity about the prairie and the period. I would recommend it. ... Read more

Book Description

(Abridged.) One of the most popular books ever written about childhood charmingly recounts the homelife of four sisters: literary-minded Jo March; Meg, the older sister who marries a young tutor; fashionable and artistic Amy; and gentle, musically inclined Beth. An unforgettable depiction of mid-19th century New England life.
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Reviews (246)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amazon.com

Seventeen-year-old Becky Martin never thought she'd be one of THOSE girls. After all, she doesn't fit the profile. She has two loving parents, close friends who care about her, even a great gig as an amateur comic in the San Francisco comedy club scene. Becky has always considered herself too smart and too driven to ever become involved in an abusive relationship. But up-and-coming comic Kip Costello is impossible to resist. He's cute, hilarious, and worships stand-up as much as she does. Yet, as Kip begins to demand more and more of her time and attention, Becky is forced to admit to herself that her relationship isn’t as perfect as she works so hard to make other people believe. "No matter how much work I did in the relationship, it was never enough. Making him happy was my top priority, but it seemed like the harder I tried, the more I failed." The time for jokes is over as Becky faces some serious and hard truths about Kip, their relationship, and her own hidden insecurities. Janet Tashjian's refreshingly different take on a sobering and pervasive issue for teens rings solidly true. By adding Kip’s often agonizing diary entries to Becky’s narrative, Tashjian has crafted a novel that promotes both empathy and understanding about adolescent abusive relationships. (Ages 14 to 18) --Jennifer Hubert ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Serious Issue
Author Janet Tashjian has penned a thought-provoking novel for young adults in Fault Line. Tackling the troublesome issue of teenage girls involved in abusive relationships with boyfriends, Tashjian's research led to the development of believable characters struggling with the consequences of this form of violence. Becky and Kip are high school seniors that meet, not in school, but in a comedy club in San Francisco, where they take turns with other aspiring comics honing their skills and hoping to be discovered. Becky is portrayed as a great student that capably juggles school, work, and a steady stream of unpaid gigs in pursuit of a career in comedy. Her greatest weakness as a performer, in her estimation, is her inability to trust her own instincts.She eventually learns that this skill is valuable not only on stage, but in all of life.
Kip is a confident young comic with great jokes, but it is his sensitivity and insight that impresses Becky most.Eight months into a very intense relationship that shuts out friends and family, Becky realizes that Kip also has a serious problem. To Tashjian's credit, Kip is not painted as a one-dimensional monster; his good qualities add to the conflict Becky feels when the abuse begins.Becky's parents and Kip's mother are portrayed as reasonable, supportive, and concerned.
Medical professionals believe that at least one out of every five teenage girls are abused by boyfriends, with most thinking that it is their faults, it will get better, or there is no way out. Fault Line is an absorbing, easy read that will help young people identify the signs and unacceptability of abuse in their own circles. The novel will serve its purpose as leisure reading or as the basis of group discussions.

FAULT LINE is an excellent book.
High school senior Becky and her best friend Abby are aspiring comediennes who work on their material and stand before San Francisco audiences to deliver it a few times a week. At one event, Becky meets Kip. She has not attracted a boy's attention like this before, and soon they are inseparable. But Kip begins to grow possessive and violent. Most of the time, though, he is wonderful and Becky loves him. What should she do?

Janet Tashjian, author of the wonderful THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LARRY, builds suspense in this realistic title. The story of Becky and Kip is set against Becky's fascinating stand-up career. Readers will see that anyone can find himself or herself in this situation. A note from the author at the end cites a study from the Journal of the American Medical Assocation where "one in every five" teenage girls is physically abused by her boyfriend, showing that the subject needs more discussion.

Becky is not simply a wimp who submissively goes along with an abusive boyfriend. It's not black-and-white, and Tashjian does a good job of providing three-dimensional characters who readers will care about. Becky and Kip are in love, and she is more confused than anything else. But she cannot live a normal life while she is with him. When she is asked to go on a tour of comics that will be filmed for MTV, she honestly thinks Kip will be happy and supportive. When things come to a dangerous head, readers will not be surprised.

FAULT LINE is an excellent book that should be both read and discussed.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

Excellent
I was surprised by this book....I didn't read the cover first so I was sucked in right along with Becky Martin when she meets Kip at the comedy club.... I thought that he was a sweet guy and that it was so great that she found somebody.... I got so frustrated while reading how Kip disinegrates into an abusive boyfriend....I did like it how Tashijian showed the relationship from both points of view.... good book, might want to read with a stress ball to squeeze when you start to get frustrated though

Richie's Picks: FAULT LINE
"I looked her in the eye, dead-on. 'We love each other. It's that simple.'
"This time [Mom] looked as if she were hiding a smile. 'It's never that simple,' she said. 'Being in a relationship is the most complicated thing in the world.' "

According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline website:

"Teens are seriously at risk for dating violence. Research shows that physical or sexual abuse is a part of 1 in 3 high school relationships. In 95% of abusive relationships, men abuse women. However, young women can be violent, and young men can also be victims. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans teens are just as at risk for abuse in their relationships as anyone else. Abusive relationships have good times and bad times. Part of what makes dating violence so confusing and painful is that there is love mixed with the abuse. This can make it hard to tell if you are really being abused."

Health Canada's website notes:

"Jealousy is the most common reason for assaults in dating relationships. When a man continually accuses a woman of flirting or having an affair, and is suspicious of everyone he sees with her, he is possessive and controlling...Adolescent girls, in particular, feel social pressure to stick it out because having a 'bad' boyfriend is better than having no boyfriend at all."

Such facts and statistics certainly point out the need for good YA literature dealing with adolescent dating abuse. There have been a couple of great stories published in recent years, and Janet Tashjian's FAULTLINE, which hits the shelves in time for Back To School Night, joins that list of must-reads.

Becky Martin is a high achieving high school senior from San Francisco who is also an aspiring standup comic. She's got intelligent, supportive parents. Her best girlfriend, Abby, is also a comedic hopeful and a fan of old movies. But while Abby has a steady stream of boyfriends who come and go, Becky has spent high school high and dry:

"Friends and family have always described me as two things: smart and funny. Never pretty, never interesting, just smart and funny. I wasn't complaining--those were necessary qualities for my chosen line of work, but it would be nice to at least register on the attractiveness scale once in a while.
"Unlike Abby, I hadn't had a boyfriend since Peter last year, and even that was stretching the definition of boyfriend way past anything Webster would have recognized. I had better luck holding the attention of a roomful of people in a comedy club than a guy--I couldn't decide if that was good or just plain pathetic. Idea for a routine--in my neighborhood growing up, I was everybody else's invisible friend."

Enter Kip Costello, a fellow aspiring comic with talent, creativity, and looks. He sweeps Becky off her feet with his attention and his thoughtfulness. Things move quickly. Becky has school work, two part-time jobs, college applications, and her comedy career, but they all seem (at least to her parents and Abby) to be taking a back-seat to Kip.

According to Becky, nobody understands how special her relationship with Kip is.

But what Becky doesn't understand is that Kip is as lacking in self-confidence as she is. In a series of brief notes that Kip writes to himself (and that we get to read), Kip constantly worries about the relationship. His micromanagement of Becky's life and the inherent frustration he feels when everything doesn't go perfectly results in his abusing her. But Becky is in too deep to listen to anybody--including herself.

"A relationship is a lot like a hot bath. The more you get used to it, the more you realize it's not so hot..."

FAULTLINE is a great title for this important book because (1) it's set in San Francisco, and (2) there is no bad guy, no one at fault, unless it is that system that compels adolescents "to stick it out because having a 'bad' boyfriend is better than having no boyfriend at all." I'm sure they briefly considered PUNCHLINE, but discarded it as too insensitive a pun for too serious a situation.

But that serious situation does not mean that FAULTLINE is one long downer of a book. The camaraderie between Becky and Abby is genuine. We like these two intelligent and comedic girls and can see why they like each other. Becky's part-time gig as a tour guide to the City's movie landmarks is also fun and really informative. And then there is Delilah, about whom I'll say no more then that she gives the book a San Francisco homeyness that us Northern California crazies will thoroughly appreciate and enjoy.

Many people have wondered how Janet Tashjian would follow up the wildly successful THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LARRY. While FAULTLINE is a very different novel, Tashjian is again able to look closely at a serious problem in our society while telling a story filled with smart humor that teens will devour. ... Read more

Book Description

If you like stories with happy endings,
listen to something else

Dear Listener,

I hope, for your sake, that you have not chosen to listen to this recording because you are in the mood for a pleasant experience. If this is the case, I advise you to put down this audio instantaneously, because of all the audios describing the unhappy lives of the Baudelaire orphans, The Miserable Mill might be the unhappiest yet.

This recording, I'm sorry to inform you, contains such unpleasantries as a giant pincher machine, a bad casserole, a man with a cloud of smoke where his head should be, a hypnotist, a terrible accident resulting in injury, and coupons.

I have promised to record the entire history of these three poor children, but you haven't, so if you prefer stories that are more heartwarming, please feel free to make another selection.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

Reviews (85)

AWESOME BOOOK, LEMONY SNICKET IS AT IT AGAIN!
Calling all Lemony Snicket fans! Four words people, THIS BOOK IS AWESOME! The Miserable Mill is probably the most hilarious so far (well, I've only read 1-7, and not 2). Man, disguising Count Olaf as the female resepsionist Shirley? Now that's funny! I'm sure many readers (myself included) were sure Count Olaf was going to be the manager of the Mill or the "Eye Doctor" or Charlie even, but certainly not a female respsionist named Shirley! I was particularly amused by the fact that Lemony Snicket loves to poke fun at certain cliche sayings, and at certain types of people. Not a doubt this book is the best of the series!

A marvelously miserable book by Lemony Snicket.
Violet, Klaus, and Sunny have endured some of the most horrid, unfortunate circumstances they could ever imagine since the sudden deaths of their parents. The three Baudelaire orphans just seem to always have misfortune following them -- and their miserable lives are about to become even worse. They have been sent to stay in under the care of a man who, quite mysteriously, has a cloud of smoke where his head should be. Assigned to work in a horrid mill that the three children find almost impossible to endure, their lives worsen by each day. And for some reason their evil uncle, Count Olaf, hasn't been seen around -- but little do they know where -- and how -- their evil uncle is lurking in the shadows. Can they solve a horrible mystery, avoid torture, and make their stay out alive? Or will Count Olaf for once be the victor of the Baudelaire fortune? This was one of the most hilarious books I have ever read, and Lemony Snicket's Series Of Unfortunate Events is so darkly funny I found it impossible to put down. The Miserable Mill, the fourth hilarious book in this unfortunate series, was another five-star, charming novel by Lemony Snicket, whose writing is beautiful and unmatched, funny in so many places that will always entertain.

Not one of the best
As readers of this series will undoubtedly agree, Lemony Snicket makes a very entertaining author. The characters in these stories are unique and fun, however this individual story failed to stand out from the rest. It's plot was ok, and it had it's moments, but it didn't make itself memorable. Although it didn't stand out, it still is a must if one is reading this series.

A bit of a dropoff
Without repeating the plot outline, this seems the least of the first four gooks in the series. This is not to say that it isn't a good book. Perhaps it is because there just isn't enough of Count Olaf, aka Shirley. There are mean people other than "Shirley," but they lack something in comparison with the evil "Grinch," who was the first caretaker of the Baudelaire orphans.

There are several nice touches, such as, Sunny debarking logs with her four baby teeth and having pieces of wood caught between. And then there is Shirley, protesting that she/he is not really Count Olaf because she/he has a name plate that says Shirley. QED, as they say in geometry. Kids are going to love that.

Nonetheless, these books are destined to be favorites for children and parents for a long, long time.

OK
I my self am this series maniak. Altough the book plays & fullfills the requirements of the series it doesn't cut it. The other books in the series are better. What the book lacks is a large chunk of problems. The only big Baudelaire prob. is the hipnocious DR.ORVILE because of her hipnotizing skills. The book is ok not extraordinary like the others. ... Read more

Book Description

Based on a Rocky Mountain legend, John Reynolds Gardiner's story -- like it's hero, Little Willy -- has all the ingredients of a winner, right down to the unforeseen drama at the finish line. Willy has a big job to do. When his grandfather falls ill, it is up to Willy alone to save their farm from the tax collector. Willy enters the National Dogsled Race, where he must beat the Indian Stone Fox and his five beautiful Samoyed dogs.

Allen Brewster has an amazing idea for his school science project: human photosynthesis, turning sunlight into food for humans. Everyone laughs at his outrageous scheme -- until Allen turns green, sprouts roots, and develops an overwhelming desire to soak up the sun instead of eating his dinner. Allan is turning into a plant! No one seems to believe that he isn't just playing a practical joke -- no one, that is, except the President of the United States, who declares Allen a threat to national security! Suddenly Allen Brewster and his discovery are...TOP SECRET!

Reviews (196)

A five star not too long read
Stone Fox is a great book for all elementary students. It is about a ten year old boy (named little Willy) and his dog Searchlight. His grandpa is keeping a secret from him which is the cause of grandpa being sick. When little Willy finds out what the secret is he learns that he must get 500$ and fast. What luck, there just so happens to be a dog sled race going on and the prize money is 500$! When he enters he knows he must win and if he doesn't grandpa won't get better and their farm will be taken away from them. Little Willy feels very confident in himself, but the great Stone Fox is coming. He has never lost a race. Does he beat the great Stone Fox? Does grandpa get better? Do they keep their farm? Use my advice and read the book to find out.

An Enjoyable Book
What happens when a little boy enters a sled dog race to win a $500 prize so that he can save his grandfather's farm? You can find out by reading Stone Fox, written by John R. Gardiner.

Stone Fox is a story about a little boy in a small town in the snowy Rockies whose grandfather doesn't want to live any longer. He hasn't been paying his taxes, so he is in danger of losing his farm. It's up to Little Willy to solve the problem.

The main characters of this story are Little Willy and Stone Fox. Little Willy is a small, short-haired ten-year-old boy who wants to save his grandfather's farm. He is very talkative and inquisitive.

Stone Fox is a very tall, tan Native American with long, black hair. He is a very quiet and determined man. Stone Fox hopes to win the $500 prize money so he can buy back land for his tribe.

John r. Gardiner, the author of Stone Fox, was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Long Beach, CA. Mr. Gardiner has written children's stories that have been told on TV. He has also written Top Secret and General Butter Fingers.

By the time you finish reading Stone Fox you will realize that even a kid can make a big difference if he or she tries hard. If you like reading about kids doing amazing things, then you will definitely enjoy Stone Fox.

The Race
This book was a good book I liked it. This book was about a little boy who lived with his grandpa. He helped his grandpa grow a farm the little boy also had a dog. The grandpa was not up to date with his payment. Like a day later his grandpa was sick and he could not do anything to help his farm. Now to the good part of the book is the end of the book. There was a sled dog race in town and the boy wanted to enter in it so he went to town the next day to sign up for the race. There was added money for the winner. They had to race that day there was a race for youth and for the adults. For the adults you had to pay 100 dollars to get in the race. But they would not let him in the adult race because he was too young and then finally they let him in the race if he had the money. So he went to the bank to check out his money and he got in the race. So the race had started and their was a lot of people enter the race. He started in the back and worked his way to the front until they saw the finish line and it was the boy and stone fox and the boy was in the lead and they were about 100 feet and the boy's dog died while running. But Stone Fox did not pass the finish line he stop his dog and took out his gun and shot it in the air and told everbody to stop and not to pass the boy. He told the boy to pick up the dog and cross the finish line. And the little boy won the race. And he got to pay for his grandpa's farm after he won the money.

I would tell someone to read this book because of the race it was a real good long race.

STONE FOX
I thought the book was the best book I read but It
had a sad ending thats the part I didnt like.

Stone Fox
I thought the book Stone Fox was a good story.I liked the part where little Willy was racing with searchlightand little Willy was pretending he was racing with somebody else but he wasnt. ... Read more

Book Description

MILLY KAUFMAN IS an ordinary American teenager living in Vermont—until she meets Pablo, a new student at her high school. His exotic accent, strange fashion sense, and intense interest in Milly force her to confront her identity as an adopted child from Pablo’s native country. As their relationship grows, Milly decides to undertake a courageous journey to her homeland and along the way discovers the story of her birth is intertwined with the story of a country recovering from a brutal history.

Beautifully written by reknowned author Julia Alvarez, Finding Miracles examines the emotional complexity of familial relationships and the miracles of everyday life. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Finding Miracles
Finding Miracles is a refreshingly original story.
This is the first text that I have read from Alverez and I enjoyed the infussion of spanish in the text and the unpredictable plot. The characters are on the edge of normal but believable. Alvarez takes into account all of the culturaly diverse traits of each character.
The reason I rated the book 4 statrs instead of 5 is that I feel that there are alot of loose ends at the end of the book. Maybe there could be another book.
Joi

A tale of Milagros (miracles)
Julie Alvarez's ("How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent") newest novel "Finding Miracles" is the story of Milly Milagros Kaufman, a typical all-American, half-Jewish high schooler with a not-so-typical secret: Milly was adopted as an infant from a war-torn Latin American country, where her adopted parents were serving in the Peace Corps.Milly has managed to successfully keep this info from her best friend Em, friends Jake and Dylan, and the community at large, because thinking about her sickly beginnings at an orphanage dredged up too many painful questions about why she was abandoned at the doorstep, who her birth parents may have been and if they "disappeared" during the dictatorship.

Milly is forced to confront her past when Pablo Bolívar joins her grade at high school. Pablo and his parents are refugees from Milly's home country (which is never named).One of his uncles was murdered, one of his brothers is a prisoner, and the other a revolutionary. Pablo asks Milly to help him with English in exchange for practicing Spanish, and one day makes a comment that changes Milly's life: he tells her that her eyes look like those of the mountain village Los Luceros.Also, Milly overhears an angry family discussion in which her unhappy grandmother Happy effectively writes her out of her will as she is not a "blood" relation.

Milly begins to slowly examine her feelings by confronting "The Box," a mahogany box containing her adoption papers, naturalization papers, two locks of hair (one light, one dark), a coin, and several photos, and in a brave speech running for a class office, tells the story of her adoption to the school at large. The second half of the novel chronicles Milly's journey to her homeland. When Milly's home country is freed from tyranny and democracy is slowly put into place, she takes up Mrs. Bolívar's invitation to visit, searching for traces of her shadowy past. Milly and Paco become more than just friends, bonded by the shared sadness of having lost loved ones in the war.

The novel does not have a "fairy tale" ending where everything works out perfectly, but the ending provided a satisfying conclusion to Milly's journey.Realistically written and beautifully described, Alvarez captures a girl torn between cultures, languages, and her past, and how Milly, now Milagros, makes all the pieces fit.
... Read more

Book Description

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

Performed by Derek Jacobi.

Reviews (19)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reviews (18)

One of my favorite books from the Nancy Drew series!
I have always loved the Nancy Drew series. Nancy Drew was always my favorite heroine. She always seemed to be in just the right place at the right time. Always was there to help someone in need. And always seemed to know everything. At least once in every book Nancy got herself into some kind of tight spot but somehow she always got herself out of it.
I really liked this particular book from the series because this is the book in which Nancy meets Ned.
Nancy and her chums, Bess and George, are taking a drive in the country. On their way they pass by a beautiful home. Then suddenly the house explodes into flames. Nancy, Bess and George, thinking some people might be inside the house, stop to see if they could save them. When they arrive, they soon find out that no one was there. But, while searching the grounds, Nancy discovers a diary.
Nancy doesn't know it then but that diary will bring an adventure both for her and all readers. I have read this book more than once and each time it always seemed like I was reading it for the first time. I love this book and all the Nancy Drew books. No one, either young or old, should go without reading this book.

The Writing Is The Only Good Thing About It
This review concerns the original 1932 edition and the revised edition published in the 1960's. Both books follow the same plot; although, the revised edition is slightly different from the original. While returning from a carnival, Nancy, George and Bess witness a large home suddenly burst into flames. Thinking that there may be someone trapped inside, the girls rush to the house to help. They are unable to enter the home because of the heat, but Nancy spots a man running away from the house and later finds a diary, written in Swedish, which contains numerous technical drawings. Did the man start the fire? Does the diary belong to him? And what became of Felix Raybolt, the owner if the home, who apparently has gone missing? Clues lead Nancy to suspect that the diary belongs to the husband of a poor woman that Nancy met at the carnival along with her little girl. Nancy becomes determined to prove that Joe Swenson didn't start the fire, but all of the clues she uncovers seem to suggest that he is guilty. Personally, I didn't find this book very good; there isn't much action, the mystery isn't very exciting and the book really lacks a true criminal. Thankfully, the writing style used in the book is rather enjoyable, so it keeps the book from being a complete waste of time. One thing to note about this book is that this is the volume where Nancy meets Ned Nickerson and oddly enough her first thought of him is that he is trying to steal her car! This book is worth reading for the writing, but its not likely that many fans of Nancy Drew will find this book to be one of their favorites.

Dated Classic
If you want to get started reading Nancy Drew, this book would be the place. Of all the ND series, I think I enjoyed this one the most. While Nancy and her friends' activities and dialogue seem a bit dated (don't forget most of these stories were written long before you were born) Nancy is a wholesome character who is constantly busy observing her environment and sticking her nose into places it may not belong. Of course, this kind of behavior is what makes a story interesting. This book deals with arson, stealing patents, and helping an innocence victim find justice.

Wild bill recommends this book for mystery lovers aged 9-12.

Great Book!
After I bought the starter set that included the first six, I had to buy this one, because I wanted to start my own colection. This was probably the best out of the first seven to be honest. It's more complex than the others and I just love a good mystery. Buy it today!

Have You read The Clue in the diary yet?
Titan blonde Nancy Drew has a real nak for getting involved in a mystery. When Foxy Felix's expensive estate explodes into a huge fire Nancy and her friends Bess and George naturally go and check out the burning house. When Nancy goes ahead around the other side of the burning estate looking for survivors she spots a strange and mysterious figure running away from the scene of the crime. She finds two clues at the scene one including a diary that is completely written in Sweedish. She gets in some real trouble and the only people who can help her are three friends and her dad.
I liked the Nancy Drew book The Clue in the Diary because it was a little slow in the begining but then got gradually into a real page turning book. I would stay up till 11:00 pm just reading this book it was so good. It really taught you the lesson what goes around comes around. I really reccomend this wonderful mystery to all! ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (73)

Descriptive story with great characters
I give this book a great review because the author does a great job describing the setting and characters so it makes the reader feel as if they are a part of the story. I would recommend this book because the author makes you want to keep reading because of all the suspensful events.

I thought the relationship between Adam and Hattie was very heart-warming because they shared secrets and enjoyed each other for the people that they were. I also liked it when Hattie learned to make new friends by the end of the story.

A Heart Tearing Story and A Life Long Lesson For All
In the Newbery Honor Novel, A Corner of the Universe, by Ann M. Martin, a heart tearing story comes to life.The novel starts off in October with Hattie, a twelve year old girl looking at home movies taken over the place of the last summer.From the movies, the Author takes us into Hattie's life at the begging of the summer, in the form of a flash back.Hattie is a girl that likes things the familiar way and doesn't want or like change.She doesn't want to think of the big unpredictable world out there, she likes things better in the protection of the families boarding house and its familiar routines. She likes the summer they way it is.Because of that, she was caught off guard when she was told her uncle, that no one has talked about or even told her about, is coming home because his "school" (an institution for mentally disabled) has shut down.Hattie's family must learn to cope with a 21 year old man, coming into their lives, which they have tried to forget about for many years.Her uncle, named Adam, is a guy who has a rollercoaster of moods, child like behavior, and is very unpredictable.What Hattie doesn't know, is that this uncle of hers has the power in him to change the way she looks and accepts life.During the summer, Ann M. Martin takes you on a journey of friendship, trial, and heartache.
At the end of this book I was crying, it touched me in a way I never expected it to.We should all learn from Adam and live our lives the way he did by lifting the corners of our universe.Although Adam had a hard life, he was called a Freak, laughed at, had a lot of things he couldn't understand, and would never have the chance to live a normal life.But he learned to change what life has handed to him, to poke around a little, lift the corners, seeing what is underneath, poking that.Sometimes things would work out for him, sometimes they didn't, but he was always exploring.Life is more interesting and fun that way.We should all learn to live our lives like Adam.I think that everyone who reads this book will finish looking at life in a different perspective, live life to its fullest, and not take little things for granted.

Parents BEWARE!!
This book is INAPPROPRIATE for the ages suggested (9-12).It was presented to my 9 1/2 daughter's library reading group by the school librarian.This book is appealing to children of this age because is is a recounting of a twelve year old girl's summer, BUT don't be fooled!The content contains material that is questionable for this age group.Middle school ages would be better suited to this.Do not judge a book by its medal!

A corner of the universe by Ann M. Martin
I would recommend this book to any young girl. This is a heartwarming story of a young girl named Hattie living in a bording house that her pareents own with three other residents. Hattie takes you back to the summer she turned 12, the summer that changed her life. The day Hattie found out that she had an uncle Adam she was very upset that no one told her about him for many years. Adam was mentally ill, and was coming to stay with her Nana and Papa for the summer. After time spent with Adam, Hattie thinks hes just like a little kid, even though he is 21 years old. He is her new friend, along with Leila from the carnival that is in Millerton. Evereything goes wrong when Hattie and Leila take risks and Adam gets a crush on the young bording house resident, Angel Valentine. This was a wonderful, intense, and exciting book. Every young girl should read this.

the universe's corner.:KCS:.
A Corner of the Universe
by Ann M. Martin, Scholastic, 2002, 189pp.,$10.81
ISBN 0439388805

Kaimuki Christian School, Honolulu, Hawaii


How would you feel if a family member, with a mental disability, you didn't know just came into your life and became your best friend?

that's the feeling Hattie Owen had when she found out about her uncle Adam. Adam's "special" school was closing and he would be moving back to Millerton to be reunited with his family and introduced to Hattie. It's with Adam's extremely humerous self and Hattie's friendly spirit that they became insprarable that summer. they always had fun together until one night when Nana had a partyand told Adam to stay upsrairs in his room. Hattie wanted Adam to have fun so she sneaked Adam out of the house and took him to the circus. They were on the Ferris Wheel when it gets stuck and Adam just looses it and Hattie doesn't know what to do. Police officers, Papa, and Dad came to the rescue. Everyone was safe, but as for her punishment, she and Adam weren't allowed to see each other. After their punishment was over, Adam came over to see his crush, Angel Valentine, a boarder at Hattie's house. Adam went to see if she was in her room and when he opened the door, sure enough, he found Angel and her boyfriend sleeping together. Adam dashed out of the house. Is Adam okay?

This book, for me, was extremely touching. I thnk Ann M. Martin really captured me and took me into the book. She really took me "back in the day" along with Hattie when she wrote about ice cream trucks, Adam's suits and perfect round glasses. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know how important to treat people with equalness.




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