Reviews (3)

Human History in Brief
This is one of the best book on global history, you can find every religion from east to west, north to south. You can read about all empires and kings, you can know all cultures and traditions. There is no other book which have reviewed and presented true picture of three major religions; Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Book Review
The book was not the best textbook.....there is no study guide

Pounds and Education
My daughter have to carry tree of these size books. Her school bag is 18 lbs. Why not divide all of these schoolbooks on two parts and make our kids happy. I believe school(elementary, middle and high) is not militarytraining base.

Gregory Yamin ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Well, we use it.
This is the book we use in my history class. The nice part of this text is that the authors give samples of literature from many cultures. You can see the contrasts of each civilizations and the diffrences in their beliefs of mortality, and their views on justice and social class. In all the text is well written, however the time spent on each specific culture could have been more informative. An example is the Egyptian civilization. My opinion is that more detail should have been paid to this civilization. If this book is required reading for your class, I would encourage you to buy this book through Amazon, as I paid more for my copy and it was used at that! ... Read more

Book Description

This read-aloud series is designed for parents to share with elementary-school children. Enjoy it together and introduce your child to the marvelous story of the world's civilizations.

Now more than ever, other cultures are affecting our everyday lives—and our children need to learn about the other countries of the world and their history.

Susan Wise Bauer has provided a captivating guide to the history of other lands. Written in an engaging, straightforward manner, The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child; Volume 3: Early Modern Times weaves world history into a story book format. Who was the Sun King? Why did the Luddites go around England smashing machines? And how did samurai become sumo wrestlers?

The Story of the World covers the sweep of human history from ancient times until the present. Africa, China, Europe, the Americas—find out what happened all around the world in long-ago times. Designed as a read-aloud project for parents and children to share together, The Story of the World includes each continent and major people group. Volume 3: Early Modern Times is the third of a four volume series and covers the major historical events in the years 1600 to 1850, as well as including maps, illustrations, and tales from each culture. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Susan hate France!!
I read volume 3 very excitingly, but I feel Susan's prejudice. Her story of the France-especially Napoleon-is not fair! There's no good thing about him. Is that true?
If France childern read this book, they will be very angry.
And 'Opium War' is not detailed.
I wonder how she going to write about modern history.
But it's very exciting and helpful like her another books.

Continuing in the same great tradition
Volume three arrived in the mail last week, and I read it in two sittings. It follows the same approach as the first two volumes. The author, Susan Wise Bauer, has targeted this book at young children. It is a great book for thoughtful children. Like the first two books, volume three is written in such a way that it is both entertaining and informative.

Most of the other history books I've read have been very United States focused or European centric. Volume three covers every part of the world. You learn what is happening in Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, Africa, India, China, the rest of Asia, and down in Australia & New Zealand. The book covers the time period from about 1500 to 1850.

I am surprised by just how much content is in each page. Even though history is presented in an easy flowing story like format, the book is packed with information.

There are 42 chapters, each with a focus. The first chapter starts off with The Holy Roman Empire, and how Spain became so rich with all the gold and silver coming out of Central and South America. The book ends with the California Gold Rush in 1849 and does a brief overview of the current state of the world in 1849. In between the book covers topics like the Protestant Rebellion, Warlords of Japan, the Spread of Slavery, Plague in England, the Ottoman Empire, the colonies in the New World, Chi'en-lung's Library, the French Revolution, and lots of wars. The book also covers how technology was changing the world. After the 42 chapters there is a five page timeline to help the reader understand when key events happened relative to other key events.

The book doesn't pull any punches. For example in the very first chapter, while talking about all the gold and silver Spain was getting from the New World, we're shown the living conditions of young children working down in the mines. The book doesn't go into graphic detail, but it does mention the warts of history, times and places where evil things happened.

To be well rounded and truly educated children need to have a solid understanding of where civilization has been over the last five thousand years. These "Story of the World" books are a good starting point.

This is a great way for young children to learn history. If you enjoyed the first two, you will enjoy volume three. ... Read more

Book Description

This authoritative reference book brings world history to life, from early humans to the current war on terror. Along the way, it reveals riveting facts on the founding of the great Roman Empire, the revolution that changed France forever, the war between the North and South that unified America, the start of World War I and the Great Depression that followed, the first moon landing, and the end of apartheid in South Africa.

The encyclopedia is organized chronologically and then thematically within each time period. A timeline runs across the top of each page. Each section includes biographies of important people and features on art, architecture, and technology. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Start your history studies here
Learning Family Book Review

If you could only have one history book in your home library, this should be it. Written like an encyclopedia of historical events, the Illustrated History is an incredibly easy to access work, covering almost any historical even you could imagine. The illustrations and photos are excellent. The text is brief, but enough to get a basic understanding. I've begun using this one as a first source for history subjects, to get myself oriented, then continue into more specialised books as needed. The chronolgy is listed in the outside column of the pages, which makes thumbing through it quite easy. Though it isn't a history course in one volume, all of the more major events in history have several pages devoted to them covering archaeological data, social background, art and more. An outstanding book.

An eye-catching disappointment
I have recently begun homeschooling my 6th grader, and am using The Well Trained Mind as a curriculum guide. This book was listed as a must-have for a classical education, which is based heavily in literature and history. I must say that when we received the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, it looked very impressive. It is a hefty volume, with colorful pages and a timeline which runs across the top of the pages. However, after only a few weeks of use, my daughter has come to dread the sight of this book whenever it is time for history lessons. It is very dry reading. The one to two-page spreads for each topic/culture/era have so little valuable content, that there is little opportunity for the spark of interest to be ignited. They have so condensed the information, that it is mostly a list of dates, names, etc. And there are boxes every couple of pages listing the same dates over again. The text is written chronologically, so each time you turn the page a different culture is discussed, and what they were doing during that time period. This concept sounds better on paper than in practical use. While the time periods overlap somewhat, it does tend to jump around a quite bit. The continuity of what should be exciting and intriguing becomes very choppy and disjointed and as a result frustrating and boring. What might be interesting stuff becomes distracting and in some cases irritating when it interrupts another story. For example, the rise and fall of Rome, while severely abridged, may have still interested my child, if it had not been broken up by seven other topics. Huge chunks of time (several centuries)are condensed into a paragraph, or even a sentence or two. Other chunks go unmentioned. For example, the Qin Dynasty in China lasted less than 20 years, and got the same attention as the Celts, who were around for 500 years. The first 400 years of Christianity are covered in the same amount of space. So I am seeing my daughter becoming confused about the significance of these subjects, and not really grasping the "chronological order", despite adding new information daily to the 8-foot timeline we keep on the wall. Also,I am constantly amazed at what the makers of this book did not see as important enough for further discussion. For example, in our studies so far, The Great Wall of China has been depicted in a 1/4 page illustration, but only the date it was begun and a sentence or two on why it was built is listed. Julius Caesar is mentioned briefly, and simply that he was assasinated(!?), and I have yet to find any mention of Cleopatra. Overall, this book might be a good addition to your library just to have around for kids to leaf through, or as a springboard for other reading. It does mention cultures I never learned about in school (i.e.,the Guptas )but is not very useful as a reference tool, as there really is not any in-depth information on very many things. In it's effort to cover all bases in a single volume, Kingfisher fails to teach children what history really is -- a really great story.

Disappointing
Beware -- this is not the update to the highly regarded Kingfisher Illustrated History. Instead, it reformats the previous work, departing from the orderly 'accent of western civilization' theme, de-emhasizing Greek and Roman history in favour of lesser known, minor world cultures and in general, adds aggresive PC editing. Using this book as a homeschool reference will result in you needing to spend time explaining the PC biases to your children, and ultimately, needing to purchase an additional reference book.

OK
This book is OK but then again I'm only twelve.
I would probebly give it 4 if I was an adult. I don't like History very much, but this is one exeption. I use it at school
and read it just for fun. It really is a great book. But remember, I hate history.

Wonderful, I recomend to all!
I absolutly love this book. My friend is home schooled and let me use it a few times and I learned a ton of stuff about places and people I had never even heard about before. I definatly suggest it to all schools and parents of children who are home schooled. I just can't stop gushing about this book to people. Not only will parents love it, but the kids will love it to. It has pictures, time lines, and tons and tons of information. I love this book it is so great. If you ask me I say Buy it! I give it an AAAAAAAAA+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Not Just For Children
Although this book was meant for kids - everyone will certainly enjoy it! I bought it for my nephews this past Christmas. (11 and 9 years old) James Cameron's film had just come out. The boys hadn't seen it, but they were interested in the disaster. When I saw this book I knew they'd love it! I honestly thought about keeping it for myself! Beautiful illustrsations and a captivating story. You really get the feel of how immense this ship was to two very young boys. It may not be exactly accurate - but it was designed as a children's book and not as a practical schematic for engineers. If you have kids who are interested in the Titanic disaster ( or if you're a history buff) I highly recommend this one!

A great picture book full of detailed pictures of Titanic.
A really great book full of really detailed pictures. The story of a first class kid and a third class kid both abord the Titanic. Shows the time of things that happened. A really great book for kids of all ages.

Superb
This book is a superb piece of art. For whom have little or no idea about Titanic architecture, it's a must have. The big drawing in the center of the book is truely amazing. It's also an ideal companion to have when reading testimonies by survivors, for it adds much to the feeling of being there.

Inside The Titanic
Inside the Titanic Book Review

Frank's room is a tiny third-class cabin. Billy and his family are traveling in a luxurious suite. But both boys are thrilled to be on the first voyage of the greatest liner ever built. They can't wait to explore every deck of this fabulous new ship. Read this book and you can follow "two young passengers as they explore the Titanic from top to bottom". This book is by Ken Marshall. I liked it because it showed and told how it sank. So I hope you like Inside the Titanic...

Ken Marshall's work
As always, Ken Marshall's depictions of the liner are as true to life as he can make them, making this book an invaluable reference in my model bulding and serves as an excellent link to remind people that behind that steel skin was a huge floating place of temporary residence, containing all the opulence of the finest european hotels inside a giant steel structure. Definitely worth having in an ocean liner book collection, especially if you like Titanic and her sisters. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

"World Cultures" more of a world history
I teach 7th grade world cultures and was given this book as my classroom text. I found the text to be very informative but the title is very misleading. Rather than a classroom text on world cultures it was more of a in depth analysis of world history. It failed to include everyday cultural activities such as clothing, habits, beliefs (outside of religion) and everyday life. Too much of each chapter was focused on ancient history without connecting the culture to the modern world. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

The Usbourne Book of World History (Guided Discovery Program
I purchased this book on the recommendation of Jesse Wise and Susan Wise Bauer, authors of "The Well Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home." I am using it as the basic history text for my 1st and 2nd grader covering the beginnings of civilization all the way to the beginning of the 1900's.

The book is well organized into 1-2 page spreads that cover a brief time period or subject relating to a time period, which makes nice divisions for daily or weekly history lessons. For larger subject areas such as the Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations, there are several 2-page spreads covering more detailed areas of life and culture. The book begins with a 2-page spread called "Digging up History" then continues with early settlers, earliest cities, then major civilizations and empires. The page layouts are "Usbourne style," meaning there are many illustrations per page with captions about a paragraph long accompanying them. The illustrations are well done in that they give a good idea of what life was probably like during each time of history.

Each spread usually has a caption entitled "How We Know," which tells specific archeological evidences for the specific cultures. There are also small time charts on several spreads giving key dates for that specific culture. There are two large time charts in the book, the first covers First Civilizations to the Fall of Rome, the second continues on from there to 1914. Each chart covers 9 major geographical areas and gives a basic overview of what was happening in each.

This book is an excellent general overview. It is a good starting point, but for a more in-depth study needs to be supplemented with additional books that go into more detail.

A Sesame-Street approach to history
I usually love Usborne books and our family owns many of them. But The Usborne Book of World History has left me disappointed.

The title page reads, "This book is an introduction to world history from the first civilisations to the early 20th century... This book does not attempt to be a comprehensive account... A vast amount of detail has been omitted..."

This is true. What remains is a very sparse overview of world history, presented in tiny two-or-three sentence snippets, interspersed among a plethora of colorful and often confusing images covering each and every page.

To me, as a homeschool teacher, this is disconcerting. This type of presentation would seem to stifle the student's need to develop concentration and focus as they study history. Any child able to read this book (which is written at (at least) a 3rd-grade level) should NOT be learning history in "tidbits" like this. He or she should be making connections-- between the invention of the printing press and the spread of Protestantism or the sudden surge in exploration of far-away lands, for example. This book simply doesn't provide those connections.

For that reason, I call it a "Sesame-Street approach". Too many small, attention-grabbing images and too little "meat". It seems more like entertainment than education to me. I would have preferred that the authors spend less time on the graphic images and more time developing a coherent continuum of history that a young child could follow.

Good Introduction to History
I use this book to homeschool my daughter, and I've found it to be a good introduction to history for young children. It's not the only resource you will need, but it provides a good framework.

It does jump around a bit, because of the commitment to chronological presentation of *world* history. It's difficult to get the right mix on this, because one wants to see the continuous development of a particular region, but one also wants to see events in the greater context of World history. If the mix given in the book doesn't suit, though, it's possible to simply skip over parts and come back to them later. We use the book to provide a frame of reference, and a jumping off place for further study. In that respect, I think this book is better organized than The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia. The latter has far more text, but, in my opinion, it's too dense for young children.

Some reviewers have mentioned the nudity in the pictures. I'm not sure what to make of that. Presumably they don't allow their children to view works of art that contain nudity either, since the Usborne nudity is far less graphic than a classical or renaissance statue. I don't know what harm a child could suffer from viewing Michelangelo's David, or Botticelli's Birth of Venus, though. The pictures in the Usborne book are harmless.

Other reviewers have claimed that there are inaccuracies in the Usborne book, particularly in how the catholic church is portrayed. I've looked at the examples that they've provided, and don't find them convincing. For example, one mentions the conflict between Pope Gregory VII and the Emperor, Henry IV. The claim that the pope made Henry stand in the snow for three days is one that I've seen in adult history texts. To call it "voluntary" penance is stretching things a bit, since Henry had been excommunicated, was in danger of losing his crown, and later reverted to his original opinion.

It's also claimed that the text doesn't present both sides of the Protestant/Catholic wars equally. Yet, on p.135 it says, "priests on both sides were tortured and even hanged. Both Protestants and Catholics believed they were saving their opponents from hell by doing this."

Another objection concerned the book's statement that "people decided [Joan of Arc] was a saint." There's nothing false about that statement. Of course, a saint must be cannonized by the church, but the pope doesn't make someone a saint out of the blue. Her sainthood was acclaimed by the people first, and then confirmed by the pope. It seems trivial to take issue with this.

I could go on about the other alleged inaccuracies, but I will just urge people to take these claims with a grain of salt. Read through all of the reviews of this book, and make your own decision.

The book is sketchy on detail, but that's to be expected. It's aimed at elementary school age children, it is heavily illustrated and it is wide-ranging. It skims the surface of history, and the parent/teacher is expected to provide greater detail through other sources. The book contains a list of additional resources on the inside of the back cover. If you use the book in that manner, it's a valuable resource. There are few texts that fill the niche of teaching history to children in the 6-10 age group, and none that I know of do it as well as Usborne.

The Usborne Book of World History
This book is written in a comic book format. My children have not liked any of the books by this company. I homeschool my children and you are better off without this evolutionary guide to history.

Not as great as it could be
In general I appreciate Usborne books. This one has too much nudity for my taste and too much emphasis on ancient religions. I much prefer Usborne's Ancient World. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Shawn's Review
This book is like you are being told what will happen at gladiator school. That is what makes it funny. Even though it is funny, you learn things.For instance, did you know that you would have to eat barley grains and roasted beans for dinner and ash for dessert? Another reason I like this book is the illustrations. The illustrations also make the book funny because they make the people look weird.You may have read another books in the "You wouldn't want to" series.As you know they are really good books.

By Shawn

An eye-opening education for wannabe Gladiators
The title for this book is too long for the heading, but in total it is "You Wouldn't Want to Be a Roman Gladiator!Gory Thing You'd Rather Not Know."If you have seen "Gladiator" and wanted to hearing the cheering crowds of the Roman Colesium, and have seen "Spartacus" and still want to be a gladiator when you grow up, then writer John Malam and artist David Antram are here to set you straight.In this diverting book we are introduced to a big redheaded "Galla comata" (Latin for hairy Gaul) who stands in for the reader who aspires to be a gladiator.In the opening chapter "you" are captured and taken off to Rome where you will be turned into a civilized Roman gladiator, which is seen as being better than being down in the mines or a galley slave.The book follows "you" through your training and then your big day before the cheering crowd (fair warning, you are not as good as you think that you are).The artwork tends towards the comic, so do not expect a lot of gory stuff, whatever the book's subtitle might suggest.Young readers will learn a lot about the "ludus gladiatorius" (gladiator school), where the "unctore" massages your tired muscles, and the various types of gladiators who fought with different types of weapons and wore different amounts of amour.There are also "Handy Hints" on each two-page spread, that explain why it is a good idea to always wear your slave collar and the correct way to stand before the emperor and do your salute.By the time you finish the book you will probably be surprised at how much you learned since you were detracted by the fun way in which all this information is provided by Malam and Antram."You Wouldn't Want to Be a Roman Gladiator!" is a very enjoyable education in saving young readers from a fatal choice of "future" occupation.Other volumes in this fun little series look at the downsides of being an Egyptian Mummy, a Slave in Ancient Greece, and a Viking Explorer (only the last of which would have any appeal to me, but I tend to be picky about such things).However, I would be surprised if they were as much fun as this particular volume. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great for all ages
I bought this treasure chest as a "treat" (for my daughter or myself, I am still not sure) to finish off our study of ancient Egypt. We couldn't wait, so we opened it right away and were thrilled. I expected most of the activities to be too hard for my 6yo, but she has enjoyed them thoroughly. The lock can be a bit hard for small fingers to open, but the key is easy to work and that can be fun enough in itself. There are 2 board games, both of which she could play. One is very, very simple (think Chutes and Ladders) while the other requires more strategy. Depending on your child's interests/abilities in games you might find that you only play one of the two, but we have been happy playing both. The playing pieces are made rather flimsy light cardboard, but they are functional enough if your child is careful. The stamping set is about average, and suffers from all the little problems child's stamping kits are heir to, but overall produces legible hieroglyphs. You'll need an extra pair of hands or weights to hold the papyrus unrolled, but it looks great when you're finished. The hieroglyph "decoder" wheel has been great fun for my daughter who thinks codes are exciting. The necklace was a little disappointing, only because the string provided came apart when I tried to disentangle it. We replaced it with our own string/wire and made our lovely necklace just fine. The beads had holes large enough for my child to thread them herself, although a needle proved helpful. The posters (one of deities reverses to one of regents and another one with a map) are attractive and informative without being overwhelming and my daughter enjoyed placing the approppriate stickers on the spaces provided on the map. The only piece of this chest w ehave not used yet is the grid for reproducing an egyptian picture, but I'm sure many other children are more artistically inclined than mine and will find it fun. Overall, my daughter and I have enjoyed this kit immensely and highly recommend it.

Great History tool
This is just the sort of thing I would have loved when I was a kid. I'm an adult and I love it anyway. This is a great way to spark a child's interest in history. For someone who already loves studying ancient Egypt it will provide hours of fun. The package is beautiful and makes a wonderful gift.

It's mine! Finally! At last!
First of all, I LOVE ancient Egypt. I saw the kit, and wanted it so bad, it really wasn't funny. Anyway, I first saw this kit at the dia (detroit institute of arts) gift shop over three years ago. It was love at first sight. Then finally two days ago when I went with my dad, I had money, nobody was with us so we could buy stuff without people wanting to get something, so I went up to it, took it off the shelf and hugged it so hard that it wasn't funny. My dad saw me, ripped it out of my hands, put it on the shelf and taunted me about it all the way home. I was bummed. Afterwards I told my mom. She bought it for me the next day! I've had so much fun with it! I love it! It's got to be hard to stuff all of that FUN stuff into one small kit! There's hieroglyphic stamps, a decoder wheel, stuff to make a shibati necklace, a senet game, a book, and tons more! If you're a dad, or mom, and your kid wants this, don't taunt them, there's nothing to taunt. If they have money, let them buy it. If they don't, buy for them for their birthday, or Christmas, or just for a special "What the heck, you can have it" gift!

Memorable - and FUN - Egyptian Adventure
THE highest point of our family's Great Egyptian Semester. It's a sturdy cardboard "chest" that opens up to reveal lots of fun, hands-on stuff to read, play with and make. Items include a hieroglyphic stamp set and holder, papyrus to print on, hieroglyphic code wheel, a Senet game, charts and more.

We bought the Treasure Chest to be a fun part of our family's Great Egyptian Semester, and it proved to be a winner. In fact, demand in our house was so high, we had to regulate the time any one kid could spend with it (Dad played with it at night).

A kit that makes history FUN!
My daughter bought this kit for her 11 yo best friend whose family is of Egyptian decent. It is filled with many goodies- a book, a game, stamps of Egyptian Hieroglyphs, a scroll....many others I can't even recall. It is one of a series of historical treasure chests, including chests featuring Ancient Rome and Greece. I look forward to purchasing each of the treasure chests for my family this holiday season...a toy that actually makes history fun! A great product! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Fun and informative for grade schoolers
You can tell the difference between someone who has studied history and writes a children's book and someone who hasn't a clue how to find information. Unfortunately, Macdonald doesn't provide a bibliography at all or address where she got her information so I had to take off one star.However, her information seems quite solid and I love the way the book is laid-out with the life journey of one woman into slavery and her experiences there. There are obviously several of the less pleasant things left out of this book such as sexual slavery, but it did contain more reality than I had expected for a book at this level.The sidenotes are great and they actually give you the advice the cover of the book promises.There are also hints for the younger audience that things are not simple, even something they've been taught is an evil, is actually quite varied and complicated by gender, race, age, skill, and personality.

Any woman in history
This is an informational story about you, as a mother, living near the Black Sea in the 5th century B.C. in a Scythian Tribe. You are captured by the Greeks, separated from your family, and sold in Athens. The story gives a detailed description of the typical life of a slave woman in Greece. Some tips for you to remember: "Forget about your family because you will probably never see them again. Work hard if you want your owner to treat you well. Be nice to your owner's eldest son - one day he'll become your master. Improve your cooking, or your owner won't feed you at all. Don't get caught trying to escape - you will be punished or sold." The book has great pictures and a lot of interesting information presented through a story. This book makes it fun to learn about the life of a female slave because it doesn't feel like you're studying! This is a good book to read aloud to primary students and have in the classroom library for students up to the intermediate level. ... 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

Book Description

Who in his right mind wants to talk to a shrink? I don't want to talk about anything. I don't want to feel anything, taste anything ... or anything. The lyrics "just dying to die" run around in my brain day and night...

Fifteen-year-old Sam is in pain. He comes to the therapist's office unwillingly, angry, depressed, and filled with guilt over his own self-destructive behavior. He is being drawn deeper and deeper into a black hole of despair from which he sees no way out.

The Road Back

This is the Real-life story of Sam's Recovery, told from tapes of his therapy sessions. It tells what drove him to leave home, how he survived on the street, and why he was desperate to escape from the brutality of the gang that had become his "family" and from the torment of his own self-loathing. For every teen who has experienced the pain and loneliness of a no-way-out darkness, and for all those who love them, here is the light that can lead the way back.

Reviews (22)

It was ok
This was a good book, but it was kind of boring to me. All Sammy did throughout the book was go to a phsychiatrist's office. This book took me a very long time to read, not because I didn't like it but because it took place in a shrink's office. I didn't like how it was just recordings edited and put onto a piece of paper. I did like this book at the end, it's just that the beggining was hard to get into.

my reading book
almost lost is a true story of an anonymous teenagers life on the streets. I like this book because I like to read books that are true like this book and the book named what happened to nancy. Almost lost is the real life story of a boy named Samuel. It tells what drove him to leave home, how hesurvived in the street, and why he was desperate to scape from the brutality of the gang that had become his family.

No.
This book was terribly hard to follow... i dont know if its just me but the whole therepy tape style just wasnt working for me. Plus... it didnt seem real... the realationship between sammy and the lady just sounded so... fake and... like a cheesy script or something. i didnt really like the book.

Could Be Better
This book seems very interesting at first glance. But once you start reading it you start to realise how very unrealistic it is, this does NOT seem like it is a true story. It's hard to believe that Sammy comes in depressed and angry the first day yet, seems excited and very willing to get over his problems the next. I was VERY disappointed with this book, the only thing that's the least bit interesting about it, is the story about Sammy's past which doesn't do very much for the whole book.

ok...................but
THIS WAS OK BUT IT HAD ALOT OF OVER DRAMATISING FEATURES IN IT. I THOUGHT THE BOOK WAS VERY INTERESTING IT HAD ALOT OF MEANING TO IT BUT WAS WIERD. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SHRINK AND SAMMY WAS WEIRD. I DIDNT UNDERSTAND WHY SHE WOULD SAY GOOD MORNING SUNSHINNING SAMMY? THAT WAS WIERD TO ME THEY SEEMED ALOT CLOSER THAN WHAT THE BOOK TELLS. ... Read more

Book Description

Illus. in full color. Youngsters can celebrate the 500th anniversary of

Columbus's fateful voyage with this dramatic, easy-to-read account of a pivotal

moment in American history. "Enlivened by attractive full-color artwork,

including maps and a cutaway view of the ship, the straightforward account is a

good choice at this reading level."--Booklist.




... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good Starter Book For Learning About Columbus.
Hi!:) This book is nice and informative without being too long and boring. It will most likely appeal to children around 5 or 6 through about 9 or 10. After that, they may want to read another, more in depth biography about this remarkable and fearless sailor and explorer.
The illustrations are realistic and well done.
I, as a parent, felt that the ending was a bit weak, but children will certainly gain a better understanding and clearer picture of the explorer, and his sacrifices, upon reading this book. Wording is simple and uncomplicated. A step 2 book.
Good information, good book!~ ... Read more

Book Description

THE AMERICAN JOURNEY
THE COMPLETE STORY OF AMERICAN HISTORY IN ONE COMPREHENSIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM

The American Journey is a superb, readable presentation of American history, from pre-exploration to the present. Its unparalleled author team, including the National Geographic Society, ensures accuracy in every detail of the narrative, maps, and charts.

Features

Accessible Reading and Reading Strategies Are a Priority

• Exclusive! Foldables—student-made three-dimensional graphic organizers—are a unique strategy that helps students read effectively and also can be used as assessment or study tools.
• A Guide to Reading, Reading Checks, and a Summary in every chapter keep students on track as they learn to read for information and process what they’ve read.
• The extensive use of graphics, maps, and photography creates a visual/verbal approach that appeals to all your students.

Relevance is Part of Every Lesson

• TIME Notebooks allow students to step into the past, learning about everyday life in various periods and the “hot topics” of different eras.
• What Life Was Like and Hands-On History fully engage students in learning and give them an understanding of parallels between earlier generations and their own.

National Geographic Brings its Unequalled Expertise to Every Page

• Brand-new, colorful, easy-to-read maps help students understand the where and why of history.
• Geography and History features show students how geography and events intertwine to create the history of a location or nation.

Continual Practice in Social Studies Skills

• The program emphasizes skill development—from reading maps to analyzing primary and secondary sources to exploring the connections between history and geography, economics, government, citizenship, and current events.

Abundant Opportunities for Students to Demonstrate Proficiency

• The Princeton Review Standardized Test Practice provides systematic, ongoing test preparation. As your students learn, they are simultaneously preparing to demonstrate their knowledge of American history in standardized test formats.