Book Description

COURAGE WEARS MANY FACES

The Civil War may be over, but for twelve-year-old Will Page, the pain and bitterness haven't ended. How could they have, when the Yankees were responsible for the deaths of everyone in his entire immediate family?

And now Will has to leave his comfortable home in the Shenandoah Valley and live with relatives he has never met, people struggling to eke out a living on their farm in the war-torn Virginia Piedmont. But the worst of it is that Will's uncle Jed had refused to fight for the Confederacy.

At first, Will regards his uncle as a traitor -- or at least a coward. But as they work side by side, Will begins to respect the man. And when he sees his uncle stand up for what he believes in, Will realizes that he must rethink his definition of honor and courage. ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Shades of the Civil War
Shades of Gray by Carolyn Reder is a wonderful book of learning how to respect people. Will's family has died. His mother died of a sickness, as did his sisters. His brother and father died in war. He moves in with the closet relatives he has, his Aunt and Uncle Jed. Will doesn't respect his uncle because he wasn't in the Confederate Army, but he wasn't in the Union Army either. Will thinks of his uncle as a traitor and doesn't want anything to do with him. As time goes by, Will learns that just because you weren't in the war, doesn't mean you aren't brave.

good book for boys or girls
Shades of Grey is an excellent book. It is about a boy whose dad and his brothers go to fight in the war and end up getting killed. Also his sisters died because of malnutrition and his mom died of depression. So Will had to go live with his aunt. But he doesn't want to because his uncle refused to fight in the war. One element that I noticed a lot was flashback. Will kept remembering how his life was so different when he lived in Winchester.

Shades Of Gray
When Uncle Jed glanced up, Will reddened guiltily and stepped inside the toolshed to look for a hoe. Since he had often watched Fred tend their small garden while he listened to the tales and fables the old slave loved to tell, he didn't think he'd have any trouble working around the roots of the plants and chopping out the weeds.
In Carlyn Reeder's novel Shades of Gray, Will, a boy around twelve years old, is left with his Uncle Jed, his Aunt Ela, and his cousin Meg. This is the only family Will has left because his father and Charlie were killed by the Yankees and his mother and sisters died of a disease. There, Will must learn how life is as a country man with no slaves and must except the fact that his Uncle had refused to fight for the Confederacy.
This book would be great for people that live in a rural area. This is because Will has to learn to live the life of a farmer. After the Civil War ended, Will had left to go to his new house, he later received a letter and must decide if he wants to stay with his Uncle or live with a man named Doctor Martin.

Excellent Historical Fiction for Civil War in Virginia
I feel this book is great for fifth graders or fourth graders in Virginia who are studying the Civil War and Reconstruction in Virginia. Life during this period and the feelings of Virginians from many different biewpoints are represented in this great novel. My students thoroughly enjoyed this book as we discussed the history and life during this period in Virginia as we read it together. Characterization is great! By reading it together and discussing the events, the book came alive for my students.

Where Will William Go, to Hold in Civil War Grief?
An ALA Notable Book: I disagree completely!

"I don't want to go!" Screams William.
William's whole family died in the Civil War and he is now
being shipped off by his friend, Doc Martin to his Uncle Jed
and Aunt Ella's in Piedmont, Virginia. Some sympathy at first
but then William reveals his ungrateful self. The sympathy
wears off.
William is ashamed that his Uncle Jed didn't fight for
the Confederates in the War. As the book lingers on, William starts to loosen up to his gracious relatives' hospitality. He becomes friendly with his cousin, Meg, who our author neglected for the first three chapters. He fished for Bluegills by the lighthouse with her. He also read Charles Dickens to Beth and Eleanor, who suddenly appear towards the end.
Then William gets a letter from his friend, Doc Martin, asking him if he wanted to come back home, the next three to five chapters are dedicated to William trying to decide where to go, when just a few pages back, he was furious about coming to see his Uncle and Aunt in the first place! Confusing.
In conclusion, the idea for the story was all right, but
Reeder didn't present it well. This history topic isn't something most children would be interested in.

6th Grade Student from OHES ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (22)

NOT JUST FOR YOUNG ADULTS--FOR ANYONE WHO LOVES A GREAT READ
I finished A Northern Light in a weekend; what a pleasure! I don't fit the intended young adult demographic, but I've always had an interest in children's and young adult literature as a result of my many careers.

Ms. Donnelly brilliantly captures the boom era of the 1900s New York Adirondack Mountain region. The story of Mattie Gokey, a young woman coming of age and struggling with difficult life choices, is a familiar story to most female readers. Her determination to become a writer reminded me of my own career aspirations. I found myself holding my breath and sighing with relief when Maddie finally decided her fate.

A Northern Light will stir passion, and even raise ire, among the young women who are fortunate to discover this beautiful book. Many readers will recognize themselves in Mattie, her teacher, Miss Wilcox, or even Weaver, her friend and fellow wordsmith. Most importantly, A Northern Light can be appreciated by readers of all ages, not just young adults, who appreciate great writing. A truly enjoyable read; I hope there's a sequel on the way.

Also recommended: The Lightkeeper's Daughter, Witch Child

An Historical Fiction Masterpiece
This is one of those books where about a third of the way through, you anxiously thumb the remaining pages, knowing that despite your best efforts to savor it, the book will be over all too soon. When A NORTHERN LIGHT falls open, you,the reader, will fall in. Descriptions of this book by previous reviewers, while excellent and accurate, still do not prepare you for the sheer delight and pleasure of reading this story. While it has been classified as a Young Adult novel, as it does contain some language and situations, every word is absolutely true to the character who is speaking or being spoken of. I urge every teenage girl to read this, then pass it on to her mother, all of her girlfriends, aunts, a favorite teacher--in short, anyone who has a love of words, of learning, of mysteries, and a belief in the power of young women. A NORTHERN LIGHT is a most extraordinary book. Don't miss it!

A great book! i couldn't put it down!
I found this book at the school library's new book shelf, i decided to read it and i was so glad that i did. This is about a girl living with her family and how she solves her problems and deals with the people she meets. After reading this book, I thought about life and people differently. I would recommend this book to people 12 years or older because it deals with some issues that may be....yea you get the idea. Overall, this is a great book. After reading this book, I also read other books by Jennifer Donnelly, they were also very good, but i felt this one was the best!

Not only for young adults...
I read this book after reading Jennifer Donnelly's novel "The Tea Rose"(which I loved). I enjoyed the characters and the their voices, but I especially loved the focus on words and the power that they have to change a life. I found myself aching for Mattie and her longings to stretch into the wider world.
Some of the scenes were quite graphic, so it would not be appopriate for some younger readers. "A Northern Light" is among the best young adult books I have ever read.

Great Book-Not for Kids
I think this book is wonderful. I read it three times because it is so delightfully delightful. However, kids should'nt read it. It has some inapropriate stuff in it. Anyone else interested in books should read it. ... Read more

Book Description

DESCRIPTION: A gripping YA fiction debut by bestselling author Walter Mosley. Walter Mosley is one of the best known writers in America. In his first book for young adults, Mosley deftly weaves historical and speculative fiction into a powerful narrative about the nature of freedom. 47 is a young slave boy living under the watchful eye of a brutal slave master. His life seems doomed until he meets a mysterious run-away slave, Tall John. Then 47 finds himself swept up in a struggle for his own liberation. ... Read more

Book Description

Hannah thinks tonight’s Passover Seder will be the same as always. Little does she knowthat this year she will be mysteriously transported into the past where only she knows thehorrors that await. ... Read more

Reviews (187)

The Devil's Arithmetic
The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen in my opinion was a good novel to help others remember the Holocaust and the tragic events that occurred. Jane Yolen strived make the concentration camps seem real to the reader throughout the novel. This is a story of a Jewish 12 year old girl named Hannah Stern who has always questioned why we should remember what has happened in the past. During the Passover Seder, as Hannah pours the wine, she is suddenly in 1940 in a small village in Poland. Hannah, as well as her family and friends are taken away to a concentration camp where conditions are appalling. Hannah is forced to realize and understand what her ancestors went through, and realizes that we should remember for their sake. Chaya, Hannah's Polish name, is willing to risk her life for her friends and wonders is she will ever again see her family, and through Yolen's descriptive writing style, the reader is able to imagine themselves in the book as another character and feel the pain that Chaya feels. Jane Yolen has created a book that forces us to remember the hardships that were placed upon the Jews by the Nazis during the Holocaust, and is a must-read.

You'll never forget it
This is Schindler's List for children, a chilling account of the Holocaust from the point of view of a young girl. Yolen skimps on few details, and you can tell that her story comes straight from the heart.

Hannah, a modern Jewish girl, is irritated by the Passover Seder and the "remembering" of the Holocaust, which some of her relatives lived through. But when she opens the door for Elijah, she is transported through time and space to a village in Poland.

Soon the Nazis arrive, and Hannah (called "Chaya" by everyone in this new time) must both try to survive and to keep her friends alive in the deathcamps.

I tried very, very hard to summarize this story, but the spiritual and emotional tones are simply impossible to talk about. This is an intense book, the descriptions of it simply can't express the greatness of this plot.

A haunting tale of life, death, memory and sorrow. Even though this is a children's book, it may be disturbing for younger readers--you might want to talk to your children about it afterward.

The Devil's Arithmetic: A Holocaust Story
By: Jane Yolen

This is a novel about the Jewish experience in concentration camps. There is a spoiled young girl by the name of Hannah. She hates her family's Seder meal, but when she goes to open the door for the prophet Elijah, she gets transported back in time to the year if World War II. Gitl and Shmuel are calling her Chaya instead of her real name. At Shmuel's wedding, the Germans come and take them away to concentration camps where they are starved, humiliated, and periodically killed. What will be Hannah's fate? Will she ever return to her normal life?
I genuinely enjoyed this book. I loved the plot, and the ending was magnificent. I liked how courageous Hannah was. She was a true hero to me even though she was only there in the pages of the book.
Right off the bat, the plot and storyline are some of the book's many strengths. Another good thing that Yolen gives you is the plain knowledge and facts about concentration camps. She tells about the different types of labor and the horrible conditions of the concentration camps. After reading this book, I had a whole other view of the insanities and inhuman conditions of the Nazis. I can really connect that to my life and appreciate every single thing I have, including time on this Earth.
My favorite part was during a scene with the midden:

"When they got to the midden, they skinned out of their clothes and dove naked into the dump."

I enjoyed this excerpt because it was funny how Hannah just stood there and watched. She was a true first-timer!
I think that the thing that the author would like me to take away from this book is just plainly the story of the Holocaust. She wants people to read her book and remember. Of course she wanted to tell a great story of survival and courage, but she only wants us to take away from this the story and knowledge of the Jewish experience.
This is one of the most memorable books I have ever read because of the fact that it was entertaining but still informing. The word choice that the author used really brought out clear pictures in my mind. The image was very powerful. You could not read this book and not be changed. It didn't have to be a big change. Only the way you look at your shoes. It is a meaningful book.
I recommend this book to people who really want to take something away from what they read and who care about their history. This book's theme is; if you don't appreciate what you have now, history has a way of showing itself to you! The evidence is the way Hannah was brought back in time. She was so changed by her experience and learned to appreciate life and what she had.

The Devil's Arithmetic
The Devil's Arithmetic is about a girl who is tired of remembering Passover meals. When she is asked to open the door for Elijah and is transported to the past in the year 1942. Her name in the real world is Hannah and then Chaya in her 'dream' and finally J197241 is her name. She is then taken to a concentration camp were she battles to remember lessons in school about the Holocaust. But no one believes her and she has to face work, deaths and escape.

The Devil's Arithmetic is a very interesting book. It has interesting characters that have interesting personalities. You can really learn a lot about the death camps and how the people inside dealt with it. It is really sad because Hannah knows what is going to happen to them but the people don't believe or listen to her. This causes Hannah to lose her mind and forget all about her normal life and any thing that has happened before her life in the death camp. It becomes every emotional for her and she becomes very doubtful in her self which causes it to be a sad book.

But there are some happy moments inside the camp. Like the fact that whenever the Commander came to inspect he camp, the Jewish people would make a sound that tells the children to hide, because children were not aloud to be in the camp. You also learn different codenames the Jewish people used in the camps. They also keep their hope up by reminding themselves about who they are by learning what their 'number' really means. There is also a happy part when Hannah makes friends with Rivka who really helps her survive.

But the book did have some downfall to it. I thought it ended very abruptly with no explanation. Also, if you wanted a book that explains the work in the camps, don't get this book. It doesn't have that good of an explanation of their work in the camp. In the beginning, she has a very good family but doesn't give that much information on them, which I was hoping for.

It was a very fun book that showed how friendship helped her survive.
It was because of her friendship with Rivka that she was able to survive so long. This was because Rivka knew what was happening faster then she could figure it out, so Rivka was able to help her in many ways. She also had a deep friendship with her aunt, considering that they didn't know each other that well. So I think the theme is 'friendship can help you survive in the toughest parts of life'.

My favorite part of the book is when Hannah finds faith in herself by making the numbers on her stand for something. This really is a good part because she begins to have faith in herself, which is really important for survival sake. Her number, J197241, means J for Jew, 1 for alone, 9 for 'no' she will no die, 7 for the 7 days a week that she survives, 2 for 2 family members in her 'dream', 4 for 4 family members in her old family, and 1 for again, that she was alone.

Overall this book was very interesting and kept you hanging on at some points. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in life as a Jewish person in World War II.

Excellent Holocaust Tale
Twelve year-old Hannah has always been impatient and embarrassed by her Jewish heritage and traditions of remembering. During the Passover Seder, the jaded Hannah is transported back to 1942 Poland when she opens the door for the prophet Elijah. She experiences life as Chaya, a young woman who is rounded up with the rest of her family and village and sent to a Nazi work camp. There she meets Rivka (one of her aunts who survived the camp), who teaches her how to survive the dehumanizing conditions in the camp. A gripping portrayal of life in the Nazi death camps. ... Read more

Book Description

The set includes: Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, Farmer Boy, On the Banks of Plum Creek, By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, and The First Four Years.

Little House in the Big Woods

Wolves and panthers and bears roam the deep Wisconsin woods in the late 1870's. In those same woods, Laura lives with Pa and Ma, and her sisters, Mary and Baby Carrie, in a snug little house built of logs. Pa hunts and traps. Ma makes her own cheese and butter. All night long, the wind howls lonesomely, but Pa plays the fiddle and sings, keeping the family safe and cozy.

Little House on the Prairie

Pa Ingalls decides to sell the little log house, and the family sets out for Indian country! They travel from Wisconsin to Kansas, and there, finally, Pa builds their little house on the prairie. Sometimes farm life is difficult, even dangerous, but Laura and her family are kept busy and are happy with the promise of their new life on the prairie.

Farmer Boy

While Laura Ingalls grows up in a little house on the western prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Almanzo and his brother and sisters work at their chores from dawn to supper most days -- no matter what the weather. There is still time for fun, though, especially with the horses, which Almanzo loves more than anything.

On the Banks of Plum Creek

Laura's family's first home in Minnesota is made of sod, but Pa builds a clean new house made of sawed lumber beside Plum Creek. The money for materials will come from their first wheat crop. Then, just before the wheat is ready to harvest, a strange glittering cloud fills the sky, blocking out the sun. Soon millions of grasshoppers cover the field and everything on the farm. In a week's time, there is no wheat crop left at all.

By the Shores of Silver Lake

Pa Ingalls heads west to the unsettled wilderness of the Dakota Territory. When Ma, Mary, Laura, Carrie, and baby Grace join him, they become the first settlers in the town of De Smet. And Pa begins work on the first building in what will soon be a brand-new town on the shores of Silver Lake.

The Long Winter

The first terrible storm comes to the barren prairie in October. Then it snows almost without stopping until April. Snow has reached the rooftops, and no trains can get through with food or coal. The people of De Smet are starving, including Laura's family, who wonder how they're going to make it through this terrible winter. It is young Almanzo Wilder who finally understands what needs to be done. He must save the town, even if it means risking his own life.

Little Town on the Prairie

The long winter is over. With spring come socials, parties, and "Literaries." There is also work to be done. Laura spends many hours each day sewing shirts to help send Mary to a college for the blind. But in the evenings, Laura makes time for a new caller, Almanzo Wilder.

These Happy Golden Years

Laura is teaching school, and it's terrifying! Most of the students are taller than she is, and she must sleep away from home for the first time. Laura is miserable, but the money is needed to keep Mary in a college for the blind. And every Friday -- no matter what the weather -- Almanzo Wilder arrives to take Laura home to her family for the weekend. Laura and Almanzo are courting, and even though she's not yet sixteen, she knows that this is a time for new beginnings.

The First Four Years

Laura and Almanzo Wilder have just been married! Their life on a small prairie homestead begins with high hopes. But each year seems to bring unexpected disasters -- storms, sickness, fire, and unpaid debts. These first four years call for courage, strength, and a great deal of determination. Always, though, there is love, especially for the newest member of the family -- baby Rose.

Reviews (70)

Real Live History- Without Boring Nonsense
I love the Little House Books. I have read every one of them at least 5 times. They never get boring. The Litttle House Books are Non-Fiction- They are the best history books about the pioneer days. I am currently reading Farmer Boy, which is about Almanzo- Laura's future hustband. I just finished reading Little House on the Prairie to my kids- they loved it. They are asking questions about the pioneer days. If you want to get someone intrested in history start them on the little house books. Little House books are worth so much. I also like them because it is easier for children to understand history from another child's point of view. I hope every one reads the Little House books and learn about pioneer days in a fun and exciting way.

Before there was Harry Potter ...
If memory serves me correctly, I discovered Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books around the age of seven. I do remember being the envy of my third-grade classmates when I received the entire boxed set AND "On The Way Home" for Christmas. Of course, newer generations only know Laura from the TV series, which, as an earlier reviewer remarked, was the epitome of schmalzy, rose-glassed views of pioneer life, but interestingly enough included some real incidents Laura never put in the books (the death of the baby brother and living in the hotel). The books, however, still stand the test of time. True, some of the harsher elements of frontier life are glossed over to an extent--these are books aimed at kids, after all--but overall the books are an fascinating study of life on the prairie in the post-Civil War years. Much like Harry Potter, the Little House books can be read and enjoyed by adults. My only quibble with the books is that I've always felt that there should have been another book between "On The Banks of Plum Creek" and "On The Shores of Silver Lake," since there's a jump of about five years between the two. According to some of Laura's biographers, however, Laura's family had some rough experiences during that time, so that might explain the lack.

Still, there's a reason these books are classics--the descriptions are top-notch, they're moralistic without smacking you over the head, and they're just plain fun to read. I still have the boxed set (not the same one I got for Christmas, alas), and on snowy days in my own little house I find myself curled up in front of the fire with "Farmer Boy" or "These Happy Golden Years." Enjoy!

Definately worth 25$
I first read these books when I was in first grade. Since then, my copies have disintegrated because they've been read so often. As an English teacher, I'm online right now looking for a new set to use in the classroom. Of course, at 23, I still plan on reading them again myself first. This set is amazing - it combines history and great writing.

A Childhood Favorite of Mine Too!
When I was a little girl in the 1970's I was a big fan of the Little House on The Prairie TV show and I was very happy when one Christmas, probably either 1974 or 1975 I received a boxset of the Little House book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder and I loved the books. I still have my books but no longer have the box they came in and the books have gotten a lot of wear and tear from many people reading them such as myself and with them being borrowed many times over the years by friends, cousins, my niece, etc but that just proves how well loved these books are. The set has 9 books which are all outstanding and are the true life stories and adventures of the real Ingalls family and written by Laura who wrote about her family, what life was like back in the mid to late 1800's etc and the books are Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, On The Banks of Plum Creek, By The Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years which introduces Laura Ingall's husband to be, Almanzo Wilder, The First Four Years which details Laura and Almanzo's married life and their daughter Rose plus there is also Farmer boy. Most of the books detail The Ingall's family from their life in their homestate of Wisconsin to their journeys to Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota and finally The Dakota Territory which is where Laura met Almanzo but there is also the book Farmer Boy which Laura wrote about Almanzo's account of his childhood on a farm in New York state. These books are great and I highly recommend them to people of all ages, but I especially recommend buying the boxset!

A childhood favorite!
Heroines: varied

Travel westward in a covered wagon with the Ingalls family and experience the joys of family reunions, the daily drudgery of feeding chickens and milking cows, and the terror of tornadoes, sudden blizzards which dump yards of snow around you, and "wild" Indians who appear at your doorstep.

What worked for me:

These books just thrilled me as a child and they thrill me still as I read them aloud to my own children now. I love watching their fascination at what a struggle it was to survive in the rugged American wilderness, and can't help but smile as they absorb their first history lesson in such a painless fashion.

Size-wise Laura Ingalls was described as being round like a French pony, but she really longed to be willowy with golden curls like her older sister Mary. From the very first book we hear how five year old Laura was so disappointed with her appearance and see how she always measured herself against her sister's paler beauty.

What didn't work for me:

The only disappointment I have had with this series is that the final book is so short and lacks the warmth of the earlier novels, probably because Mrs. Wilder passed away before it was rewritten.

Overall:

Fans of historical and juvenile literature should enjoy these books. (And fans of romance should enjoy the later books when Laura meets her husband.)

Note: The series was the basis of the popular television show, "Little House on the Prairie".

Warning: The story is sweet and easygoing, but also deals with the harsh realities of life in that era. It is less than "PC" at times because it accurately depicts the general attitude towards native Americans in those days. If you are planning to read this to a youngster, be prepared for possible questions on these matters.

If you liked the "Little House" series you might also enjoy the "Anne of Green Gables" series. ... Read more

Book Description

Each summer over the nine years of the Depression, Joey and his sister, Mary Alice-two city slickers from Chicago-make their annual summer visit to Grandma Dowdel's seemingly sleepy Illinois town. Soon enough, they find that it's far from sleepy... and Grandma is far from your typical grandmother. From seeing their first corpse (and he isn't resting easy) to helping Grandma trespass, pinch property, catch the sheriff in his underwear, and feed the hungry-all in one day-Joey and Mary Alice have nine summers they'll never forget. Richard Peck's laugh-out-loud funny, episodic novel makes sure that you never will, either!



The 1999 Newbery Honor Book-"A small masterpiece of storytelling." -The Horn Book

Reviews for A Long Way from Chicago:

"Peck deftly captures the feel of the times...Remarkable and fine." -Kirkus Reviews, pointer review

"Warmly nostalogic, beautifully written, and full of thought-provoking interpersonal relatinships." -Children's Literature

"A rollicking celebration...Perfect for reading aloud and a great choice for family sharing." -School Library Journal, starred review

Awards for A Long Way from Chicago:

( The 1999 Newbery Honor Book
( A 1998 National Book Award Finalist
( An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
( A Riverbank Review 1999 Book of Distinction ... Read more

Reviews (98)

A One Woman Crime Wave
It seems that GrandMa Dowdel lives in her own little world. She apparently disdains contact with her neighbors and thinks them all to be 'horse's patooties'. Once you get to know her better, you learn that her worst enemy may in fact be her best friend. The way she cons and browbeats the town banker into coughing back up the house recently foreclosed upon, free and clear, well it must be read to be enjoyed fully. Each chapter, a week the kids are 'dumped on Gandma so Mom & Dad can go fishing', reveals another action packed adventure in the constantly turning mischief mill that is Grandma Dowdel's mind. I was given this book by my ten year old son after he finished it in record time, and I knocked it off in just one day. I cried at the end, as the boy, now a man heading off to war is on the troop train. He telegrammed his Depression-era Grandmother he would merely pass through without stopping, and after many delays, is treated to a heart warming experience I'll let author Richard Peck handle in his inimitable style.

"Everybody's private business is public property."
What a fun read! Peck presents 8 short tales which span several summers in rural Illinois during the Depression, when two kids make annual visits to their eccentric Grandmother. Narrated by the boy (two years old than his sister), these outrageous yarns create a wonderful atmosphere of wacky individualism and family bonding.

It would be hard to find a literary granny as feisty, resourceful and fearless of authority as Grandma. Things are never dull when she stirs her stumps to create a mild uproar in that pompous little town. Her nefarious schemes range from a one-woman crime wave to appointing herself Champion of the helpless and downtrodden. Don't get on the wrong side of Mrs. Dowdel--if you value your reputation or your hide! Grandma remains undaunted and unflappable through bizarre but comical events. Peck's tongue-in cheek humor will bring many a chuckle as you are drawn into her slightly-shady activities. This book will delight kids of all ages--a winner, perfect for summer reading!

Richard Peck is a genius!
I am a big fan of Mr. Peck's writing. He has a way with words that makes him seem like he is fourteen right now, which in reality, he isn't. Now that's talent.

The story is about Joey and Mary Alice Dowdel, two kids from Chicago who never have left the city until one summer in 1929. They go for one week to their Grandmother Dowdel's in Cerro Gordo, Illinois. (Which, funnily enough, is just outside Mr. Peck's hometown of Decatur). Strange things happen there, including a mouse in a milk bottle, and living corpses. The story follows them for six years, and then goes to an epilouge of what happens to Joey.

This was my first book I read that was from Richard Peck, and I am glad I read it. He has a gift for writing. I recomend the sequel to the book, A Year Down Yonder.

Independent Reading Review
Dear Amazon,

The book, A Long Way from Chicago, by Richard Peck, is a fantastic novel for people that just want to have fun reading.The three main characters, Grandma Dowdel, Mary-Alice, and Joey each have their own virtues that stick out in my mind. Grandma's stretching of the truth makes her two grandchildren doubt how safe they really are with her. When a local gets killed many townspeople tell of old time stories of how "Shotgun Cheatham" god his name. Grandma Dowdel wants to settle the mystery of this man and let him rest in peace so she dicides to hold a wake at her house. During this time some wild things occur which could drive any reader to keep turning this books pages. The target audience for this book is more for young teens and kids to read, becuase the way the characters act in certain positions they are put in. I would recommend this novel, I definitely enjoyed it!

A Long Way From Chicago
When I first saw the cover of A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck, I thought that this was going to be an easy book to read. Somebody recommended this book to me and this book was not only easy to read, it was terrific. It takes place during the 1930s. Every summer two grandchildren, Joey and Mary-Alice visit their grandma. Joey thinks he is getting more and more mature, at least that's what he thinks, because in one summer when he turned 13, he said to his grandma, "Please call me Joe, grandma. I am not a kid anymore." Mary-Alice is more of a quiet girl and likes to read books and likes to jump rope. Grandma is a very unique type of grandma. She rides in biplanes, wrestles snakes, shoots guns, tells whites lies, sometimes, and so much more. It seems like grandma is very active and she can't seem to slow down. Richard Peck did a great job on this book and it is great literature to read. This is just a funny book and you will get a few laughs out of this book while you are reading it. It gets sad at the end, but overall I give this book 4 out of 5 stars becuase it is the type of reading that I like to read. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Great book for a young history buff
I read this book to my 6 year old who is interested in the Revolutionary war. It was hard to find a book to tell about this period of time that was fitting for a 6 year old child. He was on the edge of his seat though most of the story and begged me to read "just one more page"

It is written in journal form so you learn about the people he meets and everything that happens first hand. At the end it tells you what happened to each person from the story...the part my son found most interesting.

Great first book in the My Name is America series.
This book, the first in the My Name is America series, was very good. It is the journal of William, a twelve year old orphan working at a tavern in Boston in 1774. Will joins the cause of the Patriots who want to break free from British rule. I highly reccomend this book.

Don't read it!
It wasn't very good in my opinion. It is about a 12 year old boy in 1774. His parents die and he runs away to Boston and lives with Mr. Wilson. He becomes a patriot messenger and helps find things out about the British.

Super Mega Ultra Krunk Review
I thought this was a very good book, because of how it tells about the revolutionary war in a young boys perspective. He becomes a spy and has to do a secret mission for a man who picked him up on the side of the road. My family has never been struck by lighnting,but I have been picked up on the side of the road.

A True Patriot
The Journal of William Thomas Emerson is a story of a 12-year-old orphan boy. He makes friends in Boston, Massachusetts after his family died in a tragic fire. He learns of the horrors of the war, that he never thought was true. He loses a friend or two in the struggle for American freedom and finds that he, himself is a patriot awaiting for liberty. He puts his life in danger to help a group of patriots find the American cause. When his friend Henry is in danger, he is a true friend and finds the one thing that is necessary for him to say goodbye. This historical fiction book is a great book, and I recommend that you buy it. ... Read more

Book Description

Anna has done something terrible. She has given me her journal to fill.
In Anna's journal the words walk across the page like bird prints in the mud. But it is hard for me. It is hard for me to find things to write about.

"It's your job now," Anna says as she hands Caleb her journals, asking him to continue writing the family story. But Sarah, Jacob, Anna, Caleb, and their new little sister, Cassie, have already formed a family, and Caleb fears there will be nothing left to write about. But that is before Cassie discovers a mysterious old man in the barn and everything changes. Everyone is excited about the arrival of a new family member -- except for Jacob, who holds a bitter grudge. Only the special love of Caleb, and the gift he offers, can help to mend the pain of the past.

Caleb's Story continues the saga begun by the Newbery Medal-winning Sarah, Plain And Tall and its sequel, Skylark, spinning a tale of love, forgiveness, and the ties that bind a family together.

Reviews (5)

Touching Story
Caleb's Story, the third of a series by Patricia MacLachlan, shows how a family can be brought closer together. Caleb, a teen coming of age, meets his grandpa who is sick. Taking place on the prairie this story show a struggle between generations. Read more to understand the struggles between the generations, and possibly solve some of your own.
Two good reasons you must read Caleb's Story are you could find more about grandpa, and find out more about Caleb and Cassie. You could see if their grandpa could make it or not. You could see if they started to get a long. Calob's Story is a MUST READ because you will learn about relationship. This book Calob's Story has a happy ending. You will love Calob's Story.
Patricia Maclachlan is a great writer. You will love her books. Patricia was a English teacher. She has a daughter who is helping her writer a book. She lives on the top of a mountain in Massachusetts. Calob's Story is the best book out of the series.

Sarah, Plain and Tall and Skylark Sequel is Heartwarming
Caleb's Story picks up where Skylark and Sarah, Plain and Tall leave off. For the countless readers who fell in love with Sarah as she learned to be a mother to Anna and Caleb, and a helpmeet for Jacob, this book is a wonderful addition. For the reader who lacks "Sarah background," Sarah comes from Maine to a prairie farm after responding to an ad placed by Jacob, who is looking for a woman to replace his recently deceased wife. While he is not necessarily looking for romance, Sarah and Jacob ultimately fall in love, and their next years as a family is chronicled in the sequel, Skylark.

In Caleb's Story, Anna leaves for town to help with victims of the influenza epidemic of 1918. A stranger is discovered in the barn, which turns out to be Jacob's estranged father, John. John wishes reconciliation with Jacob, who stubbornly continues to deny him the forgiveness he desires.

Journaling is a major theme in this book, making it a perfect companion to teaching the importance of recording events and feelings. Caleb picks up journaling for the family, a job which Anna had done until her departure. In trying to encourage Grandpa John to learn about the family he knew little of, Caleb offers the journals to him. Ultimately, in an extremely touching scene, Caleb presents Grandpa John his own journal, whereupon he learns that John never learned how to write.

What a touching story this is! A perfect read-aloud for the classroom (if the teacher can harden the heart enough not to cry!), students do not need to have a lot of background of the previous parts of the story. This reviewer found the characters believable; their reactions that John's arrival caused the family were extremely believable. MacLachlan's ability to convey emotions in an easy-to-understand way for intermediate readers makes this the perfect addition to any school or family library.

I'm not impressed
I'm not impressed with this book.

Sarah Plain and Tall is a near perfect novel in it's simplicity and depth but it is evident that MacLachlan spent neither the time nor the care to develop this story. I felt jipped with the cliches and predictable unfolding. This is definitely not her best writing.

Plus, the way the father Jacob is portrayed (an angry unforgiving man) takes away from his character in the first book .. shy, strong, deep and wise.

This book is a classic example of an author monopolizing on something good (Sarah Plain and Tall) knowing her fans will buy it. In the book "Caleb's Story" MacLachlan leaves herself plenty of loopholes so we know there will be more books.

I'm disappointed and kinda disgusted.

Caleb's Story by Patricia MacLachlan
As a third grade teacher, I am always on the lookout for good literature for student reading or teacher read alouds. My class and I read together the first two books in this trilogy and I used Caleb's Story as a read aloud which I shared with my principal. We loved this poignant story from its opening pages to its final pages. The old characters come to life once again while the surprising introduction of some new characters give great insight into family life. Everyone could relate to one or more of the characters, they are realistic. Lessons on cause and effect, character traits and goals, predicting, and problem solving were ongoing. Class discussions were wonderful as this tale presents much to talk about. The fact that this book is told in a different voice from the first two, is an interesting change. Caleb, who didn't want to take his sister's place as the family historian, eventually continues the saga in his own journal. My class is writing to the author requesting that she continue the stories using Jacob and the new characters to tie some pieces together. Many of my students are reading it again. It is a beautiful chapter book and appropriate to read when studying the early prairie years of our country.

Good third book in the series.
It's been years since Sarah came to the prairie to marry Anna and Caleb Whitting's father and to be a mother to the children. There's now a new member of the family, four-year-old Cassie. Anna has moved to town to finish school and take a job while her sweetheart fights in World War I in Europe and the influenza epidemic rages. One cold, snowy winter day, little Cassie discovers a strange man behind the barn, a man that turns out to be the father who abandoned Jacob Witting so long ago, when he himself was just a child. Although Sarah tries to help Jacob forgive his father, and Caleb and Cassie try to make their grandfather feel at home, it may take a tragedy to bring the family back together. Readers of the first two books will love this, the third book in the Witting family saga. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A fun book
I am a mother of two boys ages 3 and 4. We like this book. It has cute pictures and the rhyming is fun. It is a book full of questions and then answers the questions in ryhme. Silly and fun.

Yes, but they don't use soap!
What a great book! My 2 1/2 year old son loves the rhyming text, the fun pictures, and was particularly interested in what pirates dream of! Of course, parents must put on their salty drawl to make the book even more fun, Matey! A great addition to a child's book collection.

Pirates take baths when they smell very bad!
This bright and cheery book about pirates is hilarious. Bright and cheery describes a pirate's life? Yes, as you read how pirates work, if they have pets, and what they dream about plus the answer to many more questions you haven't thought of before. The illustrations are full of life and the rhyming descriptions are a lot of fun. "Do Pirates Have Birthdays? Of course they do--with presents and games and lots of soda pop. The cook makes a cake with doubloons inside and a skull-and-bones on top." Of course the cake is bright pink with a happy skull and bones on top. In the background pirates play pin-the-tail-on-the-whale and eat ice cream by the scoopful. Loads of fun! ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (32)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book Description

When her small hometown in Arkansas becomes the site of a camp housing German prisoners during World War II, 12-year-old Patty Bergen learns what it means to open her heart. Although she's Jewish, she begins to see a prison escapee, Anton, not as a Nazi--but as a lonely, frightened young man with feelings not unlike her own, who understands and appreciates her in a way her parents never will. And Patty is willing to risk losing family, friends--even her freedom--for what has quickly become the most important part of her life. Thoughtful, moving, and hard-hitting, Summer of My German Soldier has become a modern classic.

"Courageous and compelling!" --Publishers Weekly

"An exceptionally fine novel." --The New York Times

* A Puffin Novel
* 208 pages
* Ages 10-14

* A 1973 National Book Award Finalist
* An ALA Notable Book
* A New York Times Outstanding Book ofthe Year ... Read more

Reviews (161)

SUMMER OF MY GERMAN SOLDIER
The summer of my German soldier takes place in Arkansas, during WWII. The story is about a girl named Patty who feels that her parents are mean and cruel to her because they don't appreciate anything she does for them. The only person who she can find acceptance in is her housekeeper, Ruth. Patty's small town in Jekingsville, becomes the site of a POW camp for German soldiers, and one day the soldiers are allowed to visit her father's department store to purchase some hats. Patty, who was working that day, met one of the German soldiers named Anton Reiker. Soon after, Anton escaped from the prison camp and hid out at Patty's house in her abandoned attic. Later her family found out what Patty has been up to.
If one of the characters were to run into trouble it would be Patty. In the book Patty makes wrong choices that get her in alot of trouble. Knowing that she is Jewish she's not allowed to talk to any of the German soldiers that come to her hometown. She disobeys and does it anyway. she helps the German soldier that escaped from the prison camp. Later in the story the FBI catches up to what Patty has been up to. Her hometown then turns against her and calls her a trader and sees her as a bad person.
My favorite character in the story is Patty Bergen. But, if I were in her place I don't think I would have done the same thing she did by helping the German prisoner who escaped the campsite. For example, it's like me hiding out Bin Laddin in my attic. I could never turn my back on my country and help him. Patty is a twelve-year old brave girl who takes the risk of hiding out a German prisoner. Her parents always brush her off to the side. Patty feels left out in her family kind of like an outcast. I can kind of understand were Patty is coming from for her to help that German soldier. Since her mother or father doesn't pay any attention to her she feels like she needs someone to talk to or any one that has interest in her and would care about her. She obviously doesn't care who it is because she starts talking to a German prisoner and he's in his twenty's. The thing that I like about her is that she's a good-hearted person.
If I were to relate to any of the characters, I think it would be Patty. I had an experience kind of similar to what Patty went through. My parents always told my sisters and me we weren't allowed to have a boyfriend until we were eighteen-years old. I was the one who disobeyed my parents. When I was about thirteen-years old I had a boyfriend anyway. I would lie to my parents about where I was going or whom I was going with. After a while I felt guilty, and I felt like I had to confess. I waited to long to tell them and they ended up finding out. After that it took me a while to earn my trust back from them. So I think it's best for parents to be open with their children. Don't tell your kids you can't do this, you can't go there, or you can't hang out with a certain person because they don't like them. Later in life their parents will realize they should not tell their kids "no" just for the heck of it or just to be strict. I could see who was a bad person to hang out with, or a bad place to go.
I enjoyed reading this book, but it took me a couple of chapters to get into it. I had a favorite part and a least favorite part. My favorite part was when Patty met the German soldier at her father's department store and supplied him with a place to stay, clothes, and food. My least favorite part of the story was when Patty's father beat her because he didn't like her friend Freddy. I don't think children should get beaten by their parents, especially a young twelve-year old. I could see if it was a little kid getting disciplined, but spanked on the hand.
I think I would recommend this book for someone else to read. It's a good book. The kind of person I recommend to read this book is a girl or boy who enjoys reading romantic stories.

A Kid's book Adults Can Appreciate
I love this book for many reasons. First, because it is so politically incorrect, in its depiction of the unlikely alliance between a misfit Jewish girl and a rather naive German prisoner of war in the small minded setting of WWII era American rural south.

This book was published in 1973, and written by a Jewish woman who was the same age as the protogonist, Patty Bergen, during WW II and who likewise grew up in a rural Arkansas town. My guess is that it wouldn't even be published today -- the very idea of giving a German the benefit of the doubt is now taboo, in the aftermath of Daniel Goldhagen and his book, Hitler's Willing Executioners, in which he has supposedly proved, once and for all, that all Germans are evil, and equally responsible for the Holocost.

Yes, it is shocking that Patty felt so abused by her Jewish parents that she sided with a German. Unfortunately, that's how people sometimes behave in real life. That's why this book transcends the genre of young adult novels -- all the major characters are deeply flawed, from Patty, who should know better than to committ treason, to Anton, who should have sat tight, seeing as he was being treated just fine by the Yanks, to her self-centered and I'm afraid all too typical parents. We see that being a member of a beleagured minority group (Jews) doesn't make Patty's parents saints. They are as class conscious as any of their redneck neighbors.

This book, if published today, would probably be attacked for being antisemitic, simply because some of the Jewish characters aren't perfect. (Her grandparents, by the way, provide a contrast of warmth and fairness.)

This book provides no panaceas at the end, when the heroine is still far from in the clear. It is a morally challenging book that surprised me at every turn with its realism and fearlessness.

In a way I have more respect for it than I do for To Kill A Mockingbird, which other reviewers here compared it to. That book itself has become a predictable cliche, much imitated, of moral right and wrong -- of course white people are always wrong, and black prisoners innocent victims. Greene's book, on the other hand complicates the simplistic liberal equation.

A breath of fresh air in an era of PC censorship.

A review for parents
This book was on a list of recommended summer reading for my daughter. I was disturbed by the two sentence synopsis on the list and decided to purchase and read it myself to find out if the school to which I pay a princely sum every year, was indeed recommending a book with such a poor moral foundation. What I found out was that not only was the two-sentence synoposis accurate, the book was worse than described. (To get a plot summary look at some of the other reviews--I won't waste space with that here.)

Nowhere in this book is there an acknowledgment that POWs--regardless of what their personal political stands may be--belong in POW camps until the end of hostilities. The heroine of this story is in fact championed for protecting an escaping POW. There had been no build up suggesting that conditions at the camp were subhuman, etc. No, he just didn't want to be there. He wasn't a Nazi, he was misunderstood, a product of his historical circumstance, etc.

Our heroine's eventual punishment is presented as the result of an unfortunate legally-required minimum, not as an appropriate punishment for her actions. She is now the victim of a legal system that can't acknowledge her personal circumstances--her evil father and mother who through their lack of love drove her to want to help the German soldier.

The fact is, our heroine's "protection" of the soldier is an indirect cause of his eventual death, something which never even seems to occur to the heroine--or to anyone else for that matter. It is odd that after portraying the soldier as having such great personal potential and goodness that he should be protected from internment at a POW camp, the author does nothing to suggest at his death that his life had any value beyond his relationship with our heroine. Even there his memory serves as nothing more than a foundation for her daydreams. And her daydreaming is not about his life cut short, it's about her playing the role of sympathetic visitor to his grieving mother in Germany!

Not only does this story present extremely poor choices by a 12-year-old as praiseworthy, it never questions a relationship between a 12-year-old girl and a 19-year-old man, and it romanticizes death--a very unfortunate theme among much of what passes for award-worthy modern children's literature.

Finally, all of the characters are completely one-dimensional. The heroine's parents are evil without explanation, the German soldier is a perfect gentleman, the townspeople are hysterical bigots, the heroine's black maid is wise and the only source of love for the heroine.

With all the great literature out there, why do we have our children read this junk? What our children read is important and it is very disturbing that it appears from the other reviews that a great many schools seem to be using this book as part of a literature or history program. It is poor on all levels, poorly written, poor character and plot development, and poor moral lessons.

Book Review for Summer of My German Soldier
Summer of My German Soldier is about a young adolescent 12 year-old-girl named Patty who is Jewish. She falls in love with a Nazi soldier when she is at her father's shop. He asks her what kind of pencil sharpener he should buy. He falls in love with her. Her grandmother then takes her out on a fancy train ride, and buys her new clothes. Patty loves this outing because her parents do not really understand her at back at home. Anton then escaped from the prison after her train ride with her grandmother. She feeds him, in her garage, and takes care of him, only until she has to eventually tell Ruth. He then leaves her. She often sees him walking, and calls out, but he does not hear her. One day when he actually heard her, she went inside the house and stole tons of food all for him. Later that day, her father comes home and notices a ring on her finger. She said that it was from a nice man who wanted food, so she gave it to him. Since she was so nice he gave her the ring, when it was really from Anton. Her father, as usual, got really upset at this, and suspected that he did something to her. She swore nothing happened, but with his stubborn mind, whacked her across the forehead. Ruth pampered and watched over her. Since Ruth was talking Patty's side, Patty's dad fired Ruth. It was the first time that she had ever been fired. Near the end of the book Patty hears that Anton gets killed, and is devastated. The overall book was enjoyable, but some did not really make sense. For example, even though we knew that the father of Patti was moody, it really did not make sense for him to beat her at the times that he did. When he was in the garage, and his temper rising, he slapped her across the face asking her where she got the ring. Secondly, I thought that some parts were rather slow, and did not need to be there. I would rate this book four stars out of five because I enjoyed the story, but some parts of the book did not need to be there, and some parts were slow.

Summer of my German Soldier
I read Summer of My German Soldier recently. I enjoyed this book, but I also believe that it could possibly have been better. It is about Jewish girl, Patti, living in Arkansas during World War Two. A prison camp for Germans is opened near her town, and one day in her father's store she meets one named Anton. She instantly befriends him, and when he escapes the camp she shelters him in the garage. Eventually, after he leaves, he gets killed. I strongly feel that the idea of this story was very genius, but the book could have been better. A Jewish girl falling in love with a German soldier could have so many possibilities, but the story lacks any action or suspense. There were so many boring parts during that book it made me sick. Many parts were Patti just thinking about her love for Anton. Even Patti said at one point that she was bored. The story also didn't develop the characters very well. When Anton died, because of bad character development, it didn't have as much emotion as it could have. The part about her transitioning to jail was confusing as well. I do believe that these parts could have been much better in the story, and it could have also been made a splendid book. With better character development and a more clear and exciting plotline, this book definitely had potential, but failed. ... Read more

Book Description

Amazon.com

Every Robert Sabuda pop-up is a marvel, but America the Beautiful is singularly remarkable for its inspired interpretation of the classic American anthem. Each page presents a magnificent pop-up featuring a line from the first (and best known) verse of "America the Beautiful." Sabuda has included the song in its entirety, featuring mini pop-ups, in a small booklet on the final page. Beginning with the Golden Gate Bridge, and ending with a spectacularly regal Statue of Liberty, Sabuda's America the Beautiful is a lovely keepsake that also serves as a patriotic primer for teaching young ones about America. --Daphne Durham

Amazon.com's The Significant Seven
Master paper engineer Robert Sabuda answers the seven questions we ask every author.

Q: What book has had the most significant impact on your life?

A: Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel. I specifically remember feeling as if I'd become a grown-up reader because many of the pages did not have pictures.

Q: You are stranded on a desert island with only one book, one CD, and one DVD--what are they?

A: The Stand by Stephen King
Madonna's Greatest Hits
Strangers with Candy: Season One

Q: What is the worst lie you've ever told?

A: That I'd be finishing a book project on time.

Q: Describe the perfect writing environment.

A: I live in New York City, so anyplace that's quiet.

Q: If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?

A: "Robert Sabuda--Bookmaker."

Q: Who is the one person living or dead that you would like to have dinner with?

A: Benjamin Franklin

Q: If you could have one superpower what would it be?

A: Invisibility

... Read more

Book Description

Join the Binkertons, twins Josh and Emma and their little sister, Libby, as they return to the Good Times Travel Agency — and end up knee-deep in an ancient Chinese rice paddy!

Adventures in Ancient China is an engaging mix of adventure and historical information about life in China during first century A.D. Kids will learn about Chinese society, inventions, medicine, the Silk Road, the Great Wall, nomadic warriors and much more. They’ll love the book’s contemporary comic-book look, while parents, teachers and librarians will appreciate the well-researched story line and solid factual information. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

This book is a great book for us young girls
This book is great for us young girls because it talks about relationships with boys, and everything in that book helped me a lot! I think that it's great about telling really young girls about 9-12, about puberty etc.

3 and a half stars for a helpful book!
As a 12 year old just begging to think of boys in any romantic way, this book helped a lot with crushes, imtroducing yourself, dealing with friends who are jelous, ect, ect. Then, once you gte into a relashionship, there is a big question mark. I would still reccomend this book, but only for 11-13 year olds who havn't had a real relashionship yet.

A GIRLS GUIDE
THIS BOOK IS GREAT FOR US GIRLS CAUSE IT HELPSWITH MANY SIRUTIONS WERE ALWAYS IN. I LOVED THIS BOOK IT HELPED ME GET OUTY OF MANY SITUTIONS. ... Read more