Reviews (2)

Otto finds himself fighting the forces who would end magic
In Charlotte Haptie's Otto And The Flying Twins, humans have changed the magic world of the City of Trees and taken away its magic: magical folk must hide as a result. Otto has no magic in him and needn't worry; but when his twin sisters begin to fly, their family lives change. Suddenly Otto finds himself fighting the forces who would squelch magic in the world in this unusual story.

Insight
Charlotte Haptie brings you into a world of magic. This book tells of a heartwarming tale of an alternate universe, when humans and magicos lived together. This book will open your eyes to the wonders of magic, the strong bonds of friendship and the meaning of being a family ... Read more

Book Description

When Amelia is verbally assaulted in a racist incident, it affects her deeply. Her family, friends, and new boyfriend help heal her self-confidence - and restore her faith in other people. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

A Letter,
Dear Diary Readers, I just read the most increadible book! Amalia Diary 3 is officially my favorite California Diary book. I have noticed that in these books the charactures usually stick to the same many problems. Like Dawn with Carol, Sunny with her parents, Maggie with Anorexia and movie stars, Ducky with his friends, and Amalia with relationship problems. Amalia Diary 3 is not all about her relationship problems anymore. The writing on the pages takes a sudden twist and her ideals shatter to the ground. Something that will hurt and help her in different ways happens. So, puh-lease read this book. I loved it! Love,A Diary Reader

Triumphant
Amalia, Diary Three was one of the better California Diaries books. It's great that there's a series for teenagers which portrays more to life than little boy troubles and other pre-pubescent junk - but real angst and events that happen to us. All people, whether or not a survivor of a racist incident, can relate to being discriminated against - and this book can help you get through it. CD #14 was excellent, though I wish it had been a little longer. Go read! :)

Wonderfull!
This book demonstrates the horror of racism. And when you read it you get deeper and deeper into Amalia's thoughts. Don't pass this book up. I recommend this book for all ages, all races, and both male and female.

WOW
Ok So I have read so many books in my life and when I read this book. It was one of the best books I have ever read. I mean I was reading the reviews and some girl said it was for 10 year olds? Well I want to say that 10 year old girls do not get stalked. The book was great and talked a lot about real life situations. I mean getting stalked is not a good thing and it can be terrifying! So this book gets a 5 star rating for me, but DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT read it until you have read books 1-13 in order!

Waste Your Time If You Want To!
I read a different number of the California Diaries of Amalia. On the back of the book I read, it says: Sorry Nbook, I lied. But I couldn't help it. I was in no condition to write last night. I feel like I'm living in a nightmare that gets worse and worse the more I try to wake up. I am scared. Sounds like this person has a HUGE problem like she has some horrible disease or she's doing drugs but that is not the problem, she's being stalked. Okay... she's in the eighth grade and her life was just dull. Not what expected to be. I should give the author credit for putting some dramatic content in the book like violence but I need more other content. I've read better diaries. I recommend this book to six and seventh graders. I'm an eighth grader so I would give this book 2 stars. If you have a HUGE heart for people's everyday problems, this book is for you. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Hanging Onto Faith
"Viva, Heather" is a book that entertains while it educates about the Jewish faith. The reader is quickly drawn in by Heather's realistic feelings about her family and her faith. At the beginning of the book, Heather is embarrased by the visible signs of her faith as her family celebrates the Passover. All she can think about is the matzoh (unleavened bread/cracker) her peanut butter and jelly sandwich will be on for her school lunch. Heather is then morified when her grandmother invites her friends to the seder, and hopes that they won't accept. How will they understand the long stories and strange food?

Through the magic of the mirror, Heather dons a gypsy outfit and is transported to the Alhambra castle in Spain. She quickly finds herself on the run and hiding her Jewish faith. She, and other Jewish people, must escape Spain or face death because King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella want Spain to be unified in one Catholic faith. Faced with such an intense experience where she had to deny her faith while hanging onto it, Heather learns that there are plenty of reasons to be proud of who she is and where her family has come from. Sharing the seder with her friends becomes something more meaningful to her.

"Viva, Heather!" is my favorite book in the Magic Attic Club series because it tells the story of early persecution of the Jewish people in Spain at the beginning of the Inquisition. Based on information from a person who has interviewed the author, it is also the author's favorite book in the series because it is a part of her own family history. She has made this book something that children can relate to by adding the identifiable character of Christopher Columbus, which will anchor children to the place and time period. The author's expression of Judiasm and Heather's experience of it is something that children will also be able to identify with and find a positive feeling about. By the end of the story, Heather understands herself and her family traditions a lot better, and she gives the reader something valuable to ponder.

Viva, Heather!
I was thrilled to read this book to my daughter. Using a magic mirror fanatsy, it tells the story of a young Jewish girl as they were expelling the Jews from Spain, Thereby telling "Heather" the story of her ancestors. As a woman of Sephardic Jewish Heritage, this story was a pleasant surprise. It tells an story not only of Jewish history, but of the strength of a young girl. A great way for girls to see what they can be, either through fantasy or reality. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

El Pez Arco Iris Y La Ballena Azul
This book was very good and helped me to keep my spanish intact. I sometimes had troubles trying to understand what happened but I caught on. Este libro es muy bueno y es excelente por los ninos! El libro es muy comico y los picturas es muy bien! ... Read more

Book Description

This book is about Human Rights written, illustrated, and edited by Young People from all over the World. This ground-breaking title is a compliation of the Words of Children who express their Hopes and Fears About how we treat each other.This is a practical guidebook, including details of Organizations to join and ten tips for Human Rights action from Amnesty International. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Peace Child International Project celebrating Human Rights
"Stand Up for Your Rights" is a book written by and for children around the world from over 60 countries, who describe in their own words and pictures the importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 and sets forth the basic civil, economic, political, and social rights and freedoms of every person. This book divides the Declaration into two broad sections, the first dealing with legal and political issues, such as freedom and equality for all people, while the second relates to the daily quality of life of an individual. Within this context the book explores each of the 30 Articles, beginning with the language of the article made simple and then a mixture of historic and contemporary events with the words and drawings of the children and young people. It is the later that provides thought-provoking material, which should serve as an excellent starting point for class discussions. Certainly the topics touched upon within these pages will be easily relatable to what young students see on the nightly news. The book also includes the Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 1989. Comparing the difference in the rights of children versus those of "humans" should also prove interesting, especially as a way of defining the difference between children and adults. There is also a list of organizations and efforts, such as Amnesty International and Defense for Children International, which gives children an opportunity to do something about this issues besides just reading about them.

Great Introduction to Human Rights
Stand Up for Your Rights is a great intoduction to humanrights. Children will appreciate the detailed and well chosen artwork and the short passages contributed by children from around the world. The passages come in the form of poems, letters, interviews, and narratives. These passages are short and easily accesible to both children and adults. While the book does attempt to give a balanced view of human rights, some ethnocentric and unbalanced reporting did come through. In several cases the authors failed to explain the reasons behind human right violations. In this respect, Stand Up for Your Rights is a good resource manual for teachers and parents to go over with children, who can supplement the book with discussion or other resources. At the end of the book is a listing of organizations and ways for children to get involved with human right causes. In all, this is a gook book about human rights and I believe children will appreaciate it as well.

Great Learning Tool for Children and Adults
Stand up for Your Rights is a fascinating and informative book. Written by youth from around the world, this book puts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into terms that everyone can understand. Photographs, drawings by children, first-person narratives and explanatory paragraphs make this a very readable and eye-catching book. As an ESOL teacher with young students from around the world, I find this book to be unparalleled in offering a view of life that doesn't always make it into the daily news or the movies. I highly recommend this book for anyone of any age who wants to learn more about our world and its people. ... Read more

Book Description

When the Supreme Court decision to desegregate public schools was handed down in 1954, the course of American history was forever changed.Here are personal reflections, stories, and poems from ten of today's most accomplished writers for children, all young people themselves at the time of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Included are Michael Cart, Jean Craighead George, Eloise Greenfield, Lois Lowry, Katherine Paterson, Ishmael Reed, Jerry Spinelli, Quincy Troupe, Joyce Carol Thomas, and Leona Nicholas Welch. With a compelling introduction by editor Joyce Carol Thomas and stunning pastel artwork by Curtis E. James, this collection celebrates the hard-earned promise of equality in education. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Linda Brown, You Are Not Alone, Ed. Joyce Carol Thomas
One of the most moving and memorable reading experiences that your child will have is "Linda Brown, You Are Not Alone," edited by the celebrated children's author, Joyce Carol Thomas. Cover-to cover, from the commemorative opening of this volume of stories and the stirring introduction by Ms. Thomas, to the very last story, this is by far one of the best anthologies that has been written for young people. In Jerry Spinelli, Eloise Greenfield, Lois Lowry, Quincy Troupe, Katherine, Joyce Carol Thomas, Michael Cart, Ishmael Reed, Jean Craighead George, Leona Nicholas Welch, you will find some of the finest writing in a single volume.
Joyce Carol Thomas has managed to gather together this very fine ensemble of writers and asked them to remember where they were when the Brown vs. Board of Education decision was handed down by the Supreme Court. They have all written stories worth reading over and over again. A full range of emotions, are expressed in these pages-anger, despair, hope, humor, sadness. These writers speak very forthrightly about racism, segregation, and injustice. They speak candidly about their own fears, loss of innocence, and their own hope for the future. They speak about the work that we still have to do as a society to bring full equality to every person. They also speak about our miserable failure at doing so. This is one of the strongest aspects of this collection-that it never condescends to its intended audience. The editor and the writers rightfully expect that their young readers have the maturity and the intellectual capacity to be able to embrace the varied truths and emotions expressed in this book. A volume like this requires that kind of trust between writer and reader. And, this makes this book one of the very best that I have read.
Editor Thomas has brought together the right mix of writers, who with grace and clarity, provide a very unforgettable reading experience for our children. Ms. Thomas' own poem "Stormy Weather" is no exception. It is one of my favorites. And, last but not least, is the exquisite artwork of Curtis James! You'd have to look inside the book to really see how beautiful his work is!
Thank all of these writers and illustrator, Curtis James by buying "Linda Brown, You Are Not Alone." Read it to your children. Read it with them. It's a magnificent read for adults, too! It's required reading for all of us. ... Read more

Book Description

One morning eight-year-old Martin looks in the mirror and sees a stranger. Overnight, he has changed. His parents take him to one doctor after another, only to be told that there is nothing wrong with their son. At school his teacher asks, "What have we here, trick or treat?" His classmates will not play with him. At home his family tries to treat him as if he were the same child. But things now are different. Martin has grown very old in the space of one day. His world will never be the same again. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Childhood favorite
The book was abstract to me as a child, and it still holds for me the same feeling of fantasy and mystery. The Lost Lake was a fictional place I dreamt about as a child, and the illustrations of Allen Say were very different from what I was used to. It's a story I believe of a father and son, from what I remember. As a child I loved that book; that's all I can say.

Startling.
This story is startling.It does what Allen Say sets out todo, it alters you.No one writes about this stuff - age-ism -especially not in a children's book and through the powerful medium ofa hallucinatory/fantastic story sequence.It's definitely different and I almost want to say subversive.I wonder what children would think of it. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Review on The Basket Counts
The Basket Counts by Matt Christopher

Mel and his friends are on a good basketball team called the Titans. They live in a little town called Trixton.

I think the people that will like this book are people that like sports.

The Titans have won every game, until Mel, one of the best players on the team got into a fight with Caskie his own teammate, and Mel gets kick out of the game.

Do the Titans go to the playoffs without Mel and do the Titans go to the champion chip game? Well the world may never know unless you read the outstanding book!!
The Basket Counts by Matt Christopher

Mel and his friends are on a good basketball team called the Titans. They live in a little town called Trixton.

I think the people that will like this book are people that like sports.

The Titans have won every game, until Mel, one of the best players on the team got into a fight with Caskie his own teammate, and Mel gets kick out of the game.

Do the Titans go to the playoffs without Mel and do the Titans go to the champion chip game? Well the world may never know unless you read the outstanding book!!

(...)

Josh from Connecticut, April 15, 2000
If you like basketball or ever have had to deal with racism, you'll like this book. Mel Johnson moves to an all white neighborhood and school. He joins the school basketball team and most of the players won't even pass the ball to him because he is black. When one of the other players falls through the ice and Mel helps to save his life, things turn around. From that point on they start to play as a team and realize that no matter what color you are "The Basket Counts" This book is very easy to read...if you're like me and would rather be playing basketball than reading about it! ... Read more

Book Description

It’s 1959 in Benevolence, Florida, and life is as sweet as a Valencia orange for 15-year-old Dove Alderman. Whether she’s sipping cherry Cokes with her girlfriends and listening to the Everly Brothers, eating key lime pie made by her housekeeper, Delia, or cruising around town with the coolest boy in school in his silver-blue T-bird convertible, Dove’s days are as smooth and warm as the soft sand in her father’s orange groves.

But there’s trouble brewing among the local migrant workers. Mysterious fires have broken out, and rumors are spreading that disgruntled pickers are to blame. Suddenly, black and white become a muddy shade of gray, and whispers of the KKK drift through the Southern air like sighs. The Klan could never exist in a place like Benevolence, Dove tells herself. Or could it?


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Rosa Parks
This book is a great read for a young child...maybe K-2nd grade. It was good at laying out for the reader the life of Rosa Parks.

Next to Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks is remembered!
Rosa Parks is best remembered as the Black woman who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a White person. However, she was much more that that. She was raised by grandparents because her mother taught school in another city. Her grandfather was the child of a slave owner and a slave. Rosa was determined to make a difference for her people. She and her husband took part in supporting the Scottsboro boys, Black youth who were accused of crimes they did not commit. Rosa became secretary of the NAACP and contributed greatly to her people, eventually receiving the Congressional Gold Metal award.

I AM ROSA PARKS
This book is about a girl that had to give her seat up in a bus for a white person. She did not get up so they called the police.The police arrested her for not getting up.Then when Rosa got out of jail she made a statement saying, " Why do black people have to give up for white people?" They compromised and the black people do not have to give up there seat anymore. I liked this story because if Rosa Parks did not say anything we will be still separated from black people. ... Read more

Book Description

Adaline is a fiery child ­ an irrepressible combination of her white explorer father Kit Carson and her Arapaho mother.When Ma dies and Pa sets off on an expedition, Adaline finds herself living in St. Louis with racist white relatives.When Adaline realizes she may have been abandoned, she decides to find her own way back to her mother¹s people.With a stray dog, Adaline sets out on a journey that will either save her life, or end itŠ ... Read more

Reviews (14)

A Newbery Reader
I enjoyed reading Adaline Falling star. I thought it was an interesting, easy to read book. I liked how Adaline's religion was a mix of the Great Spirit and the Holy Spirit. Falling Star is a very determined girl who wants to find her father. I thought it was at times an amusing story especially when Adaline was with Dog.It truly was a good book!

A Good Book
I enjoyed the book Adaline, Falling Star. I cheered her on in her determination to get past her prejudice relatives and find her father. At times the book was amusing, especially when she was with Dog. If you like Native American culture you will enjoy reading Falling Star's story. Adaline's religion is a mix of the Great Spirit and the Holy Spirit. Overall you should enjoy reading this exciting, easy to read novel by Mary Pope Osborn.

Adaline Falling Star
The book Adaline Falling Star was a great book. The author of this book is Mary Pope Osborne. I would give it five stars. It was about a girl named Adaline Carson and everyone around her says that she is a devil and a savage. She has trouble recovering because her mother just died and her father hasn't come back for her. It turns out that she has a doll that she calls her '' Ma doll ''. There was a girl named Lilly and she called Adaline a savage and a devil so she got Adaline's doll and destroyed it. After that Adaline tries to live with out her mom, dad and her ma doll that she loved so much and now all of those things are missing in her life. I would recommend this book to anyone. READ IT ITS GREAT!!!!

Adaline Falling Star is a must read book
The book Adaline Falling Star by Marietta D. Moskin is a great book. This story is about a girl whose mother died and the only thing she has to remember her by is a doll. She is now living with her father who has to go away on business, so Adaline is left with her father's awful cousin Silus and his family. They won't let her play games and they make her do work all day. They think she is really weird because she barely ever talks and she always seems to be busy with something in her bag. Adaline calls this bag, "Her bag of possibles." So one day they take her bag of possibles (which had the doll her mom made for her) and burn it. She became so upset she cut herself with a knife and ran away looking for her father. You should read this enjoyable book and find out what happens to Adaline on her journey.

One of the best books I've read!!!
Wow, I must say this book was really good. I've read many and this is good book for people of all ages. It's a good book for people who need to learn to stand up and get tough. Actually, I'd suggest it to anyone. ... Read more

Book Description

Lee Bloom is drawn to the house on Avenue J by mysterious voices from behind the rose trellis. It isn't long before the girl who lives there, Polly Burke, invites Lee in for a shipwreck, a poisoned-tea party, and-best of all-flying lessons. Then Polly reveals a secret-Peter Pan has told her he needs their help-and the newfound friends join forces to fight the pirates who are coming by cloudship galleon.

But pirates aren't the only threat Lee and Polly must battle in Brooklyn, 1959. Their mothers' bigotry-Lee's against anyone not Jewish or white; Polly's against Lee for being Jewish-threatens the girls' friendship. This story of how two friends manage to fly above both pirates and prejudice will lift readers' hearts. ... Read more

Book Description

Raise the Flag Series Book 4 A diverse group of high school girls faces the challenges of standing up for what they believe is right.You’ll cheer them on and learn more about yourself in each book of the Raise the Flag series!

One of the two editors-in-chief of the King High newspaper, Norie runs with the "high achiever" crowd: kids who participate in things like the Academic Olympics...and cheating rings.

As a Christian who has recently rededicated her life to God, Norie doesn't want to be a part of it.But stress builds as her friends pressure her to help them.Even worse, Norie's dad wants her to study more instead of spending time with her prayer partners, the Flagpole Girls.He desperately wants her to get into Harvard.But with the change in the grade curve, that'll never happen unless Norie starts cheating, too.Now if she's going to resist the temptation—and avoid being framed by the very kids she's trying to stop—she's going to need prayer, and her Christian friends, more than ever before.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Must Read for Teens!
I have read all of the books in this series and have LOVED them all! I am currently reading them for the second time! There is a lot of good advice about being a Christian teen in High School, too. I would DEFINITELY recommend this book!! ... Read more

Book Description

When Juanita dreams of being the first in her family to graduate from high school are thrwarted by an expulsion after getting in a fight with another student, the young Mexican-American girl enlists the help of a lawyer and the school counselor to fight discriminationn. This is the first book in the Roosevelt High School Series. ... Read more

Book Description

What color is God? A large gathering and a calming rain leads a child to find the surprising answer in The Color of Me. While learning the answer, the child discovers one of the greatest messages of all.

The Color of Me is a beautifully illustrated children’s book that tells of the many colors of God’s creation and the goodness of the colors. McDunn delightfully describes the value of all colors as she recounts how God created the Earth and identifies the effects of creation. Children will relate to the concepts of colors and coloring in this story as they learn values of acceptance, appreciation, and respect for everything that God made. Perfect for parents and educators to read to children and for early readers to read themselves. For children ages four to eight. ... Read more

Book Description

All they wanted was to learn. In Drew, Mississippi, in 1965, the schools were still segregated. The "all-black" schools were separate and unequal to "white" schools, lacking resources and support from the government. The Carters, a family of sharecroppers, had had enough. Mae Bertha and Matthew wanted their children to have an equal opportunity for a good education. So they sent their kids to the "all-white" schools.Teasing, death threats, and rebuking followed-from the white children and the white adults and teachers. It was not easy to be black and wage a fight for equality, but that's just what the Carters did. Their faith in a higher power and in the goodness of people helped them battle through ignorance and prejudice. As President John F. Kennedy said, "When Americans are sent to war, we do not ask for whites only. American students of any color should be able to attend any school." For the Carters, it would be the fight of their lives.This is a true story of faith, courage, and honor: qualities Americans of any color can learn from the Carters. ... Read more