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This is without doubt the best of all Star Trek stories, both in film and in print. It touches on many grand philosophical, scientific, and technological themes: machine intelligence (both in Commander Data and in the Borg), space-time engineering (the first time humanity has done this, via the efforts of Zefram Cochrane), the first contact from an alien civilization (the arrival of the Vulcans), the confrontation with true history (meeting Cochrane and finding out just who the man really was), and the ethics of highly advanced civilizations (the contrast between the Borg and humanity). This book and the film will without a doubt inspire many a young reader to take up the practice of science, and thus it will do the best job of all. Science fiction has the habit of coming true sometimes, but it also has the fault of underestimating. The future of humanity, as exemplified by the Star Trek crew of the year 2367, is a grand one to contemplate, but the true future will be much better: a world populated by humans and machines striving to be the best they can be; a future that is never static, for stagnation to intelligent life is an abomination. We will do genetic engineering of humans, to be the best we can be; we will do space-time engineering, to travel beyond any immediate confines; we will create intelligent machines, to be our friends and allies. All of these things we will do, and much more. Humans and all other lifeforms, organic or not, will be very different in the time frame set in this novel. But they will be restless, ambitious, and always yearning for more understanding, for more insight, for more knowledge: these traits will characterize the beings of the 24th century...and beyond.

"And you people...you're all astronauts on some kind of...star trek?"

That line, uttered by Dr. Zephram Cochrane in both movie and novelization, has to be my all time favorite from the Trek film series. The most interesting difference between movie and book, as far I am concerned, is that despite James Cromwell's fine performance I found the film's Zephram Cochrane incredibly annoying. I never developed a shred of sympathy for him, because the background the film gave me - the Third World War and its chaotic aftermath - wasn't sufficient to make me understand him. I don't know, not having seen the script from which J.M. Dillard worked, whether she added "Zef" Cochrane's tragic battle with bipolar disorder (a disease that before the War had an effective treatment), or if it was among the elements that inevitably got cut as the film took shape. But I do know that for me, it made all the difference in being able to care about this character and root for him.

The book follows the film with little filler added except for background on Lily Sloane and Zephram Cochrane, which gives it a similar pace. They complement each other well.

As usual, J.M. Dillard does a fine job of remaining true to the source material, while still elaborating on it. The story is an excellent one, with plenty of action and plenty of interesting science-fiction concepts for the more thoughtful to consider. It gives us a bit more insight into the "future history" between the near-collapse of civilization and the beginning of the Federation that has been hinted at but rarely detailed in various episodes of Star Trek, in various generations of series.

The plot and characterization are both excellent and the writing is fluid and professional. The book is a pleasure to read.

This is, of course, the novelization of the highly successful Star Trek: The Next Generation film of the same name. First Contact refers not to first contact with the Borg, for, six years later, Picard still bears the mental scars of his assimilation in the form of Locutus, but to Earth's first contact with an alien civilization. It is a story that had yet to be told, although Captain Kirk and his crew had met the extraordinarily old Zefram Cochrane, inventor of the warp drive, in an episode of the original series; additionally, there had been hints that this pivotal event in human history took place some time after a terrible Third World War on Earth.

As the story begins, the Borg have attacked the Federation, with one of their massive cube ships making a bee-line for Earth herself. Picard and the new Enterprise-E starship defy Starfleet orders and rush to the battle, after which they follow a small Borg ship through a time portal which takes them back to 21st-century Earth. The Borg plan is to destroy the Phoenix, the spacecraft which Zefram Cochrane launches and, by way of its successful warp drive test, captures the attention of a Federation scout ship. If that pivotal event does not happen, the Federation we all know and love will never come to be. While half of the senior staff is planet-side trying to make sure the Phoenix launch happens on schedule, the rest of the crew find themselves battling a Borg infestation onboard the Enterprise herself. Data is captured, Picard is in danger of letting his hatred of the Borg overrule logic and reason, and we get to meet the Borg Queen. Personally, I've always felt that the introduction of the Borg Queen was a disservice to the greatest Star Trek villains of them all. The Borg Queen is a complete contradiction that introduced a level of individual vulnerability into a collective that was, up until this time, faceless and seemingly invulnerable.

This is an impressive novelization of the film, making it a worthwhile read to those of us who are already familiar with the onscreen story. In particular, it provides a great deal of insight into the erratic nature of Zefram Cochrane himself; in the movie, he came across as basically a drunk, but the novelization does a much better job of explaining his behavior. That alone makes this novel a natural and extremely beneficial corollary to the movie.

Star Trek First Contact by J.M. Dillard was an excellent book. it showed emotion, fear, dispair, and anger. IT was a well written book considering it was made after the movie. I encourage all Star Trek fans to read this book and watch the movie.

Chris Mooney presents a fascinating inside look into the politics and personalities behind hurricane science and scientists. With the possibility that global warming can increase the destructive power of hurricanes, a formerly non-controversial topic became highly politicized in a short amount of time. Predictably, scientists were in two basic camps: one believed global warming makes hurricanes worse, and one believed that global warming (which may not be occurring) does not make hurricanes worse.

Although Mooney keeps the pace moving along, by the time you finish this book, you may know more about hurricanes than you bargained for. At times, the book is almost too detailed for its own good, but if you know at least a little basic meteorology, you should be able to handle all the atmospheric science thrown into the book. Good book on a fascinating subject.

This is an exceptionally well done example of scientific journalism.
It presents a balanced review of both sides of the global warming ->
hurricanes issue while recognizing that the consensus of scientific opinion is that global warming is a real phenomenon.

Chris Mooney has written a fascinating account of one of the more complex issues associated with global warming -- the possibility of increased hurricane activity. Ever since Katrina, this issue has been central in public debate about the consequences of enhanced greenhouse warming on our planet. However, linking greater hurricane intensity to global warming is less straightforward than understanding the melting of glaciers and polar ice, desertification, or the rise in sea levels. Mooney explores this complexity and the different approaches to science of the main protagonists. The result is a fascinating and subtle account of personalities and science issues -- more nuanced, and hence more accurate, than many journalistic perspectives on the science behind global warming.

This is a good book, but not quite as good as the other reviewers suggest. I suspect that how much you like this book depends, in part, on how much you agree with the author's views. Put simply, although the book purports to be an objective overview of the interaction between science and politics, Mr. Mooney makes it clear which side he thinks is right. Those skeptical of global warming tend to be marginalized as out of touch, cranks, or biased by "special interests." This detracts from the book in a significant way because it casts doubt on the accuracy of the analysis. Indeed, in several places, the author seems to go out of his way to downplay data that undercuts the "global warming is making hurricanes worse" thesis that he endorses.

Having said that, the book is still very readable and full of information about hurricanes and the history of their study. Whenever the author is not talking about global climate change, his account of the science and the scientists is engaging and clear.

In sum, worth reading if you have any interest in hurricanes, but take his discussions of the state of global warming science with a large grain of salt.

It was probably a coincidence that this book reached our library just as I started teaching an online meteorology class at a local university. Whether or not, I found it invaluable in directing the discussions for this class since global warming is the most significant current issue for this science, and all roads/students/newspapers etc. lead directly to the issue.

For such a topic that is wrought with both political and emotional issues, I thought Chris Mooney did a wonderful job of presenting all the sides. There are never just one or two sides in any science. I saw that when I did research in HIV encephalitis in med school. It was amazing not only the good research that was done and reported but also the quacks that came out of the woodwork. They could have done reasonable and valid research prior to their introduction of mistaken theories and concepts, but boy, if you insisted they were wrong...even if it did turn out later they were wrong, they would cling to those theories like velcro. Not only did they cling to the theories, but if they couldn't get published in recognized peer reviewed journals, they started up their own journal!

This inability of both scientists and politicians to admit to mistakes about previously held beliefs is a real problem in science. Not just in meteorology, though I can see from Mooney's book that due to the attention that hurricanes brought to global warming, these guys who are often social inept were thrown into a maelstrom they didn't have the foggiest idea how to contend with (weather puns definitely intended).

I recommended this book to my students, and I don't do that often. I will continue to refer back to this book because it put very well the divides that not only exist in science, but even among communities and families concerning this issue (my husband is a wait-and-see guy, while I am one of those people who think we should do whatever we can possibly do to minimize our impact on climate).

Great book...great discussion.

Karen Sadler

Dr Seuss comes through again. Fun to read, good morals, excellent story.
Lots of fun!!

This is my favorite Dr Seuss book (even though I discovered it only a few months ago). The story and pictures are excellent and (importantly) it is particularly easy and fun to read aloud.

Unfortunately, this book is advertised as being suitable for 5-8 year olds only - NOT TRUE! This book is for ANYONE of ANY AGE who enjoys stories.

This book is so appropriate today, maybe more than when it was written in 1948 (a response to the New Deal, perhaps?)! I'm sure I appreciate the message (beware of freeloaders!!) more than my kids, but they enjoy the story and the pictures (as always) are priceless. Dr. Seuss was a national treasure and his books are all terrific.

This book should be in every child's library (and most adults as well). This is the starter book for Orwell's Animal Farm.

I first read this book when I was a little girl. I was really impressed with it then, of all the Dr. Seuss books I thought it was the best because of the message. The poor moose is so soft-hearted, he lets everyone take advantage of him. It has a wonderful message for children to learn about "users". If you only read one Dr. Seuss book to your children, read them this one.

I HAVE READ JUST BOUT EVERY WINGMAN BOOK WRITTEN AND AFTER I ORDER THESE MY QUEST WILL BE COMPLETE. MACK MALONEY IS A TRUE AMERICAN AND HIS BOOKS PROVE IT. HIS BOOKS WILL MAKE YOUR IMAGINATION SOAR. THANKS MACK.

The whole Wingman series is great, but Sky Ghost and Return of the Sky Ghost really put a new twist into the story line. I am dying for the next installment to come out to find out how it ends!

maloneys books keep getting wearder and wearder. also hunter didnt show up in the book untell page 120. other than that it was great.

Read this book as fast as I read all the others. I'm trying to collect them all again after my parents threw out all my books. But as a fan to a good book, I'm continuing on reading and collecting. Still waiting for Hawk to make it back to the real world. Keep'em coming!!!!!

I STARTED THIS SERIES WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT AND WAS HOOKED ON IT EVER SINCE.MACK MALONEY PUTS MOST AMERICAN'S VIEWS INTO HAWK HUNTER.AMERICAN' WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT AMERICA STAYS FREE, AND MY VIEW IS THIS"YOU CAN HAVE MY FLAG WHEN YOU PRY IT FROM MY COLD DEAD FINGERS"

Hello, I'm StoryMaker. While glancing at the bookshelf, I spotted The World of Pooh - an old, brown copy with no dust jacket - and was inspired to review it.

The World of Pooh is a very good book. It is the original, classic, A. A. Milne Pooh, and a lot of it. Timeless & simple, it is a must for young & old. The red-shirt-free, non-Disney, classic Pooh books by A. A. Milne are old, but to this very day satisfy young children. That's the magic about it.

Why is the classic Pooh better than the Disney Pooh? Well, there are plenty of reasons.

First of all, the characters are better. They are not exaggerated like Disney's. They are kinder yet still quite funny. They are really more charming and really better. As some would say, they have higher quality.

Second, A. A. Milne's stories are timeless. You'd think a kid wouldn't care, but seriously. They satisfy generation after generation and don't change over time. (And I'm not talking about the change of the cover and binding and amount of wear & tear!) Look at the changes of Disney's Pooh. First classic animation, then puppets, then CGI. As the world changes, so does Disney Pooh. But A. A. Milne's classics are timeless and can be loved age to age. They're Grandpappy approved! XD

The World of Pooh gathers many Pooh classic stories and puts them in one book. I have a young cousin & his parents have introduced him to A. A. Milne's Pooh and aren't sure they will show him Disney. Good for them! These stories are better. If you have a youngster, I recommend you do the same. You can get The World of Pooh for pretty cheap nowadays, so why not? Also check out A. A. Milne's poem books, When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six. You'll love 'em, too! Signed, StoryMaker. "Gotta trust the kid's review!"

I've been reading a chapter each night before bed to my 4yr old since
receiving the book. We both love all of the stories.

I think that "The World of Pooh" was a wonderful book. I especially liked it because I love Winne the Pooh. He is so funny, and with his friends by his side they can do anything. One of my favorite parts is the part where Pooh gets stuck in Rabbit's Rabbit Hole. And when everyone throws a party for Pooh and Eeyore thinks the party is for him. The World of Pooh is a great book and it is funny as well. I could not put the book down. It is just simply amazing. Piglet and Winnie the Pooh are best of friends.

I love this book. Written well, the drawings are great, I takes me back to a wonderful place to be.

For the Gopher fans, Gopher is not in this, he came later in the tv shows.

We had a very old copy of The World of Pooh in the house when I was growing up, long since lost. I was so happy to find this when looking for gifts for an on-the-way niece or nephew. Sure, TV/Disney Pooh is cute, but this is the way Pooh stories are supposed to be told, with the classic illustrations and language. This is a perfect storybook for all ages, young and old, and I hope it is always available in this version. The simple series of stories revolving around a young boy's imagination is something I look forward to reliving over and over again, and it brings back extremely fond childhood memories, first of being read to, then of holding the book in my lap and pouring over it for many, many hours.

i bought this book for my aunt who is a single, middle-aged, jouyful southern woman. she is an exuberant believer in Jesus Christ who unfortunately doesn't know much of his world beyond the USA, and i thought this would be a good way for her to explore it while connecting (a word that is very near to her counselor's heart) with people.
i don't know how much she has read yet, but my sister and i devoured it in the few days that we had it. we came away from it feeling even more curious about life in different places and reminded of our privilege as women to live in a financially independent manner.
all in all, if you need an antidote to self, this book will help.

I read the Material World several years ago and I was excited to see that Peter and Faith had published a "sequel" of sorts for the book. Women in the Material World is fascinating, especially if you can review it side by side to the Material World. I thought the questions regarding love in their marriage and their expectations for their children were so interesting. I am very happy with my purchase of this book and I recommend it to anyone who is considering it.

A sequel to the authors' successful, "Material World: A Global Family Portrait," which interviewed 30 "statistically average" families from around the world and photographed them surrounded by all their worldly goods, "Women In The Material World," by Faith D'Aluisio and Peter Menzel, revisits 21 women from these families.

With interviews conducted by women over a period of days, even weeks, and 375 color photographs of women captured in their daily lives, this is an absorbing look into an overlooked world of marriage, women's work and families. From female circumcision to divorce, from finances to education, gender roles, work, and friends, women discuss every aspect of their lives - seemingly freely.

Two themes repeat through this largely agricultural world - women's work begins before dawn and ends long after dark and most women feel they have enough children - whatever that number may be.

This is a fascinating, captivating and beautiful volume, to be read, not just browsed.

This book is a superlative sequel to the early Material World by Peter Menzel. I have read the earlier book so many times that when this new volume came out, I bought it immediately sight unseen. In this book, Faith D'Aluisio revisits 19 of the 30 families featured in the Material World to find out about the women's lives.

The articles are organized alphabetically, together with short features on marriage, laundry, work, education, childcare, hair, food, water, and friends. At the back of the book, we find statistical charts about women, and a useful statistics glossary. Each article has an extended interview with the mother of the family that reveals parts of her life story as well as her attitudes towards topics such as marriage, child care, education, money, and possessions. The articles are of course filled with numerous color photos, large and small, of the women at work and with other family members.

The Material World itself is a monumental book, but it was hard to go back to it after reading this book, where we find that the details presented in the Material World were so incredibly superficial. For example, family life for Maria dos Anjos Ferrerira in Brazil or Carmen Balderas de Castillo in Mexico isn't nearly as rosy as one might guess from looking at their original smiling photos in the Material World. On the other hand, Zhanna Kapralova from Russia continues to be a survivor. No matter how much you learn from the Material World, it will be far eclipsed by this book with its extended interviews and additional photographs.

A companion to Material World: Portrait of the Global Family, this book is an incredible expose of the lives of typical, average women all over the world. I, as an American woman with everything I could ever possibly dream of, especially appreciate seeing how things may have different for me had God just decided to make me the girl child of a Vietnamese working family vs. my background. It really makes you take stock of your life, appreciate it, and feel blessed no matter what your circumstances may be. America is truly a wealthy and favored nation. Even our poor, compared with most of the countries in the world, are rich! We should all feel compelled to give back, not matter how much (or how little) we have. I've been giving this book to my friends for gifts (thank you, Amazon!) A MUST READ!

I think this was one of the best American Girl Collections. It describes the life of people and slaves had during the Civil War, and for me, a person who is writing a novel about the Civil War, that this is helpful. It also describes the hopless relity of salvery fopr any human being that I find portrayed well.
The only thing I wish is that there had been a little more interaction with white people. Make it clear not that all of them were racists and establish the fact there could a be real friendship between them. I mean white soliders went to fight and die for them, can't they appreciate that more? Other then that, I liked the season very well.

My nine year old daughter came home from school with one of these books, and she couldn't put it down! Before this, she never showed interest in reading. After I saw how in love she was with the book, I had to order the series for her. She was so excited when I gave the collection to her and has completed the entire collection in record time! I am so happy she finally found something she is interested in reading. She is always walking around with one of these books in her hand.
Thank you so much for a wonderful collection.
T.G
Garland Texas

Addy is so great. It is a 6 serie book set and it is really great. Addy is a amegenary girl who lives right after the civil war. It is filled with amotions. It uses no bad words at all. It is the best for kids ages 10-12
Lydia
Age 10

This story is set in 1864 during the Civil War. The book prompted discussions about race, slavery, the Civil War and life during that time, prejudice behavior, the privledges we take for granted and inner strength. We first read about slavery in Kaya, which my daughter also loved. My daughter talks about the characters (Addy, Kaya, Samantha and others) as though they are part of our extended family. She has set a goal to read all of the American Girl books and is well on her way there.
I can't imagine a girl not enjoying this book.

I really liked this book out of all of the American Girls books. Addy is my favorite. I haven't read this book since I was about in the second grade, I'm in seventh grade now. I really need to get the whole Addy set. I recommend Addy for everyone!

I was in high school (in London) when the original "Adrian Mole" books came out. In fact, we read them in English, went to London's West End to see the play etc etc. The books were original. The sequels worked, at least for a while and I don't believe that there is anyone who was a teenager in the UK in the 1980s who doesn't remember Adrian Mole.

It was by chance I came across this latest addition to the collection while browsing in a very well-known bookstore. I was further surprised to find it here in the US. I'd always thought that the situations and characters were very "English" and wouldn't translate well. Besides, I'd read the original book as a teen, so why buy this one? But the book was on sale so I picked it up...and devoured it, quite literally and found that Adrian had grown up too.

Adrian is now in his 30's. He's a little more worldly-wise but still has the air of "naive nerd" about him that we knew two decades ago. Ms. Townsend has worked in all the characters from books past so, if you're looking for a little trip down memory lane, welcome back. Pandora, Adrian's only true love is now a successful politician, his mother and father...heck even Nigel is back!

The political overtones are there for all to see and the author makes no attempt to hid them. The book is titled "Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction" and the underlying current in the book is Adrian's devotion, continually tested and challenged to "New Labour" and Tony Blair. He firmly believes that the "coalition" will find the WMDs as they prepare to invade Iraq. Perhaps this undertone is a reflection of Ms. Townsend's personal beliefs. In previous books she brought current events and figures into play and relevent as part of the background. In this book, she seems to be trying to make a bigger statement, while "keeping it funny" and I'm not sure it works this time because it's a little too close to be comfortable.

However, that doesn't detract from the story. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself chuckling as I reminisced with an old friend who I'd left in the UK many years ago. I found that I wasn't out-of-touch and many of the stereotypes, situations and characters were as relevant today as they were back then.

If you're an A.M. fan then you should definitely read this one. It's nice to find a book you don't have to think too hard about.

So, why only 3 stars? Because it's an "okay" book. Perhaps I'm being a little harsh, but I don't think I'd have bought it if it weren't on sale. Maybe I'm not such a great friend after all...

Dave

Is it the last volume of the Adrian Mole saga? Of course not. I doubt it very much. There is no end to a good recipe, a ratatouille or a beef and kidney pie. But we'll see. This volume is extremely interesting. For our Adrian Mole is still Adrian Mole. He is naïve and he is sending to us a very simple-minded vision of the world that is absolutely disarming - a must with the title we know - in naivety and vanity. This vain naivety or naïve vanity is his trademark and it is marvelously refreshing. It could probably not break a man's arm, but it can break, even smash, a man's despair. And this here volume is still a perfect example, at the age of 35, nearly middle-aged, of this entertaining village philosopher from Leicester. The book is also fascinating because we are in 2002-2004 and the central problem is the war on Iraq and Blair's support, till the day when he acknowledges there were no WMDs. The political question is systematically shown through the opinions of various people. Adrian is pro-Blair and he supports his own son when he is sent to Iraq, though he is frightened by the prospect of his son's death for and with no cause, and actually the son's best friend is killed by shrapnel. Pandora is against the war and she resigns from Blair's government. And between the two we find all kinds of shades. The dramatic dimension of the problem is strong because of the son's position in the armed forces. At the same time the book criticizes all kinds pf shortcomings of Blair's policy and of capitalistic greed. Adrian and his father are confronted to the National Health Service, and Adrian is suddenly thrown into bankruptcy by greedy banks and various store- or credit-card providers as well as by his vain desire to live over his means. The book is also fascinating because of the love life or rather non-love and/versus love lives of Adrian. He finds himself trapped by a false pregnancy and ends with a real third child born in love. Finally the book is fascinating because of the numerous vignettes it provides on various characters and situations: the independent bookseller, the local would-be or wanna-be writer, the protection of Her Majesty's swans, the Koran, Chinese restaurants, baby-boomers, vegetarian or bio-friendly people, etc... There you feel a high level of irony, humor, sarcasm, and that is so English, so brilliantly English.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines

Firstly I wanted to clarify for people that might want to know, exactly how this series runs. I have bought and read all the books in the Adrian Mole series and I was dissappointed not to find anywhere to tell me which ones to get. So as a result I have them all.

US Versions
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4
The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole
Adrian Mole: The Lost Years
Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years
Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction

British Versions
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4
The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole
True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole
Adrian Mole: From Minor To Major
Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years
Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years
Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction


So, as for the review these books are great. I love the entire series and I just couldn't stop reading them all the way to the end. The one thing I might suggest is to keep in mind that with most series of books the first is always the best, which is probably the case here too, but if you like it and are a fan of Adrian Mole, there is no reason why you wouldn't want to read the rest.

I like the fact that is it written in diary form for easy reading and it is very clever how the story is told from the point of view of Adrian himself but you can see things about his life that he cannot.

Overall an excellent read for all ages from teen to adult.

Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction by Sue Townsend was one of those library books that attracted me due to the quirky title and unusual cover. Having no background with Townsend's work or any other Mole novels, I really didn't know what to expect. What I found was an incredibly funny English novel that I was unable to put down until I was finished.

Adrian Mole is a 34 year old single guy living with his parents and working in a second-hand bookstore. He has a couple kids by different women, but the relationships didn't work out in the long run. In order to live the style of life he envisions for himself, he buys a flat on Rat Wharf and proceeds to spend himself into an incredible crushing load of debt using credit cards. His life starts to spiral downhill when he dates a mousey "organic" lady by the name of Marigold Flowers. Her parents are into "natural living" to the extreme, and he quickly figures out that this is not the family and lady he wants. But he has a hard time saying no, and pretty soon he's engaged to be married to a woman he doesn't love and that is apparently with child. To complicate issues further (as if they weren't already warped), he's madly in love with Marigold's sister, a fashionable public relations woman who is as wild as Marigold is sedate. He knows what he needs to do, and everyone else can see what he should be doing. But knowing and doing are separated by an ever-widening gap...

This story is told in diary fashion, with Mole writing in the first person. In many ways, it's like watching a reality TV show. Mole has a much more important view of himself than what really is the case, and it's a hoot watching the train wreck unfold. There are a number of current event themes running through the couple of years covered by the diary, mainly centered around the start of the Iraq war. I'm sure having a good grasp of British life would make a few of the things more clear to this American reader, but it really doesn't matter. It was all too funny and felt all too real...

My next step is to check out the first four Adrian Mole novels... If they are anything like this, I'll be losing a couple more weekends to these pages.

The Adrian Mole saga which began with Adrian's secret diary (aged thirteen & three quarters) continues, as the famous loser moves into his mid-thirties. He's still wildly grandiose, his grip on reality is shaky at best, but life is starting to grind him down. He's living in a posh flat he can't possibly afford. He's still hopeless infatuated with Pandora, he finds himself (somehow) engaged to Marigold, who he can't stand, and he's falling hopelessly in debt. Oh yes, he's been writing to the British Prime Minister about those weapons of mass destruction. He needs the evidence for--well, never mind. Just read the book.

Improbable and depressing as all this might sound, it works. It's not knee-slapping comedy, but it's funny, and it's also sad, as Adrian's failures and mistakes accumulate and haunt his present life. He's still trying to get his life together, and this time he might just make it. Somehow you come to like Adrian Mole in spite of everything.

Sue Townsend is a brilliant comedic writer, with a flair for character development and social commentary. How she manages to keep this series going, with its improbable cast of characters, is simply amazing. She's just good. I enjoyed this book immensely and I recommend it highly. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

Alabama moon is a very adventurous tale with lots of facts about the woods. And its so good I got up in the morning and read it until it was bedtime. I rate it 5 stars, my favorite book yet (even better then the golden compass and man was that gooooood.)

This book is abselutely action-packed, full of adventure and shocking endings (made me cry when I read the shocking ending.) Some parts just makes you want to say "OOHH DDAARRNNIITT! But it's still the best book I have read in my whole entire life! This book is so great, I would give it 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars!

My 11 year-old is a reluctant reader, but every now and then a book comes along that keeps his interest even when it is not "reading time". This is one of those books. Moon Blake is a compelling character, having grown up in the woods with his reclusive father. And his story is captivating. He just wants to be left alone to go to Alaska, but he's picked up and taken to a boys home instead. I love how the story evolves, how you see Moon change his ideas of the world, and how he deals with the abusive constable who won't leave him alone.

A terrific book you won't be able to put down.

This book tells the journey of Moon Blake, who have always lived with his father. But when his father died, he must find a way to escape the outside civilziation and find his home. This novel has an exciting plot, wonderful research, and is a great read. By reading this book, one could also learn the meaning of friendship.

This book begs for a sequel and soon, too. We--we readers--have to know what happened to Moon and to Hal...What happens to them as they grow, mature, and face their young adult high school and college days? And when they grow up, get married and have families of their own...As they approach old age...Will they, can they, escape (overcome) the events described here in the formative days of their youth. Rarely has a book cried out for a sequel more than this one.

In fact, Mr. Key may have his own cottage industry here, a book on their continuing relationship (Moon and Hal) and/or single books on each boy.
Mark Twain did it and did it well with Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. Mr. Key has the same oportunity here. Here's hoping he's up to the opportunity--not the "task," but the "opportunity."

Orginally written as a book for teens and a little older, Alabama Moon has touched all and stirred the slumbering chords of all generations as it deals with youth, growing, up, family, love and lack thereof.

Outstanding. Don't miss it.

the type of reading material most grandparents search for to excite and encourage our youngsters' reading and interests.

I bought this book of poems while doing a them on Penguins. The children read Mr. Popper's Penguins and I used the Teachers printables for the unit. The poems were used during Writing to immerse the children in poems and cross theme with Penguins. This poem book and them can be used across all grades and guided reading levels. My 5 year old even loves it.

This book gives good basic information on penguins in a very fun format. The poems are catchy. I teach 3-6 year olds and I caught them repeating the phrases they liked the best. I highly recommend it for this age group.

I bought this book for my son since he is interested in penguins. Most penguin story books are promoted to toddlers or are penguin science books; not books for fictional reading for older children. Normally he doesn't choose to read but when he received this book for christmas, he immediately put down his other items and began to look through the book. Later that evening, before bedtime, he chose to read his book before going to sleep. He also liked that the book had poems; something he's been studying in school and hasn't seen how it could be fun to read. Now he likes them a little more. I'm glad it will help to promote more reading for him.

First of all, I love this book because I love penguins. However, as a piece of children's literature, it's so much more. This is an excellent example of how literature (poetry) and science can go hand and hand. There are some poems in this book that seem written just for fun, (e.g. "Be My Penguin"). However, most of the poems in this book are written about and around actual behaviors that penguins exhibit: from regurgiating their food to feed the young ("Regurgitate") to the motherly instincts of father penguins ("A Hatchling's Song" and "My Father's Feet") to poetic riddles about penguin predators (sea lion, killer whale). The book is charming, easy to read, and full of delightful penguin illustrations. A great gift for any child interesting in science or literature or anyone who (like me) just loves penguins.