Schools Books

DEADLINE's Ben Wolf knows he is dying. An aggressive blood disease will kill him within the year if he isn't treated. With treatment, he might extend his life some. Ben chooses to refuse treatment. He also chooses to keep his condition a secret from everyone except his doctor and the therapist his doctor forces him to see. He throws himself into his last year of life. He finally tries out for football. He pursues the girl he's in lust with. He tries to sober up the town drunk. He acts up in class because what does it matter if he doesn't graduate?

Crutcher, as usual, doesn't fear including issues in his story. There's sexual and physical child abuse, alcoholism, and bigotry. At some points these issues threaten to overshadow Ben's story, but Crutcher keeps them under control.

The diminutive Ben feels fear. He feels sad and he doesn't want to die. Every time his brother or girlfriend talks to him about the future he feels guilty for his lies. But, at the same time, he's a happy narrator. He's doing things he loves and making the most of his final year. He does not regret choosing not to fight the illness with drugs nor does he regret the relationships he makes. (He should regret some of his jokes.)

I don't regret reading DEADLINE. I cried at the end, yes. Ben dies. There is no miracle cure. But I thoroughly enjoyed spending time in his head, watching him do some things so right while still making large mistakes. I cried, but I felt happy. Ben worked hard to make sure the people he affected most would be able to handle his death. He made a choice at the beginning of the novel and defended it to the death. I respect him for that. I will also continue to read Crutcher faithfully, no matter how many of his books get banned.

Excerpted from In Bed With Books

This is the first Chris Crutcher book that I have read, at least I cannot remember another at this time. I am confident that I will read more of his books. He is an exciting and captivating writer. I find it very interesting that he writes in the first person of his main character, but then adds this interesting dialogue with a spiritual character. There is great depth in the dialogues and interactions between characters. The book moved me.

This book would be appealing to oler adolescents. I would package it as follows: Have you ever wondered what you would do if you were told you had a limited time to live? This novel introduces one way that a person may choose to live a limited time. The characters are believable and come alive in this well written novel. I think you will enjoy this book.

The book was really good. At times it can get slightly boring and slow, but Crutcher always brings things back up to pace again.
It's written very, very well, and the ending wraps it up nicely. Few parts are predictable, having many surprises throughout.
I would definitely recommend it.

If you have ever read the book A Walk to Remember, or even watched the movie, then you know the feeling that you get when you find out that your favorite character is dying. Intense sadness; anger; desire for change; hope that it's not true; and then finally, you just give up. You know it's true, but in the end it doesn't make it any more bearable.

In Deadline, you know from the very beginning that Ben Wolf is going to die. It is inevitable... even on the front cover it says it. The evidence is everywhere. But, since it's introduced so early in the story, you don't really think about it as more than a plot point.

So, what would you do if you were going to die? Well, I'm sure there are different answers for different people, but I know Ben's answers. He wants to make a difference. He wants to stick out. He wants to live life to the fullest; and he does. He goes out for football, despite the fact that he weighs less than a hundred and thirty pounds. He befriends the town drunk. He starts arguments in class, trying to get people to think about life and the way things are. And he finally gets the guts to ask out that perfect girl he's had a crush on.

And throughout all of this, he is the only person (besides his doctor and his therapist) who knows that he's dying. But obviously he can't keep it that way.

This book was truly amazing. It's a real page turner, from the very first sentence. Chris Crutcher isn't one to waste words; he doesn't write anything that doesn't mean something to the story, so this book isn't full of pointless banter. It has feeling. It has meaning. I can truly connect to the characters in a deep way. I felt like there was just the right amount of sarcastic humor and life messages to make this a really enjoyable book; you will laugh, you will cry... and you will also fall in love with this book.

I am a middle school teacher and read this book over the holiday break. I really enjoyed it but would recommend it for high school-aged readers. There is some cursing and references to sex, which I'm not saying is bad. As a teacher, I just know I'd have some unhappy parents to deal with if I assigned this to my 6th graders (although they would have really enjoyed the story). Great themes of loyalty, friendship, and courage.

Great craft ideas for preschoolers through grade school. Make sure to have the washable stamp pads ready for when the book arrives.

We got this for my 6-year-old daughter. She has used it well. There are so many things to do in the book that she hasn't gotten bored. We haven't had much luck finding washable stamp pads that easily wash off her fingers though! Her stained fingers are worth it though!!

As a homeschooling mom of a preschooler and first grader, I am always looking for things that are appropriate for a wide variety of age levels. The Complete Funprint Drawing Book is perfect for homeschool art! The directions are simple enough for my just-turned-four year old to follow, but the endless variety of things to make is interesting enough for my six (and a half) year old. I am looking into more Ed Emberly books to add to our homeschool art resource collection.

I loved Ed Emberley's books so much when I was a kid, I had to share them with my own children and my students.

Lucy Adams, author of If Mama Don't Laugh, It Ain't Funny

These books are great for art projects with kids. My class is making a gift for the school using these art ideas.

I read Emily of Deep Valley before I knew it was a Besty-Tacy book. After reading the entire series I went back and read Emily again and found the references to Betsy and Tacy along with other friends in the series. I would suggest reading this book after the one where Betsy graduates from High School, just to put them in chronological order.

This book is great for children and teens. They will learn about life in the early 1900s in a very readable and enjoyable way.

While this book is not necessarily a "Betsy-Tacy" book, it does (IMHO) rank up there with the best of the Lovelace series, especially as it appeals to an adult looking for recreational reading. Not that younger readers (the vast majority of the "B-T Fan club") couldn't enjoy it, but Lovelace tackles some social as well as adult emotional issues in this book that are lacking in the "B-T" books, or are arrived at more blithely, precisely because the characters (Betsy vs Emily) are so vastly different, tempermentally. As a man, I'd say that this book has far less saccharine in it, than the B-T books.

Don't get me wrong! I 'found' these books when my children came of 'reading to' age, and, since we HS, we all enjoyed them immensely. Especially as we live near enough to "Deep Valley," to make a pilgrimage to see where "Betsy and Tacy really lived." That was a field trip I'll long remember, and so will the kids!

What appeals to me in this book, is the female protagonist, and her mix of compassion and strength. She is determined, strong of character, no-nonsense, and yet loving, needing to be loved, and eventually finding love. She (dare I say it?) embodied characteristics of a typical Minnesota woman, and reminded me of both my mother and my wife..which is high praise, in my book! 'Emily of Deep Valley' was one of those moments in life, when a work of literature actually embodies human emotion, causes you to identify, makes you remember your own life lived, and simply, truly moves one.

I am surprised that (as an actor/singer) no one has made a film or concocted a children's musical/opera of any of these books. They embody the best of American humanity [prior to a multicultural age] I have read in a long time. I can say honestly, I will return to visit Emily another spring, to enjoy her story all over again, and will encourage my daughter to do the same, when she becomes a teenager.

Okay, my secret is out--I'm an addict. These books have entranced me my whole life with their warmth and their wonderful characters. This is how I've learned much of my early-20th century history, as a matter of fact. Much as I adore all of the Betsy books, Emily is my favorite, I think. Her painful shyness and lack of self confidence are overcome by sheer determination and a focus on others rather than herself--a lesson of worth for young girls. However, the book is never preachy or dry; it is a rich, delightful story that engages the reader and delivers its messages gently.

I love the Betsy-Tacy books, and was extremely sad because of the ending of the series of the books. One day, my mother brought home 'Emily of Deep Valley', and I wasn't exactly excited. I refused to read it, and said I liked Betsy-Tacy better, although I hadn't seen a word of 'Emily of Deep Valley'. And though I said that I didn't want to read it, I couldn't resist looking at 'Emily of Deep Valley'. Soon I became enthralled with it, with everybody in the book. I've always loved the Betsy-Tacy books, but this book has something the Betsy books doesn't. Maud Hart made everything perfect, but it didn't seem like a corny fairytale. I recommend this book to those who are looking for more classics and Betsy-Tacy books.

Delivery was super speedy! The product was exactly as the seller described! I would definitely do business with them again!

The product was as I expected it to be according to the product description. Very satisfied.

Cuanto me alegra que haya una autora que cuenta parte de la historia dominicana. Me encanta como Julia escribe. Este libro esta muy bien hecho pero ojo: Julia Alvarez escribe en ingles no en español. Aun asi, me parece que la traduccion de esta historia esta estupenda.

Me quedé muy impresionada con la historia y literalmente me lo devoré. Está basado en hecho reales, lo cual fue un factor para que me gustara más. Lo recomiendo.

Es una historia interesante y entretenida, sobretodo para aquellos latinoamericanos que nos interese la historia. Aunque es una novela, tiene mucho de fondo històrico. Los personajes son agradables, bien logrados. Me dejó el interés de conocer màs sobre la historia de Trujillo. No llega a la excelencia de La Fiesta del Chivo de Vargas Llosa, es una buena Historia

I read this book when I is was in 8th grade but I still like to go back and read things over it is a wonderful book if you like fantasy dragons and a girl hero.

Since I am not good at explaining things I will type what it says on the back of the book:

There is a story about Kara and dragons. When she was four, she came down with vermilion fever. Her parents, thinking there was no cure, left her in a cave to die. A month later she walked back into her parent's home as healthy as if she had never been sick. It is said that a mother dragon lived in that cave, and she nursed young Kara back to life. Now, eleven years later, the only reminder of Kara's illness is a small scar on her cheek. Of her contact with the dragon, there is more. Her eyes, which once were blue, are now green. And she can call down birds, which many believe is a sign that she can also call down dragons, for the two are distant cousins. Only Kara has her doubts. How can a beast as huge and terrifying as a dragon be related to a sweet, gentle bird? But could this explain why the king has sent for her? Does he think she has powers over dragons? For Kara, the answer to this question means life or death- not only for her, but for all the dragons, also.

I loved this book. Susan Fletcher has done it again. However, I did prefer the first and third books to this one. But this book is very important to the series, and it's amazingly good, too. This is the best trilogy ever written!

:-)

The story is about a young girl named Kara,who is sick as a small child and was brought to a cave to be buried. Instead of dying,dragons fed her milk,which nursed her back to heallth. This milk also gave her speial powers. Kara meets the royal family ofthe land of Krag because of her powers, which throws her into the middle of a of a blood war between dragons and this royal family. Kara has mant adventures as she
tries to do the right thing for the family and the dragons. The prince of this
famly,Rog,threatens to kill two childrenif Kara doesn't sumomon dragons for him to kill. She gets help from the kiing and his army,the birds that she summons,and her friends. They defeat Rog,and her falcon flies off with dragons. Kara goes back to the king dom of Krag with king Orrik as his summoner.
I like this book because there are plenty of suprises. It issuspenseful and exciting.

I enjoyed this second book of the Dragon Chronicles more than the first for several reasons.

Susan Fletcher does very well with the first-person narrative of Kara, and the language used by the character makes the story all the move believable. Its a more intelligent read than the first book, with a more interesting range of vocabulary. Also, Kara as a charcter is much more interesting to read about than Kaeldra. Kara's pride and her fears, and even her hypocracy at times, make her a real human being. And what's more, she has a fire-cracker temper that I found refreshing after reading about the droll,ho-hum, stick-in-the-mud Kaeldra.

In this second book, there is a bigger cast of characters and Fletcher does well to make sure these people all have personalities of their own. (The first book, had more character 'types',and less characters with personalities.)

I agree, the book's main relationship is a little stale. It wouldn't have been if we had not seen a similar build up in "Dragon's Milk"'s major relationship. If they had not been mirror images of the same stormy and mistrusting courtship then I would have been much more entertained.

All and all, "Flight of the Dragon Kyn" was a better written book with a more interesting array of charcters. Well worth the read.

A Review by Jessica

One day log ago a girl named Kara got Vermillion fever and almost died, but a dragon saved her. This book takes place many years after this incidence. The thing is that Kara remembers nothing that happened. The only things that remind her of the dragon is a name, Flagra, which she screamed in the middle of the night and the gift of being able to call birds down from the sky. A king named Orrick sends for her to come to him, and she dose. What Kara doesn't know is he wants her to call down dragons. The Problem is that Kara has never seen a dragon let alone call one down from the sky. Kara and a group of warriors go out to seek dragons. Kara calls for Flagra and she comes what she doesn't know it that the men are going to kill this dragon, the one that saved her life. As the dragon becomes visible the arrows rise to the deep blue sky and they shoot.

In this book I really enjoyed the suspense and adventure. The main character, Kara tells this story in first person. Susan Fletcher is a great author. One thing I like in her books is there is a little hidden love story within them. There is one in this book. It is between Kara and one of the king's men named Kazan. I also like the extreme detail that Susan Fletcher uses. An example of detail is when she describes a falcon she calls. Kara says, "I steeped back startled, the gray falcon screamed, tightened her grip on my hand. One wing clouted my head, and then she was flying." The vocabulary in this book is not too hard but not to easy. I also found the dialogue to be very easy to follow.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good adventure with suspense and action. It's a real great read! This book keeps you in the edge of your seat the whole time your reading it.

Freddy the Detective is about a pig called Freddy who reads Sherlock Holmes and wants to become a detective. The first case starts when the boy who lives in the farmhouse loses his train of cars. Freddy is on the case right away. He goes up to the boy's room and finds clues to who has stolen the cars. He finds out it is the rats, who have come back to the barn. Soon more cases have come up for him to solve, including when Egbert, a bunny, goes missing from his mother, and when Prinny, a little dog, has her dinner go missing.
I enjoyed this book because I like funny stories, and this was very funny. I also enjoyed it because I don't usually read mysteries, and this made me more interested in detective stories. Freddy is very funny in the way he solves cases. I recommend reading this book, even if you don't usually read mysteries. It is a great detective book for anyone who enjoys reading.

Wonerful, Triumph, for all ages.
It tips my planet, shakes my world.

Caleb A. Craig

The second in the utterly charming "Freddy the Pig" series, "Freddy the Detective" chronicles the adventures of Freddy and his barnyard friends as they delve deep into the world of clues, suspects and the criminal world. In the great tradition of Sherlock Holmes, there is a disguise involved.

Cases are solved (like just what becomes of Prinny the dog's dinner), a jail is constructed to house all the freshly-caught criminals (who have more fun inside than out) , and in the ultimate test for a pig, some infamous bank-robbers are caught red-handed and carted away by the thankful police. It all culminates in the trail of Jinx the Cat, during which a hen faints dead away at the mention of roast chicken and the courthouse erupts in cheers at the end of the summation because they admire they way the attorney argued a hopelessly weak case.

The Freddy books are great fun for kids (boy or girl), and they won't put you to sleep reading them aloud, either. I would place them just below the Betsy/Tacy books and the work of Leon Garfield, and high above anything coming out nowadays. They do nicely as a comfort during stressful times, the gentle and goofy stories easing kids to sleep. Highly recommended for ages to 5 to 100.

GRADE: B

Freddy the Detective is one of a series of pig books written by Walter R Brooks. Freddy the cool detective is a master of disguise who helps Mr. Bean and the Bean Farm solve crime.

Freddy the Detective is one of my favorite books because I love pigs and the main character is a very smart pig. The book is exciting and fun to read. I recommend it for people who like pigs! You will love the book if you read it.

Lukas

I run a bookgroup for homeschoolers and have the very great pleasure of introducing this bunch of alternative education kiddies to some of the great classics in children's literature. It can be a very rewarding experience. Once in a while, however, the kids teach me about books that I've never heard of. One of the children I organize has been obsessed with the "Freddy" books for years. Occasionally he would ask me if I had read them or he'd promote them to the group. In my initial ignorance, I assumed that he was referring to the Freddy the Hamster books by Dietlof Reiche. Those books are very good but the kid was actually referring to the classic Freddy the Pig series dating back to the 1930s. Recently these books have been earning themselves an entirely new audience and children everywhere are engulfed in a kind of newfangled Freddy fever. I picked up "Freddy the Detective" (not realizing that "Freddy In Florida" is actually the first book in the series) to give the books a look-see. I did this with a kind of snide attitude that went something along the lines of, "well I'm sure these books have aged poorly over the years and that the only reason kids are reading them because their parents made them". Oh how wrong a children's librarian can be. The Freddy books are marvelous. Author Walter R. Brooks is marvelous. In fact, "Freddy the Detective" is so wry, well-written, and delightful that I am truly shocked that more people are not aware of this series. Consider me a convert of the pig. One who will be singing his praises to the masses every chance I get.

Freddy is just your average highly intelligent pig. He lives on the farm of Mr. and Mrs. Bean and has a lovely little life. He has a fine library in his pen and it is from his books that he gets the idea to become a detective. After reading a couple Sherlock Holmes stories, Freddy is sure that he can pull off becoming the farm's number one crime-ridder. This decision is made not a moment too soon, for a nasty clan of rats has stolen a valuable toy train from the Bean home and is performing dastardly crimes with it. As we follow Freddy, he solves crime after crime and participates in adventure after adventure. When Jinx the cat is ultimately framed for a crime he did not commit, it's up to Freddy to sway a jury of his peers as to the feline's innocence and the true criminals in the case.

One of the first things that caught my attention in this book was the lack of human/animal interaction. For kids that grew up reading that other classic farm text, "Charlotte's Web", the fact that there are two kids on the Bean farm that never ever appear in the book is downright bizarre. In any other story we'd be getting everything from the children's point of view. Brooks, however, knows who the true star of his book is and he's not going to muddle the action with a couple of pesky young 'uns hogging (ho ho!) the spotlight. Another interesting choice comes with the fact that the humans and the animals on the farm cannot talk to one another. This makes quite a bit of sense, when you consider it. Animals have no vocal cords. Animals also don't usually use their hoofs like hands, but that's neither here nor there. The point is that humans and animals have their own fixed roles in Brooks' world, and for kids this is very easy to understand.

But it's the writing of Walter Brooks that has made this series as memorable as it is today. He continually peppers his books with songs and rhymes that not only pan out correctly but are rather clever in their own right. Consider the following:

"Habitually we offend
Against our country's laws.
It works out better in the end
Than being good, because -

No home has a superior
Or cheerier interior
Than this old jail
The which we hail
With constant loud applause".

Nicely done, eh? Better still are the 1930s turns of phrase and common references long since lost to the annals of time. In one section the children reading this book are urged to sing "Aunt Laurie" as fast as they possibly can. If a single child in this country knows both words and tune, I'll be amazed. In another instance a chapter title is simply, "Jinx is indicted", which I thought was great. And opposite the title page is a picture of Freddy falling down a flight of stairs backwards (as occurs later in the book) with the caption, "- but at that moment Freddy came to grief". Obviously the publisher of this book found that turn of phrase just as charming as I did. Well done there, Puffin Books. Paired with these words are German illustrator Kurt Wiese's original pen and inks. Known almost entirely for illustrating books with Asian themes (he won a Newbery for his illustrations in "Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze", for example), Wiese eschews his normal style in favor of this most American of tales. His animals are both deeply familiar and oh-so-slightly human. There is not a picture in this book that jars with the action or distracts from the words. The pairing of Wiese with Brooks can only be described as heavenly.

I was a little afraid when I picked up this book (and took a gander at its copyright date) that we'd have to deal with a fair amount of sexism and racism in this book. To my somewhat naïve shock, no such prejudice pops up. In fact, Brooks could even be credited with breaking down a few barriers here and there. Female characters do just as much good as male ones in Freddy's world. Freddy comes to realize early in the game that while there is no end to his cleverness, he's rather lacking in the common sense department. By partnering with the down-to-earth cow Mrs. Wiggins, however, the two are able to combine their equal strengths and solve any number of crimes.

I haven't even mentioned the clever things Brooks has to say about our legal system or the state of law enforcement itself. You'll just have to discover them on your own as you read through what can certainly be called a true children's classic for the ages. A marvelous and deserves-to-be-remembered tale.

Lois Lowry has really saved the day in this house more than once with her great Gooney Bird books. In this book, the first of the Gooney Bird series, Gooney Bird is introduced to her new class. She's confident and smart and has a good time in life and the class does an effective job of welcoming their new member. The "conflict" in these stories is some intellectual problem that one or more of the characters needs to solve, rather than having conflict with each other. This is perfect for us, because we have one daughter that doesn't care for conflict between characters in her fiction. The fact that Gooney is such a great character is stupendous (she likes big words and her dictionary!).

This is a clever book that will keep the parent entertained as well. Well worth every penny and then some!

Lois Lowry is a gifted writer of fiction who is passing on that gift to young readers with Gooney Bird Greene!

Children will learn the art of creating a story as they are enthralled by the tales told by Lowry's funny, pig-tailed heroine.

This book is tremendously entertaining and valuable as a teaching tool!

Another great children's book by Lowry! This book is absolutely hilarious and educational, too. Great to integrate into an English lesson(s) about writing stories. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Lowry or anyone who loves the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary.... the books contain great energy & lots of humor.... all with some lessons learned along the way. :)

I teach second grade and love to use this book as a read aloud to inspire my students to write interesting stories. After we finish the book, we then write our own stories from our life, and use all of Gooney Bird's tips for writing. I also like to use it as a visualization lesson, where we draw the picture in our head before Gooney Bird tells a story, and then the picture in our head after she finishes her story. (very different)Gooney Bird also has some great characters to analyze, as we learn about the different classmates through their interaction with Gooney Bird as she tells each of her stories. It is a treasure!

I read this book to my fourth graders, and they loved it! Gooney Bird is an original thinker who always tells the truth! We had fun speculating exactly how her "wild" tales could be true, before we read on.

Gooney Bird also discusses the ways to make writing better, and kids can learn from that as well. The book would be good to use in writing classes. Plus, it's just plain fun!

Excellent pictures, interesting information. This is a must have for Disney fans of the Haunted Mansion! It even covers Disney's other haunted mansions around the world, and the Haunted Mansion movie. Everything you ever wanted to know!

THis book was great! A ton of information on the ride! I couldnt put it down! It was great.

This book is a must read for ALL ages and ANYONE interested in Disney theme park attractions around the globe. Any Disney fan knows that the Imagineers are very particular about what is revealed to the general public in terms of how they make their Disney 'magic' and I was pleasantly surprised (being an avid Disney fan myself) by the research that went into the making of this book and the amount of knowledge shared with the reader - it DOES in fact reveal some secrets of the mansion and never before seen history of the making of the attraction. (It confirms and dispels some rumors about the attraction once and for all too!) A pattern of discussion is followed throughout the book as you are verbally walked through the mansion's corridors and rooms. Surrell consistently covers the Haunted Mansion in a logical order (Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris) in every chapter. He takes the subject matter full circle by including information about how the attraction was translated to the big screen, and gives the reader insight to how decisions were made pertaining to set design, costume design, and casting for the movie of the same name. If you want an intelligent, thorough and enjoyable read about a classic Disney attraction, and especially an insight to the magic that is Imagineering, this is a MUST READ!

Lots o' great info on both the Ride @ the Disney Theme Parks + the Movie [which I loath - sorry but the Haunted Mansion wasn't meant to be made into a 2 hour episode of the Fresh Prince of Bellaire, mmmkay ?] + the Haunted Mansion Holiday ....

Future editions should drop all reference to the Movie, then spend more time on the Haunted Mansion Holiday [Nightmare Before Christmas Holiday makeover] + recent "changes" that occured in 2006 [I'd make it a 5 star if they did that] ....

If you don't want to read the book, please buy it for the artwork
[best priced Disney Merchandise vs. what you will pay @ the Theme Parks] ....

~(^)~

You buy this book thinking it's a great "behind-the-scenes" resource, but it's not. Yes, there is some background information, but the book skips confusingly from park to park, and offers very little technical information on the special effects. The photos are all standard Disney promotional stuff...this book tells you what Disney wants you to know, and nothing else.

Go to doombuggies.com for a much better treatment of this classic ride.

I am an avid reader of science fiction, fantasy, romance and historical novels. I found this entire series to be exceptional. I am an adult and these seemed to be written for a younger generation but I could not put these books down!

If you would like some light fantasy reading that is different from many of the books out there, then this is for you.

Tal has the Red Keystone now, and following Lokar's instructions, he seeks the Empress, haunted by the memories of the people he believes that he has killed, including his Uncle Ebbit. He is also haunted by thoughts of Milla, because she has returned home to tell the Crones of the Castle- and die. Instead, she has become Milla Talon-hand, War-chief of the Icecarls. And she plans to invade the Castle, do whatever it takes to defeat the Chosen. With one of the Talons of Danir, and the knowledge of the Freelies at her side, along with an army of Shield Maidens, she is ready to strike down the Chosen!

I liked this book because it had a lot of unexpected twists, including the one when Tal delivers the `death curse' of the old Emperor Mercur. This book was a very intense book, and it was definitely what I wanted to hear from this series. It's lived up to what I heard about it and much more, this book especially. Anyone should read the fifth book of the Seventh Tower series, Into Battle!

In the second to last volume of this series, things get even more intense, if that's possible. Milla has a more prominent role, which is good because I like her quite a bit, though she and Tal continue in separate storylines for now. Tal's quest to save his family has become a far bigger struggle. Now, the future of the world of the Chosen and the Icecarls itself is threatened. Milla has taken command of her people as War-Chief, and must lead a fierce battle against Castle, while trying to come to terms with her own confused feelings of inadequacy and guilt. Needless to say, the plot is explosive, the characters deep and easy to relate to, and the descriptions paint a vivid picture of this vibrant world. Definitely read the series from the beginning, and buy them all at once! This author has a terrible affinity for unbearable cliffhangers...

Garth Nix wrote a wonderful children's series in this Seventh Tower series of books. My son (aged 10) and I have read all the books together. Garth Nix has some of the most inventive and ingenious ideas I have read in science fiction. Before you read this book, you really need to read the other Seventh Tower books that come before. I can't say enough good things about this author!

Garth Nix's Seventh Tower series approaches its climax with "Into Battle," a taut action-fantasy that throws a few new kinks into the complex plot. It seems a bit late to start introducing the main villain, but otherwise "Into Battle" could not be more compelling.

Milla is now the War-Chief of the Icecarls, and is leading them to a final assault on the Castle. As she and a junior Crone infiltrate the entryways, trying to get airweed, they encounter Free Shadows -- which are killed by the ancient Talon she acquired earlier. But when she rejoins the Freefolk, Milla finds that they have a traitor in their midst.

Meanwhile, Tal is struggling to find the Empress so he can tell her of the conspiracy. But after a harrowing trip to Aenir, Tal finally finds her -- a doddering old woman with no real power to stop the evil Sushin. But then Tal discovers the creature that is manipulating Sushin -- and his own destiny.

Garth Nix packs a lot of story into six slim books, and managed a fully realized fantasy world to boot. Not many authors can create as good a fantasy series in dozens of books. "Into Battle" has one weakness, but is otherwise a magnificent buildup to the series' climax.

"Into Battle" also introduces us to the Big Bad Guy, Sharrakor. Not personally, but this is the first we hear of him; it's a little jarring to have the sinister Sushin suddenly replaced as a top bad guy, this close to the end. Fortunately, Nix does sustain the sense of ominous mystery that this series has always had.

And when he introduces us to the doddering empress and her equally doddering brother, Nix also hints at what's in Tal's future in this series, if he defeats Sushin and Sharrakor. Milla has already gained her destiny, and we see her as a humbler, more self-assured warrior.

"Into Battle" is a strong buildup to the final book of the Seventh Tower series, and proves again that Garth Nix has mastered the dark fantasy novel.

A word first about how I came to buy the book. I have been dancing about five years, Israeli folk, not ballet. Folk dancing is a great way to stay fit, but in my classes at least, there is little emphasis on low impact preparation: warm-up, flexibility and strengthening. Ballet, specifically work at the barre and "on the floor," is great for that.

I bought the book thinking I would exercise at home. The book can serve for that, but it is far more centered on getting you into class. The authors emphasize that, yes, to be a professional dancer you have to start young, but ballet has tangible benefits no matter what age you start. It is written to make you aware that there are a lot of schools that have adult classes and to get you over the threshold. It spends a good deal of time talking away all the reasons why you think you can't do this. It talks in a straightforward, no-nonsense way about what to expect: dress, shoes, typical class programs. Some schools hold more to ritual than others: it spends some time on class etiquette. And since ballet is "in French," it has a chapter on "language": the different positions - feet and hands - and movements, from stage one (plie, tendu), to more complex (battement tendu jete, rond de jambe), with careful guidance to how they are done.

The Joffrey is known for its professional program, but it also takes its adult beginners very seriously. As I mentioned, I did not buy the book expecting to take classes, but the Joffrey is walking distance from my home in New York, and one of the two authors, Dena Simone Moss, teaches adult elementary.

I would add my vote to my teacher's view, hers formed over long experience, that to get into ballet you really do need to be in class. The individual positions and movements, those in beginning class at least, are not physically difficult, but there are countless ways to head just a little off the rails. It needs a mature eye.

I'm 37 yo and for the first time in my life have started ballet. I always wanted to as a child (parents couldn't afford it), was too interested in travel/dinner/fun in my twenty's, but now in my 30's I want to do something that helps me grow as a person so there's no better time than the present. This book is so informative. It includes photos of "non-child" students, what to wear to class, what to do/not do if you have former injuries, etc., expectations (your's and instructor's) PERFECT!

Most books on ballet are either dictionaries of terminology or else they are intended to be read by young children and teenagers. Ballet fit fills in a void in the literature for those of us who started dancing late, already have some kind of career, and do it for the sheer love of it. I wish there were more books for adult beginner dancers.

Ballet is one of the best workouts a person can get. It promotes good posture, flexibility, coordination, strength, grace, and balance at the same time bringing out one of the most artful forms of expression through dance. There is a recent trend of people wanting less grinding forms of fitness such as weight lifting and aerobics. This has caused a serge in popularity in workouts such as Pilates and Yoga in adults. This has also brought interest in means of working out that are both beneficial to your health and fun to do; thus the rising popularity of adult ballet classes.

A few years ago adult ballet classes were very rare. It was considered inane because there really was no hope in becoming professional when starting as an adult. However, there is a new movement of adults whose goal is not to become the professional ballet dancers but turning to it for the sheer fitness benefits. This book is perfect for the types of people just mentioned. There is a certain amount of anxiety and hesitation, however, when entering the world of ballet for the first time as an adult. Ballet is very structured and detailed and this can be a huge turn-off for someone who's not acquainted to this. This book takes all of that anxiety out for you. It tells you everything you need to know so you are completely prepared for your first class. It goes over how to buy your fist pair of ballet slippers; how to get the correct size and fit. It tells you the proper attire. It goes over all the basic foot and arm positions, correct form, and all the terminology. It also has wonderful pictures so you can see just what the positions are supposed to look like. It tells you what to expect the structure of the class to be like.

Now, I actually took ballet for several years when I was younger, but quit my sophomore year of high school. I'm now 26 years old and have had a child, so I was a bit apprehensive to even think about going back into ballet. This book was a great refresher and gave me the courage to get back on my toes again.

The book was somewhat of a disappointment due to the fact that I had already started ballet when I bought it. I had also already found out a lot of useful information on the internet. The target group of the book is adults THINKING of starting talking up ballet. The "Ballet fit" at the end was mostly a brief summary of what excercised that can be expected from a ballet class. Many of the movements are difficult to understand since there weren't enough amount of illustrating pictures. The pictures that are there are surely beautiful, but unfortunately, they have mostly used a pre-pro student in the center of focus and NOT real adult beginners (they are placed at the back). Which really doesn't give you any indication of how far an adult beginner can reach.
If you are going to buy the book, do it for the right reason: As a motivation for starting classes and NOT a technical instruction book or ballet work-out book!