Schools Books

My kids love the Captain Underpants collection so I thought I would try some of Dav Pilkey's other books. Both Dog Breath and Halloweiner are excellent books as well. My 8 yr old loved both books. Very funny book. I recommend it highly.

Hally is a dog with bad breath. It is extremely bad breath. So bad the family feels they need to get rid of him. However, when his horrific breath saves the family from danger, the dog gets to stay and is a hero.

This is a cute story, and the play on words with Hally Tosis is funny. My son likes this story, but it doesn't engage him in the way that some of the other Dav Pilkey books do. The writing just isn't as funny as it is in Dogzilla and Kat Kong. However, the illustrations are very funny, and we like to talk about all of the different reactions to Hally's doggy breath. In fact, the illustrations entertain my son more than the story.

This is the story of Hally Tosis, a dog who has such bad breath that her owners can find nothing to cure it. They figure they'll have to give her away. But one night Hally captures two men robbing her owners home-stuns them with her breath.

She's a sweetheart of a dog in a sweetheart of a tale. My boys just love this one. It makes all of us laugh every time we read it together!

We finally get something that kids can REALLY appreciate- a cute, lovable dog with horrid breath. The story is hysterical, the artwork sheer perfection. My three and five year-olds both love this one. I have to confess I do, too. Yeah, there's a message in here, too... but who cares. Books like this will make young kids love books.

Frog and Toad where helpachful to eatchather.There storys where creatav.I like Frog best.He teaches Toad alot of things.Frog and Toad spend all year together.

Frog and Toad All Year continues in the delightful and thoughtful tradition of Arnold Lobel's books. It has stories for each season and as always they are deceptively simple but actually full of love, truth, good values, and humour. My daughter's, 3 and 5, love them.

Frog And Toad All Year


Hi, if you are a fan of Arnold Lobel's books, and you have not read Frog And Toad All Year, then you might want to read it.

If you like ice cream, then you should read page's 30-42. It is about Frog and Toad sitting by a pond Frog wishing for something sweet like ice cream. Toad thinks that is a great idea, so he gets some but before he can make it back it melts. They both go and get more ice cream. But instead of going back, they sit under a tree by the store. I like this chapter is because of the ice cream melting.

I liked this book because of the lessons like the lesson in chapter Ice Cream and the lesson is never travel with ice cream on a hot summer day.

If you are scared of being alone, well, you might pick Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel. Find out if Toad will ever learn how to be alone.

In the beginning, Toad was so nervous to be alone in the sled. So Frog was behind him. There was a big bump and Frog fell out. Toad was still on the sled. And he went by himself all the way to the bottom. Toad learned that being alone is not that bad, and you don't have to be scared.

If you like this book you might pick others in the series. There is Frog and Toad are Friends and Days with Frog and Toad.

I was at a wedding where the minister was a very good friend of both the bride and the groom. When it came to the part of the service where the minister imparts words of wisdom, he started to read the Frog and Toad story of "The Surprise." It is all about how one October when the leaves had fallen from the trees Frog decides to go to Toad's house to surprise his friend by raking up all the leaves on his lawn and Toad decides to go to Frog's house and do the same thing. The minister read the story, showing the surprised groom the pictures, and when he finished the story he explained how it was all about thinking of somebody else before you think of yourself. All I was thinking is that I have to get my hands on this story.

"The Surprise" is the fourth of the five stories that make up "Frog and Toad All Year," a Level 2 (Reading with help) "I Can Read Book." The stories begin and end with winter, starting off with "Down the Hill" as the two friends go sledding and end with "Christmas Eve." In between Toad finds that Spring is waiting around "The Corner" and buys some "Ice Cream" cones for he and his friend to enjoy, before it is time to rake the leaves. Lobel's stories have an exquisite simplicity that should really resonant with young readers. I know that frogs and toads are both amphibians, but I had to look up the biological differences: toads have brown skin that is dry and leathery because of convergent adaptation to drier climates and environments than frogs. So there is a reason why frogs are green and toads are brown. What that means to kids is not evidence of convergent adaptation, but rather than Frog and Toad are alike and yet different. In the end what is most important is that they are friends. Whether you think of yourself as a frog or a toad, you still need a friend and friendship is what these stories are all about.

"Frog and Toad All Year" was originally published in 1976, the fourth of Lobel's collections of stories about these characters. It follows "[[Frog and Toad Are Friends" (1970), "Frog and Toad Together" (1971), and comes before "Days with Frog and Toad." Each has five stories and if I think this one is the best it may just be because it was the first one I happened to read. If you have the soundtrack to "A Year with Frog and Toad," the musical adapted from Lobel's charming stories, you will find that three of these stories end up in Act II. "The Surprise" becomes "He'll Never Know," "Down the Hill" retains its title, and "Christmas Eve" becomes "Merry Almost Christmas." I mention all this because once your young reader reads one of these books they are going to want to read the rest, and when they find out that there are only four books you might need something else to keep them happy and the musical is out there to be enjoyed as well.

This book was amazing.It has so many things that nowadays gay people debate about their own sexuality and they don't know what to do about it. If decide to be with Gods word without been yourself or been true to yourself and letting God love you as you are. It also contains a different point of view of the bible,and that how God condemns straight people more than gay people. And that they are few bible text for avoiding homosexuality and that their exist more bible text that condemn straight people for what they do.If you like controversy,this is the right book for you. This unleashes secrets way above just what people believe.And that many gay people are good people that also loves God with all their heart and soul and that even if their gay,they have better moral life's and that they can live happy even if in this world complicates their life's because they don't want gay people to be happy. This book changed my way of thinking about gay people,and helped me understand that they deserve to be happy as they are. God is love and he loves us all no matter how we are.

One of the best books I have ever read, period. The dialogue was update and very thoughtful. The references used were amazing and fit in perfectly well. The coming-out, self-acceptance, and love story were also of high cailbur. Definitely worth a look.

like in previous reviews from alex sanchez's books, I have been struggling with my sexuality for quite some time now but after reading this i felt so much better. i go to a christian school and have christian friends and i am a christian (duh). After reading i felt so much better about myself and truly believed that God made me the way I am and will use me in some way. It's a great book and has unexpected turns. You also get really into the characters and are actually arguing with the book(on what you want your characters to do). Also, it talks about Bible stories from a different point of view and makes you really think about other Bible stories involving homosexuality. All in all, you should read this book; it will make you feel better about yourself and you will become sure on what you believe in and teaches you to stand up for what's right.

I just finished reading the newest book by Alex Sanchez, The God Box. I absolutely love this book. The book tells the story of a high school senior dealing with coming to terms with his sexuality, and then reconsiling that with his faith, and what his church has tought him about homosexuality.

Sanchez does an excellent job of taking many of the passages used by many religious leaders to condemn homoseuality, and find fault with the logic that is used. While it is not as indepth as the books published on the subject, he does an excelent job of telling the gist of it. He also offers the books that he used at the end of the book, so you can look into them further if youa re really interested in looking at a scholarly take on the subject.

Even though the book is written with the intent to help young teens reconslie their sexuality with Christinaty, there is very little demonizing of the religious people in the book. Even those characters, who are homophobic and anti-gay, are not portrayed as a completely evil and vile people. They are treated with dignity. While those characters are charactures of the religious fundamentalists that are seen on television, like Dr. James Dobson, they are not at all portrayed to be like the Rev. Fred Phelps.

This is an extremely well written book, and keeps in line with all of Alex Sanchez's other writing. I highly encourage anyone of any age to read not only this book, but all of his other books as well. They are all definitely well worth the time, and maybe you'll learn a little something as well.

As a middle school librarian, I'm always excited for the beginning of summer when I can finally get to the rest of the books I've been meaning to read all year. Sanchez's new book was one I was looking forward to (and enjoyed.) I loved the main characters, Paul (Pablo) and Manuel. Paul's character was developed more fully than the rest, but all of the characters took on strong voices. I thought Paul's self reflection and slow realization of his sexuality was beautifully written and his simultaneous excitement and fear at Manuel's interest was very real.

My disappointment arrived at the (SPOILER ALERT) gay bashing. It seems like a gay bashing is always necessary to demonstrate the dangerous conditions many gay teens face. However, as an educator who works closely with teenagers (and a lesbian who was once a teen myself), I've seen that daily harassment, comments, ignorance and invisibility can cause as much, if not more, long-lasting harm (some of which Manuel and the minor character Stephen experienced - though Stephen's character could have been more developed). However, at its heart, Sanchez's novel is a coming-of-age story and a well written one at that. His focus on the arguments against gay people made by some Christians is explained well and the counter-arguments are clear and easily understood. I think it is an important work and one that should be found in every Middle School, Junior High and High School library. Hopefully some questioning Christian teens, and perhaps their friends, will happen upon the book and find some peace in its pages.

I have been meaning to read Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field (illustrated wonderfully in what I assume is pen and ink by Dorothy P. Lathrop) for a rather long time. Several years ago my mother bought me a reproduction Hitty doll by Robert Raikes (big deal carver of dolls and bears though he no longer seems to be making Hitty dolls).

After buying the doll, and doing a bit of research, we found an edition of Field's novel with the original 1929 text and illustrations. There is another, newer, edition with updated text by Rosemary Wells and illustrations by Susan Jeffers. The newer book came out, I believe, to celebrate the seventieth anniversary of Field's original novel. I never read this version, actually sending it back upon realizing it was an adaptation, but other reviewers' outrage at the changes suggest I was right to do so. If you haven't guessed already, Hitty fans are numerous and loyal.

Hitty, amazingly, was real. Hitty.org is but one site dedicated to chronicling the life and history of this amazing doll. The site includes the picture of a Daguerreotype actually mentioned in the novel as well as a variety of other interesting photos and well-researched facts.

As the subtitle suggests, Hitty is already a centenarian at the start of Field's fictionalized account of her adventures. Safely ensconced in a New York antique store equipped with quill and paper, Hitty decides it is high time to begin setting her story down for posterity. What follows is a children's novel that truly deserves the Newberry Medal it received in 1930 for "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children."

Hitty begins her life as a lucky piece of mountain-ash wood carried by an old peddler. In exchange for lodging during a particularly bad Maine winter, the Old Peddler decides to carve his piece of wood into a doll for the family's seven-year-old child, Phoebe Preble. Hitty and Phoebe have their share of adventures during their time together. More, it might be argued, than one doll could manage (including a section that reads very much like part of Moby Dick geared to a much younger audience). But, as readers realize soon enough, Hitty is no ordinary doll. As the story progresses, Hitty passes through many hands and a variety of owners. Like most things, some owners prove better than others in the same way that certain events of Hitty's life are more worthy of space in her memoirs than others.

When you realize that this book is from 1929, well before any other doll novels were published, it becomes clear that Hitty is something special because Field did it first. At first, I thought the novel might come off as dated since it was written so long ago. But I was happily proven wrong and found that the text stood up to my modern standards as well as Hitty's chemise survives her first century. Many of the insights that Hitty expresses throughout the book remain very accurate to this day. Hitty's calm demeanor and buoyant spirit also help to make this doll downright lovable.

Field's prose is wonderful. Even though I knew Hitty was safe in the antique shop, each new peril left me fearing for Hitty and in a state of suspense until I found out if she had survived. The people that Hitty passes during the course of her first century are equally well-realized in the text. In terms of classic children's literature (especially for a younger child), I can't think of many better examples.

If, you want still more Hitty, you can check out Gail Wilson's website. This very talented (and expensive) doll makers features her own version of Hitty available both ready-made and as a kit.

hitty....oh what fun we had reading this together as a family. i certainly did not know what i was geting in to when i started reading it aloud. very well written book; descriptive; memorable. after reading each chapter we wanted to rush to the library to find out about the place she had been. we also cooked a few things from different countries. we did not have a plan; it was so spontaneous; i think that is what i loved about it so much....learning at its best. my older children, after five years still remember vividly certain paragraphs. and we all smile thinking about how much fun we had reading this book together. i can hardly wait to read it to the younger ones. recently i purchased it for my shelf. it is certainly a keeper. copywork, narration, cooking, art, geography/history, a little science, etc... a years worth of curriculum in one book. all you need is a math book and your set. honestly, each chapter is like a springboard and it should not be hard to find a topic to learn more about. make some happy memories, read hitty aloud to your children. they will love it! (and you will, too...)

Many may remember Hitty from decades ago; I was introduced to her just a few years ago. Hitty: Her First Hundred Years is a wonderfully written, beautifully illustrated "children's" book that should be on everyone's reading list, regardless of age.

Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, as originally written by Rachel Field in 1929, is delightful. The story follows the adventures of a doll, carved by a peddler from a piece of mountain ash, as told in her own words. From being proclaimed a "heathen" goddess on a South Seas Island, traveling with a snake charmer in India, being alternately a fashion plate and a demure Quakeress in the midst of the Civil War, Hitty and her story are truly captivating. Rachel Field has given the world a wonderfully exciting and deeply touching glimpse at history through the eyes of this remarkable doll. The charm of this old fashioned story is enduring, powerful enough to endear itself to each new generation of readers that discovers it.

This book was interesting and fun to read. Ride along with, the doll, as she tells her life story. Watch as she goes from one owner to the next. This book is an adventure to read. Hitty has seen so much you forget she is a doll. This book pulles you in like a vacuum cleaner. You'll love it when she travles to New York. You'll jump out of your seat when she goes whale hunting or when she gets stuck in a tree. There is a couple of settings but it doesn't jump around. The message that i got out of the story is live life to it's fullest I would recomend this book to preteen girls that like history and fiction. This book was fantabouls!!!!!!!!!!

Mary Stewart is a great writer. I'm glad that I discovered her again. This book keeps you guessing until the end. I really enjoyed this book.

Back when I was in high school, my bookshelves were filled with the Gothic romances of Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt and Phyllis A. Whitney. In my mind's eye (especially on a dark and stormy night!), I liked to cast myself as one of the the intrepid governesses who finds employment at the manor house of a devastatingly handsome but brooding lord with a plethora of mysterious, murderous relatives and eavesdropping servants. While I always questioned why these young women used to traipse out at midnight into the fog-shrouded moors - wearing only a diaphanous nightgown - to investgate a spooky noise, I was nonetheless captivated by the way all three of these authors could spin such breathtaking ambiance and make a reader feel as if they were right in the scene. I was, thus, delighted when an associate sent me a paperback copy of the newly re-released "The Ivy Tree" by Mary Stewart. Her heroine is a plucky lady of mystery who or may not be who she really says she is, and the scintillating underscore of sexual tension throughout the chapters makes this the kind of read that should be enjoyed with a pot of herbal tea, a fire in the fireplace, a cozy comforter, and a storm outside one's windows. Even with the passage of 40 years since I originally read this title, it's a cleverly orchestrated mystery that still feels timeless.

Christina Hamlett
Author of "Movie Girl" and "Screenwriting for Teens"

First Sentence: I might have been alone in a painted landscape.

Annabel Winslow has been dead for four years. Mary Grey, over from Canada, looks enough like Annabel to be her twin. When Conner, foreman at Whitescar, stumbles upon her, it takes a bit of convincing that she is Mary. Con, and his half-sister, Lisa, work up a plan for Mary to pretend to be the missing Annabel long enough to ensure her grandfather passes the ownership of Whitescar to Con in his will. Annabel Winslow has been dead for four years. Or has she?

This is Mary Stewart at her very best. With lovely nods to Josephine Tey's "Brat Farrar," which I also loved, "The Ivy Tree" is a more complex, layered book, although the clues are there for us to find. Stewart's characters come alive and even have reader questioning just who is Mary? There is that constant threat of danger. Her descriptions and use of imagery make me go back and re-read passages for the pure pleasure of her words. It is a story of love, loss, and hope is wonderfully timeless. Stewart is always such a pleasure to read and this is one of, if not the, best of her works.

This book is wordy and descriptive--half of our book club really appreciated her use of words, and half found it tedious. The beginning is a little slow and hard to engage in, but stick with it because the plot thickens enormously in the middle and the twist is so much fun! It has a dramatic conclusion that made for some fun conversation at book club.

All of Mary Stewart's works are good. This is one of her best mysteries.

My kids always loved this, so I bought it for my niece's little girl. She loves it too.

This is a wonderful story! My mom brought it back from Australia for my daughter and ever since it has been one of her favorites and a bed-time staple! It tells the story of Koala Lou who enters a Bush Olympics competition to win her mother's affection. She trains really hard, but she doesn't win. In the end, her mother lets her know that she loves her, win or lose, just because she exists, exactly how I love my daughter. I would recommend this to anyone.

Koala Lou is another great Australian wildlife character picture book. First published back in 1988 in Australia this classic has more than stood the test of time. Since then generation after generation of grandparents, parents and friends of the parents of an only child have purchased this educational tale given to a child before the first sibling arrives to explain to them the fact that the new arrival will no doubt get most of the attention they used to get but that doesn't mean that they are loved any less. Possum Magic (Voyager Books) is probably the most famous of Mem Fox's work in Australia but the great universal message of Koala Lou has probably made it more famous around the world. I know many people here in Australia who have sent this to their friends overseas having a second kid as it combines great pictures of Australian animals to teach them about the wildlife here as well as the living the future vicariously through Lou lesson.

The basic plot of Koala Lou is that when Koala Lou is born everybody (all the other Australian animals) adore her as she is soft and round. Her mother tells her over and again every day Koala Lou I Do Love You. As the years pass she gets older the natural fussing over her by other animals decreases, during this time her mother has just given birth to at least five other joeys (baby koalas) so naturally the majority of her attention is spent on Lou's younger siblings. Lou misses the attention and wants her mother to love her again pinning for her to tell her she loves her like she used to. Lou comes up with a plan to enter the Bush Olympics as her mother will no doubt love her again when she is a sporting champion. Of course not everything goes according to plan and the affection from her mother has never demised as Lou believes. The ending is granted, very predictable but you wouldn't get the message you are looking for if it wasn't.

This is a good book not only for the child but to have those friends and relatives who are no doubt going to fuss over a new baby read as well, just to remind them to not ignore existing children when their are new arrivals.

Other great Australian wildlife fiction picture book classics for kids by Mem Fox you should check out are Possum Magic and Hunwick's Egg. By other authors Sebastian Lives in a Hat by Thelma Catterwell or Wombat Stew by Marcia Vaughan and the entire Steve Parish story book collection by Rebecca Johnson such as The Cranky Crocodile are also great reads. Olga the Brolga and Edward the Emu although not the best stories have some greatest illustrations of Australian wildlife you will ever see.

As others have noted here before, this book is delightful! It's a great read for a child whose family is growing and may feel uncertain about where she fits into her mother's life and love. I bought this book years ago simply because I love the illustrations by Pamela Lofts, but when my sister found out she was pregnant with her second child I knew it would be a great story to share with her first son. Lofts' color pencil artwork is reason enough to buy this book--pair that with the work of master storyteller Mem Fox and you can't lose.

I had this book back when I was in college and studying to be a teacher. Recently my daughter started Kindergarten and her teacher read this book to all of the parents at back to school night. It brought tears to my eyes and I went home and ordered a new copy for my daughter. Mem Fox is one of my favorite children's authors and this book is a very touching story about a little Koala who is looking for her mother's continued love and affection.

This is a fantastic book, though it's more of a global history lesson than a lesson in entrepreneurship. Monique Maddy covers the history of Liberia in depth and in less depth the history of several other African countries. She talks about economic development and the failures of the UN, IFC and World Bank. She is clearly an advocate for economic development via private investment. Her perspective is shaped by growing up in an exemplary company town. It was part of a mining project in Liberia sponsored by a joint venture named LAMCO. The project had a social development component that both supported the mining company by developing employees, and supported the citizens by developing them. The book is significantly a biography of Maddy herself and how she came to start her venture. That core of the book is surrounded by chapters that describe her efforts to start a pan-African telecommunications company- Adesemi - and its ultimate demise.

Maddy writes a warm, but penitrating review of the life of her family, as well as the nation of Liberia.

She gives great insight into the exploitation of Africa by the west. She makes recommendations that companies and individuals should heed as they work in this great continent.

Her writing style is easy to read, and very to the point.

REVIEW BY IAN MOUNT
www.ghanaweb.com: Business News of Monday, 1 October 2001

The Last Place to Start a Company
Monique Maddy tried and failed to launch a telephone service in Africa. She's moving on. Africa isn't.

Three short years ago, Monique Maddy was boasting that her company was going to "change people's lives" and "revolutionize things." Adesemi, the wireless pay-phone company she founded in 1993, had raised $37 million dollars, built a network in Tanzania, and moved into Ghana, and was planning to expand its service to the Ivory Coast. Maddy was the new face of African business. A Wall Street Journal article in September 1998 even proclaimed, "If the disenfranchised of Africa ever join the global economy, it won't be diplomats, politicians, or church people leading the way. It will be entrepreneurs like Monique Maddy."

It hasn't turned out that way. Maddy walked away from her company in disgust in the fall of '99. Her story is a familiar one, full of the government corruption that has become an African clichi, but the 39-year-old Maddy doesn't blame her company's demise on the bribery requests or Kafkaesque red tape. For the Liberian native, who's writing a book about third-world entrepreneurship to be published by HarperCollins next year, the real reason for Adesemi's failure and Africa's continental mire can be traced to the international development agencies that are designed to help the region. "Africa is worse off today -- in many countries -- than it was at independence, even though billions and billions have been spent," says Maddy, who herself served for five years as a United Nations Development Program officer. "As long as you have these kinds of institutions, you won't have any change."

Take Maddy's experience getting a pay-phone license. In mid-1995, a year after the Tanzanian national phone company granted Adesemi the license (and Adesemi had spent $1.5 million on its network), the phone company president said that it was no good because Adesemi's pay phones were wireless. Only after an acquaintance at the Harvard Business School, her alma mater, put her in touch with World Bank president James Wolfensohn did the matter get settled. The World Bank pushed the government just so far, however. The phone company insisted on charging Adesemi inflated rates to use its infrastructure. "When we asked the World Bank to do something about the rates, they said they couldn't tell the government what to do -- but they could lend them millions of dollars," says Maddy, referring to a $75 million interest-free loan the World Bank made to the national phone company. "They had a conflict of interest," she says.

Still, Adesemi kept at it, eventually building its network up to 600 pay phones and a pager service with 5,000 customers. The sell was easy, Maddy says, because Adesemi's phones actually functioned (the street nickname for the system was "the phones that work," she says).

When an Adesemi backer, CDC Capital Partners, refused to invest more money for the company's expansion into what Maddy argued were more profitable markets -- it wanted to see profitability in Tanzania first, despite the stacked odds -- she finally gave up. Maddy, who now lives in Boston, hasn't been to Tanzania since; her investors are selling off the network.

Not surprisingly, Maddy says her book will call for a radical departure from a system based on an international aid bureaucracy. "You basically have bureaucrats trying to develop countries," she says. "How many bureaucrats started Microsoft?"
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Source: Ian Mount

As I read this book I couldn't help but notice how similar Monique's tale is to the story of Africa. She weaves us through a maze of emotions as we feel her joy, hope, determination only to be suddenly brought to earth with frustration, anger, desparation.

For anyone ever been to Africa rarely has a book come along that so perfectly captures the daily difficulties of survival in Africa. Though tongue-in-cheek Monique certainly understands clearly the difficulties facing that part of the world and I would hazard we'll be hearing more from her on this subject.

Oh by the way did I mention that she became a World Class marathon runner in her spare time?

As someone who grew up overseas much like Monique, i deeply admire how she chose to use her acquired skills and network to give back to a continent in dire need of what rare individuals like her have to offer.

The book is enjoyable to read and deeply inspiring to anyone interested in contributing to third world development.

Arie provides a very good picture of companies that have sustained centuries of change. His research reveals what makes them click and what they aare doing that others are not doing. Some of his insights are packaged within the context of a company that truly has life time employment which some of us can not even imagine. His experiences in management and leadership will not necessarily ring true to many of us. Many of us simply will never have the opportunites that he has had. On the other hand, the work that he captures is excellent on sustainability and I highly recommend that if sustainability in business is an interest to you, that you read this book.

I am re-reading the book, and was compelled to share my love and appreciation of the deep understanding and unique approach to organizations and to the ways of dealing with change offered by Arie de Geus.

I'm undergoing through deep change in my life; my business is growing and changing. The book gives courage, foresight, support, tools and a map both to pass through the process holistically, and take responsibility for the future. I see how my whole company is taking responsibility for its future. I give credit for this movement to the ideas and concepts laid out the the book.

This is a must read for all those people who are interested in the subject of organizational learning. The book illustrates clearly the challenges companies face in encouraging its employees to learn. Also, it provides a lot of examples and strategies from Shell. Overall, it is an excellent for a any person, even if they are not in a managerial position in a company. If the reader is such a position, then this is a must read.

Companies die all the time. The current business climate favors short term profit over long term survival, and most companies don't adapt fast enough. De Geus explains why this is, and what we can do about it, but what makes this book an essential read is that he gives us a new way of looking at organizations and the meaning of work.

The problem is that, in management, you get what you reward. This is a well-known truth and explains the dysfunction we see in most companies. As de Geus puts it, "The difficulty lies in our definition of corporate success...the dominant school of thought in business administration measures success purely in terms of quantity: the maximization of revenues, market share, share value, or proceeds."

The solution de Geus comes up with is novel and revolutionary. It is to look at companies differently -- not as machines, but as living beings. In fact, he goes even further than this, saying that companies actually are living beings. It is only because they are living that they can learn and adapt and hence sustain themselves over long periods of time.

This view seems extreme, but it is soundly based in philosophical argument and it is preferable to the alternate view that companies operate like clockwork and their employees are simply assets. The complexity of organizations can indeed be understood better by analogy with human psychology and biological ecosystems. And a company is able to survive and learn only because it has an identity that outlives any of the people working within it.

de Geus draws on the work of leaders in the fields of psychology, philosophy, evolutionary biology and immunology. He agrees with other management writers like Drucker, Collins and Buckingham on basic management truths, like the need to focus on strengths and develop people continually so as to maximize their effectiveness. However, he provides fresh and original insights on management and helps us look at our organizations in a new way.

For example, the natural consequence of thinking of organizations as living beings is that a company's primary goal becomes survival. This in turn leads to a different way of looking at the company's people. The company will survive only if there is synergy and an underlying contract between the company and its members whereby the members are helped to reach their potential in return for support of the company's goals.

Many years ago, I read Peter Senge's book, "The Fifth Discipline," and its depiction of the learning organization became an ideal for me. I didn't expect to be as profoundly affected by "The Living Company," but the ideas are, if anything, even more basic to finding meaning in work, and will likely stay with me. This book is essential reading for any leader wanting to build a sustainable company, but it's also thought-provoking for anyone who wants to make change happen in any organization.

Graham Lawes

I found this book to be a relief and escape to the way the corporate world has evolved. By taking a look at long living companies, the author has extracted some timeless advice for corporations to pay attention to. The thing that "lowered the score," so to speak is that there were hardly any statistics or hard numbers involved to back up his claims, regardless of the intuitive excellence of their teachings. If this book is to make a difference and it has the ingredients to do so, I thought some hard results outside of the longevity would have to be produced and they weren't. What I particularly liked was how the distinction was made between living companies and economic companies. More importantly, how people need to realize that you can't run a company with some of one philosophy and some of the other. You'll have to pick this up and read it to understand this, but I think if you do, you'll see that most companies are attempting to mix oil and water today and unfortuneately, I agree that they will be "dead before their time." Overall, this was a very insightful book and upon reflection to my own life, sarcastically entertaining.

I first read this book when i was 15 now at 17 i still love this book its such a good read the main character is engaging and clever. You can see in this story what a post traumatic stress disorder may do to a person. It really makes you feel for this character

Ellen Emerson White is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. Her central character Meg is a strong-willed survivor who can also be an irritable, smart-aleck teen, not a typical heroine, to White's credit! The description of her time with her captors is harrowing. The story of her road to recovery is compelling. All the books in this series are worth reading.

I read a lot of books as a young adult but these books really stand out in my mind. They are incredibly gripping and well written. I have been trying to track this series down for awhile and could not be more happy to have located them. I read them in the early 90's but still loved the 80's culture (Tab and Joan Jett included) and recently purchased a pair it Tretorns because Meg owned them. All in all, great books for anyone to read!

In my opinion, this is one of White's best works. Although this is technically a YA book, the only real "teen" thing about it is Meg's age. She, her siblings, parents and various White House personas are thoroughly fleshed out, as well as the multitude of psychological issues that come along with being the child of a president. Here, when Meg's position in life leads to her abduction -- an incredibly grave situation -- White combines it with the thoughts running through Meg's mind, which are usually humorous and sarcastic. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

I think I first read this book back in middle school, in the late 80's; and immediately bought The Presidents Daughter so I could read that too. I'm now 29, and after a LONG search, have FINALLY recovered an original copy of White House Autumn to complete the trilogy. Wonderful writing, who could not love Meg and her family? And I find as I get older, each time I re-read I manage to pick up more detail, more emotion, more understanding. These books are wonderful for teenagers and adults alike. I recently read that a fourth book, titled "The Queen Lives On" will be released this fall; but have yet to get confirmation from any of the publishing companies. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE reprint this series and release the next book!!! I am dying to know how Meg's life has turned out, I would love to read about her college years (and find out if she ended up dating Josh again, LOL).

What will really grab your attention is the high percentage of reunited lost loves that make it a permanent arrangement. However, bear in mind that this book is a reprint and the research is dated. Still, if you are contemplating contacting a lost love or have done so you will find many of Dr. Kalish's findings to ring very true to your situation. At times it was so right on that I had to put it down for a while. Fun read!

I bought this book after my first love from high school found me on classmates.com. This book helped me to put things in perspective and to deal with powerful emotions I haven't felt since then. If you're not in a position to consumate an old love, please don't look for him or her.

We found each other again, but we were not in a position to do much about it. So in the end we're both torn, longing and full of heartache. Who wants to live like that?

My Lost Love found me on reunion.com. We were a couple 10 years ago when we were 16 and haven't seen or spoken to each other in 8 years. Once I contacted him he called me right away. We talked for 3 hours that first night and many more afterwards. We couldn't wait to see each other and once we did, WOW! With all these emotions I had to understand if this was real or just a fling but I never felt the way I felt this way towards anyone before, it was real once I came across this book.

There were many excerpts that were identical between my LL and I. We don't know what fate lies before us but I know this book makes me think there may be promising outcomes in the future. The best thing is we both are not married nor have any kids.

He has been and always will be my true lost love and I am so thrilled to have rekindled with him (dajudge15). I highly recommend this book to those searching for their fist love or lost love. P.S. I even bought a book for him too.

As Willie Nelson once said, "Most folks aren't with their first choice. That's what keeps the juke-box playing."

The book is a compilation of research. It is not a novel or a book for those who just want stories to read. The heartbreaking parts are true as well. It might help others understand, but it is a 'must read' for parents of teenagers. Think twice before you get involved in your son or daughter's romance.

I stepped off an airplane and proposed after more than 22 years. About a year later, I found this book. Everything in it is exactly as Dr. Kalish describes. In our case, it was my mother that got between us, and we were under the age of 17, just as the research predicts. It's been almost six years now and we're as happy as ever.

Today I consider myself extremely lucky. Other people will not understand. If the book is right, they can't. It truly is a case of "you had to be there." Knowing why I feel this way does not diminish it one bit. In fact, we both see ourselves more clearly in some ways. The reviewer who said that she know that she shouldn't contact her ex is also probably right and so is the ex-husband who found the book helpful. You would have to read the book to understand the paradox. Our situation worked out the best for us and for those around us. It is not always like that.

This is a terrific book. It explained so much to me and made me feel less crazy! The author has done real research; she's a psychologist, not a journalist or celebrity or psychic. The science is real. I am not a new age, crystal loving, past lives believer - where is the evidence for that stuff? But this survey data is real and explains so much!

I read her new book, just released, The Lost Love Chronicles, before this one. It's an ebook collection of stories that I bought at her web site. The stories in that book are amazing. Then I found this book. The two books compliment each other, but I'd recommend reading Lost & Found Lovers first, then the ebook. That way you will see how the topic has changed.