Julie Brown Books

I think this book was read to me in school many many years ago. I remembered it as an adult and purchased it for sentimental reasons. I think it reminded me of The Secret Garden in a way. The seashell cottage was the perfect hideaway that every little girl could dream of making her own. I loved the story of Mandy and found myself wistfully wishing that I had a place like that as a child. What a wonderful story that Julie Andrews has created. I will cherish it always and keep it to pass down to the young girls in my family.

I read and reread this book about 5 or so times as a child. I simply loved the adventure of it all about the protagonist discovering a home away from home that she could call her very own. This is a fascinating tale for children who love to live in their adventurous daydreams and who love secret hiding places of their own where they can just "be". Although this is a book I would reccomend to children, I wouldn't reccomend it to adults as the plot and drama is very minimal. Adults would be bored of this whereas most children, especially little girls, would be fascinated by the simplicity and beauty described within its pages.

Mandy is obviously the protagonist of this story. She is an orphaned child living in an orphanage with other children of the state. She has a friend that she bonds with over time and gets along farily well with eveyone else, as well as the staff, until the day that mandy climbs over the wall of the orpganage and discovers an abandon cottage! She decides from that moment thatthe cottage is hers and her secret hideaway. She begins to do things that are uncharacteristic of her such as lying about where she has been, stealing from the orphanage supplies to take and supply her new home with, and is suddenly secretive with everyone, even her best friend. Read on to find out about Mandy and what she goes through as a child trying to make a cottage into a home and keep her secret place just that... secret.

Although this book is aimed to appeal to girls approximately between the ages of 7-13, I was in college when it was first released. Being a hugh fan of Julie Andrews, I of course bought the book and was amazed that I could not put it down! To me, a great book has the ability to transport the reader from their day-to-day life into another time and place. I was mesmerized by this charming story from beginning to end as I am sure every child who reads it will be. Mandy is not only a sweet, likeable orphan, but she is very positive role model for children, showing that if you try hard enough, you can make your dreams come true. I admire her spirit and courage to go after her dream of someday having a real family.
I had read that Julie Andrews lost a bet to her teenage step-daughter Jenny and her promise was to write her a story, which turned into this wonderful book! Lucky for us readers, the result of that bet gave us our first glimpse at yet another one of Julie Andrews' many talents. It's been 30 years now since I first read Mandy and I still have my original version of this book in a prominant place on my bookshelf, along with a hardback copy of Mandy and each updated version that has been printed. All the young girls in my family have read this classic book and loved it as much as I do. I only hope someday a movie version of this beautiful story is produced.

I purchased this book with my own money when it first came out thirty-six years ago. I was eight years old. I still have it on my bookshelf and shared it with my own children. This is truly a classic and I hope that someday it will be adapted for the screen!

This book reminds me a lot of "The Secret Garden" without being quite as preachy and overly descriptive. My two daughters absolutely love this book and consider it one of their favorites.

I enjoyed the vivid portrayals of the four family members -- mother, father, sister and Luna, the male-to-female transgender teenager. Luna is impatient and exercises poor judgment, just as one would expect of a teenage transgender individual. Luna's younger sister is actually the central character, as she finds herself conflicted, caught in the middle and consumed by Luna's needs, all of which is tough on a shy teenager trying to make her own way through school and relationships. The reader pulls for her every step of the way. Although the book's crisis scene is somewhat predictable, it is still entertaining as it impacts the well-characterized family members. There is even a twist or two at the end to make for a very satisfying read and a sense of completeness, even though Luna's life in many ways is just beginning.

Regan's brother, Liam, is one person by day and another by night. Literally. During the day, he is Liam but during the night, his inner-self comes out in the form of Luna, a girl. She spends the night in her sister's bed room, trying on wigs and clothes.

Regan is the only one who knows about Liam's true identity and she isn't exactly sure how to deal with it. Besides dealing with Liam, she struggles with normal teen problems - boys, grades, and her job.

When I picked up this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. For my local book club, we had to read a book about accepting people and another one of the girls suggested this book to me. I have absolutely no problem with the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender issue but I wasn't sure if I could handle reading about it in detail, especially not knowing what to expect. However, since I respect Julie Anne Peters as an author (Far From Xanadu is brilliant), I decided to give it a try. I wasn't let down.

This book is great and you should definitely read it as long as transgender doesn't bother you. It doesn't go into too much detail, but explains the struggles of Regan dealing with her older brother whom is truly a girl inside. The characters are believable, the dialogue is great, and the plot is amazing. It's definitely a book you won't want to put down once you start. I read it in less than five hours with a few breaks. Even if you aren't sure you'll like it, give this book a chance!

Gender-identity crisis is a rarely discussed topic within the many forms of literature. It tends to be a touchy subject due to existing prejudice against transsexuals. However, Julie Anne Peters does an outstanding job with addressing this subject in her young adult novel "Luna". The difficulties of the transsexual character are addressed, along with hardships later experienced by family and friends.

"Luna" is the story of Liam O'Neill, a high school senior hiding a huge secret from his family and friends, besides his younger sister Regan. This secret of his is that he is truly a girl trapped in a male body. The tale of this troubled teen is narrated through Regan, the only person that Liam confides in. Liam only reveals the true girl inside him at night by using Regan's makeup along with wigs and women's clothing, and he goes by the name of Luna. However, the ends that Regan goes to in order to keep Luna a secret ultimately dominates her life as well. Basically, Liam's life is Regan's life as well. Regan's narration allows readers to understand the difficulties that come along with having a transsexual sibling, which includes her constant inner conflicts about whether Liam/Luna is a burden or a blessing. Peters uses a variety of techniques to describe Liam and Regan's lives, including childhood flashbacks that demonstrate early indications of Liam's gender issues.

Not only will readers enjoy the uniqueness of the storyline and the characters, but they will gain a better understanding of the obstacles that transsexuals face each day while trying to express the way they truly are. This book also teaches people to accept everyone for who they are because displaying the real you to the world is one of the hardest things to do. I enjoyed this book because it addresses a subject that is not often discussed, and there was never really a dull moment in the story. Something was always happening with one of the characters, and Regan always had something she was contemplating. Therefore, I would recommend this book to basically anyone, but especially those with an open mind.

- Written by Paige O'Brien

Mes not much of a book person. mes had copys buts was lost durings a moves. glad mes coud get a new copys. mes was toweds abouts this book by a friends. mes counds nots puts the books downs mes wub its.

This is a compassionate look at a family which includes a transgender (MTF) teenage 'son.' The first person view-point character isn't transgender, but is his supportive sister, for whom the burden of her brother's secret has become almost unbearable. The author has done her research well, and manages to make the story about as upbeat as is possible while remaining true to the difficult reality of the trans teen. Luna is fortunate, as a 'computer genius' she has the resources to make it on her own, without descending into a world of drugs and prostitution if rejected by her family. Strongly felt, sincere, with understanding and compassion even for those characters who can't wrap their mind around the reality of transgender, this is a story that should be read by anyone interested in trans people and their families.

This text includes a great number of book lists for literature for each genre.
It provides a great description and numerous examples for each type of
literature. It highlights all the award winning books. Finally, this text provides
lots of ideas for promoting literature in the classroom.

Book in excellent shape and quickly shipped would definitly buy from seller again.

This is one of the best overviews of children's literature I have EVER seen. I plan on using this book in my new job as a Library Media Specialist. Each children's genre is covered as well as outstanding books in each genre. A must have if you are working with children's or YA literature! BRAVO!

I needed this book for a university class I'm taking. It was by far the best price compared to the university bookstore and a few other sources I checked.

Excellent information and easy to follow. This book is written in such a pattern that anyone will be able to understand.

I read this book in 14 hours. I coudld read this book 20 million times!!! This book is a book where can't put it down!! I loved this book !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This book is truly the best of the best. I've re-read it probably over seven times, yet I still get that feeling of astonishment at how Julie was able to become a racing hero. She went from the extreme bottom of horse racing to the top. After reading this book and watching her race. Julie is now my idle, my hero. She has inspired me to become a successful jockey. I, because of her, feel that I am going to be the first female jockey to win the triple crown. Everyone, remember my first name, Carly, for you'll be hearing of it a lot in a couple of years. Julie, I thank you and Nancy for writing such an extraordinary book, and for giving me the encouraggement through this book to live up to my full potential.

I found this book while trying to get an interesting biography about a famous woman athlete for a project I had to do. Because I am fond of horses, it was my good luck that this autobiography of the famous jockey, Julie Krone, came up in my path. With the help of Nancy Ann Richardson, Julie Krone has been able to capture her younger years and early racing experiences and give them an interesting twist. Even when it turned out that I didn't need to do the project, I felt that the book had been a worthwhile investment. I greatly enjoyed it and highly recommend it for it's interesting and real-life quality.

This is a heart-breaking story about a jockey who made her way to the top, only to nearly be killed when falling of during a race. I recomend this book for any reader.

The book is beautiful, if very heavy. The fault lies not with the catalog but with the show itself. THERE'S TOO MUCH STUFF and not all of it is worth looking at. The book will prove to be an invaluable companion to the catalog from the National Gallery of Art's 1976 retrospective. But it (and the show) sure could have used some editing.

The problem with art books is that they go out of print too quickly. This is a beautifully presented book on Rauschenberg that was released with the big retrospective at the Guggenheim in 97/98. Barnes and Noble still had copies avaiable as of Sept. 99, so check there -- they were even discounted!

For the fan and the collector, this book is an excellent reference guide that offers extensive illustrations of the works themselves, as well as documentary photos of the artist at work and play. A chronology, exhibition and performance histories are also included. I was also very interested in the information regarding Rauschenberg's work processes and collaborations with other artists. This is a fine addition to any art library.

This book was offered in paperback during a recent exhibition at the San Francisco MOMA, so if you can find the hard cover you should buy it.

I was very pleased by the large number of high-quality reproductions. Still, as far as I'm concerned there should have been *more*. The book contains (a rough count) about 280 pages containing text or mostly text, out of about 630 total pages. However, I'm very happy with the book.

My God! You won't find any birds singing in this masterpiece! Rachel Carson has nothing on this guy! The DDT chapter broke my heart!!!

This account of efforts to understand and deal with threatened exotic-caused extinctions on Guam is a gem. The paper back's blurbs focus on Jaffe's "ecological detective thriller." But it's the seamlessness of the book's widely-informed joined elements -- including biographical and political sketches of great pith, accessible population biology, and How Modern Science Works to try to save avian species -- that's most compelling. This deftness in weaving many individually fascinating threads recalled for me Neal Ascherson's astonishing "Black Sea."

The paperback's Index lists only passing references to DDT -- on pages 26, 27 and 72. Because the bad guy is not a chemical, not one of our products. No, he's one of us. And after the paucity and untimeliness of the legislative response to the Guamanian situation had sunk into my consciousness, it was ironic that in the end, an air force base on the island established the 50-acre "environmental reclamation experiment" Jaffe hopes could begin to turn it all around. Like the ending of William Golding's little masterpiece, with the navy warship rescuing the tribe of island-stranded boys from themselves.

Reviewed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, award-winning author of "This is the Place" and "Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered"

Women, Wisdom and Writing are three very big Ws. This is an apt subtitle for "Feminine Writes," a kind of writing genre all its own.

Compiled by Sheri' McConnell, president and founder of the National Association of Women Writers, this book is a little of many things. This could be the kiss of death for a book--the very path to self destruction; in this case it works very well.

The first five chapters are composed of inspirational works culled from essays by members of NAWW--a huge organization that is growing every day. Covering subjects like "The Identity of a Woman" and "Passion and Creativity" they appear in this book by invitation and Sheri' has been careful to include only the best. These are lovely pieces that should be read by any writer, whether she journals only for her own needs, is a hardworking reporter or writes creatively. These pieces may be read one by one and savored or devoured nonstop. Intended for women, many would be of value to men.

The second section is designed to give a writer experience but also to "Ignite the Woman Writer's Soul."

Section three is all (or almost all) about the practical. It answers 25 commonly asked questions about the writing life. A woman writer may find something here that she had thought to ask but never had, or a new slant on an answer that she long thought she had the answer to.

At the end is a "Directory of Wisdom." There is a surprise here that I shall not reveal. It may be sufficient to say that wisdom does not always spring from expected sources.

"Feminine Writes," edited by Angel Brown and Julie Ann Halick, is available at no cost to a writer who chooses to become a member of NAWW; it is one of many perks. Or it may be ordered on Amazon with the rest of this spring's reading.

I highly recommend this book. It is, in part, a mass memoir. Women share their innermost selves with other writers. It is a workbook extraordinaire. All in all, it is a book full of camaraderie. If I used a star system for rating, I would wave a flag full of them for "Feminine Writes." A pretty pink flag, for women writers everywhere.

(Carolyn Howard-Johnson's first novel, "This is the Place," has won eight awards. Her newly released "Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered" has won three.)

Reviewed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, award-winning author of "This is the Place" and "Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered"

Women, Wisdom and Writing are three very big Ws. This is an apt subtitle for "Feminine Writes," a kind of writing genre all its own.

Compiled by Sheri' McConnell, president and founder of the National Association of Women Writers, this book is a little of many things. This could be the kiss of death for a book--the very path to self destruction; in this case it works very well.

The first five chapters are composed of inspirational works culled from essays by members of NAWW--a huge organization that is growing every day. Covering subjects like "The Identity of a Woman" and "Passion and Creativity" they appear in this book by invitation and Sheri' has been careful to include only the best. These are lovely pieces that should be read by any writer, whether she journals only for her own needs, is a hardworking reporter or writes creatively. These pieces may be read one by one and savored or devoured nonstop. Intended for women, many would be of value to men.

The second section is designed to give a writer experience but also to "Ignite the Woman Writer's Soul."

Section three is all (or almost all) about the practical. It answers 25 commonly asked questions about the writing life. A woman writer may find something here that she had thought to ask but never had, or a new slant on an answer that she long thought she had the answer to.

At the end is a "Directory of Wisdom." There is a surprise here that I shall not reveal. It may be sufficient to say that wisdom does not always spring from expected sources.

"Feminine Writes," edited by Angel Brown and Julie Ann Halick, is available at no cost to a writer who chooses to become a member of NAWW; it is one of many perks. Or it may be ordered on Amazon with the rest of this spring's reading.

I highly recommend this book. It is, in part, a mass memoir. Women share their innermost selves with other writers. It is a workbook extraordinaire. All in all, it is a book full of camaraderie. If I used a star system for rating, I would wave a flag full of them for "Feminine Writes." A pretty pink flag, for women writers everywhere.

(Carolyn Howard-Johnson's first novel, "This is the Place," has won eight awards. Her newly released "Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered" has won three.)

Reviewed by Casey Holt (age 13) for Reader View (11/07)

"grl2grl" is about girls and their sexualities; some of them are confused, others are curious, and there are a couple of heartbroken ones. I think this is a great book for all girls, but I think it would be really good for a girl who was struggling with some of the same troubles that the girls in this book are.

My favorite story was "After Alex." This story really made me feel like I was actually there, experiencing this girl's pain. She's just been dumped by her girlfriend, Alex. She has separated her life into three categories, before Alex, during Alex, and after Alex. This is the story of her life after Alex.

"Boi" is a story about a transgender girl who has changed her name to Vince. She has wanted a "P" since she was four-years old, but she's not old enough to go to the store to buy it, so she earns all the money, and then begs her brother to get it for her. He finally does, and it's her prized possession, she feels incomplete and naked without it. This story really touched me deeply, because I can't even imagine what a transgender person goes through. It seems so horrible to have been born into the wrong sex.

The story "TIAD" was really difficult for me to understand, but I still think it was pretty good. A girl is heartbroken and planning to commit suicide, but through an online chat room she meets another girl and falls in love.

"Stone Cold Butch" was also difficult for me to understand. It was about a girl who was sexually abused by her father every day, and so she just becomes cold as stone, not even realizing that someone could, would, love her. But she couldn't see it. I didn't like this story as well as the others.

The only thing I didn't like about "grl2grl" was that I felt like the stories were kind of incomplete, too short. I felt like some of them were not finished. All in all, I'd say this is an awesomely good book!!! Every girl over thirteen should read it!

In grl2grl YA author Julie Anne Peters breaks out of the novel genre for something, well, novel. If you're a fan of Peters' other works, this collection of short fictions, and I'm putting faith in the author in believing that's an actual genre, will speak to you no matter what, because it's representative of all the girls out there who are or may be gay, lesbian, bi, trans, queer, questioning, or differently oriented. No matter what you've gone through, abuse, breakups, volatile relationships, the confusion of cyberspace, clicking with somebody, or hiding who you really are, there's something in grl2grl for you.



From Passengers, where two girls have seen each other every day for years but never speak finally recognize their mutual affection, and Outside/Inside when you realize that you were not, in fact, the only one to like somebody out of the norm, on down to Boi with a painful to read scene of violence that occurs only because of the homophobia in our society and Stone Cold Bitch, where abuse literally absorbs the protagonists life, Peters' isn't afraid to tackle tricky subjects.



Like her previous novel Between Mom and Jo, grl2grl may not make you smile the whole time; it is acknowledged that growing up a teen that isn't straight isn't all rainbows and pride parades. There are the same volatile relationships, confusing signals, and rumors that go around, just like anywhere else. And that, in and of itself, is a good message: straight, gay, or the ever prevalent and popular "other," the same pain, confusion, and periods of total bliss are there. It's a human thing.

This account of efforts to understand and deal with threatened bird extinctions on Guam is a gem of a book. The paperback's blurbs focused on Jaffe's "ecological detective thriller." But I found most compelling the seamlessness of the book's widely-informed joined elements -- including biographical and political sketches of great pith, accessible population biology, and a good-scientists-versus-stupid-and-finally-thwarted-others story.

The ecological culprit was not some natural substance, and not even one of homo sapiens' products (the book's index lists only three references to DDT). Nor was he us. But he was (and is) one of our fellows -- a little predator incredibly well adapted to feeding on birds' eggs.

After the paucity and untimeliness of the governmental response to the Guamanian situation had sunk into my consciousness, it seemed ironic that the book ends with the United States Air Force establishing a 50-acre "environmental reclamation experiment" on Guam which Jaffe hopes will provide the setting for much more effective research on the culprit. Like The Lord of the Flies ends with her majesty's warship rescuing from themselves the band of island-stranded, warring boys.

Many powerful and effective businessmen feel lost when they get home. As a result, some professional men spend more time at the office, where they feel confident and capable. To remedy this dilemma, Ted Hirschfeld presents the one class that they forgot to include in your MBA program: Fatherhood 101. Presented as an executive briefing for a huge new assignment, Hirschfeld's book tells you how to harness the skills that make you successful in business to make you successful as a father. It's a long-overdue concept, even if the book doesn't explain how to fit in more time with the kids at a point when business is demanding more and more of all of us. We [...] strongly recommend this book to any businessman who is also a father, or father-to-be.