U Books

I enjoyed this book very much and only wish it were bigger in size to display the pictures better and that more could have been included. Of course spanning 75 years and so many balloons and events with each parade is a daunting task. I gladly would have paid more money to have more pictures and info especially I would have liked to know more about the marching bands and talents represented over the years. This book does a good enough job to give the highlights though through the years.

I love this book....BUT it has a big lacking...there's no complete listing of which balloons were in each year's parade. I chatted with the author awhile back and he said such a list was forthcoming....but then we lost touch and I don't think it ever appeared. Does anyone have such a list so that I can insert it into the book....and then it will be a 5 STAR book! Thanks!

When I ordered this book, I thought it was another one, which I'd seen in a Barnes and Noble bookstore some years ago. That one had pictures of a number of the "hosts" of the parade-like Jackie Gleason, etc. It was closer to a coffee table size. However, I was surprised when this one arrived. This has many more pictures than that book, and mainly of the balloons(which is really the best part). Plus it documents the history of the parade and its high points. This is, by far, the best thing I've ever found on the parade, in any form of media, whatsoever. I'll keep my eyes open for the other book, but this is the ONE to definitely get.

This book is a WOW! The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is the Miracle on 34th St and this book is a miracle too. That for the first time the glorious history of the Parade is presented in a fantastic mix of photos, ads, and a very enjoyable and readable text. The authors present their history in a conversational manner that encourages you to read the book from front to back and all over again! The images in black and white and color bring the parade to all, and year round too! Great for anyone planning on seeing the parade in person, or whom have seen it in person or watched on TV. A keepsake and collectible that does the Parade proud!

Being a Macy's Parade fan forever it is always sad when it is over for another year. Now with this book you can enjoy the Macy's Parade throughout the entire year. The book is chock full of glorious vintage ads and totally awesome pictures. The NY Daily News images are stunning and all of the images seem to leap off the pages. The writing is done in a conversational manner that draws you in and the parade is presented decade by decade and year to year with many interesting facts along the way! Then after the feast of glorious pages of text and black and white images the book ends in a splash of color and what color it is, eye candy indeed!

"Making Love Last Forever" by Gary Smalley is a helpful tool for couples who wish to have a stronger and more intimate marriage. The title is about 270 pages and contains 16 chapters. Some of the topics are:

1. How to Address Unresolved Anger.
2. Balancing Expectations With Reality.
3. Five Vital Signs of a Healthy Marriage.
4. Better Communication.
5. Understanding Personality Types (this was my personal favorite, more about that later).
6. How to Bring the Best Out of Your Mate.
7. Dealing With Conflicts.
8. Divorce-Proofing Your Marriage.

I particularly liked the chapter on the different personality types. According to Smalley, there are four basic personality types that can be characterized by animals. While each person probably has characteristics of each, one or two most likely dominate:

1. Lion - likes to be in charge and can be a bit too pushy.
2. Otter - enjoys being with people but can lack focus.
3. Golden Retriever - loyal but can be too easily hurt.
4. Beaver - consistent but can be too critical.

Smalley takes the four types, describes their strengths and weaknesses, and suggests how to deal with each type and how each type can address their own negative tendencies. A very interesting chapter.

Read the book and be encouraged and challenged to work at having a better marriage. Highly recommended!

Gary Smalley's books will help every couple who reads them.

For more help with your marriage, take a look at these also:

The Man of Her Dreams The Woman of His 2 - Livin' It and Lovin' It! (Volume 2)

and

The Man of Her Dreams The Woman of His!

This is an excellent and useful book for married couples or engaged couples or anyone who is planning on getting married.

Garey Smalley presents a grand way to preserve a marriage: Develop a spiritual relationship with your spouse that outlasts ephemeral physical desire. While this is not a new idea, Smalley's personal presentation keeps the reader interested and tuned in.

The book describes the nature character of man and woman and the feature of the christian marriage. It has test to evaluate personal character, and summary the right love on the back of each chapter. It is really a handbook for happy marriage.

"Martin's Hundred" by Ivor Noel Hume is as exciting as a detective story and contains the best prose ever spilled on the subject of archaeology. Hume, the Father of Historical Archaeology, was the head archaeologist at Colonial Williamsburg (CW) for many years, and was once given the job of archaeologically investigating the expansive grounds of the James River estate known as Carter's Grove. He was actually looking for the underground remains of 18th century buildings that could be interpreted during tours of the mansion, which was to about to open to the public. What Hume and his associates actually found, completely by accident (as the best mysteries always unravel), was what was left of 17th century Wolstenholme Towne - an English settlement at a place called Martin's Hundred that had been completely lost to history after its destruction in the Indian Massacre of 1622. This book gives a blow by blow description of the finding and further excavations of this long lost settlement, and describes in exciting detail how the archaeologists and other researchers searched the globe for answers to the mysteries and questions raised by the dig. The story takes the reader from Virginia to England, Bermuda, Turkey, Holland and back to Virginia on an epic quest of high adventure. When I first read this book I was a young student archaeologist at Jamestown, Virginia, and overnight it became the best book about an archaeological excavation that I had ever read - although I had not read many at that point. A decade later, and after reading countless other popular and academic books, reports, and articles as a professional archaeologist, "Martin's Hundred" is still by far my favorite. Archaeologists normally write site reports, and if they actually publish anything at all it is laden with all kinds of anthropological jargon and dry, factual descriptions that the public (and even many other archaeologists!) can't understand. This book is the antithesis of that because it was written by a self-effacing, humorous, English gentleman with a great talent for using the English language as it is supposed to be used - with grace and flair and a unique style. I give this book the highest recommendation possible, and only wish that there were more books about archaeology as great as this one is.

I first read "Martin's Hundred" while I was in elementary school and hung on every word. Fifteen years later I bought a copy and reread it, and I have read it again every three or four years for another decade still. Here's why "Martin's Hundred" is so good: Ivor Noel Hume's prose. Gentle, funny, self-effacing, and erudite, Hume's narrative of archeological discovery is a nonfiction page-turner. The evidence of a 17th-century English colony in Virginia is fragmentary, and only luck and patient scholarship sustained over many years yields a coherent picture of what happened and when. In the hands of some writers this could be deadly material, but Hume's elegant turn of phrase makes the story crackle along. This is a book to curl up with on a rainy day.

It is rare that an academic book, no matter what the subject, will both inform as well as entertain. This book does both in spades. It details the four-year excavation project (much of it supported by the National Geographic Society) of part of the Carter's Grove plantation, near Jamestown, Virginia, in the hopes of finding evidence of earlier inhabitation and clues to the 1622 Indian "massacre" that occured there. Before it was all over, a fort, a lost town (Wolstenholme Towne), and the skeletal remains of at least three victims of the Indian attack were unearthed. Hume tells of the archealogical excavation in great detail, yet avaoids the ho-hum pitfalls such detailed scientific explanations might produce by utilizing a very approachable style, filled with humor and good cheer, especially when the weather got bad. Even archeologists are human after all, and false leads, wild goose chases, and seemingly endless unanswerable questions plague them as much as the rest of us; Hume's dealing with that in very human terms we all can appreciate makes this book a welcomed exception to the general rule. An excellent book.

One small quibble: in discussing the wooden palisade that surrounded the fort, Hume refers to a "Fort Laramie-style wall of pointed tree trunks." It's true that many American forts in the West had that kind of protective wall around them, but Fort Laramie never did; it had no wall around it at all.

I purchased this book on a visit to Williamsburg and it sat on my shelf for quite a while before I seriously dove in. This book combines a clear explaination of archaeological methods with the building suspense of a good detective novel. As The author and his team uncover the existence of an early Virginia colony and utilize an astounding range of techniques and research to slowly piece together the lives of the inhabitants you will be drawn into the past. More than that you will be excited to read on and discover with these archaeologists what really happened. I.N. Hume writes eloquently on all aspects of organizing and proceeding with a project of this scale and mixes those details regarding administration and method with the fascinating story of the settlement of Martin's Hundred flawlessly. I could not imagine a better introduction to the discipline of archaeology for the layperson.

It's been said that the extent of most Americans' knowledge of their colonial history encompasses the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In fact much else occurred over a period of almost 200 years: the Lost Colony at Roanoke, the Dutch colony of New Netherland, Roger Williams and William Penn's settlement of Rhode Island and Pennsylvania as havens for religious freedom, the bloodiest per capita conflict on American soil (King Phillip's War), the Palatine migration of the 1700s...

On the eve of the 400th anniversary of the first permanent settlement in America, Jamestown, Ivor Noel Hume's "Martin's Hundred" is an excellent launching point for learning about our antecedents and their attempts at colonization in the New World. Martin's Hundred was settled not far from Jamestown only 12 years after the first Jamestown settlers arrived. At one time the settlement had several hundred residents, with a fort, potter's hut, dwellings, etc. The "town" holds the distinction of being the first settlement destroyed by Indians, in 1622, when two-thirds of the populace was massacred. There was a fitful effort to reestablish the village, but it eventually died out. It was plowed under in the 18th century after a plantation, Carter's Grove, was built on top of it.

The exact location of the Martin's Hundred settlement was unknown until the 1970s, when archaeologist Hume chanced upon it during preparations for a renaissance of Carter's Grove. Hume's book traces the archaeological discoveries and subsequent research of this fascinating village. I was more intrigued by the history, while the archaeological discussion of potsherds and postholes became a little tedious. However, the reader comes away with a great appreciation for the patience, research, and organization that accompanies historical archaeology. Hume had to deal not only with pesky reporters, for whom the discovery represented major news in the popular press, but also cold, rainy weather conditions (which had the potential to destroy valuable artifacts), and the fickle reliability of summer interns.

Hume comes across as a true Renaissance man. For many of the clues and artifacts, he consulted obscure European etchings and paintings of the early 17th century, using these to substantiate many of his finds. A discriminating reader might view this with a jaundiced eye, but Hume is humble enough to avoid making sweeping pronouncements of his finds.

I can't imagine a better introduction to historical archaeology than "Martin's Hundred." Just continue plunging past the endless potsherds and postholes, and you'll be rewarded; much like what happened to me when I saw the photo of a piece of porcelain with the year "1631" etched into it. Truly breathtaking.

After my second child's birth I was really stressed out with the jealousy of my older child, my husband's long work hours, and my post-partum depression. Beth's words of wisdom helped alleviate my guilt, especially when I felt like I was anything but an ideal mother. Her humor raised a smile and she tackled some topics that, unfortunately, mothers don't always talk about because we're afraid to admit that we don't love every aspect of motherhood (which, btw, is very natural).
Beth also encouraged me to take time out for myself and when with my children, to truly enjoy them. I still carry this book around with me....

As a new mother, I absolutely adored this book. The author shared all of the thoughts and feelings of the new mother, which were the same as I was having about my new role in such a beautiful and heartfelt way, which helped me feel less isolated.

This is now one of my favorite things to give to mothers-to-be at baby showers!

I have 4 children...and I read parts of this book after each one. The "New" in the title didn't only mean first time mom to me...I enjoyed the book over and over.

This book was wonderful when I was a first time mother of twins. It helped me keep it all in perspective. When I was most frazzled, it made me realize that whether their stages brought good or bad, babyhood is precious and temporary.

I received this wonderful book as a gift. I often only had the time and energy to read just one page before bed. It always comforted me. I always give this book to new moms.

Beign the son of an Ironworker I really found this book entertaining and educational. I learned a lot about the east coast gangs and read a lot of similarity with the mid-west union. Anyone interested in knowing more about the men building cities in the sky will want to add this to their reading list.

This book brings the reader into the world of an aspiring family, the Koch family. It begins with a beautiful story of an immigrant family trying to fulfill the American dream by creating a great empire of steel. But with their greatest task of all you witness the family's division and the fall of a great enterprise. This book is allows you to see what went on behind the scenes of the World Trade Center, the problems it had and the problems it caused. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of how much one building meant to one man, Karl Koch III. Not because of it's beauty but because of how it changed him forever.

Very easy to read, You are easily caught up in a family's struggle to survive a new life in a new world. It is easy to admire their spirit and determination to make it as they build their company from the ground up.
They consistently remain true to the values of hard work and honesty while truly living the American Dream. It makes the World Trade Center even more of an american symbol.
The facts regarding how they built the trade center and how they even received the job are fascinating in of themselves. The author's personal family struggle only make it more amazing that it ever happened at all.

As a contractor/developer in the Baltimore area who shares the same last name and German heritage, but is no relation, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could not put it down. It was as much an education of the New York contracting industry as it was a history of one family's trials and tribulations.
I enjoyed this book so much that I bought 15 copies and gave them to family and friends as Christmas presents. Each review from the recipients mirrored my enjoyment. I would highly recommend this book to anyone even if they have no conception of the contracting industry.

Subtitles that promise more than the book delivers are far more common than they ought to be. This book is a refreshing exception to that pattern. It's subtitled "the story of the family that built the World Trade Center," and that's *exactly* what you get. _Men of Steel_ is the story of the rise and fall of a family construction company and the stormy relationships among the men who built it. Koch treats both sides of the story--family and business--honestly and in detail, and the results are gripping. It hits many of the same notes as John Steinbeck's _East of Eden_, Arthur Miller's _Death of a Salesman_, or Ken Kesey's _Sometimes a Great Notion_... but in _Men of Steel_ you know that the narrator's pain (both physical and emotional) is real.

You learn a lot about ironworking in this book: About how the steel frames of buildings are put together, and about how the tools and techniques have changed over time. You also learn a lot about construction management: Estimating costs, writing bids, dealing with suppliers and unions, and keeping things running smoothly on the building site. Koch writes from the manager's perspective more than the workers, but there are other books (say, Mike Cherry's _On High Steel_) to give you that. Even dedicated civil engineering buffs are likely to learn a lot from Koch and Firstman's sure-footed narrative. The chapter (or so) on "kangaroo cranes" alone is worth the price of the book.

Koch and Firstman also give a unique view of *one* aspect of the World Trade Center project: How the framing and flooring was erected and what the process did for (and to) the company. They reveal things about that aspect of the process that no other book does--much of it critically important. This is exactly the right approach to take: ironwork is Koch's (and his family's) business, it's what he knows, and it's what the rest of the book is about. It means, however, that _Men of Steel_ is *not* a book about "the building of the World Trade Center." Rather, it's a book in which the ironwork that went into the World Trade Center is one of several key threads.

The epilogue, dealing with the 9/11 attacks and the collapse of the Twin Towers deserves special notice. It is short, concise, and unflinchingly honest: a model of how we *ought* to learn from the unexpected failures of less-than-perfect structures. If I could figure out how to do it, I'd make those 15 pages required reading for the engineers-in-training that I teach. They could have far, far worse role models than Karl Koch III.

How much you like this book will depend a great deal on what you want to get out of it. If you want THE book on the building of the World Trade Center, you may well be disapprounted. If you want a great family saga, a great business story, or a gripping insider's history of ironworking in America (including the WTC), you may well have a hard time putting _Men of Steel_ down.

I liked this book because soccer is my favorite sport after basketball. Also the character in this story is Whisper and theres a girl in my grade with that name. Whisper plays socbowl in the story. I think thats a funny name. This was a very good book!

Wandering through the library, searching to find an interesting book, one caught my eye. It was the, The Million Dollar Kick. The book starts out in Oklahoma City. Whisper is an ordinary kid who is haunted by a mental picture of a soccer game. One afternoon Whisper took her little sister, who is an athlete, to the mall. Where her sister enters her in a contest. Where if you win you get the chance to win a million dollars by kicking a soccer ball past a famous soccer goalie. She wins, but now she has to learn how to kick a soccer ball. She thought she was toast until Ellie decided to coach her. I thought it was a great book full of action, surprise, and pure interest.

wisper nelson who lives in oklahoma she goes to the donut shop with her little siter and they see a thing that says Come Up With A Good Slogen and if they win then that person gets 1 shot to kick a soccer ball in to the goal if they mis they get a year supply of donuts if they get it in they win a million dollars but it ant that easy you need to kick it past carmen applegate the pro goal keeper. wisper wins and she doesnt want to do it but she still does it, she gets help bye this nice 11th grade soccer player when she got enough help she was going to do the kick in a day then for some rreason carmen applegate got hert so she couldnt play so wisper teacher was the goalie but wisper kicked it in she was really really really happy

The Million Dollar Kick is a great book. It is so suspenseful. You never know what she is going to do. The main character hates being the star but her sister loves it. My mom, my six year old sister and I all liked it. It is such a good book.

Genre: Fiction
Three sentence summary: In this book Whisper Nelson is chosen to kick a ball past a professional soccer player and if she makes it, she is awarded $1,000,000. There's just a little problem: she is not athletic. She has not played a sport since she was eight.

What I liked most about the book: The thing I like about this book is that Whisper has a chance to win $1,000,000.

What I didn't like and why: The only thing that I didnt like about the book was that it was about soccer and I do not like soccer very much.

My favorite character and why: Whisper Nelson because she wasn't very athletic but she still tried. (why wouldn't you if you made the goal you can win $1,000,000.)

The scene, line, or passage that meant something to me and why (page#): Well it was probably when she was getting ready to kick the goal. It's exciting to kick a ball and if you score you win $1,000,000 dollars.

What I would say about this book to someone else: That it's nice that the characters are realistic and the author Dan Gutman discribed the setting very well.

One question i have after reading this book: I wonder if the soccer player became good friends with Whisper Nelson.

My strongest reason for recommending this book: Well if you like sports you would be very interested.

I read Molly Saves the Day for the first time when I was 9 years old. I'm now 18, and can never seem to tire of this book. Molly McIntire and her friends Linda and Susan seem more like real people and less like fictional characters in the book. Molly has her fear of swimming underwater, Susan hates canoeing, and Linda cnfides that she's afraid of bugs. Molly shows fear at first in the book, but when her whole team manages to get captured during the color war, she and Susan manage to save the day. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of The American Girls Collection--this one is an EXCELLENT read!

Candace

Of all the American Girls, Molly's our favorite and Molly Saves the Day our favorite Molly book. My six year old recognized that Molly, Linda and Susan, while away together at sleep-away camp, each had fears that they were forced to try to overcome. Molly is a very well-rounded character, and the fact that she is somewhat overly competitive (this shows up clearly during the camp color-wars) only makes her more realistic. She is nonetheless very likeable. Beyond Molly's character, however, my daughter simply found the book very exciting.

Molly returns in "Molly Saves The Day" as an enthusiastic ten-year-old headed off to summer camp for the first time ever. Along with her best friends Linda and Susan, Molly enjoys meeting the challenges of camp. Well, almost all of them- Molly is afraid of swimming underwater after she fell off the dock during a swimming lesson. In the final days of camp, the counsellors organize a game of Capture the Flag, which pits Molly and Susan against Linda in an all-out battle. Molly's team's plan backfires and leaves Molly and Susan to save their team from losing the game. But to win, will Molly and Susan have to betray their best friend?

I liked this book because it was fast-paced with a good dose of adventure while retaining realistic content. Molly is, as always, lively and lovable and I really enjoyed this installment of her series. I highly recommend this book to any fans of WWII historical fiction or the Molly series.

this book was relly good. it was about a girl in this coler war she and her friend are on the blueteam and there other friend was on the red team and how ever got the other teams flag and the blue team wins

i read Molly saves the day when i was 9 now im 10 and i really injoyed it! I`ve allways whanted to go to summer camp! But im not allowed `till im a teen ager so reading molly saves the day sort-of prepaired me for what it might be like! I`ve allways wanted to be brave reading Molly saves the day Kind of got me to face my fears a bit more! Thanks!

Mia

For Civil War and Naval History buffs, this telling of the Monitor's creation and her campaign against the South's Merrimac is spellbinding.

Alot of detailed information well put together and very readable.

Monitor skillfully holds the reader spellbound about the ship, and her irrascible genius inventor. I also came to realize just how technically advanced this ship was compared to her contemporaries. This book is a quick and powerful read that you don't want to put down, and it conveys the depth and level of accomplishment achieved by John Erriccson in getting her built in the short time he did. An outstanding history replete with circumstances and entertaining anecdotes as well. A highly recommended book.

This slim volume recounts the history of USS Monitor which, in its famous engagement with the CSS Virginia (Merrimac) on March 9, 1862, rendered all wooden warships obsolete and initiated a naval arms race among world's navies that climaxed 80 years later in the Pacific battles of World War II.

Monitor's creator was a Swedish engineering prodigy named John Ericsson who had supervised 400 men as a canal engineer by age 16. For an 1829 railroad design competition built a steam locomotive that established a land speed record by covering a measured mile in 57 seconds (63 mph). But the contest sponsors changed the rules to defeat foreigner Ericsson and his attempts to provide innovate designs to the Royal Navy were also rejected. In frustration Ericsson emigrated to the United States and in 1837 invented the first practical screw propeller to drive steamships through the water.

In 1861 Union intelligence indicated the Confederates were rebuilding the scuttled former Union warship USS Merrimac as a heavily armed ironclad. If that ship (rechristened CSS Virginia but generally called simply "Merrimac"), broke the blockade of Hampton Roads then US coastal cities, including Washington, DC, would be vulnerable to attack. The Union needed an ironclad quickly, and Ericsson already had a plan!

Monitor's keel was laid in Brooklyn, NY on October 25, 1861, and Ericsson and his numerous subcontractors worked 108 days and nights until on February 9, 1862 USS Monitor was turned over to the Navy. Exactly one month later Monitor faced Merrimac at Hampton Roads. Objectively the battle was a tactical draw, but strategic victory went to the Union. The Union blockade was preserved, the Confederates remained bottled up and Britain and France, who were leaning toward supporting the South, decided to remain officially neutral.

This book tells the story of the design, construction, combat history, demise and legacy of USS Monitor in a well-written narrative format. It provides enough details for general readers interested in naval, engineering and civil war history. It may be too general for the serious buff, but I recommend it as an amazing tale to everyone else who wants to know more about this important historical event.

There are some small reproductions of period etchings and photos and a good map of the Hampton Roads battle area. The only thing missing are good schematics of Monitor's interior design.

....Like the Monitor itself, this book is short and concise and yet it packs quite a wallop. In a little more than two hundred well-written pages, Mr. DeKay manages to cram a lot. The book is all about the first ironclad warship of the U.S. Navy and its duel in Chesapeake Bay with the Confederate vessel Merrimac. The book starts with a biography of the ship's cantankerous Swedish inventor John Ericsson and his efforts to get the government bureaucracies of two continents to show interest in his his prophetic ideas for naval warfare (propeller engines, armor plating, torpedoes, revolving gun turrets). The book then talks about the labyrinthine maneuvers of Ericsson and his financial backers through the government contract process to get the ship built. Finally, the author describes in blow-by-blow detail the epic battle between the "cheesebox on a raft" Monitor and the vastly larger and better-armed Merrimac. Every page crackles with factual gems (e.g. The Civil War really was "brother against brother". The Merrimac's commander rammed and sank a Union ship while his brother was on board). Landlubbers and civilians need not be discouraged from reading this book. Engineering and naval concepts are presented in jargon-free language. The book can be finished in two or three days of casual reading. Great for the bathroom-er, uh, excuse me, head.

I must shamefully admit that prior to the renewed interest in John Adams with the recent miniseries, I really had only a general knowledge of his role and importance in the founding of our country. This book gives a private, personal and wonderful view of the strength,deep,abiding love of this first family. I could not put it down & would highly recommend it to anyone.

If you are a history buff or just a little interested in the history of our nation you will love this book. The letters exchanged between John and Abigail Adams are wonderful. Abigail was definitely John's rock. She kept him focused and steady. John was a very passionate man in his beliefs and at times would become a tyrant trying to convince people that his way of thnking was the only way to think. Thank goodness he had Abigail as he ran everything by her to see how she thought the people would react to his perception. Abigail would let him know when he needed to press an issue or just be quiet and let it happen on its own. Besides being lovers as husband and wife they were truly best friends. An inspirational read.

I started reading this while watching the John Adams HBO mini series. I didn't finish the book until after I had seen all 7 episodes. It was interesting to read their correspondence and realize how much of an asset Abigail was to John. If you enjoy reading letters, you will enjoy this book. The author inserts commentary prior to a particular time frame of letters in order for you to understand the tenor and specifics of the letters that follow. I enjoyed it.

My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams

Well written

This book is a wonderful adjunct to the HBO series and David Mc Cullough's brilliant book.."John Adams". I have never been devoted to our American history, preferring instead Ancient cultures. I see what I have missed and vow to read more about the brave and devoted men and women who, indeed ,created our country. The love affair between John and Abigail seemed to provide the great man, as well as Thomas Jefferson, with the strength and comfort that spurred them on. Bravo!!

Nine for California, by Sonia Levitin, is a book about the West. The characters are Mama, Amanda, and Pa. The setting is in St. Joseph, Missouri. Mama got a letter from Pa saying, "Come to California, My dears. I am lonely without you. What good is gold. Without my family?" Mama decides that she will come to California. It only takes twenty-one days. The sack has everything they have to meet their needs. When they left, every one waved goodbye. Nine also came too. They are Mr. Hooper, Cowboy Charlie, Plump Miss Camilla, Baby Betsy, Billy, Joe Ted, Mama and Amanda.

Lots of things happen on their trip. Three Pawnee Indians are really hungry. But they have no food to feed the Pawnee Indians. But Amanda has an idea. She got corn pone for the Indians and they smiled. Another thing is the storm. Another thing is Bison and Outlaws. Thousands of Bison came and Amanda smelled the bison's scent. Amanda tossed the pepper and the bison sneezed. The Outlaws said next, "Give us your gold, your jewels and your silver." However, Cowboy Charlie tied the two Outlaws to a tree. Amanda and the passengers arrived at California. The driver shouted, Californ-y! Then the passengers excluding Baby Betsy shouted it again. They headed for their new home.

This book is about helping each other in the Wild West. The proof is, "Cowboy Charlie tied the outlaws to a tree." Another one is, "Everyone heaved and pushed until the coach is unstuck." The last one is, "Mama pointed to the sack to get corn pone to feed the Indians. They shared and got enough for everyone." They are helping because in proof 1, they don't want them to steal their things. In proof 2, they don't want the coach to be destroyed. In proof 3, the Pawnee Indians are VERY hungry. This book reminds me of doing chores and to help ALL the time. The corn pone feeding is proof 1, they tie the outlaws and in proof 3, there was a storm.

By Anthony

Stagecoaches were used most from about 1850 to 1890. This simple and amusing story with fun illustrations about a family's stagecoach ride is probably best geared for young elementary. This book would only take minutes to read to any age group, but could introduce more sophisticated math and social studies discussion about population.

Hi, everybody! Do you know why you should read this book? Because it is a whole lot of fun to read and exciting things happen. Mama packs her bags and takes her kids with her to California to meet Papa. The first thing that happens is the baby got sick. Then the buffalo come. Mama says, "Amanda, get the pepper out of my sack and give some to everyone but Baby Betsy!" Then some men come and tried to rob them, but Amanda played her brother's whistle and they went away. I give this story 5 stars!

You should read this book! It's really, really funny especially the Mama. If I had to eat prunes for dessert, I would throw up! But, anyways you should read this book. My favorite problem was the buffalo stampede.

This book was so fun to read. It has action in it. The words were so funny. I liked when baby Betsy threw up! Amanda is a very brave girl - you'll have to read it to find out why. Mama had a big bag for the things they need. They were going to California from Missouri. When they got there, Daddy asked Mama what happened. You'll have to read it to find out.