N Books

I needed this book for a course I'm taking, and not one local bookstore had it in stock. I logged on to trusty Amazon, ordered it, and had it in my hands (with assigned reading completed) before my next class. The memoir itself had started pretty slowly (alot of Egyptian history), but has taken off quite nicely.

I thought that this book was amazing. I've read many books about Islam but I think that this book actually gave me a sense of what it means to be a Muslim. Sometimes when reading about religions we often only get an overview of the practices and beliefs of a religion but we rarely hear from believers of a particular religion and how they incorporate the beliefs of their religion into their everyday lives. For me, it was also interesting to read about Egypt during the 40's and 50's because it was something I have never studied before. It was interesting to see the religious diversity in Eygpt and how quickly that all changed with the rise of Nasser. Another thing I had never realized that Egyptians practically had the title Arab forced upon them, but most would never otherwise identify themselves as Arab. I think this book really exposed me to a world and a lifestyle that I had never known existed, and I think this is a must read for anyone who is open to seeing a new perspective on their world.

I enjoyed very much reading this book. The level of description used is capable of transporting you to Leila's birthplace and enjoy her life's journey. This book reads like a novel even though it is a biography. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the Pre- and Post-Nasser era in Egypt and how it affected the Egyptian middle class of the time. Another book about Egypt during that era I would recommend is Samia Serag El-din's The Cairo House. Happy reading!

A Border Passage by Leila Ahmed is an interesting book and definitely worth your time. Within this book Ahmed confront issues of colonialism and differences between the Islam of women and that of men. The story is written as an autobiography as Ahmed recounts her childhood. The juxtaposition of the Egypt and England, where she goes to school, illuminates considerations of post-colonial loss of identity. A book that I strongly recommend for anyone interested in learning more about Islam.

I wasn't sure what I would find when I chose this book. But Dr. Ahmed's thoughts on creating her identity and the societal forces that crafted her upbringing are astounding. Her tale of defining herself as a woman, an Egyptian, an Arab, a Muslim, and an American resonated very deeply with me.....

If you are the type of over-anxious mom I am, you will want to have all your child's medical records in one place. This journal is a great tool for organizing and recording your child's doctor visits, illnesses, etc. It is small enough to put in your diaper bag and take to the dr's office where you can then pepper the dr. with all the questions you've written down in the journal. And it's got a cute cover to boot!

I have this book for both of my kids and it is sooo perfect for keeping notes from every doctor visit, questions for the doctor, knowing where my shot records are, and tracking their growth and development all in one easy place. MUST HAVE!

I received one for my first daughter and bought one for my second daughter. It is very cute and handy. It fits nicely in the diaper bag or purse for doctor visits. This makes a nice gift for a baby shower.

This journal is so cute and handy... will order more as a gift for my friends baby shower.

i work in a pediatric office. when a mother gave me this book to note the baby's height and weight i fell in love with it. i knew i had to buy one for my son and my daughter in law for their baby. one of the reasons i liked it was because mom can always carry it in her diaper bag and have all the medical information at her finger tips.

Wow, Mr.A did such a good job on this book! The details he put in the action and love scenes. Was just completly amazing! You see in the begining it was just like some normal girl with a boy that likes her and a very big horse. the main character is the girl who becomes a woman warrior who has a destiny to be a great leader. it is very inspiring to any woman.
If the next book is as good as the first then OMG! I can't wait!

The Eye of the Stallion is a heroic story of determination, woman empowerment and freedom of choice. I would recommend this book to young ladies in high school and college.

This Book Eye of The Stallion is a very interesting adventure of one girls curiosity to find what is really is beyond The Valley.This book has alot of great characters and a interesting world.My favorite people have to be the wolven with their interesting eyes and how they are all seem to be strong and fast. If you are looking for a great adventure with interesting people, places, and battles then you will love this book.

Wise, profound, exciting and beautifully written coming of age story by a prize winning international author.
I recommend this book with 5+ stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is not quite fantasy, not quite coming of age, nor is it just an adventure. It is a delightful journey full of wisdom and courage. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to enjoy a good story. I am anxiously awaiting the next installment...!

I felt better knowing that my fears with my illness are not mine alone.

I recently read this book, and I can't honestly say that I liked it. I too have been diagnosed with MS. I'm happy that Mr. Lander can find humor in his condition, however I find nothing he had to say not in the least bit funny.

MS is a terrible diease that affects the Central Nervous System and there's nothing funny about that. Even the title of the book is seriously upsetting(How Squiggy caught Multiple Sclerosis and Didn't Tell Nobody). You can't catch MS, and to put that in print is misleading.

I take my MS, the treatment for it, and all the symptoms very seriously. I have no desire to joke about them.

Some of the information in his book were very informative and very much worth reading, however I believe his approach is less than ideal.

When my father finally told me he had MS (like David Lander, he kept it a secret), he suggested I read this book. The insight it gave me was priceless. Everyone will find their own path, but I can tell you that by sharing his experiences, Mr. Lander has helped me to be the best son (and friend) that I can be.

I just loved this book. It is a very quick read and very upbeat. For someone with MS or caring for someone with MS it is a story you can relate to. My husband was recently diagnosed with MS and has been very reluctant to read anything about the disease. I am going to have him read this book because while I whink it might confirm some of his fears, at the same time it does so in a positive manner.

The book is a quick read. Sometimes you feel very alone with MS. This book will help you feel better. And, it explains some of the MS symptoms that you are experiencing better than a medical text. It will put some words on your feelings.

Feiner's text on leadership should definitely be on the bookshelf of anyone that's serious about the leadership aspect of their career, either because they lead people themselves or work with leaders and may want to lead sometime in the future. There's something for everyone here, whether you're a peon at the bottom trying to learn how to manage (lead) your boss, or whether you're a people leader trying to hone your skills.

There's been so much said about this book already and I don't wish to repeat it, but I will say that this was a quick read and definitely eye opening. There's a lot to be learned here and Feiner fleshes it out in a well structure, consistent manner that makes it a joy to read. This book is definitely worth it, even at twice the price, and like I said earlier, it should be required reading in most professional environments. I can only imagine how different things would be if leaders in our company had the insights that Feiner has laid down in this book.

Take a chance and pick this one up, you won't be disappointed. Five stars, hands down.

I bought this book on the recommendation of students who had taken the class with Feiner. It has surpassed all my expectations. Its the most clearly-written and practical book on leadership that I have ever come across. Most books and articles only say "what" to do - and that horse been beaten plenty. Feiner gets into "why" and "how" these ideas should be implemented, e.g., why resenting, stonewalling or badmouthing an incompetent boss is a recipe for disaster. And his genius is in describing simple ways to put lofty ideas into play. This book is SO GOOD that I plan to read it AGAIN after a few months on the job to reflect on issues that have come up.

I bought this book few months ago and it was interesting to go through it step by step. As a leader the first thing one must learn is how to deal with subordinates. After going through the 8 laws mentioned in Chapter 3: Leading Subordinates, one can imagine how less we focus on the people who are our main assets. A leader's success depends upon the success of his subordinates and these 8 laws are the basis for that success. One need to read each law multiple times so that it gets engrossed in one's heart. The "Performance contract" is a must for everyone to set clear expectations.

The examples provided in the books are mostly based on author's experience and I found Feiner very sincere in putting them straight. Overall a must for anyone who wants to build lasting relationship with their people.

On the first page, Michael Feiner disputes the traditional "heroic individual" picture of a leader. This thinking, referred to as "Myth of the Great Man", holds that leadership is an inherently individual phenomenon consisting of solitary heroics, epitomized by Patton, Napoleon, etc... But Feiner states that 90% of leadership is invisible - "the aggregation of hundreds upon hundreds of small interactions - most of which take place out our sight - projected across layer upon layer of relationships, day in and day out". He spends the remaining 250+ pages explaining this, through a series of eponymous Feiner laws of leadership.

Feiner pulls liberally from his experiences at Pepsi. He peppers his high opinion of his own accomplishments with self-deprecating humor, and he shares his mistakes and regrets. His text is very readable and delivered in a conversational style. I found a good many quotable sound bytes I liked, some original and some from other authors.

At times, there seemed to be a repetitive effort to fill pages - laws identified by smug little titles supported by anecdotes from the author's career, then summarized at the end of each chapter and summarized again at the book's end. And occasionally I questioned the logic of the organization of the chapters. However, by the time I finished the book, it all seemed to work.

Feiner offers some really powerful practical insights on treating people right, sticking to your values, and being politically correct where at all possible. No faddish management theory here, just timeless advice and applicable tools that apply to all levels of organizational leadership and interaction. My copy of "The Feiner Points" is full of highlights and notes and I suspect I will be referring to it frequently.

With clarity, courage and conviction, this book delivers a message conveying the "whats" and, more importantly, the "hows" to successful leadership that enable individual, team, and company performance to grow and succeed. In short, Feiner guides leaders to put the heart and humanity back into business and in doing so, awakens the soul of business - yielding an environment that is embraced mutually and faithfully by peers, subordinates, bosses, and the total organization.

"The Feiner Points of Leadership" is the story of a man's extraordinary career, where past failures have in turn drawn enlightenment, as he builds a leadership model that all leaders and managers "must" understand, follow and instill throughout their organization to obtain competitive advantage.

Feiner guides the reader into becoming a "High Performance Leader," which will drive unprecedented and unlimited success in business - and in life! A must read.

If you love mangas and love a story that gives you every emotion a story can give you, then this is the book for you. The main part of the story is comedy but it does have a lot of other emotions to it and there are a lot of plot eliments that will keep you wanting to read. I don't want to give anything away so I wont, you'll just have to read it. ^_^

I own this series in Japanese, and it is a wonderful read! It has all the important elements of a good shoujo manga: it is romantic, twisted, with a shoujo (in the traditional meaning of the word) involved in finding a new family and love triangles galore. It is just a very fun read, no matter the language!

As an American whose undergrad studies revolved around European subjects, I am still quite ignorant of Japanese customs/cultures/naming conventions and so on. This book confuses me in a few different ways: 1, as another reviewer pointed out, several of the characters look nearly identical, and I had to go back and reread several portions to figure out who was whom. 2, the variations on naming are awkward to me. Tohru is variously referred to as Tohru, Tohru-san, Tohru-chan, Tohru-kun, Honda-san, sometimes even Kyoko-san, which is her mother's name. This isn't so bad, because Tohru is always Tohru no matter what is on the end of it, but for example Hatori is sometimes Ha'ri and sometimes Haa-san and this happens with all the characters who have more than 2 syllables in their names.

There are some weird cultural things drawn in here that I don't understand: a sketch of Tohru's mom in middle school, and she's wearing what looks like a surgical mask? (She was not a doctor.) One of Tohru's friends is referred to as a Yankee, but I can only assume this has a different meaning in Japan. Her name is Arisa Uotani-san (sometimes Uo-chan, which really threw me!) and that is definitely not an American name. So, here I am confused again.

Please forgive my ramblings but once I get started, it's hard to stop! I'll be continuing with Fruits Basket.

I think that the storyline is so nice and is definitely worth reading. I prefer reading it in Nihongo though. All in all the story is very enjoyable and it has a good balance of darkness and drama against lightheartedness and comedy. Ga suki furuuts basuketto!

Tohru Honda's adventures really get going in the second volume of "Fruits Basket," where the upbeat teen moves into the Sohma household. Natsuki Takaya's storytelling is stronger and steadier in these chapters, since she's introduced the main characters and can now get going on the plot.

Tohru is moving into her newly furnished room, and her pals (wave-reading goth Saki and toughgrrl Hana) decide to stay over to make sure that the guys will take care of their cheerful friend. And when New Year's rolls around, Kyo and Yuki find themselves wondering what to do -- go to the main house with the other family, or stay with Tohru?

And at the school, the students are planning a cultural festival, and Tohru encounters two other Sohmas -- the chilly doctor Hatori, and the effusive half-German Momiji, who is instantly pals with Tohru. But Tohru learns of a different side to the zodiac members' lives, when she hears about Hatori's tragic past.

The first volume of "Fruits Basket" was all about introducing the characters and getting them into the same house. And in the second volume, Takaya gets to flesh out the cast with new characters and new storylines, and hints about the more sinister aspects of the Sohma family's curse, and the family head Akito.

The storylines in general are darker here, especially the harrowing flashbacks of Hatori's love affair with his ex-fiancee, and the bitterly chilly way that it fell apart. But Takaya also sprinkles it with happier moments, such as the naughty novels, the preparations for the cultural festival ("She brought an IRON PIPE to school!"), and poor Yuki having to wear a dress, much to the delight of his crazed fangirls.

There are also some new dimensions shown in Tohru here. Sure, she's always cheerful and pleasant, but Takaya hints that she is actually quite lonely now, despite the presence of her friends. But the zodiac members also get some development -- including Tohru's whole talk with Kyo about the "umeboshi" on people's backs.

The second volume of "Fruits Basket" is even better than the first, and introduces the mix of tragedy and comedy that Takaya is so good at. And it will only get better.

Excellent book. Straightforward and lucid grasp of history.

The section on Islam alone is worth the the small cost of this book many times over.

Mr. Belloc never leaves one doubting his opinion. His direct and authoritative style might anger those who disagree or thrill the faithful. Either way you will be led through the reasoning Mr. Belloc took to draw his conclusions which will drive you to think the same matters through to your own. In this work, Mr. Belloc does not provide an in-depth theological background on the heresies cited but instead gives a rough sketch of each and categorizes each as a type. Then, using this typology approach he carries each to their logical conclusions to convey their affect on the societies they infected. Mr. Belloc provides the superstructure for understanding other heresies by giving us the essential root of Arianism, Islam, Albigensianism, Protestantism, and Modernism. Through each description he also draws some interesting parallels to the various heresies. Of course, as a Roman Catholic, Mr. Belloc will step on some Protestant toes in particular since they will be the most likely to read his book outside other Catholics.

Mr. Belloc's approach is opinionated and he writes as an expert without always providing the evidence for his opinions. At the same time, there is enough evidence in the form of his logical approach to give one the opportunity to explore his opinions more themselves. Mr. Belloc was one of the great philosopher-historians of the early 20th century and his thoughts will always be valuable to the seeker or any one wishing to improve their critical thinking skills through practice. In this key work, he reminds us how ideas, and particularly, theology has consequences to society. It is not a topic to ignore or think only the realm of the theological hair-splitters. Our culture today has the marks of the theology that created it and upholds it. Mr. Belloc helps us focus on those aftershocks in theology that have shaped our culture.

Hilaire Belloc begins his book by justifying its existence. Modern education and thought largely ignore religion, particularly the parts that unfolded in what we label "The Middle Ages". But Belloc has some inconvenient facts for us. The history of civilization is the history of religion. A society rises or falls by the strength of its individuals; those individuals rise and fall by the strength of their religion. To understand the past, grasp the present, and know the future, we must know religion. The one religion that has stood at the center of human history is the Catholic Church. And to take the measure of that religion, we must look at the challenges it has faced and overcome.

Belloc's spare, straightforward prose takes us through a whirlwind tour of five heresies that the Church defeated. The Arian Heresy denied the full divinity of Jesus. It was rejected by Church leaders, but survived in the Roman Army for much longer. The Albigsenean attack came later, during the High Middle Ages. It was an attack not just on theology but on the fundamental nature of reality. The end product of denying reality was an obsession with intense experience, such as bizarre rituals involving fire-worship. Fortunately for us, both of these notions passed into the dustbin of history.

The chapter on Islam is the longest and the most illuminating. Belloc begins it by unerlining the fact that Islam was a heresy. It was not a brand new religion, but a corruption and oversimplification of the Christian doctrine that the Prophet Mohammed learned in Syria. But more importantly, Belloc focuses on the social environment where Islam first rose. A massive underclass in the decaying Persian and Byzantine Empires toiled under the restrictions of the upper class. Among these oppressed, the nascent Islamic movement found willing support for its doctrine of total equality and total submission to God.

We all view Islam as decaying, stagnant, and backwards-looking. We rarely remember that until about three centuries ago, Islam dominated the world with the most advanced technology, thought, and political systems. Belloc does. He enjoins us to remember that almost into the 18th century, the Muslim hordes were knocking on the doors of Central Europe, and that Vienna was only saved by a last-minute intervention by the Poles. (It happened, in a delightful historical twist, on September 11.) In 1938 Belloc saw an Islam that was down but not out; he predicted that it would soon be knocking impolitely on Europe's door again. A far-fetched prediction at the time, this has now come true, and Belloc knows why. Islam thrives on social injustice; when westerners decided to prop up oil-wealthy shieks throughout the Arab world, they created the exact conditions in which the Muslim message can rally the masses.

Thr fourth and probably least popular chapter is "What was the Reformation?" Belloc acknowledgeed that by the 16th century, the Catholic Church was badly in need of a correction. Yet the cure, as so often happens, may be worse than the disease. He emphasized that Martin Luther aimed to fix the Church from within. It was only John Calvin who insisted on breaking away and forming a new church with a radically different theological basis. Belloc predicted that the Protestant world would lose its vitality and join the secular world. Again, time has proved him right; Protestantism remains strong in the USA but throughout northern Europe the churches are disintegrating.

And that leads us to the final chapter, "The Modern Attack". Secularism is the first heresy to try overthrowing all the building blocks of Christianity. In denies not only the supremacy of God but also the need for justice, equality, joy, and love. It replaces morality with self-interest, education with job-training, freedom with tyranny. And yet, awesome as this final attack may have seemed, Belloc saw the seeds of the Church's victory already sprouting. Time has proved him right yet again. Pope Jonh Paul II stood up to lead the defense against communism. Now Christianity regains it strength in the former Soviet block and also throughout the third world, and there are tantalizing signs that Western Europe will soon be Christian again. And so Belloc finishes the book with tempered optimism. Christianity will survive; we have Jesus's word on that. How it will look in the future remains to be seen. But in any case this book gives a spirited look at parts of world history which our schools now ignore totally, and for that alone it's more than worth reading.

As Belloc argues in his other book Europe and the Faith, Europe is the Faith and the Faith is Europe, referring of course to Christianism. The development of Western Civilization is inseparable from the Christian religion and its ideology.

As every Civilization is built upon a certain ideology, in order to understand our Civilization, its history and the challenges it faces today, one must understand its ideology. And in this, it is important to know also the views that have arisen within or in the fringes of Western Civilization, that go against the Christian ideology. On this, The Great Heresies by Belloc does a very good job.

And on the issue of Islam as a threat to our civilization, in the 1930s Belloc asked himself if Islam would again present that threat. He believed it would. And in that, we now know that he was, as in much everything else, extraordinarily clear and correct.

This book is a must-read.

Fantastic book! An amazing summary that rings so true you can feel it in your bones. Particularly stark and foreboding is his warning that Mohammedism will be back to try again to destroy us - and here they are now! Anyone who thinks if we only ignore Islamofascism it will go away needs to read this book. Belloc understands the threat and categorizes it within the broad expanse of human history. Ignore him at our peril!

good but test it to the word...also not fully detailed like some. John beleives in the gap theory as well as a few other small areas that are somewhat stretched. He is great, but like any teacher, we must test what they say to the word and its context. Also, this is not a full concise commentary - it is more of a devotional type with information. It does not go heavily in depth but is a great starter or application study bible. Thanks Pastor John for your time, effort, and servants heart.

This is a must have for your collection. Jon Courson brings a breath of fresh air and a new level of clarity. You will start to understand the Bible on new levels. I teach a class of adults and I am always looking for more indepth study materials. This is just an awesome tool. I now have all three books.

This is the best written KJV commentary on the market. He has written this in very simple readable, but interesting formate. No need to turn to another version of the Bible stick with KJV and go with this commentary.

like this book alot, it really opens up the bible in language you can understand.

I am not the best reviewer or descriptive writer, but i will tell you this:

John Courson is an annointed teacher and this commentary will point you to Jesus Christ!!

a friend gave me his own commentary after i had mentioned that i was looking to buy one for the first time. So i began picking away at it on a daily basis, and it fed my hunger for the Word SOOOO much; more than i ever had experienced. It was like having a solid sermon preached on whatever text i was wanting to read. it really brings light to a lot of passages that are hard to understand, or sometimes informative on context/history of what was happening.

The commentary goes through the entire New Testament with a 'Background' section at the beginning of each book, and also has 'Topical Studies' which are basically mini sermons on different topics as they are brought up in the scripture. And for the most part, it's not necessarily single VERSE BY VERSE; sometimes there will be 3 or maybe even 5 verses that are commented on at once; and other times one single WORD will be commented on. so it varies.

anywhooo, it blessed me so much that i have bought numerous copies over the 2 or so years that i've had it.
i highly, HIGHLY reccomend this commentary if you are looking for one.

**i also think that it will be informative for you to read the review with 3 stars- because if someone is wanting commentary on each single verse, and in depth study of historical events, etc, you may want to look elsewhere.

The first thing that attracted me to this book was the play on words in the title (paradise/pair-a-dice). After the first few pages, it is obvious that the title is very appropriate. A serial rapist/killer stalks the environs of Las Vegas, terrorizing the city to ever increasing levels.

There are several sub-plots to this mystery, and the reader can't help but anxiously turn the page to see how each of them plays out. In the end, the intricately woven story comes together in a flash of brutality as disturbing, as compelling, as the rest of the book.

Mr. Griffin's knowledge of police work and crime investigation is readily apparent. No amateurish guesswork here. It's as if you are reading from his own journal of experiences. This makes it all the more pleasurable to read.

In my opinion, Dennis Griffin is one of the very best mystery writers of our time. For anyone who enjoys this genre, his books are an absolute must!

In his latest book, Killer in Pair-A-Dice, Dennis Griffin takes a simple story i.e. man stalks beautiful woman and kills her, and kills another, and turns it into a story that makes one read this while sitting with ones back against the wall. I especially liked the profiles of prominent persons living in Las Vegas. Very important information is given by the detective investigating the crime to women everywhere as to ways to react when in a threatening situation. We used to be told to submit to the attacker, but now, even in airline travel, we have to be ready to protect ourselves and others.

KILLER IN PAIR-A-DICE SETTING WAS WELL PICKED AND TITLED. THE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH NEW YORK POLICE CAME TO THE FOREFRONT IN THIS BOOK. VERY HARD TO LAY IT DOWN ONCE YOU START TO READ.

CORWIN MCINTYRE AUTHOR OF FOR AMERICA OUR LAST HURRAH

Excellent book! Kept me awake at night...couldn't put it down until I was finished. When I reached the end, I was wishing for more! Mr. Griffin certainly has a way of capturing his readers and making you feel as though you are actually living the story!
Anxiously awaiting this author's next book

The story is rivoting !! Dennis Griffin's book intertwines the real Las Vegas with his fictional story of a sociopathic, serial rapist and killer. You can read of the thinly-veiled political figures, police and geography of the city while following his clues to the identity of the suspect. Once you begin reading, the story stays in your mind until you reach the surprising climax. Read this book, and you'll go hunting for another Dennis Griffin masterpiece.

This is a great book for ages 5-15. I read it a long while ago, when I was at the elder end of this age group (the older version of it!) and I absloutely loved it. It brings all the factors of growing up into a purely fun and adventure-like childrens novel. I adore this book for kids!

The book is interesting and funny. It's all about four children, two of whom must go to their cousin's house because it is close to the hospital where their dad will be treated. Suddenly, one the children's toys comes to life and starts talking. He tells them about a magic world and offers them a wish. They want their father to be well, but for that to happen, they have to earn the wish by living in the toy's world - in the time of Robin Hood!
As the children play in the world, they end up messing up history. They even play baseball with the Saxons.
This was a funny book. There were so many funny parts, that I don't have a favorite

I've read all books by Eager from the Magic Box set, and I would rate them in this order (from best to worst):
1)Half-Magic
2)The Time Garden
3)Magic by the Lake
4)Knight's Castle

Knight's Castle was confusing and not as funny as it tried to be. It is about 4 children that live in the story of Ivanhoe and Robin Hood at night. However, there were some good moments between Roger and his sister Ann.
If I were a child between 9-12, I think I would have loved all of them. However, Eager's books are not as modern as J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books, and won't be enjoyed as much by adults.

Four children and a magical toy castle, what could happen? Everything! When Ann and Roger visit their cousins in Baltimore, Roger is given a toy castle, with toy figures from Ivanhoe and other legends. But the tables turn when they find they can become part of the world that Robin Hood, Rebecca, and Maurice De Bracey inhabited. Can the children solve the problems that they cause as they change the plots of these famous stories? If you like history, and fantasy this book is a definite read. I absolutely adored it!!!!!!!!!!!!

...This is a simple little tale of a group of children who discover a little bit of magic in an old toy soldier. In Eager's work, magic has fairly strict rules (in _Half-Magic_, the charm granted any wish--but only in halves), and here the rules work as a kind of companion to the idea that magic can only work if you continue to believe in it (that is, if you start to think of the creatures you are interacting with simply as dolls, they revert to being dolls again). The plot achieves its urgency through a possible problem in the family, but, with a little help, everything can be solved. A little more moralistic and straight-forward than some of his others, but well worth reading--especially if you've never tried Eager before.