Short Stories Books

I'm a big fan of these annotated books, not only for their visual appeal on the bookshelf, but for their ability to transport me away from the everyday world. And you may think you know Oz because you can sing "Over the Rainbow" and "Follow the Yellow Brick Road", but I assure you, this book will take you farther into Oz than you ever went before. Unlike The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition, which is dense with text, this volume is packed with art and illustrations, including a lot of full color pages. The movie images floating in your brain take on a different hue when you see the illustrations which actually brought the Ozian creatures to life. As with all the annotated works in this "series", this one has crisp, cleanly printed pages, an artsy dust jacket that is pleasing to behold, and tons of Baum biographical information, and of course, lots of notations. If you are an Oz fan to begin with, you owe it to yourself to buy this book. If you just like children's stories and the history behind them, this is also for you. And don't forget: the book is better than the movie, anyway!

This is a wonderfully informative book. It has its biases, but they're of the harmless, author-worship variety. The only caveat I'd add is that this isn't the book to have as your sole copy of The Wizard of Oz. It's nearly impossible to read the actual story amidst the annotations. That's not a criticism: that is, after all, the purpose of the book. But if you've never read the story, or want to read it to your children, get a simple copy of the book as well.

The "Annotated" series is simply wonderful. Best of all, they are getting better and better all the time. My first was The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition and since then, I've gained a small collection of annotated books. These books were the original DVD commentary track. Now, it just seems strange when I'm reading a book and there's no footnote for further insight!

This was the second Annotated book I bought. The first two books I bought in this series represents the top two lifelong obsessions within fantasy: Wonderland and Oz (now, if only they'd do Neverland to complete my personal trilogy!).

Upon first reading, I'll admit -- this was a bit hard to start. Sure, it was interesting, but compared to the introduction to the Alice book, it seemed a bit rambling. It seemed like I'd never get through to the actual book!

Recently, I decided to give it another go. So, starting from the beginning again, I read. Age must change my opinion on things. It was no longer so rambling. I rather enjoyed the introduction -- in fact, wish it was longer!

When your first introduction to the Annotated series is Alice, a highly satirical book with a lot of symbolism, you may have expectations of all the secret meanings revealed. Don't expect it here. As is stressed in the introduction, this was a story purely meant to delight. While there are similarities in the ultimate purpose of writing it -- a boredom with the children's books of the day -- the two are completely different in their approach. Carroll used the book to make fun of the children's books of his day. Baum just wrote a good story.

So, therefore, the annotations have more to do with what was going on around Baum at the time, things in his life that may have had some influence, and criticism rather than the hidden symbols found within. You'll get a history lesson of turn-of-the-century America that we may not hear much. You'll learn about changes to the book made over the years.

The greatest thing about this edition is that it's a facsimile of the first edition. The pages aren't perfect -- there are age marks every now and then. But you'll finally be able to see what exactly made this book so novel in 1900 -- colors and text are reproduced in a way most editions do not. Most other editions using Denslow's drawings are usually incomplete with a more modernized setting for the fonts. This causes many pages of illustration to be omitted as the illustrations are a bit more difficult to reproduce when the original text is overlapping.

The accuracy of the reproduction may be a huge downfall for the annotations, though. Unlike most annotated novels where you'll find the numbers within the text and the annotation in the margins of the book, the numbers have been moved to the edges of each line of text with the annotations on a separate page. Probably, this was done to interfere with the original text, but it means that some confusion might come in when to look at a note. Two numbers may try to squeeze into a single line, which is a little awkward. Or, because the note numbers are no longer attached to the text, we won't know what words those numbers are attached to until we look at the next page (or a few pages ahead, depending on how long the note is).

This isn't quite enough for me to take any stars off, though. It may be an inconvenience, but it's no way to judge the quality of the book. In fact, the rarities -- bonus story, reproductions, and art in the Deslow Index -- more than make up for the structure.

This is an over-sized book, so if you want to add it to your Oz collection, it might be out of place a bit -- if you want an edition to fit in perfectly with your other Oz books, I'd suggest getting The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Books of Wonder) along with this just for casual reading or completeness on the bookshelf.

This book was purchased for my grand daughter who is 18 years old. She thoroughly enjoyed receiving it as a gift. She liked reading the "annotated information" while reading the story. It was a hit as a Christmas gift.

My 8 year old daughter is a huge Wiz of Oz fan. She has 10 pairs of ruby slippers she's grown out of through the years, every WoO Nutcracker, Barbie, doll we can find and every edition book we come across. This is one of her favorite Wizard of Oz books. She loves the detail about the characters, the pictures, the rich history reviews. Its a great book and Amazon is by far the cheapest place to buy it safely and new.

This is a great compendium of short stories from the mind of the man who dreamed up Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda, all renowned stories for children. The book pulls together some of the best from several of his collections.

Dahl, who was married for a long time to actress Patricia Neal (The Day the Earth Stood Still), hosted a British television show in 1961 called "Way Out," an anthology show whose episodes are hard to find today. He later hosted another anthology show called "Tales of the Unexpected" (1979-88). Both shows featured a number of Dahl's own stories. Some of Dahl's work has also been adapted to other television programs, notably "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."

The hallmark of Dahl's stories is a good dose of irony, coupled with a macabre sense of humor. Dahl's stories work fantastically well on this level, bringing the reader to laughter in a horrified kind of way. His dialogue is sharp and characters are well drawn and very human, even at their worst. In "Lamb to the Slaughter," for example, a woman kills her cheating husband, then disposes of the murder weapon in a singularly unique way. The reader will feel for her and root for her to get away with it, and she does. Another frequently adapted work, "Man from the South," tells the story of a man who likes to wager with other people's fingers.

For readers who fondly remember Charlie Bucket and Willy Wonka from childhood, and who also appreciate poking fun at the dark side of human nature, The Best of Roald Dahl is highly recommended.

Roald Dahl is best known for his children's books, namely CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH. This book collects some of his best adult short stories from his long career. The dark humor and morality that guides his children's books are amplified here. Outlandish, often unlikable characters often personify one or more of the seven deadly sins and usually pay for it. Dahl's dark sense of humor is fantastic and almost every story ends with a delightfully surprising and ironic twist. Dahl's macabre sensibility might draw comparisons to Poe, but his style is not nearly as laborious. Gems from this collection include: "The Man From the South," (a story that Quentin Tarantino, among others, has paid homage to); "Skin" about a million dollar tattoo; "Pig," in which a vegetarian boy discovers the joys and horrors of meat; a story about a hair-brained wife-swapping scheme; and "The Sound Machine," which allows one to hear the screams of plants. My only complaint about the collection is that the order is chronological and some of the more absurd stories fall in the middle, which makes some of the later, less absurd stories a bit of a letdown. But overall, a fantastic collection.

As a child, I loved Roald Dahl's books from James and the Giant Peach to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Now that I am a little older, I started to read his mature works. I never go so enthusiastic about reading a book. You get it all with Roald Dahl, humor, suspence, brutality, and horrific stories all end with a surprising twist that you will never suspect. The best reading in years. Highly Recommended. My favorite is The Great Switcheroo. He is definatly one of the greatest writers of our time.

Have loved his kids' books ever since I was a child and am now reading them with my daughter. This one is for grownups only, though! I described this collection to friends by saying "Roald Dahl is the British Flannery O'Connor." If you like dark, funny (sometimes truly twisted) short stories where, in surprise endings, those who scheme and plot always get theirs, you will truly enjoy this book.

Very often the writer's skill can be appreciated after reading their short stories. The short form requires discipline and has to catch the reader's attention in a short time. Roald Dahl managed to do this in his short stories (the shorter ones from this collection are the best!). The stories are truly timeless - although written between 1945 and 1965, they have not aged at all. They still keep the readers holding their breath and having goose bumps. There are horrors, great insights into human soul, relationships, perversions, addictions...
I knew only "James and the Giant Peach" before I was recommended this collection by a (British) friend, who I am very grateful to. I have been returning to the stories over and over again. My favorites are probably the most morbid ones, starting with "Man from the South" through "Skin", "Royal Jelly" to "Pig". I like also "Taste" which is more focused on psychology. Anyway, Dahl knew how to find an original subject, how to twist the plot leading to the unexpected and very satisfying finale, and how to use the English language.

I am very happy I could locate this book. It is one of my favorite books, and one I insist being on my shelf. Thus, my copy was missing and I was pleased I could replace my copy. I am happy with the condition of the copy I just recently received; it arrived quickly, and I'm glad to have it in my personal library.

A fascinating and horrifying account of a slave woman's experience. While fiction, the story appears to be based on the life of an actual Hannah. Don't be put off by the long introduction. It becomes more significant after reading the narrative itself.

This book gives a great emotional account of the horrors of slavery. It is amazing the vocabulary the author had without being formally educated.

This book will stay with me for a while.

In her novel, Crafts illustrates her life as a slave over the course of many years. Starting at a place cursed by a linden tree, things only seem to get worse. Though she is taught to read, her teachers are punished and banished from her life. Her early years are filled with much more than learning, however. She witnesses many horrific aspects of slave life, which are depicted vividly by use of imagery and her colorful similes. In her story she attempts to obtain freedom with her new mistress, but the success is cut short.
By the middle of the story, the reader can easily assess that slave life is neither desirable nor easy. Crafts and her mistress are captured with only more hardships following. Crafts depicts for the reader her passing from one master to the next after her mistress's death. Things only continue to get worse until she brings the reader along with her on her flight to freedom.
Though met by a series of mishaps throughout the novel, Crafts finally obtains freedom to live life with her husband and her recently found mother. No doubt, the reader is happy to see something pleasant finally happen for Crafts. The reader is left with not only a sense of happiness for the author, but with a vibrant image of what it took to get there. The Bondswoman's Narrative is most certainly a good choice for anyone wanting a harsh, yet inspiring, account of what slave life was truly like.

As background for this slave's narrative, we are introduced to John Hill Wheeler, writer, who had published HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF NORTH CAROLINA, 1584-1851), who served as assistant secretary to the U. S. President Franklin Pierce (always one of my favorites) in 1854. There is a good photograph of Wheeler and a painting of his wife, Ellen, with her two sons by Thomas Sully who made the youngest look like a sleeping angel.

There is also a photo depiction of the abduction of his slave, Jane Johnson with her family, off the Steamer Washington on July 18, 1855, in Philadelphia "by force" by a gang of Negroes led by an abolotionist. Since he was unable to locate and reclaim his servants, Jane was subsequently replaced by Hannah -- who escaped in the Spring of 1857. He must have been a hard taskmaster.

One interesting thing (for me) was a mention of John Brown's (of Harper's Ferry, West VA fame) hanging in Charleston, VA. It was observed that he died as he lived, "game." He certainly was no coward.

I found too much redundancy in the introduction by Henry L. Gates, Jr., and the narrative itself. Absorbed in finding and preserving black culture in written form, he spends a lot of effort propounding on his conclusions, instead of the facts. Like a local writer involved in uncovering ancient history, he uses too many "that's" proving he is not scholary. To me, it shows a definite lack of education and too much emphasis on self promotion, so that whatever is printed will be thought or taken as the truth, the whole truth and nothing else.

As with all autobiographical material it is hard to tell what is fact and where the fiction begins. An old acquaintance now deceased who had been in the Merchant Marines in his younger years and received much enjoyment in bewildering strangers with his detailed stories, told me how he manufactured "truth." Add a few relevant facts which can be substantiated and names of real people and presto! it's history -- not fiction.

As with science, the individual authors are expounding on their own theories, not facts per se. It's the same in any field and any "case" history. Mr. Gates wanted to prove this narrative was authentic; therefore, he spent more effort with his "proof" than the slave's account itself.

Something that old can never be proven beyond a doubt. Now Clifford Irving's bogus biography of Howard Hughes was ill-timed. Had he waited until after the person's demise, there would always be doubt and nothing to prove he was a liar.

I don't believe a slave would know some of the words used by this writer. By including family background and descriptions of events, it is taken as the authentic tale of a real Hannah Crafts. He did too much surmising "what if's" to have run down the actual writer to New Jersey -- to have been the runaway slave from North Carolina.

I found the marked out words and phrases to be distracting (also detracting). It would have helped to have the edited parts left out; the 21 chapters would have sufficed without so much explanation and additions (in brackets). Instead of making this clearer, it befuddles the story itself.

I'm not a user of the word "that" which is grossly overused in newspapers today. About ten years ago, I typed the lengthy "memoir" of my ex-husband, a college English professor, and edited at intervals throughout. Of course, he proof-read every page before having the entirety copied and bound to distribute to members of his family. Sometimes, he agreed to my "clarifications"; at others, he'd say, "but we didn't talk that way." Growing up in a tiny hamlet between Shelbyville and Chapel Hill (where he'd been born) in Middle TN, and being about fifteen years my senior, he'd experienced things and feelings totally opposite to what I had in Knox County (East TN). My reasons to "edit" were for the benefit of those who'd be reading his memories, not to change events -- and he finally agreed with me.

Perhaps I should have left things exactly the way he expressed them, no matter how grammatically incorrect they were, as now that is what I am wishing Mr. Gates had done with this manuscript. The things he marked through seemed inconsistent vocabulary for such a young, uneducated woman confined in "the peculiar institution", and I'd have preferred not to have to think about them.

The textual annotations did not add to the story and were a bit too detailed. You can analyze a situation "to death." Some things are better left to the reader's imagaination.

This story is as old as the hills. Didn't he see the similarities between characters of this narrative and those in SHOW BOAT? Sad but true. Life is not always easy for those without power or money.

This book may have great value as a historical document, however, I evaluate it from the 'fun to read' point of view. I did not find it a greatly enjoyable read. It is written in the old novel style- "Perils of Pauline" comes to mind. Neither did I find that I learned much about it was like to live like a slave during that time. I am now reading a historical novel in which there are a few pages describing a slave market in the USA during the Revolution; which gave me a much clearer picture than Bondwoman's Narrative did. The description of how the field hands lived left me wishing to read more about that, and in fact, I felt I did not even get a good picture of how the house servants lived. There was quite a bit of philosophizing during the entire book so the author came across as an intellectual. In this respect, her comments about the death of a fellow runaway slave towards the end of the novel were very interesting to me.

When I first opened this book I was afraid, afraid because of how big a classic it is, because I'd never read Dostoevsky before and because there was the faint possibility of me not liking it.

All my trepidation was unjustified, on this wonderfully conceived masterpiece, Dostoevsky shows how great a storyteller he is, building a wide range of characters that are both complex and real, displaying great insight into human nature and meticulously developing and carrying the plot to its climax.

But it's not perfect, but, then again, nothing is, the mostly lengthy and wordy dialogs feel more like a collection of monologues, than, well, dialogs, which is, although Dostoevsky manages to keep a constant tension to the bulk of them, a little irritating and unrealistic.

This is an awesome book! It is not an easy read, but it rewards close reading. It's about a struggling Russian college student named Raskolnikov, who decides to kill a certain old moneylender (and a nearby witness) just to see if he can get away with it, and also to take her valuables so that he can cash them in at a later time.

But he is haunted by feelings of guilt and paranoia. His faithful friends and family are unaware of his heinous crimes. They shower the sickly Raskolnikov with unconditional love and acceptance, and it makes him even sicker with guilt. He can hardly keep from discussing the crimes with others, and it rouses the suspicions of the police.

The book is more or less a commentary on Psalm 32, with its timeless expression of guilt and release. It is also a commentary on the Lazarus story of John chapter 11 from the New Testament.

The book puts you inside the mind and heart of a criminal, and it will stay with you long after the last page is read. One of the greatest books of all time.

So let me ask a question in a primitive, modern way...

Is this damn thing any good? Uh, yeah.

Fyodor's novel is called one of the greatest ever written for a reason. It is a masterful work, filled with suspense, fascinating characters, great atmosphere, intelligent dialogue, twists and turns, and a great, satisfying ending. It is a true cerebral novel, one that really emulates Dostoyevsky's outlook on life and art itself. Raskolnikov is one of the most fascinating, well known characters in all of literature, and even to this day, he is still talked about and discussed. This book, along with Notes from the Underground, are my favorite Dostoyevsky novels.

I also love this book because it shreds the idea of Nietzsche's "superman" ideal. Many have grossly misinterpreted Dostoyevsky's attitude towards Raskolnikov. Some make the argument that he is a model of the Nietzschian superman. Raskolnikov certainly acts like the "superman", thinking that since he has a superior intellect that that entitles him to, essentially, shred off the chains of the morality that governs others, and that he is free to do what he wishes, as the laws of "lesser men" don't apply to him. Fyodor, however, does not agree with this and shows that it is a false assumption that intelligent people make when they believe they are superior to anyone. We can argue the wider point that the Nietzschian superman isn't a superman at all, but an arrogant, deluded man who puts himself above everyone because he believes he is superior to everyone. Raskolnikov is exactly like this, until reality and Sonia make him realise that he isn't the Superman at all, just another human being, and a deeply human one at that. I believe many people who interpret Dostoyevsky as "pro-Superman" (in the Nietzsche sense, not the Marvel Comics one) are simply putting their own personal beliefs on Dostoyevsky's prose, and are not looking at the novel with clear and thoughtful eyes.

This is a wonderful novel, one of the greatest ever written, and one that can be revisited again and again.

I don't think any book creates the inner tension like this one. This and Brothers Karamzov are must reads of FD.

What can I say that hasn't been said already?
This is probably the best fictional study of the effects of guilt and radical ideas on a troubled mind. The prose is flowing, and it's not hard to see why Dostoevsky considered his novels "poems".
Dostoevsky's works in general are marred by a flaw I prefer to ignore as much as I can, and in this novel it is hardly present. Dostoesky's politics are odious, his nationalism, anti-Semitism, and anti-Polish sentiments absolutely ruined a section of The Brothers Karamazov for me and in The Gambler I felt their effect dramatically. They only crop up once in Crime and Punishment, that is when (plot spoiler coming soon) Svidrigailov is about to shoot himself, when Dostoevsky describes the Jewish guard as having "that sour look common to all members of that tribe", or something very close to those words.
All in all, I feel that Dostoevsky's politics can be excused, and prefer to focus on the positive attributes of his writing. There are many, and it isn't difficult.

THIS STORY WAS SOMETHING ELSE BESIDE FAST PACED. SYNEDA AND CLAYTON ARE VERY WELL MATCHED IN EVERY WAY. THE AUTHOR IS THE REASON I PURCHASED THIS AND CANNOT WAIT FOR ANOTHER TO BE RELEASED IN THE MADARIS SERIES OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

wow as usual Ms. jackson makes us laugh cry go through the whole nine yards of emotion and thats why i cant stop reading her books. clayton what can I say about Clayton whoo i have been waiting for his story since i read Whispered promises and it was so worth the wait cause him and Syneda killed it. if u love Brenda jackson books then you wont regret reading this one once you pick it up you wont put it down until you are finished i guarantee it.

I absolutely loved this book...Clayton had my attention right away. I mean this book was so real and steamy that I could not put it down. Clayton sounds so scrumptious and then his character is so determined and bold...I love it!!!! I would recommend this book to anyone because there was never a dull moment and the surprises at the end I would have never guessed, I thought I had the mystery figured out but boy was I wrong. I love Clayton and Syneda...I can't wait to read the rest of the Madaris stories since I see that I read them out of order.

I love the Madaris Family. It is about strong black men who know how to love, cherish and take care of their black women.

Clayton is my favorite Madaris brother. He is good looking, fine, funny and smart. His and Syneda relationship moves from friendship to the bedroom and the fire works begin. It took one woman who would give him the challenge he needed to turn him from his womanizing ways. When you met your match, there's no denying. Loved this book, loved this man and I love Brenda Jackson! You go girl! I can't wait to read One Special Moment.

This was one of the best book I have read in a long time. I even convinced my husband to read it and he couldn't put it down. A good mix of love, faith, and true Redemption. It showed how making one wrong choice can change both your life and the lives of those around you. It also forces you to look at your own life and see what things in your life could prompt you to take a life altering step in the wrong direction.

The author, Jacquelin Thomas, uses the relationship of Reverend Warner Brice and his wife, Marin to place major emphasis on two distinctive points of the novel: (1) to forgive others in the same manner as our God offers us His divine forgiveness, and (2) to love others as our God loves us. Reverend Brice tells his congregation, "Once we fully forgive, our minds are released from the bondage of anger, bitterness, and resentment". Warner also asked his congregation to follow God's example of love. This would be displaying a love that always protects, always trust, always hopes, and always perseveres.

This book was so refreshing, inspirational, and moving. I absolutely Loved it and would reccommend it to All. This was my first time reading your work Mrs. Thomas but it will certainly not be the last. Thank You for enlightening me. This book has really helped me with a lot of things going on in my life.

I ordered this book after reading Jezebel (by Jacquelin Thomas) and seeing all the glowing reviews for this book. This book was slow. The first 150 pages were just about Marin and her husband going to dinner parties and their children. The next half of the book was about Marin's use of drugs and her husband being upset with her. This book had no excitement whatsoever. I can't fathom all these 5* reviews.

**Summary**
Marin, an actress, meets Warner, a pastor, at a religious conference. Warner was 30 something and previously engaged to a woman who died of ovarian cancer. Warner stated that God told him that he and Marin were meant to be together. Marin felt the same way.

After a few months, the two married. Initially, Marin wanted to focus on her career, but when she got pregnant by mistake, Marin was so happy that she decided to put her career on hold. After 4 years and 2 children (Rylan and Gabriel), Marin decided to return to her career.

Marin had a hard time getting acting jobs. She was finally offered a Lifetime job playing a drug addict. Marin decided to try cocaine to get ready for the role. Marin got hooked immediately because she always was told she was a screw up by her mother, felt abandoned by her mother and father, and didn't feel like she was good enough to be a preacher's wife.

Warner found out about Marin's drug use and convinced her to go into rehab. Marin stayed clean for a few months, but then started her drug use again. When Marin left the house to do drugs, Warner cut off all her credit cards, bank accounts, and so forth. Marin ended up prostituting herself and was raped.

After a while, Marin moved to NY (she was originally living in California) with Tisha and another drug buddy. When Tisha and the guy got arrested, Marin went to rehab. While in Rehab, Marin found out she was pregnant.

Eventually, Marin turned to Warner and the two reconciled.

Pros: EXCELLENT writing! easy to read
Cons: Boring, nothing exciting happened in the story; the names in the storyline were pretty bad (Dru, Warner, Marin, Shirley, Garfield)--what kind of names are those for black people??

My main issue was Geneva though. She, being a single woman, pushes up on the pastor and this is Christian behavior? Whatever! Also, it appears that all Jacquelin Thomas' characters suffer the same fate. It kind of makes it pointless to read her books now.

This was one of the best books I have read in a long time. I highly recommend you read this book. It is definetly a tear jerker and is an item that belongs in every married African American woman's bookshelf.

This book was so good, after reading this book I went on to reading more of Ashley & Jaquavis's books, read it you will not be sorry.

What can I say ANOTHER URBAN NOVEL churned out. Predictable, poorly written. All around bad.

This book had you wanting to know what was going to happen next. I must say when you thought things were going to turn out one way, you will drop your jaw at what really happen.It was a good read.

Not only does this book answer questions to some of the characters in Diary of a street Diva, it introduces you to the SUPREME CLIENTELE the biggest drug lords accross the world! THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS THAT I READ IN 2007

This book was a page turner. Ashley and Jaquavis have done it again. I loved how it intertwined with Dirty Money. Don't sleep on this book or the authors. I just ordered The Trophy Wife, I already know I will not be disappointed.

So this is pretty much a classic among LDS kids' literature. Heimerdinger's voice is fun and observant and makes sure to get inside his characters' heads. It's also just a great little adventure into Book of Mormon times. The rest of the series has its understandable ups and downs, but this one can stand on its own with power and respectability for doing what all novels should do: tell a a great story.

VERSION ON TAPES.
I listened to this because one of my companions on my mission had it (I don't think it was against the rules of our mission) and he really liked it, none of his other companions wanted to give it a chance, so when he asked if I'd listen to it with him I decided to be the nice one, he said if I didn't like it we never had to listen to it, I agreed and...wow!! For 3 days all we did during lunch and after the day was over was listen to his tapes.

What an enveloping story, exciting and suspenseful, it is very well written and intertwined with the actual stories. It is very enjoyable, it makes you wish you could have been there, the way he describes things is mind wrapping. I definately recommend it. I am giving it for Christmas.

I really liked this book. I thought it was very good because it has a lot of action and adventure. I also like it because it realates to a lot of theings I know and care about. I would recommend this to a friend because it is very exiting and fun filled. If you like fantsy history youll like this book. it has a lot of people from the book of mormon. There is also 9 more books in this series. I am going to read them all and I'd recommend this book to any who asked.

I am personally acquainted with Chris and he is an amazing person as well as an amazing author. He truly researches each and everyone of the books that he writes. He travelled to Mexico while researching for the Gadianton novel and went through several of the experiences that he wrote his characters into. He really brings the ancient characters to life in wonderful adventures while exploring true gospe principles. His awesome testimony and love for the LDS church, the Book of Mormon, and the Bible makes him the perfect person to write these stories. Whenever a new ook would come out me and my brothers and sister would fight over who got to read first. We would have 2 or 3 bookmarks in it marking where each member in the family was reading. I am now out of the house and am working on bying my own copies of all ten books.

Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites
A book by Chris Heimerdinger
The Tennis Shoes series is originally about a boy who travels back in time to an ancient civilization called the Nephites (a people whose writings make the "Book of Mormon", which is a book the religious people called "Mormons" or the "L.D.S." people base their beliefs). Armed with modern gadgets, the boy, named Jim, his sister Jenny, and their enemy-turned-friend, Garth, are out for the adventure of their lives.
When Garth finds an ancient cave, which he believes holds hieroglyphs made by the Nephites, he begs Jim and Jenny to come along. When they reluctantly agree, they find themselves sucked into a whirlpool of a lake, which they are manipulated by and finally spewed out on a waterfall. Where they are, they have no idea.
The three-some suddenly realize they are in a world where there is no electricity, no cars, no boats, not anything! Jim finds out that they are in the world of the Nephites. How can they get home? How can they make friends with these nomadic people? How can they make sure that they don't get eaten by wild beasts? Read this book and you will be hooked until the very end!
"Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites" is only the first of ten books! In the next nine, Jim's family and friends also find this historic cave, but it doesn't only take them to the land of the Nephites! Read these books to find adventures in Mexico, ancient Rome, the Mayan empire, ancient Babylon, and much, much more!

Reviewed by:
Megan

How can you not love this book? It teaches children to think about the way we view the things around us. It is fun and exciting to see what something will morph into next. Because there are no words, children can set the pace to "read" this book. The conversational opportunities are endless.

Just flip the pages slowly - forwards and at times, back again. You're in for a good surprise-one after another. Enjoy!

A friend gave me this book when I was in a super slump. I was amused and amazed as the pictures zoomed away from each other how they put both objects and actions into perspective, not only in terms of size, but also in terms of time and space. The artist cleverly starts with a rooster, a symbol of cockiness, and shows just where he really stands in the giant scheme of things.

My daughter, aged 4, was a little bit confused at the book when it first arrived. She didn't like that it didn't have words. After "reading" it with her a couple of times, it has fast become one of her favorites.
More then once I have found her in bed "reading" this book by herself and she will still pick this book on occasion for one of her bedtime stories.

I use the book ZOOM as a way to show business leaders how their perspectives can change realities. Because it's so affordable, I buy the book in bulk and send it out with personal notes after business leadership classes to help reinforce the training's overall messages on perspective. If you lead people, add ZOOM to your business library - it's fun, easy to understand, and very transferable to the adult learning environment.

Family Apart follows the lives of Irish children. They move from Ireland during the potato famine to NY to survive. But then their da dies and their ma finds it impossible give her family the basic needs. She decides to send them WEST so they can have the basics, education, and love. I read this book to many children because it is a quartet of books. Afterwards, they want to read the sequels. These tell the individual stories of each child. Being historial fiction, it also leads into to reading real accounts of Orphan Train riders lives. The book is exciting and has many emotions that children can identify with now.

What if you and your family had to leave your mother and go west on one of the orphan trains to be split up into differnt families?

In this book you'll experience the wide array of feelings the kelly children are feeling and the adventure that the kelly chilren have to endure. The kelly's dicover Mike, the oldest boy, is a copper stealer, they are being taken from thier mother, and most comfort Mike because he blames himself for all that has happened.

I recommand this book to anybody who like suspenseful novels or is just looking for a good book to read.

I really enjoyed reading the book Family Apart, because it keeps you guessing , whats going to happen next? Also it helps you learn a lot about orphans and what they go through. A Family Apart has a lot important teachings to offer. I would love to read the next six books in the series.

This wonderful book A Family Apart has a lot of meaningful things that can be learned. One lesson that can be learned is, that you don't know what you've got until its gone. If you have something or know somebody that means a lot to you, once you lose them you don't realize how important it was until its gone. A moral that can help you in life is to believe in yourself. Believing in yourself is good because if you are trying to reach a goal and you believe in yourself you will reach that goal and if you don't you might not. Another lesson that can be learned in this book is to love your family. You should love your family because they do a lot for you and they are your only family. The last great moral is to accept changes. Even though accepting changes is hard we have to, because sometimes we cant change them. As you can tell this great book A Family Apart has a lot of important teachings to offer.

This was a thrilling book about a poor family that live in newyork the family has to deal with many problems first the dad dies, then the 3rd eldest gets in to some trouble because he is a copper thief Mike (the copper thief) is sent to a hearing The judge announces under there mothers wishes that the children ( Petey, Peg, Danny, Mike, Megan, and Frances) are to be sent west on the orphan train. Before the train leaves Frances the eldest child overhears that two kids in the same family are more likely to be adopted if they are boys. So Frances promising her mother that she would take care of her youngest brother cuts her hair and pretends to be a boy named Frankie. That's just the beginning Frances and her brothers and sisters encounter many other things on there quest to the west. Read this fantastic book and your eyes will open up to a whole new world of adventure thieves, slaves, fear, and depression it's sure to make your heart ache.This is a book you will always remember.