U Books

Michael Zak's book was fascinating and made me wish it was a textbook used for high school and college students. In reading the comments, I see that some things did not appear in his book that were unfavorable to Republicans. That is unfortunate, and more study should be placed beside this book. It is a good read! It'll open many eyes.

As the chairman of the fastest growing and most active Young Republican group in my tri-state area I need books like this to more quicky educate conservatives. Whether candidate, supporter, or voter it is pertinent to understand the core values of Republicanism as well as our rich history. Back to Basics for the Republican Party is a terrific book about our values and history. It is in a must-read for all Republicans. Our principals are ever lasting yet without knowing and applying them we cannot truly unite and maintain the way of life our forefathers fought for. My challenge to every individual and campaign: Purchase, read, and pass around Back to Basics for the Republican Party.

"Back to Basics for the Republican Party" is the most important book written about the Republican Party in a couple of decades and the most helpful book for "working and involved" Republicans in 40 years. I thoroughly enjoyed it. This should be required reading for every Republican Activist, Member, Leader, and Candidate. Republicans have lost too many verbal, public relation battles to Democrats. This will arm you and enable you to defeat your left-wing opponents. By learning our heritage, we will win over the American people, especially the younger generation. Kim, Madison, Wisconsin

Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. Mr. Zak provides a rich overview of how Republican commitment to the U.S. Constitution and the free enterprise system have been prevailing themes since formation of the "Party of Lincoln." As a certified public school teacher I have been amazed at the blatant bias of so many textbooks, and particularly appreciate the comprehensive six pages of references provided with this entertaining and enlightened volume. It puts every U.S. president into perspective and gives credit where credit is due for elected officials of both parties. Buy it now and discover what you can teach beyond popular historical myths!

I myself am a Black Republican, so I agree with Mr. Zak that the GOP's history on civil rights has not been fairly told. However, this book makes the same 2 errors that most GOP loyalists make when discussing Blacks and the GOP: 1) they oversimplify the ideology of the early Republicans and abolitionists. For example, notably missing from Mr. Zak's book are the following facts:that Herbert Hoover (Republican) was the first president to refuse to address the NAACP's convention, that Carter G. Woodson-the Founder of Black History Month-became so disappointed with the GOP that in the late 1920's he publicly stated that Blacks should stop being blindly loyal to the GOP, that soon after Reconstruction the GOP condoned the formation in the South of racially segregated GOP organizations, called the Lily Whites and the Black & Tans;that beginning in the 1870's Republican candidates lost elections in some Northern states because the Radical Republicans' idea of perfect equality was not embraced by most Whites, not even by most Republicans; that Lincoln was NOT a Radical Republican, he was a moderate who had ALWAYS discussed freeing the slaves ONLY in conjunction with deporting them to another country, for Lincoln openly declared that Blacks were inferior to Whites; that after the Civil War the GOP was weak nationally-since the founding of the GOP America has had 4 presidents who won by electoral vote but lost the popular vote, and all 4 were Republicans (Harrison, Hayes, Garfield, and Bush); that not all Republicans or abolitionists believed in racial equality, in fact most did NOT, they believed ONLY in ending slavery, and even on that issue they disagreed on the reasons, some were against slavery for moral reasons, others because they feared slave revolts, others because slavery competed with White labor, others because they wanted the good farmland used for more than just cotton. 2) they leave out much of how/why Blacks left the GOP in the first place: Mr. Zak's book does lay blame at the feet of Barry Goldwater, but overlooks the fact that Goldwater's victory in the GOP presidential primary obviusly says something about the views of rank and file Republicans in 1964-national civil rights legislation was clearly not a priority for most Republican voters in 1964, else Goldwater could not have won. Goldwater was just the icing on the cake. Beginning in the 1870's, the GOP began taking the Black vote for granted precisely because the Democrats were such vicious racists. Mr. Zak's book points out how the Democrats were at one point synonymous with the KKK, but he overlooks the obvious political implication for Black voters-if their only 2 choices were between the GOP and the Klan, it was an easy decision. Blacks voted for the GOP because they feared voting for the Democrats, this led to the GOP taking the Black vote for granted as the GOP moved further away from civil rights issues in order to attract more White voters, feeling confident that in doing so it would not lose Black voters. Today, it's the Democrats who take the Black vote for granted, because most Black voters are afraid of the GOP-the tables have turned.

As a Black Republican who is pro civil rights, I think what we need is a balanced review of history. This book is not balanced. Throughout history minorities have been used by the dominant group like a political footbal, and Blacks in America are no different. I'm working with some other Black Republicans to prepare a balanced view of Blacks and the GOP told from the Black perspective, not the perspective of a party loyalist.

I am in a collage class at school and found this book a perfect supplement for all my collage projects. There is a variety of tricks- everything from different techniques for backgrounds and ways to transfer images to your collage. Plus the book itself is beautifully done. Nothing makes my heart twitter more than a fantastic collage...

. . . . there was paper and glue. This book is a "must" buy for the beginning artist who has decided to explore the world of collage. It has very simple explanations of incredible techniques that you can learn quickly and use over and over. You will find your favorites, but don't be afraid to try all of them.

I also recommend this for "young" budding artists.

I just so love this book. It gets straight to the point, It is incredibly detailed plus for beginners like myself who are new to collage it makes perfect sense.

Book was in great conditon, but I purchased the book for a project and by the time it came... we were done with the project.

Without a question Claudine gives great advice and instruction in this book. Lots of ideas for scrapbooking, collage and just crafty folks. I would definitely recommend her other book "Beyond the Unexpected" as well. She also has DVDs that are awesome for those of us who learn by watching. She's a hoot!

Where this one shines: compact and to the point, definitely our style. It covers all of the island and the hikes they list inside Haleakala Crater and near Hana were terrific. Bring your binoculars for the whale and windsurfer action. We had several guides with us, but the most consistent useful information came from this one.

Friends asked us how we saw and experienced so much in just a week and we attribute it to doing our homework first - mapping it all out with the Trailblazer.

Beaches are the reason we went to Maui and this was the guide we used to find them. There were several dozen to higrade. When we arrived we noticed many of the street signs were missing or twisted the wrong way so we navigated using the maps and mile markers in the Trailblazer guide. Even our rental car map didn't have the detailed streets this book had.

We have three kids and they spent hours and hours boogieboarding and their UV protected rashguards that we also bought on Amazon paid off plenty. The bike tours were closed so we hiked in Haleakala State Park. Trail distances we needed and trail distances we got. We felt like we were on another planet. They suggested we bring warm clothes and water, thank goodness we did.

Organized, detailed, dangerous places to avoid, the advice was priceless. This was our first time on Maui and this book really did blaze the trail.

All the fun stuff. My teenage boys loved it and wanted to try everything they listed. Our hikes were group affairs, waterfall destinations being first choice, Haleakala took second. This book is organized by region with all the activities linked to the highway mile markers and cross referenced on the interior maps. This saved us time and we also spent less on gas.

In six days we really covered ground. We drove the entire beautiful coast stopping here and there to snorkel where they indicated it was best for beginners. Excels when it comes to easily finding the snorkeling and hiking zones and wild beaches. We are big Trailblazer fans now.

We decided to visit two islands because we had heard how different they were: Maui and the Big Island. We chose the trailblazer books to guide us since they were both crammed with incredibly helpful information. For hikers and snorkelers and sightseers they are a gold mine. They are written in clear language and the outings are well arranged with accompanying maps.

The tips for getting out to Hana were treasure trove status and put us out in front of the chain of cars we saw heading out at 2pm. Leaving at 7:30 am before the tour buses made all the difference. We could have used another few days on Maui and regret taking only one hike down into the crater. We plan another visit in 2009 and our first order of business will be watching the sunrise on Haleakala and taking a helicopter tour.

Thanks Trailblazers for sharing and demystifying wowie Maui.

Maui was new to us. This guide ranked quite highly for navigating and made driving the circle tour so interesting. We frequently used the large index. The guide is laid out with all the activities logically numbered, like a reference catalog (spiked with humor and tips). Also, they streamlined their list of hotels and only include the ones they would stay in, mostly affordable - same with restaurants. We prereserved an oceanside hotel room in Kihei and would stay there again. It had a nice beach access for winding down at sunset.

Full page maps are in each section and since this island is so small they accentuate the stops that rank highly and coincide with the beach and trails they describe. It made sense in every way and the only time we joined the tourist mill was on the Hana Coast - we should have left at dawn like they said. Another thing we liked is the all space they've given to landscape photographs which helped greatly with our everyday destination decisions.

I could not put this book down! I got so caught up in this memoir, I couldn't wait to finish it. Then, when it was done I wished I hadn't read it in 4 days! It is filled with gut wrenching stories, sometimes so incredible it seems they can't be real. The part that takes place at Christmas was especially moving to me.

I can't recommend this book highly enough.

a heart-wrenching true memoir that is almost unbelievable to imagine. how children can cope with the harshest

abuse,emotionally and physically, with a mother standing by silently shows what resilience the human spirit can endure. looking forward to the sequel"fierce"

I didn't know much about about this part of the United States..I have been reading more memoirs set there since I read this book.

I loved this book. It really touched my heart and evoked so many emotions in me, and brought me to tears more than once. Mostly, I wanted to reach right through the pages and hug Barbara and all her siblings. And her mother too. What strength and character each of them has shown. I am in awe and admiration of all of them. I loved how they really looked out for each other and protected one another: from the father, in school, in their neighborhood.

It is so sad that any children had to live like this, but I know many do. Blessings to Barbara and her siblings and I hope they have all healed from the trauma of their childhood and are enjoying much deserved happiness.

Oh, and it was wonderful to see Alice's review!!!!!

Change Me Into Zeus's Daughter is a powerful and poignant story of impoverished life as experienced by Barbara Moss.

Surrounded by poverty, alcoholism, abuse, malnutrition and facial deformities, Moss could easily have allowed herself to be trapped in that negative world. Instead, through determination and the kindness of a few strangers along the way, she rose above adversity and has been able to escape the clutches of childhood demons.

In 1996, Moss won the Gold Medal for Personal Essay in the William Faulkner Creative Writing Contest. Her winning essay became the first chapter of Change Me Into Zeus's Daughter. Her life, her determination, and her writing acheivements serve as an inspiration to the aspiring writer in me.

When I first read this book, I was working through the emotional impact of having undergone facial surgery to remove a malignant melanoma and recreate a nose. At the time of that first reading, I was more tuned into the parts of Moss's story which dealt so poignantly with the emotional effects of her deformed face and people's unkind reactions to that deformity. Her drive to find a way to resolve the situation was nothing less than admirable. Now that I am a few years beyond my surgery and have re-read her story, I find her desire to become Zeus's daughter (the goddess of beauty) pales in comparison to the beautiful person who writes this remarkable story.

With grace and insight, Moss takes us back in time to a place where life seemed to surely be waging war against her. In what she calls an effort to heal wounds and reclaim her family, she writes of both the challenges and the triumphs of childhood, adolesence and adulthood. Throughout the story, Moss interjects memories of a humorous nature - proving that even in the most desparate of situations, it is possible to find joy.

In what can only be described as a "wise beyond her years" approach, the ninth grade Moss wrote a list of eight things she wanted to do to improve herself. At the top of the list were "1. Remove moles on face, 2. Get braces on teeth, 3. Fix face." It is incredible that one so young would seize such determination and not let go until she had accomplished these seemingly insurmountable goals. Shortly after writing these goals, she began to act upon them. Her book reveals the ways she accomplished them. With remarkable insight, Moss writes about how each achieved goal created both negative and positive issues for her.

Moss's writing talent is evident in this deeply personal and moving story. Her gift to her readers is the lesson of redemption and grace in the midst of life's biggest hurdles.

by Lee Ambrose
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

I loved this book I read it cover to cover in less than 3 days I found it very informative and the highlighted pages would be very usefull in the labor and delivery room. I look forward to being able to use it during the actual delivery

This is our first pregnancy, and my husband is honestly more nervous than me! Letting him know what to expect is great for him.

This was one of the best purchases we made in terms of labor and delivery for our first child. Well worth reading for the mom-to-be and anyone else who is going to be involved in the labor and delivery.

The Birth Partner was a great book for anyone that wants to learn more about being a partner in the birthing/delivery process. I was a complete novice and found it so helpful to prepare me for my role in being a birthing coach for my friends home birth.

This book was extremely helpful in learning how to support the laboring mom. There were so many helpful resources to use. I will be taking this book to births with me for quick reference.

Claude Brown's slightly fictionalized autobiography recounts his childhood and early adulthood throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Manchild in the Promised Land also documents the changing atmosphere of Harlem and the people it affected. Brown tells stories of himself as a hell-raiser, involved in theft and drug dealing, and spending time in juvenile detention centers like Wiltwyck and Warwick. He was able to establish a feared and respected name for himself both among the streetwalkers of Harlem and the inmates of the reform schools. Lacking formal education (resulting from years of playing hooky) and idolizing the criminal elements around him, he seemed to be heading down a short road of vice and danger.

Only after Brown moved to Greenwich Village shortly before turning twenty was he able to begin viewing Harlem with a more objective eye, and see the factors that led him down the downward spiral he had been traveling. One of the main reasons Brown believes he and his friends were wrought with such violence and recklessness is due to the mentality imported by their parents from the South. The thing that mattered most to them was fighting: for one's money, girl/family, and manhood (Brown 260). He feels that that rural mentality had been brought to a crowded city life that was not only incompatible with the setting, but also destructive. He laments, "it seems as though if I had stayed in Harlem all my life, I might have never known that there was anything else to life other than sex, religion, liquor, and violence" (Brown 281).

As a youth, Brown excelled in these very base attributes. It wasn't until the introduction of heroine, or "horse," as it was first introduced in the early 1950s, that he feels Harlem truly became unable to cope with their values. Instead of young men fighting for honor, they were killing and robbing for money to sustain their overwhelming addictions, introducing more guns into the neighborhood with desperate people wielding them. He witnessed his friends begin to fade away into scratching, nodding junkies. However, by this time Brown was able to leave and slowly break away from the crumbling Harlem he once knew, watching from afar many of the individuals he once hustled with fall victim to the crimes they themselves would perpetrate.

Many opted instead to stay in Harlem and live the street life. He attributes this to the attitudes of whites outside Harlem and the racism they encountered. To live a "clean" life usually meant to work for a white man who underpaid, referred to them in a racially derogatory manner, and made them perform the most labor intensive tasks. When it came to these prospects, most understandably chose the life of a self-employed drug dealer in Harlem over the self-effacing menial work elsewhere, despite the danger (Brown 287).

Where some people turned to drugs or religion to deal with these problems, Brown found his calling through more established and secular means. Education and music became outlets for him to express himself, gain a self-pride through non-criminal means, and eventually lead to a promising career as a lawyer and author.

One of the things that make this autobiography interesting is its use of language. Brown writes in a notable street dialect, however, the language itself evolves with the character. For instance, "cat" slowly comes into use around page 67 and is used throughout, though it receives less use towards the end. More notably, on page 109 the young Claude begins idolizing a street pimp named Johnny: "To Johnny, every chick was a b*tch. Even mothers were b*tches." And so on page 114 Brown writes "Jackie was a beautiful black b*tch." From then on women are regularly referred to as "b*tches" until the character matures enough to treat women with more respect, and Johnny's spell seems to have completely worn off by the time Brown falls in love with a fellow student. Likewise, the sentence structures become less erratic and grow in sophistication as the book goes on, using less slang chapter by chapter when he begins to change. This seems to be by design.

Claude Brown's personal accounts are no doubt fictionalized to some degree, for his characters go on exhaustive speeches several times, and he certainly didn't tape record them for every word. However, Brown's intentions are to present Harlem and its difficulties in approachable and creative ways. To allow readers (such as white-suburban-me) an inside look into the ways of urban life it invites an understanding and, hopefully, sympathy for the situations of the junkies, prostitutes, and drug dealers that we pass on the street. He shows them in a way that cannot be easily neglected, in intimate, personal relationships that reveal the influences and regrets that have placed them in those situations. These factors were not unique to the 1940s and 1950s. They existed before and do so today. Brown allows insight into the hardships while telling an encouraging tale of one who made it out. By personal drive and education, through art and self-expression (as this book is), he shows that the situation is not dire, but attitudes must change before the world will follow.

I can't believe I didn't write a review for a book I read 10 years ago. This is one of my favorite books. It was this one book that drew me into reading books and becoming a book lover. One of the best books I ever read. Highly Recommended!!

I was able to find this book relatively easy, based on a few keywords. My boyfriend started reading it several years ago and was unable to complete it. The storyline stuck in his memory and I bought it as a surprise for him, because over the years he mentioned it occasionally. Thanks for making the lookup so easy!

This book made such an impact on me when I read it the first time. I was in high school in New Jersey in the early '70's and had friends in Harlem so I visited often. To read such a vivid portrait of a young life at that time in New York City felt real for me. Claude Brown's writing influenced me at an early age. This work is a masterpiece and will stand the test of time.

Brown leaves no stone unturned when it comes to his life in New York. The Howard University graduate covers the story of the first generation of Southerners (his parents) that left to New York-the "promised land" where they expected to enjoy equality and prosperity. Instead, they were forced to deal with overcrowded living spaces and violent ghettos. He paints a picture of his rugged coming of age with vivid recollections of how he gained his rep as a brawler, the friendships gained and lost due to drugs and violence, as well as his fight to escape the seemingly hopeless condition that Harlem was trapped in at the time. After surviving run-ins with the law, brutal fights and the ravages of drug abuse, one can only hope to have half the mental toughness that Brown had to rise above his circumstances.

Phantom Stallion The Wild One is about a girl named Sam. When she was little she fell off her horse Blackie, and was injured very badly. Her dad sends her away to live with her aunt in San Fransisco for two years. When she comes back home Zanzibar (Blackie) has run away and didn't come back. That night, Sam sees a silver horse walking around outside. It has been appearing every night. It has also shown Sam a secret place in the desert where there's a whole herd of wild horses. When Sam, her dad, and some cowboys go on a cattle drive, Sam meets Linc Slocum who wants the phantom for himself. Can Sam stop him?? I really liked this book because it's about horses and I love horses. It is also a great adventure, and the author really describes it well. I hope you'll enjoy this book as much as I did!

liked this because I'm very into horses and this book is about a horse. It's sad about what happens to the horse, but the end of the story leaves you wondering what happens later on. This is a series and I do plan on reading the next book.
A girl named Sam got thrown off by her horse Blackie. It had been a near-fatal accident. Two years later, Sam returned to the farm and saw a silver mustang. She believes it is Blackie because when she said Blackies secret name " Zanziber" his ears would prick up to listen to what she had to say.
I would recommend this book to people who like horses because this book is about how Sam tries to find and keep her horse from being captured.

The book I read by Terri Farley is called the Phantom Stallion. The story is about a girl named Sam. Sam got injured a long time ago by Phantom, a wild horse. When Sam got injured she moved to San Francisco because her aunt lived close to a hospital and she was two hours away from one in Nevada. When she returns she has to learn how to ride and trust horses again. I think this book should be rated five stars because I really enjoyed the story. When I read it felt as if your really there and you can feel the same feelings as Sam. I hope you would read this book.

There is a very simple way to sum up my review. This book, and the rest of the series, is fantastic. In comparison to other horse series, this series ranks the highest, far above most others. This is my favorite horse series.

Here is a list of other horse series I've tried:

The Saddle Club - The books were pretty good. I read the first two, but since the books were never avaliable to me, I never read any more. However, the two books I read were pretty good. The television series was a little too corny for me. The acting and script was awful. There were some decent actors, but some over-acted. Dialogue in the script was not well done. There was a lot of, "Oh, will my horse be okay? Whatever will we do?!" One hundred plus books in a single series is not recommended, either. The main reason this series was a turn-off.

The Horseshoe Trilogies - I read one of the books in this series. It was pretty good, but it didn't make we want to read the rest. The book was too short and lacked a certain zing.

Thoroughbred - I think I read one of the first ones in the series, and I thought it was good. So, I friend went out and bought one of the books further into the series. A different author had taken over and I stopped after the first couple of pages. Not much in comparison to the original author, even if I only read one book that she wrote! Besides, this wasn't the series for me anyway. I don't have the feel of horse racing, because I've never been to a race and it has never been a huge thrill to me. Of course I love watching gorgeous Thoroughbreds race around a track, but I'm biting my nails at the same time, worrying that one will trip or break a leg. Take Barbaro for example. So this series didn't cut it.

Heartland - I liked these books. Many people say the books were too dark, but I disagree. I think they were scary at times, and made me worry, but that kept me reading. Best of all, these books were realistic, unlike other horse series I have come across. The events, characters, dialogue, ect. all seem real. HOWEVER, the books sometimes veered off the subject of horses. I felt there was too much romance and not enough horses. Problems with the horses seemed realistic, though. This series still didn't hit, but it was better. At least it kept me reading.

Chestnut Hill - I read the third book in this series and it was wonderful! Again, realistic characters and horses. However, in the first book, why would Dylan do something so stupid? If she was experienced with horses, she would know riding at night and taking a bet from one of those girls would lead to trouble. In the third book, there wasn't as much romance as Heartland, so that was an improvement. And this series seems more on my age level. Plus, the characters dealing with the horses seemed realistic. Lauren Brooke is a very good writer, but again, this series wasn't the best in the world. All of these series seemed to be following a pattern. They were all in the English style and some of them either spoiled their horses rotten, or veered off the subject of horses too much.

Phantom Stallion - That's when I came upon this series. From the first book, I was instantly attached. The author has such realistic characters, plots, dialogue, events, and settings.

Samantha Forster was in a riding accident two years ago. She fell off her colt, Blackie, while riding through a gate. In Blackie's attempt to escape, Sam fell from his back and catapulted to the ground. As she was falling, Blackie's hooves caught her head. Jake Ely, Sam's friend, galloped back to Sam's family's ranch to get help. Two years later, Sam is returning from living with her Aunt Sue in San Franscico, California. She was in a coma and, deciding that being closer to a hospital in California then two hours away in Nevada would be better for Sam, Sam also lost Blackie during all this. He had galloped for the range, the wild blood from his mustang father, Smoke, carrying through the tough events that life on the range can bring.

The night Sam comes home, a stallion comes to her and she knows it's her beloved horse grown and gone wild, with now earning the name of the legendary Phantom. Sam's horse was no longer the midnight-black colt named Blackie, he was now the silver stallion known as the Phantom. But along with every good friendship, their are tough times thrown at them. The antagonist (bad guy) named Linc Slocum, is determined to get the Phantom off the range and own the stallion himself as a "trophy". Sam won't let that happen. She knows the Phantom wants to be free, but how can she guarentee his freedom? Linc Slocum pulls a totally horrible and very realistic stunt that threatens to take the Phantom off the range. Only Sam can help him. But how?

The rest of the series is fantastic. All of the books are packed with adverture, realistic events, exciting plots, believable dialogue, and horses! And the subject does not veer off horses. There is the occasional couple of pages with Sam being in school at Darton High, which is always interesting and fun to read! Every book is a pleasure to read and the best horse series I have ever come across.

The idea for the series is also original. This series, unlike most horse series, features the Western style of riding. It also includes ranch life and mustangs, unlike the usual stable-bred, glossy horses in a fancy riding stable with girls running around pampering them and slipping them horse cookies every second. Sam and her family treat the horses on River Bend Ranch where Sam lives with respect, but they don't spoil them rotten. Sam tries to see through the horse's eyes, but she doesn't make a big deal out of petty things. She uses the same saddle for years, and never complains, she doesn't polish her saddle every time she spots a speck of dirt, and she makes her horse Ace work for his food, a nice warm bed, and a long curry-combing session.

Character personalities, actions, and dialogue are also what keep the series moving. Sam has two best friends, Jennifer Kenworthy and Jake Ely. Jen is extremely intelligent, but is always cracking me up with her sarcastic sense of humor! Jake is the quiet, silent type and is a cowboy through and through. He is always teasing Sam and it's always fun to read about what this mysterious, quiet, and horse-loving guy will do and say next! Another antagonist, although not as big as Linc Slocum, is Linc's daughter, Rachel. She has perfect clothes, hair, and is popular in school. But she has a horrible personality and is determined to make Sam's life miserable every chance she can get. Whether that's by dissing a horse, questioning Sam's clothes, embarrassing her, or flirting with Jake, Rachel will do anything to make Sam want to sock her. Terri Farley depicts all of her characters well and realistically.

The author also doesn't talk down to her readers. For some unfamiliar phrases, she'll take a moment to explain, but she'll expect you to know horse colors, breeds, tack, habits, ect. Terri also goes in vivid detail when describing a horse, a herd of mustangs, or a new character, which keeps me reading. This is a fantastic series. It's adventerous, exciting, realistic, heart-wrenching (but not dark), the horses are treated with respect, but not spoiled rotten, the dialogue is interesting, the characters are fun to read about, and the series is one of the most realistic series I have ever come upon. And most original!

Keep up the FANTASTIC work, Terri! And every horse lover should read this series!

I had actually read several of the other books in the series before I was able to find this one, and when I read it I knew a lot of what had happened but I loved it anyway! It starts out with Sam coming home from San Fanscico where she been staying with her aunt after a bad accident. She sees this beautiful silver stallion with some of the mustangs around her ranch, and she realizes it is the beautiful black colt she had raised, "Blackie" All grown up.
This story has a lot of adventure and I love it. It's defintely one of my favorites!

Spectacular Pop-ups, beautifully done, very intricate. Most pages have two separate pop-ups. I will enjoy reading this to my grandchild and we will marvel together at the scenes that magically unfold before our eyes. Not suitable for handling by toddlers without adult supervision because, as with all pop ups, the pages can be torn easily by exuberant little hands!

Once again, Robert Sabuda has created a wonderful visual masterpiece based on Clement Clarke Moore's classic tale of The Night Before Christmas. It delights the child in all that open the cover, each page brings new surprises. I'm a 6th grade resource and reading intervention teacher and all my students enjoyed the book, wanting to explore the pages again and again. At home, toddlers to great-grandmothers have enjoyed it. I highly recommend that you add this work of art to your holiday collection.

I purchased this book to read and show to my grandchildren. They love pop up pictures. It brings the story to life. A book you want to pass on down the family.

Very creative and well done. The pages are well thought-out and executed. Complicated and clever. Enjoyable.

This book started my love for pop up books. I now own nearly every Robert Sabuda and/or Matthew Reinhart book. This book is a wonderful representation of a beloved story. It has become a Christmas tradition to read with my children, as dear to them as decorating the Christmas tree, wrapping presents and baking cookies.

According to my 9-year old, this book is the bomb for kids between the ages of about 9 and 13 (maybe older). The author tells a vivid story and sucks children right into the book! It's great, and my 9-year old would buy it again in a heartbeat. Have a great time reading!

The fiction book I have read is Animorphs The Message. In this book a girl named Cassie and her friends try to save whatever is calling Cassie in her dreams from the bottom of the ocean. At first the others dont believe her but one of their friends Tobias also says he's having the same dreams.The kids morph into dolpins and go into the ocean and try to save what they think is a andilite. They incounter a life threatning battle with sharks and Marcoe gets injured so badly he almost dies. They try to finish what they started before it's to late and Visser Three finds them. I reccomend this book to a 5th or 6th grader. Also for whoever likes suspenseful action filled books. If you do like this book I inspirer you to read the whole series.

I am a sixth grader.The author of the book is K.A.Applegate. The characters names are Cassie,Tobias,Jake,Rachel,Marco,Tom,and Chapman.I liked this book because it has kids who can turn into any kind of animal.It is about friendship.It is also about a mission that they have to go on.My favorite part of the book is when Cassie turns into a dolphin to get to the ocean.What I dislike about the book is that they can not tell us there last name because if they do they will be killed or be made slaves.

I thought this book was really good, the Animorphs took a good underwater adventure. I thought the whole book was fast paced, my favorite part was when they were in dolphin morphs and faught that shark.

This is one of the best books in the Animorphs. It is also a crucial part of the series. I have read this book at least ten times. Cassie is my favorite Animorph, and this is the first book told from her point of view. It's generally about the Animorphs adventuring under the sea to find out whether someone is down there calling to them, but there were lots of smaller bits that I really liked.

"Ship Ablaze" helps fill in gaps of history that for one reason or other our parents, grand-parents, uncles and aunts. I grew up in that neighborhood and attended the LCMS (Trinity) Lutheran Church on 9th St. and Ave. B., yet I had to wait until late in life to learn of this disaster and the long term impact it had on the area. While the congregation I belonged to was not in worship fellowship with St. Mark's, I am certain that one would find a history of humanitarian fellowship at the time. But, these would be in the old records of that congregation written in German script. We need not only researchers, but multilingual researchers, in this incident as although there were those born in America, they lived a German life. My generation was the first not to speak German from birth. When I went to Germany to live for a while, I find myself very much at home despite the fact that this was post WWII Germany. If there are researchers interested out there who are fluent in German, a place they might want to look at is the resources of the NY Public Library and Concordia Historical Institute, St. Louis (records of the original Trinity on microfilm).

An excellent book about the General Slocum disaster, a 1904 steamboat fire that killed more than 1,000 people, mostly women and children on a church outing. Absolutely mesmerizing from start to finish.

I think this is the year as a reader, as a watcher of television and news, that I've finally reached my endpoint as concerns human disasters. I've always been interested to an extent of this type of story...if we weren't newspapers would not fare well. But I started picking up more of these books after the making of the movie, Titanic, and it's about 7 years later, and I am pretty sure I've had it. Nothing about the writer's abilities, just between the constant onslaught of real life disasters with the hurricane season now ending, the tsunami of last year, constant reportage on this ridiculous war in Iraq, and normal everyday life, I cannot take on any more sorrow and of course, the stupidity and greed that goes with these stories. I didn't even finish this one. If you like this genre, and this type of reading doesn't depress you deeply, as it did me, then this book is for you.

This is not the 'ostrich' burying it's head. It's rather I decided to stop rubbernecking in this manner. I don't do it when there are fires or car accidents, so I don't know why this should be anything different. If I am interested in it from an engineering or scientific view of things, as occurred with the 1927 dynamiting of the New Orleans levees, then I'll go for the history. I know this stuff happened, and where it is absolutely necessary to know more for family research or whatever, fine, I can look it up online. This is not the type of reading that I consider as being of benefit for me, nor is it entertaining to read about the needless deaths of so many. There are other things I'd rather do and read than books of this genre, though it is obvious that as with true crime, this is a popular genre which will not be going away soon.

Karen Sadler

This disaster has been hidden from historical references better than anything I've ever come across. Over 1,000 people die horribly, mostly women and children, and the following has occurred:

The 2004 Microsoft Encarta DVD Encyclopedia makes absolutely no reference to this event.

The book "New York Times Page One" does not show this as one of it's important front page dates.

The book "Chronicles of the 20th Century" (1300+ pages) only makes mention of the ship's owners being found negligent, not the event itself.

The largest loss of life from a single disaster from 1904 until 2001 and they can't mention it! Thankfully, this book does it justice and brings the hidden truth to light.

Edward T. O'Donnell tells a horrific tale in Ship Ablaze. In a matter of minutes a steamboat full of a German-American church group went from enjoying a ride down the East River on a beautiful day towards picnic grounds to fighting for their lives as an inferno consumed the lives of over a thousand people, mainly children and women, through fire or drowning. The very life preservers themselves became instruments for the deaths of many as it dragged them straight to the bottom of the river. The author does a magnificent job of setting the scene for the tragedy but his best work comes in the description of the disaster itself. It is heartbreaking and breathtaking and impossible to pull away from. This book is a wonderful memorial to a time and event that should not ever be forgotten.