Young Adult Books

Excellent pictures, interesting information. This is a must have for Disney fans of the Haunted Mansion! It even covers Disney's other haunted mansions around the world, and the Haunted Mansion movie. Everything you ever wanted to know!

THis book was great! A ton of information on the ride! I couldnt put it down! It was great.

This book is a must read for ALL ages and ANYONE interested in Disney theme park attractions around the globe. Any Disney fan knows that the Imagineers are very particular about what is revealed to the general public in terms of how they make their Disney 'magic' and I was pleasantly surprised (being an avid Disney fan myself) by the research that went into the making of this book and the amount of knowledge shared with the reader - it DOES in fact reveal some secrets of the mansion and never before seen history of the making of the attraction. (It confirms and dispels some rumors about the attraction once and for all too!) A pattern of discussion is followed throughout the book as you are verbally walked through the mansion's corridors and rooms. Surrell consistently covers the Haunted Mansion in a logical order (Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris) in every chapter. He takes the subject matter full circle by including information about how the attraction was translated to the big screen, and gives the reader insight to how decisions were made pertaining to set design, costume design, and casting for the movie of the same name. If you want an intelligent, thorough and enjoyable read about a classic Disney attraction, and especially an insight to the magic that is Imagineering, this is a MUST READ!

Lots o' great info on both the Ride @ the Disney Theme Parks + the Movie [which I loath - sorry but the Haunted Mansion wasn't meant to be made into a 2 hour episode of the Fresh Prince of Bellaire, mmmkay ?] + the Haunted Mansion Holiday ....

Future editions should drop all reference to the Movie, then spend more time on the Haunted Mansion Holiday [Nightmare Before Christmas Holiday makeover] + recent "changes" that occured in 2006 [I'd make it a 5 star if they did that] ....

If you don't want to read the book, please buy it for the artwork
[best priced Disney Merchandise vs. what you will pay @ the Theme Parks] ....

~(^)~

You buy this book thinking it's a great "behind-the-scenes" resource, but it's not. Yes, there is some background information, but the book skips confusingly from park to park, and offers very little technical information on the special effects. The photos are all standard Disney promotional stuff...this book tells you what Disney wants you to know, and nothing else.

Go to doombuggies.com for a much better treatment of this classic ride.

This is by far the most amazing book i have ever read. The way that she will risk anything for her loved one really touched my heart. I am still waiting for the other books to arrive. I hope that it will be just as good as this book. This book shows courage and shows that someone doesn't have to be another person to be accepted. There will always be someone that will accept you as who you are.

I fell in love with this book as soon as I read the excerpt on the back of it. I became so involved in the book that i read it just a few hours! Dokey's use of detail effectively brought the story to life.I fell in love with charactors and thier world as if i were tking part in the action. It had me cheering for Kit and Bold Will till the end. When i had finnished the book, I immediately had to get my hads on the sequel, "Charlotte:Heart of Hope". Once again Dokey delivers a heartwarming novel of adventure and love. This irresitable spirit is again successfully reflected in "Stephanie:Heart of Gold" and "Carrie:Heart of Courage", the final two books of the series. After finishing the entire series for the third time, I began to wonder. What would the next generations of Kelly women be like? What adventure will they embark on next? And ultimately, what keepsake would they tuck away into the fine hope chest, telling of thier legacy.

I thought this was a wonderful book, all four books to the Hearts and Dreams series are great!...

This is definately one of my most favorite books. I first read it when I was 12-years-old when my sister and I took turns reading aloud one quiet summer day. Kathrine is a spunky, intelligent and funny herorine who captures your heart from the very beginning. A young girl who longs for adventure and who has incredible courage. I fell in love with 'Bold Will' and the rest of the endearing charactures from the start. It's one of those books that sucks you in from the first page to the last and leaves you feeling happy, satified, a sad to see it end!

I have read this so many times and I am sure that I will continue to read it many more times. This book inspired me to try to write my own stories and helped kindle my dream to be an author someday. So thanks, Cameron Dokey, for giving us such a great book!

I love this book! Katherine and Charoltte are two of my all-time favorite books. I read both of these classics when I was much younger but I still love them! I recommend both these amazing stories to anyone. They are romantic, interesting, thrilling, and historical. These two books will forever be among my favorite books.

If you have not had the pleasure of viewing an episode of Inu-Yasha on Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network take the time to check it out, you will be hooked! One of the best anime series coming out of Japan I think. The storylines are entertaining and the content is not to questionable. There is some sexual content with some of the storylines, but it is completely within reason and not presented in any vulgar or offensive manner. The series is geared toward the adolescent viewer with funny cracks directed at the awkward stages of puberty. Your younger teens will laugh out loud and come to love every character.

As Inuyasha and company are sailing down a river they encounter a girl named Nazuna as she is escaping from a spider-head demon. It seems the whole area is infested with the spiders who take the heads of humans, except for a temple which is inhabited by Nazuna and a wizened priest. But when the spiders break into the temple, Inuyasha is at a loss because it just happens to be the time in all half-demons lives when they lose their demonic power and become fully human for a short time! Our heroes will have to use their brains instead of brawn this time. After that they will have to deal with a witch that steals Kikyo's bones in an effort to resurrect the priestess that imprisoned Inuyasha for 50 years!

What can I say about any work by Rumiko Takahasi? They are probably the best manga out there! She is a genius! The great thing about this volume is that we learn a bit more about the past conflict between Inuyasha and Kikyo and that their relationship was a bit more "involved" than we were led to believe. It wasn't just a simple battle for the possession of the Shikon Jewel. The twist of making Inuyasha become a human for a night was also a clever twist in the plot. Rumiko seems full of surprises in what is essentially an action manga. Excellent work!

There are 21 volumes of "Inu-Yasha" out as I write this, but volume 5 is still my favorite.

Inu-Yasha, Kagome, and Shippou meet a young girl whose village is being attacked by spider head demons. Strangely, Inu-Yasha is reluctant to help. We get to see Inu-Yasha's human form for the first time, and if you like the romance between Inu-Yasha and Kagome, you'll love this volume. I like the series before I read this, but this one made me fall in love with it.

If you haven't read up to this point, you'll probably want to get the other volumes first. Inu-Yasha is a must for any manga collection.

I was little surprised (given the author) that this was such a well-written manga but I was surprised that there was still humor.

Some of the action is not as well drawn as the conversation episodes of the work but still very enjoyable.

For the parents, there is one brief scene of some topless nudity but nothing overt.

I am looking forward to continuing this series.

Inuyasha a human! With black hair no ears or claws and fangs! (Gasps and faints) Buy this great book to find out more.

After the Magnifecent Seven's wonderful performance at the '96 Olympic Games, I decided to read this book to find out more about these talented young women. I thought it was terrific! There are biographies of each of the seven members along with really cool pictures. This book was awesome. These seven are really magnificint and it shows!

The book was pretty good for writing a book. Gave good information but it was a hard book to just sit down and read but I would for sure buy the book!

A must read with lots of good pictures. Gives good info. on all the athletes, with quotes.

This book is what really got me interested in gymnastics.

I had gotten introduced to gymnastics through a book about Mary Lou Retton I had picked up at a thrift store, but I didn't become too interested until I saw a picture of Kim Zmeskal in an Encyclopedia Annual. I looked her up on the Internet, and the rest they say is history.

Through the Internet I discovered the Magnificent Seven, and I found this book at our library. I couldn't have been more satisfied!

The Magnificent Seven was a team of US girls that consisted of Amanda Borden, Amy Chow, Jaycie Phelps, Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Dominique Moceanu and Kerri Strug. These talented gymnasts won the very first Olympic Gold team medal in US. Gymnastic history.

This book has very informative biographies about each girl, complete with full color photos. It is very well written, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the Magnificent Seven, or just want to see some great pictures about them.

If you like gymnastics you'll love this book! It tells about the lives of the seven gymnasts on the 1996 gold medal winning U.S. Olympic gymnastics team, Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Kerri Strug, Dominque Dawes, Jaycie Phelps, Amanda Borden, and Amy Chow. There are pictures of each girl from their very young life to the 1996 Olympics.

As a teen, I absolutely loved this book! I finished it and for weeks on end i couldn't stop thinking about it. I know that this book ( no joke) made me think in different ways about the world and about love...it utterly took my breath away! There is definitly something about the way the author writes that keeps you wanting more and also keeps you questioning...Though it is a great book for teens , with a lovely message, I don't recommend to adults for it might seem a bit like the Romeo and Juliet more destined for teens (yet when i read it, i made absolutely no connection between romeo and juliet). I adored the book and so far, everyone who reads it can't put it down and it becomes they're favorite book too, hands down, no question about it!

This book was intended for children and it's well written for that age group. I didn't really appreciate the soap opera-style plot, which includes a lot of unnecessary drama. It really put things in perspective for me personally though, because it changes the societal postitions of blacks and whites in a very interesting manner. A better book about oppression would be "Tesitmony of an Irish Slave Girl" because it discussed the position change without, again, the unnecessary drama.

This book is the most powerful book i have read in ages! it has a heartbreaking plot and left me crying! Its about the relationship between two people of different race and how they keep their freindship during the times of racism, discrimination. The events in this book are interesting especially the ending. Unforgetable! cant wait to read the next book in the trilogy.I recomend this book to people ages over 12.

break your heart, startling, gripping. it left me crying. a powerful story that makes you question the death penalty, and really make your heart ache. don't read to children under 11. Unforgettable. Malorie Blackman did it again. I read the sequel, too - just as heartbreaking and stunning as the first one. This book is a wake-up call.

Wow, fantastic and thrilling are all I have to say about this. This story is set in a world where Crosses rule over noughts. Things are slowly starting change because noughts start getting into Crosse's school. This is to the disliking of a very powerful man, father of a Cross that is a best friends with a nought.

This is about a Cross and a nought who are trying to save their friendship when their two different worlds split. It takes it from when they are little kids to when they are 18+. A friend recommened it to me and I am so glad that she did. I read it one night for 6 hours straight finishing at 12:00AM.

This story has everything that someone could wish for. After you finish it, it leaves you thinking (in a good way). I would not recommend it to people uderneath the age of 12, but any that age and over will enjoy this book until the last page.

I am the author of this book. It is now officially out of print with Simon and Schuster, so the ones on used books on Amazon are the only place you may buy it. You will really like using this book for daily devotional. I am working on a revised edition.
David Edwards

This book is really cool. My college group is using it for small group study. It is easy to read, but great fun as well. I have learned so much. It is COOL.

I have read the book once, and I am now working through it again. It is great and I would encourage anyone to buy it. I have already learned so much.

I love this book. A great book. Good for all ages.

I bought this book on a chance that I would like it. I was right. It is easy to use,great to make you think and lots of ideas to share with others. You cannot go wrong with this one.

I read this book over 10 yrs ago and it is one of the few I have actually read more than once.

This earlier book of Danielle Steele's is one of my favorites. The main character is an interesting and strong woman. The story is filled with suspense, danger and of course, romance.

I love this book!!!!!!!!! This is my all time favorite book.
Buy this book you will not regret it.

first i saw the movie on tv.and i just loved it.i dont have enought words to describe what i felt.seeing the movie was like i was there;the story is just great.and thats why i decided to read the book to see the differences,because we all know that a movie can be quite different from the book and what i can say is that it only keept beeing better and better.this book is one of a kind.unique.i would say.it becamed one of my favourites and i recomande it to every one. you shall not regreat buying and reading it. i assure you.

While Steel's books may not hold high literary status, her books are popular, and reading The Ring is one of her best efforts.

Steel, through her well honed writing skills, takes the female character through several love relationships starting with a character that she learned to love against all odds. Her love of a German Nazi solider, and her love of another, finally leads to finding the greatest love of her life. Read the book and you'll find out how love does endure through all situations and finally wins out. One of her best books.

this kind of book is right up my alley, time period is the most enchanting.

I will keep this short and simple Mrs. Wolf is one of the best writers around. I loved this book it was worth every penny and I plan to keep it and read again one day.

This was a great read -- I could not put it down. It was wonderful to start with the young Arthur and the experiences that made him the man - king -- that he was. The love story between Arthur and Morgan is truly heartbreaking and will bring tears to your eyes. The scene where Arthur comes face to face with the son he didn't know he had is gut wrenching.

I highly recommend this book, as well as the other two that follow in this trilogy, Born of the Sun and The Edge of Light. I wish the author would return to this style and quality of writing as opposed to the light fluffy regencies she is currently writing.

The Road to Avalon is the story of King Arthur written as pure historical fiction with very elements of fantasy. This makes it quite a different story from the one that is normally told. There is no magic, no dragons, no quest for the Holy Grail and such things as are normally incorporated into the story.

Uther Pendragon and Igrane married and three months later had a son. Because Igrane was married to another man when the son was conceived (though it was Uther's child) they thought it best that the child not be Uther's heir. So he was sent away to be raised with peasants. Fast forward nine years and Igrane has had no other living children, so Uther sends his father in law, Merlin, to fetch young Arthur and raise him to be a king. Only when Merlin finds him he discovers the boy has endured years of abuse. He takes him home to his villa, Avalon, and raises him along side his eight year old daughter Morgan. But he never tells Arthur who he is.

Morgan and Arthur grow up together and are in love. But Arthur is reveled to be the next High King when he is 16 and he learns Morgan is his half-aunt and he can never marry her. They end their relationship. Arthur doesn't want to live without Morgan but she knows the country needs him and sends him away.

You can guess the rest. This is a lovely version of the classic Camelot tale and is very romantic and sweet. My only complaint is that Morgan doesn't have much of a personality-she's basically a reflection of Arthur, who is a lovely portrayal of a tortured soul who only exists because of love. And the choice she made about not marrying Arthur because they couldn't have children after her son Mordred was born seems stupid. I don't think that she did it purely so Mordred could have a happy childhood-she could have made him happy with her and Arthur. But other than that she's a great charecter. And it is nice how no one is really evil in this book or wholly unlikable-everyone is portrayed very fairly.

Anyway, good book. Four point five stars.

An incredible version of King Arthur sans Lancelot. This is the story of Arthur, and his more than humble beginnings, until Merlin tells him years after he "adopted" him that he is the heir to the British throne after Uther. He is Uther and Igraine's legitimate son. While Merlin is preparing him to be a leader whilst living in Avalon with his daughter Morgan, the two children develop a lasting friendship that turns into love. He doesn't know for years that Uther is his father, Igraine his mother, Merlin his grandfather and Morgan his aunt until he is to be king. By then it is too late to stop the love between Morgan and Arthur.

He becomes king but he still wants to marry Morgan. Merlin & Morgan warn him that the threat of incest will impede his reign and tell him it's impossible to marry her. He does eventually marry Gwenhwyfar in a loveless marriage to produce an heir while continuing his relationship with Morgan. Meanwhile, Gwenhwyfar finds comfort with Bedwyr with Arthur's knowledge and unspoken permission. Morgan has been keeping a secret from Arthur for 15 years that also comes out.

Read this book! It's a refreshing storyline that I haven't encountered before. Bedwyr is Gwenhwyfar's lover and there is no Lancelot to fuddle things up as usual. Mordred is portrayed as a very unwordly teen and unsure of himself and others. Agravaine is as obnoxious and cunning as he usually is in other novels. Gwenhwyfar is in love with two men. Finally, the relationship between Arthur and Morgan is not a simple one but a lasting one.

In high school, perhaps more than anywhere else, a bad reputation can stick with you forever. This tender, touching and very realistic novel about teen sex and its aftermath will -- like it's main character's bad reputation -- stick for you for a long time after you read it!

Parents are always handing their kids books they think would be good for them. Here's one that the kids ought to hand their parents. It looks like it's about sex, but it's really about forgiveness. As Deanna says, "we all have stuff we wish we could change." This is a very different kind of family story. Here, very real people deal with the very real consequences of their actions. The voice of Deanna Lambert is so clear and true you can't help but love her. You want to scream "No Deanna! Don't!" when she seems headed toward yet another Big Mistake. You feel her drowning. You struggle for air as she fights her way to the surface. You take a huge breath in relief as she kicks herself free of the whirlpool and heads out toward the rest of her life with stronger surer strokes. Read it!
Janet Gingold
author of Finch Goes Wild

In a lot of teen books, the writers work hard to use casual teen language and create realistic teen characters. Their teenagers swear, scream, and listen to the right bands.

Thank goodness Sara Zarr DID NOT do this. Instead, she has absolutely real characters. Zarr doesn't try to insert "teenism" by randomly sticking in swear words or scenes. She doesn't try to mimic teenage behavior. She doesn't have to. Every character (yes, EVERY one, including the adults) is absolutely believable and true. Characterization and dialogue here is really great, making this read enjoyable and realistic as well. When teens swear, it's in the right places. Their phrases are dead-on ("when the [...] hits the fan"). They're complex characters, deep, and absolutely breathe.

The plot works as well. It really is, in that sense though, just a story of a girl, Deanna. We follow her life, feel her emotions, and get teary-eyed as she does. The plot moves at a believable pace (a summer vacation, after all), with developments going along at reasonable speeds. The story will at times make a reader cry (mostly the second half) and will certainly give a sort of vague food-for-thought.

The thing is, it's just a really good book. "Story of a Girl" is written really well. It's got that interesting, believable plot, those absolutely realistic characters, and dialogue and actions that match up to characters. It's well-spaced, balanced, and whole. It gives a nice ending that offers hope, brings us into an important world, and does it all extremely well.

Highly recommended.

Deanna is caught having sex with Tommy when she is thirteen. It's her dad that catches her, and after that things change. Tommy tells the whole school, and so she's always known just for being slutty, even though Tommy was the first and only guy she'd ever done anything with. Her dad has never been able to look at her the same after what happened, and so her entire life is changed.



Now, a couple years later, Deanna wants things to change. She makes plans in her mind that include moving out with her older brother and his family, and she tries to remain secretive about her feelings for her best friend. In the meantime, Tommy and Deanna are working at the same pizza place.



This book was so powerful and amazing, I can definitely understand how it became so popular. It's amazing how deep it was, and how I could see into Deanna's emotions and understand exactly how she was feeling. I felt like the writing was amazing and all of the characters were realistic, including the minor characters. The story was beautifully written and while it was short, it still touched me in a new way. There really is no book like Story of a Girl.

Here's a book perfect for anyone who's done something they regret (and this is everyone).

A little question before I get started: What image of Deanna did you draw when you first read the book description? I pictured her as a gentle girl, mousy even, struggling to keep her act together. I mean, being with Tommy all those years ago was a humbling mistake, right?

No, not really. It was a hardening mistake. Deanna's degree of isolation, her confusion, the envy she feels for other people who don't have to deal with the past she's got--it all adds up to the rock-hard cold front she puts up. It's the only way she has of surviving the alienation and ostracism she still faces, three years after the fact. But no one is to be fooled--she's got a heartbreaking inside.

When the book opens, it's the summer before junior year and Deanna's looking for a job. She drops off applications at a few locations before coming to the conclusion that her chances of being hired at any of those places is near zero, on account of her reputation. So, she takes a rather undesirable job at a dingy pizza joint. This becomes monumental to the story because not only does the owner become one of the few people who accepts Deanna, but also because Tommy also works there. It's hell for Deanna at first--how could it not be?--but she bravely powers through it. The summer becomes one of change, where Deanna finally faces and tests everything in her life: her friendships, her relationship with her father, and her entire predicament. She learns valuable lessons, the most important of which is that she cannot let people keep defining her by one mistake.

This book is beautiful, with strong characters, tight writing, fast pacing, and a nice message. I'd recommend it to anyone--it's about time people saw the other side, the inside, of someone tormented by one-sided rumors. Dazzling debut. I'll be sure to read Sweethearts by Sara Zarr as well.

Grade: 8/10

Gaia doesn't know what to think as soon as she agrees with one of the Moore twins that the other is Loki, the other retracts it and gives her evidence of the contrary. So when Oliver once again puts evidence against her father Gaia just accepts it. So when Oliver offers her a fear treatment to reverse the 'fear serum' her father gave her as a child Gaia is all for it. Only she isn't just feeling fear she is terrified and going crazy. Ed doesn't know what to think of her. Her father rescues her from Loki and leaves her with Natasha and Titiana whom Gaia doesn't trust at all so she leaves and wonders around New York City like a mad woman having visions of all the people she's seen die being killed again. The one vision that gives her the most trouble is Josh. She saw him die and now in her visions there are three of him and it is inconsistent with her other visions. Now they are terrifying her and she doesn't know the difference between what's real and what's not.

ok, i always knew that ed and gaia were meant for each other...and now i am just overwelmed with the connection between them. ed was always there for her. so, if you love ed and gaia together as much as i do...you will absolutely LOVE this book. #19 is definately the best i have read of this series so far and it will leave you completely satisfied. although, there is a little bit of a cliffhanger. hehehe.

I have just finished the number 19 book and have immediatley started to read 20 but i can't understand how Gaia can change her feelings like that so quickly. I mean Gaia was suppose to be in love with Sam... rite. I just think that it is a bit to quick a change, Sam and Gaia were meant to be together and although he was killed it still think Ed cant change those feelings very easily. Email me ClaireLouise504@msn.com if u wana talk about this. I an a bit confused on this subject.

Even though her father and uncle are twins, Gaia has always had the ability to tell the two of them apart. Not anymore. For her father and uncle are no longer different people. They've finally morphed into one evil person. Both of them have the same plan: to destroy Gaia, and use her as nothing but a lab experiment. Fine, well they can have each other, because Gaia isn't taking this lying down. But when Loki injects a powerful medicine into Gaia's system, that's the exact way she must take it, because now she's plagued with psychotic episodes. Ones that are making her see dead people, and bringing back her friends who have passed away, making her suffer through their torturous deaths over and over again. Gaia can't seem to figure out what's wrong with her. All she knows, is that she must put her finger on it quickly, otherwise she'll be in a padded room wearing a straight-jacket, and she'll never get to reveal her true feelings for Ed, or figure out what the two new strangers in her life: Natasha and Tatiana - people claiming that they are related to her mother, but Gaia doesn't trust them.

Francine Pascal has come up with many twists and turns throughout the FEARLESS series, but none have keept my attention as much as the sickness in TWINS. Pascal has woven psychotic episodes into this tale, making Gaia even stranger than before, and even makes her have a few moments where she actually has "fear." However, it is the developing relationship between Ed and Gaia that is sure to please longtime readers. Yes, TWINS features a lot of one-on-one interaction between the two "friends," and adds quite a cliff-hanger at the end to see where their relationship will go. Without a doubt, TWINS is one of the most enjoyable FEARLESS book in the series thus far, complete with clones, psychotic episodes, and a dash of romance, that will keep readers reading long into the night.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

gaia has grown up not knowing fear. so when her uncle loki gives
her the opportunity to learn fear through an injection that his
scientists have been working on, she jumps at the opportunity. my
will gaia never learn not to trust everything at face value? uncle loki has his own sinister plans and they are as usual no good for gaia. this book is not one of the better ones of the series. i think pascal has run out of ideals and keeps going around in circles. this series needs some new life to it desperately.