Young Adult Books

This book talks about friends putting on a magic show for Hank's cousins. Frankie, one of Hank's friends, is the magician. He remembers that he wants to see a monster movie so Hank says he's going to record it.But he presses the wrong button. Frankie gets mad when they get home. Hank is so sorry he takes the cable box apart. They buy a new one the guy for the cable company has a copy of the movie that Hank didn't record. Then Hank invites Frankie over to see the movie.I like this book because it has a good ending and it like he's talking to you.

This is a good book because it has a lot of action. The book has a lot of action because Hank thought his sister iguana laid eggs in a cable box. Read on to see what happens.

The Day of the Iguana tells the story of a fourth grader named Hank Zipzer and his sister's iguana. Science projects are coming due for Hank, so he has to find a project and fast. He gets the idea to take apart his cable box and see what's inside. Wha† he didn't count on is his sister Emily's iguaua laying 23 eggs.
This book gives you a look at a boy called Hank Zipzer and how he gets through a few months of fourth grade with his best friend Frankie and his sister Emily and her iguana Catharine. The story starts in the beautiful modern city of New York. Hank has to put on a magic show for his twin cousins and promises Frankie to tape a monster movie when there doing the show but he accidentally presses the wrong button and tapes something else. Hank feels so guilty that he decides to take apart a cable box and see if he can prevent that from happening in the future. My favorite part in the book is when the baby iguanas are born. They are so cute. I recommend this book to children and family because it is about honor and trust. It is a great book and teaches kids that iguana birth can make a big change to your life. It also teaches you how to be a great friend.
W.S.

A story about three friends Hank, Frankie, and Ashley. Hank and his friends are a magic act they call themselves The Magik 3. Hank's twin cousins are turning four years old. The twin's parents hire a clown but the clown gets sick. Hank's aunt needs to find an act for the birthday party. She askes Hank if he and his friends would perform. Hank and his friends agree to perform. Then Frankie remembers that there is a monster movie marthon that he can't miss. Read the book to see what happens.

The way I see it, any book that can keep a 10 year old boy away from his video games, gets 5 stars and then some. "Day of the Iguana" and the other eight books will do for boys what "The Babysitters Club" did for girls. I've been waiting a long time for something boys can relate to other than "Yu Gi Oh" comic books and "Captain Underpants." Henry Winkler has done that with Hank Zipzer and his friends, he's made reading fun for boys. You can count on Hank getting himself in a situation that would be best handled being straightforward and you can count on him going out of his way being anything but. The best part is watching you kid choose Hank over the TV. Parents all over will understand just what an accomplishment that is.

This book is a wonderful novel of ups and downs of exciment and feelings. Ashlyn is a high schooler and is faced with a murder of her close counserler. Her boyfriend, Drew is accused as the murderer. Ashlyn promises to find her boyfriend a way so that he does not go to prision, but the more Ashlyn exetagated the crime the more she learns about erself and the others around her... Is she really alive, is her mother her mother, or did DRew really kill The counseler? REad this book to find out!!!!

Ashlyn Brennan becomes great friends with the guidance counselor at her school, Mrs. Rothins. Each day Ashlyn helps out Mrs. Rothins as a student aide. When Ashlyn comes to school one day and finds out that Mrs. Rothins has been murdered she is devastated. Ashlyn soon discovers that her boyfriend, Drew, is a key suspect, for he was seen leaving Mrs. Rothins' office right before she was found dead.

This thrilling page-turner kept my attention and caused me to think. Being a huge fan of mystery, I could not put this book down. Using great description, Betsey Hayes fills this book with action and suspense. While I was reading this book I felt that I could really connect with the characters. This is one book I would definitely recommend.

This book is so good. When i was in middle school i didnt really like to do summary reports on books inless we got to decided which book to read. For once in my middle school life we did. When i went to the library i just started looking and found this book. I took it home and read it in 90 minutes. It is such a great book, it makes you think twice about who really loves you and who you should trust.

My name is Lauren Stewart, for my English class project I chose to read Deadly Deception, by Betsy Haynes. Although I have never read a novel by this author before, I look forward to reading more of her work. The blurb interested me because enjoy to read murder mysteries and Deadly Deception is a great murder mystery. From the beginning Betsy Haynes had me thinking and my many questions were not answered until the very end of the book. I like that becausr if the climax is in the beginning, what is there to look forward to? There are many true-life problems in this novel which makes it 10 times better, ex: drug addictions. The way Betsy Haynes wrote this novel I was on the edge of my seat until the end of this novel.
The novel takes place in a middle class town, nothing exciting. Ashlyn Brennan lives a normal life until obscure events begin to happen. The major event that began to throw her life off track was the killing of a close friend of her's, Mrs.Rothlis,the school guidance counseler. Along the way of Ashlyn's investigation of the murder she discovers information about herself, herboyfriend and her mother that blew her mind. Ashyln's best friends think she needs to slow it down on the investigation because more and more Ashlyn is pushing herself to the limits. Without revealing anymore information about this novel I will leave the rest up to you, read this novel and you will agree with me that it is an "edge of the seat" novel.
Thank you for taking time to read my book review on, Deadly Deception, by Betsy Haynes.

Deadly Deceptions by Betsy Haynes was an excellent book. It was hard to put down. The main character is Ashlyn Brennan, a seventeen year old senior,who is really close to her school counselor. Everything was going well in Ashlyn's life when suddenlly her school counselor was found dead in her office and the last person schedule to see her was Ashlyn's boyfriend Drew.
All the fingers are pointing at Drew. He is the prime suspect in the crime. Ashlyn doesn't believe that Drew would do something like that. So she starts a investigation of her own. She finds a deadly family secret.
I thought that Deadly Deceptions was a very good book. It has romance, drama, and mystery. It is very well writtnen and it captures the attention of young readers.

I am not a paleontologist (obviously). I am not, truth be told, even a dinosaur fanatic. What I am is a reader who is always looking to extend my knowledge base on interesting subjects, and this dinosaur encyclopedia fulfills that quest in spades!

Everything you could ever want to know about dinosaurs -- all types, all genuses, all sizes and shapes and colors -- is detailed, extensively, within the pages of DINOSAURS. There are wonderful illustrations by Luis V. Rey, timelines, graphs, rock cycles, detailed drawings of skeletons -- you name it, and this book has it. With an appendix that includes a 48-page Dinosaur Genus List and a Glossary of hundreds of terms, this is pretty much the only encyclopedia on dinosaurs that you're ever going to need.

I'm sure that some scientifically-minded people will yearn to find something that is missing, and they may even find it. But for the general dinosaur lover, this is definitely the book to add to your collection. Although the reading level is too advanced for younger children, those over the age of eight will find plenty to keep them interested and entertained.

DINOSAURS is highly recommended for classroom and home libraries, or as the perfect present for that dinosaur crazy kid on your gift list.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

I LOVE dinosaurs and this book was first on my christmas wish list and I was soooo excited when I got it. It's huuuuuugge!!! I loved it it's got a detailed section on sauropods, tyrannosaurids, hadrosaurs, and oh I can't list em' all!!! Also it admits that it speculates and that's what really drives me insane when scientists speculate and present it as fact. Sometimes it even gives 4 or 5 illustrations of what it could have looked like. It also has history on paleantology. I love this book!!! The only thing that keeps it from being a 5 star deal for me is it's an evolution book.

I got this for my 6-year-old daughter who loves dinosaurs, and not only does she love it, but it's fascinating for me too. It does go into a lot of detail, but does so in such a clear way that it's still very understandable (besides, we like detail). The tone is nicely conversational. This is a book that I think we will read and re-read for years to come.

This book is billed as en Encyclopedia for all ages. I bought it for my dinosaur-bedazzled five-year old grandson, however, and found it was much too detailed for him. I will have to save it for much, much later and hope that he still retains an interest in the giant creatures.

This is a very good overview of the subject of dinosaurs for the lay person. It covers the systematics of the subject with good descriptions of each grouping and the morphological characters that distinguish them. Most of all it conveys to the reader the breadth of the group and how diverse dinosaurs are; they're not just giant predators and plodding plant-eating monsters, but that they occupied nearly all ecological niches of the Mesozoic world. I certainly wasn't aware of how many different species have been described.


Holtz writes for the adolescent and older lay-person in generally informal language that's not too patronizing for the older reader. It certainly is not a challenging read other than the breadth of the subject. In addition he's generally good about pointing out what are facts based on examination of the fossil evidence and what is pure speculation. He discusses how different paleontologists have different interpretations of the evidence and doesn't present his views like they are the only possibility. This is a very good resource for the person who wants to know just how diverse and extensive dinosaur species were and how they lived based on recent scientific research.

This book is one of my favorite in the series (although Nancy and Frank don't get together)I like the way its on the cruise boat. Nancy actually has an exciting part (not something that usually happens) If you haven't read this you have to.

This was the first book I read in the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys super mystery book and it is by far the best. I think that the plot is great and I really like the way they solve it.

I love Double Crossing well I love any Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Supermystery well for that matter I love any Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mysterys period ,Anyway in Double Crossing Nan is all set to get aboard a cruise ship for a little fun in the sun vacation,but as she gets aboard she runs into Frank Hardy undercover as the S.S.Duchess's photographer,and finds out that he and Joe are working undercover,Oh and Joe's working as 1 of the kitchen's busboys,but when Nan overhears a plan to sell CIA secrets to another country, her vacation turns into a high-risk hunt for a deadly secret agent,but when murder comes aboard the slueths find they're in the same boat- facing death on all sides. there is some romantic parts with Nan and Frank but nothing big,I wish there was some more romance between them though ,thats always my favorite parts in the book.

Double Crossing is a great book! I'd recommend this to whoever loves mystery. This book is mainly about Nancy Drew who is on vacation on the S.S Duchess and meets her friend George aboard the ship. She bumps into Frank Hardy (or the so called photographer of the ship) and Joe Hardy (the so called waiter who works in the kitchen of the ship). They are both under cover because Captain Helgesan (I think that's what his name was) found out that there was a thief on the ship and so he hired them to track the thief down. Meanwhile... Nancy overhears a couple of people talking about CIA agents and so forth.

When my mum told that there was a Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series where they actually were in the same book, I was really excited! I was so desperate just to get hold of a tiny snipit of atleast one of these supermysteries! I managed to get hold of a load of the first chapters. AND IN PRACTICALLY EVERYONE i read where Nancy and the boys meet at the beginning is a small paragraph near the top on how Nancy can't be with Frank (even though it is obvious to us fans that they are MADE for each other!!!!!!!)because she has Ned and Frank has Callie. This is pure torture to people who desperately want these to young people to be together!!!!!!!!! Anyway I read this book and it was great as usual!!! Another fantastic book from a fantastic author! I totally recommend it to anyone who has good taste in books!Also if you like the Nancy and Frank side of the book read 'The Last Resort' where they get trapped in a cabin and 'Screts of the Nile' which is the best book ever and nancy and Frank kiss! PLEASE ms Keene can you write atleast one last book where nancy and Frank get together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FOr all the fans also read
NOTES FROM THE MIDNIGHT DRIVER...
both jordan sonnenblichs are in my top two favorites.
(i cant decide which one i like better)
this book is good for anyone
my friends and family that have read it
a jock,
grandma,
mother,
cousins,
father,
brother,
preppy girl,
girly,
punk,
as you can see this book is good for anyone so READ IT its amazing...... and quite sad

This is my favorite book of all time. I loved everything about it.. one thing is the fact that you can relate to the character so well, and it is like you are right there beside him.. but you can't help him in his time of despirate need. i feel so bad for him and his family, but mostly him.. i mean how hard would it be to have your little brother get sick and for a whole day think that it was your fault that you left him there on his stool alone, when you know darn well that you aren't suppost to, and then spacing out all day and having that be the only thing that you csn think of. i would be crushed. Then on top of that having your mom gone for weeks and a time and the first week her and your little brother are gone your father doesn't even talk to you let alone look at you.. and little did you know that your mother is calling him every night but your father isn't telling you the condition on your little brother.. that he really does have luekmia. But he deals with it pretty well with his music and stuff. that would be the way i would have to do it to.. because to Him and I music is everything. Anyway. i hope that everyone who can get their hands on this novel reads it... because this is truely an amazing book.

From the title, I was expecting a story about a hopeless junior high kid in a quest of girlfriend-finding. But the story turns out to be more about the relationship between the boy and his kid brother. And such a sweet story indeed.

The author manages to make the character realistic. I think the boy is a bit sappy at times, but hey, I never went through that whole experience of being a thirteen-year-old--having been born with a missing Y chromosome. Besides, the author is a middle school teacher. Dare I argue on how a thirteen-year-old boy should be feeling?

The little brother is so cute. I still laugh over the line: "Yeah, Steven! That's my brother!" (Or something to that effect.)

Overall, a very recommended reading.

It is unbelievable the response i received from my entire eighth grade reading class. This book was eaten up by all, including my very reluctant readers. As many of them said it was a book they could relate to. I used the book in all my classes and believe me many students were sad when we finished it. We did have one advantage. My students and I were fortunate enough to meet the author. He was an incredible down to earth person who freely shared his inspirations.

I'm a intermediate school librarian in Utah plowing through the Beehive Award Books before school starts, and although I have not read them all yet, this is my favorite so far. It has a wonderful message with great laugh-out-loud humor and real emotions. The situations are believable and although I was fearing a sappy ending, happily I was wrong! The book is great from cover to cover.

I loved this book!!! The introduction to me was GREAT! It kinda gave you a little hint of what you were about to get into!!! It's just wonderful! This book was really a great read and like it was being told by someone who actually has been through that!!

this book was really good,the main character is like my twin. i recommend this book to everyone 13-16

this book was ok but again another book that doesn't have a good ending, well a ending that excites you this was very boring and typically left me with no expression.

At first I doubted I'd enjoy Dymond In The Rough, I'm not really big on reading. But since I opened Dymond In The Rough, I believe that reading has definitely grown on me. I absolutely loved Dymond and her play cousins, Kera and Porsha.

I recommend this book to all young and curious teens like myself.

Reviewed by: Lauren
OOSA's teen reviewer

Dymond, at fourteen, has a pretty good head on her shoulders. Having a good, open relationship with her mother has been beneficial. But like most typical teens she's smelling herself. Sometimes what adults say go in one ear and out the other, particularly when cutie Kyle Banks enters the picture. Will Dymond give in to peer pressure?

I really enjoyed it. I liked the idea of it and it worked. I also liked the power words. Dymond in the Rough is simple, yet interesting enough to hold the attention of young adults. Dymond is them. She's dealing with common, everyday issues like boys, peer pressure, and coming into her own. I have scoured the bookstores for books geared towards our youth from infancy on up and it's been no easy task. I'm glad that I now have the Platinum Teen Series to look to. It reminds me of the popular series like Junie B and Ramona Quimby, but for us by us. Kudos to KaShamba Williams. No cussing, no violence, no sex and your child is reading. What more can a parent ask for?!?!

The only drawback to this book is it is in need of better editing. It's great that our teens are reading, but let's set an example and give them a good quality product, including proper punctuation.

I bought the 2200 series first with the answer book with test and I passed them all with flying colors. So I decided to go for the 2600 and passed that as well with flying colors. After that I decided to buy this book and continue, however, I did not do so well with the test as I would've liked. This is still a great book and I only wish that I could write the author a positive review on it; but I think he might be deceased by now. I truly recommend this book, but you must buy the tests with answer key. Don't cheat!!!

You can start anywhere, literally anywhere. Just open the book at any page and go; truly, it is that easy. I came across this book when taking an English Upgrade course in writing at the University of Toronto back in the 1970's - subjunctives, subordinate clauses, adverb clauses, appositives, punctuation, and on, and on, and on ... . My marks went from C's to A's.
The book eventually fell apart in my hands from the constant use and reuse as I referred to it when I needed it. I referred back to it all the time, simply because some of the topics are, to some extent, obscure and not easy to remember without constantly using them. Is your boss picking on you because you can't write? Are feeling out of the game because you can't get a handle on English grammar? - get the book (and use the book) and get your boss of your back and maybe impress your boss's boss as well.
I just ordered a new one, because my wife speaks English as a second language, and she will have no trouble using it what so ever.
It is a gem, a prize, and a wonder.
sincerely

I used an earlier edition of this classic textbook in Junior High 28 years ago, and it is EXCELLENT. What makes it unique is the layout which actually resembles a computer based training format with instant feedback. I only wish more instructional books utilized this format. You WILL master english grammer with this book.

The book enphasis a lot in writing and correct sentence construction. At the begining it may look foolish, but as you use it, you start noticing and fixing mistakes in your writing style.
It has few theory about grammar, but practise a lot the setence contruction.
If you want improve your writing, this is the MUST HAVE book.

This is the best book on sentence structure ever. I wish I had this book when I was in school. I read alot of books on grammar and they never work for me. I usually forgot what I read after a day or two. I am an electrical engineer. Math and science are always my best subject while english is my worse.

This book show me how to combine simple sentences into compound and complex sentence. How to add adverb and adjective clause into the sentence to make it more meaningful. It show you the same example in many different ways. It is like doing algebra.

This book use a scientific approach. You will learn sentence structure and remember it for the rest of your life.

In the interest of disclosure, I should say that Renee is a friend of mine. But the only thing better than having novelist friends is having novelist friends who write so beautifully that you can recommend their work with a clear conscience.

It's a coming-of-age tale, and like most of its genre, listing the specific circumstances takes away from the larger story. So let me just say that this is a lovely book, full-to-overflowing with heart, and peopled with characters as real as any I've read. If you like intimate, personal fiction that will leave you saddened and uplifted at once, then ignore the iffy cover and just buy this baby.

Though it only took me two days to read Rosen's debut novel, Every
Crooked Pot, I know that the story will stay with me for years to
come. Nina's struggles and triumphs speak volumes on what it means to
accept and love ourselves and others. This deceptively simple novel
packs a powerful punch--I look forward to Rosen's future novels and
will happily recommend her first to others.

I am stunned. I'd read the first chapter on Ms. Rosen's website, and was intrigued by the main character and her unusual father. Reading the rest of the book swept me into a new world that felt so familiar, I could have sworn I knew these people. I was spellbound by the intricate relationship between the main character and her father, who controls the entire family's feelings and sometimes their actions through his own subtle (and sometimes blatant) ways. I loved the honest way the author explored the effects a facial birthmark has on a teenager. I adored the fluid, natural writing style.

Every Crooked Pot is one of the best books of the year.

Rosen has brought to life a family you're sure to fall in love on so many levels. Every Crooked Pot is ripe with poignancy, humor and coming-of-age angst. A terrific read!

Renee Rosen's eye for detail, emotion, and meaning is truly superior. Perhaps that's not surprising, given the centrality of her main character's eye in EVERY CROOKED POT. Growing up with an overwhelming family--larger-than-life dad, pipe-smoking mom, requisite beautiful and self-focused sister, and cypher brother--is hard enough for Nina Goldman as she nears the challenges of junior high and beyond. On top of that, she has an eye condition that's impossible to hide. Rosen's beautiful writing and storytelling allow us to join Nina for most major steps of her journey through life, toward self-acceptance; we watch her grow both physically and emotionally, navigating the dark waters of loneliness, rollercoaster friendships and, of course, love (i.e., boys). With grace, wit, and poignance, Rosen shares Nina's voyage of self-discovery with the reader, proving a simple truth: that which is most personal is most universal. Hope we get to go on many more journeys with this talented writer.

Tyler and Lymie have know idea what trouble there getting in by just getting the chicken pox and imatating a famous local artits. The town is having a huge festival for the annversity, also they are dreding the local river to find heads that the artist made. As a joke the boys make heads of there own. If you like a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the very end then this book is for you. The boys are always getting into mischeif from running into the river with there clothes on to egging the infamous keepouts who want no one near there house not even the a little eight grade kid.Also they are always getting in trouble by there parents from being grounded uncountable number of times to having a gun to there head to riding home in a police car. From reporters chasing them to there home and calling there house you'll be on your seat untill the very end!!!!!!!!

This is a great book! It is so funny and so well written!

Tyler and Lymie had no idea that having the chicken pox would get them into so much trouble. It was about time for the centennial celebration of an artist named Badaglio. Badaglio was rumored to have made two heads out of stone and thrown them in the nearby river. Tyler and Lymie have some fun and make their own stone heads and they too throw them in the river. Theywere found just before the big Badaglio art fest. Two art critics declared that they were authentic. They fouled everybody. Tyler and Lymie were worried sick , because they thought they would get in trouble. Now the real fun begins. I really enjoyed reading this book, because it was very interesting and funny. I would recommend that one of my friends read this adventurous novel.

In this book EYE OF THE BEHOLDER there are two main characters Tyler and Lymie. All throughout the book Tyler and Lymie have you on the edge of your seats wondering what their next move will be. The story take place in a small town called Wakefield. Wakefield isn't really all that exciting but in just a few days the twon is going to throw a big celebration for the twon's hero the famous sculpter Badoglio,Tyler and Lymie cook up a plan to give the town a big surprise but they just don't know how their surprise will go. I really liked this book alot becouse, it had to do with kids. I could relate and understand also. I would recommend this book becouse it's really good and funny.

I just finished reading Eye of the Beholder.It is a very interesting novel. It keeps you very interested and you just don`t want to put it down. I liked the novel for the most part.The two main characters Tyler and Lymie get into a little trouble during the novel with their interests in art. I like the novel because of what happens during the novel. I would urge a friend to read this novel because it is a fun book to read,and if I liked it I`m positive that they would like it to.

The Flame Tree is a realistic fiction book by author Richard Lewis. This book takes place in 2001in a small town in Indeonesia called Java. Placed around the September eleventh terrorist attacks, this novel weighs Islam and Christianity in a way that makes you really think about both sides of this religious difference.
12 year old Isaac Williams lives with his parents in a Baptist hospital compound, where there is also a Christian boarding school holding hundreds of students. A giant flame tree towers over the compound. This is where Issac makes a discovery that should have been his first clue to realize something was wrong. In the bamboo forest that surrounds the compound, Isaac finds a gate that is hard to see from the inside and even more difficult to see from the outside. He thinks he has found a way to go see his friend Ismail without getting caught outside the compound, but has he found something sinister? He doesn't give a second thought to this. He slips out to go visit Ismail, a Muslim boy who lives with his family in Java. He and Ismail have a great time and Isaac slips back into the compound unnoticed... almost. His mother catches and then scolds him,but otherwise he feels pretty good. His life is that of a normal 12 year old boy. He has nice parents, a home, a loving God, a best friend, and a way to escape from his punishment sentence. Then, the twin towers collapse and kill thousands of Americans. Suddenly, Java's muslims are like a deadly cobra waiting to rear it's ugly head and release it's poisonous venom onto the Americans at the hospital compound.
This was an emotionly hard to read book, but it was very helpful in understanding Islam and maybe why he 9/11 terrorist attacks happened. Don't read this book if you are interested in stories from 9/11. Read this book if you are looking to understand them. This book also has a lot of religious issues and comparisons between Islam and Christianity in it, so if you are interested in that, this is also a good read. I would recommend this to 13 year-olds and older because it has some tough material in it. What will happen to Isaac? What do the gate, the flame tree, and Ismail have to do with it? Read The Flame Tree to find out.

Growing up in a Muslim country, you seem so used to the Muslim traditions and way of life. Just like 12 year old Isaac. The realistic events in this novel are very thought provoking. It opened up my eyes to an uglier side of people. When religion becomes a cause for fighting. When people take on their own meanings of their religion. I was very surprised to find,after reading this book, that it isn't popular. It provides such an insight into the world in which most of us are oblivious to. It is painful, because it is told through the eyes of such a young child. But just like To Kill A Mockingbird, maybe it is only through eyes of a child which true suffering can be seen. I hope that more people, especially Americans pick up the book to read. It is powerful, and provides such a ticket into seeing the complications there exists in this world.

The Flame Tree
By Richard Lewis
Set in post 9/11 Indonesia, this coming of age tale offers an intimate look at the culture of Muslims and their Christian neighbors through the eyes of a 12-year old American boy. While the story is compelling with the kidnapping of the hero (fair-haired, blue-eyed), Isaac, it is perhaps a little too gritty for most 12-year old readers with its graphic description of a brutal circumcision. While the realism of the tale isn't in doubt, once again Muslims' 'bad guy' status is brought into sharp focus. The author does attempt to "normalize" the view of the religion of Islam through the clever introduction of wise, old cleric Tuan Guru Haji Abdullah Abubakar, among others, who ultimately helps Isaac and his mother with the tall order of reconciling their anger with friends, God and terrorists.

The book does a superb job of raising questions in the readers mind about the origins of the Judeo-Christian and Islamic faiths in its attempt to show their fundamental similarities, but most middle school readers are going to gloss over these details and get caught up in the "gory details." This book is better recommended for the high school student studying cultural diversity or comparative religion. It would be interesting to see if this author attempts another look at the subject from a Muslim boy's perspective, since that would also be a compelling read.

The divergence of the monotheistic religions came when Ishmael went to Mecca, and Abraham's other son, Isaac, stayed in Palestine. Richard Lewis's The Flame Tree, is the modern example of the continuing conflict that resulted from this divide. Twelve-year-old Isaac is the son of Christian missionaries in Indonesia. He watches the world from the branches of the flame tree and plays with Ismail, a local Muslim boy, along the riverbank.

However, when the Tuan Guru Haji Abdullah Abubakar appears, in their once peaceful town of Wonobo, accusing the missionaries of committing sin against Allah by trying to convert Muslims to Christians, it's not only the boys' friendship that is threatened but their beliefs, as well.

Lewis's depiction of religious conflict is honest, real, and objective. Though the son of American missionaries, his story is neither one-sided nor preachy. The violence portrayed in the novel is shocking and painful but tastefully written.

The Flame Tree is intelligent and thought-provoking. It is action packed and lyrical, a wonderful contribution to young adult literature, and an excellent read for older adults too.

A marvelously, wonderfully spun tale, steeped in first hand knowledge and laced with imagery so realistic, that you forget that it is fiction. As an American living in Indonesia who was deeply impacted by the Bali Bomb, I battled between not being able to put the book down and needing to put the book down to process my response. This is an amazingly informative book. Through it, one is engaged on all levels - intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. Lewis' clever whit, ability to lead the reader into intimacy with each of the well-developed characters, and well-balanced approach to cultural and religious issues faced by our current generation, provided a greatly satisfying read. This story cuts straight to the heart, while being full of such great fun, adventure and suspense, that one is able to easily press through what would otherwise be a slow go through amazingly huge issues faced by our world today.