Children's Books

This was an amazing book. Marie Antonette was a beautiful young maiden who showed her worth to King Louis. This was a great historical story. She was the great queen of England. She was, sadly, forced into an arranged marriage. She then transformed Louis into a kind man. I like this novel because it had real life situations in it and how to get out of them. I would look up to M. A. if she was alive today. She is my historical hero. She is a great role model to all special people.

Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versaille, Austria-France, 1769 takes young readers and adults into the world of the Franch history through the eyes of a young Queen. All the cruelties and hypocricies are exposed in sharp contrast to the extreme devotion to fashion and petty perfections.

What a wonderful way to enjoy history -- and an excellent lesson in human nature, as well!

Recommended!

This royal diaries book starts out in Vienna, Austria January 1, 1769. The book continues while Marie Antoina (Marie Antoinette) goes from an Archduchess in Austria to a Dauphine in France. Marie Antoina becomes Marie Antoinette when she marries Louis Auguste. This book kept me entertained from the first page. When Marie Antoinette first arrives in France she is told to leave everthing Austrian behind and she feels alone. She encounters Madame du Barry, King Louis XV's mistress and ends when she makes up her mind to talk to du Barry after ignoring her for a while in the book. The Epilogue finishes up Marie Antoinette's life in a few pages and a brief description. A Historical Note explains how the world was changing and calling for revolution. A family tree that includes the Habsburg-Bourbon family tree with descriptions of Marie Antoinette's parents, husband and children. There are pictures in the last pages too of Marie Antoina, Antoina's mother, Antoina and her children, castles, and du Barry. There is also 2 and a half pages about the author.

This book was written based off of the diary of Marie Antoinette. When she is given a diary, she doesn't know at first what to write in it. She just writes her daily chores down & what she's done that day. She is born as the daughter of Empress Maria Theresa as Maria Antonia. Her mother is a very strict person who likes things done her own way. As custom, Maria Antonia is 13 & awaiting to find out who she will marry. Her mother picks out her husband just as she had done for her 3 sisters before her. She is only allowed to marry royalty because her mother needs allies for Austria. Years before, a ruler from another country had seized power of land that had belonged to her family. Ever since then, her mother had been making allies to take the land that she rightfully owned back. Unfortunately for her mother, Maria Antonia is a very headstrong young girl. She, also, knows what she wants & won't stop until she gets it. She obeys her mother but similtaneously listens to her wilder side. When she is told she is to marry the prince of France & live in Versailles, she isn't quite sure of what to think. She expects him to be a very handsome prince because his grandfather was. She spent months getting ready for the court of Versailles. The rules & manors are very different. This once independent girl has to learn how to let everyone else do everything for her. She isn't even allowed to give herself a bath. She doesn't adjust very well either. She believes that the manors are completely pointless. She doesn't understand why it is that in Versailles, belching at the table is considered polite. She also must change her name to Marie Antoinette to sound more French. The rules are almost opposite from her home. The worst part about her trip is that she cannot take anyone with her except for her dog. Her little dog will be her only companion as she leaves her home to join her awaiting new family & husband. When she gets there, Louis, the prince, is not exactly her idea of a fairytale prince. He's quite overweight, very shy, & has very bad acne on his face. For the first few weeks, he barely speaks to her. He is very sweet but she wants to get to know him better. She decides that if they are going to talk, she's going to have to start the conversations until he gets used to her better. She does, however, make friends with his aunts who aren't too much older than they are. She finds out a lot of important court information from them. Soon, she learns of a secret room in her apartments that had been used by previous princesses to get away from the constant media. When she wants time to herself, she can go in there. She talks to Louis about it & he has it decorated for her. Eventually, they warm up to each other & get to know each other better. When they don't share interests in a particular subject, they still support the other one & watch them anyways. They both teach each other a lot & do grow to like each other. Marie Antoinette knows that she will never truly love him but because they cannot divorse, they are at least good friends. They live a very good adolescent life together. The book stops a few years after their wedding. It doesn't go into her adult life at all but knowing about her childhood, I believe that she led a very independent lifestyle & probably changed some things about the Versailles manors when she became queen. This book was excellent & a good way to learn about history & a very important French ruler.

I personally thing that this was a very good book. I think it had a lot of good morals, and is apropriate for any age. I would recommend that you read it. I really like the main character i think she was an all around girl that just made a few bad choices. Anyway this is a great book and i think you should read it

LOVE it! If anything my daughter, 2.5 yrs, got out of this book is to be "patient" with your mama. This works WONDERS at the store or when she starts to act up. All I say is "what does mama llama say?" and she answers "be patient with mama", and she completely does a 180 and calms down.

My granddaughters (ages 16 months and 4 years) love this book. I would recommend it to anyone with young children.

My 2yo son loves this book and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. However, the drawings can get a little scary in the final scene when baby llama wonders if he is all alone before mama llama comes running in. Our son looks visibly upset and I think if we lingered on the page he might even break out into tears, but once he sees mama run in he is all smiles again and happy to see she is still there for him.

Our 20 month old daughter just loves Llama Llama Red Pajama. Basically, little Llama is put to bed and becomes scared, yells out for his mom and then panics when she doesn't come right up to his room.

Because our daughter has not yet voiced her fears of the dark, being alone, I was terrified the first time I read it to her that I would be planting lots of suggestive seeds in her little brain.

Whether the seeds are being planted or not, she LOVES this book and insists that my wife (not me!) read it to her every night. So, it's a keeper. Note: the book she has me, her dad, read each night is Clip-clop

All I have to say is that we read this every night and my son is only 8 months old. He smiles every time and I must admit I enjoy reading it. A HUGE hit in our house and a must have. It is such a wonderful book.

Both of the previous books in this series had shortcomings: The first book had an abysmal plot line with very few believable moments. The second book neutered the protagonist completely, removing all traces of romance. This book was the perfect fusion of everything GOOD about the first two... and then some.

I was overjoyed to read this book and discover that it would be a love story again, but this time with a compelling conflict in the background to sustain it. It was, in my opinion, even more believable and touching than the first romance in Magic's Pawn. Besides the romantic points, the book had mystery and intrigue, brilliantly shaped characters, and heroic and heart-wrenching moments of joy, sorrow, pain, and love. To top it all off, the character arcs of virtually all of the major players in the series are concluded nicely, even though not all end happily.

My gripes with this book are mostly picky details. For instance: a villain who is only a threat when the plot demands it, but who backs off when the characters need time. Along those lines: Benevolent creatures who just happen to show up out of nowhere in a time of need (think eagles in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit). But it's still, hands down, the best of the series, and well worth the journey.

"Magic's Price" is the darkest and most gripping of the Last Herald-Mage trilogy. It is heart-wrenching,and the closing epilogue is at once satisfying and poignant.

In the final book,Vanyel is older,wiser,and still dealing with his grief from losing Tylendel. He has had many lovers,even fathering children with women despite his own attraction to men. Tylendel is his lifebonded. Mercedes Lackey solves the problem of Vanyel's loneliness with Stefen,a Bard with the power to sing away pain. Stefen is young enough to be Vanyel's son,yet he is Tylendel reincarnate (though Tylendel was slightly older when they first met) Stefen's courtship of Vanyel is at once romantic and humorous. The rarely humored Vanyel finally laughs,finding love in the process.

However,tragedy darkens their blissful world. Vanyel's beloved Aunt Savil is murdered,as are other Herald-Mages. Vanyel is brutally gang-raped. While the villain is vaguely defined (a common problem in Lackey's writing),Vanyel gives the final battle his all. In the epilogue,however,Lackey shows that death does not have the last word.

When Mercedes Lackey created the character of Vanyel,she said she intended for him to be gay,connecting it to him being the Last Herald-Mage. Though he has fathered children,he dies without heirs of his own and a family. He finds love with Stefen,who mirrors himself at a younger age;paradoxically,Vanyel sees him like his father,and emulates his mother. In some ways,Vanyel drowns in his own image like Narcissus,yet in the end he is redeemed through his ultimate sacrifice. In the beginning,Vanyel was a vain peacock;in the end,he is the fiery phoenix.

I thought the story was better and more enjoyable than the first two. BUT, it also describes the homosexuality in greater detail.

I tolerated the first two because of the tasteful use of "fade to black" before any love scenes. This one goes into more detail -- though still tame by "romance novel" standards.

The worst was the depiction of a gang-rape. Uncomfortable to read.

The hero was still too moody and sulky for me and too dense to see the good in his life. Also, too careless in some very important decisions.

A reasonably satisfying ending.

I'm glad I read it. I will not be recommending it to my children, however.

I picked up this series because I was in the process of writing a fantasy novel with a gay hero and I wanted to see what other works were out there. I had never read Ms. Lackey's work, so I didn't know what to expect. I was not just pleasantly surprised by this trilogy, I was completely captivated by it and very sad when I reached the final page. The plot is interesting and the pace is quick. The characters, especially the hero Vanyel, are extremely sympathetic, primarily due to the fact that they are so flawed. Some may find the romance a bit sappy, but I'm the first to admit that I dig that kind of thing and you'll see it in my own novels as well.Orphan's Quest (Chronicles of Firma, Book One) Best of all for me, though, was the fact that although her hero is unapologetically gay, the series does not become mired in its "gayness" as so many other works of gay-themed fiction I have read.

This trilogy gave me a great deal of inspiration to push on with my own fantasy aspirations. I owe Misty a big hug if we ever meet face to face. I highly recommend these three books. Whether you're gay or straight, you'll find them an excellent read and, like me, you'll be sorry to reach that last page.

This triology along with the arrows of the queen triology are among my favorites of the Valdemar series. Full of magic, action and meaningful relationships along with an exciting plot that leaves you wanting more.

I remember this book from my childhood. I think I kept it checked out of my school library almost the whole year! I am so glad to find it again, since it obviously left quite an impression. It's such a wonderful, well-written book, and certainly not your run-of-the-mill fairy tale princess.

I first read this book when I was in elementary school. I remember reading it and not wanting to put it down. When my mother finally made me put it down and help with the dishes I explained everything I had read so far to her in detail and after I was finished helping my mother, I went back to reading and finished the entire book the same day I started it. Years later I tried to find this book but because i had read it when I was so young, I couldn't remember the title. I was thrilled when I found it and once again read the book the same day i got it. The book was still amazing(I had my worries because things that seem great when your young sometimes turn out to be pretty bad as a adult). I found the story of Amy heartwarming with a creative twist to the other princess stories we all know. I find the idea that Amy wasn't the image of a beautiful princess because she had freckles and straight hair charming. It makes you realize there is more to beauty than perfect complexions and blond hair. I think every little girl should read this story and plan to purchase it for my niece when she is older. Even as an adult I enjoy reading this fairy tale and highly recommend it for all young girls.

This book emphasises that there are other virtues and qualities aside from aesthetics. It is difficult to describe. The book teaches that beings ones true self is what matters most and goes beyond valueing superficial signs of worth.

I wish I had this book when I was a child instead of filling my head with the traditional fairytales. I think we try to hard to live up to the impossible standards that these fairytales represent and when real life hits, we feel like a failure for not being able to fulfill them. Truly a great book to read to your child and one that has a little something for us as well.

One may know the story of the servant girl who gets to go to the ball, the story of the beautiful girl that falls in love with the beast, the princess that is finally awakened by a kiss from a dashing prince. But, it is quite possible that one may go half of her life before ever hearing the story of another girl, a princess in fact, who was born once upon a time in a land called Phantasmorania. She was christened Her Serene and Royal Highness Princess Amethyst Alexandra Augusta Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne--a name fit for the most beautiful and exraordinary princess in all the land. Special gifts were bestowed upon the baby at this christening celebration by the magical fairies of the land. All seems to be heading straight for happily ever after until the last fairy bestows her idea of a gift on the princess: "You shall be ordinary!" The kingdom is turned upside down. An ordinary princess?

The king and queen may consider this gift a curse indeed, but it is what makes the story so endearing to readers. Traditional views of what makes someone noble and special are tried, especially what makes a woman beautiful and of worth. In a classically fairy-tale setting, a mythical land ruled by Oberon, king of the fairies, new-age ideas are considered and ultimately proven plausible. M.M. Kaye's story, The Ordinary Princess, is a refreshing new take on classical fairy-tale stories that enamors readers with its relatable characters all the while enchanting them with a somewhat fantastic plot and imagery. Because Princess Amy is so believable, readers are better able to walk along side-by-side with a princess and vicariously experience all her adventures instead of gazing longingly from afar.

Kaye's story brings ordinary and fantasy into beautiful harmony: it is what makes this story the most enchanting fairy-tale you might've never heard of. It's never too late for this kind of magic.

A princess is supposed to be fair, with hair golden, skin like wild rose petals and cream, and eyes as blue as larkspurs (3). A princess is supposed to be graceful, well-tempered, always behaving with the utmost dignity and poise. Kaye characterizes all six of Amethyst's sisters by nothing more than this description of what a royal princess should be. But, because of the gift bestowed on the little princess to be ordinary, Amy, as she was thereafter called (for "what could be more ordinary than that?"), is hardly those things at all (21). Amy was much more like us: she was imperfect. She had a stubbed-nose, freckles. She was gawky and had the "distressing habit of standing with her feet apart and her hands behind her back" (22). Already, an ordinary audience has come to relate to this ordinary princess. The audience can relate to physical imperfections, but the audience is inspired by the way Amy reacted to her imperfections and lived her life. It wasn't that Amy never was discouraged. Indeed, no. This facet of character makes her all the more relatable, realistic. But, she was optimistic about looking at things though and she enjoyed life, trying to look at the bad in a positive light. Amy was such an ordinary sort of girl that she would sneak out of her window to play in the Forest of Faraway. It is easy for the audience to like Amy for themselves and it is natural for them to empathize with her, but the people in the kingdom don't seem to like Amy and her manners very much at all. The reader finds acceptance and an embracing of his imperfections through the character of Peregrine, the "man-of-all-work" she meets a neighboring kingdom. He grows to love her for her ordinary self and her ordinary habits. She is not timid and delicate like a princess is expected to be and he loves her and all of her "imperfections," without even knowing that she is a princess. It is human, it is ordinary, to want to be loved for what we really are and Amy and Peregrine's story gives the reader hope that it can happen.

Their relationship manifests the harmony of the ordinary and the fantastic that Kaye uses to enthrall readers. Amy meets him in a very casual setting and they decide that they would like to be friends. They talk as friends. They are informal and playful in their dialogue. One day, when they are lounging in the forest as they often liked to do, he talks of having seen the princess that had come to visit the king of this far away kingdom where Amy had runaway and where she met Peregrine. She asked him, "What's she like?"

He answered her, "Like a princess." She didn't like this answer saying that it was silly, so she threw a blackberry at his nose. That's not the sort of thing Cinderella would do but it seems an ordinary thing for a modern girl today to do. Their conversations are full of silly, friendly dialogue and they almost always end their rendezvous walking hand in hand and laughing together. But, the fantastic part about it is that they truly love each other. This ordinary relationship turns into something real and something that can last. Even when the plot takes an unexpected turn, they still live happily ever after together. The coming together of the ordinary and the extraordinary in their relationship uplifts the ordinary reader, giving him or her evidence that fantastic is in the realm of possibility.

In addition to character development and plot in bringing a refreshing harmony to the work, M.M. Kaye cleverly and naturally manipulates simple, every-day words and assembles them in an enchanting way that creates the sweet, lovely undertone of the entire work. Instead of using extraordinary, sophisticated words to describe the beauty of a baby, she says simply, "she was as pink and white and gold as apple blossoms and the spring sunshine." In these simple words, the reader receives almost an entire idea of what this baby is like because the reader is able to imagine the softness of the babies skin like the petals of the blossom, the babies sweet smell like the scent of the blossom, and the warmth of the babies skin like clean spring sunshine. Kaye takes advantage of the readers' minds ability to make relationships to words and bring up images without the image being explicitly laid-out by the author through unnecessary wordiness. The images that Kaye creates using such simple words are so brilliant that it would seem that she were a fairy herself. Because she uses this simple diction to color her piece, all, young or old, are able to read her story as if it were meant for them, gleening from it what their mind imagines all on its own.

Even the illustrations that enliven the pages of Kaye's fairy-tale are enchanting. The simple and sometimes amusing black and white line drawings add a childlike intrigue to the book. The images look simple enough but they are beautiful and oftimes delightful caricatures of the people or the situations Kaye is describing, adding to the humorous, casual, friendly aspect of The Ordinary Princess.

This story is attractive to modern audiences because of the idea that what is traditionally valued by society is not always the most valuable thing to have. What Amy lacked in beauty and elegance, she certainly made up for in warm, gentle kindness and friendliness. Amy, like other fair-tale princesses, was so gentle that she had animal friends that kept her company, a crow and a squirrel. She was able to look past herself and think of others because she was not caught up in her appearance. She was straight-forward and sometimes rambunctious about the way she did things, something contrary to the traditional idea that a woman should be demure, and in this way attracts the modern reader whose idea of woman may be different. This story has the fantastic, enchanting aspect of a fairy tale but because Kaye chose to combine that with the ordinary aspect of humanity, it can attract and resonate with a wider audience.

The title of the book itself, The Ordinary Princess, brings too dissimilar things, ordinary which connotes mundane or down-to-earth, homely and the idea of a princess which is basically everything extraordinary, beautiful and noble and sophisticated. The title intrigues readers because of the juxtaposition of these two seemingly paradoxical ideas; the reader may question or dare to hope that these two characteristics aren't so contradictory after all. As the reader turns the pages of Kaye's tale, absorbing the character of Amy, the fun and childlike humor of the dialogue and the characters, and the mesmerizing illustrations one comes across every so often, they are increasingly enchanted with the idea that fantastic is in the realm of possibility. Amy is loved for her ordinary self. Being true to one self is more important than living by society's norms and that is when happily ever after can really happen.

I LOVED this book as an upper elementary student after I lost my father very suddenly in an accident. I'm sure over the years I read this at least 10-20 times. I'm so glad to see it is still around so I can add it to my collection for my own children.

I read this book for the first time when I was probably 14. I read the book and remember crying through parts and laughing through others. I am so happy to have a chance to read it again. What an amazing story.

i read this book when i was 14 i'm 21 now and i was just looking for something to pass the time and i forgot how much i loved it!!!!

I read this book over 6 years ago... I still pick it up every once in a while.
It is so sad and sweet and touching, and I really good book.

I would give this book five stars. It is one of the best books I've ever read and I could not put it down. The story was captivating and it made you feel like you were another character watching this story unfold. You are so in touch with the characters emotions that certian points in the book don't really hit you until you see how she is hit by it. Over all this is my favorite book and I think everyone needs to read it.

I found this book during my son's 5 week NICU stay, and read it to him every day. It is so beautiful that I never get tired of reading it. My only wish is that it came in a board book.

This is a fantastic book! It is a wonderful gift to new mommies who have little boys. (Now a favorite of mine to give.) It has beautiful illustrations, and the words are also beautiful. The story is of a spirited little bear, so full of adventure and energy and his parent exchanging in activities with this wonderful little guy throughout the day. It shows how having a little one changes your life, and how much you grow and share, together. One of my favorite lines in the book is "I am your way home; you are my new path." So beautiful and true.

I love this book and buy it as a gift for all of my friends who are expecting. It's description of the parent-child relationship is so simple, yet so true.

I bought this book for my daughter who has a young child. What a beautiful book it is on parent/child love. If you open it, look at the pictures, read the words, you too will buy it!

I love this book. The entire thing is beautiful and I love what it says about the relationship between parent and child. As parents, we are responsible for teaching our children and "grounding" them to some degree. Our children, in turn give us life and energy - they remind us not to take life too seriously, they make us laugh and let us know sometimes it is OK to eat chocolate cake. I think this book is wonderful and both my three year old and 19 month old adore it. It is one of our bedtime must haves!

This is the best cookie cookbook there is. I have about 200 cookbooks and this is the one that I always come back to when I am looking to bake cookies. It is my favorite, as I am a child of the 60's. I received a copy for a wedding gift over 30 years ago, and it is falling apart. I purchased one for my daughter-in-law, and I will buy a couple of extras for the future brides of my other two sons. The pictures and the recipes bring back so many memories, and someday, I will make the cookie cottage that is pictured in the book. If you only buy one cookie book, make sure it is this one!!!

In the 1960's this Betty Crocker Cookie Book was used weekly for my three children, guests, bringing baked goods, etc. Now, the children are grown, and my daughter longed for her mom's original Betty Crocker Cookie Book. Per her wish, I gave her the worn out copy with all the batter stains, and I bought the new one of this classic for myself. Regardless of what the internet can offer us on line, there's something special about this book with its full color illustrations of what each cookie should look like, its spiral bound pages , and its memories of my children's childhoods in the kitchen around momma! It's truly a generation to generation must have!

I grew up with this cookie cookbook, and when I first left home many years ago, my mom and I battled over who would get this book. She finally had the entire book color photo copied for me because she couldn't bear to part with it.

All I can say is, thank god it is back in print for new generations, and for family peace. The cookies are perfection and then some. The photos are terrific.

I now have a new copy, my beloved photo copy, and after I gave my mom a new copy, she finally turned over the original.

This is the definitive cookie cookbook of all time. Never leave home without one. Seriously.

I bought my first edition of this book in 1963 and made cookies for my 3 children and friends as they were growing up. My book was terribly worn and some pages were torn, mutilated etc. I was thrilled to find that it had been reprinted. My youngest daughter, now age 47, requested the old tattered book and now I have the nice new one. There are recipes for every occasion and all of them are good. The cookies taste just as good now as they did then and I'm 78. I don't have to worry about calories or fat. They aren't listed!

I bought this book based on the reviews I read here on Amazon. It is amazing how many different cookies are in this book. We picked a couple of these to make over Christmas. They cookies were pretty but I thought tasted okay and were extremely time extensive. It's a great cookbook to add to my collection.

I read this book as a child and searched for years for a copy to give my daughter. It is a wonderful fairy tale, with very good moral values. Share this with your kids!

First loved this story 53 years ago and have been looking for it ever since. So glad that it was reprinted. I enjoyed the expanded, but the first one was not and loved it anyway.

i'm thrilled that this book is back in print..my sister and i have fought over our copy for years...our kids have loved it also...they need to write more books like this

What a pleasure to see this charming children's chapter book back in print. It was a favorite of mine when I was grade-school age, and an old, taped-up and battered copy still sits on on my bookshelf. In this tale, the lives and adventures of a family of fairies and half-fairies are paraded before the eyes of Lucy, a little human girl who has wandered into the borderlands of their world. A mysterious young man named Michael takes Lucy to a deserted castle where the shadows of past inhabitants can be seen on the walls of a tower room. As Lucy watches the shadows move about, Michael identifies each figure, and recounts their adventures of long, long ago.

The stories of the fairy princes and princesses, and their human and non-human relatives and associates, are told a simple but descriptive prose that young readers should find appealing. For children still a little bit young for the vocabulary of Harry Potter, but too old for Dr. Seuss, this is a perfect read. The illustrations are delightful as well--how I loved the pictures of beautiful Princess Meira and her friend, the dragon Branstookah!

This compelling fantasy is back in print after many years, and would make a great gift to any 7-11 year old. It was my mother's favorite growing up, then mine, and I have this expanded edition to my 8 year old niece who says it is better than Harry Potter!

I like this book because it is like a mystery because she wants to know her mom but she is living with a girl that they lived next door to. Will she saw pitchers of her mom and was disarmed to find out were she was at. She found out were she was and wanted to see her so she razed money she got a bus ticket and went to were her mom was and could not finder for a long time and then one day she figured out how it was. And then her mom died.
So I thank you should read this book If you like mysteries. It is the best book in the world!!!

So be it is a amazing fiction book that i know you should read. The best thing about this book is it controls your feelings. For example Heidi has a disabled mother. Heidi loves to play slot machines. Therefore, since this story takes place in Nevada Heidi tried a slot machine.
But then Heidi won money from the slot machine. She also wanted to find the meaning of soof and she did by communicating with Bernadette on the phone. She was also trying to find out about her past and she used to ride the bus to where her mother used to go.

So.B.It keeps you on edge because you never know what will happen next. So.B.It is super fun , exciting , easy to read , and some mystery. I gave this book five stars because there is so much going on , its like watching a movie. Anybody who likes novels like Shug will love this book. THe gernera would be a novel. This book always gives you a picture in your mind. I would recomend this to anybody who likes books that make you wonder what will happen next.


Also by: K.N.
So B. It by Sarah Weeks is a heartwarming book that has an emotional touch. I would give this book five out of five stars. Girls ages 9 and older would enjoy this general fiction book. Sarah Weeks has done an excellent job detailing a heartwarming book like non other. Mama knows 23 words including one being "soof," which Heidi takes an adventure to find what her mother means by it. Bernadette tells Heidi how one day when Heidi was one week old, her mother mysteriously appeared at Bernadette's door, and they have benn living together since then. Heidi then decides to find out who her mother really is by taking her own adventure to Liberty, New York. Will she find out her mother's past life, or will she get disappointed and find out nothing? Read So B. It to find out.

"So B. It" - A Moving and Suspenseful Story
A story telling the tale of Heidi unraveling secrets of her mother
By Kelly Lockerbie
December 20, 2007

"So B. It" by Sarah Weeks

So B. It, 245 pages, is a moving story about a thirteen year old girl named Heidi. She has no father, and does not remember anything about him. The sad part is, Heidi's mother, whom Heidi calls "Mama," has a mental disorder, or a "bum brain," as Heidi calls it. Heidi and Mama both live with Bernadette, or "Bernie," who used to be their next door neighbor, until Mama showed up with Heidi on her front doorstep. Bernie takes care of both Mama and Heidi.

Heidi does not know anything about her mother, or what happened to her in the past. She keeps track of her mother's slow progress, and notices that occasionally Mama would throw out the word "soof." Mama doesn't know many words; in fact, she only knows twenty-three. Because Mama knows a word that no one knows, this interests Heidi. She becomes determined to find the meaning.

Throughout the book, Heidi tries to gather clues towards the meaning of "soof," because she believes that it could possibly reveal her past.

The protagonist of this story is Heidi, and the book tells the book from her point of view. She is the narrator. Towards the beginning of the book, Heidi does not know anything about her mom, or even how she herself was born. All she knows is that her mom showed up on Bernie's front doorstep and in need of help. Basically, she was frustrated! She didn't know anything that happened before Bernie found her.

However, when Heidi visits various places, places she knew to go to from clues she gathered, she stops fighting with the past. Even thought she learns something about the story of her life, she has matured and understands that certain things in her and her mother's life will remain a mystery.

The theme of this story is love. Not romantic love, but love and affection for those who care about you. Heidi loved her mom, because she tried her hardest to take care of her despite her setbacks. Heidi also loved Bernadette. Without Bernie, Heidi and her mom would not have been able to survive. Heidi depended on Mama, and Mama depended on Bernie. Bernie held the family together.

From this reading I learned to be thankful for things I wouldn't normally expect to be grateful for. For example, my "identity." Since Mama is mentally challenged and can't remember anything in the past, Heidi didn't know a lot about who she is. She didn't have concrete evidence of facts that that average person does today. She spent a large amount of time trying to decipher things that we are basically handed to in a silver platter. By this I mean that we don't have to work hard to get information about ourselves, while Heidi was traveling far out of her way.

I would undoubtedly recommend this book for other readers, whether they are younger or older. This book wouldn't be difficult for younger people to read, but more critical readers (people in English 10H) would have a better grasp on the moral and meaning of the book. They would know what the author is trying to get across, the meaning of love.

"Things aren't the way they are supposed to be," I said.
"How are they supposed to be?" she asked.
"A person is supposed to know where they came from, Bernie."
This is the burning question that Heidi It is determined to find out. Heidi is a 12 year old girl who lives with her mentally disabled mother and Bernadette, their caring neighbor. Trying to find the answer to this question leads her on a cross country journey to find out her history in this moving novel, So B. It, by Sarah Weeks.
She wants to find where she and her mother came from before they showed up at Bernadette's door in the apartment that they currently live in. She also wants to find out what "soof" means, a mysterious word that her mother repeatedly says and that seems to linger over Heidi wherever she goes.
This book is told through the eyes of Heidi in present day Reno. Throughout the book Sarah Weeks makes it so that you can feel the frustration, but also love that Heidi has towards her mother. Appearing to be slow-paced in the beginning, the book soon turns into a page-turning adventure where Heidi is an easily likeable character. Her bravery leads her to meet the most interesting people.
The novel is best suited for middle-aged girls who can understand everyday struggles, or ones need help to. Anyone who reads this will be left with the message of the book long after the last page is turned.

When I was growing up I owned very few books thankfully I went to the library often but out of the few books I did own this was one of them! I finally introduced it to my own little girl and its as timeless today as it was 25 yrs ago. Any reader is sure to fall in love with sweet little Miss Suzy she has a heart of gold!

Wow, I had no idea this book was still in print. I read this as a 4 yr old boy in 1968. I bet I read it or had it read to me hundreds of times. I hope your children or grandchildren enjoy it as much as I did.

MY SON WAS TWO YEARS OLD BACK IN 1973. I DON'T REMEMBER HOW I CAME ACROSS THE FIRST "MISS SUZY" BOOK I PURCHASED FOR HIM. I'VE ALWAYS LIKE TAKING HIM AND NOW MY GRANSON TO BOOKSTORES. MISS SUZY WAS HIS FAVORITE BOOK TO READ AT BEDTIME. NOAH,HIS SON, LOVES TO HAVE BOOK READ TO HIM. THROUGH THE YEARS I SOMEHOW MISPLACED HIS BOOK. NOAH IS NOW THREE AND I'VE RECENTLY SURFED THE INTERNET AND FOUND THE BOOK ON AMAZON. I GAVE NOAH THE BOOK AT CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR. AND HE LOVES IT. I READ IT TO HIM EVERYTIME HE'S AT OUR HOUSE AND CAN SPEND THE NIGHT. I RECOMMEND THE BOOK TO ALL CHILDREN OF ALL AGES. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT A BLESSING IT WAS TO FIND THE BOOK AT AMAZON. I CERTAINLY WILL TREASURE IT, AS I KNOW NOAH WILL. THANKS AGAIN, IT WAS A WONDERFUL BOOK AND CAME BEFORE CHRISTMAS. YOURS TRULY MRS SUE OSTROM...

I had tried before to find this book and had inadvertently entered "Suzy the Squirrel" with no luck. When I came across this book, I had tears in my eyes. This was my favorite book as a child and it brought back memories!!! I immediately ordered it for my niece. My mother used to read me this story when I was younger and I never wanted to put it down. I will always remember Miss Suzy with the big bushy tail, her broom and how she fought back with the help of her friends when she was mistreated. The story is a timeless classic!

Like so many others, this was my favorite book as a little girl. I immediately purchased this for my children's library, based on the emotional connection I had with this book alone. However...when you read the story to your children for the first time as a parent, you begin to love it for a whole different reason.

This story is simple, charming, and teaches such a good lesson. Using creative characters and giving human characteristics to them and likening this little squirrel's world to things children will recongnize from their own world, allows children to be comfortable with this story and really relate.

I also really like this book for the opposite reason I like so many other books. It does not distract children from the fabulous story with big gaudy colorful illustrations. The tonal pictures are well-drawn and cute, but are easy on the eyes, and as I said, not distracting, making this a good bedtime story.