Children's Books

This was one of my favorite series when I was younger. I was probably older than the average reader when I began. My sister received the first two books as a Christmas gift and neither of us read them for years. Finally, I picked up Anne of Green Gables and started reading...and couldn't put it down. I moved on to Anne of Avonlea while entreating my parents, grandparents and all other relatives to buy me other books in the series. I loved each and every book as I read them, and over the years have read the series in its entirety multiple times.

I have to say that my favorites are the first three (Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island) and the very last one (Rilla of Ingleside), and I've definitely read those four even more than the whole series. I have favorite quotes, chapters, and incidents, and I think every young girl would love this series!

I also want to add that L.M. Montgomery is a fantastic author. I have also read her Emily of New Moon series multiple times, as well as various compilations. She's wonderful!

I have been reading these books to my nine year old daughter. The language is a little difficult, but the fun spirit of the characters makes up for it. The books are great as was the authors imagination.

This was my favorite series as a child, and through several moves I lost most of them. I am so glad to have the complete series in a boxed set -- won't be as easy to lose any of them.

Great set. It arrived in a timely manner and in perfect condition. Thanks.
Jackie

This is a great gift for Anne-enthusiasts all over the world! I've enjoyed it very much.

My twin brother received this book of the series for our twelth birthday, whilst I received the second. Good gamble on my mother, for I was the one of the set that became hooked on the series. This was a marvelous introduction to a mostly stellar series."The Invasion" introduces five kids from various walks of life who may or may not be close to each other. An incident near the mall involving a UFO thrusts the kids into a done-but-still-fun adventure as they are given the ability to change into animals and fight body-snatching aliens. Good ol' fashioned sci-fi fun with a pleasant tween, modern twist. These early books had the best writing of the series, and K. A. Applegate carefully put in her original characters to mold them into the more developed characters they would become. "The Invasion" was the perfect introduction, with relationships, heartache, and good ol' alien slaughtering.

My brother first picked this book up some 10 years ago, when he was of the age at which cool book covers mattered more than content. Intrigued, I remember taking it from him in the car on the way home and reading the first chapter.
Bad idea.
There ensued a week of Civil War in our household, both of us battling over this book and stooping so low as to creep into each other's rooms at night, steal it off the nigh-stand, and read it under the sheets with a flashlight. Violence was resorted to a number of times, until my enraged mother demanded that we each get a SEPARATE copy of the second book in the series. I think she was hoping it was a trilogy.
This thing goes on for about 65 books. Sorry, Mommy.
I am now 22 years old and still consider Animorphs to be one of the best and most intelligent series I have ever read. Yes, it does get a bit systematic and repetitive after about Number 12, but the first 10 are incredible and the various "Chronicles" associated with the series--the Ellimist, Hork Bajir, and Visser--are absolutely fantastic. If you want a series that somehow weaves science, romance, fantasy, religion, psychology, and a hell of a lot more into one of the most imaginative universes available in print, then pick this up. Who cares if the covers are dorky? Just make sure you NEVER attempt to share it....

Five kids meet a good alien. He fights against bad aliens to save the Earth. And he gives them a special power to fight against invaders. The power can change them into animals. But does this power help them to fight against bad invaders?
I finished to read Animorphs book 1. This is a very fun book. It is no wonder that many my friends like this series. I almost couldn't stop reading it. But this book is little fat for one day reading for me. This book has 34,028 words. I took three days for finishing it.
This series has 54 books and the whole story had completed. The average word counts is about 30,000 words. This means you must read about 1.5 million words for complete this series. And some of my friends already completed it. Now I can see why they could continue to read this series. If you finished one book then you can not wait next.

Animorphs #1 the Invasion is a really, really great book. Now i'm reading all of the other books in the series. I'm on the third book,"The Encounter". Or at least I think that is what it is called. I even watch the show. I read this book about a year or two ago. Anyway, if you don't own this book, buy it and read it. If you do have this book and you haven't read it yet, then what are you waiting for? Start reading it right now. This is in my top 5 favorite books.

Note: This review pertains to the entire Animorphs series, rather than this specific book.

When I read most of the Animorph books several years ago, I thought it was very suspenseful and entertaining.

Now, as I look back, it seems that these books, although targeted at 4th-6th graders, have suprising depth, with often tenebrous themes concerning free will, sentimentalism, and morality.

I received this book as a gift and was reluctant to read it as the subject matter was not of interest. I started to read it just to see what it might be like and was captured by the outstanding writing. It was just a joy to read and the characters will stay with me forever.

About half way thru this book and had to set it aside. I'll return to it later as it is a little too intense and the language is shocking.

I thought his books Beach Music and The Prince of Tides were much better. I could not put Beach Music down.

This is a great military/coming of age novel by Pat Conroy that I would put slightly behind The Great Santini (one of my favorite books of all time) in his catalogue. In this story, Conroy follows a young cadet at the fictional Carolina Military Institute (modeled partly on Conroy's time at The Citadel) as he endures his plebe year and then comes to grip with the fact that the school fosters a great deal of hate, racism and cruelty to accomplish its mission of developing the Complete Man. Conroy's writing always moves quickly with engaging dialogue, humor and entertaining story lines and this book is no exception. It is certainly deeper than your standard pop fiction book, but it reads just as easily and quickly. I would highly recommend it to Conroy fans, people who enjoy good fiction (even my mother likes this book) or people who have interest in military schools or the South in the 50's. A very good book.

Gorgeously crafted, eloquent, beautiful, gripping, powerful. Simply an amazing book. All of Pat Conroy's books have common ties to his childhood, and this one is perhaps the best of them all.

The mark of a successful coming of age story is that you, the reader, can see yourself reflected in the protagonist. For me, this book worked very well. Will McLean, the main character and first-person narrator, a second generation Irish boy, son of a Marine, a mongrel outsider in the pedigreed Carolina Military Institute searches for himself, the man within the boy who is being molded by a system of discipline and honor that doesn't match his internal morality. He's an English major in a college of warriors. He's a basketball player, a finesse guard, in a school of brute force. He's fighting against systems he doesn't understand within a life choiceless in it's inequality.

Pat Conroy, himself a graduate of the model for the fictional Institute, The Citadel, weaves a compelling tension-filled story while eloquent in his setting, Charleston, South Carolina. Employing gracious proper Southern dialect filled with flowers, antiques, and tradition, he describes brutality, racism, sexism, and betrayal. The language works well because it provides within its description the biting irony of the scenes. Will McLean fights through every taboo the South has to offer in the 1960's: a black cadet in the all-white tradition of the military college, an unwed pregnant girl shunned by society for her shame while the father of her baby remains blameless, the brutal plebe system that crushes individuality while remaking young men as soulless military automatons, the classed society of high south old money and it's cruelty to those not born within the circle, and the fact that military honor doesn't equate to individual morality.

Fighting through this maze of pitfalls, McLean has only his closest and dearest friends to rely on, roommates Dante "Pig" Pignetti and Mark Santoro, two brawny, Northern boys of Italian descent and Tradd St. Croix, an "old Charlestonian" (from a very rich and respected family). His moral guide through the story is the epitomy of hard military men, Colonel "Bear" Berrineau, a vulgar battle-scarred man whose character is unimpeachable and whose idea of duty includes awful repercussions.

I loved this story and I couldn't put it down. If I had one criticism to give, it's that Conroy tried to put too much into the novel - too many problems and taboos and tried to fix hundreds of years worth of problems in one book. But, that's not really a criticism because he did it and did it well. Bravo.

CV Rick

LOVE this book - perfect gift for an adult or a child - beautiful pictures and wonderful, meaningful story.

I work with children with Autism and have given this book to each of them once they do not need my services anymore. This book is a rare find! Excellent story and great pictures!

This is an excellent message for children that they are special and not to place too much importance on what other people may think. My 2 and 3-year olds are captivated by the story.

This is a timeless story that teaches a wonderful lesson.
The book was shipped in wonderful condition without defect.

I received this on Christmas morning. I'd wanted it for quite some time, as an aspiring teacher and future parent, and thought it'd make a wonderful addition to my growing collection of children's books. I couldn't have been more right.

You Are Special is a sweet story about a doll maker whose wooden dolls take it upon themselves to dole out stickers to each other based on how they look, or their talents/lack thereof. What happens when one of the "gray dot" dolls meets a doll with NO stickers?

One of the deepest stories I've ever read, the message spans literature levels and ages, touching the hearts of both children and adults as the pages turn and the story unfolds. By the end, you realize what really makes one special, and it has nothing to do with stickers.

I cannot say enough about how beautiful this book is.

I really enjoyed this book! I think I enjoyed it more the further into it I got because I began to realize the scope of the book. Also, because it's a series, I wasn't sure how much of the book would be self-contained vs. continuous.
I adored the way the "fantasy world" and how Coville described the various landscapes. Ditto for the creatures of the fantasy world! From both known fantastical creatures (like unicorns) to some new (at least, I've never heard of them before), delightful creatures! I felt as though each character had a distinct personality - even if it took me a little bit to figure them out. And I felt invested in them all, which is a good feat for the book being only 150 pages.
That's really my only reason for the 4 stars instead of 5. There's really nothing wrong with the book that I can find to warrant only 4 stars - but for me, I'm used to more in-depth books with great detail to the plots. This was the only thing I wanted more of; I felt there was enough plot and character back-story that the book could have been expanded and delved into further. Though, perhaps that wasn't the author's intent - or it wasn't the intent of this book since it's a series.
However, I would think this a great book to start out for younger readers. And it's a delightful treat for those of us who adore fantasy books to read between tomes!

This is an amazing book it is number 2 in my top five favorite books. And I've read ALOT of books. This is an ideal book for ANYONE who LOVES unicorns, like me! If you get this book for some one be sure to get the second one to. Why? Becuse this one REALY gets you ready for the next one. When I finished it I had really wished that my teacher had the next one, but she didn't. I checked the school libray, but they didn't have it either! I haven't read the next one yet, but I am always keeping my eye out for it and now I've found it here! I hope you've liked my review
-an 11 year-old

Into the Land of the Unicorns is a grate book for people at or abuve a fourth grade reading Levle. Thier is nothing boring about it. I liked it so mutch that after 10 mins after I got it I had like three chapters finished. It is one of the best books I have ever read. I think this book deserves more than a five star rating. You should defently read it.

this book was written when i was born, and i love it! i love the unicorns and i am hoping to finish my own series called United Unicorns, i hope i can get it pubilshed

My kids really enjoyed me reading a chapter from this book every night after their meditation time. I am about to start reading The Song of the Wanderer to them now that we have finished this book.

I'm half-way through this book and I LOVE it so far!! I'm in school to become a teacher and we're reading this book. It has opened my eyes!!!

My second book by Torey Hayden, but definitely not my last.

ONE CHILD is the story of Sheila, a young girl who was abandoned on the side of a highway by her mother. Now the charge of her drunken father, Sheila is wild, sometimes crazy, and never cries.

What follows after her arrival in Ms. Hayden's classroom (following an incident that is truly chilling) is the relationship that grows, in a short period of time, between Sheila and Torey.

A very good but emotional read. I highly recommend it, and also recommend picking up a copy of The Tiger's Child, which is the continuation of Sheila's story.

At age six, Sheila had already endured a lifetime of horrors. Her mother abandoned her on a highway at age four; her alcoholic father neglected and traumatized her. Thus, it was scarcely a shock to anyone when the coarse, hate-filled child attacked a three-year-old boy, nearly burning him to death.

At such a tender age, Sheila's fate seemed inevitable - a lifetime in a psychiatric ward. Yet while the state awaited placement, they decided to put her in Hayden's special needs classroom.

Initially skeptical of a child with such a background, Hayden nonetheless did her best. Quickly, she glimpsed an intensely intelligent child, who longed for love and acceptance.

This wasn't to say it was an easy job. Nor was there any fairy-tale ending. Often, Sheila went into uncontrollable rages, damaging property, once even throttling pet gerbils when she perceived she had been wronged. Yet after glimpsing the inner Sheila, Torey Hayden refused to give up on her.

Then one day, several months after Sheila arrived in Hayden's classroom, the teacher received a call -- the psychiatric hospital was ready for Sheila. Despite having made a breakthrough with the child, would Sheila's life really be taken away before she had a chance to start it?

As always, Hayden's stories about the children with whom she has worked are deeply moving and memorable. By no means does she attempt to portray herself as a miracle worker; she freely admits her mistakes along with her triumphs as she merely dedicates her life to helping turn young lives around.

Readers interested in learning more about Sheila may be interested in the sequel, The Tiger's Child, which picks up when the girl is 13 and recently reunited with Hayden.

I heard about this book during am assembly and needed a book to read for my english project so i chose this book. Im not a huge fan of non fiction but this book was just amazing!! the writing style the author had made me want to read it more and more and it made me be like woah i cant believe this actually could have happened. I recommend this book to anyone!

This is one I could not put down. Possibly Torey's best book!

Shelia, a bright 6-year-old girl who tied up a 4-year-old and set him on fire and was put in Torey's "crazy kid" class until a space opened up in the State mental hospital for her. She had a high IQ, was a bed wetter, had an abusive, alcoholic father and was abandoned on a freeway by her mother who kept her younger brother. She was quite a terror, but Tory "tamed" her and became very attached to her. She was cut bad by her uncle who raped her and was in the hospital for a month. She was able to enter regular classes again. Very good book, but left you wondering what happened to Sheila. Have to read the sequel: The Tiger's Child

Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

We've got a problem here. On one hand we have...The Andalite Chronicles, far and away the best book in the Animorphs series. Mixing in elements from different genres (plenty of science fiction, a little adventure, a sprinkle of romance (!) and just enough twist to make it superb,)it cumulates in an interesting truth that I never would have guessed, but makes the series so much better. I'd love to tell it here, but no spoilers :(

On the other hand, I would never recommend this series because of the anticlimaxes in the last book. This makes for Elfangor, Loren, Alloran, and Tobias being cheated, but this bright star doesn't balance out book 54 (you can see my review there).

The Andalite Chronicles was one of the best books I've ever read!
When Elfangor and a fellow artish are called to board a Skirt Na ship,he finds two humans,Lorren and Chapman (ring a bell?).Before they return the humans to Earth, they must first go after a second Skirt Na ship which holds the Time Matrix, a deadly weapon.Through their adventure to retrieve the Time Matrix, Elfangor And Lorren fall in love. In the end, Elfangor goes to Earth with Lorren,morphs to human, and marries Lorren. But it soon ends when the Ellimist takes Elfangor back to his people so that one day, he may give the Andalite Morphing power to five human kids.

This book is my favorite of the Megamorphs Alternamorphs etc. except for the Hork-Bajr chronicles. I loved hearing Elfangor's story and learning about Tobias's mother. You also get part of Visser Three's story, and an inside scoop on Arbon and the Taxxons. (The Answer #53)

I think that it is a definate must-read in the series, and it explains a lot. For some parts of it, it helps if you have read a few other books in the series.

"Just give the humans over to the captain,they aren't your problem." I was wrong, the humans were my problem. Infact,I was about to have alot of problems.' These are the words and thoughts of Elfangor Sirrinial Shamtul,an Andalite aristh or cadet in training to become a warrior. The Andalites and the Yeerks have been at war for many years. Neither side seems to be able to destroy the other. Arasth Elfangor has has been called to the battle bridge, to be sent on a mission within the hour. The mission that will change his life forever. This is a colorful book in which Applegate throws in some good descriptions of what is happening at the time. *A thrilling book that keeps the pages turning. Visser Three's story is also told in this story. It tells who is responsible for creating the abombination that calls itself Visser Three,the only Yeerk to have aquired and Andalite body. Let us hope he is the last. When danger rears its ugly head, Elfangor puts his hoof down and stands up to the Visser. A must read.

Here I am back again on my quest to reread and review all of the Animorphs books in the series. I noticed there are other reviewers who are older than the target audience, and I'm one of Those out there who enjoyed the series even though it "was for kids." This novel has a broad based appeal to it, for many reasons, and on many levels.

This book is more in depth and has better character development/longer story than most of the others simply because its twice as long in page count. For some readers, like myself, that's an advantage, but for others who have less patience for reading, this probably isn't a good one to start out with. The novel stands fine on its own, but reading the rest of the series of Animorphs 1-13 would be helpful, if not critical to understanding the small bits and parts to the plot.

The main character is Elfangor, known in books 1-13 as the dying alien called an Andalite who gave five young humans the ability to become any animal they touch. This process, called "morphing" was technology known only to the Andalites until that time. This novel tells the story of his life from the time he enters the military, until his gruesome death which began the Animorphs series in book #1: The Invasion. Full of fire to leave his cadet status behind and become a full warrior, Elfangor finds himself and a fellow cadet in a small mission which balloons out into something much larger. What begins as a standard boarding of a Skrit-Na ship (think the famous aliens from Close Encounters, although they're expanded on as having two different life cycles in the book), lands two humans in Elfangor's daily life. One of them is a girl named Loren, and the other is a name fans will recognize from previous series, Chapman. The humans were abducted by the Skrit-Na as either medical experiment fodder or to be placed in a zoo, and they're promised to be returned home. Elfangor and his comrade Aubron are assigned with a less-than-favored War Prince to take the humans back to earth, erase their memories, and send them on their way. It turns out, however, that Aubron learns something from the data downloaded from the Skrit-Na records, and to the entire crews amazement, they have a location for the most powerful weapon ever known, the Time Matrix. Believed to be a creation of the Ellimists, it has the ability to alter history itself, wiping out entire races before they ever have a chance to exist. As if the fact this super weapon has been found is not enough, its destination is enough to knock the Andalites off of their hooves. The Time Matrix is destined for the Taxxon home world, which is riddled with their most vile enemy, the Yeerks. They will not hesitate to use it as a weapon of mass destruction or worse. Taxxons and Yeerks have an alliance, the huge centipede like Taxxons become voluntary hosts for the parasitic, slug like Yeerks. Their home world is far from any place either cadet wants to go, but duty demands they grow up very quickly and go to war if necessary. The chase for the Time Matrix results in both action, humor, and tragedy as the reader is introduced to who we know as the ultimately evil Visser Three. There are several interesting twists and turns to this book, although nothing which immediately leaps out until the end. It's a very well written, well thought out story with the usual blend of suspense, battle, humor, fleshes out more thoroughly what the Andalite world and life is like, and a story about growing up. In my opinion, part of the appeal which reaches all audiences of all ages is we can relate to the characters. We feel for Elfangor, even as he has to make some harsh decisions, such as killing thousands of defenseless Yeerks. Even if they're his enemy, is that not murder? Will he defy direct orders of his commander and ruin his future by doing what he thinks is right? Is it truly right at all? These aren't the main points of the book, as it focuses on the story itself much more. They do, however, exist, just as the strength of the human spirit is shown with Loren, and the devious greed and darker side of human nature is displayed by Chapman. At one point, he tries to strike a trade with the Visser by selling out the entire planet earth to be slaves. In contrast, Loren's inner strength keeps the Visser from completely taking control of the awesome power of the Time Matrix. This book also gives a very, very interesting twist to the character of Tobias. That one, I admit, caught me completely off guard, and Tobias fans will love it. What's told in this book is important in some of the others in the series which come after it, particularly those which deal with Tobias directly. All in all, this is a very good book which is well written, and an overall good read. It's a very refreshing approach to Sci Fi, taking a very old idea of time travel or meddling with time and remaking it to be new again.

I loved this book as a kid and now own it and read it to my kids. I love everything about it (the pictures and the story).

This is an all around great book! We have loved reading this book over and over. It brings a smile to your face and lifts you up! As authors ourselves, it is inspirational to see books written by other authors.
Darla, Sydney and Jimmy Batchler

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

This book has been one of my favorite children's book since I was young. Today i find it as an inspiration that a book can stay with a child throughout their entire life.

This book is my proclaimed favorite book of all my childhood. I read this book so much that I had to buy a replacement for it when I was 18 because the original was falling apart. I cannot wait for the birth of my daughter so I can read to her about the silly story of a town that receives its food from the sky until the weather makes a turn for the worse. The pictures still crack me up, and the detail is quite nice. As I grew older I searched for different foods and hidden details in the illustrations. I always liked the length of this book, because most bedtime stories seemed too short for me. I grew up an avid reader from a family with little time or money to keep me occupied, getting my amusement from books.

I can't believe this book has 5 stars. . I'm so confused. I bought this book for my kids for Christmas after reading the rave reviews...and I can't express how completely disappointed I am. Rather than being "whimsical" the book was more "disturbing" with a touch of "nauseating". After I read this book to my six year old she offered to take it to her school and donate it to the school library. . . that oughta tell you something.

When I saw this book on Martha Stewarts' program, I knew I had to purchase it as a gift for my son-in-law who collects Star Wars items. This pop-up book is so creative and my son-in-law loves it , as well as, my two grandsons.

I originally bought this for my 38 yr old brother who is a die-hard Star Wars fan. When I received it I was so impressed that I had to order one for my husband too. I also couldn't help but show everyone at work how cool it was and they also ended up ordering them for their sons and husbands! The price is great for the quality!

I purchased one of these for my 5 year old son and one for my 10 year old nephew - a big hit with both of them. This would suit a Star Wars fan of any age really, as it's jam packed with information and the pop-up spaceships, creatures and planets are amazing.

Very impressive book. Love the POP-up pictures. He is 7 and is into Star Wars.

I was floored when we opened this book! I have never seen such an intelligent way of creating a pop-up book in my life! There are sooo many pop-ups with excellent descriptions and at the end, real light-up lightsabers of two main characters. Unbelievable and worth the money!!

As a native Oregonian, the attraction of reading a diary of one who made the Oregon Trail journey was met with eager anticipation. Early on, the diary though very interesting, soon became a series of calamities that left the reader thinking, what else could this poor family possibly endure? As the journey continued, it became apparent that the author had taken great liberty and creative license to spice up this historical adventure. By the end of the diary it was discovered that this work was fiction, which resulted in great disappointment, leaving the reader feeling mislead. As a work of fiction based on possible Oregon Trail experiences, this book proves to be entertaining, however it is not a true diary.

It has been years since I have read this book. I can still, to this day, remember the effect this book had on me. I was eight or nine at the time. I remember reading the diary entries and feeling as if I were right there next to Hattie, walking in the dirt or the snow. I cried at times when something bad had happened to Hattie or the people around her. I felt compassion, and found myself wanting to reach into the book and help the people myself. I learned many things about life in that time period that I had never known. I had learned about pioneers in school, but I never imagined that it would be as hard or as rewarding of an experience for them to go through.

The book made an impact on me from page one. I highly recommend it.

This book is a great one. It is about a girl named Hattie and about her life going on the Oregon Trail. She faces many troubles and all the things that happened to her. It is very emotional. There's good times : ) and bad times : ( . But it all works out well!!!!!( I hope I didn't spoil the ending for you!!!!) : )

I read this when it first came out, when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I loved this story and could not put it down. Plus, when we started talking about the Oregon Trail in class, I was really interested in it and prepared for it. It is my favorite book of the Dear America series, and it is one of the most amazing children's story ever. The only criticism I can make is that sometimes it is hard to sympathize with Hattie; she is not the best Dear America character.

I love 'Oregon Trail' stories and this one was no exception. The story is stunningly written, and a careful line is trod between emphasizing the dangers and discomforts of the trail without making the story seem scary or unpleasant to the reader.

My only real gripe about this book (and not even a big enough gripe to drop a star, so take it for the whining that it is) is that the adult characters can be pretty stupid at times. I know this is a staple of children's literature in order to forment conflict (after all, conflict couldn't form very easily if all these adults were competant), but it's simply infuriating that the two resident thieves in the group are continually treated with 'Christian charity' in an atmosphere where one's possessions often meant the difference between life and death. It may seem very natural, to our modern American eyes, to overlook the theft of a sweater, but when that's the only sweater a child owns and a cold night is falling, you can bet that is a much bigger deal than previously realized.

Nevertheless, this book is still superb. Buy it, read it, enjoy it. Just be prepared to explain to your children that being 'charitable' doesn't mean you have to be a victim.