Young Adult Books

This book is one of my new favs. It's a great story, and it made me smile. It's a bit diffrent from the movie, (the ending) but it will make you laugh.

but with a few twists here and there and much more in the way of detail and character development. Lots of fun, humor and really allows you to understand more about the cultures involved.

The narrative by the precocious (and somewhat obnoxious) high school girl Momoko Ryugasaki begins with a lengthy tutorial on everything that you could possibly want to know (and perhaps a good deal more)about the sixteenth-century Rococo origins of the Lolita style. She doesn't particularly care about what the reader (or anyone else) thinks, but her candor and perspective on life is endearing enough to keep one reading.

She is a refined and fashionable young lady who circumstance has sadly stranded in a rural and distant suburb of Tokyo. But it also leads her to Ichigo Shirayuri, a tough, yanki biker chick who, at first, seems to be Momoko's exact opposite. Through this odd relationship, Takemoto crafts a story with remarkable subtlety and power. In spite of his incredibly detailed knowledge of the Lolita and yanki lifestyles, his real genius is his understanding and portrayal of human nature and relationships. Just as the bond that forms between Momoko and Ichigo grows to transcend their differences, the real meaning of the story deepens to expand beyond the bounds of culture and lifestyle. And from a reader who has little interest in fashion or motor scooters, Kamikaze Girls gets a five-star rating and a place among what I consider the masterpieces of modern Japanese fiction.

awesome book. one of those books u can finish in one sitting cos its just so entertaining! definitely a one of a kind story. i wish there were more books like this one.

okay probably not words you think of when you think of a Japanese novel about a Yanki and a Elegant Gothic Lolita. Probably few if anyone that reads manga would probably even think to pick up the book. Yet I say EVERY girl should read it.
Because, its about the bonds that are the very beginning of any life long friendship. The friendships that actually last and will stand the tests of what ever is thrown at one during life, and what you'll throw back at life to keep that friendship.

Its just a wonderful book, that every girl should read. Even if its about two wildly different Japanese girls and neither is really a 'mainstream underground' in America, everyone LUVS a E.G.L. and who doesn't want to be a big bad Yanki sometimes?

word of warning, there is some cussing. artfully and tastefully done. and yes I apply those types of words to cussing.

I like Laurels's character the most. She have the same character as i am-shy. well, it's a sad story considering the fact that daisy's died in a car accident. it's a touching story but, hey, i luv it! :)i hope that diane will write more books like this!

luv, matul

This was my favorite book of all times. It was very realistic, and some of the stuff in this book reminded me of some people i've known. It is a very true story. And I recommend this book to anyone.

This was such a great book.
Whoevers looking to read it
It shares moments of happiness, mourning, exitement.
It shows there is nothing greater than true love.
There are mixed emotions.
If you are looking for a great read
Read THE YEAR I TURNED SIXTEEN
LAUREL

After reading this book about twice, I thought the author did a remarkable job with this book. It is a touching story about a young woman named Laurel who struggles with family trials after her sister Lily sadly dies. To find out what happens next, read the book! I would reccomend it to anyone who loves to read!

This is the third book of a 4-book series. There are 4 sisters, and there is a book for each sister for the year they turned 16. Each book is written in first-person by that particular sister. The sisters, in order from oldest to youngest, are: Rose, Daisy, Laurel, and Lily.

This book is about the third sister, Laurel May Walker. Laurel's interest is animals. She has lots of pets; she loves to rescue and save animals; and she works at the Wildlife Rescue Center.

Laurel is shy and likes to wear overalls. She is better with animals than with people. She is not good at speaking in front of a crowd. Will she start dating her best guyfriend? Is he the one for her? But there is also a guy who works at the Wildlife Rescue Center that she thinks is wonderful. (But he already has a girlfriend - shucks.)

The 4 sisters have a wonderful relationship with each other. Their mother Maggie is the best and most wonderful mother in the world. She deeply and truly loves her daughters unconditionally. The whole family loves and appreciates each other.

This book is not just about a girl turning 16. It is about family. The important bonds of family love, linking the past, present, and future. If you don't get anything else out of this book, the book will have been worth reading just for that.

You don't have to necessarily read each book, but I would highly recommend that you do. You will enjoy the books a lot more if you read them all, and read them in order. More of the events and characters will be familiar and will be more meaningful if you've read the previous books.

Fred Neff has done a commendable job drawing together commando techniques and tactics for self-defense in his book Lessons from the Fighting Commandos. It provides training built on centuries of development of fighting techniques and tactics in the western sports of boxing and wrestling. When Fred Neff wrote this book in the 1980's it was a pioneering effort that made people aware of the rich heritage of fighting moves available from western sources. Since this book's publication through modern kick-boxing, tough man battles and other fighting tournaments that allow contestants to use Asian and/or western fighting techniques, the strengths of western fighting have been proven. Fred Neff's Lessons from the Fighting Commandos provides valuable information in a coherent, brief and well-composed manner. There are chapters in Fred Neff's book on answers to common questions, physical conditioning, fighting posture, manner of movement, punching, kicking, dodging, blocking, combinations of fighting moves, combining boxing and grappling and strategy. One really unique aspect of this book is the information it supplies on fighting an opponent once you have been thrown to the floor. Another valuable chapter deals with fighting strategy. Fred Neff has crafted a book that brings out the best of western self-defense in an interesting and useful manner. Woven throughout the book is a non-violent approach to defending oneself, which is commendable in and of itself. Lessons From the Fighting Commandos is a book that is well worth reading and studying.

My first introduction to Lessons from the Fighting Commandos was after I had acheived a black belt grade in Japan. When I first started graduate studies here in the United States, I found there was no one to practice my style of karate in the area where I was going to school. After a few months, I did meet another graduate student who had also earned his black belt in a style of Okinawan Karate that in some ways was very similar to my own art. One night we were at a local nightspot and a local tough guy picked a fight with my friend. My friend proceeded to fight this guy in the same way he handled me in sparring, which proved to be a disaster. The tough guy ended up taking my friend to the ground and pummeling him. After the fight my friend and I agreed that he had failed to assess his opponent's strengths and weaknesses and used the one-type-of-fighting-fits-all approach that we had both been taught. A few weeks later my friend found a copy of Fred Neff's Lessons from the Fighting Commandos. This book teaches you to adapt to the needs of the moment. While my previous training in karate had taught me technique, it did not teach me the all-important lesson of adaptation. The more my friend and I studied Lessons from the Fighting Commandos the more we appreciated its lessons. Frankly, this book's messsage of learning how to size up an opponent's strengths and weaknesses and develop a strategy is essential to good self-defense. A few months later my friend and I ran into the supposedly invincible tough guy at a local fast food joint and again he proceeded to pick a fight with my friend. They had a rematch, but with much different results. This time my friend used a hit and move strategy that eventually resulted in the tough guy finding himself on the ground hurt and worn out physicallly and mentally. My friend had not used the one-strike-will-end-the-fight approach that we had been taught in our respective arts, nor the charge in and hit with a quick series of open hand blows taught by some other schools; instead he used an approach taught in Lessons from the Fighting Commandos--that of out-thinking and manipulating his opponent. It has been many years since graduate school and I now live in an area where finding people to work out with is much easier. I still practice and greatly appreciate my style of Japanese Karate, but I also regularly work into my practice routine techniques and strategies taught in Lessons from the Fighting Commandos. I have introduced Lessons from the Fighting Commandos to my sparring partners, who also find it a valuable resource. This book is truly outstanding and well deserving of a 5-star rating. It is an essential resource for those interested in martial arts and self-defense.

A super present that I got for Christmas this year was a book by Fred Neff on the Fighting Commandos. I especially like this book's coverage of topics not normally discussed in other books on fighting techniques such as defending against hand and foot attackes from different ranges and in prolonged fighting situations. Unlike the typical karate books, Lessons from the Fighting Commandos covers basic grappling maneuvers and defenses when forced to fight on the ground. This book is solid platinum from cover to cover in its exploration and explanation of how to fight.

The other day I again came upon Fred Neff's book "Lessons from the Fighting Commandos," a book that I can best characterize as a classic in the field of self-defense. Years ago, as a high school wrestler, I thought I was really a tough guy until I took a beating at a party from a bigger guy. To add insult to injury, he told me that the next time he ran into me I could expect an even greater beating. Given the size of my hometown, it was inevitable that I was in for another beating. My pride was hurt and I made up my mind that if we were going to fight again, I was going to be on the winning end. A friend of my older brother, who had been away from town for several years serving in the military, recommended that I read a book on fighting commandos written by a great fighting master, the book was Fred Neff's Lessons from the Fighting Commandos. I read the book cover to cover and then started to use it as a practice guide. Every day I practiced the fighting moves from boxing and wrestling contained in the book. Within a short time, I felt confident enough to take on the bigger guy that had given me the beating. We ended up running into each other at a local hangout in a shopping area and as expected he picked a fight. This time I used the fighting tactics that I learned in Lessons from the Fighting Commandos and won. My friends made a hero of me because of my win. Lessons from the Fighting Commandos gave me more than fighting skills, it taught me the value of practice, adapting a winning strategy in dealing with an opponent's aggression and the power of thinking your way out of a problem. This is a five star book all the way, that really packs a powerful punch and will be appreciated by anyone who takes the time to read it.

A friend recently purchased this book for me knowing my interest in hand-to-hand combat and fighting techniques. This is an excellent book! It is jam packed with useful information while at the same time it is concise and to the point. The photographs illustrating each step of the techniques is terrific. The pictures provide step-by-step illustrations of the described techniques. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about hand-to hand fighting techniques. I found the approach taken by the author to be one that I can highly recommend to anyone, from child to adult, who is interested in self-defense.

The Line is a well spun story with the most intriguing subtleties. The search for a young girl's identity, her power, and her sense of place are the overriding themes in this delightfully feminist story of a high school girl in a marching band. There is something here for everybody. Courtney has created an endearing character in Lucy Karate who gains her strength and stands up in the face of intimidation. Great job on this work of literature!

I am a sophomore in high school, I am on the drum line, and I play 2nd bass. The Line is the most amazing book I've read. This book captures what being a girl on a drum line is like. It's freaky how much I have in common with Lucy. 5'4" burnett, girl, 2nd bass drumer, I feel the same way about my boys on the line, I feel the same way about the whole 'for a girl' thing. Its so weird, it was partly like reading about me. I can relate to so much of this in the book, except the whole dating two guys at once and having to choose thing.

This is deffinetly my favorite book ever. I love how its about a girl durmmer that plays bass and works hard for evreything and wants to keep going. I love how there are deffinitions to different things at the begginging of each chapter. I love the whole story line, its amazing.

I recommend this book to everyone, drummer or not. It is truely an amazing book. Every time I picked it up I didn't want to put it down, I got so into it.


go out, buy it, and read it!!

The items were easy to order and arrived in the timeframe stated. Very happy with the service and item that was purchased. Would definitely use this buyer again.

THE LINE is a novel for all those band geeks out there. If you are a percussionist, you'll feel right at home as the Forrest Hills High School drum line prepares for a new season of football games and competitions.

Lucy has spent weeks preparing for her audition to be a member of The Battery. Once she makes it, she finds out that being the only girl on the line has special challenges. Especially when the hot cymbal player she's been crushing on leaves no doubt that he's interested in a relationship. Lucy will have a boyfriend to take her to the homecoming dance!

But, of course, it's not that simple. Lucy has also met another guy and can't stop thinking about him. That fact that he's the Captain of the rival drum line makes the situation even more complicated. Is it possible to date two guys from different schools? Should she tell them about each other? What if they find out that they are competitors, not only for Lucy, but on the drum line competition field as well?

Once Lucy opts for truth, she realizes it's not fair to the boys who both want to date her exclusively. Who will she choose? Nevada, the flashy cymbal player from her own line? Or Sam, from the rival line, who liked her even after finding out who she was? Will Lucy find out the secret that has fueled the rivalry between the two drum lines? And who is that mysterious cyber-buddy that's always on-line for her?

The beginning of this book is a little slow starting, with a fair amount of telling. But don't let that discourage you. Lucy will draw you in. The fun tension between the drum lines and the boys will make you want to read on. You will inevitably pick who you want Lucy to choose and you won't be disappointed. It took me back to my band days, those bus trips, the pranks in the band room, and the rush you feel when you compete with high honors. My 12-year-old daughter took this book away from me and read it in a day. She and I agree that this book was a fun read with a highly satisfying ending.

Reviewed by: Cana Rensberger

Courtney Brandt is quite the up and coming author, writing an entertaining and engaging story that highlights the band world as well as much of the drama during teenage years.

A good read - it'll leave you either reminiscing about band days long ago or psyching you up for the next season.

I am a young "Anglo-American" (white) girl living in a Texas/Mexican border town with a 98% hispanic community, and am on my way to learning the language fluently. I read this book in my Spanish class, and nearly died from the beauty of this book! It has helped me along with recognizing and comprehending Spanish along with leaving me a satisfied reader. Someday when I speak fluent Spanish, I will read this to my daughter and am sure it will be her favorite bed-time story. :-)

Seeing as though I couldn't get the real Marianela quickly, this one suited quite well, perhaps even better. I had to write a paper on it and the simplified language made mush easier to understand.

Pablo, a rich blind boy is madly in love with poor Marianela. Things go smooth until renowned Doctor Teodoro Golfín offers to cure up Pablo's eyes. Marianela, who thinks she is ugly is afraid that when he starts seeing, he'll see how ugly(on the surface) she really is. Her fears are confirmed when he falls for his beautiful cousin Florentina, who doesn't treat Marianela too well. She is so attached to Pablo that if she doesn't look beautiful for him, she won't be any use to him. A very destructive point of view which she sticks to. It's a tragic ending but it's common in most Spanish-language stories.

What is the actual implication of this fictitious work? Isn't there a serious, profound and truthful lessons in this love story so down-to-earth but yet so complex?

Marianela, a love story published in 1878 portrays a relationship between a blind man and his guide-- not beautiful a woman, whom he imagines attractive. Loving him she worries that once the man recovers his eyesight realizes she is not as pretty as he thinks her to be.

The author wisely crafts an interesting symbolism between the capacity to see, which is always spiritual and emotional, and on the other hand the human eyesight which can be inadequate, restrictive and misleading.

The implication that runs through the whole story is that adversity is a blessing in disguise, since blindness forces him to be humble enough to perceive the beauty she and others manifest. Once he recovers his eyesight and sees her for the first time with his human eyes, he rejects her.

Wasn't he in possession of real sight while blind than when he was able to recover his sight and to humanly see? Isn't Perez Galdos message, that the capacity to see and understand is mental, emotional and not necessarily physical?

Finally I can say this classic must be understood as a lesson on the spiritual superiority over the evidence presented by the human senses. This emotionally complex story has a symbolism, it will teach a lesson to whoever is receptive enough to its deeper meaning.

I must admit that this book didn't pick my interest when I started reading it in My Spanish AP class in high school. Now after reading it I have to say that this book is wonderfully written and very educational.
Marianela is a girl who lives in The Mines of Socartes, she is the guide of a rich boy who suffers fom blindness Pablo. I loved Marianela's character since the first pages, she is so full of life, so innocent. All her life she lived out of the pity of others but it didn't matter to her. Pablo "said" he loved her and she lived in this illusion where she thought that she would finally be loved and not criticized by her looks.
Then, everything changed when Teodoro Golfin, a miracle doctor gave Pablo his sight. That's when everything changed. When Pablo saw what Marianela really looked like, he just started treating her horribly. Where did all his love go? I have to say that by the end of the book I hated Pablo with a passion. How can someone be so cynical as to tell a person how beautiful she is without really seeing the exterior appearance and then being disgusted by what he sees when he looks at how that person really looks? Sadly that's what happens with Pablo and it would have been better if he had stay blind.
This book bring some things that are really important. True beauty is on the inside, never judge someone by their exterior appearace because you might be surprised. True beauty is not something that you can see or touch, beauty has to be felt.
I highly recomend this book, it will touch your heart I promise

I basically agree with all the reviews so far. I read this in my teens and it left a lasting impression on me. I've re-read it since on a fairly regular basis. Brilliant evocation of an early culture far removed from our own but peopled with those whose emotional reactions one can so empathise with - doubt, uncertainty and deepening friendship.

I am delighted it is back in print, although a bit ambivalent about the cover design. When will "The Sword at Sunset" be re-printed - preferably unabridged and with the map that some of the early editions had?

I really love this book. I picked it up in high school for a book report and got sucked into Rosemary Sutcliff's world. I'm glad to see a new printing is coming out, because you couldn't find this book anywhere, and the copy I have I stole from school, that's how much I love this book. I also highly recommend The Sword and the Circle, a telling of the Arthurian legend.

The "Mark of the Horse Lord" is a beautifully written story of loyalty, honor and sacrifice. The ancient Scottish setting and characters are masterfully portrayed and the story line grabs the reader on the first page and holds on tight to the very end!
Rosemary Sutcliff writes wonderfully engaging historical novels. While her books give the reader a great feel for the time period and setting, story line is never compromised! Most of her books are written for children and young adults, however, this book is more appropriate for adults and older teens. Younger readers may find the wording a little difficult to follow. Highly recommended!

One of Rosemary Sutcliff's best books is back in print. Several of her titles have been unavailable for years: Dawn Wind, Knight's Fee, The Shield Ring, Frontier Wolf, Sword at Sunset, The Mark of the Horse Lord.

Previous reviewers have provided a plot summary of this book; please see their comments on the story.

Like much of her work, TMOTHL is based on real events. Sutcliff is perhaps the finest children's historical novelist. Folks of all ages enjoy reading her work. She could research an episode in Britain's past and add memorable people and descriptive period language. The resulting tale would be true to history and her characters' humanity. As other reviewers have stated, "She makes you believe it happened just this way."

I hope Front Street Publishing succeeds with Horse Lord, and decides to bring back more Sutcliff books currently out of print.

If I were sent to a deserted island with as many books as there are fingers on my right hand, this would be one of them. I found this book in its original edition in a small town library over twenty years ago and have sought it out in every library in every town I've been in since. Its that kind of story.

If the heart of a good story is the soul-journey taken by the main character, then this book deserves a place in the canon of great literature because Phaedros' journey is truly epic, starting tightly coiled within his own needs, spiraling outward with each challenge he faces, finally culminating in the most magnificently expansive act a man can perform.

Images from this story will rematerialize in the reader's mind long after the back cover is closed upon the bittersweet ending. Highly recommended.

As an aside, if you have read Megan Whalen Turner's Thief series you may have noticed that she also apparently is an admirer of Sutcliff. I'm pretty certain she has planted some pointed references to this book and Eagle of the Ninth in her own books. Anyone else spot those?

The best book I've read since Deathly Hallows!
It's a great start to the series, but not much info about the outside world. Otherwise, it's amazing. Basil the wrathmonk shrinks Measle down to the size of a paperclip. By the time he's back to normal... well; you should read the book!

Throw in an ordinary boy named Measle, a completely insane dark wizard, a mysterious train set, 6 very small people, 1 very little brave dog, and a whole dump truck full of danger and you've got a wonderful adventure story with non-stop action and magic.

Out of all the books I've gone through, this is by far the best in all aspects of reading. If you don't believe me, read it yourself. =)))

My 1st grader thoroughly enjoyed this book being read to him, he found Measle's dog hilarious. We have just bought the next two, Measle and the Dragodon, Measle and the Mallockee.

Measle and the Dragodon is the sequel to the successful Measle and the Wrathmonk and the second in Ian Ogilvy's epic Measle series of book which chronicle the adventures of Measle Stubbs. These books are very entertaining as they are a bit like Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events but with magic. The second book is sort of an epic, quest type of story in which Measle is living with his doting parents in glam Merlin Manor when they are kidnapped by a gang of Wrathmonks [mad warlocks] who want revenge for the death of Measle's ex-guardian, Basil Tramplebone [he got what he deserved]. The Wrathmonks take Measle's parents to the Isle of Smiles, a sinister abandoned theme-park in the middle of the ocean. The Wrathmonks are being manipulated by a creature whose name isn't revealed but who is the last survivor of a powerful race of beings known as the Dragodons. Now Measle must go on a quest to the Isle of Smiles, into the catacombs and engage the Dragodon in an almighty battle with the fate of the world at stake.
A dramatic climax, a good villain, a convincing plot and rather disgusting [Roald Dahl disgusting, not vulgar disgusting]humour make Measle and the Dragodon an entertaining book to say the least. I'm currently on the third in the series, Measle and the Malockee.

I really really like this book and have read it several times. I hope other readers won't be intimidated by the creepy cover and title because trust me, if you read this you'll want your own copy. This book is really exciting and suspenseful.

Ever since my introduction to this webcomic two years ago, I have thoroughly enjoyed my weekly adventures into the world of Megatokyo and the misadventures of Piro and Largo, two American gamers stranded in Japan. (A circumstance that is entirely their own fault, I might add.)
Fred Gallagher and Dark Horse Comics combined to produce this wonderful print copy of Chapters 1 and 2 of the Megatokyo story, adding the highly amusing, if painful to see, SGD strips and a new section collecting the drawings of Piro and Largo's gameworld and an excellent short story based on that world. I hope to see more print editions of Megatokyo and maybe even a continuation of the Endgames story. Highly, highly recommended.

I must say, congrats to Fred for getting picked up by Dark Horse!

This is an amazing comic, been reading it now for... 2 years or so I think.. Keeps you coming back for more all the time.

As for book 2.. A much better quality than book one was by IronCat.. I have the IronCat book 1, but as soon as Dark Horse relases it, I'm getting that one as well.

This is a must read for everyone, this WILL become the staple must read for all manga fans, as much as Akira and Ghost In The Shell is for anime fans.

Can @nyone sp3ak l33t? L3t @lon3 underst@nd i7? I c@n kind@. I @bsolutely luv thi$ b00k. I s@y u @ll should read it at least 0nce!

The first book, in my opinion, is a necessity to every person who reads these types of books. But really, after Rodney Caston left, I've noticed the story's decline from the funny video game and computer jokes to a story running around Tokyo with a confusing romance-esque story. Sure, Fred wanted to go his own way, but I really felt it lost it's charm after that. Now the only thing Largo does is say "3V1L" and "L33t" in awkward places... then blows things up. Sounds cool, but really repetitive.

This installment of Megatokyo is a big improvement from volume one. The most noticeable change is the lack of notes at the bottom of each page. Those really slowed down the first book. The other improvements are character development and story complexity.

There is good news for Chobits fans. The PS2 accessory, Ping, takes on a bigger roll this time. Also Erika and Hayasaka are drawn so you can tell them apart.

Unfortunately, the stick figures from the first book are present in volume two, but it's only for two pages.

Volume two definitely has a high school feel to it, opposed to the PS2 feel of the first. I enjoyed seeing Largo teach English. It's good to have him doing something constructive. Although in the end, I was rooting for Piro.

Cooper's first two novels (Amnesia and Delirium) are amazing books and deal with very subtle corners of human mind; they left me nightmarish for days, and they are not terror novels, they are just extremely disturbing. I love them both: they are intelligent and strange and rich in every sense.

I ordered Milrose Munce as soon as I realized it was published, and was not dissapointed. It is written by the same witty and inteligent author, although in his playful side...and he certainly has one. If you want to check that out, look into his web page, dysmedia.com.

I'm extremely happy that this book exists, and hope to see it translated into many languages soon.

Do read it!

f you're bored of reading what everybody else is reading then you're
going to be a happy girl when you pick this book up. It's the most
unboring thing I've read this year, actually that's an insult, it's
GUT RIOT HILARIOUS and actually really smart. Thisis the kind of book
Emily the Strange would write if she wrote books, or she'd at least
want someone to write this book about her. Actually there are a lot
of characters which remind me of Emily the Strange, so if you like
that whole thing, or love it like I do you should definitely
DEFINITELY read MM.

Lad, I regret to inform you that your book is wonderful; sweet and weird and irreverent, absurdly light on its feet -- and infectious in timbre. I'm not particularly inclined to be so supportive -- leastways not 'til you come across with a little quid pro quo -- but the goofy good mood engendered by
the book so demands. Consider me a reluctant convert. I'll buy plenty.

Eh, I don't buy much other than graphic novels these days. Not because I'm illiterate, but because they're just BETTER, for the most part. I was pressured to buy Milrose Munce, because a friend of mine - brilliant cartoonist - is in love with the cover. So I bought it, and read it, and... Damn. The novel's EXCELLENT, it's hilarious. (So's the cover, btw - this SHOULD be a graphic novel.) If you haven't heard about it yet, it's an ridiculously wacky Young Adult novel - more like a spoof of YA, for kids who are too self-consciously ironic to read the really sappy stuff. It has THE weirdest love story I've ever encountered (and I've seen some strange ones). Buy it. And frame the cover. Do it now.

A cunningly subversive young-adult novel from one of the only living writers of English who knows how to craft a sentence.

Nearly every sentence in this book is elegantly fashioned. Some examples:

"Milrose did sometimes wonder whether his school produced more dead students than the average."

"No, he had never been the sort of boy to laugh at his own shortcomings, and when the pellets he dramatically swallowed turned out to be not Vitamin C but instead expensive first-class rat poison, he was deeply annoyed."

"Being late for Math was something Milrose occasionally enjoyed, and yesterday had felt like the right kind of day to be irresponsible."

"The dear decayed on the third floor were nothing like the dull dead on the floors below."

"Kelvin bent to sit down, and immediately shattered into ice cubes, which melted mournfully all over the floor."

"On a tedious Monday a few months back Kelvin had been particularly inspired."

"The gigglers became squealers as the skeleton whirled daintily in their direction."

"Mr. Loosten, who affected an insincere, jocular informality with the students, sat partially on the desk, with one foot on the floor and the other swinging."

"She was wearing faded crushed velvet, once something like violet: a dress far too long for her, and whose worn fringe trailed behind her like the train of a weird wedding gown."

"It was a game of chicken, but slow and infinitely strange."

"The hallway itself turned that way, and all they had to do was follow it."

"The words _comfortable_ and _cozy_ seemed to vie with each other for status as the bigger whopping lie with respect to Massimo Natica's den."

"Displayed in various places around the den were singular objects, some propped against the walls, others in glass vitrines---possessions that were clearly dear to the den's proprietor."

"Although he wasn't entirely keen to, Milrose opened one of the drawers. The drawer was clearly teasing him."

"Each had a tiny bulb above the drawer's metal-framed label, and these bulbs all seemed on the verge of winking out completely."

Dennis Anthony Cooper may be his generation's Nabokov.

---Joseph Suglia, the author of WATCH OUT

I was thrilled to find that the story of Modac has been written as a children's picture book. I read the book Modac to my fifth grade class and they sat enraptured. My small grandchildren listen just as intently to the picture book.When they are older, I'll read Modoc aloud to them too. There are many lessons woven in this story. The love between a boy and an elephant, courage, faith, perseverance, and keeping a promise. I promise you won't be disappointed when you choose this book.

Fabulous account of a true story interpreted from the novel, "Modoc", for children of all ages with beautiful illustrations and a condensed but still touching story.

This story alone is incredible. Add the beautiful illustrations, and you have a truly wonderful book! EXCELLENT! I can't say enough good things about it. Everyone should read this story! Highly recommended!

I just read this for the first time yesterday with my daughter.
This is an amazing story with beautiful illustrations by Ted Lewin.
A wonderful book!

This was a wonderful "trip" through the lives of the two main characters. It is so awesome, you have trouble believing everything that happens to both of them on their life journey. You will not be able to put this book down. My husband, who hardly ever reads, would not put it down until he was finished. It brought tears to his and my eyes. Can't say enough.