Short Stories Books

A Band of Angels is a moving story by Deborah Hopkinson based on real events and people from history. The book is appropriate for readers in third through fifth grade, and would particularly be appropriate for those studying American history in the late 1800s. The experiences and emotions that Ella faces in the book provide a good depiction of the feelings and events people encountered during that time period in a subtle way. The watercolor and colored pencil illustrations are presented in soft and appropriate colors that are well-suited to the text. The pictures are unique examples of the illustrator, Raul Colon's work, and add to the mood and setting of the story. Overall, A Band of Angels is a touching story that children can enjoy.

The storyteller, Aunt Beth, relates to her niece the story of her great-great grandmother Ella Sheppard. This is the story of the determination of a girl to save her school by forming a chorus and taking them on tour to raise money. While the story is fiction, Hopkinson reveals in a note at the end of the text that is was inspired by factual events. Raul Colon's earth-toned art gives this book a historical flair. The glowing illustrations are suggestive of old photographs. The child narrator gives the book the personal effect to entice the reader to be indulged. This story illustrates the power of hard work and determination.

If you have read Andrew Ward's new book about the Jubilee Singers, Dark Midnight When I Rise, you will also be interested in this award-winning book that introduces children to their inspiring history.

When I heard about this book on NPR I wished there were more places to hear about children's books like this one. It seems as though bookstores often carry only light and fluffy or series books. I love to share historical fiction with my children and love books like A BAND OF ANGELS.

A Band of Angels tells the story of Grandma Ella, a character who is inspired by Ella Sheppard Moore who was a pianist for the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University. We learn that Grandma Ella was born into slavery and freed at fourteen when the civil war ended. The story details how young Ella worked tirelessly to save money to attend a new school for freed slaves known as Fisk School. After saving her money and arriving at Fisk, Ella continues working so that she can stay in school and also joins the school chorus. In spite of her personal efforts, she still faced the very real possibility of having to leave school because the school itself was experiencing great financial hardship. While school officials had pretty much given up hope of keeping the school open, the school chorus and Professor White, the choir director, believe that they can help save the school by doing concerts throughout the North. The story then chronicles the experiences of the choir which range from jubilant moments to performing in virtually empty concert halls.

A Band of Angels is a book that provides a colorful way to share a proud part of African American heritage with your children. Colon's illustrations add greater depth to the story and will help children better visualize the events that take place. While this is a work of fiction, the story is based on real people who selflessly used their talents to keep Fisk's doors open. The book also provides a good introduction to Negro Spirituals, which were kept alive through the voices of the Jubilee Singers. In addition, readers will see how this brave group of singers would not let racism quiet their talented voices. Above all, the story will help inspire children to hold fast to their dreams in spite of the hurdles or difficulties they may encounter along the way.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

This is a wonderful collection, full of barreling energy and vitality. A brave and precise writer, Ruland explores violence without flinching, and even locates the genuine humor sometimes latent in it. A range of styles keeps this collection fresh and witty. "Kessler Has No Lucky Pants" uses a Q & A format to marvelous effect, while the concise "The Hitman's Handbook" features a mob rub-out from several different points of view. Several stories take "genre" material--mobsters, fairy tales, Western desperadoes--and spin literature out of it. The most striking example is "Red Cap," a pitiless descent into a young girl's experience of war. The writing is inspiring; Ruland never commits a cliché.

Pamela Erens, author: The Understory

Jim Ruland is an incredible writer; his short fiction not only entertains, but provides a blueprint for how short stories really should be written. The problem is, I found it nearly impossible to dissect them and analyze them, because he trapped me; I couldn't step away to take the long view. Each of these 13 tales is compact, unique, surprising. For instance, The Previous Adventures of Popeye the Sailor is a droll take on a pop-culture icon; Red Cap also springs from literary pop--Little Red Riding Hood--but twists the heart and leaves a chill in the stomach. And A Terrible Thing in a Place Like This should be declared a classic for its elegance, visceral impact and masterful, harrowing blend of reality and dreaminess. Wonderful stuff; well worth reading.


Susan O'Neill, author: Don't Mean Nothing: Short stories of Viet Nam

Jim Ruland arises from L.A. like a new John Fante for the post-McSweeney's generation. The diverse stories here are whip-smart, weird, and Imaginative with a capital I. One bad-ass debut collection, Big Lonesome will be beating up and taking the lunch money of lesser collections for years to come. Ruland's genre-twisting genius returns us to the days when reading short stories was fun---Remember? In a book full of innovative characters and circumstances, one highlight is the brilliant title story, a Pynchon-meets-Old-West tale like none you've read before, where even a robot Indian can find love and a mad scientist can try his hand at bounty hunting. I don't know about lonesome, but this collection is big fun.

I enjoyed Big Lonesome, Jim Ruland's debut collection of short stories, immensely. His writing is clean and spare and original; his stories funny and unsettling. Among the faves: Kessler Has No Lucky Pants, a bittersweet comic tale told in interview format; the touching Night Soul Man, one of several of Ruland's stories featuring the charged interplay between man and nature; and Brains for Bengo, the most disturbing story in the bunch. To me, Ruland's writing evokes a distinctly American landscape of love and death, good luck and bad, metal and muscle, the ugly, the wild, the old and the young. He takes contemporary fiction readers out of their comfort zones, but he does it in a generous, human, seemingly effortless way, and delivers on the rewards.

After Sam Lipsyte's HomeLand, Big Lonesome is my second favorite paperback of 2005. Just when it seems language has lost its edge, Ruland comes along and fornicates the hell out of it. Most of these stories will rot your mind faster than a cloud of white phosphorous, and the rest sound great cranked to eleven. I mean it. Ruland's got esprit out the rear. He honors our founding fathers. He knows what to cut and what to kick. And he does not repeat himself, Madame, he does not.

My Dad read this book to me as a child many times. It's a special story. He bought me my own copy as a teenager and now I'm purchasing a copy for my two children. There are very few stories that tell the story of the old west from a bear's perspective. My 8 year old son went to Yellowstone last year and it offers even more meaning to him now. It's a wonderful book for young and old.

My grade two teacher read this book for the class many ,many years ago and it truly touched me. A bear cub who is orphaned at the hands of the human learns to cope and survive to one day exact his revenge on the hated human. The book is written through the eyes of the bear it seems and you can't help but feel his pain and rage as he struggles through life alone. Whab, the name of the bear, is taken advantage of as a cub and through life. As he grows and becomes more bitter and angry,he will at times meet up with his old enemies from the woodland and through his eyes they all seem so much smaller now. This book is not all anger and bitterness but has some very tender moments as well. As well as this book is written, I never imagined I could ever feel pity or sympathy for such a creature as a grizzly. Ernest Thompson seton is a gifted writer and I have passed this gift on to many friends and aquaintances over the years. If you are looking for a book that your children will pass on to thier children for generations ; get this book. D.Seguin Edmonton Canada

I was first introduced to Whab the grizzly bear & his adventures by my mother. Since then I have often read this book to myself, as a small child, as an adolescent & as a grown man. Over the years Whab has become a true friend & there is something comforting about how the grizzly overcomes the challenges he faces throughout his life. Perhaps his challenges are our challenges. I have read this book to my boys & in their classrooms many times & we have discussed lifes lessons as seen through the eyes of Whab. I often give this book to children & to adults as a present.

I haven't read it in decades. I'm buying a copy for my library - maybe I'll be able to read it to the grandkids - or vice versa :) A fairly short story about the life and death of a grizzly. What stands out in my mind after all these years is the way the aging process is made part of life. Probably best for the budding naturalist rather than those who think predation is a dirty word and all carnivores should be muzzled. A great philosophical work for those who want to teach some of Nature's ways to the young. Its a pretty transparent allegory of our lives. Deals (gently but clearly) with topics like death, fear, competition - winning and loosing. I'd say ages 8 to 13, best read together with your child. (At least the first time!) I also loved his Two Little Savages - about camping & the outdoors.

I first read this book as a kid in the 1950's. A neighbor loaned it to me. I was fascinated by it, the first time I had read a book devoted to one animal in a personified way. It still evokes exactly the same feelings now as it did then. While a pure scientist might object to how personified and dramatized it is, based on reading other books on bears and grizzlies in particular, it seems pretty fact-based to me. A reader might wonder where the book, essentially a chronology, is going, but it does build to the conclusion, which is not earth-shattering but as touching and emotional as it is simple. It really conveys many things that we humans can relate to and feel. I've given it to my oldest child to read, and will eventually give it to the others.

The book is an easy read, has a simple style, and really helps the reader picture how things look from the animals' perspective. Animals do have intelligence and emotions, recent learnings show that even sharks do, so this book is probably more relevant and true to life than when it was written.

I recommend it to readers from about age 10 to the oldest adult will all enjoy it and come away thinking and feeling in ways they didn't expect.

kids love listening to this. They learn new words on their own by listening to the tape. If they are having trouble reading, this helps them look and listen to the book. They can follow along.

"Biscuit Finds a Friend" is the most emotionally shattering portrayal of love and loss since "Wuthering Heights". Alyssa Satin Capucilli has written the manifesto of a disenfranchised generation, and the publication of "Biscuit Finds a Friend" represents a watershed moment in the world of fiction. In Biscuit, Capucilli has found a humble hero, a character that speaks quietly, but speaks for a generation nonetheless. In his quest for simple, basic companionship, Biscuit reminds me of Holden Caulfield of Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye," and echoes of the immense effect that "Catcher" had on its generation can be found here. Biscuit, seeking to break free of the shackles of oppression forced upon him by his cruel dominatrix--left nameless, perhaps to create a "Big Brother" atmosphere where authority is nameless but must be obeyed without exception--finds love with a young duckling, who has run away from a broken home where, it is implied, he is malnourished, beaten, and... abused. Much like in "1984," the pair share the happiest of moments, unaware... that the specter of authority dwells all about them, waiting to pounce. When it does, Biscuit and his friend are cruelly separated, returned, respectively, to the doghouse and an abusive household. The story ends with the tragedy of separation, the endless cycle of emotional destruction that has so overwhelmed the generation that will devour "Biscuit Finds a Friend".

In this book Biscuit meets a new friend when he finds a small yellow duckling near the house. Friendly puppy that he is, Biscuit soon makes friends but a duckling should be with its parents.

Biscuit helps the little duckling find its family but not without making an impression as the duckling looks like it follows him home at the end.

Another simple and happy story with some of the best illustrations in children's books. My daughter likes to read the "Woof, woof!" parts.

My five year old daughter is just beginning to read and I have to tell you that my husband and I have been through a lot of books that claim they are `primers' but which aren't.

Either they use a huge vocabulary, or else they have too many words per page. In one case the entire book was written in the past tense. And while they might be great for a more experienced new reader, they are not good for true beginning/emergent readers; children with just a few weeks under their belts.

In any case, "Biscuit Finds a Friend" does not have any of these problems. You will find text that is simple and uncluttered, with not too many words per page. An example follows for you to judge for yourself:

The little duck is lost.
Woof! Woof!
We will bring the little duck back to the pond.
Woof! Woof!

Here, little duck.
Here is the pond.
Here is your mother and your father.
Quack!

Five Stars. A real book for beginning/emergent readers. The text is simple and just repetitive enough that children are encouraged. The artwork and story line appeal to children whether they are reading or not. Certainly my 3 year old son enjoys this book as well.

My mother, a teacher, gave us some Bisquit books for our 4 year old son. He loved them so much, he has learned to read them in just a couple weeks.

The illustrations are as cute as can be.

The text ranges from simple to moderate for a first reader. I have found the balance between easy to read / appropriately repetitive text and few few places where the rules for sounds change a little to be just right. You can see where your child will try to apply a known rule (e.g., here vs. her) but will fail. You can explain the difference between the words and how to know proper pronunciation. After doing it a few times, he gets not just the words, but the rule. This, of course, requires the parent to be active while the child is reading.

The construction of the book provide plenty of reinforcement for the child and our son always wants to read more.

However, like all things, it is good to get other first readers as well. After a point, children will have memorized the text and will no longer be really 'reading' or stretching themselves.

We have some Bob the Builder, Toy Story, etc. books. However, Bisquit was unknown to us and is preferred by our son.

These collections of short stories are very subtle mysteries. I was not sure what to expect since I have never read anything by this author nor have I read a book with short stories before. However I was pleasantly surprised and found each story intriguing. This is not, as one other reviewer noted, a blood and guts gory book but rather an old fashioned ghost tales. The main character is written in such a way that he seems real and you find yourself understanding his emotions. I found the Wall of Clouds and Listen to the Bone to be the best tales in the book. This book is enjoyable to read and I would recommend it to others.

Lushly written, with some of the creepiest ghost stories I've ever read, laced by humor and sharp intelligence. A perfect book for curling up with on a crisp autumn evening, with the darkness closing in.

On the cover it says: The Necromantic Mysteries of Kyle Murchison Booth. The book consists of ten short stories and the intro says the author was highly influenced by M. R. James and H. P. Lovecraft, but wished for a bit more character development.

Booth is a retiring character who works as an archivist at a museum. The setting feels quite Victorian and Gothic, but there are phones, though not much more evidence, so far, of a modern world. The first story is "Bringing Helena Back"--and if that sounds creepy, it is. These are stories reminiscent of old fashioned horror, full of eccentric characters, dark secrets, vengeful spirits. There's no warm and fuzzy ghosts back to save the living. Life can be tragic and disturbing in this world. Cursed necklaces, family secrets, common human failings that turn tragic, murder, haunting, demons... it's all here.

I love a good ghost story and it's been too long since I've read one. This collection is among the best.

I love it when an author takes the time and trouble to include an introduction, or forward. Monette took the time, and what she said about literature and horror struck a chord with me. Monette names James and Lovecraft as two important influences on her desire to write fantastic fiction, noting that although she loves their use of language and crafting of story, she missed a more modern examination of the sexual and psychological aspects of characters.

The stories in The Bone Key are pure gold. Short, with as much of the stories left to the imagination as she puts into words, the language is reminiscent of the old fiction Monette says she loves. Her character, Kyle Murchison Booth, is eccentric yet sympathetic and appealing. Since he is such a shy, lone man it takes time to accumulate knowledge of the other people in his world. But slowly and surely Booth's experiences begin to build a population of interesting fringe characters -- some dead, some living. Booth's brushes with the unnatural are simultaneously creepy and thought-provoking.

If you're looking for subtle, literary stories with themes of horror (and how the most excruciating horror arises from the way people treat each other), try The Bone Key. You'll read these stories more than once!

I'm not a big fan of short stories, most of the time, even by authors whose novels I love, but this collection had me hooked from the first page to the last. Monette manages to capture the feel of those wonderful ghost stories from the Victorian writers, with their romantic melancholy while sparing us the excesses of prose and also giving us a fascinating protagonist.

'Elegy to a Demon Lover' is one of the most haunting stories I think I have ever read, and the book is worth buying for that one alone, but the others are also excellent.

Yeah, the title of my review sounds corny, but, I read his book, all in "typeset" lettering -- and it was great. Couldn't put it down except to say, "damn I'm supposed to put it down" because I have to do this or that. But the book, not some stupid self help book -- helped me. Helped me relax, helped me think about new stuff, which helped me relax, and then WHAM when I read the book it reminded me of how I first felt when I heard the album this guy made. I honestly don't know which came first. I'm on a budget, and books and music are a luxury, so i'm picky.

Anyhow, the book blew me away. The subtle non "x-files" but yet life is amazing and each moment is a new moment -- i got that. I guess that's why when i heard he had an album, I figured, loud rock and roll and sell to 14 year olds (hey, i was 14 once, too) but when i heard the album, it was like -- this dude sings and plays like he writes! You can't leave! Can't get enough!

I dunno. Maybe this sounds like an infatuation, but, well, it is and was, and maybe I can go for an awesome infatuation now and then. Especially with a book to go with it!

Gotta go to work ... hope my review counts.

Malary

Well, Dr. Doyon is now on my top 5 list. This book like a journey with a friend-person that I only hoped thought the same way about stuff that I did! Yeah, a little Twin Peaks, but that was never a book. This is like the Twin Peaks but different and original that you don't have to run home on time for. Put it in your glove compartment! Read it while you wait! And I found out this town is a REAL town! How do they feel now? So human and exposed? I know it's fiction, but this book put one idea in my mind, and I don't know if it even meant to BUT ... There is no such THING AS FICTION!!! What a treat!!! Thanks Mr. Bonneville Man. I wonder if you've been there, or it they are waiting for you -:)

It's hard to explain. How often do you come across a book that you can't wait to finish, and then when you finish it, you are like jonesing for more. I hope this author has a book#2 in mind!I didn't like Catcher in the Rye, and this was nothing like that, but it should be read in schools -- make people WANT to read, instead of not. It had a personal effect on me that, well, not only is nothing really a cooincidence, but perhaps cooincidences are somehow spiritual puns for us to learn and grow from? I'm still digesting it, just finished the last chapter, and well, until the next book, I think I'll give it a re-read. Like Harry Potter (and sorry, because I know a lot of people don't like Harry Potter -- but I loved the books!) and like them, I only hope the author can keep the stamina to give us a few more volumes ... please? :-) And thanks to Amazon, I see he is a musician, and I am going to order the "other people who liked this ordered" CD which is amazingly, a compilation of music by an artist who once HAD the magic the author speaks about in this book, and in hearing his music through new voices, I hope to remember him and hope he is inspired to have that MAGIC FEELING again. Cooincidence that this author worked toward a compilation of random cool people performing one of my once favorite artists pieces? I think not! Another Spiritual Pun. Thank you for this book.

Mark Doyon's Bonneville Stories is a compendium of ten short stories set in the fictional town of Bonneville, Virginia and introducing a variety of memorable characters caught up in circumstances all to familiar to American small towns everywhere -- the decline of commerce, the encroachment of developers, the exodus of young people. These wonderfully crafted and compelling tales of fate and the freedom to choose include: Going Underground; A Shortness of Breath; Sooner or Later; Early Out in Ohio; Chemical Sky; Lightning Strikes; Green Grow the Azaleas; Deliver Me; An Act of God?; and The Blue Flame. Mark Doyon is a consummately skilled writer and Bonneville Stories clearly documents him as an author to watch for in the future!

Close a deal and open a speakeasy. Deliver a pizza and receive karma. Wash windows and wax pyschedelic. See Magnolia and read Bonneville Stories.

Don Bajema's writting is f**king amazing, plus he looks sexy on stage. What a MAN!!!

I heard him read an excerpt of it on the radio and was quite impressed. The guy can tell a story! The book is a collection of remembrances from a tortured and somehow hopeful boy turning into a man. It's raw, sincere, and is guaranteed to hit any person who ever grew up sans silver spoon right in the gut. If you're not reminded of certain periods in your life and the hell they were, then you certainly have lived a charmed life. Man or woman, this reading will clear a few things up. And buy a copy for a friend.

this book is a collection of images, memories, and stories centered around a young man named eddie burnett...but it is truly a book about AMERICA - about our ugliness, hope, war-lust, gender and race tensions, as well as the dream that we are all created with: to be air-borne.

a fantastic read. bajema is a master in this verbal mosaic.

An awesome read. I developed a real relationship with the main character as he goes from youthful dreamer to a loaner on the run. Truthfully, it reminds me of those sharp little bits of my past that I can still vividly remember. Of course all characters and events are entirely fictional...

Mr. Bajema captures the feelings of being American in a time when those feelings were unmatched in intensity. From the civil rights movement, the war in Vietnam, and the aftermath of each. Eddie Burnett becomes a classic character in American letters.

VIENE DE ADENTRO PARA AFUERA..
Afuera, toma la palabra, la opinion y las decisiones de la persona a la que hemoe regalado nuestra libertad...
Cuando esa persona muere o se aleja, nos convertimos en los seres mas indefensos que existen... incapaces de tomar hasta una pequeña decision...
La filosofia y la tecnica de esta obra es como una enorme pinza que rompe nuestras cadenas y nos hace libres..LIBRES POR FIN !!!
Eso no depende de la persona de la que dependemos: DEPENDE DE NOSOTROS MISMOS

DOLOROSA, INVALIDANTE,MEDIANTE LA CUAL TU MENTE ESTA ATADA A OTRA PERSONA O A OTRA COSA...
Este libro me permitio salir de mi CODEPENDECIA DEL ALCOHOL Y DE MI HERMANO MAYOR !
BENDITO SEA !

AQUI ESTA LA LLAVE DE LA LIBERTAD!

THOSE INSIDE CHAINS CALLED CO DEPENDENCY!
We learn not to use crutchs, to walk securely on our own feet without depending of Mom, Dad, Husband, friends or any adictive substante!

Really efficient

¿Has oido hablar de la CODEPENDENCIA ?
Esa es la bola de plomo que todos arrastramos..
Una cosa es AMAR Y OTRA ES DEPENDER !
Cuando dependemos, ESTAMOS ATADOS...¿No dependes de nada ? YO CREÍ QUE NO DEPENDÍA DE NADA NI DE NADIE! ¡ Y ESTABA EQUIVOCADO !
Dependía, para mi felicidad y tranquilidad, de encontrar a mi espoa con buena cara... o yo también hacia morros !
Este libro me liberó: YA NO SIENTO HORRIBLE CUANDO LLEGO A CASA Y MALENA ESTÁ DE MALAS... Ya no influye sobre mi..
Y hay codependencias más agudas: Pueden ser a una persona,a un objeto, a una actitud compulsiva o al hábti del alcohol o las drogas..
SI QUIERES SER LIBRE Y FELIZ, APOYARTE EN TI MISMO Y AMAR SANAMENTE, ESTE LIBRO ES INDISPENSABLE...

I consider this to be one of the best pieces of writing from a Flemish author (not Dutch, as Amazon clames, for that is something completely diffrent) between the two World Wars that hit Europe. I do think that only if you appreciate the dry, understated wit of British humor would you be able to make the leap to this reluctant and dry comedy in a class of it's own about a man who just goes with what comes his way, even though it is against his better instincts.

I agree with the other posts. This is a truly delightful book. I picked up a copy when I was in Amsterdam, and laughed through my plane ride home. The satire has broad implications and is as fresh today as when it was written.

Great book, a fast read and it will make you laugh!
It might be a good idea to send some copies to the Enron executives.

Willem Elsschot was the pseudonym of Alfons De Ridder, who is widely considered a giant in Flemish literature. All of his works are very concise and "Cheese" is no different.

Within a mere 126 pages, Elsschot humorously recounts the tale of Frans Laarmans, an ordinary clerk, who tries his hand vainly at the cheese business. Laarmans is a clerk with General Marine and Shipbuilding Company and is quite content to plod along until a friend prods him to delve into the cheese business. What follows is a wonderfully wry and funny look at business. Larmaans is quite unsure about what to do when ten thousand wheels of the red-rinded Edam cheeses arrive at his doorstep. He knows he has to sell them all, but would rather first set up his office with a proper desk and typewriter. In the end, his business collapses predictably, but Laarman's failure saddens the reader. One feels for the shy clerk right from the beginning to the end.

Elsschot had a wonderful gift for telling a story in just a few pages and "Cheese" is a wonderful example of it. I was tempted to read more by the author but sadly found out that most of the rest of his work is out of print. Special thanks then to Granta Books for republishing this one.

Other pluses for the book are the bright red jacket, the price, and the crisp writing style. I finished the book in one sitting at the beach.

"Cheese" is just as delectable as the full-cream Edams featured in it. Dig in!

I cannot remember the last time a book made me laugh out loud. In public. The self-deprecating flavor of the humor in this chronicle of an inept businessman is somewhere between Jerome K. Jerome and Jacques Tati. Highly recommended escapist, absurdist fun. Also for lovers of all things Belgian: Harry Pearson's comic travelogue "A Tall Man in a Low Land," which brings the 1933 Belgium of "Cheese" into the present.

Christmas On Deery Street is a collection of short, cozy stories centered around the popular Christian holiday. Steven Roberts has neatly spun a collection of his father's well-told tales into an entertaining and often inspiring book.

Each segment is a fictitious account, "with a small element of truth" according to Roberts, of life in the not-so-distant past. The reader learns about the hardships and miracles of life through the eyes of everyday folks during the magical time of the Christmas season.

"The Angel at Union Station" is one tale that seems almost too good to be true, but nonetheless, you believe it anyway. The reader has little choice because in this nutty world of ours, a dreamy story that firmly puts a smile on your face is a welcome respite.
Who would not want to read about an anxious soldier, away from home for several years, wondering if his girl still loves him after all this time? Of course we know how it turns out, but the charm is in the way Roberts tells the story. The magic and mystery are what make it all worthwhile.

"Magic Socks" and "Our Star"are two others that go well with a fire and a hot cup of tea on a cold night. And if you are sitting, reading next to your Christmas tree or not, you may find yourself happily reminiscing of your own favorite childhood memories or ones of your family or friends.

Christmas On Deery Street is a wonderful book for all ages that will delight the heart and warm the spirit. And you can get these good feelings reading them at Christmas or any old time of year.

Reviewer: Gene Berger

I know of very few writers that can recreate the "spirit of Christmas" the way Steven Roberts has done in "Christmas on Deery Street". If you want to spend a few hours reliving the best moments of your childhood, then you should read this book. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry; but most of all it will fill you with a longing for the goodness of humankind.

Christmas on Deery Street is a collection of real, accessible stories set within a Christmas theme, but it is actually a group of rare, readable, delightful parables about the human condition. They touch the heart and the conscience, and they show us what we know about everyday experience but had never put into words. There is hope and comfort in these stories, and there is genuine wit. These are stories you read over and over again because they ring true to the way life is or ought to be. The book is a special gift to give for Christmas -- or for all seasons! season!

Christmas on Deery Street is a wonderful collection of holiday stories. It's perfect for those weeks before Christmas when you want to be fully immersed in the season from decorating to reading. I gave several for Christmas gifts last year and will do the same this year. It makes a great hostess/host gift to take to holiday parties.

Steve Roberts' gift is touching hearts with unique characters, beautiful prose, and stories that cause us to recall our own childhoods. I laughed and cried and was always uplifted at the end. Bravo! Hopefully there will be another volume so I can reenter my childhood next Christmas.