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I was intrigued and amused to see another reviewer say her children were obsessed with "Scranimals" -- because that's the same reaction we got with our kid!

Jack Prelutsky evidently knows the secret of how to captivate children, especially when teamed up with illustrators like Peter Sis. Nearly every Prelutsky book that enters our home gets the same treatment: fascination, amusement, and above all, lots of reading and re-reading.

One might say that this is not Prelutsky's most ingenious work, since it's basically a single concept stretched out into a series of variations, not all of which are equally clever. But there's more to it than that. The illustrations are compelling and fun. And much of the poetry is more highly-crafted than one might expect, given the silly first impression the book makes.

A great example is the description of the "Bananaconda" (that word alone always makes ME laugh!) in which the author slathers syballant syllables in silly sequences. I took the opportunity to point out to our first-grader how a poet describes things differently than other kinds of writers.

I then read it aloud to demonstrate that point, sssimply by exsstending each of the esses on the page. At that point, most kids can make the connection between the sound of the words, and their understanding of "S" as the sound made by a snake -- something many of them learn in preschool, if not earlier.

And of course those words were written ABOUT a snake. For a kid to learn that words can have multiple layers of meaning, and to learn that concept at such an early age... well, that's really something. And Prelutsky is one of the best at delivering that kind of depth, even when combined with utter silliness.

In short, Scranimals is definitely a worthy addition to any child's collection, at nearly any age.

During the story a boy and a girl went on a trip the Scranimal Island. They saw a lot of animals such as the RHINOCEROSE, a group SPINACHICKENS, a caravan of CAMELBERTA PEACHES, a lonely POTATOAD, one CARDINALBACORE, couple of HIPPOPOTAMUSHROOMS, talkative PARROTTERS, a sweet PORCUPINEAPPLE, fierce BROCCOLIONS, a nimble ANTELOPETUNIA, an unsuccessful STORMY PETRELEPHANT, content TOUCANEMONES, then the vicious RADISHARK, a yellow BANANACONDA, the fast OSTRICHEETAH, a shy PANADAFFODIL, and the playful MANGORILLA and his friend the ORANGUTANGERINE. The extinct AVOCADODO wasn't smart, strong, or fast, it is no wonder you are extinct.
This book is my favorite picture book because all the animals were mixed up. The craziest animal was the PORCUPINEAPPLE because it was cute and the poem was funny.

My daughter says: "This book is lovely and funny" ... "it makes me smile because it is fun. I love reading this book with my mum."

This book is anything but traditional. Scranimals by Jack Prelutsky is a book that allows its readers to be silly. A book of poetry that describes different mythical creatures that live on "Scranimal Island". I think this book is especially good for the present day kid because a child is constantly forced to conform in everyday life; conform to rules, chores, school work, etc. This book goes outside the box and challenges there imaginations with animals that are clearly a fantasy, but they enter this world of make believe and can leave the compliance behind.

During the story a boy and a girl went on a trip the Scranimal Island. They saw a lot of animals such as the RHINOCEROSE, a group SPINACHICKENS, a caravan of CAMELBERTA PEACHES, a lonely POTATOAD, one CARDINALBACORE, couple of HIPPOPOTAMUSHROOMS, talkative PARROTTERS, a sweet PORCUPINEAPPLE, fierce BROCCOLIONS, a nimble ANTELOPETUNIA, an unsuccessful STORMY PETRELEPHANT, content TOUCANEMONES, then the vicious RADISHARK, a yellow BANANACONDA, the fast OSTRICHEETAH, a shy PANADAFFODIL, and the playful MANGORILLA and his friend the ORANGUTANGERINE. The extinct AVOCADODO wasn't smart, strong, or fast, it is no wonder you are extinct.
This book is my favorite picture book because all the animals were mixed up. The craziest animal was the PORCUPINEAPPLE because it was cute and the poem was funny.

I really enjoyed this book. For those of you "The Secret", you will find the spritual based book much more grounded and geniune. I personally connected with his message much more deeply than the other writing. God works in mysterious way, and the inception of this book is one of them. Thank you Henry Cloud for listening to that still small voice.

The book arrived before the projected date of arrival. It was in extremly excelent condition. I was very pleased with my purchasing experiance!!!!! I highly recomend this seller!!

The Secret Is Out ... God really does care for you, and He wants you to have a great life. The author does a good job disseminating Truths that make life work. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

I bought this book, originally, because I had read The Secret and thought this would be a nice addition to that. This book is much more profound because it involves God and all that he has to offer us. After reading this book twice, I view the world much differently and more positively.

Anything by Drs. Cloud and Townsend is--well just buy it; it will be exactly what you need and have been looking for.
The title is good marketing but the book is about all there is of God available to me each and every hour and all I need do is ask.
These guys are great individually and together (How to Grow) are beyond any author today.

The synopsis describes an ambitious project. The lives of four people changed on one Chinese New Years. Well, why not? Dickens had one character visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve.

However--we begin with a history lesson: "Twenty-six centuries before the Son of God died for the sins of man, the Yellow King had invented the calendar-and then he got busy." This kind of unforgettable opening line needs to pay off--and Mr. Smith did a virtuoso job at doing so.

We move on to our narrator, who I am guessing is the Peace Corps volunteer. He's on a 12-hour trip to Shanghai on a "Chinese sleeper bus, the kind that jerked and fumed like the Balrog in The Lord of the Rings." They're packed in like sardines, and he's grateful he's far away from the "carcinogenic cloud" of the driver's smoke, but the experience from the bus' rear shocks reminds him of the Whittier Earthquake.

When he wipes off the fog of the bus windows we see Shanghai in all its glory through his eyes:

"the place was out of Blade Runner. No flying cars, of course, but the towers were all . . . glass. Geometric shapes of glass in an Impressionist's palette of hues. Lime rectangles, blue trapezoids, sapphire cylinders. And unlike American cities, Shanghai had no historic high-rises, no Chrysler or Empire State Building, to counterbalance the ultramodern tackiness of its most famous skyscrapers like the Jinmao Tower, a 1400-foot ribbed dildo, or the Oriental Pearl Tower, a pink 1500-foot syringe."

You can hear this young man talking as you read. He's got a curious mix of ancient folklore and American snark that makes "Shanghai Carousel" a treat to read. As you can see from the lines above, Mr. Smith is also talented at evoking place with current metaphor and a unique linguistic style.

Ray Chen Smith's an author you should be looking for if you enjoy this type of cultural blend. I'm very disappointed "Shanghai Carousel" didn't make it to the Top 100, but I have no doubt Mr. Smith will find a publisher for this book and I'll be standing in line to buy it.

For anyone who hasn't set foot in the Middle Kingdom, they should know one thing about Ray Chen Smith's Shanghai Carousel: it's a much truer and genuine portrayal of China than most other books out there. Many authors today want to depict the mystical, mysterious China that is plausible to the outsiders, but for those people who have lived there, these are only shallow depictions that avoid reality. The details Smith dug up may force the reader to search the net looking for a city named Lishui or for obscure events in the Cultural Revolution, but in the end anyone who reads this book should feel satisfied that the author discarded the stereo-typical fairy tale depiction of China and recreated a version of China that is grounded in reality only gained from a deep understanding of the Middle Kingdom.

I found Smith's excerpt intriguing. The first bit introduced in the story gives it a folklore feel. However the reader is introduced to a character on a bus that passes by Shanghai--which Smith portrays with originality and hilarity. I found the main character rather chauvinistic so I'm guessing it's the "shallow Peace Corps volunteer" described in the synopsis. Who else would describe college coeds as "gazelles to wildebeests"? This entry definitely urges the reader to read more, if for no other reason than to laugh at the silly metaphors and one liners.

Thanks for all your kind reviews--even though I would suggest the Publishers Weekly and Amazon Top Reviewers read the novel all the way through very carefully (the 3 "largely irrelevant" short stories are VERY relevant since one of the novel's characters wrote them!). If you're interested in more short stories, please click on my profile and go to my personal website (www.raychensmith.com). Thanks a bunch, everyone!

Shanghai Carousel by R.C. Smith opens on New Year's Eve 2003...January 31st that is.

As per the synopsis (which made me giddy to read) this entire story is set in a single night--Chinese New Year 2003--from four perspectives.

While the excerpt was shorter than many, what was there for me to read maintained my piqued interest in the synopsis. A recollection of how/when the Chinese calendar began in a run up to the calendar that the world lives by today (not the Yellow King's but the Son of God's). A humorous observation is made about missing the first round of Industrial revolution (ah, dear Weber).

From there the voice of the story reveals its source as a young man traveling by bus to Shanghai. While many familiar pop culture references are thrown in and even a dash of corniness, the author writes a believable and interesting voice. I could listen to a whole story told by a voice like that.

With this simple but humorous writing likely (hopefully) to traverse the length of the book, I'd definitely continue reading on.

Sister Anne's Hands are different; that is one of the first things Anna Zabrocky notices about Sr. Anne. Set in the 1960's, in the days of hatred toward anything that made a person different, this book explores Civil Rights, learning, and love from the perspective of a black-skinned nun and a white-skinned child. Through the course of the book, we see through word and picture the image of how Sr. Anne's hands tell a story. They go from being the object of Anna's curiosity about all the colors in them, to being the expression of a child's love for her teacher in a card Anna makes for Sr. Anne. Anna learned the greatest lesson: to look beyond the fear of our differences to learn of the love we share in our similarities. This is a very intimate look, through the lens of diversity, at the love that grows between a teacher and a child.

This book is particularly useful to me in my work as a Catholic religious educator because it demonstrates through historical fiction, an approach to respecting life in all of its forms, and celebrating that which makes us unique! This book is special to me - I was attracted by the name. I have two aunts who are nuns, one of whom is named Sr. Ann. My aunts shared their vocations as nuns and their professions as teachers. I remember seeing pictures of Sr. Ann and Sr. Alice Marie in their full habits. I recall thinking about how strange they looked in their pictures because by the time I was born, nuns no longer wore a habit every day! The best memories of my aunts involve the feeling of being loved and whole in my aunts' presence, and that sense of love and being whole is very prominent in this book. Perhaps one of this book's greatest strengths is the author's ability to weave together many challenges to a person's dignity (exclusion by color, creed, and vocation) into a theme where differences and diversity are celebrated! The theme of this book aligns very closely with the tenor of the current presidential race in the US. In that, it is a timeless treasure and does not seem to have any apparent weakness.

Having lived as a child in the '60s, I found Sister Anne's Hands to be a authentic mirror of this era's racial biases and a gentle reminder that education is our best hope for an end to "isms."

Marybeth Lorbiecki takes a situation of racism and turns it around. She shares with the reader how a negative can become a positive between two individuals, even if the community at large stays negative. And with that, human lives are changed forever.

First, this is an outstanding book. It has substance and a wonderful message that makes its point without being preachy. Second, it is still a children's book that kids will enjoy reading or having read to them. Finally, the artwork is first rate and a joy to look at. It is the complete package. With so much mediocre childish children's 'literature', this is the real deal: a quality, substantive, enjoyable book. Enjoyable to read for parent and child.

Sister Anne's Hands is an incredible picture filled book about a girl growing up during the time when Blacks and white's were still at war. She learns through her teacher (Sister Anne) that it doesn't matter what's on the outside it matters what your like on the inside. Through this heart warming book your child will learn important lessons on building good character. I liked reading this book because it gave me inspiration to follow my heart through everything I do. Your sure to love Sister Anne's Hand!!! Author of Sister Anne's Hands: Marybeth Lorbiecki

As I started to read Slaters Fall I was automatically enticed. You wanted to know what everyone was talking about. What happened?? I wanted to read more. I couldn't put it down. It left you wanting to know more. What was Carl trying to say to the officer??? Will definitely buy to see what will happen. Slaters Falls - Official ABNA Entrant

I enjoyed the preview of Slaters Falls. It made me laugh with some of
the references such as those to the board game Clue and to the priest
watching Passions & Guiding Light.

In my opinion, some of the descriptions were a little long (that's the
quibble I mentioned in the headline), but that can be easily fixed with
minor editing.

I really liked the tone of the excerpt being a "dramedy." (I don't
know if the whole novel is like that because I only read the excerpt.)
I think it works well in this kind of material because it gives a good
balance to the different aspects of the story.

I'm interested in seeing the rest of the novel because I want to see
what happens to the interesting characters that have already been
introduced and find out what other personality types the author is
going to create.

Mr Grant knows how to hook a reader. He gives you a reason to get into the story right away. Some books start out with so much back story, by the 10th chapter its starts getting to the point. I dont want to know everyting right away, who killed who and why, and now lets all go catch the killer. All of the ending is at the begining. I feel that when Mr Grant writes, its like watching a rose bloom. You see the outside petals slowly open up and cant wait for the whole rose to open. Thats how I felt when I started to read this novel. I cant wait to buy it and see how it unfolds.

Gripping right from the start never giving the reader a chance to get bored. I was so disappointed when I realized there was no more to read. I want to know what Carl whispered to the cop, what happened to Jeremy and what "secrets" are hiding inside. I can't wait to read the rest. Fantastic job!

If the synopsis doesn't grab you, the opening lines will. We get a picture of the character of the small town through brief points of view of its inhabitants as a life-and-death drama unfolds.

Of course, some of the townsfolk blame it on the music the kids are listening to nowadays. Then, there's the movies....

The inhabitants of Slaters Falls are gathered at the Bank, waiting for a tragedy to unfold:

"In a small town, bad news travels fast, but potentially tragic news travels at a speed second only to lightning."

My personal shero is the librarian, Ruth, who's at first the only one with any sense in the crowd. The descriptions of her are priceless as "prim and proper but capable of telling it like it is" and "able to quell a rowdy group of fifth graders with a single glance." Then, there's her dirty little secret:

"if they knew their prim and proper librarian had once, while she was a student at Wellesley College during a protest in the 1960's, removed her bra on Boston Common, marched topless through the streets, and burned the bra on the Massachusetts State House lawn at the foot of the statue of Captain Myles Standish."

Then, there's the priest. I've wondered what men of the cloth think in confessionals, too. Fr. Mulroy's ponderings gave just enough of a good laugh before the action started up in earnest.

Matthew W. Grant can dish and he does in this great small town mystery. He depicts his characters with accuracy and humor. His narrative seldom wonders off the point. His timing, both tragic and comic, is close to flawless. If the rest of the manuscript is as good as the excerpt, a quick polish would have "Slater's Falls" ready for submission.

Matthew, I very much enjoyed the excerpt so far and I'll be waiting for the book in earnest. I can't say I'd want to live in Slaters Falls, but I've very much enjoyed my visit. Thank you and good luck.

Wow.......I wasn't expecting to like the book. Everything the other reviewers have said in a positive light are true. It's a very inspiring book. Lots of history and insights into what it was like to live in Vietnam and it was inspiring to read about how the author succeeded in so many ways. Many Christian books get kind of preachy. I think this fills the bill for Christians who want to read an inspiring Christian book, but it also is great for someone who doesn't want to read Christian literature. It's not preachy and it's a great story.

Not only a encouraging, uplifting story about the spiritual history of the Vu family, This book also delves into the life of those living in a war torn country (anywhere). Though I remember the news stories of the many people escaping Saigon in the chaotic days before the U.S. left Vietnam, I didn't know much about how the U.S. created a system (quite quickly) to feed, care for, organize and eventually assymilate so many people into the American sociaty. After reading this book I am interested to find out more about this project.

This biography/autobiography leads you first hand through three generations of a Vietnamese family. I learned so much about recent Vietnamese history and family culture. It is also an amazing story of God at work in Vietnam and America. Highly recommended.

I could not put this book down. It gives a touching account of what it was like growing up in war-torn conditions in Viet Nam, and having the faith to stay positive and make something of one's life. This entire family is to be praised as an example of those who rise from conditions unimaginable and keep a strong faith in God to become something their off-spring can be proud of in America. All the siblings of Anh have become successful and given something back to this country, including herself. I can testify to this as Phong Vu is my brother-in-law and I know we're all proud of him and his family.

I received this book in audiotape form. I expected a tale of harrowing bravery of Ahn and her family's escape from war-torn Vietnam, but was unprepared for it to be so spiritually uplifting at the same time. While I realized that many churches had sponsored Vietnamese into their communities I never thought much about how the families came to be in the U.S. or that they might have been raised Christian in Vietnam. This book was a history lesson and inspirational at the same time.

What an author. Dr. Stanley grasps the purpose for goals in this book so well that I could not help but start setting them in my life immediately. As a result, I have not drank in excess for over a year. Primarily because I'm too busy having a "go" at accomplishing my goals. It's important to note that they need to take part in filling our lives with needful action. Action that makes our day our years and our lives.

This book by Dr. Stanley is like God's roadmap to success. The book reads like a how to book for success. Dr. Stanley doesn't just talk pie in the sky theology that only seminary students understand. He breaks down the issue into several bite size chunks to make the issue easier to understand. He then gives the reader a workable plan of implementation to make success happen. The material is also written in such a way it is easy to understand. The material flows easily from one subject to the other.

There is one thing that makes this book radically different than the tons of other self help books. This one is very grounded in the word of GOD. Each of his suggestions come from a verse in the bible. To me such references give his insights the ultimate validation.

As Christians we all tend to just coast through life in the pursuit to "be like Christ", but never have any real goals that we strive for. This book helps you define goals for all areas of your life and motivate you to work towards them. It doesn't matter if you are a missionary, a stay-at-home mom or a corporate worker, this book will have a major impact in your life. It sure did for me! I highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book! It was more of a devotional book than anything else, touching on the principles of reaching true happiness, success, and evils such as greed and being negative. Success God's Way reminded me that in order to have true success one has to put God first and everything else will fall into place. I have now adapted one of the techniques that Dr. Stanley stated in the ladder part of his book, which is prioritize the initiatives and goals that you want to accomplish for the next day on a flash card before you go to bed and then put it in your pocket throughout the whole day. It is amazing how much more one can stay on task. The true examination I believe that this book illustrates is are one's goals Godly purposed goals striving to go along with God's plan, or are they individualized goals that do not fit in God's initiative, which makes their purpose lost and unmeaningful? Definately read Success God's Way!!!!!

Once again, Stanley has written a down-to-earth book with practical advice. The Lord's definition and way of success radically differs from the world, and Stanley encourages us to focus on how precious we really are to God.

Among the many excellent points Stanley offers are:

1. God's ways are different from the world's ways.
2. Principles of goal-setting.
3. Ask God for guidance and leadership when goal-setting.
4. Keys to good time management.
5. Time wasters to avoid.
6. Keys for successful believing.
7. Principles about persistence.
8. Trust God to order your steps and arrange the details of your life!

Again, these are just a few of the many excellent topics covered in the book. Highly recommended and is an excellent supplement to the Bible!

I bought six of my favorite childhood books for my great-grandson..."Little Black Sambo", "The Three Billy Goats Gruff", "Henny Penny", "Chicken Little", "The Three Little Kittens", and "Classic Tales of Brer Rabbit". My great-grandie is 2-1/2 and I can't wait to read these wonderful stories to him.

Timely delivery. The book was great. My great grandson loved it.

I bought this book on an impulse, simply based on the brightly colored illustrations and a brief refrain that that appears when you look inside the book. I couldn't be more delighted with this purchase. The book is a wonderful addition to my fairy tale library and my kindergarten kids absolutely LOVE listening to and participating in the retelling of the story, especially the rhyming refrain..... "I'm a troll from a deep dark hole - my belly's getting thinner. I need to eat and goat's a treat - so I'll have you for my dinner!".

PS - I agree: How lame that Amazon has mixed together reviews for all these various versions of "Three Billy Goats Gruff." They are all so different and all by different illustrators and authors!

Anyway, this is a comment about Marcia Brown's 1957 version, which I found to be incredibly gory. Rather than merely knock the troll off the bridge, this billy goat gruff graphically dismembers him, poking out his eyes and reducing him to "bits, body and bones." Yuck! There are other, mellower version out there... This one's not a favorite. (ReadThatAgain!)

Cute book with pictures that keep their attention. My boys walk around all the time saying "who is going over my bridge" in their gruff little troll voice! "Don't eat me... I too little," they say. I am so glad I added this book to our collection.

Every girl remembers her first real love, whatever age she was, and this is all about Cara's first love, first time and possibly first heartbreak - Tony sounds like he'll be trouble. Cara's charm is in her wide-eyed innocence, and I hope to have the chance to find out just what is going to happen to them. The dialogue is charming and the characters are believable, with a breezy writing style, which shows genuine potential.

Aside from an awkward sentence in the very first paragraph, I found this excerpt to be utterly charming. There's not a female among us who has not done some absurd things in order to be close to the object of our affections. Standing in the freezing cold in a muddy soccer field in the hopes that the guy will notice you is a perfect example. I would have liked it if Cara would have explained in a sentence or two, why she was still a virgin at her age, since in today's world that would be considered 'quaint'. Also, why was Tony so content to give her lots of time. That said, I thought all the characters were interesting and well drawn, and the setting well described. I loved the American roommate who was disappointed in all the American stuff on TV. I've been to Dublin, but I missed that, so I'm hoping that as we get further in to the story, there is more description of the area, and more of the simple contrasts between the two cultures in matters of every day life. I would definitely read more; I suspect Tony is going to turn out to be not the Prince Charming Cara had hoped for.

This short story says exactly what girls, who aren't quite sure what they're missing and know that they want something more, are feeling. While you have an idea of what is going to happen, you know that there is more than meets the eye... which is exactly why you want to know more to see if it's true... can a woman find her soul mate by hanging out on the soccer field, or is there a little bit more that must be done to find true love??

Tony's Wee Girl begins strongly, with Cara's overpowering feelings for soccer star Tony. Ms. Eblen describes Cara's flustered state so well, I found myself feeling it, too. This story took me back through the years.

I really enjoy the way Ms. Eblen reveals Tony's flaws in a matter-of-fact way, without having Cara--who's clearly older and wiser at the time she tells the tale--second-guess herself or try to explain away her past behavior. The feel here is a hundred-percent genuine.

I'm hoping about halfway through, Cara will meet someone else--someone who'll appreciate her as Tony seems incapable of doing.

There are girls like Cara and guys like Tony all over the world, it seems, and I applaud Ms. Eblen's ability to convey this type of relationship with insight and honesty.

Real characters and smart dialog made this a brilliant story. The reader can see Cara's mistakes but so cleverly written that we understand why she herself cannot. Cara quickly becomes real to you, your friend, that you want to pull her aside and give her sage advice before it's too late. Wonderful story. I would love to see more from this author.

Toro Loco 39
a
Review


Reading the excerpt from Toro Loco 39 left me stunned by its force and flow. With skill and artistry, the author weaves a seamless work of literary art. Set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, Korman's storytelling magically places the reader on the scene, in the story. Time, place, characters, events ring with simple, yet profound clarity. The writer's interplay between narrative and dialogue moves the reader deftly through history without ever losing the vital sense of the present. Only writers who know their craft could pull this off.

Clean, economical and insightful writing delivers a moving and intriguing read. With such formidable gifts, author Korman leaves me wanting more.

While reading this excerpt I began to see, smell and feel Spain again. Something in the rythm of his prose, in the tragic character and dramatic quest of the main character brought it too life. I've seen the Spanish countryside, have been to a bullfight and even ran with the bulls, and this tale, though fiction, exposes the underlying current in the culture that is still in my memory and that still calls me back. Read this. Sip it. Savor it. It's real. I want more....

From God's Eye, Toro Loco 39 flows down through the ages to the leaking straw bed of Don Tuco, an old bullfighter in his 60s. But not just any bullfighter; a man with scars and aching wounds, a mix of failure and arrogance. A perfect mark for the Devil's work. Ruin takes time . . .

And time is what captivates here. For what's exceptional is not simply the beauty of the writing, but Korman's mastery of setting, character, and pace. Don Tuco's character unfolds amid a vivid landscape of lyrical prose, yet we effortlessly absorb the premise of this novel in all of 13 pages. The effect is that the reader slips easily into Don Tuco's world. Leaving it is another matter.

Some have said the end is in the beginning. So we see what is to come: "The final need. Life over death. One to live, the other die." Others have said, the Devil's greatest trick was convincing the world he doesn't exist. Read: and judge for yourself.

Korman takes us from the Dark Ages to a man who has known great love and great tragedy, and faces a final reckoning, as the Devil's work is never done.

In that brief period of time when the subconscious rules the soul, the dream state between sleeping and waking, Tuco meets the bulls of his celebrated matador days. It is two years after the Spanish Civil War and his town of Ebrito is in ruins. In his dream three bulls, white, red, and black stand on a hill and wait for him. With this foreshadowing we are introduced to the inner life of the old man who lives in the rubble of his ancestral holdings with only a horse for company. With vibrant visualizations -- the greasy smear of smoke, blood running over tiles, flies choking the drains of his walled town -- the author makes it impossible to ignore the horrors of war. Slowly we are introduced to a cadre of characters -- a priest, an innkeeper,a woman of ill repute, a mysterious revolting man, and finally the guardia civil who gives him orders to find bulls for the soon to be redacted bull fights, or lose his ancestral holdings. This brilliant, moody, gut wrenching excerpt has completely hooked me into Tuco's tale. I absolutely must read the rest of Tuco's story.

1939, Civil War is over in Spain. Don Tuco, once a breeder of bulls and a famous matador himself, is haunted by the spectacle of the honorable beasts he once fought. He nurses his wounds and cares for what little stock the revolution has left him outside a town that is rendered almost a ghost town by war.

Tuco rides his old nag into town to find an emissary from General Franco, trying to find him. His commentary on the state of bullfighting is but one among an excerpt full of beautiful lines:

"As if they all didn't know that since the war no bull had lowered its head for the kill in three years. What place for the nobility and tragedy of a spectacle when 10,000 men died in an afternoon at the pleasure of a General?"

General Franco wants the bullfighting ring to reopen and the bloodsport to commence again. The question is, will Don Tuco do it?

Keith Korman's language resonates with both the pain of an old injured fighter and the cries, the dust, the blood of the bullfighter's ring. Reading "Toro Loco 39," I remembered the first time I picked up "Don Quixote" in high school and fell in love with the rhythm of Cervantes' speech. Not only does this excerpt begin well, Mr. Korman gives a solid ending, which earns him extra points.

In my opinion, the excerpt needs no editing to be submissible for publication and should advance to the next phase of the competition. Congratulations, Mr. Korman, and good luck.