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I think that this is the best book that i have ever read and now that i have read this one and the 1st one i have bought the next 2 books of the series.

This is one of those books that once you start it I say there is no stopping yourself, and I'm NOT a reader and I give this book a 5 star rating... WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



-Chicklet

I think that this is the best book that i have ever read and now that i have read this one and the 1st one i have bought the next 2 books of the series.

This is one of those books that once you start it I say there is no stopping yourself, and I'm NOT a reader and I give this book a 5 star rating... WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



-Chicklet

THE ATTACK OF THE TAGGER is a great book . Wendelin Van Draanen.
It has great words in it . The book is for 10 year olds and up.
The best part of the book is when Nolan is on the mystery.
My favorite character is Nolen because sometimes he can be funny or weird.
One funny thing he does is when he hides in the trash can to find someone.
The weird thing he did is when he looked in the trash for a clue.
He is hiding a secret from his parents that he is shedder man,a school hero.
You will enjoy this book if you like MYSTERYS.

When I was at a friend's house I was bored so I picked it up and started reading. It was soooo cute. I really want to read the other books in the series but my library doesn't have them. Even thought I'm not in second grade I really enjoyed this book! You should definitely read it!

People who like mysteries will find this book mysterious. Wendlin Van Draanen writes his second book, Attack of the Tagger! The main characters of this book are Nolan (A.K.A Shredderman), Nolan's parents,and Ryan Voss. The problems in Attack of the Tagger are when Nolan(A.K.A Shredderman)was trying to trap the tagger but the tagger was trying to pin the blame on Nolan(A.K.A Shredderman). The setting of this book takes place in Ceder Valley,California.

In the beginning of the story Nolan(A.K.A Shredderman) was spying in the bathroom at school and saw Carl Blanco, Manny Davis, A.J Penne, and Ryan Voss talking about the graffiti showing up on cars, and Nolan thought it was one of them doing it. Next,the police found more graffiti in the park at night and Nolan and his dad went to look. When Nolan got home he found out who the real person was, who was doing the graffiti. The closest person was Ryan Voss, the principal's son. To find out who really did the graffiti go to your nearest library or book store and get the book.

The theme in this book is don't damage other people's things. This book remindes me of graffiti writing on buildings or signs. Boys in 3rd-5th grade will love this book.

J.H. in Annapolis

When I was finished with the book I was already wishing to read the sequel of this book "Emilyn's Moon". When I read this I pictured myself on the Mountains and looking at the Island of Wales. I was all over this book 24/7. Rating this book I give a 5 out of 5. I sugest those who want a good but not long book read this! - Reader Nick age 10 permissioned by mom

This review is for all three books in Jenny Nimmo's Magician Trilogy (The Snow Spider, Emlyn's Moon, and The Chestnut Soldier).

Jenny Nimmo's writing style is very powerful, and her characters come to life as you read these books. The descriptions of locations (people's houses, the Welsh countryside, the town, the school) are so vivid that you can immediately picture yourself there. These books have a few scary parts, but the endings are very positive and satisfying.

These books are recommended for anyone who enjoys fantasy or Welsh mythology. Similar books include Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Sequence and Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles.

I picked up this book for my [...]son since he was required to read something for 20-30 min twice/week in [...]it could be anything. At that pace, it took us a few months to get through it, but we were never disappointed in the book. It's written from the perspective of a child my son's age & the words were not too difficult for a young reader. Some of the parts dealing with loss are maybe too disturbing for some very young readers. The mystery & the discovery throughout the book kept our interest. We have now purchased & started the 2nd book in the series & will begin the 3rd book as soon as we are finished with it. Well worth the money of a hardcover edition, as it's a keeper.

Snow Spider by jenny nimmo is an fantasy book that I would recommend to any ages. The first thing that happens in the story is that Gwins sister gets lost in a storm,up in the mountain and she never returns.
One year later, Gwin had his birthday on the same day his sister dissapeared.Gwins grandmother gave Gwin some weird stuff like:a horse with a broken ear,a piece of seaweed and his sister's scarf that was found up on the mountain a couple of weeks after she was lost and much more.
At the weirdest time, he was told to throw them into the wind,and he would find something weird,so he did. that night Gwin found something so cool,but out of the ordinary. It was a spider. No original spider no,it was a snow spider. I wont tell you much more than that but i will tell you that,later in the story he gets a flute. When he starts to play it he hears something you might hear every day. But the things he hears is something from a different planet. It was little children voices screaming,playing,laughing and much more. Soon he sees his spider spinning a web all over his room,he then started to see a mysterious city with the little children in it.
When his grandmother finds out Gwin gave the stuff to the wind. She was so proud. The reason why she was so proud was that,she said that Gwin was a magician. Here are the clues that he would be a magician was: the birthday gifts,not something you would get for your birthday from grandma,the flute that flies into your open window and lands in your lap,and last,a spider shaped as a snow flake,white as snow and silky webs so silky and silver and sparkly.
Gwin is the type of boy you would call different to other people. He is very imaginative and different. His friends think of him as being weird and crazy. At first Gwin doesn't believe in the hole magician thing. His sister did but she didn't talk to him about it at all. Until Gwins grandma was telling stories to Gwin and made him wonder about things like that. When he got alittle bit older he would go to school and get books about it. thats my description about him. About Gwin.That was my description of the Snow Spider.

Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo is an exciting and courageous book I would recommend this to our age or an older age group because of the variety of words and sentances. In the beginning of this book you would find out that Gwyn's grandmother (called Nain) tells Gwyn about his ancestors who where magicians.
Then for his 9th birthday she gives him 5 gifts and tells him that if he gives them to the wind and gets something in return then he is a magician. Well it turns out that he is a magician. He gets a couple of cool things back like a snow spider who can spin silver picture webs. And a pipe so he can hear the the the sounds to the picture. He uses his power to do some really cool things! However you cant have a book without running into some problems right? Well in this book a couple of things happen like for example his spider Arianwen gets thrown into the sink because his mom doesn't like spiders so he has to use his powers to get her back.
One of the gifts is a broken horse, Nain tells Gwyn that he shouldn't give the horse to the wind but when he went to the mountain the wind took it from his hands and it released it to be a demand horse. Read the book to see if his powers can overcome the demand or if Gwyn will let his ancestors down!
The book takes place mostly near Gwyn's house. He goes up to the mountains a couple of times to let things go to the wind. He also goes to school, he goes to the Lloyds house, and he goes to his nains house. He says that nains house is like a library it is full of so many books. Gwyn however lives on a farm with cows and sheep. There aren't a lot of characters in this book but the main character would have to be Gwyn he is a 9 year old who is looking for adventure. Nain comes back and forth in the book but is his grandmother who gets attacked by the demand horse. She knows a lot about Gwyns ancestors so that's how Gwyn knows about every thing his ancestors did. I would also say that Bethan (his sister) plays a big part because the people in the web kidnapped her on his birthday a few years back and now that he is a magician he needs her so she comes back as Eirlys.
So read the book to find out if Gwyn defeats the demand horse of if the horse can out smart him and keep destroying the town!

My husband got a copy of this when he was younger, and we have it here at home and have read it to our 3 children countless times. It has great poems, and makes a great bedtime reading book since you can just read a short poem or two instead of a huge story book. Jack Pretlutsky is wonderfu, he is very clever and his poems are all so cute. I recommend everyone get a copy of this book! Its the top rated book in our house

My favorite book is Something Big Has Been Here by Jack Prelutsky. It is a very very funny book of poems. My favorite is "My Fish Can Ride a Bicycle." It is about a fish that can do almost everything. If you like funny books, you'll like this book.

I first read this book when I was about 10 years old (I'm now 22.) Though I haven't even laid eyes on this book in at least 6 or 7 years, I can still recite by memory several of the poems, including "Something Big Has Been Here", "The Early Worm" and "I Wave Goodbye When Butter Flies."

As a child I loved poems, but often felt Shel Silverstein's were too morbid (especially some of the drawings.) Though I'm a huge fan of his now, at the time Something Big Has Been Here was a wonderful, more mellow book of poems that really got me loving cleverly written poems.

The best thing about the book, in my opinion, is that even though it's written for children, it never talks down to them or oversimplifies emotions or actions. And it's funny enough that even adults can get a snicker or two.

This is an awesome book. The poems are very clever, funny and appealing to kids, along the lines of Shel Silverstein. The difference is the very sophisticated vocabulary that Prelutsky uses. I use a poem per week from this book for my remedial middle school students for oral reading fluency, plus I create our weekly vocabulary word list from words from the weekly poem.

This collection of Jack Prelutsky's silly and goofy poems is a must-have in any self-respecting poetry collection. The subjects of the poems range from mask-wearing earthworms to a room-trashing robot; from wishes to be bigger, to fishing in the desert. Children will laugh at the fearsome pirate "Captain Conniption," terror of the seas, who always obeys his mother. Many will sympathize with the longing of the boy in "My Brother is a Quarterback" who yearns to be a great athlete like his brother is.

"I Wave Goodbye When Butter Flies" is an excellent example of the oddities of the English language. The poem turns such common phrases as "pocket change" and "coffee break" on their ears and makes them into something new. There are subtle puns on condiments in "We're Fearless Flying Hotdogs" (can you find the one for saurkraut?). The emptyheadedly happy expressions on the five flying franks make the whole idea even funnier.

James Stevenson's line drawings accentuate the levity and absurdity of the poems. His artwork for "An Elephant is Hard to Hide" demonstrates even better than words the impossibility of stuffing an elephant into a dresser drawer. The expression of glee on the face of the boy reveling in "Mold, Mold" is identical to expressions seen in mud puddley schoolyards.

This volume is a treasure for both children and adults. It's a great way to spend some time laughing with a child (or by yourself).

My mom and I have truly enjoyed the Dr. Cheney Duvall, MD series. Gilbert & Lynn Morris are excellent writers. I started reading the series first. Then my mom started and she also couldn't put them down. The father/daughter team takes mystery and Christian fiction and puts the two together perfectly. We have already read the first book in The Inheritance series. I have already read the second book the The Inheritance series (I read it in 2 1/2 days, I couldn't put it down). I am now ready for book three to come in the summer of 2005. I would greatly recommend this series to anyone who likes Christian fiction and mystery!

I'll admit I was skeptical at first. While I read Christian fiction all the time and enjoy it, I'd never read a Christian historical fiction book that I really liked. My cousin highly recommended these books, so I thought I would give the first one a try. Of course I became hooked almost right away.

I liked the premise before I even started to read the book. A female doctor in the 1860's? Great premise! The book met and exceded any expectations I had for such a premise. As Dr. Cheney Duvall and her nurse, Shiloh Irons, travel from New York to Seattle with Asa Mercer and his hundred belles, they face danger and disease, along with more common shipboard problems. I was so disappointed when I finished this book, simply because I didn't have the next book in the series (Shadow of the Mountains) along, so I had to wait to start it.

Lynn and Gilbert Morris make a fantastic writing team. The plot is swift and intriguing. The characters are well fleshed-out and believeably, delightfully human. The dialogue is fun to read. All in all, this is a wonderfully well done book. Needless to say, not only do I love this book, but I love the others in the series that I have read so far. I definitely recommend this, even if you don't think Christian historical fiction is your thing.

This if one of my favorit books! I love the way the authers use details and facts. The story captures you, you'r filled with cheneys emotions and you can feel what she is feeling. This book is truley an insperation. I love this hole series, each book is even better than the last.

The Stars for a Light by Lynn and Gilbert Morris is the first book of the Cheney Duval, M.D. series which consists of 8 books and a subsequent series called the Inheritance. So far, that contains only 1 book.

Overall, this is a nice, entertaining book. The series is fun, too, although sometimes the adventures seem rather unrealistic. However, there are adventures, and they are exciting. This book/series has that, plus mystery and romance. I'm not a big fan of christian literature, but I did like these books. I reccomend it for people who like christian fiction or historical fiction.

The Stars for a Light tells the story of Cheney Duvall, a lady physician who struggles to become accepted in an all-male medical world. Other physcians look down on her, and patients don't trust a woman to doctor them. As a last resort, Cheney gets a job escorting/doctoring a group of women traveling by ship to California in order to add more women to the western population. Cheney brings along a nurse, who was reccomended by a friend. Mr. Shiloh Irons. He's an orphan, with his name coming from the crate marked Shiloh Ironworks in which he was found.

This unlikely pair (a female doctor and male nurse) travel to California with plenty of adventures to keep them busy, including Shiloh's hobby/second job of fighting, fires on board the ship, disease, and other excitements.

It is a good book. The characters are likeable and realistic, with their own particular traits. The dialogue is fun and the characters seem to work well with one another. It's well written and original, showing character development aplenty during the series. If you start on this, read it all. By the fourth book, you'll be hooked. I was.

I read this book years ago and am currently reading the followup series, Cheney and Shiloh: The Inheritance. Personally, I enjoyed this series (and still do) about the same time I was fascinated with Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman. Apparently I enjoy women doctors in the 19th century...??? Anyhow, this is a wonderful series, not only exceptionally stating the strength of a woman, but Godly views and relationships as well. Read this SERIES and you won't be sorry, I promise!

Horror, of horrors, it looks like Gussie Fink-Nottle may have finally broken off with Madeline Bassett and there is little or nothing that even Jeeves can do about it. Diets, steak and kidney pie, mute lutes. Add Spode who will take anybody who makes Madeline cry and tie them into a painful knot and you have the makings of a tragic ending for poor, poor Bertie. Or do you? Either way, there is tons of fun from the first page to the last and lots of twisted plot lines, weird happenings, and buckets of hard drinking.

This was the first Bertie and Jeeves' book I'd ever read. If you're interested in British humour, exquisite-snobbish language and witty puns, or in bizarre but classy situations, this is just the book for you. Wodehouse possessed this wonderful characteristic of balancing an unfortunate situation with a good dose of modest humour. The title says it all! Thoroughly recommendable.

What could the Nobel Prize for literature signify if PG Wodehouse not only didn't win one, but never made the short-list? Good grief. What other writer living or dead, in Nobel's own words, "help[s] dreamers, as they find it hard to get on in life."

Take STIFF UPPER LIP, JEEVES, for example. If you want to read a book that'll grab you by your lapels and hoist you out this mundane, dynamite-scarred world, try this one.

Crisp dialogue, intricate plotting, witty wordplay, amusing situations, and distinct characters make this book satisfying to read repeatedly. In fact, it is astonishing that STIFF UPPER LIP, JEEVES and many other Wodehouse creations seem just as fresh the second, third, and even seventh time around.

I would liken reading this book to drinking one of Jeeves's famous pick-me-ups "and their effect on a fellow who is hanging to life by a thread on the morning after." Wodehouse writes: "For perhaps the split part of a second nothing happens. It is as though all Nature waited breathless. Then, suddenly, it is as if the Last Trump had sounded and Judgment Day set in..."

If heaven's half as delightful as reading PG Wodehouse, (should I get there) I'll be in paradise.

Just as we believe some actors were born to play a certain role or a singer was born to sing a specific song, I'm convinced Jonathan Cecil was born to read P. G. Wodehouse. The British accented Cecil voice delightfully inhabits the personas of Jeeves, Bertie Wooster and sundry other characters with charm, humor, and distinction.

My first introduction to the talents of Cecil was with his stunning reading of "Jeeves and the Mating Season." Since that time no other voice will do for the born to the purple Bertie and his long suffering butler.

P.G. Wodehouse is quite another story. Obviously, one of the greatest humorists to ever take up pen his tongue-in-cheek take on the British upper classes is pure laugh provoking perfection. With "Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves" we find Bertie returning to Totleigh Towers, a place he had hoped never to see again as it is the domain of Sir Watkyn Bassett, who lined his pockets with fines he collected. Bassett's daughter, Madeline is always on the prowl and Bertie wants no part of her.

Fortunately, Madeline has fallen for and captured another - Gussie, a friend of Bertie's. Now, Madeline is not only a huntress but she is also passionate about changing her quarry to suit her own tastes. In this case, the word "taste" may be taken literally as she wants to change the meat loving Gussie into a vegetarian, which is where most of the trouble begins. Bertie, as usual, finds himself embroiled in this sticky situation.

Alas, once again it's left up to Jeeves to come to Bertie's aid.

Wodehouse has been dubbed a "comic genius;" Cecil is his full partner in this splendid reading. Enjoy!

- Gail Cooke

This unabridged audio version of "Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves" was wonderfully read by Cecil. This is not my typically genre of book and I was pleasantly impressed and surprised by this book. I have not read the prior books in this series and had no problems following along so the priors are not a necessity. In a nutshell, this book is about a dim-witted Bertie and his attempt to keep from inadvertently becoming engaged to a sappy Madeline. The dry, British humor of this story is excellently portrayed by Cecil and I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a refreshing change of pace!

My face is a bit red. Matter of fact, I'm almost embarrassed to admit this. I am a lover of Western novels, but had never heard of Elmer Kelton. I have been visiting my daughter's (second home) ranch in Colorado and started doing some horseback riding - at the tender young age of 71! In connection with this I started a subscription to American Cowboy magazine, in which I found an article about Kelton. On my next visit to Barnes and Noble I looked for Kelton's books and lo and behold found a shelf full. I selected The Time it Never Rained as a trial read. I quickly discovered that I couldn't put the book down. I am now on a mission to read all of his works. Definitely five stars.

This is the first Kelton book I have read and the first fiction novel that I have read in decades. I felt like it was real to life and forgot it was fiction. I live there-West Texas, Panhandle. Surely there is a sequel. He left it open to finish out the lives of the major people involved, in at least one more book but ended this one as he should.

Elmer Kelton was rightfully honored with a number of awards for this thoughtful piece of work originally published in 1973. While it is about ranchers trying to survive in one of those long droughts that seem to come more and more frequent to the West and particularly the Southwest it is much more than a story of survival. The nearest community in the book is called Rio Seco and while it only exists in our mind's eye Kelton describes it well enough that it could be one of thousands such communities scattered across Texas and the West. What came to my mind as he described it is the movie from a number of years ago called, "The Last Picture Show". The book is a beautiful study of evolving and conflicting cultures on so many levels. Kelton does a fine job of laying out the past and showing the future of changes between Angelo and Hispanic to include the continuing question of undocumented immigrants. Another is the "old school" way of looking at things rather than the new way. One of the focal points of the book is the role that government aid plays in changing groups such as ranchers forever. The "hero" (and I'm sure he never considered himself a hero of any kind) of the book, Charlie Flagg refuses the aid and thereby creates tension for himself and others around him. What's amazing, and something to which I consider an honor, is that I was reared in a time and community to have known men just like Charlie Flagg. This book has been re-published several times and I can understand why. Really much of what you read in "The Time It Never Rained" is timeless while other parts provide a beautiful look to the middle of the last century in Texas. While it's considered a western it's far from a "shoot'em up". Other of his books go there but that's for another review.

This book is unlike any of Kelton's other works. The time setting is the 1950s and the seven-year drought we experienced during those years. The plot/theme is the end of the era of independence and freedom among cow men ... the time when they told themselves the drought forced them to sell themselves to the government to receive hay in return for their souls and their pasts.

I think of this book as a companion read to Abbey's, Brave Cowboy and McMurtry's, Hud (the book). All three writers were capturing a time and an attitude representing an end of an era when ranchers continued to curse the government out of habit while accepting welfare money as gracefully as the city poor they despised for doing so.

Kelton's book is as good as the other two, maybe better.

Being a Texan in Texas during the drought Elmer Kelton describes in The Time It Never Rained, he seems to write about it first hand. I remember the deluge that ended the drought, and it was the experience I remember. I worked at the San Angelo Standard-Times while Mr. Kelton did, and his day to day newspaper work was a preview to his books to come. He has West Texas nailed down to a T, and I love all his books. But this one especially strikes home.

I love "Vive La Paris", it was such a great read! I really like Paris' voice and I'm glad that Codell brought her back from "Sahara Special". Paris is really naive about the Holocaust, which gets her in some trouble, but I think she handles things wonderfully. I think everyone should read this book at some point, no matter what their age. I find that it is a great read-aloud book, too. It was fun to share with people around me.

In Vive La Paris, a precocious fifth grader named Paris is frustrated and angry that her older brother is being bullied by a girl from Paris's class. Paris can't understand why her brother doesn't hit her back. With the help of her elderly piano teacher, Mrs. Rosen, and her fifth grade teacher, Miss Pointy, Paris learns some very important life lessons about tolerance, the dangers of ignorance, and how we each play an important role when it comes to facing and addressing the injustices we see in the world. This is a powerful story that is beautifully written. I highly recommend it!

Paris McCray is a fifth-grade African-American girl living in Chicago with her parents and four older brothers. She reluctantly attends piano lessons at the home of Mrs. Rosen, an elderly Holocaust survivor, and ends up coming away with more than just an appreciation for music. Their student-teacher relationship evolves into a special bond as Mrs. Rosen helps Paris apply the lessons of the Holocaust to her own life, giving her the tools to stand up to the class bully, and to accept her brother Michael's individuality and unique spirit. With plenty of charm and spunk, and an overdoes of urban attitude, Codell creates a warm, touching, and humorous story of one girl's journey to finding a balance between wearing rose-colored glasses and facing the world with eyes wide open. While billed as a companion novel to Sahara Special (Sahara appears as one of Paris's classmates), the books stands strongly on its own.
For ages 9-12.
Reviewed by Rachel Kamin

"VIVE . . . !" is a Salute to 5th grader Paris McCray who enjoys that 'only daughter status' in a black family with four older brothers. Paris is very 'with it' in her Chicago environment but has frequent altercations with a classmate who harasses her, & bullies her brother Michael. He is committed to non-violent responses & "the living is easy" - - NOT !

Challenges, school projects and a fascination with (italicized) words sum up Paris' top interests - - these aren't too different from my own interests when a very naive 5th grader at age 9. Don't most girls wear rose-colored glasses at some point during those pre-teen years? Paris has a new piano teacher who is a Holocaust survivor. Slowly their acquaintance grows into a respectful relationship which includes brother Michael who must endure being 'looked after'. As Paris learns more about Mrs. Rosen's adventures & suffering during WW II she reacts to the former member of the Resistance by wearing a yellow star.

I find this not surprising but a natural response of the generous-spirited girl. She didn't do it as a lark but in innocence, and encouraged her classmates to follow her example. Later, when 'punishment' was meted out, Paris AND her classmates were challenged to learn as much as possible about the victims of the Nazi regime. As Paris learns more about the crushing of Jews in Europe she & her classmates become aware of similarities to our own national history of mean-spirited segregation and racial atrocities. Perhaps I read something into this thought-provoking story that wasn't there but I found it a moving story and a book to own & share.

Esme Raji Codell is a stand-out author for middle-schoolers to 'track'. Was my ignorance at age 9 inexcusable? It wasn't until 9th grade when this reviewer was 13, that a classmate who summered in Europe (this was 1939) explained to me that war was imminent. The world 'out there' suddenly became relevant & I focused more on my college-age sibs. How much true empathy do 5th graders feel today toward those suffering in Afghanistan? Darfur? Iraq?

Yes, no one has to read each book in this series to find Sahara and Paris very special & individual personalities, and to happily anticipate a book about Luz. But I feel closer to the young Paris who had some experiences like my own: growing up with several sibs & the consequent stresses, reacting anxiously to injustices, trying to adjust when considered different in some way, and thinking everything should revolve around my desires & activities. HUMOR is a universal need and there is a healthy dollop of that, AND warmth and compassion. Don't miss searching for links to other writings of Esme Raji Codell and perhaps you'll discover her own valuable thoughts about that yellow star.

Remember "Sahara Special?" Well, her mysterious library friend, Paris, now stars in her own novel! Paris is fun for children and adult readers alike, always trying her hardest to be polite, but admitting when she isn't, and always trying to use the exact right word, even if she isn't sure what it is. Paris narrates through her life at school, where she leads the Extreme Readers Club, and mimeographs weekly newsletters, at home, with her 4 older brothers all named after jazz musicians, and piano lessons with her unexpected mentor, Mrs. Rosen, who Paris eventually understands is a Holocaust survivor. Many poignant but subtle parallels between contemporary African American life and WWII Jewish European life are alluded to, which helps Paris to understand Mrs. Rosen, the world, and her philosophy on life. What a beautiful, strong novel, appropriate and accessible for kids. Ms. Codell has cemented her place in my heart!

I read a section from the book each night and feel warmed and inspired by it. Also, more and more I'm coming across this image of a web in life and understanding and appreciating the interconnectedness of things as described in the book.

Richard Louv has a great philosophy toward life. This book illustrates his desire for all of us to include more nature in our existence. The book is a gentle reminder of our wilder selves.

"The Web of Life: Weaving the Values that Sustain Us," is an incredibly powerful work connecting the present with the past, eloquently capturing the basic values which bring strength to individuals, families, schools, and communities. Through a story-telling approach which immediately connects author with reader, Richard Louv plants the seeds of possibility in the reader's mind, offering simple and do-able approaches to integrating more of the sustaining values into our busy lives.

I used Louv's book in my thesis on Amish culture, as I immediately found threads of commonality between Louv's observations and my personal experiences among the Old Order Amish. In this work, Louv unknowingly, perhaps, touched upon sustaining human values that transcend culture and generational boundaries. In the Web of Life, Louv emphasizes what we can do individually and collectively to begin creating a world of compassion, sensitivity, fulfillment, and joy.

This is a must read for anyone wishing to set aside the temporary lures of self-gratification and integrate more practical and sustainable values into their lives.

I picked up this copy the same time as I picked up his "Last Child in the Woods" ~~ and I took it along on a camping trip recently. It is a neat little compilation of essays regarding making time for family, having meaningful conversations and keeping friends, keeping the communication channels open with your kids and spouses, brothers/sisters/parents, and other topics.

It is definitely a keeper in any family's library ~~ but if you have read the book, "Last Child in the Woods" ~~ you will find the same themes and same stories touched upon in this book as well. That is why I gave it a four stars because it is tedious reading to read the same thing over and over again. Yes, this book is the original since it was published in 1996 but when you have two books by the same author telling you pretty much the same thing, it makes you wonder if he needs more fresh stories to share or if he is running out of ideas. It'll be interesting to see what his next book will touch upon.

Just because re-reading the same thing is tedious for me, it doesn't have to be for other readers. If you like essays and essays about family, nature, communication and so forth, you will like this little book. It is lyrical and thoughtful. It is inspiring. It will make you look at life a little bit differently and perhaps, instead of having imaginary conversations with your spouse in your head, you will talk to him/her and rediscover the reasons why you fell in love with him/her in the first place. This book is just not about stories, it is about people reconnecting to humanity again in spite of the highly technogical age we live in today. It is about people reconnecting to nature and family and friends ~~ the little things that make our lives go round.

It is definitely a gem of a book.

9-11-07

This is a wonderful collection of essays/short stories which drive home the importance of family, family connections and the importance of our past. Each essay is worth mulling over thoughtfully. You will find youself being able to relate to most of the author's words. We need works such as this at a time when so many of our families and communities seem to be bent on distruction, and more importantly, we need to read these works and ponder them. All in all quite thought provoking and quite inspirational. Would recommend this to anyone. Would recommend you purchase it and give it a reread now and then.

This is such a cute funny book. My girls love it and love to say " you throw him out!!" My husband had this book when he was a little boy and now my girls have it and i know it will be passed down forever. Great book for years to come

I've owned this book for twenty years. I was a small child when I first got it as a present, and forced my parents to read it to me again and again and again. Now that I am an acting and storytelling teacher for young children, I was looking through old books to use in my class. I came across this one, read through it again, and was won over all over again. Whether you are a young child, a parent of a young child or a teacher of young children (or perhaps just young at heart) you will no doubt have a wonderful time reading this book. (And, even if you're all alone, I suggest reading it out loud.)

What to do? Great introduction to problem solving and the silliness of animals. A joy to read using your best animal voice!

This book is on the Kumon required reading list. Wonderful illustrations, amusing, and easy to read. You and your child will laugh.

This was the longest book my two-year-old would sit through... again and again and again. She loved acting the part of the little heroine and readily recited "you throw him out!" with much enthusiasm. The drawings are entertaining and the end is lovely. I would whole-heartedly recommend this darling story.

Wink and Grow Rich

Read it 3 times now -- and my wife Masami has gained so much from it she is looking at translating it!

You will gain understanding upon understanding from this simple little book about a boy called Richard who takes a differnt path one day on the journey to the well of wealth and ends up learning that life is indeed rich and doesnt have to be hard and that his name has a different meaning to what he thought!

I keep readind this in snippets -- picking up and asking questions and gaining more insights ---

Its a winner and will be a winner for you --- a tip though -- wealth is hidden between the words in the book ...

Be awesome

David Anttony

david @ DavidAnttony.com

Roger's book is a wonderful journey of this young man trying to understand what wealth is. Powerful yet simple to understand and leave you intrigued and puzzled enough to read it again and get the dog ears on it :-).

Tim Hansen

Wink and Grow Rich is the only book that I have read more than twice. I have read it 5 times so far and each time it reveals to me more about myself. It has helped me think about what work I was doing and what I now will only do. To me it is about making choices in your world. Choices that we all have the ability to make though often are too scared to make. I recommend you do not lend this book to anyone, you will refer to it yourself too often!!!

Well done Roger. I understand that Roger wrote this book over a 3 - 4 day period, which is an amazing feat. Roger has managed to compact a cross of life and wealth coaching into such a small and easy to read book, with numerous levels and subtle texts.

I have read this book a number of times, one time of which I wrote a load of notes. Every time I read it I'd swear that there were sentences there which were not there the previous time, hence I got something new out of it every time.

A very Zen, smart and simple approach - particularly once the penny drops on what comes after number 29... I highly recommend this book.

Having read this book 7 times I now find I use the key 29 points all the time.I use them as a guide to my next wealth creation decisions.This book is so simple to read and yet the value is enormous.Even my children understand it.Wonderful little phrases like "think it, ink it, do it, review it"..or "to know and not to do is not yet to know".I highly recommend this well priced little book.