Queen The Books

Reviewed by Kim Peterson for Reader Views (5/06)

When someone plunders Queen Bee's lilacs and steals her nectar, the maid calls in Detective Brown to help the distraught ruler stop the culprit. The upset queen feels so disgruntled that she threatens to have Detective Brown's head if he doesn't solve the mystery quickly. But the case proves most baffling with an old tennis shoe as the only clue.

Several days later, when the queen calls Brown in for a report she threatens him about his head again. With his life on the line, Brown feels motivated to solve the crime. He stays up all night to crack the case. Before he captures the thief he is deceived, almost bested in a swordfight, and nearly outwitted by the crafty crook. But his successful efforts are amply rewarded by a delighted Queen Bee.

The rhyming prose and lyrical feel to this picture book should appeal to young children and the adults who read to them. The bright, jewel-colored illustrations serve up a visual treat for young eyes. Illustrator Pamela Marie Key created enchanting pictures rich with vivid detail. I enjoyed the pictures even more than the well-written who-dunnit about the queen's stolen nectar. The four activity pages of at the end of the book form an appealing addition to a fun little mystery.

This little book gave me a reason to read to my young children. It is a book that begs to be read out loud and there is such a fantastic little story with such attractive art. Great!!!!

It is not often that I fall in love with a book. But I do love this book! It isn't just for kids, it is very fun for adults to read. This terrific story in verse has amazing little characters who fit quite nicely in their little insect world. The lilac tree is a great place to be! Surprise yourself and get a copy.

I am an aunt and have no kids of my own but this little book was recommended to me by a close friend. Love it!!!! This is a very well written children's book. I have oh so much fun reading it to my nieces. Good plot and the rhyming was terrific. I thought Dr. Suess was great. Move over... this author is unbelievably talented. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the story and think it has great characters and a nice ending.

When I found this jewel of a children's book last week on a trip through Kansas, I was struck by the beautiful cover. What a catchy title and then I open it up. Awesome!!! Yes, the art rocks but the story is totally originial and I love Detective Brown. Awesome little dude. Simone, write more of your incredible books. I am a fan for life. Great story and great characters.

The main character of this book, Queen Vernita, lives all alone in a castle in the "majestic world of Oceaneer." She loves being a queen, but she misses the friends she hasn't seen for quite some time. She gets out her calendar and counts the months since the last time she has had a visitor. The Queen says, "It has been one whole year since I have seen my friends." So, she decides to send invitations to 12 of her friends, inviting each one to visit during a different month of the year.

The visitors arrive, starting with Debbie in January, and going through December, when Tyler Ann visits. She does not discriminate about male and female visitors as she has some of both. Each visitor is given an entire month to visit with activities appropriate for that month and the season of the year. For instance, Ashlie comes in July, and the two of them spend the month at the beach. When Mike comes in October, they engage in activities like picking pumpkins, collecting leaves, and making Jack O' Lanterns.

But, the book is much more than just a "diary" of each month's activities. The author has included an interesting way to present the concepts of a calendar. First, the book is set up with the Queen counting the number of months since she has had a visitor; she names the months and counts them off, telling herself, and the reader, there are 12 months in a year. As mentioned, the first visitor arrives in January and the last one in December, and each consecutive month is mentioned in turn. The author further breaks things down by mentioning a different activity for each day of the week, staring with Mondays and going through Sundays. And, the reader is told how many days there are in each particular month.

The book provides a great way for youngsters to learn the months of the year and the days of the week. The format is such that there is plenty of repetition that children enjoy so much.

Even though there is much good to be said about this book, in fairness to the potential reader, there are a couple of negative things I feel should be mentioned. First, there are a couple of punctuation errors. They are minor ones, but as an author and an editor, I found them a bit distracting. Also, although almost all the activities mentioned are appropriate to the month and the season of the year, I was a bit confused about the activities mentioned for the month of December: The text says, "On Mondays, they rake all the leaves. On Tuesdays, they "watched the falling snow." I'm just curious as to why the author mentions raking leaves in December every Monday and then watching the falling snow every Tuesday? And, if it weren't for the illustrations, we would have no idea what the characters look like as there is no verbal description of any of them.

All in all, though, this is an excellent book for teaching youngsters about the calendar and I'm sure young children will love it. So, I give it 4 stars.

Written by: Dawn Menge
Illustrated by: Bobbi Switzer
Published by: Outskirts Press
Reviewed by: Stephanie Rollins, Parish Rollins (age 4), and Isaac Rollins (age 2) for [........] 11/2008
ISBN: 978-1-59800-714-5
"A Bit Monotonous For Adults, but Kids Will Like It" 4 stars
Queen Vernita invites a different friend to stay each month. They do different fun things each day of the week, so the days of the week are mentioned over and over and over again. This is great for teaching kids about the days of the week. This gives parents a bit of a headache.
Since it is all about the kids anyway, Parish and Isaac give this a thumbs-up. They loved the repetition. I read it in a way that stressed that, so that they focused on the days of the week. Of course, months are mentioned, too.
The illustrations are top-notch. Both Parish and Isaac loved them. I recommend this for pre-schoolers.

Dawn Menge has written a beautiful and lively children's book "Queen Vernitas Visitors". Queen Vernita is the Queen of her majestic world of Oceaneer. She lives in a wonderful castle on a hill but she is missing her friends. Queen Vernita decides to invite one friend to visit her each month of the year.
This is an enchanting story of the adventures of Queen Vernita and her friends as they enjoy seasonal activities while learning the months of the year, days of the week and experience enduring friendships.
Ms. Menge has creted a world of joy while helping children learn the days, months, seasons and values of friendship.
This book is beautifully and colorfully illustrated by Bobbi Switzer.
As a former kindergarten teacher for 25 years I find this book to have great educational value. It is a useful tool that can be used day after day in the classroom. Each month can be broken down, activities in the book can be duplicated or used as a tool to continue long discussions.
We are all looking forward to Ms. Menges next book.

I received a copy of Queen Vernita's Visitors by Dawn Menge and Bobbi Switzer in the mail this week and I wanted to tell you all what a delightful book it is! Queen Vernita invites twelve wonderful friends to visit with her during each month of the year. Queen Vernita and her friends enjoy fun activities throughout the Oceaneers Kingdom. This book is an excellent way to teach the monthly calendar, seasons and days of the week. This book would be an excellent addition to your home or school library!

Dawn Menge has a background/degree in Special Education and while working with severely handicapped children she has keenly observed learning patterns of all children (her current goal is a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction). Fold all of these experiences together and one fine example of her creative mind is QUEEN VERNITA'S VISITORS. Collaborating with artist Bobbi Switzer she has produced a book for children that is at once a fine story well illustrated and a resource for assisting parents and teachers to explore the concept of time, the days of the week, the months of the year, the numbers of days in each month, the concept of friendship and of sharing, and the beauties of the four seasons and the physical and climatic changes they represent. And Menge wisely uses the trusty tool of repetition and variation to teach and to maintain the interest of the reader and the lucky child to whom this book is read.

Vernita is the Queen of the mythical kingdom of Oceaneer, and while she is a happy person she misses the contact of friends in the land of Quails. Her solution to her loneliness? Invite a different friend to stay with her in her castle for one month, during which time she and her friend enjoy events pertinent to that month's climate and holidays. Each page (accompanied with a superbly painted illustration) introduces a new friend in a new month and the routine Queen Vernita and her visitor of the month is mapped out as repeated frolics for each day of the week until the friend departs at the end of that month. We visit winter, spring, summer and autumn and discover novel and alliterative ways to bond with friends, such as 'popping pumpernickel popcorn', 'picking shiny Shell Flowers' and numerous other very clever ideas for children to explore in their own neighborhood of friends.

The book is well conceived and well written, a pleasure for adults to read and a contagiously informative and entertaining book for reading and re-reading for children of all ages. We can only hope Dawn Menge continues to publish this approach to children's literature. She does it very well! Grady Harp, November 08

This would be a great book to use in a literature group of young women of high school age. It's not difficult to read, which would make it a good book to use in a classroom of readers that were not strong in their skills. It addresses themes common today in a setting that would lead into studies of Greek Mythology, or Bronze Age cultures.
Discussion points:
1)survival from sexual assault: several aspects such as rape, prostitution,
2)female empowerment,
3)belief in one's self,
4)trying to be something you are not: from both a human (Rain) point of view and animalistic (Usha the Bear)anthropomorphism.
5)war and change in society
6)same sex relationships

It would be interesting, but I don't know if it would be successful, to try this book in a mixed (male/female) setting. Although not all of the male characters are portrayed as enemies, this is definitely not a male-oriented novel. The only sympathetic male characters would be Melek and baby Anto, and possibly the smith.
It does show a Lesbian relationship as a healthy relationship. In fact, it makes it the only healthy sexual relationship in the book. It does obliquely address if sexual assault leads to lesbian relationships in the comparison of the Queen and Penthe as compared to Rain and Melek.
I would recommend this book to a leader or teacher who was able to try literature that addresses controversial societal issues.

A myth-like story about an ancient race of female warriors and one girl in particular who would be Queen, beautifully written. A fantastic YA novel for teens and adults. The best by Hoffman I have read so far.

One of Alice Hoffman's few YA books, this story of an Amazonian princess will capture you like no other read. The ways of the women warriors are brutally intense, and for the first time are questioned, by Rain, who vies for her mother's attention but still attempts to defy the ways of tradition. The characters are strong, each of them contributing to the choices made by Rain, for good or bad.

The Foretelling is a gripping book from beginning to end. Your care for the young princess grows as you learn more and more about her destiny, and her will to change the fate of her people to peace. Her strong connections with horses and bears seem spiritual, and make this story of pain and violence almost gentle and compassionate. I guarantee everyone will enjoy it.

In this intense yet complicated fantasy story, Rain attempts to gain her mother's notice and acceptance by being the best of warriors in their Amazonian tribe. The product of a rape when her mother, Alina, wasn't much more than a child herself, it is hard to gain the Queen's approval. Although Rain knows that she's been raised by Deborah, the wise priestess, to one day be Queen herself, she also pays attention to Deborah's promises of a much grander destiny.

Rain doesn't totally understand the Queen's desire to so thoroughly destroy her enemies, even though her own cousins, Astella and Asteria, are two of the fiercest warriors in the tribe. When Alina takes Penthe as her companion, and Penthe's daughter Io seeks to be Rain's sister, matters become even more complicated. Rain wants nothing more than to ride her horse, Sky, to garner her mother's approval, to earn the place as rightful Queen that will someday come upon her.

On her first journey alone, Rain comes upon a bear cub, which she takes back to camp. She names him Usha, and together with Io the two girls raise the cub as if he were a horse. Although Rain and Io soon discover the mistake of doing so, it's too late--Usha is killed in battle, and Rain still doesn't have the love and acceptance of her mother.

THE FORETELLING is a coming-of-age story set in a fantastical land of the Amazons. Rain is a compelling character who, although she tries so hard to be vicious and fierce like her fellow tribe-members, always leans more towards peace for all men and compassion towards her enemies.

Not to be missed by lovers of fantasy stories!

My name is Doug Hiser, author of the 2006 novel,The Honey Bee Girl. I have been reading and collecting Alice Hoffman books since I discovered Turtle Moon. I have read them all and The Fortelling is my favorite. I loved her narrative and moving story. In some ways it reminded me of Clan of the Cave Bear and also of mystical ancient cultures that we see only in dreams. Alice Hoffman's prose is the main reason I fell in love with her books. She is the magic realism of writing the way Michael Parks is of the dreamlike reality of art and Frank Frazetta is the master of fantasy painting. The Fortelling is a short work of literary genius accessible to everyone. She has deep intense knowledge of the emotions and feelings that most people can only guess about. Discover her writing through this compelling work and then find your way into her other books. You won't be disappointed. Doug Hiser

Once Upon A Curse is a book that every book lover should read (after you've read The Frog Princess and Dragon's Breath of course)... It has time travel, fairys, dragons, harpies, and other magical creatures too. Captivating with kind and snotty ancestors that Princess Emma meets when she's trying to solve the family curse's mysteries... along with Eadric, Lil, and some magic she's bound for a journey no one's gone on before!

We bought the Frog Princess from a school bookfair. I've been reading it to my 8 year old daughter. We both enjoyed the book so much, I bought the next two in the series on Amazon. These are wonderfully funny, engaging stories. This is a children's auther I would highly recommend.

Ilove the romance in this book.Emma and Eadric
are very funny characters.I love the magic in this book.
I hope to keep reading the series!

This book is just one of the wonderful books in this series. An absolute family treasure and fun for the whole family.

This was a fun book that has been passed around in family. I read it first and then passed it to my 13 yr. old daughter who then passed it to my 10 yr. old daughter. We've all laughed with delight at some of the exploits our "heroes" manage to involve themselves in. A must read! Grab the whole series while you're at it!

This beautiful book is one that you will want to return to again and again. The photographs - particularly those of Queen Victoria's children, and those of her with her grandchildren - are exquisite. The captions, too, provide all kinds of anecdotes and interesting snippets of information. Through the pages of the book you go through the sad stories and the joyful ones of these beautiful people and each page brings a new delight. Like "The Camera and the Tsars" - this is a book I would take with me if I were stranded on a desert island!

Most Beautiful Princess

excellent photographs of collection of royal family of england ,from1840-1940.some of the pictures i've seen before ,but there are alot of new one's not seen before.

This is an excellent resource as well as enjoyable reading and viewing. Queen Victoria had a large, illustrious family. This book not only humanizes and personalizes the many family members, it also helps to make sense of the extended family connections - particularly with the included family trees in the back of the book.

I have perused through this book many times, and have recently given one to a friend, who absolutely loved it. This is not a history book that will just sit on a shelf. It is a required addition to anyone interested in the history of Queen Victoria and the Eurpoean monarchies.

Absolutely remarkable. Charlotte Zeepvat takes the reader into the lives of Queen Victoria and her family with the amazing photographs, both candid and formal. The pictures are rare. They are well organized and have excellent captions. Zeepvat is a great writer/historian and I recommend her books to all.

There are certain photos that I simply expect to see when perusing volumes about European royalty. However, upon receiving Zeepvat's book, I was thrilled to find so many rarely seen photos of some of the more obscure descendants of the "Grandmother of Europe." If you're a royalty buff like I am, you can spend hours immersed in this marvelous book and its detailed family trees.

The book Sammy Keys and the Psycho Kitty Queen written by Wendelin Van Drannen is an exciting adventure! I would give this book 5 stars because it was a page turner and there were exciting events in every chapter. I just couldn't put this book down.
Join Sammy on a quest to find a mischievous cat killer. On the way she is chased down an alley by a man with a butcher knife and gets hosed down by a psycho kitty queen. If that isn't enough her archenemy Heather Ascota has the same birthday as her! Heather's brother gives Sammy a lucky horseshoe and Heather will do anything to get it back- even fight Sammy for it.
If you're looking for a story filled with adventure, laughs, and a psycho kitty queen, this is the book to pick!

sammy keys and the psycho kitty queen was one of the best books I have ever read. If you haven't read it READ IT! I have read it over and over again and each time it gets better. Other sammy keys books are good but this one is the best. I cannot wait for the next book to come out.

Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen was written by Wendlin Van Draanen. It all started when Sammy found a dead cat in the dumpster. She thought a lot about the cats after she found another one in the garbage. After her own cat went missing, Sammy had to see what was going on.
This book was exciting and suspenseful because of all the action. I liked the ending because the problem was solved. Sometimes I find myself a lot like Sammy and I can picture myself as her in the book. The main problem was very unique, weird, and interesting because the author used dead cats. The characters seemed very real to me because the whole book was realistic fiction.
Wendling Van Draanen uses a deep voice throughout the book. Very few of the words she used were unknown to me. It was interesting that every time I came to an unusual word she described it. Unlike other authors, Wendling ended every chapter in a suspenseful way. I think she has a lot of creativity to come up with this great book.
Out of all the books I've read, this one is one of my favorites. I liked it because between the rising action there are many problems. Every time Sammy solved a problem, I thought the book was going to be over. I recommend this book because it's suspenseful, thrilling, and funny.
Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen might be a little weird at the beginning. You'll want to stop reading because a couple of cats died and there's a weird wrestler that doesn't take off his cat suit. There's a reason to all that, and you need to find out.

The book Sammy Keys and the Psycho Kitty Queen written by Wendelin Van Drannen is an exciting adventure! I would give this book 5 stars because it was a page turner and there were exciting events in every chapter. I just couldn't put this book down.
Join Sammy on a quest to find a mischievous cat killer. On the way she is chased down an alley by a man with a butcher knife and gets hosed down by a psycho kitty queen. If that isn't enough her archenemy Heather Ascota has the same birthday as her! Heather's brother gives Sammy a lucky horseshoe and Heather will do anything to get it back- even fight Sammy for it.
If you're looking for a story filled with adventure, laughs, and a psycho kitty queen, this is the book to pick!

This book is written very well and the end is, as always pretty surprising. Now to the story...Sammy's life is a disaster: She lives in her Grams' apartment which is only for seniors, so she always has to sneak up the fire escape. Her mom left her for a career in Hollywood and then suddenly she shows up on Sammy's birthday. She came to tell Sammy that she isn't turning fourteen, she's turning 13 because her mom had made a fake birth certificate. Sammy is really upset but then she and her friend Holly find dead cats all over town in garbage cans and they start solving the mystery. At a new wrestling school, Slammin' Dave's,(where Sammy also learns some nice wrestling moves) there's a wrestler, El Gato who looks very scary since he always has a cat mask and costume on and never takes it off, so Sammy and Holly become very suspicious. In the end El Gato turns out to be someone totally different than they would have thougt. How they solve the mystery and find out who the cat killer was, will grab you and make you want to keep reading and reading. I really enjoyed the book and read it in only two days and I recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries. The characters are described good and likable except for Heather and her friends,Sammy enemies. The book is also a real page-turner and i would recommend the other Sammy Keyes books as well. I hope this review helped and that you enjoy the book as much as I did.

Its subtitle says it all. In his highly impressive debut novel, Gilad Elbom zaps between sex, heavy-metal and linguistics (not to mention crazy people) and takes you right along with him. Sometimes photorealistic down to the institutional kosher blue and orange cups familiar to most Israelis, then just as easily hilarious and over-the-top, this is fresh and well worth the read.

I am so grateful that Gilad Elbom decided to write his first novel in English. I can't imagine reading this book in translation (but if English is not your first language, I'm sure the translations still stay true to form). Gilad's ability to effortlessly draw me into his make-believe(?) world is really what I enjoyed most about Scream Queens.

Some compare Scream Queens to a ride on a roller coaster. I'd agree, and add that it left me panting, excited to read Mr. Elbom's second book. This is a fun, accessible book for anyone who wants a glimpse into many minds crazier than their own. Plus, you get a rear-view-mirror glance at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from one underexposed Israeli perspective.

You should read this book. It fills up your senses.

Enter Gilad Elbom, purveyor of dark ramblings and metal-infused interludes, straight from the heart of Israel. In this freshman release from an up-and-coming literary powerhouse we find Elbom, also the main character of Scream Queens, reflecting on his life inside a mental hospital as an assistant nurse. Through driven dialogue and off-beat characters we plunge into a world of mental instability and quirky obsessions where we are often lost between insanity and reality. A fun, tight novel told through the eyes of a self-deprecating (albeit self-involved) Israeli national, Scream Queens of the Dead Sea is bound to be a cult hit.

The only complaint I have with Gilad Elbom is that he appears to have disappeared from the internet entirely. I suppose he's teaching or something. This is one of the funniest most horrifying books you are ever going to read about one of the funniest most horrifying places on the planet. Like Lenny Bruce or Sarah Silverman, Gilad Elbom knows what makes his reader uncomfortable and he's going to poke at it for all its worth until you're laughing with tears rolling.

Sure this book loses some steam towards the end and some of the characters get lost in the shuffle, but it's worth it alone for the Israeli astronaut musings. Read it. Buy it. Realize that there's more to literature than Dan Brown.

i've pretty much given up hope in the novel these days--but this one restores some faith. the german version has a much better cover, but you've gotta read it in english to get the jokes. vive!

I read the book about a year ago and still remember it in detail. A wonderful read!

This book was very good. I liked just about all the characters in the book. Jenna the main character had a way of taking you off, i fealt realy bad for her in some parts of the story. The only thing that i dident quite like about the book was that after a "story" it then told you the truth behind it... It was sometimes a bit difficutlt to udnerstand or get through... But it was intersting... Now if only i can get a coppy of White Jenna to spur my minde a bit more....

This book was really cool. I liked the simpleness of it. I liked how she got to the point and didn't describe everylast detail. I also liked Pynt. She was my favorite character. She was mischivious, yet she had a loyal quality to her.

"Sister Light, Sister Dark" and its sequel, "White Jenna," hold places of honor on my bookshelves.

The story is about Jenna, a thrice-orphaned girl of the Dales (a fictional region) being raised by followers of Great Alta, the Goddess. These women--mostly unwanted daughters of local peasants--train for years to call up their "dark sisters." Jenna, who was born with completely white hair, may be the Anna foretold in prophecy.

Stuff happens.

Interspersed among the actual narrative chapters are ballads and myths of the Dales, as well as a pretentious contemporary historian's interpretation of the events of the story. Through his impeccable application of scientific method to historical research, he manages to get just about everything completely wrong. It's hilarious.

The third volume in this trilogy, "The One-Armed Queen," was a disappointment to me. While it was a good book in its own right, to me it didn't feel related to the other two--it worked on its own, but it was not part of the series. It concerns Jenna's one-armed adopted daughter Scillia, who seemed much less interesting than Jenna. Oh, well.

I highly recommend the first two books.

One of the best reprints produced by Starscape books has been the reissue of Jane Yolen's Alta trilogy, the first of which is "Sister Light, Sister Dark." While it takes awhile to get going, this unique and imaginative fantasy book introduces us to a fantasy story that's both familiar and innovative.

Jenna was orphaned three times: Her mother died in childbirth, the midwife died while taking her away, and the warrior woman who adopted her was also killed. She's taken in collectively by the follows of Great Alta, a benevolent goddess. They're somewhat Amazonian -- there are no men in their "hames," they are warriors, farmers, priestesses, and everything else that they need to be.

But Jenna is different from the rest. There's a prophecy that a white-haired child who lost three mothers is the Anna, a savior who will change everything. Events are set into motion when Jenna and her friend Pynt encounter teenage prince Carum in the woods, who is being hunted by a vicious warrior. Killing the warrior and saving Carum leads to destruction for Jenna's home and family...

Jane Yolen crafts a wonderful, believable place in the Dales. Not only is it very detailed and plausible-sounding, but she also sprinkles it with songs and historical studies. While the Alta series is often labelled "feminist fantasy," there's no preaching or two-dimensional male characters. Yolen simply shows us Jenna and Pynt operating on the same level as Carum, and leaves it at that.

Her writing is earthy and has plenty of detail without bogging itself down. The concept of "dark sisters" (sort of a nighttime-only spiritual twin) is an unusual and well-crafted one. The only problem is that it takes quite some time for the plot to get moving, and it's a jolt when it finally does; we go from no action to all-action in an instant.

Jenna is an excellent reluctant lead. Her mixed feelings (she both wants and doesn't want to be the Anna) are quite plausible, as are her strength and gutsiness. She's not some sort of supergirl; she cries, feels pain and loneliness like anyone else. Pynt is a good sidekick, with her mischievous attitude. And Carum is a strong counterpart (and romantic interest) to Jenna.

Since "Sister Light Sister Dark" ends on an unfinished note, readers will want to check out the second volume of the trilogy (also available from Starscape) "White Jenna." A unique epic fantasy.

Like so many others I read these books in my early childhood. For so many years I spent alot of my time trying to locate them again... I have to say with alot of pleasure that I finally did and got them at a really great bargain...

I had the entire series when I was in 6th grade and by the time I was an adult half the series had been stolen. I've been looking for a copy of each for so long. Fabulous stories I wanna be Shiela! I wish the sci fi book club would print one book with all six original stories in it. I would so buy 3 or 4 copies. Such a wonderful and fantastic work of fiction should not be forgotten but reprinted so as to be enjoyed by a new generation- especially with the Harry Potter craze going on right now. The secret of the Unicorn Queen is better than him because duh- the heroes are women!

I read three of the books back in elementary school, and I just happened upon those books in the library. Soon after, I went to my local bookstore to look for them. They were already out of print then and I gave up, being so young. Now I am older and suddenly I remembered how wonderful they are! I adore the Harry Potter series and I think that this series has the same sort of magic. I am now searching for all of the books (wonder what the 6th one is called) and I just wish that they would reprint them!!!!! If anyone knows how to do this, or contact someone in charge or reprinting, get in contact with me! Anyone willing to sell their books (I doubt it ;) please email me (vmekarev@aol.com), or if anyone knows where to find some. Oh well, I am going back to keep up the search. wish me luck!

The series of "The Secret of the Unicorn Queen" is a great series. The excitment and fun never ends. I have all the books in the series and have read them many times. These books make you wish that you could go to this world and live. The only bad thing about this series is that they stop, and kind of let you hanging there for another book to follow the last. I think that if Gwen Hansen wrote more books for this series that they would be great sellers, because everyone that has read the first 6 books would want to read the ones that followed. This great series should never end.

I had the entire series when I was in 6th grade and by the time I was an adult half the series had been stolen. I've been looking for a copy of each for so long. Fabulous stories I wanna be Shiela! I wish the sci fi book club would print one book with all six original stories in it. I would so buy 3 or 4 copies. Such a wonderful and fantastic work of fiction should not be forgotten but reprinted so as to be enjoyed by a new generation- especially with the Harry Potter craze going on right now. The secret of the Unicorn Queen is better than him because duh- the heroes are women!

It takes a lot to hold my interest because I am a graduate student pursuing a doctorate degree in education. This book was one that I simply could not put down. I read this book in one day. Every teenager and female with a background in sexual abuse must read this book. Any individual that has been emotionally scared by people they trusted should read this book. It paints a vivid picture of what it is like to be on a road of self destruction but recover to the point where one's life story can be told to others so that they would know that recovery is possible from emotional and sexual abuse for themselves.

This was an incredible book. I could not put it down. Diana's writing is just wonderful. The book was, for me, an excellent example of how God can take what was intended for evil or our destruction, and by His grace, turn it in to something wonderful if we give it to Him. Diana's suffering and triumph is inspirational. God's constant hand on our lives, as seen in this book, is awesome to behold. Our God is an awesome God. :-)

The author and I started out together our first day at kindergarten! Years later after being separated I read the authors book and I became the audience of one who has led a life destined of child like adventure and male survival. The book pictures the spirit of a champion. The character challenges the readers imagination. I applaud the end results for the main character in this book! There is a lesson to be learned through her overcoming lifestyle for all generations. "For those who think this is a man's world" Read on.

A powerful book...by a courageous author. Diana dares to "tell it like it was" and in doing so...brings the reader face-to-face with the awesome love of God.

The real life account of a heart yearning for love...and that heart's circuitous route to peace. If you are a "prude"...this book isn't for you! It reads like an Old Testament Story...with New Testament Grace. Thank you...Diana!

Romance with Jimi Hendrix...Romance with two kings in one life time! AWESOME! I have a copy, my daughter and my mother, we all have a copy of this book!