Seven Books

I just recently purchased this book as a Christmas gift for my 8-year old niece who loves horses at that tender young age as much as I did and still do at 32. When I was a kid, I must have read The Island Stallion about 20 times. It was my favorite in the Farley series, and I dreamed to the moon about beautiful red stallions and hidden island paradises every time I re-visited the book. A complete adventure delight for any horse loving child. Who didn't want their very own "Flame" after finishing this story? I still have my own battered copy from all those years ago. The cover on the new one is different, but it still evokes that feeling of wild magic as much now as it did 25 years ago!

I received this book for Christmas many years ago and remember how exciting it was, I couldn't wait to get to the next chapter! My own daughter is now 10 years old and I've been reading some of my old books to her. Some of them haven't really stood the test of time, being not quite exciting enough for her to want to read them on her own. The Island Stallion was just as exciting for her as it was for me though. She loved the part where they were exploring the hidden tunnels and kept asking why on earth hadn't they made a movie of this book! Walter Farley's writing truly brings this book to life where you can just imagine what Azul Island must be like. This book has hooked my daughter on the Black Stallion series even more than the original book that started it all and now every time we go to a horse show she adds to her collection. I recommend this book for anyone who loves a good mystery adventure type book and I have to say that I enjoyed reading it even as an adult.

I am searching for the early printings of the Black Stallion series. My uncle, James Schucker was the illustrator of some of those books, and I would like to obtain copies of some of them. Please contact me: Barbara Schucker Marquardt: barbmarq@comcast.net

When I was a kid, I was poking around in my parents' library one day when I found this book. I was overwhelmed when I read it. It had secret passages, skeletons, Spanish conquistadors and the most beautiful horse in the world living free and wild. What's not to like? I think I must have re-read the book a dozen times.

This is the book, in other words, that turned me into a reader. It was so captivating that I fell in love with not just this book but with reading itself. Someday soon I'll read it again and I know I'll be thrilled again.

I don't think it is possible or very useful to try to bring critical judgement to a book like this. It is sheer romanticism of the sort guaranteed to thrill a boy or girl. In its own way, it is perfect.

I loved this book as much if not more than the BLACK STALLION. I loved it so much that I could not bear to read the titles featuring 'BLACK STALLION MEETS FLAME" where my two favorite horses would be pitted against each other. It was an unfair pairing.
Wonderful fantastic adventure book. One of my all-time favorite horse stories right up there with KING OF THE WIND, and all the other WALTER FARLEY stories.

Being a fan of Walter Lord's impeccably researched book "A Night to Remember," I was instantly intrigued upon learning of "The Night Lives On." I had had several lingering questions for years: why was an order given to turn the ship starboard when the iceberg eventually hit starboard? How, specifically, was the matter of the Californian's involvement dealt with? Which theories about "the gash" don't pan out? All of my questions and more were painstakingly answered as if I had asked Mr. Lord for an explanation myself. His ingenius weaving of history, statistics, personal testimonies, and logic, blended into an easily understandable format, made my love of the Titanic's story grow even more. Anyone can buy one book and know the generalities of the ship. But this book goes above and beyond to educate those already acquainted with the story and wanting a much more in-depth look.

WALTER LORD DOES IT AGAIN. HE BRINGS IT ALL TO LIFE. A MUST HAVE FOR ALL "TITANIC" FANS!

I picked up this audiocasette due to curiosity. The information packed tape was interesting, and even made me angry because this tragedy did not have to happen. Like people say, most tragedies are a string of unfortunate events coming together at the same time. I don't think the sinking of this liner is anything different. It gives a glimpse into the technological limitations of the day, the caste system of the gilded age, and the prevailing seaman's attitude of the time. After listening to this (and reading The Perfect Storm), my interest was certainly piqued. I ordered some books on the Titanic and the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, and can't wait until they get here.

Walter Lord follows up his best seller of the fifties-A Night to Remember--with this eighties version on some mysteries about the sunken liner. One learns about the musicians (two groups actually) and what they played that night while the life boats were being loaded. Another story details the negligence of the freighter Californian for not answering the eight rockets of distress from the Titanic. Another story details the shootings and suicide near the end of the launch of the last life boats. Still another story details why there were not enough life boats on the Titanic and most other ocean liners of the day. Walter Lord clears the air about these mysteries with his well informed writing.
If you want to know more about the Titanic, read both Lord's books on the subject (A Night to Remember, The Night Lives On). They will help the reader understand this tragedy. I have seen the movie and I know the producers consulted these books when they made the movie.

Calling this 'the sequel to _A Night to Remember_' is slightly misleading. Rather than the storytelling style employed to relate the story of the sinking of the Titanic, this is almost a collection of 17 1-chapter essays about various points of the disaster. Excellent stuff, but if you were expecting, say, the story of the Congressional and Parliamentary investigations of the disaster, you need to look elsewhere, e.g. Wyn Craig Wade's _The Titanic: End of a Dream_.

"Unsinkable Subject" - Overview of the popular fascination with Titanic.

"What's in a Name?" - The actual launching of Titanic from Harland & Wolff's shipyards.

"Legendary from the Start" - Titanic was indeed popularly supposed to be unsinkable, but the trend of sacrificing safety features for competitiveness had actually taken hold during her design.

"Had Ships Gotten Too Big for Captain Smith?" - Explores Smith's record, including a near-collision in harbor with Titanic's sister ship, the Olympic.

"Our Coterie" - The group of first class passengers, including Col. Gracie, mentioned in _A Night to Remember_.

"Everything Was Against Us" - Contrasts the ice warnings, lack of coordination between radio room & bridge, and lookouts, with the notion that the accident was a one-in-a-million chance.

"The Gash" - The collision itself.

"I Was Very Soft the Day I Signed That" - How and why ships the size of Titanic could legally sail while carrying so few lifeboats.

"What Happened to the Goodwins?" - Facts and figures about 1st class vs. 3rd, contrasting White Star's implication that those people down there couldn't understand English, with the Goodwin family (an electrical engineer and his family, emigrating from London to New York, all of whom were lost, including the 6-year-old).

"Shots in the Dark" - Explores the stories about Murdoch, one of the officers loading the lifeboats, and whether shots were fired.

"The Sound of Music" - An in-depth look at the "Nearer My God to Thee" myth, and the 2 bands on the Titanic. (I was aggravated to learn that that entire, touching sequence with the cornet in _Raise the Titanic!_, which I loved as a kid, was made up from whole cloth - the musicians were just as courageous as the movie made them out to be, but no cornet players.) And if you're a professional musician who thinks *your* agent is heartless, wait till you read this.

"She's Gone" - Compares the eyewitness accounts of Titanic's last moments with what we now know.

"The Electric Spark" Captain Rostron of the Carpathia, who picked up the survivors at great personal risk.

"A Certain Amount of Slackness" Discussion of Captain Lord (no relation to the author) of the Californian, in sharp contrast to the preceding chapter.

"Second-guessing" - The inquiries and subsequent litigation (Lord's treatment of Senator Smith should be contrasted with Wade's more detailed treatment, but then Wade has a whole book to play with).

"Why Was Craganour Disqualified?" What happened to some of the survivors. (Craganour, owned by a member of the Ismay family, was disqualified from winning a major British horse race.)

"Unlocking the Ocean's Secret" - The search for the Titanic, leading up to Robert Ballard's successful attempt in 1985 (written before others began plundering the ship for relics).

This is an exceptionally insightful book looking into the juvenile criminal justice system in L.A. It does a good job of illustrating the perspectives of all individuals involved, from "criminals" to "officials" and also shows gradients of right and wrong, and just how complicated and even faulty the system may be. It is very well written, and I highly recommend it.

A great introduction into the juvenile criminal justice system. I actually went to work for a public defenders' office because of this book.

A more recent book I'd highly reccommend is "Last Chance In Texas." Ironically, Texas has perhaps the most progressive juvenile justice system in the country. This book tells how Texas' worst juvenile offenders had their lives changed for the better.

This book is so SOOO depressing. And we deserve to feel that way about our Juvenile Justice system. Everyone remotely attached to criminal law or children should read this.

Written over the course of one year in LA's juvenile court system, this book is very enlightening to the plight of our kids in detention and on the streets. It has recently been reported that less than 10% of Florida's almost $709 million juvenile justice budget is spent on prevention. I hope to do my personal part to change this in my community, by supporting intervention programs for at-risk youth.

No Matter How Loud I Shout reads like a novel. It is an incredibly well written and compassionate view of the life of some of the country's forgotten "children". I really enjoyed it as well as "Baby ER" also by Mr. Humes.

I gave the book three stars. I found it just OK. I purchased the book due to the excellent reviews on this site. It was not as if I didn't enjoy the book but I found it far from the five star reviews that it is getting here. It didn't make me want to buy the sequel and I did find all the different stories a little confusing but I'm not sorry that I purchased it.

In a distant garden, a young girl with black-ringed eyes runs wild, the palace demon, sleeping under the cold sky. When a young prince is the first one brave enough to talk to her, she weaves for him a tale, read from the densely tattooed words that make up the bizarre marking around her eyes. Her tales are stories within stories that range from Princes and Quests to the light-filled Stars which walk the earth, from a sacred city filled with the Towers of arcane faiths to the last of the gold-hording Griffins. In these tales, everyone--no matter how evil--has a story, and nothing--no matter how good--is as simple as it first appears. Although the constant interruption of new stories can be frustrating, and Valente's prose can be over-heavy with similes, these are quibbling faults: In the Night Garden is lush and decadent, a peon to the art of storytelling. The stories are imaginative, the narrative voice is artful, the descriptions vivid and colorful in a way I've rarely seen. While I wish this first book (of two in the series) dealt more with the storyteller herself and had a more conclusive ending, the novel is a treasure and a joy to read. I very highly recommend it, and I look forward to reading the sequel.

The joy of In the Night Garden is Valente's storytelling. The author's voice is luxurious and rich with well-chosen words, a wide vocabulary, and a glut of similes. At times the language is too rich, and the style begins to feel repetitive, the appearance of similes predictable. On the whole, however, the language makes this a book to savor, deeply indulging in the short chapters as one would indulge in bites of a rich food. The book's plot is arranged in a series of stories within stories: the tattooed storyteller begins with one story, her protagonists meet people that tell stories--the folds become so elaborate that there are often four stories being told at once, each wrapped within the next. In order to keep this arrangement manageable, the chapters are short and the narrators often come back to their own stories, grounding the narrative and helping the reader keep track of where he is. The unfortunate side effects of this arrangement are the constant stops and stars and the fact that the tattooed girl's story is left largely unaddressed. The Prince, the reader's representative in the book, calls the narrator on her halting stories and her constant stream of new beginnings, and the style can indeed be frustrating: as soon as the reader becomes interested in one story, the narration sweeps into another. Furthermore, though the tattooed girl's story begins and frames the narrative (and so feels like the most important of the enfolded tales), it undergoes little change and no conclusion, making the end of the book feel abrupt and leaving the reader unfulfilled.

However, the arrangement of stories within stories introduces a level of brilliant complexity and interconnectedness that makes the book satisfying, despite the too-brief glimpses into the framing narration. The numerous tales introduce dozens of vibrant characters and magical locales, follows decisions and Quests, transformations and growths. Everyone, Valente insists, has a story--even the blood-shorn Beast, even the Witch's goose, regardless of whether or not he is good or evil. In fact, good and evil almost always have stories to tell--no matter how clear something seems at first, there are stories, there are complicating factors, things are never as simple as they appear. Finally, these stories are not independent of each other: they impact both storyteller and listener, and as the book unfolds many of the final story arcs are connected to stories from the very start of the book.

The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden features language as rich as chocolate and stories within stories that are as organic and as complex as life itself, always with a sense of meaning and magic. From the first page I was swept away by this book, and while it has its faults, and while I sincerely hope that the Orphan's story is better explored in the book's sequel, I hugely enjoyed this novel and I highly recommend it to all readers. It is superb, readable and always enjoyable, a true delight, and has satisfying depth. If this book is at all appealing, I recommend you pick it up. This is a novel I'm glad to own and expect to reread, and other readers will not be disappointed.

A girl lives in the garden of a Sultan and is seen by others to be a demon, because she has dark eyelids and surrounding areas. However, as we find out when a boy stumbles upon her, they are really minutely tattooed stories. She relieves them night by night to this noble boy, and each story is interwoven within others much like how Scheherazade spun her tales, about monsters, creatures, Stars (we might use the term "Gods" and "Goddesses" instead, though these are not like the ones we have in our world), vengeance, love, among other things.

The world of her stories have their own mythology and societal norms that can be quite different from ours which I find commendable for creativity and making sure it is logical. It leaves on quite a cliffhanger. We also have interspersing narartives of the world the girl and the boy live in, and the obstacles they face trying to keep their nightly encounters. At times I would prefer the noble boy's behavior to be expanded upon, but I did appreciate how Valente mentioned his eagerness to hear the girl's stories overpowering his politeness.

I found it difficult to begin because I felt it jumped so easily among stories and I was never a good head with names and non-linear story lines, but over time it became easier and a very addictive book. Even before I was finished with the book I ordered the second and concluding book.

If fantasy isn't your genre, this book may not be one to read. It might require one to severely suspend reality and disbelief, but I find it easier to do so among straight fantasy than among some science fiction writing where I sometimes feel they take themselves far too seriously. Her writing style may be overly cliche or too poetic/lyrical so a little cynicism may be expected upon the reader's reaction (I know I did), but I began to see the vivid imagery and almost had the other senses affected as well.

this book arrived in a timely fashion and was in great condition as was promised.

I haven't read any fantasy quite like Catherynne M. Valente's The Orphan's Tales duology. This is the story of a young orphan girl who is shunned because of the dark smudges that appeared on her eyelids when she was a baby. She lives alone in a sultan's garden because people think she's a demon and nobody will claim her. However, one of the young sons of the sultan, a curious fellow, finds her in the garden and asks her about her dark eyes. She explains that there are wonderful stories written on her eyelids and that a spirit has told her she must read and tell the stories; Then the spirit will return and judge her. The prince loves stories, he begs her to tell him one, and so she begins.

The rest of In the Night Garden and its sequel In the Cities of Coin and Spice is a collection of nested stories that are interspersed with short interactions between the young prince and the girl with the dark eyes (somewhat like The Arabian Nights). These stories are all connected to each other, but each is unique and highly imaginative. There are fascinating creatures--many based on myths and fairy tales--like a monopod, two griffins, a necromancer, a wicked papess, an otter king, a woman with three breasts, three brothers with dog heads who become accidental cannibals, a leucrotta, a Magyr, a skin seller, living stars fallen to earth . . . and these are just some of those that I can describe in a few words (and I'm not giving them justice). The characters in The Orphan's Tales remind me of the Cantina Scene in Star Wars. The darker characters, (e.g., the wizard and the necromancer), are particularly excellent. Ms Valente's imagination for bizzarre characters and plots exceeds Lewis Carroll's and she never lets up. Each story is brilliant and brilliantly told.

And the prose is truly beautiful:

"He was very tall, and thin as a length of paper. His skin and cloaks were the color of the moon--not the romantic lover's moon, but the true lunar geography I had heard whispered by Sun-and-Moon Nurians come to buy glass for their strange sky-spying tools: gray and pockmarked, full of secret craters, frigid peaks, and blasted expanses. His eyes had no color in them save for a pinpoint pupil like a spindle's wound--the rest was pure, milky white. He passed three solid gold pieces over my mother's palm, and she shuddered in revulsion at his touch when the money changed hands. She handed me over eagerly, examining the coins like a fat pig snuffling at its supper slop."

"My mother had kept silent as a nun since the day my sister was taken from her. I was an infant when she vanished from us; I never knew that sister. But her absence stalked the house like a hungry dog. The hole where she had been took up space at our dinner table, it sagged and slumped in the musty air, it ate and drank and breathed down all of our necks. . . I grew up alone in that silent house with nothing but the stinking cows and my mute mother and the hole. Even my father didn't want to spend his days there; he stayed in the fields directing hay-rolling and goat-breeding until it was dark enough to slip back inside the house without anyone bothering him. But still, the hole answered the bell when he rang, and he had to scurry to bed with his head down to avoid looking it in the eye."

There are many more of these gorgeous passages to enjoy. My only complaint about the writing itself is that there are dozens of characters in The Orphan's Tales and they ALL talk like that. So, it's not very realistic, but I suppose realism wasn't exactly what Ms Valente, as a poet, was going for.

One other small complaint I have is that because the stories of The Orphan's Tales seem at first to be random and unrelated, it's hard to feel deeply involved with many of the characters because they don't stick around for long (except for the orphan and the sultan's son who don't do much but talk and listen). But, again, that's the point, because we learn at the end of In the Cities of Coin and Spice that all of the strange stories and characters actually contribute to, and explain, the history of the orphan girl. Perhaps that's a bit of a spoiler, but you'll enjoy the stories more if you realize that it's all going somewhere. And, besides, you're a clever reader, and you'll probably figure out that there's got to be something going on here besides just a bunch of beautifully-written, highly imaginative, unconnected stories.

But, the main reason I'm telling you this is because I know you'll get more out of your reading if you follow the advice I'm going to give you... Just trust me: Get yourself a pencil, a pad of paper, and a fine cup of caffeinated coffee (in my experience, a Starbucks Venti Latte works best). Sit down with In the Night Garden and read the first few pages up to the point where the girl starts to tell "the first tale I was able to read, from the crease of my left eyelid." This first story is about Prince Leander. Write "Prince Leander" at the bottom of your paper. Prince Leander runs into a gray-haired tattooed "crone" and a few pages later, she starts to tell her story. Write "crone," or whatever you want to call her, above Prince Leander's name. Soon, "crone" starts telling the story that her grandmother told her. Write "crone's grandmother" above her name. (I've got a picture of my own notes at FanLit.net) This is not the kind of book you can leave for a few days and come back to unless you have notes to tell you who was talking to who. Or unless you're a lot smarter than me ... which is certainly possible.

Highly recommended for the reader who appreciates beautiful prose, is willing to take notes, and is looking for something original. ~FanLit.net

The trapper Link and his snow dog Chiri are my favorite characters in books by Jim Kjelgaard. Link and Chiri are both natural loners who are steadfast and competent in the far northern wilderness. Chiri's mother is a big pack dog that Link had just bought. Her first litter of puppies had been killed on the trail by a cruel master. With a new litter on the way, she cleverly runs away and bears her three puppies in a windfall in the territory of a fierce black wolf that hates man and dog alike, having been shot early in life. Chiri is the biggest and most promising of her pups, and the only one who escapes from the black wolf. His mother and siblings dead, the lonely pup learns survival by necessity, and being a superior animal, becomes a strong and able hunter. The trapper Link is also strong and competent, but like the orphaned dog, he is lonely. He has dreamed of having a special dog who can be his companion in the wilderness. How he tames the great dog and together they live in nature, experiencing beauty and danger, and hunger and plenty, should make dog lovers and nature lovers of any young person who reads the book. There is a sequel that is just as good, maybe better, entitled "Wild Trek". If you liked these two books of adventure in the north, you would also like "Lost in the Barrens" and "Curse of the Viking Grave" by Farley Mowat.

This story has delicate explainations of many things for instance, the beautiful nature, the sign of each season, and the animals behaviors especially the humorous doing of the mask face puppy, Chiri. Moreover, The story has shown the relationship between dogs and men that is very impressive.

This book was one of my favorite childhood reads when I was growing up. I loved dogs, and I loved it when dogs bit back and had their own little adventures. Years later, and now a young adult, I still cherish this book, however, I now love wolves as well as dogs, and although I love how Kjelgaard describes the harsh wilds style a la Jack London, it is clear that Jack London has come first, and did something a bit better when it came to wild wolves.

Meet Queen, a Husky/Irish Wolfhound mix that is supposedly The Dog to get and a lucky trapper Link Stevens had gotten her from a good bargain. However, Queen is weary of man after being mistreated by past owners, and even more so when she is due with pups. So fleeing Stevens' cabin and his dogs, she goes off into the wild to raise her puppies in peace. Of course, as the summary already supplied, we already know Queen and two of her pups will die to a vicious black wolf with a grudge against mankind and the beasts who are slaves to men. The black wolf is the main villain in the story, the leader among a great pack of bloodthirsty wolves who follow their leader in the joyful act of killing for the sake of killing. Of course, the strongest, darkest, and bold pup survives the black wolf's vicious killing of his family by hiding deep in a hole and fighting back as the black wolf tried to dig him out. After that, the gray pup grows into a strong, wild dog who is soon captured by Link Stevens. Link names the dog Chiri and despite his many tries to break the dog in, Chiri proves to be too wild for the man to handle. After Chiri runs away from Link, the man gives up and tries to leave his cabin along with his other dogs when the weather proved too harsh to stay. However, the black wolf and his bloodthirsty pack await in the next corner, and after tense moments, Chiri comes out of nowhere, slays the bad wolf and saves the day.

The action is very well-written, the suspense there, however, the author does not seem to know anything about wolves. Given the time period that it was written in, I can't be too rigid about it, but let it be known that wolves do not travel in such a large pack, even if food is scarce. If an outside wolf ventures into their territory, they will do their best to chase it out, but they will not go out of their way into territories to make sure that tresspassing wolf is dead. They also do not kill their young if they prove to be too weak or worthless to hunt down game. Wolves also do not blunder into the snow when chasing prey. Their paws are flat, large, and they are able to walk across snow. Reading this when I am now a lot older was a bit painful because there were so many false facts about wolves in this story. Although the author had tried to give the reader that it was only the black wolf's pack who killed for the sake of killing, I couldn't help but think that he was also labeling all other wild wolves. Despite these mistakes, I'm sure you can stomach down this helping of a wild dog facing the harsh wilderness in one sitting, unless you're a rabid wolf lover, to which I think you should avoid this book like the plague.

This boook was and is still my favorite book in my collection. This is a thrilling story about a trapper named link stevens who traps in the "Black Devil's" territory.The black devil is a black woulf who was shot by a Chirikov as a puppy and in time the black wolf has killed him.
Link lost ha dog named Queen who was about to give birth to a litter of puppies.She dose and is killed by the black wolf protecting her puppies . Only the masked face puppy or Chiri survives .
This story is one of the best

I am a 50ish woman and Jim Kjelgaard was my favorite writer when I was a young reader. I found I could get his books and ordered Snow Dog and Wild Trek. As an adult I still find the writing to be better than average compared to many current best selling authors. I enjoyed reading Snow Dog and am looking forward to reading Wild Trek (which was my favorite book).

Reading Kjelgaards books, and other books about the outdoors and wilderness adventures, probably contributed to my life long love of the outdoors and my interest in the environment and conservation.

I am glad to see young readers are still enjoying his books

Very realistic book! Not only did Story of a Girl explore the troubled lives of teenagers, it showed the impact the importance of the support of family and friends. When I first ordered this, I thought it would be just another melodramatic book jam-packed with teen angst, but the plot delved much deeper than I expected.

I'd definitely recommend that you read this book.

This book weaves the tale of a girl who cannot shake a bad reputation. However, though the premise may seem simple, the characters, actions, and motivations behind their actions are not. The style of writing and topic make it a quality story about forgiveness and growing up.

In high school, perhaps more than anywhere else, a bad reputation can stick with you forever. This tender, touching and very realistic novel about teen sex and its aftermath will -- like it's main character's bad reputation -- stick for you for a long time after you read it!

Parents are always handing their kids books they think would be good for them. Here's one that the kids ought to hand their parents. It looks like it's about sex, but it's really about forgiveness. As Deanna says, "we all have stuff we wish we could change." This is a very different kind of family story. Here, very real people deal with the very real consequences of their actions. The voice of Deanna Lambert is so clear and true you can't help but love her. You want to scream "No Deanna! Don't!" when she seems headed toward yet another Big Mistake. You feel her drowning. You struggle for air as she fights her way to the surface. You take a huge breath in relief as she kicks herself free of the whirlpool and heads out toward the rest of her life with stronger surer strokes. Read it!
Janet Gingold
author of Finch Goes Wild

Here's a book perfect for anyone who's done something they regret (and this is everyone).

A little question before I get started: What image of Deanna did you draw when you first read the book description? I pictured her as a gentle girl, mousy even, struggling to keep her act together. I mean, being with Tommy all those years ago was a humbling mistake, right?

No, not really. It was a hardening mistake. Deanna's degree of isolation, her confusion, the envy she feels for other people who don't have to deal with the past she's got--it all adds up to the rock-hard cold front she puts up. It's the only way she has of surviving the alienation and ostracism she still faces, three years after the fact. But no one is to be fooled--she's got a heartbreaking inside.

When the book opens, it's the summer before junior year and Deanna's looking for a job. She drops off applications at a few locations before coming to the conclusion that her chances of being hired at any of those places is near zero, on account of her reputation. So, she takes a rather undesirable job at a dingy pizza joint. This becomes monumental to the story because not only does the owner become one of the few people who accepts Deanna, but also because Tommy also works there. It's hell for Deanna at first--how could it not be?--but she bravely powers through it. The summer becomes one of change, where Deanna finally faces and tests everything in her life: her friendships, her relationship with her father, and her entire predicament. She learns valuable lessons, the most important of which is that she cannot let people keep defining her by one mistake.

This book is beautiful, with strong characters, tight writing, fast pacing, and a nice message. I'd recommend it to anyone--it's about time people saw the other side, the inside, of someone tormented by one-sided rumors. Dazzling debut. I'll be sure to read Sweethearts by Sara Zarr as well.

Grade: 8/10

Very realistic book! Not only did Story of a Girl explore the troubled lives of teenagers, it showed the impact the importance of the support of family and friends. When I first ordered this, I thought it would be just another melodramatic book jam-packed with teen angst, but the plot delved much deeper than I expected.

I'd definitely recommend that you read this book.

This book weaves the tale of a girl who cannot shake a bad reputation. However, though the premise may seem simple, the characters, actions, and motivations behind their actions are not. The style of writing and topic make it a quality story about forgiveness and growing up.

In high school, perhaps more than anywhere else, a bad reputation can stick with you forever. This tender, touching and very realistic novel about teen sex and its aftermath will -- like it's main character's bad reputation -- stick for you for a long time after you read it!

Parents are always handing their kids books they think would be good for them. Here's one that the kids ought to hand their parents. It looks like it's about sex, but it's really about forgiveness. As Deanna says, "we all have stuff we wish we could change." This is a very different kind of family story. Here, very real people deal with the very real consequences of their actions. The voice of Deanna Lambert is so clear and true you can't help but love her. You want to scream "No Deanna! Don't!" when she seems headed toward yet another Big Mistake. You feel her drowning. You struggle for air as she fights her way to the surface. You take a huge breath in relief as she kicks herself free of the whirlpool and heads out toward the rest of her life with stronger surer strokes. Read it!
Janet Gingold
author of Finch Goes Wild

Here's a book perfect for anyone who's done something they regret (and this is everyone).

A little question before I get started: What image of Deanna did you draw when you first read the book description? I pictured her as a gentle girl, mousy even, struggling to keep her act together. I mean, being with Tommy all those years ago was a humbling mistake, right?

No, not really. It was a hardening mistake. Deanna's degree of isolation, her confusion, the envy she feels for other people who don't have to deal with the past she's got--it all adds up to the rock-hard cold front she puts up. It's the only way she has of surviving the alienation and ostracism she still faces, three years after the fact. But no one is to be fooled--she's got a heartbreaking inside.

When the book opens, it's the summer before junior year and Deanna's looking for a job. She drops off applications at a few locations before coming to the conclusion that her chances of being hired at any of those places is near zero, on account of her reputation. So, she takes a rather undesirable job at a dingy pizza joint. This becomes monumental to the story because not only does the owner become one of the few people who accepts Deanna, but also because Tommy also works there. It's hell for Deanna at first--how could it not be?--but she bravely powers through it. The summer becomes one of change, where Deanna finally faces and tests everything in her life: her friendships, her relationship with her father, and her entire predicament. She learns valuable lessons, the most important of which is that she cannot let people keep defining her by one mistake.

This book is beautiful, with strong characters, tight writing, fast pacing, and a nice message. I'd recommend it to anyone--it's about time people saw the other side, the inside, of someone tormented by one-sided rumors. Dazzling debut. I'll be sure to read Sweethearts by Sara Zarr as well.

Grade: 8/10

After reading all the positive reviews on this book I was looking forward to getting it, but didn't care for the style, the characters, or the go-nowhere plot and abandoned it about halfway through.

I love this book!
I first read it when I was about 12 years of age. Now I have a daughter that age & was so delighted to find this book online!Hopefully she'll enjoy it a much as I did.

This book is amazing. I first read it several years ago when I was thirteen. I honestly cannot tell you how many times I have reread it since then. I loved the characters, knew the characters, and loved the story. I cried - and still cry - every single time I read it. Oh, Martitia! I shall never forget you!

They Loved to Laugh is my favorite book! I think the title is one of the best things about it. It really got me excited. Why do they love to laugh? Who loves to laugh? It aroused my curiosity and made me want to read it. I began it and couldn't put it down. I finished it that very day.
Martitia is an orphan girl who is taken to live with a Quaker family when her parents die of typhoid fever. She plans to go live with her aunt and uncle in the city, but her heart is drawn to this Quaker family with their six children and their unique family bond. Throughout the story she learns to laugh and also learns a lesson of love.

Like so many others who've commented, this book was one of my all-time favorite books when I was a teenager in the 60's. The other was another book by Worth, "Sea Change." It was an entirely different setting, but equally charming and moving. The gentle, inspiring depth of both books helped shape my life. I am thrilled that "They Loved to Laugh" has been reprinted and I hope "Sea Change" will be also. (I'd love to know more about the author and whether or not writing these books changed her life as they changed so many of ours.)

Although I admit I intensely disliked certain parts of this book ( I won't spoil the book by saying which ones) I loved the language and the gritty description of life in north philadelphia. Although, I also believe that the author doesn't capture enough of the community. He doesn't mention enough the close-knit relationships and the welcome embrace you will recieve no matter your background. This book highlights a problem in the city that can have consequences like what happened in the novel. However, (stepping on soapbox)I don't believe they are going about it the right way and police officers, especially, are taking their rage out on bystanders and people that live in the neighborhood. Don't terrorize the citizens, because you have a score to settle!

this is one of my all time favorite books. the story is so engaging and it takes you on a roller coaster of emotions, ranging from pure laughter to genuine tears. the writing is so detailed and accurate, i swear you don't read this book - you see it. the images are simply etched in your mind. all the characters are rounded real people, each with his/her own unique personality and motives. you feel all of them, you relate to them, and you carry them with you long after you finish reading this book. Lopez doesn't adorn nor judge his characters; he tells it like it is, and that's what makes this book so intense and whole. an extraordinary work.

got there on time but the case was broken. did you warn me about that? i don't remember. sometimes the tape skips too, but i enjoyed listening to it

I recently attended a graduate class and heard this novel being discussed by high school teachers. Though the content and language are not appropriate for me (el ed), I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a consistently engaging read. I also saw many levels in the characters, and loved the foreshadowing and imagery. We live about 45 minutes away from Philadelphia and I was curious to see how much truth to real life the text was. I saw some reviews that claimed the book portrayed violence to an extreme, not surfacing the goodness of the city. Local news broadcasts reveal deaths and muggings daily. So, the reasons for the violence may not be the same as in the book, but I suspect it's not too far from the truth. For me, the goodness and beauty of the city developed through the characters. In reality, I would love to see someone do the bodies on the streets, every big city needs a wake-up call for peace and nonviolence, and sometimes nothing says that better than a visual. This is a book I highly recommend and will read again.

Steve Lopez has a straightforward storytelling style that manages to come up with interesting metaphors, images, and symbols without going overboard as too many contemporary literary writers do. The dialogue is accurate and the characters are truthful, and the story is riveting. Other 'hip' writers like Jonathan Lathem or Rick Moody have been acclaimed for their baroque, hyperrealist style that is supposed to awe the reader into something like a 'wow, that is SO original and unique.' But the minutae of everday life these more 'acclaimed' writers weave into their stories can get downright boring. I mean who needs to read a two-page description of a 10-year old examining the cracks in a sidewalk square in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn (that's the sort of stuff I did as a kid, but if someone found the process interesting, I'd tell him or her to get a life). Unlike such neo-baroque ventures, Third & Indiana places basic situation, interaction, struggle, tragedy and character--first: to give the reader time to consider not just the writing but the story. But since the literati get a bang out of arcana and cleverness, books such as this one will not get the credit they deserve for a long time.

i think that trapped is a wonderful book.i absolutley LOVE rl stine books and trapped is probly one of my faveorites!

this was a very good book very graphic though because of their bodies were torn apart by the mist. very suspenseful.

Elaine Butler has always been a good student, so she's not happy about being stuck in Saturday detention at Shadyside High. Along with her in detention are nerdy Jerry; bad-guy Bo; Bo's best friend, Max; and Darlene, the only other girl. Bo decides to blow detention, and explore the school. He convinces the others to come with him...and the five discover a secret tunnel below the school.

At first, the teens think that it's school. But they realize that exploring the tunnels is no fun--it's terror. A mysterious glowing red light has been released and it's out to kill the kids. The five can't find any way out of the tunnels, and they know that the red light can be anywhere. Who will escape from the tunnels...and whose spirit will remain there forever?

TRAPPED is one of the best Fear Street books, if not the best. The beginning was a little boring, but around the middle the suspense grew and the terror increased. After a while, I couldn't stop turning the pages to find out what happens and the ending is a complete shock. Also, this was the only Fear Street book that truly scared me. Even though this is very unlike the other Fear Street books, I would recommend it to anyone.

This is the first time I have read a Fear Street book and actually been afraid. This story is about Elaine, who has to go Saturday detention for missing three homework assignments. She ends up in detention with four other people, three of whom are trouble makers. Soon they end up deep underneath Shadyside High, fighting for their lives. I was glad to see that R. L. Stine broke away from the usual deranged/demented killers in this book. If you have never been scared while reading a Fear Street Book, then I definitely recommend this one.

This was a great book, I'm kinda bummed about the people lost in this book. It was very detailed, I could picture it like a movie. Most books you can try and picture them but it's hard. I had no problem following along in this story. Great Book! I just finished it today, now I'm off to search for more Fear Street books.