Libraries Books

Oswald Chambers gives the awesome truths of the Bible and God's character in this easy, daily study.

If I had to make a choice of only one book that I could have in addition to my Bible "My Utmost for His Highest" would be it. Next to the Bible, this book has had the greatest impact on my understanging of what is means to walk with Jesus.

I have an old copy of this book and love it, but it was bulky to travel with. I love the paper back version of the book and the new updated language. A wonderful companion for my spiritual journey.

I have been studying this book for 6 years and sharing it with others. Oswald Chambers was an exceptional writer, bible scholar, and teacher. This book has given me great insight and direction to walk as a Christian daily.

I highly recommend this book for everyone! The lessons really hit home and are applicable to all lives at all stages.

I purchased this book simply to replace my original copy, which I loaned out and which was never returned. Reading this book has been a favorite part of my Christmas for many years. While I regret losing my old copy, I am thankful I will now be able to carry on this tradition.

It's a fun story about an untraditional Christmas play. It shows how good can come of seemingly negative changes and find some unexpected, meaningful outcomes.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

The worst kids in the neighborhood decide to be in the annual Christmas Pageant and turn the weeks leading up to the event into a very funny, read. I've read this book to many classrooms of children over the years and it's guaranteed to make them listen and laugh.

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I like books and I don't know if this is my favorite book but it is excellent. We read it as a family every year at Christmas. It never fails to touch me. It is fun with a redeeming message.

I have read this book at least once a year for 15yrs and now I'm reading it to my kids. It's a quick read, I can't put it down.

If you like books about adventurous, sci-fi stories about the world then you are sure to enjoy reading the Transall Saga by Gary Paulsen. This story is about a 13 year old boy who falls into a mysterious blue light that transports him very far into the future when he is hiking through the missle mountain range. When he thinks that he is alone on this deserted planet he is proven wrong when he finds and arrow in a tree. He is determined to find the people who this arrow belongs to. When he finds them he is rudely awakened by the style of life they live and decdides to move away but is captured by another tribe and forced into slavery but is granted his freedom because of his noble deeds and his different looks than everyone else. After the virus hit almost everyone died and the remaining people were changed physically and they had to start over because the virus had kept the population so low for so long that people forgot about normal life and went back into the stone ages. I really enjoyed reading this book because it has very good description and a very good storyline and plot that I could see maybe happening in the future if a virus like that hit or if there was a nuclear disaster. If you are looking for an adverturous, science fiction, page turning novel Gary Paulsen's The Transall Saga is right for you.


Nick Stauffer

I am a 13 yr old who reads a ton. my room is a library. This book was exceptionally good. I think everyone should read it. It is very creative. I think it has a good plot and is exciting. This book is to me, better than the Harry Potter series.

It is not gory, but it has some fighting which makes it exciting. It also keeps you on your toes. It is a little funny at times. IT IS A VERY INTERESTING BOOK AND I THINK YOU SHOULD READ IT.

Gary Paulson has once again written a compelling book on one boys struggle to survive in a strange world. Immediately in the first chapter the main character Mark is thrown into a dangerous environment making an interesting read right from the beginning. With the evolving plot line and the numerous surprises you'll have a hard time doing anything but read Mark's adventure.

As I read this book I loved the various ways Gary Paulson showed how Mark became a master of survival and gained status in the strange world of Transall. He describes everything perfectly so that you can picture it in your mind. Another great thing about the book is its ability to cover many genres; with the mystery of Transall it covers (you guessed it) mystery's spot, the alien world and mutated creatures will keep a sci fi fan happy, and it could even pass as an apt survival guide.

Anyone who has read and enjoyed the Hatchet books will definitely want to grab this book, like the Hatchet books it tells the story of a boys struggle to survive in a unfamiliar place, but it is also very different so it wont feel as if your reading a rewrite of Hatchet. Some of the variations I liked were that it was set in an entirely different plant, there's interaction with other humans (some hostile), the mystery that unravels as you read, and how it is set in more of a medieval time frame.

In the book The Transall Saga Matt Harrison is hiking in the old Magruder Missle Range when a strange blue light transports him to a future Earth where the Earth has a very different look after nuclear explosions. Matt finds himself in a jungle for a few years trying to find discover what happened to the blue light. While he is in the jungle one day he finds an arrow and that night hears noises coming from the forest. The next day he looks for people and finds them but is knocked out by a guard. He awakes in a hut a few hours later and lives with these people for a few weeks. After he decideds to leave the tribe is attacked by another tribe called the Toosk who kill most of the tribe but capture the rest and make them slaves. After the few years Matt is finally accepted into the tribe after he saves them from an attack from another tribe. After he is made a member, he starts a new life and starts a quest with a few other tribesmen and the leader of the Toosk called the Merkon. On the way to find the light the convoy is attacked and the Merkon is captured. Matt then decides to go on his own to the Toosk capital and find the Merkon. When Matt arrives he finds that the Merkon is alive and hears what has happened to Earth and how a disease like the Black Plague killed mostly everyone and the rest were left with physical disabilities. Matt then fights the Merkon and kills him and then the blue light appears and takes him back to his time.

Mark is a bigger kid who loves to explore. He goes out on his own in a desert for a hiking trip. He finds a bright blue light and desides to touch it. He finds himself waking up on another planet,or is it? He has to find ways to survive on this weird planet. He finds what looks to be human life and becomes part of the tribs or villages. He has to fight and protect his village that he grew to love and learns that we are all the same and there is no need for wars. This book teaches how to survive in the wild and how to love one another. Gary Paulson finds amazing ways to tie together the book at the end. It is interesting.

It just came to my attention that a new revised and corrected edition with a little additional material will be released in a couple of months! I have the orignal Random House edition and this is a great collection of instructive games with analysis of every move. I have enjoyed it with the "More Unbeatable" book as well.

This is a revised edition of the book originally published in 2003. The main difference between this edition and the earlier one are:
1) The format has been changed to double column on the pages. This allows the explanations of the moves to be closer to the diagrams which accompany the explanations.
2} Some of the analysis has been updated and expanded to further help the student.
3) A result of the new format and slightly smaller print has been a saving of space (less white space per page}. Therefore, the new edition has the same number of games and explanation, but in under 200 pages. At less than 1/2 the thickness of the previous edition, it is much easier to carry.
4} A new edition gave the author a chance to correct many typographical errors and rephrase explanations to make for further clarity.

Like its predecessor, this book is for anyone (not just juniors) who want to understand why certain moves are played. Those who have read Irving Chernev's "Logical Chess: Move by Move" will be even more delighted with Mr. Snyder's book. Instead of the lengthy explanations that are repeated over and over again in Chernev's book, the book by Mr. Snyder gives the important information once at length and then relies of the reader to review if the explanation is needed again. When a move is a simple recapture he keeps the explanation to a short senctence. In the case of the opening moves being repeated in a later game, Snyder does not give the explanation again, but relies on the reader to refer back if explanation is needed. Half of the games are those of the author and half by other masters. Some important features of the book for students are:
1) Games are arranged by opening and thus start the player on developing an opening repretoire to play against opponents.
2) Analysis (i.e. alternate moves) is kept to the minimum needed to help the student gain understanding of what is happening and of alternate possibilities.
3) There are numerous diagrams (generally after every 3 or 4 moves) to help the student make sure of the correct position. And for stronger players it allows for them to read the book without the need of a board.
4) Explanation of moves are clear and concise. Anyone from about age 11 or 12 and up should have no trouble understanding the material.
I recommend this book for anyone who seriously wants to improve their play.

After having learned the basics from the same author's CHESS FOR JUNIORS book I decided to get this book for myself, my children and grandchildren.

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I just finished reviewing CHESS FOR JUNIORS, which I consider to be an 8th wonder of the world, and now I discovered the 9th!
CHESS FOR JUNIORS leaves off at the end with with nicely analyzed games (move by move commentary) and UNBEATABLE CHESS LESSONS FOR JUNIORS adds 24 more games. You will learn just what the author knows you need to learn once completeting CHESS FOR JUNIORS (well, if you know the basics well, then you can skip CHESS FOR JUNIORS and jump right into this book).

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I might also suggest that you get WINNING CHESS TOURNAMENTS FOR JUNIORS in this series, which provides an explanded opening system, intermediate level tactics and endgames and lots of information on how to improve and prepare for tournaments.

ENJOY!!!

I really enjoyed reading Unbeatable Chess Lessons For Juniors. I felt that I gained a lot of knowledge especially in the following areas,
a) Learning how to build an attack. The placement of your pieces and planning aheady.
b) Learning how to use sacrifices and to recognize when they work and do not work.
c) Positional play - manuvering your pieces and planning the use of Pawn structures.
d) Many tactical ideas were covered.
e) Learning the openings. The openings in the complete games are well covered with important opening lines being show. The games are organized by the type of openings being used. This makes it easy to study openings. The lines being shown are up to date and very accurate.
f) There are not a lot of endgames but the ones covered are very instructive. What I like is to see how plans were made to get to the winning endgame right from the opening! This book then gives a step by step explaination of how to win the endgame.
Some special features I liked about Unbeatable Chess Lessons For Juniors,
a) You are asked to find the best move. This forces you to think and makes for fun problems to solve out of games. This is much different than most books.
b) All the moves are analyzed.
c) General rules are pointed out. But, what makes it really nice is when the exceptions to the general rules happen, they are pointed out.
I like the nice easy flowing style of the author. For a person who already knows the very basic stuff about chess this book is just right. This is because there is both a review of important ideas and a depth of analysis making this book interesting for a more advanced player as well. The author uses a lot of his own game where he has used them in chess lessons with his own students. This makes the explaination very clear and things that only an experienced chess teacher knows need to be covered are right there. I have read some of the other reviews which have been helpful to me in being able to point out some of things that I agree with.
If you really love chess and like to study to improve this book is good for any age. But it is written so a 6th grader can understand it.
I understand that this book is going through a new printing correcting any typos and may be hard to get for a while. It would be worth waiting for if you cannot get it now or even getting a used copy for now.

The idea of explaining the idea behind every move is a good. I wish that more books would do this for the Beginning and Intermediate level chessplayer.
There are several problems with this book; 1) The book is overly focused on the opening - it should spend more time going into the middlegame and endgame, and 2) It often would not answer the questions I had about a move or what was going on it the game, and 3) half the games are of the author, who is only a measly master. However, overall I can still recommend this book.
This book does not compare in quality to my favorite book, "Logical Chess, Move by Move, which just recently was updated."

I am thinking about buying this book, is it a good choice to buy it--or not?

"All Creatures Great and Small" is the first of four books in this brilliantly written series. The companion volumes are "All Things Bright and Beautiful", "All Things Wise and Wonderful", and "The Lord God Made Them All". James Herriot (whose actual name was James Alfred Wight) began his veterinary practice in 1939 and continued serving his community for half a century. Each story that he penned carries the reader deep into the Yorkshire countryside of England and into the lives of many colorful and entertaining characters, both people and animals. You will be captured by the tales and find yourself laughing out loud at the antics of man and beast, relecting on the beauty of the close friendship of a pet, and weeping over losses that we all suffer when one of our animal friends pass. These are books to read again and again because they show the depth of compassion that one man had for God's creatures through a life lived in simplicity, and yet his writings are a profound example to all who love and care for animals.

I bought the book for my 11 yo cause it was recommended. i ended up reading and enjoying the book, but how someone can imagine it suitable for youngsers under 18 is beyond me.

The classic story based on the real life experience of a veterinarian in Yorkshire, England. James Herriot comes to Darrowby during a time when jobs are scarce and he needs to stay. But he finds he loves the people and the animals.

His associates are a lively bunch. His boss, Siegfried Farnon, is kindhearted, but has an annoying habit of contradicting himself (and then blaming it on James). Siegfried's brother, Tristan Farnon, is the younger almost-vet who is stuck with the worst jobs, loves the ladies and a drink or two. The farmers and neighbors are generally are hardworking lot. Their stories give the true color of the place and time. James also meets Helen Alderson, the beautiful and enchanting daughter of a farmer.

The classic tale was also turned into a BBC series (7 seasons). I would highly recommend both!

Mr. James Herriot is an uncommon writer, possessed of extraordinary skill and a mastery of the English language. When speaking of works of fiction, he is my favorite writer. His ability to choose perfectly appropriate and descriptive words, phrases, and metaphors to verbally illustrate unique characteristics, landscapes, feelings, and situations still has me mesmerized.

"All Creatures Great and Small" is autobiographical in that Mr. Herriot is the central character of the book, though James Herriot is the pen name of the real author, Jim Wight. However, since the work is defined as a novel, then one may assume that Mr. Herriot took certain liberties in relating many of the tales he unfolds. Mr. Herriot is a veterinary surgeon, and much of his novel specifically involves dealing with particular cases of sick livestock and ailing house pets. One should not quickly conclude, however, that this story is merely about the ramblings of a country animal doctor who at times finds himself in interesting situations, as some reviewers would suggest.

Instead, my feeling is that Mr. Herriot utilized his visits to multiple and varied farms and residences in the British countryside to highlight the individual conditions, attitudes, and distinctive persons he discovered at each location. The book becomes absolutely delightful and poignant, for instance, when Mr. Herriot kindly sits at an aging woman's bedside and tenderly comforts her with his voiced belief that her devoted, loving dogs and cats are indeed possessed of souls and that she need not fear that they will again be her companions in the afterlife.

And I do not believe I have laughed out loud so frequently while reading one book. Some of my personal favorites are when his brakes go out on his car and he must navigate a steep and winding descent to the bottom of a low valley, where his next veterinary visit is scheduled, and when he finds himself on his first date with the woman he is destined to marry and the only respectable dress suit he owns is several years out of fashion and far too tight-fitting, which is partly why he becomes far too nervous and a bout of awkward conversation and actions follow. Additionally, much might be said here about the quirky relationship Mr. Herriot has with his unpredictable and explosive yet perfectly harmless and generous employer, a Mr. Siegfried Farnon, and Siegfried's younger brother, Tristan. Farnon's demanding attitude regarding his veterinary business affairs, especially in the face of Tristan's irresponsibility in mishandling assignments and responsibilities, is often the basis for much of the hilarity in the book.

In speaking of his relationships with those to whom he is closest on a personal level and the frequently visited owners of his animal patients, Mr. Herriot has an especially profound gift when it comes to praising the best characteristics that are found in the human race. He speaks with eloquent fondness when describing the beautiful traits he sees in his lovely Helen, his soon-to-be wife. And when he stumbles upon a man or woman who he feels is in ownership of certain admirable exceptionality, such as industry or thrift or honesty or discipline or gentleness, his written accolades of such persons is heartwarming and deeply inspiring.

Thus I would say that this book has everything. It touches upon the topics of death, faith, humor, love, devotion, stewardship, human strengths and frailties, prosperity and poverty, work and idleness, occupation, and the list goes on. Given that these interesting topics are handled so capably by Mr. Herriot's writing talent, I doubt that any sensitive reader would find this book to be anything but delightful and praiseworthy.

All of the Erin Hunter books are great! I just love them and have read them many times over. I am not a reader, I hate to read!!! But give me a Warrior series book and leave me alone for a few days. They are the best. Thanks Erin for opening up a new world for me.

The forest is in its darkest hour, and frightening new prophecies come up:
"Four will become two.
Lion and tiger will meet in battle,
and blood will rule the forest."

To find out if the Clans will survive this hardship, you have to read The Darkest Hour.
This fantasy novel, part of the ever-growing Warriors series, takes place in a forest near a highway, some time in 21st century mainland ("modern times"). There are four Clans in the forest: ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan. Fireheart (later known as Firestar) is the new leader of ThunderClan. He is described as a `handsome ginger tom", and like his name implies, he is brave and will stand up for whatever he thinks is right. Tigerstar, the vicious leader of ShadowClan, is a tyrant and will stop at nothing to take over the forest.
StarClan can be described as cat heaven or the cats living in cat heaven. When a cat becomes leader of his Clan, he receives nine lives from StarClan (get that: cats don't come with nine lives; they have to earn it): courage, justice, loyalty, tireless energy, protection, mentoring, compassion, love, and nobility, certainty, and faith. Of course, all this life receiving is very painful.
Something bad is coming to the forest, something bad enough to have its own prophecy. Firestar is sure this has to do with Tigerstar, but he can't really be sure. When Tigerstar brings up the idea of joint Clans, Firestar is convinced. How could he even mention the idea? There`ve always been four clans in the forest, and it's the will of StarClan to be that way, right? But Tigerstar is definitely hiding something here...
This fast-paced book was easier to read than maybe Brian Jacques' books but not so easy as Guardians of Ga'hoole. I think the theme would be courage. Yes. Stand up for what you believe in. The title is what it is because the Clans faced a looming crisis, bigger than even a forest fire. Erin Hunter uses lots of descriptive words to give you a good picture of what's going on in the novel, and keeps you reading until you're done. I think it showed some Christian perspective in one of StarClan's many visits to Firestar. Contrary to what the cats are taught, StarClan do not control everything; they give the Clans free will and don't force things onto them, kind of like God does.
I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to middle-school-and-up people who enjoy reading fantasy things or likes to contemplate what their cat might be dreaming of.

The forest is in its darkest hour, and frightening new prophecies come up:
"Four will become two.
Lion and tiger will meet in battle,
and blood will rule the forest."

To find out if the Clans will survive this hardship, you have to read The Darkest Hour.
This fantasy novel, part of the ever-growing Warriors series, takes place in a forest near a highway, some time in 21st century mainland ("modern times"). There are four Clans in the forest: ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan. Fireheart (later known as Firestar) is the new leader of ThunderClan. He is described as a `handsome ginger tom", and like his name implies, he is brave and will stand up for whatever he thinks is right. Tigerstar, the vicious leader of ShadowClan, is a tyrant and will stop at nothing to take over the forest.
StarClan can be described as cat heaven or the cats living in cat heaven. When a cat becomes leader of his Clan, he receives nine lives from StarClan (get that: cats don't come with nine lives; they have to earn it): courage, justice, loyalty, tireless energy, protection, mentoring, compassion, love, and nobility, certainty, and faith. Of course, all this life receiving is very painful.
Something bad is coming to the forest, something bad enough to have its own prophecy. Firestar is sure this has to do with Tigerstar, but he can't really be sure. When Tigerstar brings up the idea of joint Clans, Firestar is convinced. How could he even mention the idea? There`ve always been four clans in the forest, and it's the will of StarClan to be that way, right? But Tigerstar is definitely hiding something here...
This fast-paced book was easier to read than maybe Brian Jacques' books but not so easy as Guardians of Ga'hoole. I think the theme would be courage. Yes. Stand up for what you believe in. The title is what it is because the Clans faced a looming crisis, bigger than even a forest fire. Erin Hunter uses lots of descriptive words to give you a good picture of what's going on in the novel, and keeps you reading until you're done. I think it showed some Christian perspective in one of StarClan's many visits to Firestar. Contrary to what the cats are taught, StarClan do not control everything; they give the Clans free will and don't force things onto them, kind of like God does.
I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to middle-school-and-up people who enjoy reading fantasy things or likes to contemplate what their cat might be dreaming of.

Pre-teen and early teen girls love the series. It has my 10 year olds attention. She is reading like never before.

"Today is a good day to die, but tomorrow is better. Unless, those doing the dying are six foot, mutated chipmunks with blaster rifles. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I should start at the beginning. If you ask me, the end makes a fine beginning. Things come together and things fall apart, and the fur flies a little easier with the help of a Rolling Thunderä shotgun, as long as that fur isn't mine, and I'm the one pulling the trigger. Yep, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, but I ain't Mr. Rogers."

"But, I should introduce myself, you can call me Ishmael. Just kidding, bit of classical allusion there. Call me Hobo, warrior, poet, and one fine-looking feline, that's me. See, all cats are warriors, at least at heart, and that's why I'm the best one to introduce the series, Warriors."

Warriors is a book series first published in 2003 by Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry, under the pen name Erin Hunter, and introduced to me by cat and book lover Billy Waltz. The second series was written under the title Warriors: The New Prophecy. The third series, The Power of Three, and two more books, Firestar's Quest and Secrets of the Clans, are coming in 2007.

The series starts off with Into the Wild and a young "kitty pet"(house cat) name Rusty who yearns for adventure and has vivid dreams of the wilds. He meets a young feral cat, and this meeting leads to a chance to join a clan of wild cats called Thunderclan. He's renamed Firepaw and becomes an apprentice warrior. He finds himself in the middle of a tribal war with three other clans who coexist and compete for food and resources.

Allegiances are constantly shifting among the clans of warrior cats that roam the forest. With tensions so delicately balanced, former friends can become enemies overnight, and some cats are willing to kill to get what they want. Our young protagonist quickly moves from apprentice to warrior, to second-in-command, to leader of his clan. He must learn wisdom, deal with betrayal, and ultimately save his clan and the forest way of life.

The author has created an intriguing world with an intricate structure and mythology. There is intrigue, themes of loyalty, friendship and death, and an engaging young hero. The difficult life of a feral cat is described in some detail. (Oct. 16 is national feral cat day. Check out www.nationalferalcatday.org ) The cats, anthropomorphism aside, are true to their feline nature, which should delight cat and animal lovers alike. There is some violence. Some characters are killed through fighting and natural disasters, and there is treachery, betrayal and traitors, and even murder among the cats and clans, though it is crucial to the plot and not excessive.

Overall, I believe readers will find a fun-to-read series of books. Though not as elegantly written as Brian Jacques' Redwall series. The superb storytelling drew me into a realm so vivid that it could almost be real and I really came to care about the characters I found myself staying up late, with the old flashlight under the cover trick, to finish the books, and that Sand Storm sounds like a babe. Wonder what she's doing Saturday night? Hey, this cat is a fighter and a lover....

Author of "Hobo Finds A Home" editor "Of A Predatory Heart"

Moloka'i is an historical fiction that tells the sometimes horrible story of leper patients who lived in Hawaii. There are great things in this book. It will make you weep because it all really happened (except the main characters are fictional). But there is also humor and love and great kindness. It's well written and about a subject that was foreign to me. I learned a lot and read a few other books on the subject afterward to find out more. I highly recommend it. It's a great read.

A tragic tale embroidered with exquisite detail reflecting careful research, Moloka'i sets the standard for historical fiction set in Hawai'i. To take a subject like the isolation of people with Hansen's disease, as black a mark in American history as the internment of Japanese families during WWII, and make it an engaging, even romantic encounter is a unique literary accomplishment. We care about the young Hawaiian girl taken from her family and hidden away from prying eyes for almost her entire life. We chafe with her as her youth and beauty fades and the hideous disease progresses in her body. We recoil in horror when she has to give up her baby so her child will not become infected with the yet misunderstood disease. Our hearts break when her husband, the only happiness she has been allowed in this prison of isolation, dies. But, we are lifted high when she finally is freed and able to find her adult daughter. Alan Brennert does a masterful job imparting nuances of the Hawaiian culture and his descriptive powers capture the spell of the Islands. That the postcard perfect jutting green pali of Kalapaupapa on Moloka'i served as a prison for hundreds of native Hawaiians is something that should not be forgotten. www.LindaBallouAuthor
Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawai'i-Her Epic Journey

This is the best book I've ever had the pleasure of reading! I love the characters, and the history. I love the way the Hawaiian sayings and culture were interspersed so appropriately throughout the book. The description of the setting and time, AMAZING!

Alan Brennert, with eloquent, descriptive, flowing prose offers an epic tale of leprosy among Hawaiians in the late 1800's to present day. Rachel, the center character, is ripped from her family at 7 years old and exiled to the island of Kalauppa, on Moloka'i, where the infected go to die. Her struggle in the most gruesome of scenario's is so gripping, so raw, so real, and so inspiring it makes it impossible to ever forget her valiant fight and her unyielding spirit.

Rachel introduces us to a myriad of compelling characters. In nearly every case we see valor among the suffering; hope among the hopeless and optimism among the grim. Historically we venture through Hawaii's distain of the USA's aggression, acceptance, and statehood. We also experience Pearl Harbor and the oppression of Japanese American's to internment camps; internment camps that bequeathed undue prejudice as ugly and unwarranted as that of lepers.

This absolutely astounding book offers a sweeping saga of prejudice, hope, dismay, hope, depravity, hope, searing struggles, hope. HOPE! When you complete, "Moloka'i" you will hug this book to your heart as I did. You will realize that the impossible is possible. Also, accountability for others mustn't go untethered by one's own discomfort or lack of knowledge. Education before exile.

Thank-you, Alan Brennert. You gave me a read to treasure all my life.

This was the most engrossing and emotional book I have ever read. There were moments I had to put it down for fear of crying and looking ridiculous for doing so. There were joyful moments and sad moments and everytime I put it down, I had to remind myself I am Tara in Utah, not Rachel in Molokai. Thats how truly potent this story is. You must remind yourself where and who you are. The story starts with Rachel as a child, no leprosy yet and progresses to her diagnosis and being torn from her family. She makes new family though and lives her life to its fullest. The ending will bring tears to the hardest of people. The author was very informative of the history and times without being tedious. I really reocommend this to anyone who has a handicap, disability, or disease and to anyone that has ever made cruel jests at those who do. Those with some kind of impairment will understand and feel for the leper colony and also gain some hope from this story. Those who have made cruel jests, I hope you learn something and perhaps feel some compassion for those you see as less fortunate physcially than yourselves. On the outside, we all have flaws. On the inside some are truly beautiful no matter their physical deformities or differences. That is what this story really speaks to me.

While I love Tobias (and I really do) and this was a good book for delving into his mind, it did not have much in the way of plot. But all the sappy Tobias fan-girls would probably weep over this. That's what it is--a guilty pleasure in the name of the great Tobias.

The book brought the old animorphs style I think the story line was great and the middle was exiting the end wow! K.A.Applegate realy hit it this time I is one of the good ones it just has a good fealing when you reed it

I like this book because while showing Rachel Yeerk Pool entrences, they wind up at an exit in the woods where two free Hork-Bajir are escaping. the Elimist tells Tobias that if he helps the free Hork-Bajir get a place to live that he'll get what he wants. What Tobias wants is to be human again, but keep his morphing power. Will the Elimist cheat Tobias? Read the book!

I've been reviewing all of the Animorphs as I reread them (and filled a few holes in my collection via Amazon) so if anyone is actually interested in other reviews, you'll find me there. Being this is a book in a series, you'll need to read Animorphs #1: The Invasion to get all the details of who these characters are, why they're doing what they are, and how they "morph." However, like all the other books of the series, there's a general outline at the start of the book to condense events so the reader isn't utterly lost on what's going on. There's enough written in paraphrase to where you can start with any of the books, and reading the others isn't critical (but is helpful.) Since there isn't already a synapsis on this one, I'll begin there.

The Change is narrated by Tobias, one of the five humans who have the power to become any animal they touch, and one alien who was a survivor from a crashed spaceship. They, alone, are the resistence force for earth to halt a race of slug like creatures called Yeerks from taking over the bodies of billions of humans, then destroying what's left of the planet. Tobias is a boy who is trapped in the body of a red tail hawk, so different from the others in that respect. Why is covered in the short form at the start of the book, or full form in The Invasion. He spends his days either hunting for rodents or when full, has a lot of time to follow known Controllers (people who have a Yeerk living in their brain which completely controls the host body.)

When Tobias invites his fellow friend and Animorph, Rachel, out for a flight to look at some entrances to the Yeerk pool he's found (again, see earlier books in the series for the Yeerk pool), they find themselves flying in completely the wrong area, as if Tobias was lost. Although this bothers him, because he can't imagine how he lost his sense of direction, all thoughts turn to something else when they witness a pair of Hork-Bajir fleeing for their lives from other Controllers. To date, all the Hork-Bajir have been enslaved, so why they're being chased is a puzzle at first. The once gentle species was entirely enslaved because of their great physical strength and cutting blades covering their arms, legs, heads, and tails. As Marco put it "walking salad shooters." The realization strikes the characters that somehow these two Hork-Bajir might actually be free of the Yeerks which were inside their minds, and they rush to the rescue.

Unfortunately, saving and keeping two free Hork-Bajir from recapture is a grueling task. The Yeerks are willing to stop at nothing to get them back, throwing Taaxons (a giant centipede race with a nasty habit of devouring even their own kind, along with anything else), humans with Dracon beams, humans with ordinary guns, helicopters, vehicles, and Hork-Bajir controllers at them. Tobias brings in the rest of the group to help, and throughout the story, he finds himself places he didn't intend to be or has visions which help him along. Angry at being used, Tobias finally plants his talons and won't carry on until the person/creature who is using him reveals himself. The Ellimist proves to be behind it, and says he'll grant Tobias' greatest wish if he'll continue the mission. He would have done it, anyway, but now he hopes to be human again, giving him even more reason to carry on. Working with the Animorphs, he has to try and find a safe haven for the two peaceful, sweet, and somewhat dull witted aliens. I won't spoil the ending for those who haven't read the book, but as always, the story keeps itself together well. It has more action in it than the last book, being closer to Megamorphs #1: The Andalite's Gift in that regard. The ending is also well thought out.

This area is what I call my "older than thou" part of the review because I'm way over the normal age group these are written for. So why exactly do I write these reviews? Because I think it's a good idea to have a synapsis up if there isn't one, yet, and also to give a very different insight if adults are looking into what their kids read, looking for a gift, etc. (Much like the last book, there aren't any strong, underlying themes to this story (as there have been in others.) Tobias is, in many ways, the inner strength of the group, not letting self pity take control over him in spite of the tremendous amount of loss he's had to deal with. To use an old phrase, "when the going gets tough, Tobias keeps going." The character has to question himself in several places when the Ellimist keeps his "promise," and in doing so, has to do even more growing up mentally and emotionally. He asks himself if this was what he really wanted, and had he been tricked? The reader is left to decide that on their own, but the very ending paragraphs will tend to leave the reader with a smile. Overall, this is one has a lot of action, near escapes, and "grip the edge of your seat" scenes in it. Some of the books in the series get more introspective, others focus mainly just on a good, flowing story, and still others have more action than normal. Although this is a well written novel with a very good flow beginning to end, its one of the more action oriented ones, in my opinion. This is a good one if you want to skip books like The Secret where the reader is left to ponder age old questions which don't have answers (yet they will always still be asked by the human race) in favor of some hard hitting scenes of fugitives on the run and trying to beat all the odds which are against them. This is also a very important one to read for some of the future books in the series.

I knew that Tobias hadto get the morphing power back sometime, but I never excpected it to be like this. It was really exciting,plus, I really liked that there are finally Free Hork Bajir. This is a definate must-read for anyone reading the Animorphs. I would suggest reading a few books before this one though, or you could get a little confused.

Sorry, but the glut of coincidences and melodramatic writing was just too much. I'm going back to my nonfiction now.

I just read this book and what can I say except that it was amazing. I actually prefer Neil to David. David was never very consistent in his faith he was good talker but he had no understanding. I recomend this book to anyone who already has faith or is struggling to find theirs. Read this book! You won't be sorry!

I really enjoyed this book. I also enjoyed the fact that many of the events in the book are in the series released on DVD. I would have preferred if certain subjects had not been discussed in this book so that it would be more appropriate for younger ages. Other than that it was a really enjoyable read.

This is one of my very favorite books! I've read it over so many times and never get tired of it. It's just so interesting, captivating and touching.

This is one of those classic novels that you could read again and again. I hadn't read it since high school twenty years ago and just re-read Christy last week. I like it even better now than I did then (and I loved it then, too). I would have loved to have had Catherine Marshall's version of a sequel (hopefully it would have consisted of a continuation of Neil & Christy's romance), but I guess we get to imagine the "happily ever after" instead. It's a great read!

I was given this book by and friend, and I have to say, it may be the best gift I've ever been given. I have since purchased several cases, giving it out to many people that I care about. It provides inspiring, comforting and empowering thoughts for one to digest daily. Plus, it's supple leather cover and convenient size make it something for you to carry with you throughout each day. I cannot say enough about the power of this book!

This is one of my favorite books of daily devotions.
I've been through it several times and never tire of it.

I use this every morning along with another book by Joyce Meyers called "The Secret Of Speaking God's Word". It is amazing that no matter what day it is the message always seems to speak to something going on in my life during that time. It allows me to better identify certain area(s) I want to focus my prayer and meditation on. Joyce Meyers book give specific scriptures outlined by subject, "Fear, Anxeity, Depression, Hope, etc. . ."

I have purchased at least 6 copies of this book in the past three months because I have friends I knew would benefit and enjoy them as I do.

I had a paperback copy of this book, and it really helped me to grow closer to God. So, I bought the journal..one for myself and a couple as birthday gifts for my friends. If you are searching for a closer walk...this book will help you find it...

I have been reading God Calling ever since the early 1970's. This book has helped me to know God in a personal way. I have given many copies away as gifts and worn out 3 paperbacks. I just received the Devotinal Journal and will now write in it along with my meditations. Every person I have given God Calling to has found peace, joy and guidance in their spiritual life and thanked me for introducing this timely book to them.