Education Books

This book is really a $50 book. I'm not sure why these people are asking $150 for it here. Anyway, this book is definitely worth owning. It has beautiful illustrations and is a smooth, easy read. Lots of good ideas.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1HTW4GY7MK4IG I have enjoyed using this book as a resource for parents and myself as an Early Intervention Specialist. It is very user friendly. It is not too intimidating for parents with a child that has been newly diagnosed with ASD.

Our son was recently diagnosed with ASD, and I have been reading constantly since then. A child psychologist told me that she felt this book was so important, she would buy it herself to give to parents who couldn't afford it. This is far and away the best book I've found to teach us how to communicate with our child. It is easy to read and offers actual instructions on how to help your child understand you and respond to you. It takes many principles from Greenspan's books and puts them into practice. I actually bought it from the NC Autism Society's bookstore and it was soooo much cheaper! (By the way, you can order online or over the phone from them.) I would highly recommend this book to any parent of a child with ASD.

I have always been pleased with resources from Hanen and this book is no exception. As both a pediatric speech-language pathologist and a mother of a wonderful toddler with autism I highly recommend this cutting edge, informative book. I love that the book takes our children's sensory preferences and interests into major consideration during interactions.
The book is clear and simple to follow.

The information on the internet regarding autism can be overwhelming and complex, even for the rare parent like myself who has been in the field for several years. The More Than Words program makes language and social skills acquisition enjoyable and manageable for parent and child. The parent does not need to add daily therapy to their already long "to do" list. Therapy is ongoing from morning till night during all of your interactions with your child. We should always have goals in mind, but the therapy is constant as long as the outlined principles in More Than Words are followed. Similar to a sensory diet. This is our children's communication diet. I also like that the pictures in the book are emotionally uplifting. It is not easy having a child with ASD but this book offers the parent a feeling of wellbeing and hope as they help their child climb the developmental ladder of language acquisition and social skills. Horray for Hanen. You've done it again!

This book was written for parents of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Written by a speech-language pathologist, this book provides a step-by-step program that trains parents to help children under the age of six learn to communicate through everyday activities. The chapters are divided into four color-coded levels of communication so parents can easily locate those strategies that are best for their child. The book contains a wealth of practical information, and the colorful illustrations positively depict a variety of communication activities. Please visit our website to obtain a copy of this valuable resource at the actual list price.

As the synopsis says, the main character is obsessed with the movie The Sound of Music. I am also a big fan of the movie. I used to watch it all the time when I was little. Anyway, because of this, I thought the book would follow the movie's story in some fashion. Instead, it's a modern take on Pride and Prejudice (think a G-rated version of Bridget Jones--one of my favorite movies, by the way!).

I loved this book. It is a sweet and simple romantic story. It is also humoress with pop culture and literary references thrown in. I really liked this aspect because I am the dorky girl who loves musicals and things of that nature, so I got all the references to musicals and such. I also enjoyed the literary references being an English major myself (the main character has an English degree).

This is the perfect book for people who enjoy sweet romance novels, especially the ones with a P&P feel to them. I feel that Must've Done Something Good is a book I'll keep as one of my comfort books to read when I'm feeling sad and need a good pick me up. :)

This may be tagged "chick-lit", but as a guy who greatly enjoyed this book I think anyone would enjoy it. There's so many situations that anybody can relate to. Go Sylvie!

I am a mother to 5 kids and one step son so, needless to say, I usually don't have time to read however for this book it was easy to make time because I enjoyed it so much!

Like the other reviewers on this site, I too found myself laughing out loud on so many occassions throughout the book. Everywhere I went with it, people would ask me what I was reading and I couldn't help but go on and on as to how much I loved this book! It was absolutely outstanding! (I actually broke out in a chorus of "My favorite things" the other day in front of my 8 yr old and he had the oddest expression on his face...priceless!)

I hope Cheryl Cory decides to write many more novels! If so, I may just turn out to be her biggest fan!

This is a great book, very funny and entertaining. To think of it solely as 'chick-lit' is a major disservice. Guys, like myself, will enjoy the characters and plot and irreverent humor as much as anyone. Sylvie's trials in the classroom are amusing, especially if one has any background in teaching, and it is nice to note her progress at adapting to this new situation as the school year progresses. This is really a neat book we can all like.

This is a great book. I loved it. My wife read it too and she loved it. It's a must buy!!

My Great Aunt Arizona is a beautifully-written, beautifully-illustrated book based on a real person, the author's great aunt Arizona. We loved the book so much we took a family vacation some years ago to see the area. The artist obviously went there and saw Henson Creek and the real places, just as we did. We saw Great Aunt Arizona's grave site, too, and met the author's mother.

We love this book so much we have donated it to a couple of libraries and given it as gifts many times. Top notch!

My Great-Aunt Arizona is an excellent book for children and for anyone who is encouraged by a positive message on education.

Gloria Houston's work is wonderful!

Read this book to your kids because it's a great story. Read it because it'll help them appreciate what their teachers do for them. And then, maybe give a copy to their teacher as a gift. This wonderful book is a tribute to those who pour their lives into children who can then go forward with dreams and the ability to do anything.

I use this book in both my reading and writing workshops for fifth graders. It's an excellent book that could be useful to 3rd-6th grade students. It's a great example of characterization.

By far, one of my favorite books for children. I love reading it to my babies. The text with the beautiful pictures will go with you in your mind forever...

Alex
Have you ever had a class clown in your class? In the book, My Life As A Fifth-Grade Comedian, Bobby, the main character, is a huge class clown. Additionally, he never does his homework and slacks off in school. His teacher Mr. Maooouus, can also be funny, but he doesn't over do it being too funn, unlike Bobb. So one day MR. Matous asks the class to write a way on how the school could be improved. Bobby writes about a Laugh-Off. A Laugh-Off is a contest in which the winner is the one who gets the most laughs. Mr. Matous says if you make this Laugh-Off real, then we won't have to kick you out of school. Bobby was going to get kicked out because he was doing so bad in school. Will He get kicked out of school, or wll he stay, and make the Laugh-Off happen.
I thought this book was very good. I liked that every chapter has a joke, Why are vampires so bad, becuase they are suckers. I thought some of them were funny. I also liked how the author kept focus on the main characters. She could've just said some details that don't mean anything, but she didn't. I think the author did a very good job writing the book; it was smooth and easy to follow. The only part I din't like is the characters who had bad personality traits. For example, some kids thought they were funny bbut they weren't. I thought they were annoying. I give this book four stars out of five. This is a great book to read, I would reccomend it. Have you ever had a class clown in your class? In the book, My Life As A Fifth-Grade Comedian, Bobby, the main character, is a huge class clown. Additionally, he never does his homework and slacks off in school. His teacher Mr. Maooouus, can also be funny, but he doesn't over do it being too funn, unlike Bobb. So one day MR. Matous asks the class to write a way on how the school could be improved. Bobby writes about a Laugh-Off. A Laugh-Off is a contest in which the winner is the one who gets the most laughs. Mr. Matous says if you make this Laugh-Off real, then we won't have to kick you out of school. Bobby was going to get kicked out because he was doing so bad in school. Will He get kicked out of school, or wll he stay, and make the Laugh-Off happen.
I thought this book was very good. I liked that every chapter has a joke, Why are vampires so bad, becuase they are suckers. I thought some of them were funny. I also liked how the author kept focus on the main characters. She could've just said some details that don't mean anything, but she didn't. I think the author did a very good job writing the book; it was smooth and easy to follow. The only part I din't like is the characters who had bad personality traits. For example, some kids thought they were funny bbut they weren't. I thought they were annoying. I give this book four stars out of five. This is a great book to read, I would reccomend it.

You have to read "My Life as a Fifth Grade Comedian". It is written by Elizabeth Levy. Its a funny book packed with hilarious jokes! The story is about a boy who holds a "laugh-off" at his school. In the laugh-off people tell jokes. The cover had the boy's face on it. He is wearing a smiley face tie. There are lots of characters so i am most positive you can relate to at least one of them. The setting of the story reminded me of my community and school. So if you feel like laughing your pants off, you must read this book!

I Thought It Was A Great Book It Was Very Hard To Put Down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The book My life as a Fifth Grade Comedian is a very funny book. This book is for people eho like funny books. This book has many twists in it. If you don't pay attention you be confused. The main charecter(charlie) is a bad egg. He is always doing pranks on the teacher. He visits the principal's office at least twice a day. He has detention until the last day of school next year. His teacher said if he changes he will makea laugh off and challange him. They both make it to the finals and the winner was .... Read the book and find out.

This book really got me thinking. It's about a boy named Bobby. Bobby loves to tell jokes and it seems that he thinks life can be a joke too. His parents make the situation even worse! His dad is so mean! Deep down he's probaly not. But ever since Bobby stopped doing his homework his dad just keeps bugging Bobby in a way that is not really nice for a dad to do. Instead of exoplaining to Bobby that he needs to do his homework he trys to joke around about it. he seems to think that Bobby will always get in trouble. bobby says jokes in class and yells them out. The princibil dr. deal wants to send him to some kind of school for wierd kids. but his teacher mr. matous knows that Bobby is better then that. he gives him a chance to organize a school wide laugh off! And that leads to a whole lot of adventure, a lot of joking around and a bunch of laughs! maybe, if you read the book carefuly you might notise how Bobby changes throughout the story. And when Bobby changes everybody seems to change. So, if you want some great laughs and a book that you'll be stuck on while your doing everything you do read "My Life As A Fith Grade Comedien!"

This all happened in a town. The problem was that this guy named Davy was addicted to alcohol. He started to hang around with other people that also drink. That only made it worse. Davy would have fantasies about a girl name Linda. Those people who he hangs around, Linda hang around with them too. One day he went to a place, the cops showed up, his friends started to ask if he was still a virgin and responded to that and he said, "yes." So his friends take him to Maxis house to do it. But he doesn't remember what had happened. Pretty soon they start dating. Davy had fell in love and so did Maxi. One day she told Davy that they should stop drinking, he agreed. They started to go to alcoholics anonymous. Both of them went, but at first they had problems, but as time passed Maxi didn't had any problem but Davy did. When they were one month with out drinking then they had dinner and went to the beach. That's when Maxi drowns and at the end Davy realizes he needs help, so he gets it.

I read this book for my 10th grade IGL Class!! I though it was a good book I know some people that were just like Davy and Maxi! In the beging of the book Davy has no friends and he starts haning out with the popular kids. Davy really like this hanging out with the popular ones because Linda this girl he really like was one of them!! All they did was sit around and drink all the time Davy started hanging out with Maxi one of the popular kids and they did stuff toghther and got drunk all the time!! They finally decided that they had a alcohol problem so they went to a counselor to get help. At the end of the book they are both clean!! That is my review and when you read this book I hope you take it serously and not be stupid and become one your self.

This is a chilling story, especially if you're an alcoholic! You want to hear a story that's not just a number on a page (statistic), then read this. You'll see how low you can get if you're not there already!

This book is awesome. it is deffenitly the best book i have ever read. i would probably read it again if i liked books but it seems that i hate them. i like the story of how davy gets drunk and gets horizontal with maxi. he finally starts to make friends but that all ends when maxi gets naked and drunk. She goes swimming and dies. he was sad. Davy went on a drinking bingeand wound up in the gutter.

This was a very good and scary book. It shows the truth of what happens to an alcoholic when they don't get help. When I first took this book off the shelf of the public library here, I was a bit skeptical of it because of the title. But since I've read it, it is one of my favorite books in the world!!

As industry analysts articulate the "vision" of the intranet becoming a unified platform for delivery of information services. Eric Greenberg has made it possible to develop a strategic architecture or roadmap to making it a reality.

Peter G. Daniels R&D, Network Strategic Planning

Excellent book!

I think that NAF is a very valuable book to read. I certainly learned a lot about the integration of networks and applications.

Everyone who works in the enterprise software business, be it as an administrator or developer, can gain a lot of insight and specific information by reading this book and thinking about it.

END

I highly recommend this book to Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers (MCSE's), Cisco CCIE's, and Network/IT professionals in general, new and old. Network Application Frameworks is a welcome change. With every page, Greenberg caters to the reader's every need, providing a comprehensive collection of information in a concise easy-to-read format and with an entertaining style. If you need to understand Microsoft technologies, networking, and distributed systems in general, this book is as good as it gets.

Greenberg has put together an extremely readable account of the technologies that matter in the developing of applications for the emerging Networked Age. (You think "emerging" is wrong, and that we're already "there"? Just wait -- you ain't seen nothing yet. China, India, all of Africa have yet to join!)

It's not necessarily the kind of book you'll wish to read from cover to cover, but as an "e-business technical architect" at a Big-5 I have found NAF:DA to be an excellent resource into which to dip from time to time. Very highly recommended.

This book is an invaluable comprehensive guide to network design, distributed computing, and overall client/server architecture including security. Highly readable, it clearly explains important network design and distributed computing technologies-- how they work, what their key design constraints are, and how they compare. It is suitable for both beginners and advanced professionals looking for answers to difficult questions. If there's one book Microsoft or Cisco certified professionals, network designers, Information System (IS/IT) professionals, or application architects should buy this year, in my opinion this one is it.

This book transformed the way we teach reasearch at our school. Our students can't wait to dig deeply into subjects and share what they've learned with others. We've truly become a community of learners and the tools and encouragement in this book helped to make that happen. I re-read it every year.

Nonfiction Matters by Stephanie Harvey is a great book that not only gives teachers great ideas on how to teach nonfiction writing, but also on how to learn along with the students by inquiring about real things in life anyone of them might have an interest in.
I recommend this book to any teacher who is willing to take the challenge and transform her / his classroom into what every classroom in the world should be. Teachers will find new incentives to motivate their students along with simple economic ideas that will get their students writing passionate, interesting nonfiction papers everyone will want to read.

Every middle-grade teacher should own this book! It is such a relief to find a book by an author who clearly knows how to engage students in authentic, "real world" material. Not only is this book enjoyable to read, but it actually shows you how to jump in and make nonfiction reading work for your students--or your children--wherever they may be on the ability spectrum.

I think it can be difficult to teach things which we intuitively do well, and many teachers are good readers. This book is marvelous, because it refuses to advocate a painful, repetitive break-down of dull practice skills. Instead, it shows teachers and parents how to explicitly address skills within a meaningful context. That is so critical! For example, the book talks about readers making connections, and recognizing types of connections, including text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world. Making connections is not a new idea for reading teachers, but these categories are great for making non-fiction accessible.

The ideas and strategies in the book are motivating and inspiring, if overwhelming. The author's journey is really that of a continuing learner, and it was so valuable to me to read about her overflowing ideas and philosophies and strategies, as well as the way she handled roadblocks with colleagues and students.

I love that this author has the courage to present teaching as a "messy" art and science. It doesn't pretend there is one right answer or one right method or one right kind of student or teacher. It recognizes the complexity of so many variables coming together--ability, interest, personality--and acknowledges and addresses these variables, instead of pretending they don't exist.

This is a book for thinking, reflective teachers, and it's good.

I just had this book assigned to me for my upcoming course in Materials for Teaching Reading. The semester hasn't even started yet, and I have devoured this book. Stephanie Harvey has done an incredible job of breaking down the process of reading, writing, and researching nonfiction in such a way that I really feel prepared to go out and start teaching it. Not only am I prepared, I am EXCITED! I can't wait to implement what I have learned in my future classes, as well as in my own life journey of continued learning and research. Not only is there great information, the book is written in a very readable, interesting manner, a good example of good nonfiction writing.

When I was in school, we were told to write papers, but were never really taught *how* to develop one. We were told *what* to do -- make an outline, write the paper, and revise it -- but that didn't help me figure out *how* to do any of these things.

Now my daughter is in third grade and I'm trying to help her learn how to write. Our first use of the book helped us capture and explore what she learned on a museum trip. I was really impressed with the resulting report. It was focused, full of real content, and had a delightful narrative style. We even used wondering questions to help us focus further inquiry.

This book is a must-have for anyone interested in life-long learning.

As much as other reviewers were raving about this book, I thought I would like it just as much. I really thought it was a mediocre work of writing. It consisted of haphazardly organized observations about empire, presented with very little sense of coherence. The observations were often superficial and rarely put into context. It's like reading a collection of notes from a conference on globalization, mixed with a few writing exercises from a creative writing class.

This book would make good reading material for a coffee house. Read it where you don't care if you're interrupted. Read it where you'll get more insight out of the conversations it sparks with strangers and acquaintances.

I don't recommend reading this book unless you have at least a couple of semesters of Spanish on your high school or college transcript. The author writes a lot of the fictional (?) dialogue in a mixture of Spanish and English, and she doesn't always provide enough context clues to figure out the Spanish if you don't already have some education in the language. (Fortunately, I did.) The Spanish-English mixture really wasn't necessary for the book; it was more distracting than helpful, and at times it seemed to stereotype the speakers a little bit.

It would be difficult to add to the depth of insight other reviewers have already provided. Chellis' insight and passion are reinvigorating planetary healing on multiple levels. The best gage for this is the example of her own life. Read everything she writes. A modern visionary with a powerful and compelling voice.

What impact has three hundred years of Western imperialism had on the way we treat each other -- and the Earth -- today?

How is today's global economy simply our latest expression of colonization?

How can our personal woundings become doorways to self-healing and form the basis of a commitment to sustainable planetary culture?

In her new book, Off the Map (An Expedition Deep Into Imperialism, the Global Economy, and Other Earthly Whereabouts, Pulitzer-nominated author and psychologist Dr. Chellis Glendinning explores these themes with a directness, clarity and emotional intensity that awakens the reader to profound insight about the nature of today's world.

In a lyrical braiding of three stories, she weaves the threads of her personal story of sexual abuse in a European-American (and Anglophile) family in the 1950s, the history of the last three hundred years of Western imperialism and a present-day horseback ride through the recently colonized Chicano world of northern New Mexico, where she currently resides.

Glendinning sees Off the Map as a continuation of her past work. "My focus is always the relationship between the personal and the political," she notes. "This book is an effort to make clear that everyone on the Earth is still experiencing the legacies of the classical age of empire, that corporate globalization is just the latest expression of Western imperialism and that, ultimately, it cannot work."

Throughout the book, we follow Glendinning's story of sexual abuse at the hands of her father, through her healing to the reclamation of her essential self and her reconnection to the power of land and nature. We also follow the story of the land-based Chicano peoples of northern New Mexico, a story that goes to the heart of the unspoken wound of imperial systems: the relationship between the colonizer and the colonized.

Glendinning, a highly respected eco-psychologist, received a Pulitzer nomination for her book When Technology Wounds (William Morrow). Other earlier works include My Name is Chellis and I'm in Recovery From Western Civilization (Shambhala) and Waking Up in the Nuclear Age (William Morrow). Off the Map is a compelling look at the unexamined implications of our rapidly expanding global economy and, as such, should cause a great stir among economists, sociologists and all those concerned about the future of humanity -- and all of life -- on Earth.

To the thorough reviews below I'll just add:

It's nice to see someone in my field working for rather than against the social forces that oppose the conformity and imperialism that show up nowadays as well-marketed, hyperconvenient, quick-fix "psychotherapy" (or is that psycho therapy?). Listening to the soul of the world, Chellis Glendinning hears in it an anguish echoing her own--and acts bravely and actively on behalf of both.

There's an annoying idea at my school (Pacifica) that all such activism = acting out, a kind of puerile and heroic impulsiveness--whereas working the imaginal, perhaps from within a well-lighted office on convenient days, should be enough. The example of the author's way of being indicates otherwise. We certainly need to monitor our activism, lest it become just another kind of colonizing arrogance so characteristic of our empire-driven civilization; at the same time, to say and do nothing except in private is not enlightened or soulful, it is cowardly.

Good work, Dr. Glendinning!

Off The Maps: An Expedition Deep Into Empire And The Global Economy by psychologist, social activist, poet, and a pioneer in the field of ecopsychology Chellis Glendinning offers a unique look at globalization -- the modern-day alternative to the economic empires of European and Western history. Using maps as allegory, Off The Maps peers between the lines at the individual hopes and lives of workers and the working class at home and abroad as they struggle beneath the crushing spread of politically imperialistic, homogeneous mass-culture invasive, free-trade oriented, international corporation dominated, western-style consumerism. Off The Maps is a welcome and timely contribution which is very highly recommended for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in international politics and economics.

One Size Fits Few by Susan Ohanian contains more citations than I've ever seen in a single reading! One can't accuse this author of not doing her research before writing this book. Virtually every statement she makes is backed up by a reference to a well known public figure or educator.

Throughout the book, the author makes numerous cases against the use of educational standards. At the heart of these multifarious denouncements is the recurring theme that standards are dehumanizing. At one point she reminds us of some essential life skills that are usually ignored when standards are created: "The great words of teaching are the one syllable ones: read, write, teach, learn, work, skill, care, help, hope, trust, faith, love. And the greatest of these, of course, is love." (p.127)

Although the author is not in favor of senseless educational standards, we can infer that in order for successful learning to take place, we must answer to some "higher" "standards," those which recur universally within the context of being a good human being. As a long time educator, those are the standards I must strive to have my students attain.

The book is outstandingly well written and thought provoking. Its 7 chapters are divided among 3 sections. The chapters include Ohanian's observations and views, recounted in the form of anecdotes; each under its own title. The language is simple and down to earth. One can start reading this book from any page and still gain wit, wisdom, and fact.

Susan Ohanian's book is a must read for any teacher or parent who is concerned about the current standards madness. With humor and insight, gained from actual teaching experience, she exposes standards as a dehumanizing experiment in social darwinism. Using examples from her work as a teacher, she shows how students do not easily fit into the little boxes that "standardistos" would have them fit into. Her final conclusion, that we should just trust teachers, is quite subversive. I really enjoyed reading this book.

By the end of this book, all school reformers assuming that standardization of the curriculum improves quality will...
... recognize and understand the detrimental impact of educational standards.
... use the proofreader's deletion mark to eliminate standardization.

The title of a section in chapter 7 is "If You're Sure You Know The Solution, You Are Part Of The Problem." How true of many of the "school reformers" today who think THEY have all of the answers when THEY are not even in the classrooms! As is often the case with "education reform," those who are in the classrooms on a daily basis (teachers and students) are excluded from the debate - their voices lost in the sea of sound bites coming from those Ohanian refers to as "corporate-politico-infotainment standardistos."

As Ohanian so concisely demonstrates in this book, the idea for education standards comes to us from the business world. What those "corporate standardistos" fail to realize is a simple (and yet major) difference between a classroom and a business office. In a business setting, if you have an employee that is slowing down production, lagging behind, refusing to do the work required, having problems working as a team player, and displaying a lack of concentration or focus, what do you think happens to that employee? The obvious answer is the reason a public school classroom is not like a business, has never been like a business, and will never be like a business. The moral here is STOP trying to "reform" schools like you would a business.

The current buzzword in "education reform" is accountability. I happen to agree that we need more accountability. We need to hold governors, school board members, legislators, and school superintendents accountable for failing our children by forcing through agendas laced with standardization and testing disguised as school reform.

It is long past time that the two groups most directly involved in teaching and learning are given a voice in the school reform debate. The voices of teachers and students need to be heard and respected.

One Size Fits Few by Susan Ohanian contains more citations than I've ever seen in a single reading! One can't accuse this author of not doing her research before writing this book. Virtually every statement she makes is backed up by a reference to a well known public figure or educator.

Throughout the book, the author makes numerous cases against the use of educational standards. At the heart of these multifarious denouncements is the recurring theme that standards are dehumanizing. At one point she reminds us of some essential life skills that are usually ignored when standards are created: "The great words of teaching are the one syllable ones: read, write, teach, learn, work, skill, care, help, hope, trust, faith, love. And the greatest of these, of course, is love." (p.127)

Although the author is not in favor of senseless educational standards, we can infer that in order for successful learning to take place, we must answer to some "higher" "standards," those which recur universally within the context of being a good human being. As a long time educator, those are the standards I must strive to have my students attain.

The book is outstandingly well written and thought provoking. Its 7 chapters are divided among 3 sections. The chapters include Ohanian's observations and views, recounted in the form of anecdotes; each under its own title. The language is simple and down to earth. One can start reading this book from any page and still gain wit, wisdom, and fact.

"One Size Fits Few" is for all those frustrated teachers who see standadized tests as unfair and a complete waste of time. It's a book that full stories, arguments, and analysis that will provide teachers, parents, politicians, and education activists with ways to talk against the current standards craze. Like she says at the start of her book: "What the education world needs is a few strong administrators and teachers and parents to join together, proclaiming, 'Enough is enough'--people who know how to say, 'We're as mad as hell, and we're not going to this any more.'"

I think that this book was really very good. The characters kept me interested in reading more because they didn't seem fictional at all. I'm not much of a reader, but I read this book so fast because I could relate to almost everything that was going on. Understanding what the characters actions is so easy because you can see exactly what they are going through.

I love this book. The main character, Colton Trammel, is written with wonderful depth. The author shows him with all his faults-- not too bright, sometimes cocky and insensitive-- but he's written as such a real, heartfelt character that I grew to care about him almost as if he were a real person. The female characters are also presented in full dimension-- the horrible Grace who doesn't realize she's horrible; sad Dori; and Corinne, who is more like Colton than either of them realize.

Besides the terrific voice and characterizations, there is great humor and a gripping pace to this novel. I can't wait to read more books by A.M. Jenkins.

Although I own 5 copies of this book, I haven't read it yet. Why? Because the boys in my 9th grade English class keep it checked out of my classroom constantly. As soon as a boy returns a copy, the next young man on the waiting list checks it out. I have never seen teenage boys respond to a book like this. Back in August when school started, I only had one copy, but I have purchased 4 additional copies since then. During SSR time, a boy started reading it because I insisted he read something. He would have preferred to put his head down on his desk - absolutely not allowed. He said, "But, Miss, I HATE to read!" I told him that's OK, just stare at the book until the bell rings. That way if the principal had dropped in to make sure we were doing SSR, I wouldn't get in trouble. When the bell rang 15 minutes later, the young man begged me to let take the book home to finish it. He returned it the next morning and started to recommend it to others. Not one boy has yet to read the first 2 pages and not finish the book. Most of my students have read the book in no more than 2 days. Some said that they stayed up all night to finish it because it was so good. No female students have expressed any interest in the book...maybe because the cover has a picture of a baseball on it. As far as I'm concerned, this book works magic on boys. Every boy who has read it in my classes has gone on to read several more books. What more could a teacher ask for? (FYI - My school is in a low socio-economic area, high poverty rate, almost every student is on free/reduced lunch, gang related crime, urban area, etc.)

I absolutely loved this book. It was your everyday life as a teenager in your typical high school. It includes all of the negative things that go on in high school too, so that makes the book a little restrictive for kids younger than 8th grade. But I still liked it. It covered everything from relationships to falling into peer pressure to constantly harassing people. Colt, the main character, is very rude, and really sucks at school work. He is really only good at baseball. But that makes him a bully to everyone around him that he considers, "lower than him". But as he starts to get a taste of what he's been dealing out to everyone when a new girl moves to their school and doesn't take any crap from him. She just sends it right back his way. What made the book so good was when he finally realized how mean he really was to everyone, and he matures. It is kind of eye opening though, because I know there are probably people like that in my school, and I realized that the situations in this book really do happen. But I give you this warning... there are many cuss words, and bad conversations. But it makes up for all of that in the end, I think.

Colt Trammel is trying to make sense of his high school world. His classes are like gibberish, his girlfriend Grace freaks after he tells her he loves her, and his lab partner is a new girl with green hair, for Pete's sake. The only time Colt knows what's going on is when he's playing baseball.

A.M. Jenkins is a master at drawing readers right into the characters. Colt is not a simple jock stereotype. His love for Grace makes him vulnerable, and the failures he experiences in his classes make him feel perpetually stupid.

Colt's struggle with the romantic poets from his English class becomes crucial when his grades drop below what is acceptable for playing athletes. He finds a tutor in Chloe, formerly of the green hair. Jenkins writes their tutoring sessions with humor. Anyone who has struggled to understand classic poems will especially enjoy these parts of the books.

It is also nice to see in a book the boy's side of a painful dating relationship. Readers will sympathize with this supposed tough guy as he pines for Grace, who doesn't treat him well.

Jenkins gives us a three-dimensional character in Colt, who is likable despite some bad choices that will have the reader cringing. OUT OF ORDER is a realistic book, and readers will want to see more of what happens to Colt.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio