2D Books

This is the first book I have read from Ms. Letts. I think she has a unique style of writing. Her characters are believable. I enjoyed the book thoroughly and could not put it down. I kept wanting to know what was next. I was only disappointed with the end. I always want to know more. It left me hanging.

I caught the movie one afternoon and really got into it so it made the book even more enjoyable because the book actually explained a few things from the movie with more detail. The character that Ashley Judd portrayed was really the only one that did not fit the look of the person in the book but all the personalities came alive. Great read about a young girl destined for failure only to rise above the ashes of despair. Too many people prefer to stay down and she inspires us all to achieve.

Truthfully, I don't even recall how I got this novel in my possession. I'm an avid fantasy reader so one of my friends must have loaned it to me or LEFT it in my library perhaps. Either way, reading this novel was perhaps one of the best things I could have done.

Novalee Nation is a woman you cannot help but love. As a naive pregnant 17 year old, she initially finds herself stranded (left by her A-hole boyfriend) at Walmart with hardly any money except $7.77.

What I enjoyed the most about this novel is how there are NO traditional families in a very "traditional" southern state. Novalee is a single mom raising Americus, Lexie has a series of babies with different men, and yet all of them fit together perfectly together. It is so fascinating to see all the people interacting with Novalee; despite her commenting on how uneducated she is she proves herself over and over again as a survivor.

One of the best scenes in the novel is when she is honored for her photography. I felt so proud of her accepting her award and cementing her career as a photographer.

This is one of my favorite movies. I usually make a point of reading a book and then watching the movie but I happened to watch the movie several years ago and just recently read the book. It of course went more in-depth with the characters (or else it would be a 5 hour movie!) and brought them even more to life. It really is an excellent story of strength, determination and love.

This book truly touched me. As soon as I finished reading it I wanted to read it all over again. Novalee Nation reminds me of a young gurl I once knew.......

I first became interested in the book after seeing the film adaptation of it on TV one day as I was flipping through the channels. The character of Melinda Sordino was captivating. Soon afterwards, I bought Speak and read it in one sitting.

Although this is labeled as a YA novel, I'm an adult woman and thoroughly enjoyed the novel. Anderson has written a completely realistic, heart-breaking, inspiring and at times funny portrayal of high school. Melinda is a character I could become friends with, she is that real. The rape and Melinda's reaction to it are so vividly and sensitively portrayed by Anderson. You really begin to feel the pain, despair and loneliness of Melinda as you read the first person narration of her first year of high school. If you're thinking of reading this or giving it to your teen to read, definitely do it. You won't have any regrets. I can also vouch for the movie adaptation, it was excellent and Kristen Stewart IS Melinda Sordino, no question.

Speak is a good book that deals with a young girl who has been raped, but she doesnt tell anyone what has happened to her. she is an outcast at her highschool, and is depressed.

Speak is written well but its depressing...although, the end is very good, i liked that.

the price was great and the story itself was ok. it's another look at pressures placed on girls during high school

Hmm.... what to say, what to say....
Okay- Speak.
The plot sucked and the character was obnoxiously TYPICAL - or rather, what an adult who doesn't know thinks a teenager is.
I thought that this book would be a real great story about being alone, being solitary, and depression. I was wrong. It was "oh I'm not popular, woe is me" type things, and the whole story about the rape is unreal and just blah.
The main character lacked any real depth no matter how hard the author tried- and so did all the rest of the characters. There was no character development or development of ANY kind - yes, it has a happy ending and all is well - but there wasn't any real journey and there was no plotline to follow along with.

I would only recommend this book to people searching for books featuring two-dimensional stereotypical teenagers at a high school that survives on labels.

The only reason I gave it two stars instead of one is because - at least I read the whole thing.

My mom found this book on a plane. Someone left it there perhaps accidently as they were gathering up their suitcases, or as I prefer to believe, because they finished reading it and wanted others to read about it. That's why I love books so much they are meant to be read, shared, enjoyed. My mom read it and then gave it to me to read. I may leave the book on a park bench or on the beach.

This book reads easy but that does not at all imply that this is a simple book. On the contrary, Anderson discusses the angst of being a young teenager, high school clicks, the inability to conform, losing friends, and loss of communication within families. In all honesty, I read the book in 4 or 5 hours because I couldn't put it down.

Anderson writes with fluid grace. Her style is quick, fluid, sarcastic, witty, and at times haunting. The protagonist, Melinda, hardly says anything. Her parents think she has become mute. They think she is rebelling, as all teenagers do. Their own relationship is a model of dysfunction and waste. Her only outlet is in her art class. Her assignment is simple: she has the whole year to do a project and recreate a tree that emotionally moves everyone. That would be well and fine, except, Melinda checked out emotionally last year. After a certain party. After she "called the cops" for reasons unknown to her friends. She doesn't tell anyone what happened that night, and since then her walls have come up and she feels like ice blocks her throat.
Every teenage girl should read this novel in my opinion. I think everyone can relate to at least one aspect of the book which is why I enjoyed this. I like novels that speak to me in some way and I can relate to it. Melinda has some powerful memories of certain instances that she remembered as a child - like when she was out in the snow - and recalling how life appeared much easier back then. She could talk to people. Clearly, something tragic shook Melinda to her very core at the party and she was suffering from PTSD.
I highly recommend this book to all young people and adults.

I loved this book and Jane Austen's style, but this is not a literary review -- this review is on the Everyman's Library Edition.

This printing is wonderful and I absolutely love the everyman's library books. If the book wasn't spotless, I would almost think it was an antique edition. The cover is lovely, the binding is solid, the paper is thick and matte, and the font is legible.

This book is to be read, loved and proudly shelved for display. Don't waste your money on some tiny, stiff, mass-market paperback.

EVERYMAN'S LIBRARY EDITION -- TOTALLY RECOMMENDED!

I recently finished reading Pride and Prejudice for the sixth time and can honestly say it was better than it ever has been before. The first reading, in high school, was a little rough. Since then, this book has grown on me each time (silly to say, since it is my FAVORITE book and the only one I have re-read as often). The humor is fantastic, the characters are both wonderful and suited so well to the time period, and Mr. Darcy is a classic "leading man". Who doesn't want to find the modern day version of Mr. Darcy?

The edition of "Pride and Prejudice" that has a painting of Darcy & Elizabeth kissing on the cover (ISBN 1438242816) is entirely redesigned on the inside, too. It's large (6"x9") and printed on high-quality paper, unlike most of the other versions. A great bargain at this low price!

I'm not really qualified enough to give the comments for this wonderful classic book. What I can give is the comments on the physical outlook of the book.

Beautiful cover, old content pages, wonderful old book renouveau!

Jane Austen is the best author ever. I love all her work but this is the best one of all.I love Mr. Darcy and Elisabeth. They are the perfect main characters. It does not get any better then this. If anyone can write a better novel then this that person is a genious. I love to read and of all the many books I have read this one is the greatest. This book is simply perfect.

Heller's classic is a surreal and sprawling story of immoral naivety and moral complexity. Ostensibly about the absurdity of World War II combat, Heller examines issues of group think and individual obligation with surprising philosophical clarity.

The Catch-22 that Yossarian, the erstwhile hero of our story, encounters maddeningly and repeatedly is any insoluble contradiction, expressed in his case in this infinite loop:

A. Yossarian realizes that continuing to fly combat missions is crazy because it puts his life at risk.

B. Therefore, he realizes he is crazy, and asks to be relieved and sent home because he is crazy.

C. Rejection of his claims by the Army doctors because the fact that Yossarian is aware that he is crazy for flying missions and is able to request to be relieved proves that he is sane, and therefore must continue to fly combat missions!

As stated succinctly in this exchange between Yossarian and Doc Daneeka:

"'So?' Yossarian was puzzled by Doc Daneeka's inability to comprehend. 'Don't you see what that means? Now you can take me off combat duty and send me home. They're not going to send a crazy man out to be killed, are they?'

'Who else will go?'" (p. 305 of this edition)

The contradiction, and Yossarian's persistent attempts to escape it, frames the absurdist humor that guides the book's organization. Physical comedy, ironic and witty verbal exchanges, fast-cut overlaps of scenes, characters, and forward- and backward-shifting time frames result in an existentialist masterpiece that belongs to every time and place.

But the theme of obligation drives a stubbornly-innocent Yossarian to a moral consistency that does mark him with a supremely heroic character:

"History did not demand Yossarian's premature demise, justice could be satisfied without it, progress did not hinge upon it, victory did not depend on it. That men would die was a matter of necessity; which men would die, though, was a matter of circumstance, and Yossarian was willing to be the victim of anything but circumstance." (p. 68 of this edition).

Like every hero, he makes the difficult and dangerous decisions his friends (and enemies) only wish they had the courage to make.

In the end, Yossarian faces his internal nightmares brought to life in a bizarre tramp through Rome after losing his closest friends and faces the difficult decision of denying his obligations to save his life, before learning that others have acted heroically in their own way and opened a way out of this absurdist trap.

Catch-22 will make you laugh, think, and feel good about being able to do all three.

This is the original (at least in terms of modern relevance) satire of modern warfare and decision making. However, it achieves a level of humour very rarely achieved elsewhere. It is a very personal book, and some of the personal touch, sidesplitting jokes, and very dark serious undercurrent make this resonate more with me than some of the other great "political / moral" satires - Animal Farm and 1984 after all can leave you feeling somewhat cold.

"Catch-22" remains one of my favorite novels of all time. Its cleverness, wit and insight never cease to amaze me. Having read Heller's novel countless times, I can honestly say that I find something new and surprising about it each time I pick it up. With that being said, I did notice some objection to it both from fellow reviewers and friends to whom I have suggested it. My only theory behind the stark contrast between people who love the book and people who do not understand it is that the rhythm of Heller's writing takes a little while to seep in. Behind the joke is a level of seriousness and behind the seriousness is another layer of satire. It is this layer that is often hard to access, but once one does the entire novel plays out as a macabre caricature of life. I can only suggest that the reader plod along for a long as possible, put it down for a while, pick it up again from the beginning but always keep going. The truth of "Catch-22" is worth discovering.

Why is this a so-called "classic"? Got me. I have no idea. Another reviewer said that you could skip chapters and not miss anything. I agree. I first attempted this novel a few years ago. I quit in less than 50 pages, so bored was I. I picked it up again recently, and I'm now less than 50 pages from finishing. What an unfulfilling reading experience this is. There is no central unifying theme or plot - other than that war is hell and the military rarely makes sense. But we knew that, right? As for the whole catch-22 business, sure, that is amusing the first twenty times, but it gets old quickly. This story could have been told in 50 pages and even that would have been too much.

Why then, if it is so bad, am I about to finish it? You know how it is. You start reading, and you become determined to complete it, just to say you did. There is no enjoyment in it though. I am looking forward to getting done so that I can read something else. My advice? Don't read this novel. Read the ingredients on food packages in your cupboard instead. You'll have more fun.

This book is so good, my weak attempt at a review is not going to do it justice. But I'll try.

I knew before I was half-way through that this is going to be a favorite and I plan to re-read it immediately. The writing is so fresh, the character studies so sharp, and the satire so relevant in today's increasingly bureaucratic (corporate) society, no wonder it was so hard for me to find a used copy. It's definitely a book I plan to hold onto and enjoy re-reading every year.

Anyone who's ever worked for a big corporation (like myself) can identify with Heller's hilarious and angry take on bureaucracy. Gen. Peckem's quote reads like a line from Dilbert or Office Space:

"Just pass the work I assign you along to somebody else and trust to luck. We call that delegation of responsibility. Somewhere down near the lowest level of this coordinated organization I run are people who do get the work done when it reaches them, and everything manages to run along smoothly without too much effort on my part."

It's sad how true that is in real life.

But this book is not all satire. It has a big heart. I often found myself laughing and crying at the same time. I can tell Heller cares deeply for his characters, even when he makes high comedy out of their sad fates (such as what happens to poor Doc Daneeka). He's brutally honest about the horrors of war, and laces them with enough humanity to really break your heart. It all makes the climatic "miracle" that much more satisfying. It's a satire that ends with a message of hope. And I like that.

Many people call this book ant-war, but I don't think it is. It really comes down to the last conversation btw. Yossarian and Danby. The ideals of war can be good - who can argue against rescuing Western Europe from Nazi domination. But it's the method of war - and all the evils that go with it - that makes no sense. Are these evils worth the ideals? It's a catch-22. And it's a dilemma that applies to life in general, not just to war.

I bought this book over a year ago. Now I can judge the results of the book from experience. Overall, the book is great tool for any person to begin changing her life, but it does lack the how-to quite often. That part is left to the reader unexpressed.

As many of the negative reviews of this book indicate, there are some underlying Christian, more specifically Mormon, ideas presented in the 7 Habits. I myself am an agnostic yet after reading the 7 Habits I found nothing to dissuade me from testing the ideas put forth by Covey. None of the habits suggests the reader should convert, abandon his/her own thoughts or be eternally damned. If I dismissed his writing simply due to my assumptions of his belief or my disagreement of some of this thoughts, I would be no different than all the fundamentalists who do so in the name of God. So I tested the habits.

I was already a person who enjoyed a successful family and financial life as fruits of my own labor. That didn't stop the book from making a difference. Truly seeking to empathize while silencing my own thoughts and experiences led to a far greater bond with my family members. Putting first things first and beginning with the end in mind, ABSOLUTELY progressed my life. It has been over a year. Thanks to this book, I found the courage, discipline, and time to create a vision for myself. I left my 6 figure salary job that I knew deep down made no difference beyond the appropriate use of my paycheck to start my own company; one that created synergy and actively and selflessly gave back to the community. The company is doing great and my employees are onboard for life. I have never been so fulfilled inside yet I know my self-development is not yet complete. I believe I had the thirst and initiated the search myself. Eventually I would get there with or without the 7 habits, but it held my hand through the initial stages.

What the book lacks is further practices on such topics as nurturing one's independent will. The wording itself is rather proprietary, so beyond a thorough explanation Covey should have provided more ideas or exercises on the development of this "human endowment". This is a trend throughout the 7 Habits; one that I feel takes away from the effectiveness of it.

Dr Covey has written a book with some valuable points, which would be useful for any person to remember and apply. Although some say that they're common sense, sometimes we need reminding of common sense. Being proactive (i.e. doing something is better than doing nothing), starting with the end in sight (i.e. visualise what you really want and plan to get it), putting first-things-first (i.e. don't procrastinate), think Win-win (obviously valuable), and Seek-first-to-understand-then-to-be-understood are all useful and valuable habits. The idea of being principle-centred is also worth examining, as is the idea of concentrating on your circle of influence.

However, this book could have been much shorter; probably less than half the length. Dale Carnegie covered many of the ideas fifty years earlier, and wrote more clearly. Dr Covey's writing style would have George Orwell spinning in his grave. Like many authors in the 'self-help' genre, Dr Covey's writing is imprecise, long-winded, laden with exaggeration, and littered with clichés.

The 'Synergize' chapter should simply be excised; Dr Covey spends an entire chapter gushing about situations in which enthusiastic people got together, opened-up, became excited, and produced something wonderful. That isn't a habit; it's an effect. It's all very nice when it happens, but it ignores the situations where enthusiastic people get together, open-up, become excited, and produce something terrible or utterly disastrous because they were all too excited to examine risk. Late-90's dot-com companies in particular spring to mind. Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds was written about this phenomenon.

Dr Covey's advice relating to tyrannical bosses is awful. I would expect that anyone who adopts Dr Covey's advice in a situation where they are forced to deal with a sociopath is about to discover the meaning of 'disappointment'. Dr Covey makes the error of assuming that deep-down, all people are reasonable... if they were, his ideas would work. Unfortunately, they are not, and adopting Dr Covey's techniques with a sociopathic manipulator (they're more common than you think), or even worse, a sycophantic group of sociopaths, is a recipe for disaster. Sometimes, the best advice is 'get as far as you can from that person and situation, as fast as you can'; I doubt whether Dr Covey has ever given anyone that advice.

This leads me to another thread common to self-help writers; the unwillingness to admit that their approaches won't necessarily work for all people in all situations, and the accompanying focus on only the positive outcomes that can come from following their advice. Dr Covey's book is an example of this; no warnings, no caveats; the whole thing is presented as a path to salvation.

Finally, the anecdotes... they're tedious. One after the other, we hear unverifiable anecdotes, which could have just as easily have been invented. Or they could be completely one-sided; the other people in the situation may have had a completely different interpretation. I couldn't help when reading the book but wonder if Dr Covey's anecdotes were all that they seemed.

So there you have it; a middling book which promises much and delivers some. This book is worth a read if you go in with your eyes open, and think critically. But for the impressionable reader (it is often impressionable people who buy self-help books) some parts of the book may lead to disappointment.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

This classic book provides steps to building a productive and organized life. Valuable for personal and business application. I review it in the last two lectures of my Principles of Management course to assist students in developing life and career plans.

Covey shares insight that should be considered by all. His "7 habits" apply to everyone, whether they wish to be more effective as leaders, parents, students, or just more effective as members of society. The habits he outlines perk the minds of and prompt the audience to self-examination. Immediately, I started to think of my own perceptions and attitudes in relation to my personal effectiveness as a Soldier, a leader, a parent, a husband, and as a friend. By adopting the habits, every aspect of my life could benefit.
The habits are not only presented and explained, but the author uses personal anecdotes to help us more readily relate to them. Covey outlines a plan for making the habits our own and explains how we will reap the benefits of using the habits as we journey through life. Covey creates a set of parameters in the habits that can provide guidance and control for anyone who wishes to be more effective at anything. It is not a quick fix, but a personal attitude and behavioral adaptation that can be developed in a positive way. I recommend "7 Habits" to everyone I know.

The reason why astrologers seem dead on is because they are so generic they would seem to fit anyone's situation. The same goes for this book. This books habits are so generic and so vague that they are practically useless. For instance, "sharpen the saw" is so vague and common sense that it is useless. You can sharpen your saw much better by buying a different book.

Redwall is a great story about animals trying to defend themselves from the evil ones, but I would be careful who I recommend it to. I enjoyed most of it, with the exception of some of the rough scenes wherein someone dies or is tortured. The author doesn't make a great deal of it, yet they are descriptive and perhaps too much for younger readers, or listeners... an adult can handle it fine.
Anna del C.
Author of "The Elf and the Princess"
The Elf and The Princess: The Silent Warrior Trilogy - Book One (The Silent Warrior Trilogy)

Redwall (Tale of Redwall)Suitable for middle school youth. Good narrative with lots of action and imagination.

(Review by Samuel, 8 years old)

I like this book a lot. We haven't finished it yet but I think it is very exciting. We read one or two chapters every night. Sometimes my Dad reads for us, sometimes I read by myself. Some of the words are hard, but I still enjoy it. I would love to read more books by Brian Jacques.

I started this series in 4th grade. I'm 24 now and I have read it over again about 4 times. This book was amazing when I was a child, and it still is. Brian Jacques does a fantastic job with his characters and scenery. The poems/riddles are great. The best of the series: Mattimeo. (3rd book)

This quasi-Medieval fantasy about mouse monks, and various other small woodland beings, taking shelter in an Abbey besieged by a bandit army of rats, stoats and ferrets, is good enough to make me wish it were better, but not good enough to make me read more of the series.

One flaw is the descriptive writing. Despite an imaginative premise, the author rarely gives enough info to let the reader form a picture in his mind. For instance, a horse with cart galloped past our heroes as they traveled on a road, and it was not until a chapter later that I was able to determine that the horse was traveling in the opposite direction than I had imagined. A more lasting problem is imagining the relative scale of the various animals and their surroundings. Though much of the action takes place in Redwall Abbey, I was more than halfway through the book before I managed to resolve the nagging question of how large the Abbey was relative to its inhabitants, wasting many of the images I had formed in my early reading. Turns out that though these Mice are normal mouse-size (they are smaller than rats, 400 of whom can fit in a horse cart), the Abbey they live in is human-sized (with outer walls over 20 feet high, and an even higher Abbey roof). But even this left me with nagging unresolved questions of what sort of doors these mice open, and what sort of steps they climb, in what sort of rooms they hold their feasts, and how they could possibly defend so large a structure. At other times, the author seems to switch to the idea that these are human-sized animals living in a Giant-sized Abbey, as when he assumes that a fall from a wall or roof will almost always mean instant death for a rat or mouse.

Another major flaw is the sloppy, lazy plotting, by which the author just forces one event to follow another. Here's a very early example: Cluny, the evil leader of the villainous rat horde, asks for a private audience with the Abbot, and in order to achieve this, permits himself to stripped of weapons, separated from his horde, and ushered into the Abbey. Having thus rendered himself helpless, he proceeds to tell the Abbot "surrender immediately, or I'll kill you all". The incensed Abbot knows the horde will be helpless and disorganized without their leader, but honorably decides not to kill the helpless villain, instead permitting him to leave and continue his siege. The explanation offered for the Villain's inexplicable risk-taking is that he knew the mice were too honorable to harm a guest. But it is odd for Evil to have such mighty faith in Virtue. Why take the risk? Why not have his herald shout out these simple terms? Why did Cluny need the private audience. The answer, it turns out, is simply that, unbeknownst to Cluny, the Author needed an plot device to get Cluny into the Great Hall of the Abbey so he could see a certain Tapestry which will later haunt his dreams.

The lazy plotting cannot be forgiven by claiming this story is a fantasy and a children's story. When an author puts more effort into a story, plotting it carefully, it does not make the story harder to read -- quite the reverse. True, kids are undemanding critics, less likely than adults to notice flaws, but that does not mean we should throw trash at them.

Another problem I have is with the story's morality. On the plus side, it is not clear that it is completely amoral, like, some children's literature these days. On the other hand the morality is, as another reviewer put it, "underdeveloped." In this, it is roughly on the level of the Harry Potter books (though ultimately more violent and bloodthirsty). It has a sort of Ron-Harry-Hermione syndrome, wherein the central hero is flanked, on the one hand, by more bloodthirsty and amoral friends (such as Constance) who do his dirty work for him, and on the other hand by a more restrained friend (here, the Abbot), whose moral scruples are treated as a lovable character flaw. Our hero (or the reader) gets to have it both ways, participating vicariously both in the viciousness and the virtues of his various friends, without having to stand up to any of them or make any real moral choices.

I was, however, particularly disturbed by the central hero's mistreatment of a female sparrow prisoner, wherein an oath extracted under torture and threat of death leads instantly to a Stockholm-syndrome type friendship.

The author makes the villains ridiculously exaggerated. Their zeal for wickedness transcends self-serving evil-doing and crashes headlong into self-destructive stupidity. This ploy makes it easy enough to contrast villains with heroes, but it obscures, rather than highlights, any real moral awareness. A related issue is that heroes and cartoon villains are neatly divided by animal species. Rats, Foxes, Ferrets and Stoats are all automatically Evil. The Mice, Squirrels and Moles are simply Good, and any flaws they may have seem to be regarded merely as amusing character traits.

My problem is not that Jacques has written a violent tale featuring death and killing. It is a mistake to criticize violence in the abstract without regard to whether the violence is justified. But it still seems to me that the author botched a golden opportunity to give these such issues a better treatment.

as I was mid-way through this book, there were only two thoughts going on in my mind -
1. this guy is human/normal like us with all frailties/insecurities
2. and gosh what extremes are humanly possible!!... the triumph of human spirit! very humbling. very inspiring.

A page-turner like no other, once I started it, I couldn't stop. Without a doubt, Lance is one of kind athlete, but that's not the point. The early achievements, the cancer battle, the return to the sport - it's an amazing story of the resilience of the human spirit, both on the account of people around him, and Lance himself. It's a gem of a book and an inspirational read, it reminded me of what we are all capable off.

I picked this book with trepidity. Having read scores of biographies from succesful sportspersons, I did not expect this one to be any different. They struggle, they compete, they succeed. I started reading this purely based my wife's strongly recommended this.

And it just did move me completely!


Once I started reading, there was no looking back. This is gripping cover-covcer. I guess the cycle races are such. We get so involved in the sport. Whern Lance talks about Cancer, it is not in absurd medical terms or over-simplification. He did carry me long - thtough his journry. I could vicariusly experience being with him in the ward in Idianopolis or at the Finish line of Tour De France.

A narrative style that takes the audience at a leisurely pace, keeping the reder hooked and attached to the strory.

Truly inspirational. A day after I finished the book, today, I am shaving my head for a cause - cancer patients!

I had a meeting with VP in the company and as I got in his office you can sense he was a Lance fans. I'm not! Maybe for his way to act that he so well describe in his book! As an ex-athlete my self I could not hide my opinion about Lance. It was a nice and healthy conversation. Few weeks later I had another meeting with the same VP and as I walk in to his office he gave me this book as a present, knowing I'm an avid reader.

I read it during the long flight back home! Great inspiring book! Never did read a sportsman biography but this one is worth each single word.

You learn something new every day! I guess I learn something more about a great individual and athlete!

PS - I have a colleague that is fighting a similar battle and I gave the book to him because sometime other peoples words are better then your.

A story of courage, transformation, inspiration, love, failure, success, it has absolutely every element of the most thrilling book you have ever read. Get this book if you want to laugh, cry, scream, shout and jump for joy. Lance's triumph over his bought with cancer will leave you feeling grateful, in awe, and thoroughly filled with life-affirming happiness.

Sally Shields, www.TheDILRules.com

Every few years I read this book over and love it every time. It is a great book to introduce kids to the plight of the Jews and non-Jews of German-occupied countries during WWII. My 10 year old read it and loved it too and it brought up a lot of questions. Highly recommended.

10-year-old Annemarie Johannesen narrates this story (based on real events) set in Denmark during WWII. The Danish resistance arranged to transport many Jews to safety in Sweden after they found out that Jews were being sent to concentration camps by the Nazis.

Annemarie is not Jewish, but her best friend, Ellen, is. Annemarie's family helps smuggle Ellen and her parents, along with several other Jewish families, out of the country. Lowry manages to give the reader a sense of the horror of the Holocaust without going into graphic detail.

I recommend this book for readers who like mystery books about actual life.When I read this book I got so attachted to it. If you read this book too you would be attached to this book just like me.

This was a fantastic book. The characters, especially Ellen and AnneMarie,
are very brave and have a strong friendship. The plot is really exciting, because you never know if the characters will make it safely. I recommend this book because you learn a lot about history and what Jewish people had to go through when the Nazis were in Denmark. The ending was good too, but I won't give that away!

Struggling through the ravages of World War II, Annemarie, her family, and her best friend Ellen wait in hiding until the Nazis retreat and let Denmark free once more. This wonderful story "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry, is about friendship, tragedy, and, love. It also integrates a lot of useful life lessons, such as: being brave and deciding what to do wisely.
This story really captured my attention because it made me inquire as I read along. It also gave me a perfect image of what Denmark was like during the Nazi invasion.
I recommend this story to children in the fourth grade or higher because it has strong vocabulary words that are worth learning.


By Teddy (soon to be in grade 5)

We received this book very quickly, in the described condition. It was an earlier print of the book with a smaller font, but overall it was a great
buying experience.

My babysitter got this out for my 8 year old daughter who loves to read, and I started reading it first to see if she would like it. I remember reading it as a child but couldn't remember whether I liked it or not. As an adult I found it somewhat interesting but not captivating. Nothing much happens, and I didn't think it was written in a way which would excite my daughter. I found myself wishing Scott ODell were a better writer--the descriptions of how food or clothing is made from natural products are so thin, compared to the Little House books (which are masterpieces). Since so many people seem to love it, I guess you just have to check it out of the library and see.

What a great book! Virtually every part of this book is writing at it's very best.

The setting is magical. Odell seems to tell us about another part of the island and the water with each chapter. I wish he had made a companion book to just explore the island.

The young girl is amazing. She's making spears, building huts, killing devil fish, dogs, and the like, she's exploring nearby islands, trying to escape. There's so many ways to describe her, but the simplest and the best has to be: COURAGOUS.

What I like about this book, is that Odell helps the young reader talk about some issues of life that for many young people is not talked about, subjects like loneliness, independence, loyalty, and death. This is a book that can start a great many discussions between teacher and student, and parent and student.

What makes this book even cooler for me is that it is based in large part on a true story!

I have to say that this book is truly one of, if not the greatest newbery books ever written.

This book touched me as a young girl. I think I read it about ten times growing up. It is a wonderful story about courage, survival, isolation, and trust. It is an amazing adventure and I recommend it for all children. The book is deserving of awards but I would have loved it even if it had been an obscure story that never won awards - there are a lot of good stories out there that are like that. I am going to buy an extra copy of this for a little niece, so she will have it to read in a few years. I think this type of book has the power to mold and shape lives, who we are and who we will become.

i was forced to read this in school and i could not stand it... i got about halfway in before i was forced, out of bordom, to skim the rest of the book... save you time and effort and do not read this book.

The Thirteenth Tale was a splendidly delicious story with a beginning, a middle, and an end, just like Vida Winter said. It was an enthralling page turner. There were intriguing and creepy characters and overall, I was captivated and enjoyed it immensely. If you like reading to escape into a really good old fashioned (creepy) tale, this is the one! The plot twists and turns kept me going throughout. I will say, though, that I thought the side slight storyline of the co-joined twin of the biographer was weak, not so interesting, and didn't add to the novel overall. Still, in all, I loved it and would recommend The Thirteenth Tale to anyone who loves to read for variety.

The narrator's personal story was boring & tedious, & became "filler" to the supposedly real story of the reclusive writer. I did stick with it to the end by speed reading over the repetitive stuff (and there's a lot)but I wouldn't do it again. Ultimately the story just wasn't much of a mystery or interesting.

I found myself sucked into Diane Setterfield's dark and gothic world. Sure, many of the characters are strange and unbelievable but that's what the book is all about. The truth is boring...so why not just tell a good ghost story instead?

Very well written book -- original and compelling story, characters and subplot. I loaned my 1st copy to friends and never got it back, so I bought a 2nd copy to read again!

Incredible book full of twists, turns, and surprises. Very satisfying. Upon finishing, one of those books that stays with you for days...