Languages Books

"The Sell Your Novel Tool Kit" is the only other book you'll need to learn how to properly sell your novel. Why the only other book? Because I also bought "Manuscript Makeover" by the same author which I consider on par with "The Sell Your Novel..." book. Using both books has not only helped me to polish off my novel, but also how to market it properly. Learning how to write a novel is hard, but it's even tougher to sell it. Elizabeth Lyons is a master in helping you do both. I have many how-to-write books, but only these two sit next to my computer. No writer should be without them. They're gems. O. Earhart, author of published plays and short stories

After forty years in sales, I am now faced with attracting an agent for my novel without being able to use my mouth. This book has many helful suggestions on how to sell your ideas and get your work published. Highly recommend this to new authors.

Joe Smiga

As with her previous book, "A Writer's Guide to Fiction", I cannot recommend this title highly enough. Together, both books should be required reading for serious novelists. She presents practical ideas and guidance born of her years of editing fiction, and manages to be encouraging and inspiring while keeping a clear eye on the realities of the publishing world.

Though I have not yet reached the point where I can put her ideas to the test in the marketplace, I feel that I will be much better prepared once I do thanks to her systematic, professional approach. If you only buy two books on writing and selling fiction, they should be these two by Elizabeth Lyon.

Highly, enthusiastically recommended.

This volume is useful as you begin to market your work. It's a comprehensive guide to the steps an author should take, and its organization makes it a particularly clear and useful treatise that also is an easy "go-back-and-check" reference.

As an already published author, I was encountering difficulty finding a new editor and an agent. Elizabeth Lyon's book solved the problem. I can now write meaningful one page query letters. Thanks!

This book is amazing for learning basic vocabulary and grammar. You'll go through most beginners classes in 10 hours. This book is for those who want to know the language not for those needing to know some words for the weekend. Read it world for word to get best results.

This book has some flaws with it.
1) Some of the associations are not good.
2) It gives you the vocab words and on the next page ask you to translate spanish to english but WARNING answer is on next page with english to spanish exercise.

This book is working!
I have tried the rosetta stone to learn spanish and got more frustrated with every lesson. Spanish by association has taught me tons of nouns and proper spanish grammar in a fun way. For some reason, imagining crazy pictures with the words is working, and I finally feel like a second language is within my reach. I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to learn spanish and have some good laughs while doing it. (guarding a rope in a cloakroom?)

Wow! After teaching my own Spanish classes and in the public schools for as long as I have, I thought I'd seen all TYPES of books. When I got frustrated with the texts out there, I even wrote my own! But this is an approach I hadn't seen in a book.

I often use word pictures to help my students with memorization. Of course, it should work in a book format! I found myself giggling upon opening the text and reading about the camel in the cama (bed) and a car horn when we open a cajo'n (drawer).

I'll be recommending this book to any adult or child who wants a fun way to memorize new words. With practice, you won't need the book - it teaches you how to teach yourself Spanish! Marvelous!

Sra. Gose
Author of Flip Flop Spanish: Ages 3-5: Level 1 & Flip Flop Spanish: Ages 3-5: Level 2

Let's say there were a point system for learning Spanish: you get 0 points for knowing no Spanish at all, and 100 points for being completely fluent. Knowing this book will keep you at a solid 10 points. You will not forget any of the Spanish you've learned, thanks to the mnemonics in the book -- so you will maintain your score of 10 points -- but you will not earn any more than 10 points, because there is so little Spanish in this book.

I absolutely LOVE this book! I have not seen any other way to quickly (within a few hours) start using real spanish sentences! I haven't been able to read through this book continuously as it suggests, but even spending 15-30 minutes per day has really helped me!

I really like the method of associating a Spanish word with an English word to be able to remember it. And I like how it builds on previous chapters, so you are challenged to remember the vocabulary and then provided the answer, in case you'd forgotten.

I would definitely recommend this book!

This was the best investment I have made in a reading foreign language book: the price was reasonable, and was considerably cheaper than taking the graduate level reading course. Yes, this book will get you to the necessary level to pass the majority of intermediate Spanish reading proficiency exams. Where it lacks is thorough grammatical description, so for that, I suggest supplementing this book with "Complete Spanish Grammar" from the Practice Makes Perfect series. After every chapter in "Spanish for Reading" I would go through "CSG" and note the chapters I needed to review before going onto the next chapter in "Spanish for Reading." The two in conjunction with each other are absolutely amazing.

Twenty years ago I had another self-instruction Spanish book by Barrons, the same publisher. This book is far better. It claims to use the latest research on language study, and it certainly seems sound to me. I did notice a few minor typos, but overall I found this book worthwhile. I've had four semesters of Spanish and taken some short immersion classes in Mexico. However, I never took a class specifically geared toward reading, so this text has proved quite useful. I do about three pages a day, and in the past month I am certain my skills have improved. The price is quite reasonable.
I have a tip for other struggling Spanish readers: For what it is worth, when watching a dvd movie at home, leave the spoken language as English and use the Spanish subtitles setting when available. This is a painless, almost subliminal way to boost one's vocabulary.

I'm teaching myself Spanish, and this book is really helpful.

This book was well worth the price I paid. It covers a lot of grammar and quite a bit of vocabulary. Most of the exercises are set up so that you only need an index card (or other piece of paper you can't see through) to do them.

Although I wish that it had a dictionary in the back, I'm still giving it a five-star rating. I sure wish it had an audio CD with all the reading passages, because then it would be outstanding, but I'm not marking it down for lack of a CD, since it isn't meant for listening comprehension.

I loved FRENCH FOR READING, so thought I'd give this one a try. Make sure you have a dictionary because there isn't one at the back of the book - and sometimes the passages give you words you've never seen before - with no way to look them up. Also - these chapters seem a bit denser then 'French For Reading', make sure you go slowly, maybe only doing 1/2 chapter at a time.

Dr Seuss comes through again. Fun to read, good morals, excellent story.
Lots of fun!!

This is my favorite Dr Seuss book (even though I discovered it only a few months ago). The story and pictures are excellent and (importantly) it is particularly easy and fun to read aloud.

Unfortunately, this book is advertised as being suitable for 5-8 year olds only - NOT TRUE! This book is for ANYONE of ANY AGE who enjoys stories.

This book is so appropriate today, maybe more than when it was written in 1948 (a response to the New Deal, perhaps?)! I'm sure I appreciate the message (beware of freeloaders!!) more than my kids, but they enjoy the story and the pictures (as always) are priceless. Dr. Seuss was a national treasure and his books are all terrific.

This book should be in every child's library (and most adults as well). This is the starter book for Orwell's Animal Farm.

I first read this book when I was a little girl. I was really impressed with it then, of all the Dr. Seuss books I thought it was the best because of the message. The poor moose is so soft-hearted, he lets everyone take advantage of him. It has a wonderful message for children to learn about "users". If you only read one Dr. Seuss book to your children, read them this one.

This book was suggested to me by Amazon and I am very pleased that I bought it. I am in my 4th year of Studying French and this book has enabled me to do some revision and also learn some new verbs. I particularly like the way it uses modern verbs that are practical for everyday life. It explains the various grammar points extremely clearly and it has made my understanding so much clearer.
Thank you Amazon

Used as a review tool for a college course after taking a year off in French. Very useful and helpful.

I began studying French more than 40 years ago, in elementary school, kept going through junior high school, high school, and college, and continue to work to improve my written and spoken French even today. Even though I'm fairly fluent, I'm not a native speaker, and there is always room for improvement.

How I wish that a resource like "The Ultimate French Verb Review and Practice" had been available during my school years.

The book states that it is directed to "advanced beginning" through "advanced" learners. While the initial chapters -- covering regular verbs in the present tense, irregular verbs, the imperative form, and the passé composé -- should be at least largely within the grasp of someone at the "advanced beginner" level, the book may put such a student in fairly deep waters after that. I would commend it more to an intermediate student and above, with the initial chapters forming a combination of review of the basics and expansion of the student's repertoire of constructions and vocabulary, and the later chapters helping with more challenging aspects of the subject.

There are several things that set this book apart from others I have used.

First, the authors have a particularly clean and lucid approach to the various topics they cover. This is reflected not only in the English portions of the text, but also in the French examples. Many books of this kind tend to have rather forced and artificial-sounding examples, and classify them in rigid and difficult-to-remember categories. The authors here have managed to develop a more organic structure that makes sense without being forced.

Second, following the introduction of the material, the authors offer a number of different kinds of exercises, approaching the material from a number of different perspectives, to help cement the principles. This makes the material easier to grasp and easier to remember.

Third, the examples all sound natural and plausible, and cover useful sentences that belong in the toolkit of any speaker or writer dealing with everyday matters. The authors use each set of examples as an occasion to stretch the student's vocabulary and repertoire of common expressions and locutions. They also provide some extremely helpful explanations of nuanced differences between similar-sounding constructions that would not be obvious from mere literal translation. A number of discussions provide insight into differences between more formal written and spoken French, on the one hand, and colloquial spoken French, on the other. This contrasts with the more formal approach often found in French educational materials, which pretend that people speak only in perfect, grammatically impeccable complete sentences.

Because facility with verbs is one of the marks of fluency in French (or any language), this book serves an important function and serves it well. And it costs no more than far lesser books on the subject. This one belongs in the library of anyone serious about speaking and writing French with confidence.

Yes, David Stillman and Ronni Gordon have done it again. Years ago, when I bought The Ultimate French Review and Practice, I was certain that it was the most thorough French grammar book I had ever encountered. However, the newer Ultimate French Verbs Review and Practice carries coverage of the French language a step further. Don't be fooled by the title. To be sure, this is a book on French verbs, one which provides just about everything one might wish to know on the subject. But, it is also packed with up-to-date vocabulary such as computer and internet terms and a wealth of extra tidbits covering other aspects of usage and French language history and development. I took my first French class in 1961 in a high school language laboratory and have been captivated by the language ever since. I went on to study French in college for four years. Since that time, I have continued to read French and to use the French soundtrack on DVD movies as a means of experiencing the language on a regular basis. Living in West Virginia, I rarely get a chance to speak French. It's so nice to have the two Ultimate books to recall things I already know and to learn new things. One little gem I had never encountered before is the use of "vous autres" to emphasize the plural use of "vous." It is simply the French equivalent of "you all" or "you guys." I had always wondered if the French had a way of saying that. Now, I know. The French, however, go a step farther. They also have "nous autres" or "we all" to emphasize the inclusion of particular groups in the use of "we" as opposed to the generic "on" which is an all-inclusive non-particular "we" and is also rendered as "one, people, you, they, etc." I had come across "nous autres" in high school, but never "vous autres." I haven't nearly exhausted the comprehensiveness of this book. I am sixty years old. I will probably never need another French book in my lifetime. These two should do it quite well.

I have taken 2 years of French in college, but I have to say I wish I found this sooner (but still completely satisfied I have it now). It lays out in a clear and rule based form how to handle verbs, meanwhile explaining exceptions in a clear and non-intimidating manner. I love it, and for people who have gone through immersion programs (like me) it is nice - now that you have the basics - to go over everything from a clear and concise standpoint. I highly recommend this book as well as their Ultimate Grammar Review.

This book is well-organized, informative, well-written, and (unlike most books I run across) actually usable!

His advice is excellent, his approaches are clean, and he gives it to you in a way in which you can actually put it to use without having to untangle it.

I love this book. It is the best written VB book I have seen. It is so well written. I have read 4 chapters so far, and I am understanding all the information so far. The examples are terrific. I am thrilled with it. If you want to learn about COM and objects......GET IT!

I don't often run across a book that impresses me to the point that I feel motivated enough to write a review. I needed to learn how to use COM in order to use ActiveX components in an IIS ASP application. After purchasing and reading several other books, I ran across this one. It has proven to be the primary source of information for me on developing robust and useful components. Mr. Vogel manages to keep his focus on the details of COM that are challenging to understand and not already covered in the Microsoft documention. I would suggest this book for programmers of any level who need a thorough understanding of creating solid COM components.

If you want to learn to design and create COM objects and code in a generally OOP type of way in VB, this is your book. For those coming from C++ who want to componentize their VB apps in the true spirit of OOP, this book has all you need. Well written, full of useful examples, it belongs on the shelf of every VB component creator.

This book takes comprehensive look at Visual Basic Objects and Components including ActiveX EXEs, DLLs, Documents, and MTS/COM+. Every type of object or component is examined in this book and very well explained in a way to make you understand. Peter Vogel's writting style makes reading this book easy.

This book was a major study guide for the Designing and Implementing Desktop Applications using Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 (exam 70-176) and the Designing and Implementing Distributed Applications using Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 (exam 70-175). I passed both exams. This was an excellent addendum to the Transcender courses and I use this book several times a week as a reference. There are a lot of Visual Basic 6.0 shops out there and I would highly recommend that this book be part of their reference library.

The author is suppose to be writing a Visual Basic.Net Object and Component Handbook which is due out next year. If that book is as good as this book, I will highly recommend it too. I have about 30 Visual Basic books and this book is one of the best.

The hardest part about being a writer is accepting it. Even if you've been writing all your life, to actually step forward and allow yourself the freedom; even the indulgence, of calling yourself a writer, is not easy. Even after three published books, one of which was an award winning novel, I tend to shrug and dismiss my writing as an all-consuming hobby, rather than a vocation or career. Mark David Gerson isn't having any of that. He's adamant that not only am I a writer who can write coherently, flowingly, engagingly, with ease, able to change the world; but also that you are too. The key is linking into what he calls the "muse stream." The Muse Stream is the welter of unwritten stories (the "ocean of stories") that, Gerson suggests, we all have within us. It's our creative subconscious; our intuition and sensual experiences; the magic in our perceptions. We need only listen, open our hearts, and keep writing, and those stories will naturally take shape.

Much of Voice of the Muse is an incantation. There are a number of guided meditations designed to help you listen to your voice, rather than fight it, so you can approach the place inside of you where creativity begins. For those that prefer a pragmatic `how-to' book full of check lists and rules, this might be a hard approach to swallow. It's much softer than that. The first rule is that there are no rules. The second is that you must get out of your own way. Leap into the void, and then just write. It doesn't much matter what you write, as your "muse", which you can call by any name that suits, from the collective unconscious if you like Jung, to God if you're religious, to the "muse" if you like the idea of a female spirit, to your own inner voice if you don't like labels.

The key message here, and it's repeated in many ways, is that you must write, and that if you do surrender and listen, and keep writing, you will succeed in your writing. It's a good message and one which Gerson delivers particularly well, sometimes with a subtle, underlying humour.

There is a warmth and an affirmative coaching quality to this book, but it isn't only about urging you on. There are also some useful suggestions and exercises designed to help you work through your fears, and find out exactly what you need to write. There are exercises for overcoming block, even when it seems overwhelming, ways of coping with distraction and transition, and ideas you can use to deepen your characters, enrich your settings, and extend your plot. The book contains chapters for working in writing groups, and also a chapter on how to edit your work without being too brutal to your ego or ideas. The book contains a number of anecdotes and suggestions from things that worked, and didn't work, while Gerson was writing his novel The MoonQuest. Gerson isn't afraid to share his own experiences as a writer, a teacher, and as a person and his honesty with the reader encourages trust, as he effectively practices what he preaches.

Voice of the Muse is certainly a spiritual approach to writing, and it may not be suitable for every kind of writer. Some people may dismiss the book as being too much of an incantation - continually pushing the reader away from the page and into the (foul) rag and bone shop of the heart (whereSleep Before Evening all ladders start...), but Gerson's point is that there is little that a writing teacher can provide in the way of pragmatic advice because, as Yeats himself said so beautifully, the true voice comes from within the writer. The one thing that you can do is encourage and coach, and Gerson has been doing this for fifteen years in his successful classes, and does this very well in Voice of the Muse. The book provides the tools to guide us towards our own stories, urging us that we must open our hearts and allow ourselves the space, and the self-trust, to do so. We not only have the ability; we have the responsibility.

Magdalena Ball is the author of the award winning novel Sleep Before Evening

Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (9/08)

Mark David Gerson is an expert in the realm of spirituality when it comes to issues relating to unleashing the creative power within oneself. "The Voice of the Muse" dispels any mystery or fear to write from the muse within. As writers, we sometimes create blockages, specifically fear-based ones, and feel we are at a standstill, or we have nothing to write.

Gerson contends we all have that inner voice, the muse, just waiting to come out. His simple, yet effective, steps allow the potential writer to learn how to access the voice within and transform it into words on paper. Accompanied by a 2-CD set of guided meditations, Gerson provides the inspiration to even go deeper and allow the words to flow.

I not only highly recommend "The Voice of the Muse" to writers who think they have a writer's block, but also to those that want to start writing, or even seasoned writers that want to take their work to a higher level. It isn't a book to flip through; it's a book that actually becomes a workbook. Gerson gives suggestions, exercises, and meditations to help the process.

Mark David Gerson is definitely a catalyst for bringing out the voice from within. His system works, if you work it as presented in "The Voice of the Muse."

Writers in search of their muse need to explore The Voice of the Muse by Mark David Gerson. As you sit down to write, your inner voice may ask: Where have all the good stories gone? To where have the inspirations disappeared? When will you be given the words to share the story trapped inside? Ideas along our inner paths can be found with the pages of this book.

Mark David Gerson provides thoughts and direction on finding and connecting with your muse. He shares exercises on how to connect with the mysterious disembodied voice writers rely on to share their stories. He provides encouragement and meditations for beginning writers and experienced storytellers. The Guided Meditations found within many chapters will encourage your muse to breath life into your words as they make their way from your pen to the page.

If you have ever struggled with getting the words rattling in your head out on to paper, then Mark David Gerson's writing guide, The Voice of the Muse, will inspire you to do so. Mr. Gerson's gift is helping you create a safe space in your mind that allows your story to be written with ease.

"Receive this gift and keep it with you."

"Listen for the song of your heart. Listen for its rhythm and its words."

"Living Your Creativity"


Three times I opened this book at random. The messages I received are above. The last is actually a chapter title. I will start this review off with saying I don't know that this book will appeal to everyone because some people are like the dwarves when Aslan tries to give them beauty. The dwarves still saw ugliness. If you are not prepared to receive the message of this book, stop reading right now.

If you, like me, know that there is a magic to hearing that inner voice and are ready to open up to the Muse, do not read this either. Just go buy the book.

_The Voice Of The Muse Answering The Call To Write_ spoke to me on so many levels. From guided meditations that are simple yet profound to practical lists and advice on writing, Mark David Gerson has truly written a gift of a book. I predict that once you have read it, you will want to send it to people you know.

Don't mistake this title and think it is some smarmy New Age dribble. I am New Age and I know smarmy--this book is not even close. Gerson's goal is to show his reader how to listen to themselves while ignoring that inFernal editor so many of us carry. He takes on those of us who are bound to our keyboards as well as those of you who are bound to your pen. His gentle wisdom combines with a great sense of humor creating a book that I will turn to again and again.

Gerson doesn't shy away from taking personal journeys with his reader. When you immerse yourself in this book, you will feel as though you've sat down with someone who doesn't take themselves too seriously yet is very serious about their work. And I'm sure if I -- no when I -- meet Mark David in person, he will probably have a list in hand. This book has a lot of lists and bulletin points which, for me, makes it so much easier to read. I was able to focus on chunks and didn't feel as if I needed to forge ahead to the next thing. Pacing is a fine art and Gerson has it down.

Towards the back of the book, Mark David shares the mission of this book. I think this sums up perfectly how I felt about this book.


_The Voice Of The Muse Answering The Call To Write_ is about freedom. Freedom to grow, freedom to create, freedom to write. Through a dynamic blend of motivational essays, inspiring meditions and practical exercises, it nourishes, nurtures and reassures its readers, inspiring them to open their hearts, expand their minds and experience, with ease, a full, creative life.



Mission accomplished, Mark David Gerson. I hope you continue to bring this message to the world. To those reading this, listen to the song of your heart. I think it is probably telling you that you need this book for your own creativity.
(I originally posted this review on my blog.)

This is a great resource for both publishers and authors. There are endless suggestions that have proven beneficial to me. I went from being a print publisher of sixteen years to publishing some of my titles electronically. This book saved me a lot of time and her ideas stimulated my own creativity as far as promoting effectively. The book is inspiring and the enthusiasm of the author proves to be contageous.

"...most comprehensive guide for e-publishing that I have read. It is jam packed with useful, complete information for publishers as well as authors. I highly recommend it!"
--A.J. Russo, Ph.D., President, HyperTech Media, Inc.

"...this is the book for writers, particularly those
interested in publishing an e-book, or who already have. ... This book is worth every penny. ...I, intrepid promoter, am paid to write a column on book promotion. There was nothing I could learn. I knew all the tricks! Ha. I went from her book directly to my Writing To Do list and frantically updated it. In two minutes of reading I had gotten over a dozen new ideas."
-- Required Reading for Book Promotion

"A potpourri of ...resources for e-book promotion includes examples of a press release and press kit for a newly published e-book. E-published authors share some creative ideas for ebook promotion varying from ingenious tips on how to utilize the Free Gallery of Author's Voices, where to apply for awards, teaching on-line workshops, free book excerpts, and even emery boards imprinted with the ebook's title and ISBN were used to promote their e-books. A comprehensive list of e-book publishing and promotional resources round off this outstanding guide making one of the best I have come across. Overall, [this book] lives up to my expectations and I highly recommend it to all e-book authors, whether they have been e-published yet or not. Wiesner's growing knowledge of the e-publishing industry and her meticulous research in producing this e-book definitely shows and the quality shines throughout. In fact, I am so impressed with this resource that I have given it the eBooks N' Bytes Award of Excellence for the ePublishing Book of the Year."

"Karen Wiesner has done the publishing world an immense favor and gone through a massive effort to construct this resource. The great thing about Electronic Publishing is that you can buy it [in electronic format] and have instant access to sites listed-saving the time and aggravation of typing addresses into your computer. ...The book is written in a clear question and answer format. ...lists a variety of unexpected ways to promote your e-book, including the contributions of successful e-book authors and promoters. ...If you're serious about participating (or learning about) the e-book world, this is the most comprehensive resource I've come across since I've been doing business on-line. And I'm digging for everything I can find on this new format for producing and selling books. "
--Dan Seidman, Editor, SPANworks

This is a useful and interesting book for advanced ESL students, and they love it. These students have learned all the grammar and now they want to be able to use and understand all the slang and idioms. Also they get enough practice with each idiom to realy let it sink in.

I first came across this book at borders and while i was looking for the slangman series, i decided to take a look at this book and i just couldn't put it down. Not only is it applicable to high school and college students, it puts the idioms in a context which makes the user understand it's usage for future purposes. I wish i'd seen this book when i first came here as an exchange student.
I think it'll be a great gift for that friend of yours who's visiting the country or here on an exchange program. It's a little pricy but i think it's worth the price. If you are learning english, try to learn the idiomatic expressions to improve your overall communication.

Haven't you ever wondered why it's so difficult to understand a conversation between native speakers or a movie in its original language version? Don't you think it has something to do with the way you were taught the language?
I'm French. I've been teaching English to high school students for over 20 years now, and yet it's the first time I've come across a textbook which emphasises on every day language in such an efficient and enjoyable way!
Edward J. Francis manages to browse a great number of idiomatic expressions through sixteen lively dialogues related to true life situations. Various exercises help us memorize the idioms which we can then use to express our own experiences and feelings. At the end of the book you can find a very useful glossary including all the idioms and vocabulary covered in the dialogues, as well as a list of websites related to the topics discussed in each of the chapters. Discover about the history of fireworks, visit America's national parks or book a room in a bed and breakfast inn for the weekend! This book urges you to travel!

I highly recommend "A Year in the Life of an ESL Student" to advanced high school students or any adult who intends to travel to an English speaking country, as well as to people who, like me, want to brush up on their conversational English!
So just kick back and have a great time reading Edward J. Francis' book! It's "two thumbs up!"

I am an English teacher in Japan and I was looking for a book that had a lot of useful, everyday English for my students that covered material not usually taught in the language schools. After searching many book stores I still had no book to use for my students. I really thought I was going to have to write my own book. Then, one of my students came to me with this book. I was amazed that she was the one who came across such a good book. I felt like one of my friends won the lottery. After flipping through a few pages I knew I had to order it. I ordered it that night and use it almost exclusively for our lessons. The students love the content. The exercises are fun, simple, yet effective in helping students retain the new material. The layout is perfect, particularly if you need to make a copy from the copy machine when you are in a pinch for material needed in an unexpected class. The choice of content in this book is excellent. My lessons with this book now give the students a lot more useful English phrases to speak like a native English speaker, and understand a lot of idioms Americans use.

Among the many difficulties faced by English as a Second Language learners is our seemingly random used of words and phrases to express ideas. Our idioms are opaque (chicken out, spare tire), slang changes before the dictionary can catch up (wimp, freak out), and many words are rarely used, except in a specific circumstance (bawling, hilarious).
What is the poor ESL learner to do?
Edward J. Francis has come to the rescue with A Year in the Life of an ESL Student - Idioms and Vocabulary You Can't Live Without. (Trafford)
Following Andre, a student from Switzerland, through 16 chapters of activities ranging from suntanning on the beach to catching a movie, the 300-page text is filled with dialogues, definitions, crosswords and cloze activities, not to mention comprehension and discussion questions. Everything is well laid out and easy to read. There are web sites listed for each chapter, answer keys and an extensive glossary with definitions and page references. All that is missing is a CD recording of the conversations.
This book would make an ideal extension resource for the Advanced ESL class.

Have not read this book yet, but I did receive it on time. Very happy about that.

I purchased this book for my daughter so she can read that anything is possible if you truly believe no matter who you are. We are now Big Grace fans !!!

I got the book as a gift for my grand daughter who likes to draw. The vivid colors and expressions on the characters faces should keep her interested for a while. The story line is an added bonus.

I liked this story because Grace can be Peter Pan if she put her mind to it. My favorite part is after the ballet. I would recommend this book to a friend because its about your imaginery. The book is amazing.

By: S.J.
Los Angeles
Age 5

This is a great story with a great message. It tells children there are no limits to what they can be. It tells children not to be deterred by sterotypes or opinions. You can be anything you set your mind to. I bought copies for both my son and my niece.