Titles Books

When was the last time you truly cared about a character in a book you were reading? I did, during the past week, as I was reading Elise Title's Conviction. Natalie Price, a superintendent of a Massachusetts prison halfway house, is a fully developed character about whom we care enough to take her into our heads and really think about, even when we are not reading. The plot is carefully crafted, and we want to read even faster than usual. The relationships between the characters are subtly nuanced, backed by the author's instincts and training as a psychotherapist. We can experience Nat's morning sickness even as she goes abut her exhausting days attempting to solve the murder of a Boston socialite who alo happens to be a very special call girl. We are there, in the midst of it all, and have the final satisfaction of "solving the case"! Read it!

Yet again, Elise Title riveted me to her pages. A prolific writer who continues to surprise me. If you haven't picked up one of her books you're missing out.

Tired of standard chic lit? Then grab Conviction and meet Natalie Price. Take your beach reading to a new level with this fantastic blend of mystery, murder, and sex.

In 1994 Elise Title was still writing Harlequin Romances. In 1996 she turned a page and penned ROMEO, a chilling psychosexual thriller that readers still find riveting. Then, a few years later, she published what would be the first in a new series starring Natalie (Nat) Price. CONVICTION is the third offering in that series.

Price is a savvy law enforcement officer, employed by the state of Massachusetts as the superintendent of Horizon House, a halfway house for prisoners. But when Jessica Asher, a call girl with a high society clientele, is murdered, a tsunami-like scandal breaks in the wake of her death. The tidal wave of public slander could reach into the secret lives of a coterie of powerful men who comprise the movers and shakers in Boston's hoi polloi.

Nat's boss is the Deputy Police Commissioner who liaises between the Corrections Department and the Parole Board. He is a married man and the father of two sons, who Asher was blackmailing. When he emerges as "the suspect most likely," the head of the Department of Corrections wants Natalie to investigate. Could Asher have had her hooks into others with deep pockets and trysts to hide? The only way to find out is to enter her world.

So it won't surprise readers when Natalie goes undercover as a call girl. Adorned in a wig, draped in designer clothes and "faking it" with a padded bra, Price enters Jessica Asher's dangerous playground. Her sleuthing takes her to some of the darkest spots in Boston's vice-ridden underbelly. Things move quickly in this shadowy place, and Natalie has little time to reflect upon how ironic it is that her life is in danger for a man she doesn't even like.

Title is still honing her skills as a writer of police procedurals and has not entirely reprised her startling performance in ROMEO. CONVICTION has its share of melodrama, which emerges when her hero faces a clearly unplanned and unwanted pregnancy; when she becomes involved in an imbroglio of wills with a female colleague; and when she puts the two Carlyle sons, one a disabled man and the other a thug, directly in the line of the investigation into their father's seamy love life. On the debit side, Natalie Price is a compassionate woman and a good law enforcement officer who has her priorities in order. She displays a strong penchant for fairness and getting things done. These qualities work to define her, and if the series continues, she should become even more finely limned.

Elise Title has the ability to write and to tell a story. Both ROMEO and CONVICTION are proof of that and attest to the fact that she also has talent and imagination. With a bit more honing and perhaps a return to more complicated plots, she has a good chance of winning an audience of mystery readers who expect interesting stories, fully believable characters, a fast-paced narrative and sophisticated prose. This book is a perfect beach/vacation read, and in her next appearance, Natalie Price hopefully will appear in full blossom.

--- Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum

I loved this book. Conviction is a magnificent mystery, never a dull moment, so intriguing I couldn't put it down till the end. Nat Price is such a cool character to follow. Can't wait for the next book in the series!

The new addition updates this classic for the 21 century. The importance of history and examination continues to be the foundation, the limitations of imaging studies as well as their strengths are fully discussed. A most have for anyone caring for patients with abdominal pain.

As a General Surgeon in an undeveloped country (Dominican Republic) I have found this book very practical in order we may diagnosis in and acute abdominal pathology without the help of TAC. Must of the time we use clinics and ultrasound and the book gives the keys for a close aproximation to the diagnosis.
Perhaps is a popular book in USA but we have no translation of it in Spanish and I think it is excellent for helping medical students and residents to improve in their knowledge about acute abdomen.

historical point of view of surgical practice, this book give a concise but extremely useful method of clinical thinking.
items were treated with a logical approach, in a frendly manner , with wisdom and experience.
best then the chapters in the surgical or emergency txtbooks.

One of the most influential medical texts ever. Cope's work gets only more relevant with increasing fragmentation of care. I would argue the book is especially useful for those NOT planning a career in surgery. The work is concise, accurate, and filled with memorable language. If you spend half an hour on the appendicitis section you should be equipped to make the diagnosis correctly. Other sections are equally good, as Dr. Silen has the sense not to fix what is not broken.

I readed this book the first time 26 years ago, and it gave me a "sixth" sence as a suregon. Today I, as orthopaedical surgeon still have in my mind the essentials of the Dr. Cope's master-piece. I think it must be as a duthy ("a must be read book") in every serious medical school, to teach alumnii the surgeon's mind...even if the alumnii goes to clinical areas later on.

I've actively utilized several of the leadership tools provided in "Corporate Catalysts" to much success. Dan Coughlin provides thoughtful, insightful and most of the time simplistic tools (yet for some reason other books try to make it complicated) that if implemented can accelerate not only your ability to be a better leader but to gain the confidence as you take on more and more responsibility as a leader. It's a stand out in a overcrowded, over jargoned environment of business how-to books.

Coughlin's principals have succeeded in energizing an entire team of us at my office. The book's a fast and valuable read, chock full of "get-to-it" advice and counsel that requires little more than an honest assessment of one's personal work style and a determination to make it better.

Corporate Catalysts has countless applications professionally and personally. It has helped me to clarify my desired outcomes and given me a roadmap to achieve them. Although the concepts are designed to provide value over the long haul, I have noticed immediate improvement in performance and relationships using the tools Dan Coughlin has developed. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to add depth and breadth to their professional and personal relationships.

Dan Coughlin's book is serving as a blueprint for helping our company's young leaders hone their individual leadership skills and build stronger, more effective teams. Our creative services director was so impressed with Coughlin's ideas that she's putting together an "acceleration" course for her entire team. They will meet weekly and discuss their individual and team progress in implementing Coughlin's easy-to-follow steps for becoming corporate catalysts. I recommend this book without reservations. You might say it's deceptively simple. Sometimes the best ideas are like that. A good investment of your time and money.

People at every level at every organization struggle on a daily basis trying to understand what they can do to impact their organizations. Dan Coughlin provides a roadmap to success for each of these individuals. His ideas are straightforward, yet thought provoking. He not only tells you what to do in order to be a catalyst, he tells you what NOT to do. He masterfully uses "real world" examples and anecdotes throughout the book that make his points easy to understand and implement

Like a lot of Maurice Sendak's books - you love it as a kid, and you love it as an adult for very different reasons.

I guess I need Dear Mili afterall to remind me of other things than life's mandane, and to help me see our seemingly unsatisfying life in a different light.

Maurice Sendak's drawings enhanced the classical beauty of the Grimm's fairytale. You can almost see the elegant images listlessly brings the words to life as the best storytellers do.

This story is sad, but told beautifully. It is also inspiring and comforting.

A little girl is sent into the woods alone by her fearful mother when war comes to the village. She manages to find peace and loving care in the home of St. Joseph. When it is time for her to return to the village so much has changed.

This tale by Grimm is beautiful. In my opinion it is translated well as the words are rich and descriptive and there is a satisfying pace to the story throughout. The introduction itself is nearly as moving as the tale that follows. Sendak's illustrations magically combine reality with imagination and the double page spreads grow out from the page and allow you to fall into them.
The setting and scene changes are enough to tug your emotions. This story's scene sequence is as follows: a quiet country village, a village in panic at the threat of invasion, a child wandering alone in the woods, a child in the comforting care of St. Joseph, back to the village which has now changed.

The subject matter is not light in this tale about love and two hearts coming together. A tale like this could not be as well told if one were to attempt to tell it lightly.

Dear Mili was a surprise in many ways. While Maurice Sendak has never failed to amaze, this tender rendering a newly discovered fairy tale set as a metaphor of children hidden in the holocaust is one of the most beautiful experiences a reader can have. This is my favorite children's book of all time: the artwork is I believe the peak of Sendak's career. A small girl living alone with her mother is sent for safety in the forest when a terrible foreboding threatens. In the forest she meets St. Joseph, and another small one, who keep her safe. Returning after a pleasant journey, she finds her mother aged and alone.
Their is joy and reunion: this is a poignant story on many levels. Looking deeply at the artwork one will see shoah themes:
Sendak in premiere Jewish sensitivity has done a remarkable thing: taken ancient Grimm Catholic legend and woven it into a metaphor for all of us, for all time. If this book does not tender the heart of the older who read to the younger, they have no heart. Absolutely 5-stars: Should be a classic and not out of print.

This book scared the crap out of me as a child. The images, the story are dark and nightmarish. The pictures are incredibly striking - I haven't picked up the book in years but I still remember many elements - fire licking from the sky, greyish tangling trees and flowers, the ghostly quality of the little girl. I wouldn't recommend this book for children. I don't think I've encountered anything in children's *or* adult literature since that has so disturbed me.

Weber is great, so is this book. You can find the most origins of modern thoughts in his book

It seems that many people comment this book with the difficulty to read and the bad organization. However, I want to suggest that after read Schluchter's 'The Rise of Western Rationalism', you will know more about why Weber's writings are in this style. Simply speaking, it links to Weber's view of History, and if he want to elaborate the history in a approiate way, not a simple linear evolutionary way, he had to demonstrate the whole picture--or in Schluchter's word, 'basic configuration'--of history. History, in this case the rise of Rationalism, is not compose solely by few influential events, but also related to the others. Those 'significant historical events' are only the consequence of the competition between ideas and historical events, therefore, Weber wanted to explain why the configuration favour the rise of western rationalism, so he must concern all elements constitute the history. That is, Weber showed us the conditions and the process of competition within or among the many spheres, I think that is why Weber had to use this seems fragmented writing style.

I'm a little confused. I purchased this book because of it's comprehensiveness (1400+ pages of work by Weber), but when the book arrived, it was only about 700 pages long. Am I missing something here? If I paid $20 for a used 1400 page copy and receive a 700 page book, should I only be charged $10? Strange.

This is an uncommly brilliant work in social theory and sociology. Moreover, economic sociology was founded through "Economy and Society", especially its second chapter ("Sociological Categories of Economic Action") which is the size of a small book (approx. 200 pages).
The general theoretical approach of Weber can be characterized as one of "interpretive economic sociology", that is, as a type of economic sociology in which the concept of "meaning" is at the very center of the explanatory exercise.
Social action (to follow Ch. 1) is defined as a type of behavior to which meaning is attached ("action"), and which is oriented to the behavior of others ("social"). Economic sociology consequently deals with "economic social action".
"Economy and Society" was part of a larger work entitled "Handbook of Social Economics", which included volumess on "Economy and Nature", "Economy and Technology" - and "Economy and Society". In his work Weber explores such topics as "economy and law", "economy and religion", "economy and politics", and much more.
The work "Economy and Society", finally, is a bric-a-brac. Weber himself only sent 4 chs to the printer (=Chs 1-4). The rest of the 2 volumes consists of manuscripts that his wife and economist Melchior Palyi put together, pretty much as they saw fit. Caution is consequently necessary when reading "Economy and Society"; and this work should not be treated as "a book" by Weber.

I expect this comment is going to be useful, if at all, only to first year graduate students, so it'll be understandable if it's not rated very highly.... Anyway, just a quick note on Mr. Jack White's comment of April 11, 2000. One thing that Max Weber's Economy and Society is NOT, is a foundational text for structural-functionalism. That honor would probably go to Emile Durkheim's The Division of Labor in Society-- to be followed oh-so many years later by seminal works of Americans Talcott Parsons and Robert K. Merton. I'm not sure what Mr. White was thinking, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't about classical sociological theory.

How would you like to find out a deep secret about your grandmother? Well Jessica finds out a deep secret about her grandmother.
The book is called the Charm Bracelet by Emily Rodda. Jessica, Queen Jessica, Valda, Patrice, Maybelle, and Giff are the main characters in the book. Blue Moon is where the grandmother lives and Fairy Realm and it is Fantasy.
I feel about this book that the Charm Bracelet is a very good book and it is very descriptive throughout the book. There is a very bad problem; grandmother's bracelet has disappeared. Also Valda tries to take over Fairy Realm. Solution is that Jessica goes to Fairy realm to find the bracelet and tricks Valda.
Jessica goes to Blue moon to visit her grandmother. Jessica notices that her grandmother's bracelet is missing. She looks for the bracelet for a long time, and then she ends up in Fairy Realm. She finds out that Valda has replaced Queen Jessica. Then Jessica plans to trick Valda. That's all I can tell you. My connection to this book is that Jessica Was scare when she found herself in the realm and so would I.
[...]

Anyone who loves to imagine will get pulled into this book. The first book in the Fairy Realm series, The Charm Bracelet by Emily Rodda, is set in both Blue Moon And Fairy Realm. The problem begins when Granny loses her charm bracelet.

In the beginning Granny loses her charm bracelet that helps her remember to go back to Fairy Realm, where she is a queen and renew the magic of the hedge that keeps all goblins and ogers out. Next, Jessie Granny`s grandaughter gets pulled into fairy Realm and tries to figure out who stole Granny`s bracelet. To find out who stole Granny`s bracelet and if the magic of the hedge gets renewed in time, grab a copy of The Charm Bracelet now.

The message the author wants me to learn is to always be brave, care for each other and always try to reach out and help. This book reminds me of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Girls ages 8-10 in 3rd and 4th grade will love this book. If you enjoy the Charm Bracelet try the rest of the Fairy Realm series and more by Emily Rodda.

N.M. in Annapolis

Young Jessie is absolutely ecstatic when her Mother takes her to the beautiful Blue Moon to visit her beloved Grandmother. However, while there, Jessie discovers a wonderful secret, and enters a Realm located in the Secret Garden. There, Jessie finds a beautiful land filled with magical creatures of all shapes and sizes. Fairies, miniature horses, elves, and other magical beings live among the Realm. And while the creatures are able to enjoy nature and run free, there is a noble Queen who lives in a gorgeous golden castle, and rules over them all. Now Jessie has found out that the Realm is in grave danger, and it is up to her, and her sick Grandmother to save it from an evil enemy before it's destroyed forever as we know it.

In this first installment in the FAIRY REALM series, readers are able to enter an exciting world where magical beings run free, and where humans are scarce. Jessie is a wonderful character, who is sweet, while at the same time extremely adventurous, and the descriptions throughout the book are vivid, and enchanting, and will capture the reader from page one. Filled with various black and white drawings throughout, this book is sure to become a treasure to any family. Especially those who truly believe.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

We borrowed this book yesterday, and started reading it to our 6 year old daughter at about 5:30pm. She was so engrossed, she wouldn't let us stop, so dinner was late. She loved working out the mystery of the missing bracelet, the grey kitten, the brave cat Flynn, and exactly what was happening in the Fairy Realm. We stopped every chapter or two to examine the clues, and figure out why something was happening.

Unlike so many children's books, where the protagonist is either a passive participant or an adult in child's clothing, Jessie is a real girl with real feelings and a real child's perspective. She worries about her grandmother, acts as a child would act, and perceives things as a child would perceive them. Not that my daughter noticed this, but I watched her experience the story just the way Jessie did. This level of engagement is rare, and reminds me of how I felt when first reading "The Lord of the Rings" or "Ender's Game".

All in all, a magnificent introduction to fantasy literature for kids.

I read this seperately to my 5 and 7-year old girls and they both loved it. The story is simple enough for young kids to follow, with descriptive passages that are enough to create a realistic feeling to the story, but not so long to tax kids' attention spans.

The imaginative fairy-tale type elements and situations of the story are perfect for firing young kids' imaginations, but the author avoids violence, and overly suspensefull/stressful situations. It should be noted that in this first "Fairy Realm" book, unlike the others, there is actually a "bad guy" (or girl, rather). The other books involve overcoming hardships, troubles, difficult situations rather than an opposing person.

Overall, a wonderful, easy-to-read story that kids from preschool age to young-elementary school age will love (proably girls more so than boys). If I had to guess I'd say it's written at a 3rd or 4th grade reading level.

I read this book to elementary students. They adored this book. It really held their attention. I was amazed at how this book could be used for several other teaching ideas. This book should be in every family and school library. It was so much fun to serve gingerbread cookies from the local bakery after reading this story to my students. Ideal for KK-3rd grade students!

The book is wonderful. This was my favorite childhood story and it brought back many pleasant memories. My husband and I are enjoying the book as much as our daughter. She also really loves the book and requests that we read the book several times a week. The illustration is wonderful and enhances an already great story.

This is a beautiful book with the most amazing illustrations you will find anywhere! Illustrations make or break a book for me, and this one does not disappoint. My daughter is almost 3 and wants to hear this story over and over, and I love to read it to her. She knows the rhymes by heart and likes to chant along with me when I read.

VERY highly recommended!!

The story of "The Gingerbread Man" has for centuries enlightened the hearts of its young readers.It has helped to redefine the way that popular cuture work helps to shape an individual's way of interpreting the ideological work that the story portrays.That utopian feel to it; where people want to see the hero win in the end and come up on top.In fact the gingerbread man gets eaten in the end,which goes against that utopian type of fairy tale that the public genre tends to enjoy more.But for some reason this fairy tale has been one that against all odds, has remained popular, and entertaining and plain old FUN.Which is what the everyday reader wants to read, something that is fun and entertaining when it comes to fairy tales.

"The Gingerbread Man" is a great story for young children. However this story also has many hidden themes that your child might pickup on while reading this tale. "The Gingerbread Man" supports the idea that women are mearly the creaters of life and house keepers, and warns young children of the consequences of being arrongant and disrespecting your maker. Even with these hidden themes any child should enjoy this story.

This has to be one of the cutest, sweetest things I have read in a long time. I just randomly pulled it from the library shelf, and yet it held my class in rapt attention.

It's a creative and touching spin on the story of the Goldilocks. Instead of the usual brat, we have a sweet little girl who happens to know what she wants and simply won't settle for anything else. This, however, leads to loniliness that surprisingly ends when she is dropped off at the wrong bus stop.

Enter the story of the porridge and the bears and what-not, and this becomes a hilarious and heart-warming story of friendship.

The pictures are charming, and I love the little "extra" dialogue given.

The kids laughed, I laughed, and everyone was happy. Great, great book.

I am writting this review for my seven year old sister,Taylor. Here is what she has to say about this book: "I got this from the library at school and I LOVED it! It was a book-sensation celebration. It was a very cute story. I think it's better than the real version of Goldie Locks. In this book Goldie is picky and I usually don't like picky people, but she is picky in a funny, funny way. I love it! I am so happy I found it on amazon.com and now I want to buy it to keep."

A delightful retelling of a children's classic enhanced by vibrant illustrations. Finally you have the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears from Goldie's perspective. Stanley's Goldie is humorous and warm-hearted.

Our daughter, now 5, loves reading this book. The resoluion of the story just seemed much more real and satisfying to her that the traditional version. This book and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity are on heavy bedtime rotation.
One small nitpick though: Alicia, the snobby girl, has two right hands!

I like this. A modern, suburban twist on the old Three Bears fairy tale. Now, in sync with the Zeitgeist, the character herself is never really in any danger. It's a painless cute story for the kids. But her parents worry if she'll socialize right. You see, this Goldie is what we call a "willful" child, she "knew exactly what she liked- and what she didn't." Her parents worried about her making friends. They tried to encourage her to make play-dates, but "Jenny was too boring, Penny was too rough, Alicia was too snobby, and Sylvia wouldn't come." She explains to her parents that she is not looking for perfection, "She just wanted someone she could love with all her heart." But, at least, she does love her teddy bear.

When she gets lost and wanders into the three little bear's house, and the story follows the original, with Goldie sampling food, trying out every chair, and eventually settling in for a siesta in the little bear's bed. The books only moment of potential tension, when she's discovered and the little bear lunges in for the kill (no teeth, looks more cross than carnivorous), is affably fleeting, over before you know it. Turn the page, and you see that the little bear lands on the bed in front of Goldie, sending her flying in the air. When Goldie lands, the little bear bounces up, and- you guessed it- the two begin trampolining back and forth and having a phenomenal time. Just 3 pages after the books only touch of terror, and Goldie is seen calling her mother from the three bear's kitchen, looking lovingly into the eyes of her new best friend as the Momma bear, wearing a salmon dress and a string of pearls, looks down with affection. My favorite line in the book: "The bears were very understanding about the sandwiches and the chairs and everything." And, as you have already deduced, the little bear turns out to be the friend worth waiting for, the friend worthy of Goldie's discerning taste.

The illustrations are nice. Perhaps a little more Anglo-Saxon staleness in the neatness of the pictures than I like, but nothing to really complain about. There are some nice little details, like the parallel between Goldie's stuffed bear and the Little Bear's lovie, a stuffed human, and a blond Caucasoid at that. Thumbs up, worthy of a read and re-read or two.

As a cartoonist and author myself ( of "Let's Toon Caricatures"), I have quite a collection of how to draw books that I've amasses over the years. This book is my all time favorite for drawing great, cartoony animals.

Christopher Hart's how to draw books are all wonderful. I own this one and a couple others and I often go back to them when I just can't get my sketches perfect. When I first received them I couldn't tear myself away. I was drawing up a storm 24-7. I've drawn realistic pictures all my life, but until buying these books, I'd never been able to whip out anything cartoony. Unexpectedly, his instructions and tips on cartoon drawing also helped me out in my realistic drawing and creativity.

I can't say enough about this book! You won't be disappointed! It's well worth the price and more. One great thing about it is that not only does the author really know his stuff, he's managed to present it wonderfully. It's a fun & easy read!!!

I actually have some of my own characters now just from reading this book. Keep up the good work

I love the idea of putting cartoon animals into humorous situations, and this book shows exactly how to do that! Shows simple ways to draw some of the most seemingly complex cartoons! Highly recommended!

This book is by far the best one in my collection:) It's stuffed with inspirational pictures and it's very easy to read:) It took me only about a half hour to create my very own cartoon character after reading a bit in this book:D

The step-by-step drawing guides in here are so easy to follow, and the book also show you different degrees of hardships in creating a character. You have the easily drawn characters, the medium hard-to-draw characters, and the really hard-to-draw characters:S

I'd say i was already in the "Medium" category when i bought this book, so the easily drawn characters were just to simple for me to even bother with. But still, they make good reference::)

If i am to say something about what audience this book is aimed for, then i'd have to say it's for beginners and people like me(A bit past beginner:p). There are VERY few hard-to-draw pictures in here, so i'm gonna have to buy another book soon if i keep progressing like i do:p

Different animals you can learn to draw from this book: Cats, dogs, horses, sharks, elephants, lions, tigers, bears and a few other critters...

I love this book :) I do not regret buying it at all:) I can actually REALLY reccomend this book to people who are out for learning this subject:)

First published as a serial story in the newspapers, "Julie & The Lost Fairy Tale" is now compiled into the form of a novel for children and young adults. An original and captivating tale, "Julie & The Lost Fairy Tale" follows the relationship between Julie, her grandmother, and a mysterious travel chest. Highly recommended for community library young adult fiction collections.

Every kid knows there are treasures waiting for them in Grandmother's attic. When Julie goes up to investigate, she expects to find baby squirrels. Instead she discovers a lost fairy tale.

The original owner of the manuscript came to the United States fifty years ago with the goal of seeing it published. Since she wasn't able to complete her mission, Julie takes over for her, making a promise to see the fairy tale in print.

Julie's quest to fulfill her promise sets in motion her own magical fairy tale. The reader will delight in her enthusiasm and determination in achieving her mission. And this story, just like the best fairy tales, has a happy ending that will leave you smiling.

Reviewer: Alice Berger
Bergers Book Reviews

Julie and the Lost Fairytale is a heartwarming story. I love the way this book deals with the dreams and imagination of a child and how she helps to fulfill the dreams of those around her. Parents who monitor their child's reading are going to love this book. It sends a positive message about the importance of friendships. I especially enjoyed Julie's close relationship with her grandmother. I think this story can be used to help children take in interest in the lives and history of those around them. Looking forward to many more from this author :)

If you can recall the sense of awareness you felt as a child, the intimacy with family members, the thrill of climbing into a musty attic, unknown adventures waiting every time you opened the door and went out into the hot summer days, then this book is for you. Julie feels no doubt about her place in a loving family, and finds a way to express that affection in return. Along the way she encounters a bit of history, plenty of memorable characters around town, and a mystery to puzzle out. What more can you ask for in a good book? If you are a parent in search of wholesome reading for your child, look no further.

This is a wonderful story that let's you get lost in beautiful descriptions of friendships, scenery, and the innocence of childhood. The author does a wonderful job building suspense with her vivid words in a way that makes you feel as though you are right there with the characters. It was a delight, and very refreshing to read this story.