Puzzles Books

I read this book on the recommendation of a friend. I say that I read it, but really this is more like a book you do. What do you do? You solve the mystery of the poetic story by searching the detailed illustrations for clues. Some clues are more obvious than others, but most clues take real sleuthing to discover. I had so much fun with it, and after about two days of study, I came up with the answer, but there was still so much that I had overlooked. Thankfully, the author reveals all to you in a sealed section at the back of the book. I encourage you to resist seeking the answers until you've tried your hardest to find as many clues as you can. Even if you can't figure out the who dunnit, you will be exited with every clue you find, and will likely hear yourself exclaim, "Ah-ha!". This book is marketed to children but it takes a sharp mind to solve the mystery and discover the clues, so it is really better suited for teens and adults, but even small children will enjoy the story and the amazing pictures. I would give this book as a gift to anyone who enjoys a good brain teaser. So get out your magnifying glass, a notepad and pencil, and have fun!

The story is about Horace the elephant who has decided to celebrate his eleventh birthday, with 10 of his friends in the eleventh month (November) on the eleventh day. After all have arrived the eleven characters participate in eleven games in anticipation of a birthday feast at the eleventh hour of the day. Thus the title of the book - The Eleventh Hour. The day is filled with musical activities, indoor/outdoor games, board games, cards, party games and more. The eleventh hour arrives disappointing the guests with the unexpected disappearance of their birthday feast. Apparently a theft perpetrated by one of the invited guests. Horace saves the day by serving healthy whole wheat sandwiches to all and the birthday cake remains because it had been stored away from the feast. With everyone enjoying the birthday cake, the story closes with a happy ending.

However, this is where one story ends and other mysteries begin. On each page of the book there are puzzles to be solved and clues to lead a more intrepid reader along the trail to the thief of the birthday feast.

I'm a freshman in college and I still love this book. My third grade class room had a set but we were NOT allowed to open the pages in the back! The entire class spent lots of time pouring over the sumptuous pictures and trying to spot each and every hidden...well, I won't give it away. I came across the book in a bookstore recently and bought it immediately because I had such fond memories. Do yourself or your kid a huge favor and buy it!

-- And it's a "kids book"!!!

I'm 26 now, but I remember the astonishment and awe I first felt borrowing this book from my 5th grade class's "library" when I was 10 years old. Back then, I gave up after 4 hours of not being able to figure anything at all out and had to look in the Sooper Sikret Section, but this time around, I got a few more of the clues on my own before having to look up the Section :P

A great book to sate the inquisitive mind of a bright child, honestly. Highly recommended!

Horace the elephant is inviting his animal friends over for his
eleventh birthday. Horace has prepared a magnificent feast for he and his friends to enjoy. But while they are romping outside, Horace's food has mysteriously disappeared. Which animal stole the food? Base's lush artwork contains cleverly hidden clues to help the reader solve this mystery. An excellent choice for all ages.

My oldest son loved this book. It was his favorite when he was little. It builds on vocabulary; you can count the cars, name the colors, and look at different scenarios. I learned a lot about trains by reading this book to them. I am raising my children bilingual and when I found it in English and Spanish I knew I had to get it for them. It also helped me remember the words in Spanish, which I had forgotten. I must have for any child that likes trains. Donald Crews again has delighted us with a masterpiece.

A must-read to share with kids! Freight Train uses simple text and clear illustrations. The book can be very interactive for little ones: count the cars, identify colors, make "whoosh" sounds when the train is in motion and find the smoke from the steam engine. Perfect for toddlers!

I absolutely love this book! We checked it out all the time when I was young, about three to five years old, because I could not get enough of it. I loved the shiny pages, the bright, solid colors, and the different cars on the train. I'd forgotten, until I read the reviews here, that the book had words, but then, that's how I learned the names of train cars. I'm getting this book for my son.

My son loves trains, and he loves this book. I like the way it titles all the different cars, not being a train person myself it has taught me a few things. I like the concepts of the pictures being slightly blurred when the train is moving, b/c we match our train sounds to the speed as we;re reading. It's very delightful, it def deserved the caldecott medal.

My 6-month old loves to read and these pictures are perfect for babies. It's great that it's a board book so that we don't worry about the pages ripping.

I bought this book for my two year old granddaughter and she loves it. It is well made with wonderful pictures.

This story is about a girl who got a brand new purse. She really wants to show it to her classmates, but her teacher Mr. Slinger wants her to wait at an appropriate time.
I love this book because Lilly is very precious and for giving. I think this book is good for k-2nd grade. So they can have reading.
I think this is a wonderful story. Lilly loves her purse. Plus she's very anxious to show it off, that's why like this book.

This is a great book, especially if you have an independent, free-thinking, stong-willed little person to share this with. Lilly is a spunky little mouse that exhibits typical traits of every 4, 5 and 6 year old. This is one book that I don't mind reading over and over again.

A very fun and whimsical story that illustrates Lilly's emotional experience and how she deals with her emotions. I highly recommend. My 3 year old son loves it, and is a common birthday gift, especially for girls.

This is an awesome book! I use it every year in my 2nd grade class!

This is the instruction manual that I use to teach new magicians.
Lawrence O'Leary

I've always fascinated by magic. And for those guys who like to entertain the women, will find an absolute importance of magic in their routine. The tricks in this book are ranging in difficulty and definitely require times, energy and whole lot of practices to execute.

I was expecting there will be lots of impromptu magics, the kinds I like to entertain people. Quite dissapointed to find the section to be basic and not very impressive. However, if you are a professional magician without this book, you'll be like a man in LA without a car. Thus I can say that this book is critical and mainly focused for stage magicians.

This book is wonderful for anyone wanting to learn magic tricks. This book explains how each trick will appear to the audience and then gives very detailed instructions with drawings showing each step. I used the information in the book to teach rope tricks to a bunch of third grade cubscouts. The parents were so impressed with the tricks that they wanted to learn them too.

Many times applauded, this classic for teaching magic is practically unequaled. If you want to learn magic from scratch, this book is what you need.

I have a library full of Magic books. This is definitely in the top of my recommended list for magic books.

1. For the price it can't be beat
2. For all the information included it can't be beat
3. For included illustrations it can't be beat
4. It includes tricks from about every category in magic

I find it hard to give any book 5 stars but this one definitely deserves it.

If you are interested in magic and want a good book to start or to have for reference just buy this one without further thought.

I LOVE Jan Brett's books! I buy them anytime I see them whether on sale, old ones on Amazon as remainders, or new.. They make great gifts. I have a backup of many to give to children, particularly my granddaughters. The illustrations in this one are so beautiful it is really a keepsake to save as well as enjoy. Give it as a gift and you will make some child very happy and a parent happy,too.

Beautiful illustrations reprinted from over 40 sources. All illustrations are credited on last page. Book measures 9"X11.5" Only down side was that the price changes by the day. One day it's almost $11 another it's $8.97. But that's just the way Amazon works; something to be aware of. (It's worked in my favor often while shopping at midnight--price suddenly went down!)

it's a classic, so of course you can't go wrong, but as far as the best one being out there... well, I'm sure there are much better illustrated ones out there than this one

I bought this for my grandchildren last Christmas. The wording is traditional, and the illustrations are wonderful! This has become a part of the Christmas Eve tradition at my daughter's house.

These illustrations are the best ever for The Night Before Christmas...Stunning even! A worthy heirloom Christmas Book. The illustrations cover both sides of the page for a large panoramic view seldom seen in other books...

I love this book. I had been keeping my room messy to hide my stuff. Only problem was that my brothers always found my stuff and i couldent. Now that i am using the book, my room is clesn. My brothers and even my girlfriend cant find it.

I bought the book about a year ago, when my cousin would sneak into my room and take money. I made a video vault and a hollow book to hide it in. My brother made a decoy with a whole bunch of fake paper bills and a mouse trap under it all. My cousin got that bright lightbulb of an idea and tip-toed into my room. He saw the 'money' ane must have taken two fistfuls when SNAP!!! It wasn't pretty, my cousin broke his finger, but I thought the book was awesome.

I got this book in 4th grade; I now have no less than 11 vaults/stashes in my room. No one knows all of them! I even stumped my sticky - fingered friend (and considering how many people he's hoodwinked, that's saying a lot).

It is a perfect book, with everything you need to know about keeping your private things exactly that. Private!

I have a sister who can't keep her hands off my things. I have really tried hard to be nice but my parents think I'm picking on her if I complain because she is smaller. So when I saw this in the book store I figured it had to be for me. I am so glad I found this book. It is filled with great ideas about hiding what you own and about making great projects too. You will be able to turn any little place into a secret hide out. I wish there was a part about how to hide myself in a game or when my dad is calling me but I guess the writer doesn't know my house anyway! The book even has a great idea by making itself invisible if you use the pretend names of CDS and tape them on the side of the book. That way no one will know if you have a book or a CD on the shelf. This book is really, really, really good.

This is simply the best chess book I have ever seen! Learn from Mikhail Tal's games,from his beautiful,strong and humorous language! According to me,he tells how exactly chess should be played. This book is about 400 pages and includes 100 Tal games,beginning from his youth , all the way to and beyond his winning the world championship. As he says: "Chess fans are surely more happy to see grandmasters risk,rather than just push wood."

This is simply one of the best chess books I have ever read. Not only does the reader learn a number of valuable things from Tal's games or positions from those games (each of which is annotated by Tal himself), but we also learn about the man behind these great games. Part chess book, part autobiography, "The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal" is one of the most immersing, engrossing, and fascinating books available on any game.

Mikhail Tal was a Russian chess player who, for a very short time, was the World Champion. He is famous for his brilliant attacks, but in this book, I found much more. He wasn't just an aggressive player; he loved to attack, but he didn't do just that. Instead, he tells you something about every part of the game, attacking, and defending, and much more, all while making the reading experience enjoyable, which is a great achievement in itself.

The book is written like an interview. A journalist and a chess player converse about the latter's career and games. The chess player - Tal himself - vividly describes his life in the chess world to the journalist. Although you may not think the life of Tal is very interesting, I assure you that you are wrong - it's fascinating! He tells wonderful stories and describes many great games, almost as if you were at his house, asking him him about chess while he tells you about his life experiences. A wonderful book, as it blends wonderful chess lessons with great stories into one wonderful volume that every chess player should have in his/her library.

Doesn't get much better than this regarding chess books. Agree with a previous writer that Tal ranks near the top in terms of chess players -- along with Fischer, Capablanca, Alekhine, Morphy, and Kasparov. Tal was known as the king or master of the sacrifice.

6 stars! This book, along with My 60 Memorable Games was the best book I have ever read. Mikhail Tal explains his ways from a junior player to a GM and even WCH!

Mikhail Tal's autobiography is unique among chess literature. It combines Tal's self-effacing humorous style with his analysis of the games that made him one of the greatest combinational players of all time. He discusses his meteoric rise to attain the world championship and without any complaint, discusses how he lost it in the shortest period of time of any world champion. But most of all, are his games, his daring sacrifices, and his ability to pull wins from thin air (hence the nickname "the Wizard of Riga"). One thing a chess reader should not do is attempt to analyze Tal's games with a chess engine like Fritz, for Tal made many mistakes. His brilliance lies in the fact that his chess ideas were so complicated and beautiful that they overwhelmed opponents whose minds could not operate at pentium processor speed. Probably players in the intermediate to advanced range will find the book most enjoyable. However, the beginner will derive great benefit just from getting to know Tal. In any event, this book is a must have for any chess library.

This is a great book. I am a big fan of the Polgar sisters. I have been following them since I was about 18. Few players have done more for chess than these ladies. Judith, Zsophia and Susan have brought many new players to the game. A nice selection of their best games is examined and discussed. The book gives real insight into their thoughts. If you don't know much about the Polgar sisters and you like chess. I have just one question for you. Where have you been?

Ms. Polgar is the #1 role model for young chess players in America, especially girls. She has done more than any other world champion to help young kids in America. Her story is inspiring and moving. This is a wonderful read.

I'd been looking forward to this book for some time and I can say straight away that I wasn't disappointed.

The Polgars - and Susan in particular, being the trailblazer - had to overcome many obstacles on their way to the top. It seems like a description of another world when Susan relates not being able to compete in the World Championship cycle, even though she qualified, purely because it was then known as the Men's World Championship.

I used a good number of Polgar games. They were always exciting games, usually featuring a snappy finish but I was also able to show that chess is not totally male-dominated. At that time, local chess playing girls were almost completely non-existent. Within a couple of years we had changed all that and for a while we were ahead of most counties with our achievements. The point is that without good role models, the girls would never have flourished and seeing the top-level break though of the three sisters was inspirational and influential in our own local efforts.

The opening section compromises of an autobiography by Susan, followed by a good selection of her own games and combinations, all well-annotated. Susan then covers the lives of her sisters, with plenty of anecdotes from around the chess world.

Judit made it to the top ten of the world ranking lists and recently competed in the World Championship tournament.

Sofia doesn't play very much these days, which is a pity. Her performance at Rome in 1989 shows what we are missing. If you are unfamiliar with her success at that event, go and look it up on your database now!

Four shorter chapters finish off the book. These cover a variety of subjects, including the plans for the Susan Polgar foundation and the successful rebuilding and training of the US Women's team for the 2004 Olympiad.

There's also a plethora of interesting photos, featuring not only the Polgars but also a whole host of chess luminaries, including Fischer and Kasparov.

Amazingly, the obstacles go on appearing. Following the tremendous and unprecedented success of the US Women's team at the 2004 Olympiad, the Olympiad Training Program was cancelled as politics once again moved in to spoil things.

The biographical sections make fascinating reading but I'm sure a lot of readers will be more interested in the pure chess content. Rest assured, there are plenty of terrific games here with all three sisters showing a remarkable flair for tactics.

Despite all the `mines in the road', Susan has remained incredibly optimistic regarding chess and its place in the lives of young people.

VERDICT: The inside story of a remarkable rise to chess success, against all the odds! This is an excellent and inspirational book on several levels. A good one to put on your Christmas list, methinks!

I'm not much of a chess player. I don't follow chess much. The last famous chess player I read about was Bobby Fischer until this book. This is an extremely inspirational story of the three young ladies who took the chess world by storm, smashing through all barriers that were put in front of them. What an amazing feat! And by the way, the chess part is also very easy to understand, even for the novice players. I certainly can recommend this book to folks of all ages.

good reading, but not enough non-chess. plus, it felt
like compilation of essays than 'a book'. why 5 stars?
b/c facts are accurate and chess analysis is down to earth and
whole idea of "breaking through" is well documented.

I have been gaming for over 15 years, ond only recently picked this up and played at a con. I love it. It's simple, easy to learn and play, and has an inherent flexibilty that makes it easy for Keeper's to make a judgement call on events not covered in the rules. (When in doubt, the Luck roll is a good bet).

If you want real horror, ignore the WoD and make it Cthulhu!

The Call of Cthulhu system, as written in the 5.5 and 6.0 versions, is one of the most complete systems I've ever found.

That is amazing, considering exactly how LITE the rules system is. There are very few hard and fast rules, with almost everything being handled by percentile dice. The system is very organic, with characters increasing in skill by performing them.

The characters in a Call of Cthulhu game are more 'real' than some similar games from other companies. They have a great sense of depth due to the occupation system used. Also, considering how lethal combat is in the game, you are greatly encouraged to think your way out of problems.

One other area that has been found by my group to be important is the ease of transfer from one 'style' of play to another. Whenever we are wanting to run any type of realistic game set in any era, we always look to the Call of Cthulhu rulebook for ideas. So far, we have run a wild west game and several other genres using the rules in this book.

The works of master horror writer H.P. Lovecraft of the 1920s have influenced almost every single good horror writer to date, from Ann Rice to Stephen King. COC is likely the best RPG ever put to print, and the publisher Chaosium just makes things easier for players by adding content from their various supplements with each new edition. A typical game session has your characters snooping around for clues, and interrogating various NPCs (non player characters), and then implementing a course of action. The climax of a campaign also often (unfortunately for players) includes one of the hideous deities of the Cthulhu Mythos, such as Azathoth, Cthulhu himself, Dagon, or, possibly the worst, Nyarlathotep, trickster god with a thousand avatars or "masks". COC is the only game that has ever given me, as the gamemaster, chills reading a supplement in the middle of the day. I also recommend picking up one of the numerous Cthulhu Mythos anthologies of short stories. Prepare to be scared

I first read these tales in an "Armed Services Edition" of HP Lovecraft stories, back in 1944! Sitting underseas in a US Navy Submarine in the South Pacific, scared to death, and lonely for home, these stories gripped me so completely, I forgot my real fears of war.

That old book, now tattered and yellowed with age, was read by my son and daughter, who now want to pass it on to my grandchildren. It's time for me to replace it with a new Penguin edition before is falls apart, totally!

Lovecraft's writing has many weaknesses, flowery language, poor characterizations and vague plots. I see all these faults now, but they never bothered me when I first read him. Women don't seem to be a part of Lovecraft's world, and that is a shame. His stories were too short to correct these faults. Modern full novels, in the Lovecraft tradition, like "The Riddle of Cthulhu," are written with many of HPL's faults corrected; like the inclusion, for example, of unforgetable characters, romance and a believable plot. Still, the "Call" is the source and the classic horror book. You must experience these classic stories, then move on to today's modern "Lovecraft Style" novels!

Doesn't it tell you something, that *every* review for this edition of this book gives it 5 stars? (Some of the out-of-print editions have reviews here too.) And let's face it, us RPG enthusiasts are not the sort of folks to shy away from criticizing.

Some people will say the Basic Roleplaying rule-set is outdated. It's true that games like Unknown Armies and Godlike are pretty cool, and I know people who are using those rules for their CoC games. But just try introducing a newcomer to those rules, or getting someone who's only played D&D before to convert. They get dizzy, I tell you. Nope, for a simple, elegant rule-set that just about anyone can grasp right off the bat, Call of Cthulhu's Basic Roleplaying has still got it, after more than 20 years. The rules fade into the background, where they belong.

And unlike other games with their multivolume core rulebooks and endless splatbooks that you *need* if you want a fully fleshed-out campaign, everything you really need is right there in this one rulebook. Heck, every time Chaosium does a new edition, they comb all the supplements for spells, monsters, skills, and so on, and add them into the new edition--to save you time and money! Chaosium even printed the entire short story, "The Call of Cthulhu," in this edition, so newbies can get a taste of what it's all about.

If you've got an older edition of CoC, you don't need to buy this one--the rule changes are quite minor. Unlike D&D, a new edition doesn't make everything you already know obsolete--"editions" of CoC are back-compatible with older editions and old supplements. Chaosium does new editions to keep the book in print and to make it a little better every time, not to force the fans to spend money. I bought it because my old book was getting worn out, and I wanted a more durable hardcover edition. Now I can loan out the old book to players. But I'm really happy with the little changes, and it's nice to have some of the information that used to be in adventures and supplements all gathered together in one book.

This is the sixth and final novel in Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles. Like each of the novels in the series, the action is fast, absorbing and beautifully written. Lymond himself is dealing with the issues of nations and of monarchs while at the same time grappling with family secrets and finding that his own limits of endurance are being reached.

Set against the backdrop of the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots to the Dauphin of France, the religious turbulence between Catholics and Protestants and the fragile alliances between European powers in the 16th century, this novel is a fitting conclusion to an epic and magnificent series.

'We have reached the open sea, with some charts; and the firmament'.

Highly recommended.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Checkmate, the conclusion to The Lymond Chronicles, is best, most beloved book I've ever read. Each time I reread the series I feel like I'm gaining more perspective and understanding of these wonderous people. But when I recommend it to friends, I have a terrible time explaining what it is really about.

The writing is stunning (although sometimes you have to work a bit for understanding.). The details of history are engrossing. The plot twists and twines and leads to strange lands (literally and figuratively). But most of all there is Francis Crawford of Lymond and Sevigny.

Lymond is unique. In his strengths and weaknesses he is unlike any other literary character I can think of. This series is his story, but primarily told by the people who love, hate, respect, and fear him. My first time through I did all four. The conclusion, which I did not anticipate, pulls him together as a character and a person. The journey to get there is a wonderous thing.

And while Lymond is the center of the whirlwind, Phillipa (especially), Jerrot, Archie, Richard, and the rest of the cast each add dimension and beauty to an already enthralling tale.

I can't recommend this book enough.

Dorothy Dunnett is absolutely the finest writer of historical fiction that ever lived. I have been a fan for 30 years -- her books are so complex and interesting that I find I can re-read them many times over and still learn something new each time. 'Checkmate' is the final book in Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles and the only negative thing about the book is that sad feeling you gets when you reaching the last page and realize the six book journey of her hero, Lymond, is over!

My only word of caution is: don't start with Checkmate. The characters and situations are so complex that readers really must start with 'Game of Kings' and read the series in order.

Dorothy Dunnett's brilliant characters people a dazzling world that really existed, furnishing the Lymond Chronicles with a richness, immediacy and depth I've found in few other novels. They will stay with me, Lymond, Sybilla, Phillipa, Jerrott, Archie, Danny, the Dame de Doubtance, Khairedin -- all of them.

Checkmate opens as Lymond and his band of mercenaries leave England behind and travel to France to serve the French King in his battles with King Phillip. As Lymond is still set upon returning to Russia King Henri offers Lymond the annulment from Philippa that he desperately wants if he serves France for one year - if he doesn't Henri will do all in his power to block the annulment forever. Philippa comes to France to serve as lady in waiting to the young Mary Queen of Scotts, and continues her investigation into who actually parented Lymond and Marthe, as Lymond starts his own separate inquiry into his parentage.

The story unfolds amidst the pageantry of the French Court as it prepares for the wedding of Queen Mary to the Dauphin of France, and Philippa and Lymond struggle to deny the love they have come to feel for each other. Lymond and Philippa's adventures take them from the domicile of the deceased Dame de Doubtance, to a wild chase through the back streets of a French town (loved it!), until Philippa's quest to obtain the proof of Lymond's birth before it's sold to the evil Margaret Lennox and culminates in a disastrous encounter for Philippa that tears Philippa and Lymond apart and almost destroys any chance they have for happiness together.

As with the first five books in the series, Francis Crawford is a fascinating hero, and is as suave, debonair, flawed and fascinating as only a 16th Century version of James Bond could be. This was a rock-solid finish to a fabulous series, and it was wonderful to see the return of Jerrott and Marthe, along with more of Lymond's mother Sybilla and his brother Richard. I most especially enjoyed the mature and grown up Philippa who stole every scene and was a perfect foil for Lymond. My only complaints are the return of the French and Latin without translations as was found in the first book, and thumbs down to the publisher for not including a cast of characters as they did in the first four, this was a complex tale with many characters coming and going and that would have been greatly appreciated. Five Stars.