Schools Books

I LOVED this book! It is quick paced and wonderful.

Edith Pattou is one of my favorite authors.

This book is great for fans of Tolkien, Nix,etc. With great plot, charactors,a little romance and a big suprise at the end, you will love this page turner, males and females alike!!

This book is great for fans of Tolkien, Nix,etc. With great plot, charactors,a little romance and a big suprise at the end, you will love this page turner, males and females alike!!!!!!!!!!!

when I first took out the book from my library I did not know what to expect. but from the first page on I was excited that I picked this book. I am not your average reader. my thrill for reading depends on the book. if it don't capture me by the first page .. I will put it down. but the Fire Arrow was every hard to put down. Brie's quest for revenge and quest for perpose I think was just like my own .. five stars is not enough for this book .. and now that I read it 3 time before my time was up to bring it back to the library .. I am reading the companion book Hero's Song witch is also a great one ..now that I am half way through this book I am afraid I won't find any like them . and it is true now I been at the library two days and I am not having any luck in finding anything to compare it to Fire Arrow and Hero's Song ...my only hope is to wish Ms. Pattou could wirte another one for her fans...

"Hero's Song" failed to get much of a response from me at all, aside from mild annoyance at the abundance of cliches and flat characterizations. "Fire Arrow" improves on some of those problems, but still has some deep flaws.

After destroying the Wurme in the previous book, Collun and Brie are living peacefully at his father's old home. Until, that is, Brie receives an alarming fortune from a wyll (wise-woman), and a summons from her aunt and uncle. Her old nurse is dying, and leaves Brie a mysterious golden arrow that becomes fiery when she touches it, and gives her visions. It also brings back her strong desire for revenge against the Scathians who killed her father, including a one-eyed man.

She sets off across the land of Dungal, and spends some time in a fishing village with a crazy wizard and a Ellyl waystation. But when danger comes closer, Brie must leave peace behind, and finds out who killed her father -- and about the impending invasion that threatens Dungal and Eirren.

In many ways, this book improves on the previous one. Pattou shows a greater sense of atmosphere, and is better able to sustain suspense and mystery. She also expands Brie from a stereotyped woman warrior into a more three-dimensional character, and is able to make the conflict seem more epic and realistic than ever before. Sago is an exceptionally-written character, a wiser-than-he-looks wizard who utters nonsense rhymes much of the time. Collun displays more depth and recognizable emotion than the-gardener-who-wants-to-go-home, with revelations about his family that hint at a possible future instalment.

Unfortunately, most of the cast of the previous book -- including the charming Taliesin -- is abandoned;; Silien and Collun are barely there, and Nessa and Taliesin are gone altogether, except for Collun briefly mentioning his sister. Ciaran the talking horse and Fara the Lassie-like Ellyl pet are more present than the characters that I was more interested in. There is a silly coffee joke early in the book, that Pattou refuses to let drop; also, a reference to chocolate in a mythical early Ireland. We are treated to a retread of Collun and Brie's bloodless romance, after Brie flirts aimlessly with a very boring fisherman, and Pattou introduces a long-lost-royalty cliche late in the book, that any adept fantasy fans will have spotted long before.

Brie has developed substantially from the previous book, in that Pattou effectively displays her conflicting feelings and her thoughts on revenge, whether it's wrong or right. Collun is, oddly, more intriguing when we see less of him; I would have preferred to see his fights with the Scathians instead of page after page of Brie in the fishing village. Silien is good, for what little there is of him; we see him taking an active stance against the Scathians. Hanna, the weather-woman, is an effective and interesting character, while the cowardly, nervy Monodnock sucked all the magic and mystery out of the Ellyl.

Despite this book's flaws, it remains a good read for fans of Celtic-themed fantasy, and plucks out some intriguing plot threads that will undoubtedly make any future stories intriguing, especially if Ms. Pattou brings back Talisen and dispenses with the silly coffee jokes.

Performed on the stage in 1975 by Ntozake Shange, pronounced (En-toe-ZAK-kay SHONgay), a playwright, poet and novelist. The structure for this play is choreopoem, a chorus of people reciting poems. Here, the roles are spoken from a group of black women, only identified by color of clothes, as in (lady in brown, lady in red, lady in yellow, etc.)

A departure written from the average play, the intent is clear, a voice for all black women who have suffered indignations, painful experiences from men. The language is strong offensive and obscene, but you get the point!

The colors depict a rainbow, and each girl is identified with a color that closes matches her style of speech. For example, lady in yellow speaks of love, high school, lost virginity, to bolder colors that speak of pain and tension. The cities they come from are San Francisco, Manhattan, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Houston and Baltimore. The subjects range from youth, losing virginity, rape, abuse, rebellion, abortion, theft, social, political, etc.

The subjects range from youth, losing virginity, rape, love, theft, indignation. Some poems are done as a solo and with others, all girls chime in. Some titles of the 20 poems are: The messages are powerful. This is womanhood!

A televised version is available amongs the players are Alfre Woodard, Lynn Whitfield, and playwright Ntozake Shange herself. ...Rizzo

I was Lady in Red in when my high school drama department lauched a production of this book. I had no idea how much it would change my life. So many times I have come back to this book and the women speak to me. It is real and it is riviting. Now that I am...mmore mature, I would love to do this play again. Anyone with a daughter or a neice should read this book. This is one that Showtime or HBO should consider for a movie.

This book is absolutely amazing. It speaks to all the aspects that a minority teen girl goes through. It should be a Christmas present for every teenage girl. I loved this book.

This incredibly precious gem of a book was produced on Broadway back in the late 70's or early 80's but I was too young to see it at the time and probably would not have been able to relate to it anyway. In this prose poem, a "choreopoem" Shange depicts the hardships of African American Women in America. The different perspective of their lives is precisely and poignantly elucidated by the incredible and fascinating prose poetry of this book.

It is stunningly shocking that things that white Americans take totally for granted are just not part of the African American milieu in this country. Rape, pregnancy, domestic violence of the highest order, living in squalor and prostitution are all common place in so many of the African American communities of the 70's, 80's, 90's and now the 00's. Shange's representation of the perspective on rape is extraordinary. If an African American girl gets raped, she better not have ever been seen in public with the rapist, or there will be no conviction. Obviously it was invited. Not so with White Americans. But common place with African Americans.

A quick example of her wondrous lyricism are the following two lines that just give a glimpse of the different perspective that African American Women have toward American life:

"... we gotta dance to keep from cryin

we gotta dance to keep from dyin ..."

While the book is surely most meaningful to African American Women, it is recommended for all Americans so that the true reality of this dilemma and this shame can be absorbed and understood by all Americans. Perhaps if we all understood the conditions of the African American Women, something would be done about it. As of now, it is just not the same for people with black skin as it is for all other ethnic minorities in the United States of America.

When I was a little girl my mother was in a local acting group that traveled and put on this play. When I was about 13 years old I saw it in it entiretly for the first time. It was heartwrenching, funny, inspiring and contraversial. I loved every bit of it. Everyone especially women and men who love women should read it at least once, it provides an interesting perspective that you may be unfamiliar with. Being a black woman ain't always easy but it sure is beautiful, if you can find God in yourself.

FoxTrot is by far the best comic strip ever! My favorite character is Jason. In this book, he creates a TV special called "The Mrs. Grinch who was too Cheap for Christmas". My advice is too just buy the treasouries; or else you'll get repeats. This book is one of the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been a faithful FoxTrot reader for years. Roger, Andy and their kids Peter, Paige and Jason are always good for a reality check with a large dose of laughter. I've got two girls and let me tell you, I see a lot of my kids in Paige with, I believe, even a healthy dose of Jason thrown in. And they have Peter's bottomless stomach. Of course, they're faithful FoxTrot readers too. I used to read the strip to them, explain what was going on, but now they get it just fine and we three all laugh together. Then my girls try and explain the strip to their dad, who pretends he doesn't get it.

The FoxTrot folks are a great family, one we sort of got used to checking up on every day, so we took the news that Mr. Amend was going to cease daily distribution of his wonderfully funny people and turn his strip to Sunday only, with a bit of sadness. Still, we have these terrific FoxTrot books to keep us going with our FoxTrot fix. Mr. Amend is to be commended for his great gift to our culture and his great gift to so many lives. I truly believe a laugh a day, helps keep the blues away and the FoxTrot gang are always good for a laugh. Heck there are a lot of laughs in the FoxTrot books. I know, I have them all and I am, along with my girls and my hubby dear, eagerly awaiting the next one.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention, we don't have an iguana, but my girls do have a pet gecko and, you guessed it, his name is Quincy.

I've been a Foxtrot reader for a long time and personally I think there is something suspiciously wrong with people who don't find Bill Amend's characters funny as all get out. If you want a good laugh, check out Bill in your local newspaper, or better yet, get one of the Foxtrot books. They are all great, really, they are.

Like many of Mr. Amend's fans I'm a bit disappointed he's switching his strip to Sunday-only, but fortunately I can still read him daily in the Foxtrot books. Get them one and all and you can keep right on a laughing.

It's a funny book and all but there is just one thing - not just about this foxtrot series but all of them - it's that fox family always stay the same, no one ever grows up. Paige is always starting her first year in high school, peter is always staying a junior and taking a physics and trig class and jason is being jason as usual. Although maybe I'm wrong, maybe if they did grow up the show wouldnt be funny anymore...I dont know but it's still funny though. BUY THIS BOOK!!! IT'S FUNNY reaaaaaaly funny.

First Bill Watterson retired and there was no more new Calvin and Hobbes. Then Charles Scultz retired and unexpectedly passed away, so many newspapers stopped running Peantus. At first it would seem there isn't anything all that funny left in the funny papers. Ah, but one grand gem remains: Fox Trot. Appearing about half a decade before the funnies started to become unfunny, Fox Trot remains as about the only witty and upbeat comic that can be seen in papers. ASSEMBLED WITH CARE is a collection of two-year's worth of Fox Trot comics. I'm not for sure of the exact dates, but the strips ran around 1999-2000. The stories make grand observations on life, but are also constantly ribbing pop culture and (then) current events. Two of my favorite story lines are the one where Jason and Marcus imagine themselves acting in the just announced production of THE LORD OF THE RINGS (the director looks like a hybrid between Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson) and the series that ran the week that Y2K could have happened (the comic strip finds itself back in 1900). A great collection of one of the best comic strips still being written.

What a cute book! My kids love hearing me read FROGGY so they can respond with WHAT! The sounds after Froggy puts on a piece of clothing still makes my children laugh and we've been reading it off and on for over a year. This is a book that parents will enjoy reading also.

I've always loved the Froggy books, so when I had my daughter I was glad to see that there was a board book available in the series. She's 3 months old now and loves to look at the pictures and enjoys all the sound effects that go along with Froggy putting on each item of clothing.

This is our first Froggy book. We bought this book because of all the great reviews. If I had previewed the book at the bookstore, it would probably had stayed at the bookstore. There is probably nothing wrong with the way Froggy's mommy chose to deter Froggy from playing in the snow, but my older son was turned off by her telling Froggy about his underwear and he didn't want to read the book anymore.

His explanation was Froggy's mommy is not very nice because: 1) she embarrassed him by yelling at him in public, 2) my son didn't see the problem with Froggy not wearing underwear (since Froggy probably wasn't wearing underwear in bed or he wouldn't have forgotten, 3) for my son, underwear had no function in keeping warm. I asked my son to suggest some ways to improve the book (as we always do when we find bad books), and he said, "she should help him get dressed and let him play for 10 minutes in the snow. That's what I would like you to do if I were Froggy." Love that child.

The illustrations are quite cute, especially with the rabbit and racoon in the process of making a snow bear in the background. It is nice to see such attention to detail.

It's very very difficult to dislike froggy. Those wide innocent eyes. That wide innocent mouth. He's like Kermit the Frog in picture book form. And though Froggy has been around some ten years plus, he's just as beloved of children today as he has ever been. You want a good read aloud story? Just pick up the nearest Froggy book you can find and start ah-readin'. Like Pavolv's dog, kids are somehow programmed to react to Froggy's setbacks and mistakes with uproarious cued laughter. The best example of this can probably be found in the lovely laughable, "Froggy Gets Dresssed". Arguably the best in the series ("Froggy's First Kiss", has its admirers as well, I should note), the book's a great Intro to Froggydom. And in the wintertime it's an ideal choice for your little ones.

First of all, frogs hibernate in the winter. This is a fact of life. No one disputes this. But this winter is different. Froggy wakes up in his warm toasty bed, takes one look out the window and shrieks with delight, "Snow! Snow!... I want to play in the snow!". Froggy's mother attempts to dissuade her little one from this course of action, pointing out that frogs are not snow-playing creatures. Froggy remains undeterred. He dresses hurriedly and flops outside. Whoops! Froggy seems to have forgotten his pants. So he runs back inside, puts on the missing item and runs outside. Whoops! He's forgotten his shirt and coat. You see where this is going. About the time it becomes clear that Froggy has forgotten his underwear (cue the laughter of underwear obsessed kids everywhere) he's too tired to do anymore playing in snowdrifts. And so, it's back to bed he heads.

You want alliteration in your picture books? Well brother, you've got alliteration. One of the great draws in "Froggy Gets Dressed" are the sounds made as Froggy dresses. Listen: "So Froggy put on his socks - zoop! Pulled on his boots - zup! Put on his hat - zat! Tied on his scarf - zwit! Tugged on his mittens - zum!". It's twice as much fun to say aloud as it is to read to yourself. But Jonathan London is only half the genius in the Froggy world. Illustrator Frank Remkiewicz deserves just as much credit as well. Froggy is such a likable protagonist that it's hard not to read the book over and over just to watch him as he leaps, hops, dresses, undresses, and generally has a fine ole time. And his mother, though she tells him that frogs sleep in the winter, is mostly amused by his antics. She carries a bemused smile on her face as he runs hither and thither in the snow, donning various articles of clothing. Clever children may even wonder why it is that Froggy HAS all this winter clothing if he tends to sleep during the winter. Such children should be immediately deemed geniuses and given full scholarships to Yale. Ditto adults who say the same thing.

All in all, it's hard to find a better upbeat winter bedtime story than dear old "Froggy Gets Dressed". It's one of those sure-fire hits that the kids will be bound to enjoy. A top notch bit of kiddie fare. Recommended in spades.

Another in the prolific Jonathan London's "Froggy" series, this book about the amphibious one is a recursive story about all the clothes you must wear on a snowy day--and all the clothes you must take off (in the reverse order) when you forget to put some on.

In this Froggy tale, our green hero wakes up with incredible enthusiasm--it's like he was raised on caffeine--and he just CANNOT wait to go out and play in the snow.

"No! No! cried Froggy.
"I'm awake! awake!
I want to go out and play
in the snow."

Straight away, he puts on his socks, boots, hat, scarf, and mittens. London cleverly uses different sound effects for each item (e.g., socks get a "zoop!," and mittens, a "zum!"), and different verbs for each action: A scarf is tied on, boots are pulled. However, just as the excited Froggy is ready to join the other animals in the snow, his mother yells, "Frrrooggyy!" (and that's a direct quote) "Did you forget to put something on?" Froggy discovers that he forgot one important thing--to put on his pants.

That, of course, is an almost certain lock on kids' attention. But first, Froggy has to take off all his clothes (except his socks--they don't get in the way), put on his pants, then put them all his clothes on again. The hasty frog's mood jumps from joyful to exasperated surprise to determined. Subsequently, his mother clues him into noticing that he has forgotten his coat and shirt, and, of course, his underwear. All this putting on and taking off and putting back on tires Froggy out, and he crawls back into bed. The book's basic plot and repetitive scheme will engage most toddlers, and teach them a lot about clothes (they all look so cozy!), sequencing, and word structure. The illustrations, colors, and font are big and bright, and despite all the action, the pages look uncluttered.

(One very minor complaint regards the synchronization of text and illustration. On one of the three pages where Froggy realizes he forget to put something on, he is shown smiling as he prepares a snowball. It's really unfortunate when this sort of editing error occurs, and I've seen such problems [poor continuity is another example] in other books for kids.)

Illustrator Frank Remkiewicz also does wonders with facial and body expressions. Still, I wonder whether somewhat older toddlers and those in early elementary school might feel a little disappointed that Froggy doesn't get to play. It's realistic--a kid or a frog WOULD get tired with all that dressing exercise--but I didn't like that the mom smiles so broadly when Froggy goes back to bed. However, I doubt that the intended audience is going to give a rivet about that.

Durham evokes the wildness of the Plains and West with superb prose, sometimes nearly poetry in its details. Gabriel is a realistic depiction of an impatient, uncertain teenager. The plot line certainly keeps the reader involved, as we are curious to learn what new horror Marshall and Caleb will unleash on the people around them, as well as whether Gabriel and James will escape. But Durham's decision to present certain portions in italic with no names given to the people in them--even after we have been introduced to those people--struck me as striving too much for some mystical effect. I'm not clear on what this style is supposed to achieve and found it more annoying than effective.

The characters a full-bodied and mature. The story is heart-breaking and real to the core. One sympathizes with the protagonists and wishes the antagonists straight to hell. Now that is what I call a good novel. Durham has done a fabulous job...

Good stuff. Don't have anything deep and meaningful to add, but I liked this book and wanted to say so. It pulls you in slowly, so that you might think it's going to be one sort of book and next thing you know you're off on wild ride across the West. Literary and exciting; a western and yet subversive of the genre at the same time. And I thought the twist toward the end was great. Didn't really see it coming, but once sprung it all made sense.

Rarely do I read a book in one sitting, but I felt I had no choice in this one. I wish more books that I picked up held my interest, my imagination, and my heart as well as this one has. The main character, Gabriels, tells us a story of the American West in a unique manner far different than the "typical Western" we know. I highly recommend this book to those who are tired of cliches and formulas. I'm glad I found this little treasure.

Yes, Kansas was and is a Great Plains state, and anyone who first arrives might say, "I can't believe I'm in Kansas."

Kansas is an acquired taste, and Gabriel Lynch, a youngster frresh from the big eastern city of Baltimore, could not quite discover the tastefulness of farm life. Not many teens today could either. But they should read "Gabriel's Story" anyway.

This coming of age drama by David Anthony Durham has Gabriel run away from his mom and new step-dad to join up with a motley crew of vicious criminals. Gabriel soon learns to cherish a more simple life.

One might say he learned a lesson: Be loyal to your family. They're not as bad as you think.

Larry Rochelle, author of DEATH & DEVOTION: A Palmer Morel Mystery

this book is a great heartfelt story about a teebage girl who feels like she is less than what the world hopes for. Jess, the main character of this novel, is theaverage girl who has always felt like she isnt enough. she is best friends with the prettiest girl in school and has a crush on her seemingly perfect match. This story brings to life the precarious uncertainty of teenagerhood end the decisions made inthat time. it is a wonderfuk book and expresses the trial and error that lfe is.

The book Girl 15, Charming But Insane is an amazing book about the life of an 15 year old girl going through many problems teens do today. Jess(the main character) is faced with many problems, such as boy problems, family problems, and friend problems. Next to her best friend Flora; "the goddess" as Jess calls her, Jess obsesses over finding many things wrong with herself. When things could not get any worse, Jess' grandmother comes to move in with her. Jess still tries to focus on trying to get her "eye candy" Ben Jones and trying to start a new band.

What i liked about the book is that it was easy to relate to and gives great advice. Also, before every chapter started, it gave a funny horoscope for the sign virgo. One of them is "You will realize that the laundry basket is possessed by the devil". I think these were fun to read. This book is manly targeted toward 14-15 year old girls, but anyone can enjoy and relate to Jess' decisions and problems she faces everyday.

I absolutely loved this book. I read it until 4:00 a.m.

Think of it more as a comic book (well, it's not) rather than a piece of literature. You will laugh through it and certainly enjoy it a lot.

That's excatly how the book was. A great read, and very real. I had a great time reading this book, and at one part, was nearly dying of laughter! (The part where Jess goes to the band's rehearsal). A Fabulous book recommended for everyone.

This is one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. It's full of laugh-out-loud humour...yes, I was actually laughing out loud!

The story is about Jess, a budding comedienne who has been trying without success to gain the affection of her long-time crush, Ben. Unfortunately, she is constantly being overshadowed by her "perfect" friend Flora. As a result, she'll go to any lengths to get his attention, including stuffing her bra with minestrone soup-filled bags! The result is a whole lot of craziness and laughs.

This book is definitely insane and charming. While some of the events seem a little too crazy to be real, you will definitely get a kick out of reading about them.

When Sabrina catches a twenty-four hour virus called Spellfluenza, her powers transfer to the nearest mortal - Libby, Westbridge High's richest and snobbiest person! When Libby realizes her magical powers, she wants nothing less than global domination. Therefore, she makes a plan to steal the powers of Drell, head of the Witches' Council. Once done, Sabrina, her aunts, Salem, and a now mortal Drell must pass three tests or the universe will become one big shopping mall dedicated to Libby!

***** I was enchanted immediately! I found myself giggling aloud at some points and committing unladylike LOUD laughter at others! Don't miss out on this one! ****

I read this book two times, cause it was so good! Sabrina gets a serious case of spellfluenza, and she sneezes her powers into Libby! Well, Libby also gets Drell's powers, and now Sabrina, Hilda, Zelda, Salem and Drell have to complete three tasks in Libby's infinite shopping mall (In the Other Realm) to get to meet her and get her powers back! I recomend this book for everyone! IT'S GREAT!

Sabrina's got spellfluenza, a nasty little witch virus. Every time she sneezes her powers pop out of her and into the next person. Another sneeze & they're back again-whew! It's not bad at first-Sabrina only sneezes in pairs. But then Libby Chessler gets in the way of a solitary achoo and...uh-oh.

It doesn't take Libby long to figure out she's picked up some powerful magic. Now there's just one thing she wants...more! After all, world domination isn't out of the question!

Sabrina's challenge is clear: follow Libby on her search for bigger & better powers and stop her. But can she do it as a mere mortal?

When Sabrina catches a twenty-four hour virus called Spellfluenza, her powers transfer to the nearest mortal - Libby, Westbridge High's richest and snobbiest person! When Libby realizes her magical powers, she wants nothing less than global domination. Therefore, she makes a plan to steal the powers of Drell, head of the Witches' Council. Once done, Sabrina, her aunts, Salem, and a now mortal Drell must pass three tests or the universe will become one big shopping mall dedicated to Libby!

[5 stars]I was enchanted immediately! I found myself giggling aloud at some points and committing unladylike LOUD laughter at others! Don't miss out on this one!

Sabrina has a comen cold for witches. it makes her powers go from her to someone in the room with her until she sneezes in his presence. (No fake sneezes or with pepper) the docter say to stay home from school but Sabrina does not want to miss the try-outs! so she going to school-and gives her powers to Libby!! OH NO!!

I loved this book so much, I read it over like 3 times. It's so unexpecting...you think that it's just the same like the other informational books turned into cartoon like words, but it's actually FUNNY! It's totally different style of Greek mythology! I even got my friends to read it...and they loved it. We all read the series, and learned some facts and...had fun while reading it. GET THIS BOOK...IT'S THE BEST...(along with the series...of course).

I borrowed this book from my friend and I really loved it!! If you want to read a funny, interesting book, I will definately suggest this book!! I also read the all of the other books and I most definately cant wait for the next one!! My mom and sister loved this book as well so I could tell you that this book is suitable for all ages!! (Warning: If you read this book you wont be able to resist reading the next book and the next and....)

I enjoyed this book so much!! It was really funny when Hades first meets his uncle! I'm 8 3/4. I really recommend this book!:-)

I teach 7th grade, and my reading class studies Greek mythology for 9 weeks. I have all 8 books in this series in my room, and I am always reading one of them aloud to my class. The rest are NEVER available on my shelf; they're always checked out! There's usually a waiting list for them and sometimes the kids even hound each other to hurry and get them done so they can read them. These books are a hit with both girls and boys (a rarity), and even my reluctant readers will check these books out! I wish Kate McMullan would write more of them!!

Not too long ago Hades--that's His Royal Lowness, Lord of the Dead, King Hades to you--picked up a book on Greek mythology and discovered that his younger brother Zeus had tampered with the Greek myths in order to make himself look good (braggart and liar that Zeus tends to be). In order to set the record straight Hades set to work at once writing his own account of what really happened way back when. Have a Hot Time, Hades! is the first book to result from his labors, the initial installment in his Myth-o-Mania series, which is published pseudonymously, curiously enough, under the name of Kate McMullan.

Hades, as it turns out, can write pretty well. Have a Hot Time, Hades! is a charming, irreverent recasting of Greek myth as told from Hades' perspective, from his childhood spent dodging the refuse in his father's stomach (Cronus swallowed all but one of his children in their infancy) to his decision to adopt the Underworld as his realm. In the book we learn of the difficulties the Olympians (i.e., Hades and his siblings) had wresting power from the previous generation of gods. There are battles--well, very violent kickstones matches--with the Titans, some trouble with the monster Typhon, a talking-to from their grandmother Gaia. Nor are the Olympians themselves without their own petty squabbles, mostly arising from Zeus' habit of stealing credit from his siblings and begetting offspring with mortals.

Kate McMullan obviously takes liberties with her presentation of the Greek myths in Have a Hot Time, Hades!, but she does a tremendous service in introducing young readers in a highly entertaining way to the major figures in Greek mythology, their familial relationships, and their various areas of interest. (A handy family tree and glossary are included in the book.) The series is off to a great start. Next up is Phone Home, Persephone!, in which Hades will regale us with the true story of his marriage to Persephone.

Reviewed by Debra Hamel, author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece

Once you get past the strange layout (described in other sections), this is a great edition of Henry V. It is easy and fun to read and offers valuable insights (not just for students either). Well worth a flutter.

This play is best known for the St. Crispian's Day "Band of Brothers" speech given by King Henry just before the battle at Agincourt. It is a powerful speech that rallies people at all times and everywhere. Sir Lawrence Olivier made a film version in 1944 during WWII and Kenneth Branagh made another as recently as 1989. You can count on there being more versions. Epecially so when computers can help them make spectacular battle scenes (that aren't really in the play) with less expense.

Audiences love this play and they should. There is a lot to like and enjoy. I think upon repeated readings Henry becomes a more equivocal character than he seems at first. And readers of the King Henry IV plays will know him before he became King Henry and know something deeper about his personality.

And of course there is the whole bit about the drive to France being sponsored by the Church to avoid confiscation of property by the Crown. Moreover, there is the slaughtering of the French prisoners, and his treatment of Falstaff (who dies offstage in this play). This isn't revisionist stuff, it is right there in the play, but it is easy to miss the first time you are trying to take in the play.

In any case, this Arden edition is the one to buy and read from. Why? Because it has the most authoritative text, but that is only the beginning. It also shows variants between the early sources. The notes at the bottom of each page of the play are simply fabulous. The editor includes not only helpful notes explaining what might be obscure in the text of the play, he provides sources Shakespeare probably used such as Holinshed and makes for some very interesting study. There are also some helpful notes on how various scenes have been performed over time.

And to make this sound more like an infomercial, you get more! The introduction provides great background material on the play, its sources, and how it has been performed throughout history. After the play, there is a photo reproduction of the first Quarto from 1600 and it is fairly readable. There are also a couple of maps showing the path of the English Army from Harfleur through other towns on its way to Calais and makes clear how they had to pass through Agincourt.

There is also a helpful genealogical table so you can see the confusing claims used by Henry and the French nobility to make their claims. And there is a doubling chart so you can see how theater companies can perform all the roles with fewer actors.

This is a great edition as are all the plays published by the Arden Shakespeare. The amount of work collected in these volumes is stunning and they will enrich your experience of the plays tremendously. I can't recommend them enough.

This play more than any others in the histories glorifies Englishmen and England. His characters in this one are larger than life, but each has their own limitations and flaws. The play covers the time of the Battle of Agincourt when the French King Charles was so sure of victory that he sent a messenger to Henry to ask him to give up and to pay a ransom before the battle. On the eve of the Battle of Agincourt, the English were outnumbered five to one, Henry's troops were on foreign soil and riddled with disease. The scenes where Henry dons a disguise and goes out amongst his troops to bolster their confidence are great. The English managed to triumph in this battle where all was stacked against them mostly because of Henry's leadership. This is such a sweeping story that it is hard to condense in a few words, the plot of the play, but it is a wonderful example of Shakespeare's skills as a writer.

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.' What more need I say? Henry V is an imortal classic of western literature. And this edition is complete and accurate. See the film if you want, but be sure to read the words at least once. They are inspiring.

"Now, if these men do not die well, it will be a black matter for the King that led them to it."

Particularly poignant poetry in these times of pompous presidential sabre rattling and wars based on questionable facts.

How to be a friend is such a nice book. It is like an instruction manual for kids who have difficulties making friends. It shows what is acceptable and what others find attractive in a friend. It tells directly what is annoying or inappropriate. I read this to my entire class, which consists of general education students and children on the autism spectrum (Asberger). I used it early in the year. It opened to door to much discussion and questions. We used it in therapy sessions, as well. I recommend it..

This book teaches the reciprocal nature of friendship. One sided friendships can be very empty, sad and monochromatic in nature. This book is perfect for my children and teaches them the values I hold dear on how a good friendship should be managed. Any one with a good friend will see the value behind the morals this book teaches. A good book for young and old alike.

This has been great not only for my child with Autism, but the one without as well. Nice, simple format. Short phrases to go along with the pictures. I highly recommend this one!

This was a great book for my son! He is a first grader who is just learning the "rules" of friendship. He enjoyed the fun charecters and witty text so much that he didn't realize he was learning. Nonetheless, he incorporated the lessons the next day and told me of his success on the playground. He was proud of himself and I am proud of him. I am very glad I got this book. I can also readily use it with the children I treat in the schools and highly recommend it whether your child is "typically developing" or not!

Great material for preschool and above ages. It has very real situations that I think children and adults can relate to and learn from.