Schools Books

I loved this book! Hilda and Zelda have to tell Sabrina that she is a witch! (And she does not beleve them at first!) Then she starts doing magic when she does not really want to. Very funny. It's good.

No wonder they say that the first book is always the best- it's true!

The beginning. Its her 16th birthday Sabrina finds out that shes a witch. But the only thing shes learnt is how to turn something into a pineapple. So when Libby is nasty to her and gone just to far she becomes a pineapple. But with her aunts help she is reversed again. But its too late. Her reputation as a freak at the new school has been established. She goes to the other realm counsel to plead for time to be reversed so she can start the day again. DENIED. But Aunt Hilda, Drells (the head counsellor)old girlfriend goes to pay him a little visit. That sure sorted him out. Excellent first book.

Sabrina Spellman lives with her Aunt Hilda and Zelda, but on her 16th birthday, they tell her the secret of her life...she's a witch! Sabrina's spellbook has a magical picture of her father that can talk to her! But one problem, Sabrina can't control her powers! Will Sabrina ever learn to be the witch that she really is?

Meet Sabrina Spellman.Just your average teenager wanting to have fun in her new home in the care of the Spellman sisters,Hilda and Zelda. Sabrina's parents have just split up and Sabrina has moved in with her aunts on her birthday. Something strange is going on though.Why is she receiving big dusty old books titled "ye olde magic" and small cauldrons? Well guess what? Sabrina is a witch! Her aunts try to explain,but this is all too much for her.On her sixteenth birthday she finds out she is a witch and has to start out at a new school "Westbridge High". Trying to forget about her powers,Sabrina makes new friends and new enemies. To find out and capture the magic of the first of Sabrina's adventures and discoveries about becoming a witch,read this fantastic novel today.

Finally KA's books are getting interesting again!. I skipped some books after I started to get bored with the series. I got this one just to see if it was any good. (Ax is one of my favorite characters.) I was pleased with it and went on to get The Answer.

I would recommend this one to any one who has read The Ulitmate #50. You may have to back track some if you haven't.

I was impressed with this book but there was something missing from it. I usually love the "Ax" books but there was something wrong with it. Maybe it's because Applegate started to get more interested in her other series but the corny sense of humor that Ax has was gone. I was shocked with the way he reacted when he found out the Cassie let Tom walk off with the morphing cube. While we're on the subject, I didn't like that part of the series. What Cassie did was just plain dumb. You know, I can understand why she didn't let Jake kill Tom, but why didn't she get him herself? I may have lost some of you, but if you read THe Ultimate, you'll understand.

This is definately a must-read in the Animorph series, but that's just because of the plot.

In this book, humans are being rounded up and boarding subways at gunpoint. There is no doubt that the subways lead to the Yeerk pool, and the Animorphs are considering blowing up the Yeerk pool. Will they blow it up, or will they not? read the book to find out!

Even now, nearly one year since the dramatic end to this stunning
series, I can still remember this book. I haven't touched it since then, but the story, the action, the ending have all stuck in my mind. The most amazing thing about these books is that as they get older they get more mature. Less emphasis on stupid morality, more emphasis on kill or be killed. In this book, one of the last ones, the yeerks have stopped ...footing around and started mass infestation, via a possessed National Guard group, and a new subway system that leeds right to the Yeerk Pool. The Animorphs know they must finally destroy the pool. So, they break into a normal National Guard base, convince the troops about the invasion, and take several thousand-pound bombs with them. They then comandeer a subway train, load the bombs into it, and head for the pool. They slam into it, escape(after freeing most of the people), and the bombs detonate, destroying half of the city. After that, the Yeerk Mother Ship descends from the sky, and you know that the final battle has just begun. It is a slightly disturbing, upsetting book, but if you've ever wanted an excuse to read Animorphs, this is it!
In closing, I'd like to say that this series is one of the best of all time. Even today, one year from its end, the books are still on bookshelves. So, if you'd like a great sci-fi series, with humor, action, maturity, drama, and great characters, then I can recommend no better one. Animorphs has done to sci-fi books, what Harry Potter did to fantasy books: It took a dying subject and revitalized it. Animorphs 52, The Sacrifice is a plain example of this.

My son wrote the following mini-review:

In this installment, the National Guard teams up with the Animorphs to help the heroes defeat the Yeerks. They are successful in destroying another Yeerk pool, wiping out millions of the foul parasites. In The Sacrifice, Cassie finally admits to everybody that she is responsible for letting the Yeerks escape with the "blue box" (or "morphing cube" -- see The Ultimate), causing Ax to hate and distrust her.

With only two more installments remaining in the series, K.A. Applegate begins to set the stage for the death of one of the six key characters. Will it be Tobias, Rachel, Cassie, Jake, Marco, or Ax?

The last series of Sailor moon is the best. It tells more about the background of each character. And for once all the Sailor Scouts are gone. You finally get to see how Sailor Moon fights by herself! The book has beatiful artwork. Only it has terrible binding. The Sailor Moon Manga books always kinda fall apart. So be very careful with them! Get this book! You'll enjoy it and read it again and again.

This is probley the closest you could get to the 5th season if you don't get it. Now I know you can get it on e-bay, but I don't want to get it used{eventually}.
First chapter:
It is revealed that Chibi Chibi is a sailor scout.
The starlights talk about what happened in the past.
Sailor Galaxia attacks Bunny and Chibi Chibi.
Second chapter:
Bunny and Chibi Chibi survive the attack.
Eternal Sailor Moon, Sailor Chibi Chibi,Princess Kakyu, and the Sailor Starlights go to the Outer Senshi's planet in hopes of finding the outer senshi.
Third chapter:
The group travels to a river where the scouts memories are taken away.
Sailor Galaxia takes the salor starlights sailor crystals!!!
Rini's picture diary:
Hotaru and Rini goes to her friends store.
An evil ghost takes control of Hotaru.

First off, glamcabbit, Manga or books are not DUBBED, they are TRANSLATED!
Ok. Now that that is straight, this manga was really good. Ther artwork is great. The story is good, but it could be better. It just isn't as good as it used to be. Even Naoko herself said that she was sorry she was so kept up with the anime that she didn't really try to make the StarS series interesting (I think)
Anyone who can't have the Sailor Moon StarS anime should get this manga. It's not SO different from the anime, accept the Villians are SOOO much smarter.
This manga starts out with Sailor Moon fighting Kitty and the Sailor Starlights finally finding Princess Kakyu. Later on in the manga, Sailor Moon is left without Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, or Uranus to help her. She then finds out the shocking truth. She is the target of Sailor Galaxia, the scout of destruction. Set upon rescuing her fellow Sailor Scout's Sailor Crystals, Eternal Sailor Moon goes to find Sailor Galaxia with Sailor Chibi Chibi (NOT SAILOR CHIBI CHIBI MOON! THAT'S ONLY IN THE ANIME!), Princess Kakyuu, and the Starlights. But Galaxia won't let Sailor Moon win that easily! Will Sailor Moon be able to get through all the obstacles in her path?
Unfortunately, this description might not be that good, considering I lost my StarS 2 manga in the Seattle Airport ! :'-(
Oh well. Hope I helped you!

PS Would actually be 4 1/2 stars, but I couldn't figure out how to do that! Anyone know?

this book is brilliant. Amazing ... no words could describe it. Well, first off, from the first book, The starlights find their princess and Mamoru d.... HAVE YOU READ THE FIRST BOOk!? i can't say if you ahve or havn't so.. i won't go on about that, anyways along the way, Usagi discovers Sailor Galexia.. and gets to meet her, i won't say anymore.. i advise this book to any Sailor Moon fans, you've seen the series.. trust me, this is totaly different

The second book is so cool too. We find out who the strange lady is that the starlights call princess, and much more questions are answered like Who the starlights really are and what happened to the senshi's and so on but i can't tell you much because then i would ruin it!
There is one cool thing at the end of this book. There is a mini comic that Naoko made for a contest winner where Chibi-usa, Hotaru and Chibi-usa's friends Ruruna and Naruru go to this cool pawn shop and they buy stuff and... i won't say anymore

I loved the book could not put it down. I was pleased that the author decided to take this family forward.

I have read many Janette Oke books over the last 4 years. I find that though they have interesting plots and characters the writing doesn't seem to bring the full potential out of the story. My own personal taste leans towards very real to life stories. I don't always find that in Janet Oke's books. I find that they are too warm and fuzzy for me. If you like those kind of stories or just want a book you don't really have to concentrate on I would recommend Janet Oke. If not I would suggest someone like Torey Hayden or Francine Rivers.

I was so glad to find that in the end of this book. Virgina finds love. I always think of this book when it rains.

I highly recommend this book. It is really wonderful!

This second book in Prairie Legacy is a continuation of the life of Virginia, granddaughter of Clark and Marty and daughter of Belinda and Drew.... of the Love Comes Softly series. Virginia is becoming an adult and her plans for college, marriage and friendship with Jenny are all challenged in this book, another great one by Janette Oke. The end leaves one reaching for book 3 of this series.

a truly fantastic book!!! ALL of the heartland books leaves me all peaceful @ the end. dont ask y. its just the way lauren rites.
in this book, Mr. baldwin makes an emergency stop @ heartland, and they discover tys dad have transported trucks in an illegal trailer. amy + ty treat the horses, but the ppl who asked mr baldwin 2 transport the horses, still wanna deliver the poor, dehydrated horses 2 an aution house. will mr. baldwin lose his job? will the horses die? u wont no till u read this fantastic book!
carol

I really enjoyed reading A Season of Hope. I could not put the book down. Lauren Brooke is the very best author for horse books. If you like horses YOU MUST READ THEESE BOOKS or you will miss out on something so wonderful that there is no word to describe it. I really wish that there were more than twenty books in the series. A Season of Hope is about a girl named Amy and how she is faced with the horrors of animal cruelty to horses, although she could be dealing with the law Amy tries everything she can to help the horses. Amy is greatly helped by her sister Lou, her boyfriend Ty who is also a stable hand, Amy and Lou's grandpa, Lou's fiancé also the vet Scott, Joni a stable hand, and somehow Ty's father who hated horses but changed his mind after he spent time with them and then he finally understood that Ty belonged to work at Heartland. The phrase healing horses healing hearts means that in every book horses are healed and a person or people learn valuable life lessons. I love the Heartland books so much that for every book in the series I would give them all five stars, even more than that if I could. The Heartland books make me feel that I am inside the book watching it all. It seems as if I am watching television but different. My favorite part in the book would definitely be the ending but... you won't find out the ending unless you read it!

i absolutly love heartland books i wish lauren brooke wrote more than just 20!!! i been reading the series for years now and they never get boring i luv em!!!

This book is one of the best heartland books and i should know. I've read them all. As a surprising twist that takes place the whole book(if you didnt read the back)Ty's dad brings a truckload of horses that were to be sold in an auction house. All the horses were in very bad condition. Three of which died. You'll have to read the book to find out the rest. And you should. This is a really great book!

This book tells a lot about society. It is about horses that either have problems or are being abused. What does that say about people in general? It tells us some people can be cruel. Society does not help horses that have been hurt or abandoned. People should not be allowed to have pets if they dont take care of them. That is where society comes in. People should prove that they are mature or responsible to take care of a pet before they purchase it. People should be able to have pets, as long as they take care of them properly and treat them kindly.
The characters in this story are very similar to the people I know. The main character and I both like animals, expecialy horses. Amy is the main character. She helps abused horses with their problems and fears. She and I both believe that no animal should be tormented. Other characters like Ty and Nacy are like my mom and dad. Ty is like my dad becuase Ty helps around the stables and my dad is like that too. Nancy is like my mom she is kind and supports peoples ideas. My mom is very nice and she will support almost everyone's opinion. So all the characters do resemble friends and family even though they are different people.
There are a couple different themes in this book. One is that you should always treat your pets with respect, no matter how mean they are. Two, is to always support your friends. If they have an idea you should be bringing them up, not pushing them down. Last, but not least is to always help others. This is a very important one because people who need your help may need a friend as well. If you are able to help them out, you should also be able to be their friend and help them later on if they need it. So always help and be a friend to everyone!!

Have you actually seat down and read a book? What all kinds of books do you like to read daily? Me I like all kinds of books. Such as romantic, mystery, and sad stories. That's all about what I read. But there are lots of interesting stories out there in the world.

There is this one book I read a couple of weeks ago. It was one of my favorite books I have read. Its sad, happy in some parts, has love in the book in a way. Nice and interesting. I think you should read it but first let me tell you about this book. I'm sure you will like it.

This book is by Lurlene McDaniel. She is a good author I think. I have read one of her books before. The book is called one Last Wish Someone Dies, Someone Lives. This is about a young man that writes Katie O' Roark A letter while she is in the hospital. In that letter there was a certified check for one hundred thousand dollars. On that letter it was stamped OLW meaning One Last Wish Foundation. Also it said your friend JWC. She didn't know what to think a guy that gave her money and she had no clue why. She was puzzled for days.

Then in this book a guy name Josh watched his brother on the football field go down cold. Scared to death Josh runs to him takes him to the hospital. No longer they were there. Josh and his grandfather heard the bad news of their brother/grandchild. The doctors came out and asked if they would like to donate his organs. That was the hardest mistake they have ever made in their lives. They said there last good byes, and there was no more of him. But Josh went to meet the girl that his brothers heart was going to Katie O' Roark. Did they become friends? Was he mad? Who had wrote the letter? To find more information on this book. You can check it out at Lincoln County Library.

This book was sad, but happy too, it was a great book and I think you and your friends would enjoy this book. Not just these book but also all of Lurlene McDaniel books. She is a great author.

I believe that some of the books I read as an adolescent have truly shaped my outlook on life as an adult, and few more so than this book. I picked it up by happy accident at a garage sale, and was immediately hooked on this author. Even though I still consider this one to be the best, I also loved all her others. This made me more sympathetic to people with illnesses where before they tended to make me uncomfortable. It also made me realize that I wanted to be an organ donor, and that I needed to tell my family this, in case something happened to me. Though I'd prefer to be using my own organs for a long time, if something happens to me, then it is a very great comfort to me to know that my death could mean life to others. If I have children, I will be sure to encourage my girls (or boys, though they probably wouldn't dig them) to read these books, because I think if more people read these then more people would become organ donors, and in turn more people would live.

Someone Dies, Someone lives, Is a great book it kept me hooked on to each word till the end of the last page. Its weird how a death can make a huge impact on two people. Aaron's death might have been good for both Katie for keeping her alive with his heart and heart breaking for Josh for loosing his only brother who got him as far as he is in life. This book is a type of book that will keep you guessing till the end.

At the beginning of a quartet of books starring Katie, the running champ that steals the pages of this book, Katie is plagued with a fatal heart disease. She won't survive without a heart transplant... and how many people have spare, healthy hearts to pass up? Despite getting a good transplant, Katie is down in the dumps. Will she ever run again? Will she reject the transplant? Then Katie meets Josh... she's more connected to him then meets the eye. Read this book! It's another one of McDaniel's fabulous books.

I've read quite a few books in the One Last Wish series and along with She Died Too Young, this one is my favourite. It is very realistic and with very believable characters. The story just takes you along with it. The main character in this book is Katie who desperatly needs a heart transplant after a virius has severly weakened her heart. It switches between scenes with Katie and Josh, who's brother Aaron dies and ends up being Katie's donor. After her transplant Katie had to fight to become a track runner again. I like the ending of this book because it doesn't all end 'happily ever after' but it's inspiring and uplifting. I recommend this book to anyone.

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.

You see the list on the side, and obviously, I am a FoxTrot fanatic & own all of the books. Just why would I own something that is dumb? Besides, if you haven't heard of FoxTrot, you either: don't look at the newspaper, or haven't visited the bookstore in about a year.

Among all of the halarious one-day strips, outrageous series include:
-Moby 2000
-Thanksgiving
-Jasoneezer Scrooge
-Christmas
-Jasonzonbayhoodotcom
-Paige vs. Red Orb Guardian
-Babysitting
-Baseball's suprising spectators
-Where's the coffee???
-Summer Dayz
-To Boonhurst...To the hospital...To Wall Street

Aren't intrigued yet to buy this book?

Admit it. We all have one or more family members that resemble the characters in the FoxTrot comic strip. Whether it's the tofu cooking mom, the morning-coffee addicted dad, the hollow leg older son, the self-absorbed daughter, or the geeky younger son, every family can relate.

"Think iFruity" is a collection of daily and Sunday FoxTrot comic strips. It starts with the dad, Roger, buying a Mobycom-2000 cell phone (think Titanic), and ends with Peter being disappointed with his Physics Lab. In between, the family gets their new "iFruit" computer (mango-kiwi, thank you), Roger goes a day without coffee (not a pretty sight), Paige fills her aquarium before taking it upstairs, and Jason kills off the Internet (makes the "I Love You" virus look like the sniffles).

The fun and hilarity never ends with the Fox Family. There's always some kind of chaos or mayhem going on--mainly created by the youngest, Jason Fox. If there hasn't been a problem that has confronted the Fox Family, just wait. They're always having to deal with a crisis that leads to hilarious results.

"Think iFruity" is yet another fabulous FoxTrot collection that is 127 pages of fun-filled comic antics from Roger (the father), Andy (the wife), Peter (the oldest son), Paige (the daughter), and Jason (the youngest son who has a pet iguana). One of the main story points that surrounds this collection is when the family must buy a new computer, and to Jason's absolute horror it is an "iFruity." How will the family cope with the change? Will Jason lose his mind and trash the computer himself? You'll have to wait and see what happens.

Other funny scenarios included in this fine collection:

*Roger's "Mobycom-2000"*
*Jasonezer Scrooge*
*Paige Defeats the Red Orb Guardian*
*Giving Up Coffee*
*Peter's Summer Gig ("Star Wars" Phobia)*
*The Paige Witch Project*
*Roger Quits Work (A Classic "Fox" Saga)*
...and more!

Bill Amend has never failed to get more than a few laughs out of me with his funny characters. The strips are topical, witty, clever and downright hilarious. He never runs out of ideas or storylines, and he always uses his characters to their full potential. This collection is just as funny as the previous ones, if not more. I am never bored when reading FoxTrot, and I was never bored during my reading of this particular collection. A job well done on all fronts.

"Think iFruity" is another hilarious FoxTrot chapter that definitely needs to be a part of your FoxTrot collection. And if you have not read FoxTrot, the more reason to check this out! If you're looking for an entertaining read that won't take up a lot of your time, this FoxTrot collection is just the fix for you. A great read that will have you laughing from the start. -Michael Crane

This picture book illustrates that tough pirates can be tough and yet cry as well. Boris is the epitome of a tough pirate; he is swashbuckling, fierce, and he even looks the part. All that stands, but we learn about a new side of Boris with his favorite friend, his parrot. I would recommend this book for younger students to read themselves, or it would be great for the pre-K set as a read aloud. It's short enough for a quick bedtime story!

This book is wonderful. It uses the very popular theme of pirates to explain that having feelings is normal and that there is no weekness in tears. My six year old reads it everyday.

This is a wonderfully surprising book. Simple predictable text makes this book and easy read aloud to young children and interesting illustrations that capture the imagination. This book also deals with pirates and treasure, but also the loss of a pet, which most children can relate to, but in a simple way. My three-year-old loves this book and can spend 20 minutes just flipping through the pages. I definately recommend this book for children 3 and up.

I fell in love with this story instantly. I've never seen empathy being presented so well. Plus the pictures tell their own story of adventure, death, friendship and woe. It's a simple book with few words for young readers, but the message is well delivered and I personally think it's a book that can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages.

Tough Boris by Mem Fox is a must read-aloud selection for any elementary school to middle school classroom. It is a wonderful teaching tool for exploring characterizatioin and loss. The understated language juxtiposed with sensitively drawn illustrations allows children of all ages to explore their own feelings about losing someone or something you love and how people handle loss. The book gives children, especially boys, permission to reveal their emotions, letting them know that it is indeed normal to cry and express grief, and that we must look beyond superficial appearances and stereotypes to see into another person's heart. It is a beautiful and touching story and I have yet to read it to my students without shedding a tear or two myself.

My 18 mo. old loves this book and says "baby" all of the time now.

My almost-2-year-old loved this book! The beautiful pictures and simple text made it a favorite with me also as we prepared for our second child. The baby in the book is an unspecified gender, as is the older child, so it is appropriate as either an older sister or older brother book. Some of the actions in the book, such as giving the baby a bath, were helpful in discussing with my daughter ways she could be involved with the baby.

This book is great! Very simple, sweet text and wonderful pictures for my 15 month old. He was immediately drawn to this book and asks us to read it to him often. I love that the book shows the new baby breastfeeding and the older child hanging out with the breastfeeding baby & mom. My son and I are still breastfeeding and plan to continue when the new baby arrives so instilling the idea that he'll need to share "mama juice" is super important to us. I definatley recommend this book! My only wish is that it was a board book as my son is in a ripping paper stage.

This is a great, positive book for introducing the idea of a baby brother or sister to a toddler or preschooler. Our son really embraced the idea that we (as a family) were getting a baby. The first thing he said when he saw his baby sister seconds after she was born was "Can I love her now?" which was a reference to the text of this book.

My 2.5 year old son weaned about mid-way through my pregnancy. Baby is due to arrive in about 10 weeks and I bought this with hopes of preparing him a little more. He loves this sweet book. It does show mom and dad caring for baby, like we do, as well as mom nursing baby and his favorite part, baby and big sibling sleeping together, just their faces, in a heart at the end of the book. We co-sleep so for my son, seeing big kid and baby sleeping peacefully together excites him, most baby books show baby in a crib, which he doesn't understand. I love Cathryn Falwell and use another of her books, Feast for Ten in helping to teach head start classes about nutrition through the Foodstamp Nutrition Program. Falwells illustrations are fabulous and perfect for the under 5 crowd. A smaller child will love the colors and images and a pre-schooler can relate more to the text, in both books. Five stars all the way.

I loved this book. I am a junior high teacher and chuckled over the perception students have of teachers. The Vietnam War time period is also a hard time period to find good books.

He did it again. Gary created another thought provoking book about kids becoming adults. It is written in a whole new voice. I had to keep reminding myself that it was really written by the same author as Lizzie Bright. The intertwining of the personal story, the political story of the 60's, and the various Shakespeare stories was amazing. I am an adult, but love a great juvenile fiction book. With "Wednesday Wars" Gary Schmidt is now at the top of my Juvenile fiction author list. I am looking forward to "Trouble" coming soon.

Set during the Vietnam War, this novel has many parallels to what's going on today in Iraq and Afghanistan. At first, Holling Hoodhood and his teacher have a mutual dislike for each other, but as the year goes on, and Shakespeare begins working on Holling, they come to an understanding. This would be a though-provoking read for middle school and high school students. Highly recommended.

I'm not sure what the target audience for this book is, but I love young adult/children's novels and I'm 23. I browsed this book when I was in the US (cannot find it in Australia to finish it) and decided to skim the first page. That turned into the first few chapters - I was smitten! The witty, hilarious dialogue had me sitting in the bookstore trying to hold back giggles. I didn't even get to the Shakespeare plot in the story or anything to do with Vietnam, yet I still loved it. I particularly loved the dialogue that occurred between him and his sister in the beginning when he was telling her that the teacher hated him.
I only wish that EVERY other young adult/children's writer could read this book and see the standard it has set. Previously I had thought that perhaps I was just a bad reader. Now I realise that I only read bad books.

Oddly, THE WEDNESDAY WARS is probably going to appeal more to adults who came of age in the 50s and 60s than it is to young adults. And oddly, despite a lot of positive writing, the overall story will, at times, drag for younger readers -- especially if they are in the "reluctant reader" category.

Let's start with what's good about this novel: It's clean, wholesome, charming, and one might even say, quaint. Although set in the turbulent years of 1967-68 on Long Island, the book seems more like a snapshot out of the 50's -- all Eisenhower tranquility, all "Leave It to Beaver" good fun. Yes, there's mention of Vietnam, nuclear bomb drills at school, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, but it's more in name than in spirit and remains stubbornly remote from the story and the characters themselves (except for protagonist Holling Hoodhood's older sister, the lightly-sketched Heather, who is a Kennedy fan).

I liked the humorous tone, the plot's use of Shakespeare (poor 7th-grader Holling must memorize parts of the Bard's work during Wednesday afterschool sessions), and the character of Mrs. Baker -- the prototypical "teacher we all remember throughout life." What threw me was the character of Holling. He's way too mature and precocious for his age. In the one moment of family crisis, he acts wise WAY beyond his years and acts like a seasoned father, not a 7th-grade kid. His interests, words, and opinions? Also very adult-ish, despite Schmidt's game inclusion of such hijinks as 8th graders wanting to beat him up because he wears tights in a Shakespeare scene and because he outruns his elder classmen in a track meet.

Bottom line: if you like charming, if you like books about memorable teachers, or if you like the 50s (as projected in the 60s), you probably will love this nicely written ode to youth (or at least "a good boy's youth"). If you like your YA a little edgier, a little more realistic to its time, setting, character, then you might smell the professor-writer in all of this and wonder if it misses its full potential. In that sense, reaction to the book may say as much about you as it does the book.