Schools Books

I read this book when I was a kid and it's wonderful. Anyone who loves dogs should read all of Terhune's books.

I asked my grandma if she could take me to the library. We were looking around for books together, her boring adult books, me books by Margaret Peterson Haddix and dog books. I was in the aisle R-V and spoted a book with the word "dog" on it. I quickly grabbed the book and held on to it tightly glad no one else had seen it. I looked at the cover and saw an adorable dog on it and decided to check it out. When I got home the first thing I did was start reading it. It was new stile of writing for me; a bunch of chapters that were in order but SOMEHOW a bunch of short stories about one dog, put together. It got my interest right away. I stayed up till about 3:00 A.M reading it. It still hadn't finished it. The next day I continued to read it and I finished it. It was the most wonderful, exellent, heart-warming, special, terrific, best, most interesting book I have EVER read (until I read Terhune's other books)! I bought the book shortly after. I discovered there was more Lad books and got them all. I decided I loved Terhune's books and went on a book shopping spree.

For the REAL review: I HIGHLY recommend this book as well as all of Terhune's dog books to everyone young and old. It changed my life dramaticly and I am very thankful for the day I found the book. But, this book is different from Terhune's other books. Not the best, but in my opinion, the very most special. After all, it IS Albert Payson Terhune's firt book and the first book of his I read.

Here's my sister, Shannon Hyle's feelings for this book:
"Reading about Lad, a Dog by Albert Payson Terhune fired my desire to own a dog, not just any dog but a faithful tawny collie who would keep me company, lick away my tears and save my life (it might have been from falling through the ice or from that car speeding around the corner or maybe from our cantankerous cow with the cock-eyed horn. Terhune's book series was based on the very real Sunnybank Lad, "a thoroughbred in body and soul."
I also found Terhune's books very satisfying reading and couldn't get enough of them or of Thomas Hinkle's horse stories.

As long as you can ignore the bigotry of the author (he was a rich, white aristocrat of the pre WWI variety, so he was a snob and a bigot), his writing about the nobility of dogs, his ability to make them live in your mind is still unsurpassed. The author wouldn't pass a modern "political correctness" test, but if you love dogs and you are mature enough to understand that authors are people and thus flawed, this is a book you should NOT miss.

are now legion, as they say. But Terhune was the first person to make them worthwhile to read! I recently came across Albert Payson Terhune's oeuvre, Sunnybank, and Lad, etc. while preparing to purchase a collie for our home. Although we did not eventually get the 'dog of our dreams,' all of my hopes and aspirations, which had been fueled by watching "Lassie" almost fifty years ago, were codified, given life, and made literate in the many books by Mr. Terhune.

His way of writing, (though repetitive in terms and phrases from book to book- a relatively minor point, for the writing is evocative, even if repetitive) is nevertheless easily on a par with many 'good' modern authors today, and is therefore of more merit, than perhaps when they were first written!

As Chronicles of history (the era when cars were first being mass-produced & made available by the 'monthly payment with interest scheme,' so burdensome to modern life) when gentlemanly conduct and lady-like manners were not 'chauvinistic,' all of Terhune's books would make a very nice study of American mores and morals of the 1910-1930's era, especially for boys aged 9-12. Where he [Terhune] shines most evocatively, is in giving that sense of awe and wonder, as one looks with love and affection on a dog that many consider the noblest examplar of the breed as a whole!

What was also pleasant to read, is the honest way in which Terhune describes how literate, intelligent, and societally well-to-do [white] folks looked upon the world, their neighbors, the rise of crime as a mobile menace with the advent of said motorcar (and thus, Terhune makes an eloquent 'apologia' for limiting, rather than expanding[!] mass transportation from inner city to outer suburbs in modern metropolises!) with a frankness that is woefully missing today. In short, when needed, Terhune, like almost all men of his era, is willing to 'call a spade a spade.' Some might call his use of terms for some of the less seemly characters he portrays, 'racially insensitive,' but that is only because we have been brainwashed into thinking civility and crassness are interchangeable cogs on a multicultural wheel!

I, for one, found this utter frankness of Terhune and his overt masculinity (in his descriptions of events and persons) a breath of fresh air- especially after the 'Illegal Alien May First walkout of 2006,' Hurricane Katrina and the Superbowl, the Million Man March, and all the other 'minority grandstanding' one has to endure in this "PC" mad era. Terhune's evocation of an era that should come again reveal that civility, proper manners, respect for property, life, and livestock on a working farm or kennel, are things that any child (or adult!) could/should take a lesson from. Along with Knight's "Lassie-come-home,' these books (in their original issue, and not in modern reprints, which clearly would be 'santized' for 'modern dumbed-down readers') are now prize possessions in my antiquarian bookcase. I will return to them every year, (and read them to my children, whom I homeschool!) to read of a lifestyle, a culture, that once defined what it is to be free, noble, and American. IF I could put it into the fewest words possible, I would say Terhune writes of: Man, dog, and nature. If one could sum up Terhune, these three qualities shine through resplendently in all of his works. I can honestly say, that, for a work of fiction, I am a better man for reading them.

This monster book is fun, not scary at all. It tells about all the loving things Mama Monster does for her Monster children. When I was an elementary school librarian I used it for Story Time. And now my grandchildren--ages 2 and 4, love this book too!

My kids (ages 3-7) all love this book. It has a great rhythm and after reading it regularly for five years, they still giggle through the entire book. Because of that, we have given this book to many friends who have loved it as much as us.

I bought this because my son has been waking up scared of "things" in his room at night. He has been waking up a lot less lately, since we started reading this and another book. I really think this among other things has helped. It insinuates that monsters are scared of little boys and girls which is just what he needed to hear!! It is also very cute and makes monsters seem just like people!

My little boy is 19 months old and this is one of his favorite bedtime stories. The illustrations are bright and colorful and the story makes us laugh every time we read it!

I loved this book and read it to my precious grandson, Connor. The book is written in rhyme and it is very sweet and interesting to kids.

Night of the Living Dummy is a Goosebumps book by R.L Stine. It's a great book because it's kind of scary, because a girl named Lindy and her sister Kris were walking around the block and they swear they saw a kid hanging out of the dumpster. As Lindy walked closer she realized that it was a dummy. So when she got home she named the dummy Slappy. That night it came to life and started to cause trouble. I recommend this book third through fifth grade, because it would be too frightening. I give this book 5 starS because I like scary fiction stories.

This book isn't to bad. it was very enjoyable. It's a good book for kids 12 and over. I love R.L. Stiens's books whaen i was a kid. I still will read goosebumps when i can't find nothing else. This is probably the best kid's sereis books out there. Night Of The Living Dummy was pretty intense. It Is a good book.

Wow, this book was awsome really awsome toatally triple awsome! I thought this was better than Night of the living dummy 2! I wonder why it shows Slappy on the cover of the book but the main ventriloquist dummy is Mr. Wood which on the other hand isn't as cool and evil as Slappy. YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK!!!

The books in the Goosebumps series regularly seem to take the vein of a morality tale (of a twisted sort) where one virtue, evil, personality flaw, or issue is taken up as the focus of the story, and Night of the Living Dummy is no exception. The order of the day here is competition...in this volume we meet twins Lindy and Kris Powell who are constantly competing, arguing, trying out do, out wit, and one-up one another. Their parents are frazzled and fed up with these beautiful twins who seem to frequently cross the line into cruelty and viciousness, and often behaving without sympathy toward one another and others.

As we join them, the twins are exploring the house across the way from theirs when Lindy discovers a ventriloquist dummy in the construction dumpster...even better he appears to be in excellent shape. To Kris' horror, Lindy keeps the dummy, which Kris initially distains as stupid, gross, and boring. Shortly after finding him, Lindy manages to gain some skill and when her act becomes popular with their classmates...popular enough to get her some gigs doing birthday parties with her act, Kris decides that she too MUST have a dummy. Her parents initially rebuke her, dummies are expensive and try to get the girls to share which outrages Lindy...she becomes quite cruel toward her sister calling her a copy cat and really wanting this one thing for herself.

When their father manages to conveniently stumble upon a second dummy in a second hand shop for a good price, it seems like the problem is solved...but Lindy is still angry at her sister for trying to steal her thunder and begins to pose the dummy so that it appears to be alive, frightening her sister terribly...when the secret is revealed, Kris is crushed...but shortly after the dummy DOES come to life and the twins are left without their parents support (they are just fed up with talk and whining about the dummies to hear a single thing more about them). Will the girls be able to stop Mr. Wood? Will he make them his slaves? You'll have to read to find out...what you get is always different than what you expect with these stories, and Night of the Living Dummy is no exception, it does have a signature "got ya" moment at the end.

Overall, Night of the Living Dummy is well written and the characters are simple but adequately written. The girls are sympathetic in some instances and not in others...there are times in the story when you think they are getting what they deserve for the way they behaved...but in the end, you want them to pull out of it and save themselves from Mr. Wood. At the very end, just when you think it's all going to be ok, boo...an abrupt shock at the end and the story is over, leaving the reader wondering how the girls will get out of their predicament...this one reeks of sequel, which I understand there are several of. I give it five stars, this is much better written than some of the other books I've read in the series and for taking something that's already kind of creepy (the dummy) and making it horrific several times over.

Lindy and her sister Kris discover an old dummy in a dumpster walking home one day. The dummy is in perfectly good shape and they can't understand why somebody threw the dummy away. Lindy decides to keep it so she names it Slappy. Lindy tries Slappy out on two of the kids her and Kris babysit. Slappy is an instant success. Kris becomes extremly jealous so Lindy decides to keep him. Lindy and Kris's dad buys Kris a dummy of her own which upsets Lindy causing her to play a mean practical joke on Kris. But soon after Kris gets her dummy, strange things start happening. No way it could be Mr. Wood (Kris' dummy) right?

Roses for Mama is my distinct favorite of Janette Oke's Women of the West books. Angela is so sweet she is just about perfect. Yet, there is enough story to move along. If you read nothing else by Janette Oke, choose this book. Enjoy!

Angela Peterson was only 14 years old and her older brother Thomas was only 16 when they were both left to care for their three younger siblings after their both parents died.
Angela's family moved to the west because their mother wasn't feeling very well and the doctor said that the cooler air might be better for her lungs. Their father sold their farm and they were searching for a new land to build another farm in a region with clear air that would improve their mother's health. Their mother felt better for a while, but when the winter cold made her feel sick again, she knew that she had only months to live. Nobody knew that their father will die even faster.
Now three years had passed. Angela is now seventeen and with the help of her nineteen year old brother Thomas, she worries that she won't be able to raise her siblings to be good people and struggles to teach them what they need to be taught, as her mother would have. Angela also worries that Thomas might soon get married and she'll be left on her own to take care of the children. Angela wishes her mother was still there to guide and help her, but she trusts God and relies on him.
Angela begins to think about her future too. Meanwhile her neighbor's son, a wealthy man from the city moves in and begins to court her. As she begins to know Carter Stratton more and more she realizes that he's not perfect for her, and marries Thane who has been Thomas's best friend ever since Thomas and Angela were little.
I think this book was very interesting and touching. It was also very easy to read. The author described beautifully every point in the story. It's a wonderful story of how God changed their plans, but at the end everything turned out to be even better for them.

This is the third Janette Oke novel I have read, and her books have been consistently good. I think I especially liked this particular novel because the romantic male leads were introduced early, and there were two of them vying for the heroine's attention, which made for a more exciting read. The story begins with Angela and her older brother Thomas running the farm, managing the household, and raising their younger brother and two sisters. Their parents have previously passed away. Enter romantic lead number one - Thane is a good friend of Thomas and the family who works at his father's store in town. It's obvious to the reader Thane is interested in Angela, but she just doesn't seem to see past the old friendship and familiarity to recognize it. Enter romantic lead number two - Carter is the very rich and sophisticated gentleman from back East who comes to town after his estranged father has suffered a stroke and is on his death bed. Angela is taken with Carter's fine appearance, and he makes it know that he is quite taken with her. Obviously, she ends up with one of them, but which one will it be? Finding out is a entertaining read.

My only real complaint about the novel is that it gets a little preachy at one point when Angela explains the salvation process to an elderly neighbor, Charlie. In my opinion, this interupts the flow of the rest of the story. I don't understand why Christian authors feel the need to preach in their novels. Isn't their primary audience already Christian? Wouldn't that audience already understand the basics of the salvation process? It makes me wonder to whom they think they are preaching. I wouldn't expect a casual reader to select a Christian romance novel. Perhaps I am mistaken, and I think this is probably my own little personal irritation anyway. Overall, Roses for Mama is an easy and entertaining read, and the quality is consistent with the other Janette Oke books I have read. I think most readers who enjoy Christian romance novels will enjoy this novel as well.

Janette Oke is a wonderful author and this is a well written series. The reading level is for ages 4-8. My concern is whether it is wise to introduce romance to girls at such a young age? I don't think so and hence my lower rating.
There are plenty other excellent historical fiction series and clsssics for that do not contain romance that I would rather see my daughter reading.

I first read "Roses For Mama" when I was 13 (many years ago), and was completely "hooked" on this story from the start. I have read it over and over and keep thinking about the characters and events even though it's been about a year since my last read. This is excellent fiction for readers of all ages - particularly for teenage girls, as it provides good moral lessons that are strongly needed today.
Though I do agree with some reviewers that Angela is a bit on the perfect side, you can't help but love her. The love that gradually develops between Angela and Thane is very sweet and memorable. One of my favorite scenes between them is after her birthday party, when Thane gives her the necklace (swoon!).
This book is really a page-turner. Thank you, Mrs. Oke, for this story...I wish there was a sequel!

I love these stories because they always make me take a step back and enjoy my life. This story is an amazing tale about a young girl who has it all and still has to live with something that rocks her world. I was a bit surprised on how grown up this story seemed. It talked very openly about sex so I would not recommend it to any girl under the age of 14. Still this story made me glad to be alive and not in a hospital trying to get better.

This was written before the internet age, but it's totally relevant today. It's about a girl who has it all (looks, brains, etc.), and then she discoveres she has cancer. She meets a guy in the hospital, someone who understands everything she's going through, and they start dating.

I liked this book because so many dating books sort of exist in a world where no one gets sick, and here, real life pops up and gives everything perspective. On the other hand, just because these characters get really ill doesn't diminish how important love and relationships are. Melissa and Ric still have sexual feelings and go through what all teens go through in relationships.

This was the first Lurlene McDaniel book I've read, and I plan to read as many as I can!

the story sucks u in and wont let u out tell the end with tears in ur eyes

"The diagnosis is lymphocytic leukemia, Melissa. It's a form of cancer." This book puts you in the place of 16-year-old Melissa. She seemed to be a normal teen, living her life to the fullest. She was beautiful with long, thick, black hair, which would soon be gone. Her best friend, Jory, was always with her, and her all-time crush started to like her! She was even nominated to go out for the Brain Bowl, which was always her dream. Everything was going her way until she was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, leukemia. She couldn't just live anymore; she had to fight for her life. A never-ending battle was going on in her body. Melissa's struggle between life and death really will make you see things from a different point a view.
I recommend Too Young to Die by Lurlene McDaniel to any person that wants to know what facing reality can be like. It is hard for people who haven't experienced loss, to understand. McDaniel does a remarkable job clarifying the situation and taking you on a journey through the eyes of Melissa, while battling her cancer. Many people die everyday of cancer, heart disease, and other dreadful causes. Think about how fortunate you are compared to many of these people that don't even know if they are going to be alive tomorrow.

I love to read...especially sad books. This book was amazing!! What bravery Melissa had. I don't want to give away any secrets but this is a MUST read!

Dr. Seuss writes from personal experience, and this experience says a lot about the medical field! It is so good to see some humor concerning the fears and anxieties of growing old.

Easy to order. Arrived on time.
A funny book for us old folks. I have ordered copies for my aging friends.

This is a great gift for all your friends turning 50!
Lets them know exactly what to expect in the coming years.
No one could say it better than Dr. Suess.

I first saw this book while visiting friends in a retirement home. When I got home I immediately ordered it from Amazon and placed it on my coffee table. If you are even on the verge of getting older, you will understand Dr. Seuss' adventure to the doctor's office, and appreciate the humor he injects concerning the many tests, etc. one sometimes must tolerate as we age.

The family has given this book to friends for years as a gift on their 60th birthday. It is a fun look at the aging process and brings laughter from all who have received the book. Usually we have the friend sit on our laps and we read it to them as we would a child. Great stuff..

My book was about the senior year when the guys finally meet the girl of their dream. This guy name Jeremy meets the girl of his dream her name is Jessica Wakefield, who has a twin sister name Elizabeth Wakefield. But their is a little problem that jeremy has everytime he wants to go out with Jessica something has to go wrong. they never get to see each other until the last minute. this book is very interested for young girl like me, i guaranteed that you will enjoy reading this book. if you really want to know what your senior year will kind of be when you finally get there or if you are already their you make think its kind of what you went thru.

This book is a great book. It is about highschool students and their lives. If you like this book you will like the other SVH books. There are lots of other Books like Sweet Valley university and elementary and you get the idea.

I love the whole jessica and jeremy thing, i think he is really good for her. i just wish she would get over will, he is a jerk. i feel bad melissa tried to kill herself, but i mean over a guy? really... melissa is supposed to be super cool, but why is it everytime her and will break up she goes mental? she is not exactly stable... conner is annoying and liz is annoying for trying to be with someone like that. he isn't worth her or maria's time.

This was a really good book. It just didn't have enough Liz/Connor interaction for me. I think Connor is being a jerk at the end. I like how it ended with Jessica and Will makin up and Jessica and Jeremy getting together though. I also like the friendship developing between Ken and Maria. Overall, a very good book.

Following the events in "Your Basic Nightmare" (#6), "Boy Meets Girl" (#7) makes some interesting changes in the main character's lives. For starters, Jeremy Aames finally asks Jessica Wakefield out on a few dates after their first kiss in the previous book. However, their dates never seem to go as planned, and they both begin to have their doubts about whether or not they should continue seeing each other. Plus, there's that added tension with Will Simmons showing up on one of their nights out. His appearance would seem harmless (after all, Jess swears she's over him), but if you read on, you'll see why it's not.

Next up is Melissa Fox, who is hospitalized after trying to kill herself in book #6, right after Will Simmons broke up with her. Most everybody feels guilty about this incident, especially Jess and Will, yet that's not stopping either one of them from thinking about each other. Could there still be some possible chemistry between these two? (I hope not. Jess seems happy enough with Jeremy, without Will ruining things.)

And lastly: Maria Slater had caught Elizabeth Wakefield and Conner McDermott kissing, and now she's not speaking to either one of them, mostly Liz though. And not surprisingly, Conner is now avoiding Liz, too, so she can "work things out" with Maria. More like so he can leave the "relationship" quietly.

There were some really good lists, journal entries, and assignments in "Boy Meets Girl", in particular Liz's freestyle writing assignment about the meaning of love and Maria's "Why Books Are Better Than People" list (my favorite). This is probably one of the better books I've read so far in this series. Jessica is finally back to her old self, worrying about boys and appearances, plus being more assertive, which was the biggest character trait missing in the previous six SVHSY books. "Boy Meets Girl" is worth reading if you finally want to see Melissa get her comeuppance and Jessica land on her two feet again. For readers age 12+

My daughter has struggled with learning how to read. She is 11 and reads at about a fifth grade level. She has consistently been at least one grade level behind and would become very frustrated when asked to read. This is the first book series she has ever read completely on her own! She loves the first three and has been begging to get the rest. I have placed a pre-order on the last three. I can't comment on the story much beyond the fact that she raves about it, but any book that helps my daughter discover a love for reading deserves 5 stars.

The book Cry of the Wolf was an awesome book. It has dragons, wolves and griffins, some of my favorite mythical creatures. My favorite character is Adriane. Adriane is about 14; she has two friends' that are total opposites. My favorite part is when she battles the manticore.
Cry of the Wolf is about a girl named Adriane who lets her bonded animal Stormbringer (bonded animal is an animal that balances their magic) go into the magical world Aldenmore with wolves. Adriane gets worried and goes after her. While she looks for her she makes friends with a boy named Zach and gets a dragon for a bonded animal.
The dark sorceress captures her. While she's in the dungeon she finds another mistwolf. With the help of the other animals in the dungeon she gets out. When she gets out she has to battle the manticore . After that Stormbringer comes back with the rest of the pack. So Adriane finds her bonded animal and goes back to earth.

Finally Adrianne is on action. In the book there is alot of action and suspence though one part is kinda sad. Adrianne and her boned animal Storm hav a close bond when these other mistwolves come and Storm decides to join with the pack leaving Adrianne torn. The warrior then goes on a journey to find Storm. She then is on Aldenmore and meets with this one boy named Zach(human) and this strange rock. Soon they become friends and Adrianne soon learns about his past. Adrianne later figures out that the rock is not really what it seems. So far this is my faverite book in the series and I think everyone will love it.

This book is prehaps my favorite out of all of the books. Adriane is willful and strong. When she is pulled into Aldenmore, even if she feels like she can't go on, she keeps her head high and moves forward. The mistwolves are a major part of the entire series and in this book, they are shown in a new light, slightly harsh and sometimes cruel, but always for the safety and wellfare of the pack. I would recomend this book to anyone who is willing to sit down and read a fantasy story about loyalty, friendship and the never ending bond that is love.

Adrianne and Storm share a bond unlike any other. Storm thinks that she is the last mistwolf living since she has no membory of the pack and Adrianne thinks that she has some blood of a mistwolf but not sure yet... until the mistwolf pack arrive and Storm sadly joins. Adrianne cannot since shes not a mistwolf and the leader of the pack believes that humans always bring destruction. When they leave that does not stop Adrianne from finding Storm. With the help of her friends the d flies make a portal though Adrianne gets sucked in to the world of Aldenmore. The action begins as the warrior fights monsters and meets this rock and this boy named Zach. Eventually Adrianne finds Storm and the pack accepts as Adrianne their wolf sister so shes part of the pack!

I have read very little Children's Lit in recent years but did enjoy reading this one before passing it on to my granddaughter who also enjoyed it.

Fifth-grader Cliff Abernathy has come to realize that being the oldest of six children is not just fun and games. The position comes with responsibilities. His parents expect him to help monitor the behavior of his little brothers and younger sister and he is often in trouble for falling down on the job. He definitely enjoys the perks of being the oldest but sometimes he wonders if they are really a good trade-off for the extra work his parents expect of him.

In Fig Pudding, Cliff shares his memories of everything that happened to him and his family in the past year,twelve months that includes things he wants to remember forever and one or two that he just wishes he could forget. The Abernathy kids have distinct personalities and Ralph Fletcher gives each of the kids a chance to shine in a chapter of his own.

There is Josh, only three years old and the youngest, who has to spend Christmas Eve in the hospital and desperately wants a "yidda yadda" from Santa, a gift request that has the whole family confused. Teddy is the hyperactive second-grader who spends so much time sitting under the kitchen table where his mother can keep an eye on him that he starts to like it under there and considers it to be his special playroom. Cyn, the only girl in the family, decides to "adopt" a new family and spends more time with them than she does at home. Cliff and Nate learn some things about themselves and each other as the result of a couple of fishing trips, and Brad, the most easy going of all the children, surprises everyone, and probably himself, with the Easter prank that he pulls on the whole family.

Fig Pudding is generally aimed at readers age 9-12 but readers of all ages will be touched by the tragic accident that claims the life of one of the boys. Each member of the family has to work through his own grief, anger and confusion in order to come to grips with what has so shaken them all but they finally come to understand that their lost son and brother will be alive forever as they celebrate his memory.

Ralph Fletcher cleverly ends Fig Pudding on a comic note by devoting the last chapter to the way that young Josh accidentally adds a "secret ingredient" to his father's fig pudding, a dish that the Abernathy family traditionally carries to a large family gathering every year. It has never tasted better than it does this year - even with Josh's help. This is one of those books that might well have children shedding a few tears as they read one chapter and laughing out loud during the next one, just like life in the real world.

I receieved my books in couples of day, in pretty good condition, I have no complaints.

~ "Sometimes I feel more like a policeman then the eldest of six kids," says Cliff a boy who has four brothers and one sister and feels like he is the baby-sitter and can't do anything he wants to except make sure his siblings don't get in trouble. If they do he gets yelled at instead of them-that doesn't seem to fair to me!
~Cliff as you know has five siblings, all younger. Cliff is in fifth grade. Nate the next oldest is in forth grade. Cyn, the only girl is in third grade. Teddy, the trouble maker is in second grade. Brad, the sweet one is in first grade. And of course little Josh is only thr-ee.This book goes through a year of events and goes back in time on Christmas up until the last none -the greatest one yet. Each sibling has a big thing they're going through, from thinking your part of another family, to getting really hurt, this story made me laugh , cry, made me feel guilty and many more feelings came to me, you can feel too.
~I love this book so much, in fact, so much I read it three times! My favorite part was when an accident happened, and Cliff couldn't cry and he felt guilty. When his uncle takes him and Nate to the beach, he says, "When something bad happens, you are handed a big bowl of steaming hot sadness. You can eat it all up right away, or you can save it for latter and let it cool, no matter what you'll eat the whole thing." That's my favorite part because it's very true, and it makes me think about it, and peoples bowls can be different sizes depending on how close you are to the situation, like his mom probably got the biggest bowl and so on. What made me think about that is Cliff talks about how close his family is to him, he says his family is like the million of blankets on you in the winter, Nate is his closest blanket, then Cyn, Teddy, Brad and then Josh. He can't feel the ones on top but he knows they're keeping him warm. That's another favorite part of mine. I also love this book because I had a lot of connections to it. I'm the eldest of three kids, I always have to watch over them, and I feel the same way as Cliff. Even the little things I can connect to, like when he gets a fishing pole, he pretends to fish in the grass -I do that with my brother and sister on a big hill in the back yard of our time share, right across the street from Mirror Lake.
~I highly recommend this book to anyone who would love to laugh, cry, and have a great time in one fantastic novel, and Ralph Fletcher is just as fantastic so read Fig Pudding!

This is one of my favorites. It's a little old for the third graders I teach, due to the tragedy in the middle of the book, but it's great for older children and fabulous for adults. It has one of the most touching views on tragedies I've ever read and I quote it often.

I first heard this book as a third grader- my teacher read it to our class. It loved it then: the characters were lovable, the writing was amusing and rich, and the story was captivating and memorable. So memorable that 8 years later, I borrowed this book from the library to reread and re-enjoy. I highly recommend this book to 3rd- 5th graders as a independent read or older kids for a quick read.

This book is hard to find in book stores, so buy online or borrow from the library.

There are parts of the book that are clearly written in the immature style of a teenager (colloquial speech) and parts that have been edited so much that they seem to come from an entirely different person. The overall book is choppy in terms of style, although the organization is excellent.

I would have preferred that the author articulate more clearly his emotions that accompanied his experiences. I would have hoped that his editor/professional writing mentor would have worked on making the story more compelling. I was a bit sad to get to the end of the book and not feel inspired. I felt like it was an "interesting story," but inspirational--not quite.

The captions below the photos should either not exist or tell additional information that is not contained in the text. I was annoyed to read a summary statement below the photo that I had just read on the previous pages.

It would be a good leisure read for high school students (or anyone for that matter), although as an example of good quality writing, I wouldn't suggest it.

A wonderful book that will give you a firsthand account of the situation surrounding child labor in South East Asia.

The Kielburger story is one of an incredible journey that he took as a twelve year old to explore the problem of child labor. The "journey" has continued since then into his discovery of the problem all over the world, in addition to his solution through his organization. They build schools, spread awareness through lectures (and their website www.freethechildren.com), inspire young leaders through their programs, and so much more. This is a story that needs to be told over and over again to whomever in hopes that the world can work together to "Free the Children" all over the globe. Get this book and pass it on to any one and make sure they pass it on....

Craig and Marc's stories are so amazing. I used to think that I can't make a difference in the world because I am only 14 years old. This book taught me that even the smallest of actions can create a ripple that affects more people than I can ever imagine. The ideas in this book are really quite simple, but when articulated so clearly by Marc and Craig, it just makes so much sense.

Craig Keilburger is an amazing man and is one of the Worlds greatest heroes. I have learned more from this book then any in the whole world. Even Social Studies!