Schools Books

This picture book is my favorite for Valentine's Day. Mr. Hatch is a lonely, friendless man, until he receives a present from a secret admirer. Then, he blooms, contributing greatly to his community. The people in his neighborhood in turn support him as well, showing him how much he means to them. It is a lovely story about being a good friend, especially on Valentine's Day.

The book is wonderful. I used it in a classroom lesson about Valentine's Day. It has a lot of good lessons on feelings and emotions too.

All 4 of my grandchildren, especially the 4 yr olds, loved the story and illustrations kept their attention. Eileen is the best author for children, she really relates to what they appreciate.

This beautiful book is perfect for young and old! Although not religious it would be a great asset to any church library for Sunday school or even adult collections. I fell in love with this book!

This book has such a wonderful message. Everytime I read it to my first graders I cry. It is what love is supposed to be about! Thank you Eileen Spinelli for this fantastic story.

This is a wonderful book to use to teach word choice. There are some passages in the book that one of my students, age 8, said gave her chills. It is a charming story that also helps the students understand the themes of selflessness and being kind to others.

sophie the spider goes out into the world to do something great, to create a masterpiece. she settles herself in this boarding house and attempts to help out the people who live there, but none of them accept her gifts and scream at the sight of her. sophie eventually finds a new mother who doesn't scream at the sight of her, but welcomes her. the mother is poor though and sophie sees an old blanket covering the mother's baby. sophie decides to make a new blanket for the baby, her masterpiece. the pictures are beautiful and the story touching. a great addition to the bookshelf.

A friend of mine purchased it for her niece and wanted my opinion. I'll admit that I not a huge fan of children (single, 25 year-old here) or kid paraphernalia, but this is an amazing book! I've gotten copies for several people I know who are having a baby and everyone loves it. Such a sweet story that still gets me a little choked up.

"...Sophie is not just a spider, she's an artist". With just this beginning sentence we are introduced to the very caring character of Sophie, a house-hold spider who sews the most beautiful webs in spider history. When Sophie becomes a mature spider, she decides to go out into the world and share her talents with everyone she meets. However, the world does not want Sophie to share her talents wit them and after consistence swats and shooing, Sophie decides that she's had enough. Yet, one day she meets a young woman who is expecting a baby. She is very poor and has nothing to cover her baby with when he is born. Sophie, now old and frail, feels that she can still do some good for this woman. So she musters up all her strength and begins to make the young woman and her baby a blanket... a masterpiece... a gift of love.

I recommend this to anyone who has a fear of spiders or is trying to teach more compassion to their children related to any subject. Beautifully illustrated and a very touching story.

this is one of my favourite charmed books!!! as it shows true halliwell spirit. basically prue gets the oppertunaty for a front page photo. but the camera she uses sends all the models and pheobe into hades. in the effort to get there sister back piper and prue have to go through loads of greek mythology gods and creatures. this book is a must have for all charmed fans

As far as I'm concerned, ALL other good Charmed books (The Queen's Curse, Whisper's from the past, Dark Vengeance, Mystic Knoll, Inherit the witch, Something Wiccan [just to name a few]) are small potatoes in comparison to this superbly penned Charmed book!!! NO other Charmed novel could possibly be better than Soul Of The Bride!!! Elizabeth's work here, is a masterpiece!!!!

What makes this story stand out from the other Charmed books is her impeccable blend of Greek Mythology and the Charmed ones tale aptly blended in. She mixed the two geneologies flawlessly, very well blended, I should add. Every single tiny detail added in is beneficial for the Charmed ones, and that's what stands out in this book. Alot! For example, the part where Piper takes a quick glance at Prue and realizes that she is still wearing Piper's necklace, makes Piper remember that she had to pay Charon the fee to take them over to the other side of River Acheron, which is taking the letter opener and mother-of-pearl inkwell, just in case. Turns out that the letter opener is useful in impaling the Sirens!!!

I'm not going to reveal details of the story, but I guarantee, whether or not you know about Greek Mythology, you will definitely enjoy this story. Soul Of The Bride is a must-have for all Charmed fans!!!!!! My fave bit is when Phoebe is determined not to give up and succumb to the tasty grub kept in Hades, only to realize they are tainted to make people an empty-headed party animal. Also, all 3 sisters had a vital part to play, and with their team work, girly (and sisterly) support, all the loose knots are tied, the i's are dotted and its a happy ending for them.

My only thumbs-down about this story is just that its seems like a pretty huge coincidence that Nikos had known about Prue's photo shoot and sent Mitchell to make sure Prue's topic is on Victorian Portraiture, using Greek Mythology, which then lures Phoebe to Hades. In the Charmed Universe, coincidence is extremely rare, unless Nikos had known it all along, and places a spell on the them to find out.


But other than that, it is 100% recommeded, you WILL love it, like I did!!!
I paid $9 for this book and every single cent was worth it!!!!

This one of the best Charmed books ever written. I loved the combination of Greek Mythology and Charmed. Unlike the 'Oh My Goddess' episodes, this book blends both genres together effortlessly. The writing is top-notch... it really pulls you into what's going on. I had a hard time putting this book down (finished it in a couple days.. even with work).

HIGHLY recommend this to Charmed fans. You won't be disappointed :).

I am a huge, HUGE fan of charmed, I love the series, but ANY OTHER BOOK PALES IN COMPARISON TO THE SOUL OF THE BRIDE!!! It follows the story of the power of three flawlessly!!! If you are interested in any kind of mythology, or even if you're not, the soul of the bride is a MUST-HAVE!!!!

i have read all the books in the charmed series and this is one of my favorites. it combines the greek mythologies with modern day life, which i think is quite creative. i highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys greek myths.

Wonderfully written. The characters are very well drawn out, especially Graceanne and her mother. The story is told from Graceanne's brother's perspective. Although many people in her life see Graceanne as being a misbehaving "problem" child, it is clear from the way she treats her siblings and friends that Graceanne is one of the most loving characters I have ever met. I was sorry that the book ended. I want to know more about what happens in their lives. I highly recommend this book.

Very true to life story of a fractured family. You will have a hard time putting it down.

Once I began reading this book, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I was anxious to get back to the story to find out what happened to these children, always hoping that some drastic event would change their lives for the better. The writing is so vivid that you can easily picture the settings and feel their pain. The ending leaves you haunted and wishing to go back and make it right for them. I highly recommend this book as one of the best that I have read.

The minute I finished this book I wanted to talk about it with someone. I wanted to explore the rich Missouri setting, the strong characters that are authentic and interesting, and the issues of racisim and child abuse that rage through this novel like the river that floods Graceanne's home town.

In a nutshell, Graceanne is a spirited highly intelligent child who is the sole recipient of her mother's violent abuse. She remains strong, witty and true to herself throughout the entire novel. I strongly disagree with a fellow reviewer who believes that Graceanne "got what she deserved" because she was such a willful and devilish child. I believe her antics, such as hiding out in the school's flooded basement for two days so that she could be "Champion for Eternity" in a game of hide-and-seek, was her way of not letting the abuse do her in. It was her way of preserving her soul.

At first I was really worried that the child-abuse scenes would be too vivid. I worried that they would be the central imagery of the story. They aren't. Whitney uses them just enough, and is detailed just enough, so that you know how sick the mother really is. The author often makes you laugh and smile at a small town childhood, and small town kids getting into small town mischief.

This is really a story of kids overcoming the hands that life has delt them. Charlie overcoming his club foot, Graceanne her abuse and Wanda the racism that plagued that era of American history. These kids perservere with such charm and such thoughtfulness. In the end you are cheering for them, and praying that happiness will follow them beyond the wire hanger beatings of their childhood.

This is a book that sticks with you. Read it.

What an amazing book! The soul-touching story, combined with some of the most incredibly natural, infectious humor since Mark Twain, makes this one of the most uplifting books I've read in recent years.

The main characters -- 9 year-old Charlie, the narrator, and 12 year-old Graceanne, his sister -- are immensely endearing and admirable. They are growing up -- along with their older sister, 16 year-old Kentucky -- living with their recently-divorced mother on the 'wrong side of the tracks' in a small town in northern Missouri in the early 1960s. Their dad isn't in the picture much -- an alcoholic soldier who beats their mother, he's sent packing early on in the story, and makes himself scarce after his exit.

The mother, Edie, would probably be diagnosed today as being neurotic or psychotic. In her never-ending struggle to 'keep up appearances', she constantly nags her kids about their manners, the company they keep, &c. On several occasions, she asks out loud 'What have I ever done to deserve such demon children?' She takes most of her frustrations with her life, along with her complete misunderstanding of her children, on the intelligent, precocious Graceanne. On several occasions, she beats her until she's bloody. It's easy to understand how the kids would come to see themselves as a burden to her -- if it weren't for their seemingly indestructable spirits.

Graceanne is a tough child with a reputation to match. Near the beginning of the book, Charlie (actually short for Charlemange, which should tell you MORE about their mother), who has a correctable club foot, is musing about being bullied by the other children in town. He dismisses worrying about the other kids with these thoughts about his sisters (from p.9): 'The two worst bullies in Cranepool's Landing were ALREADY exercising their license as family members to beat me silly -- "whale on you, young man" -- on a regular basis, leaving all other potential assailants the status of respectful, but backward, admirers of my sisters' originality and prowess.'

Graceanne has an IQ of 165 -- and Charlie's is a very respectable 139. The author gives these children -- especially Graceanne, acquired by Charlie possibly simply by being in her presence -- incredible voices. Graceanne's use of newly-absorbed vocabulary words doesn't come across as much as an attempt to show off as it does as a means of asserting her inteligence and individuality in an atmosphere that tends to crush it.

She is also a universally feared and respected softball player. Some of the parents of the other kids even suspect that she's a boy. From p.248: 'She could hit anything that came at her, and she'd slice the ball belt-high through the infield, so close to the player she was aiming at that most players couldn't possibly catch it. A couple of parents complained that Graceanne was trying to peel the skin off their kids; the ball would come so fast and so hard and so tight that the only sensible thing to do was to hit the dirt when they saw it coming...'

There are several notable events in the book -- which takes place over the course of a little over a single year, from April 1960 to July 1961. It is the time of the Kennedys and Camelot, of the boiling pot of race relations in American coming to a head, before Vietnam -- a time of innocence and discovery, tailor-made for an imagination and spirit like that possessed by this young heroine. After her parents' divorce, her mother is forced by economics to move her family to a 'bad' part of town. Graceanne becomes fast friends with Wanda, the young black girl who lives next door -- which brings out some revealing comments and feelings from her mother, showing her to be anything BUT the color-blind person she has professed to be.

There are some tender, poignant moments in the novel as well -- both between Graceanne and her friend Wanda and between the siblings. Little brothers at this age historically do not endear themselves to their sisters, or vice versa. Through the course of the book, Charlie wrestles with what he eventually recognizes as growing feelings of love for his sister. From p.275, he wonders about his feelings that are awakened by hearing Elvis' 'Love me tender': 'I wondered if I loved anyone tenderly. I knew I loved Mike the dog, who you couldn't sing an Elvis song to because he was an animal. And I looked around and saw Graceanne with her doll hair and her glasses and her soft skin and I thought maybe I loved her, who would laugh at me if I sang Elvis to her. It came as a big surprise to me that I loved my sister.'

The novel is filled with moments like these -- but the action sequences never become over-the-top or unbelievable, and the touching moments never become maudlin. The author transposes her vision of this story onto the page with an easy grace and eloquence, touched with humor and sympathy for these wonderful characters. This is a story that can be enjoyed by adult readers -- and indeed, I came away with the impression that it was written for them -- and intelligent young people as well. It's quite an achievement.

I read this book to my children (7 and 5) just before our vacation to Newfoundland. It was a great way to learn a bit of historical NL culture and prepare for a wonderful vacation. They loved Thunder and Tom, and could not wait for me to finish reading this book to them. Thunder, a smart and perceptive dog, helps Tom and his adoptive family survive many potential tragedies.

THUNDER OF THE SEA IS THE BEST BOOK I'VE EVER READ!!!!!!!It's about a boy who's never had a home, finally he goes home with strangers and hopes to find a home. then when he's starting to question whether he's going to be just the worker boy or part of the family he finds a miricle dog in the middle a of storm. then everything changes he starts trouble between familys he goes through a constant struggle to belong. thunders love is strong enough to keep them together but is it strong enough to keep the family together as they face nature's fury and other opsticles.

Thunder From the Sea
How would you like to be an orphan who moved into a new family with new people? Well Tom, the main character in this book did and he always wanted a dog. Finally he got one while he was sailing with Enoch and their neighbors the Bosworth's. They saw a black thing in the water when a thunder storm was on the way . They rescued what was a dog and named him Thunder. " Thunder From the Sea" was written by Joan Hiatt Harlow.. If you like realistic fiction you should pick up this book in your library. My favorite part is when Fiona and Tom are trapped in a blizzard on a sheet of ice right before Fiona has her baby . The feeling that I have about this book is that it is a wonderful extravagant book especially if you like dogs. This book takes place on Back "O" the moon island. The most important problem is if Tom can keep Thunder. After all the dog is not really his. He tries to solve the problem by showing how much he loves Thunder. But will it work? Can Tom keep Thunder?

By Emily

The book Thunder from the Sea, by Joan Hiatt Harlow, takes place in 1929 on the island of Back O' the Moon, which is part of Newfoundland. It is a realistic fiction book, and the chapters are a little on the short side (around 5-12 pages long).

The main characters in the book were Tom Campbell, who is an orphan that is going to live with a fisherman and his wife; the fisherman Enoch, who is a kind man that has a nice house on top of a hill, and his wife, Fiona, who is also kind and very friendly. There are other families on the island, like the Bosworths.

In the book, Tom is just starting to live with the Murrays (Enoch & Fiona). He is treated as part of the family and helps Enoch with repairing fishing supplies, and he even goes out fishing with Enoch and his friends. One day, while they are out fishing, a storm appears and Tom rescues a dog struggling to stay alive. Tom names him Thunder, and soon the dog proves his loyalty many times by rescuing various people from disasters. Then Fiona gets pregnant and Enoch is out on a fishing trip. Margaret tells Tom to get Fiona to the doctor, all the way across the frozen harbor, because there isn't much Margaret can do to help under the circumstances. Thunder has to bring Fiona over the harbor with Tom's help very quickly. But then, Tom looses his compass and a blizzard strikes. Will Thunder be able to save Fiona and her new baby?

My favorite part of Thunder from the Sea is when the mummers come to the Murray's house. It is very mysterious, and some parts about that are confusing, but it's interesting to learn about some of the Newfoundland customs. And, later in the book, it's interesting to find out who they were in the first place.

I think that Thunder from the Sea is a very good book with a lot of action. This is a good book about a boy and the loyalty he has for his dog. I would recommend it to people who like dogs and who like suspenseful books. I would give Thunder from the Sea 4 stars. * * * *

I got this book from the book fair at my school.It is a very beloved story.It is about a boy name Tom who gets sent to live with a fisherman and his wife, and he finds a dog of his dreams by the sea in the middle of a storm,but now the fishermans wife is pregnant and the dogs owner may be found.Just read it and find out more.DO NOT listen to any bad reveiws of this book,just trust me read it is VERY VERY good.

Joyce Scarbrough knows all the emotional buttons to push. Reading her fast-moving tale of four teens working their ways through those difficult years, I laughed and wept. I pulled for the protagonists and railed at the villains. And I was thoroughly entertained. It even has a happy ending.

Of course, the characters are too good to be true. As a father of four who went through their teens at precisely the same time, I found myself comparing Jeanna and Mickey to Skip, Wendy, Jeff and Marty, all of whom are now productive and responsible adults in their 40's. But back then their language was vile, they all experimented with drugs and took GED tests to get out of high school early, and protested for or against whatever the cause celebre of the day was.

So True Blue Forever is fiction, which is precisely what the author claims it to be. Jeanna and Mickey are more virtuous than real life; Billy Joe funnier; Wade meaner, although through an interesting twist he undergoes a transformation before the story ends.

Read True Blue Forever for pleasure. I would rate it suitable for anybody over the age of 12, considering the times we live in.

(...)

True Blue Forever, by Joyce Sterling Scarborough.

Let me start with an unadorned statement - I loved this book.

I carried True Blue Forever to work each day and read it on the train, forfeiting my nap on the ride home to continue reading. It brought out laughter, it forced me to wipe away at my mist-filled eyes, it stirred anger, frustration and an adolescent need to pump my fist with an "in your face" sense of triumph. True Blue Forever did, as all good books hope to do - it stirred me as a human being.

Romance is a language that speaks to both the heart and mind. When it touches the soul, however one can be sure the words are pure. Three boys make a silent vow to win the heart of a magnificent young lady in the fifth grade. The story blossoms from there with two of the boys having kept contact with her throughout her life while the third, having returned from a move to another town, reaffirms his devotion by setting out to win her heart. The stage is set, one boy has grown to be an arrogant "jock", one is a comical jokester and the third, this stranger from afar, is a tried and true, steadfast depiction of manhood. Together, they create a whirlwind of interaction centered around Jeanna, a girl who is as beautiful as these three boys believe, both inside and out. The story is sure to touch your soul.

True Blue Forever is not a difficult read and that helps to make it an addicting read. I relished the story as it unfolded and was unhappy when it ended because I wanted more. The characters are not only believable, they are endearing and the love they feel for one another is heart-warming. Jeanna, although frustrating at times (from a man's perspective) with her unselfish optimism, ultimately shows herself to be a most rousing individual, as mentioned above. The three boys are all lucky for knowing her and having her as part of their lives. True Blue Forever is a strong testament of friendship and how hardships can be overcome with the help of those in life who care - even when one has stopped caring for oneself.

True Blue Forever, by Joyce Sterling Scarborough - an outstanding tale of friendship, love, romance and perseverance as well as family, trials, heartbreak and redemption. It's a feel-good book that does its job well.

Joyce Sterling-Scarbrough has given us a trip back to the bitter-sweet times of reaching out for maturity, the agony and ecstacy of the teen-years.
Her characters are solid and the plot is alluring.
A really entertaining story to read. Be sure you read it!

A friend of mine was telling me about this book they were reading and they mentioned that one of the characters drove a Boss 429. Well since they only made about 1200 of these Mustangs, I immediately became skeptical, thinking that the author was just using these rare, top of the line vehicles like they were store brand cereal. So I read the book convinced that it would reek of stale overused stereotypes in every other story. Well it turned out to be a huge girly love story like I had expected. But what I didn't expect, and don't let anyone know this(especially not the Chevy guys), but I loved it. I read it all in one night, a night that was supposed to yield a rebuilt carburetor. But my Holley carb had to wait for Jeana and Mickey and Billie Joe, and I don't regret it one bit. The story line was excellent and constantly had me wanting to read more of it. My wife must have thought I was under the car with another woman with all the lauging I was doing out in my garage, because she came out to see what was "so freakin hilarious," as she put it. Well she read it the night after I finished and absolutely LOVED it. Although she did keep asking me why there was so much grease on the pages. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a great story, not just a love story, but a lot more. This was one of the best books I have read in a long time, and I hope there is a second book on the way? I did have one problem with it however, I felt that Mickey was spending way too much time with Jeana and not enough time with his Ford. But I guess Jeana was just that one special girl we all have. And he really didn't need that much time to work on his Mustang anyway, those Fords run forever you know!

Eleven year old Jeana Russell recites a poem written from the heart at a fifth grade honors program. Three boys in the audience fall hopelessly in love with the pretty redhead, each one of them vowing that one day she will be their girl.

True Blue Forever follows the teenage years of these four friends, Jeanna, Mickey, Wade and Billy Joe, as they journey through their teenage years in the late 1970s.

Jeanna must deal with the different expectations each boy has of her, while maintaining the one relationship she sees as 'true blue'.

Although this book deals with the lives and loves of teenagers, it is plainly written for adults, and is truly addictive reading. True Blue Forever is well written, full of emotion, humor and heartache.

I am really looking forward to reading more from this author.

I am a teacher and I use this book to teach point of view, voice, and character studies, as well as visual clues and class bias. It can be enjoyed as a visually stimulating illustrated book for younger children and as a enjoyable and interesting learning exercise for older children. I enjoy and value this book!

As many teachers and parents have outlined in their reviews of Voices in the Park, Anthony Brown has handed us a remarkable gift. A colleague and I found a single copy of Voices in the Park at a local bookstore where we literally good-naturedly bickered over who would get to buy the book and use it first in her classroom (I won!). I can think of no better book to begin to introduce the concept of voice/point of view to students. I used this book as I began a unit on point of view with my students in Reader's Workshop (3rd grade) and was amazed at the symbolism and subtle nuances they discovered as they explored Voices in the Park for weeks. Even a few weeks into our exploration, my students were still shouting with joy every time they noticed how the illustrations accompanied a shift in mood within the text. Voices in the Park deserves far more stars than are available to give it here. It is a treasured part of my classroom collection. I highly recommend it.

Anthony Browne is the author and illustrator of more than 20 children's books such as Gorilla, Willy's Pictures, Into the Forest and Silly Billy. He has won numerous awards for his work including, the highest international honor for illustration the Hans Christian Anderson Award, the Kate Greenaway Medal twice and the Kurt Maschler Award three times. Browne has once again gone above and behind with his beautiful illustration that tell a story all on their own in Voices in the Park.
Browne has written and illustrated another fabulous book involving monkeys. This intriguing story is told from the perspective of four monkey characters: a bossy woman, a sad man, a lonely boy, and a young girl. All the characters visit the same park and describe their visits completely different. Browne uses different styles of text to represent each character in the story. He also uses different color hues to help express the characters outlook on life. The illustrations have very intricate details, every time it is read a viewer notices something in the pictures that they didn't notice before.
I highly recommend this book for all parents and teachers. Every time I read this book, teachers and children alike fall in love with the very detailed illustrations and interesting story line. The children all respond by pointing out the new images they see in each picture. It is a book that never gets old and gets the children thinking about how everyone can see the same things in a different light.

This is a great book, with very clever pictures throughout. It left my 3rd grade class with much to discuss. They asked to borrow this book for quite some time. I think the only way to improve this book would have been to make the characters human instead of animals.

I found this book when I was getting my teaching certification, and wanted to teach a 4th grade class on "Voice" or point of view. It was the basis for a great lesson! I think this could be appropriate for students in 3rd grade up to a basic high school English class. The same event (a trip to the park) is told by 4 distinctly different characters who all encounter each other in the park. So the story is told 4 times, once by each character. Everything from the word choice, font style, and beautiful illustrations relates the "voice" or point of view of each person. It is not only highly instructuve, it is a visual treat and intriguing. I have read the story many times, and each time the students see something that I missed. I love this book and share it with all my teacher friends and librarians.

I purchased this book for a class on Leadership, and while it might not have been a book I would have selected, it does have some interesting, real-life examples of situations while explaining some basic leadership skills.

The two greatest strengths of Michael A. Roberto's book are its honesty and clarity. He admits that most people are uncomfortable with conflict and that many well-intentioned leaders shut down dissent. He's also honest about how likely it is that things will go wrong along the way, at least temporarily. Fortunately, he's also very clear about steps you can take to guide conflict in a productive direction, and why this matters. Roberto analyzes several well-known examples of bad decision making and shows how the absence of dissent or institutional mechanisms that insulated decision makers from essential - though not necessarily positive - information created serious problems. The list is long and chilling: President John F. Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs, President Lyndon B. Johnson and Vietnam, NASA and the Columbia shuttle explosion. His discussions will give you a powerful desire to review your organization's decision-making processes and, more generally, its culture. As Roberto himself readily admits, his techniques are not cure-alls, nor easy, but they will lead to improvements. We recommend this book to managers with decision-making responsibilities and to anyone who is committed to improving organizational functioning.

Michael Roberto provides a book that can help not only managers, but employees at all levels. Yes-men and Yes-women not only promote (self-promote), and perpetuate their self-interests and its negative effects by what they say, but also by what they *don't* say. This is often as much as or more detrimental. Most of of us have witnessed this no matter where we work, no matter how big or small our organization is.

The 1986 NASA Space Shuttle disaster noted in this book was a prime example. Several investigations and studies examined the thought and decision-making process that caused this debacle. What led to this unnecessary and horrific tragedy? The decision-making process (along with its machismo). This calamity was one-hundred percent avoidable. Launching the Challenger in the first place is considered a criminal act by many.

Roberto uses variety in this exploration and in-depth study of the decision-making process. Appropriate coverage of MLB General Managers is also examined. Sport GMs have to make difficult decisions based upon current market value and and the collective needs, yet also assess what the potential in the near, mid, and long-term future will be. Other critical
examples cited are decision made by politicians. These individuals make decisions that affect the lives and death, of up to hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions, of people. Author Roberto's classic example was LBJ, and how he stifled and belittled those who dissented and raised questions to his disastrous and failed policies in South East Asia in the 1960s.

There are four parts in this book with nine chapters.


Assumptions:

We all make them. No matter who we are, or what situation we're in, we make assumptions. There is an old saying: "assumptions are the mother of all f-ups." Our assumptions need to be tested and checked by others. In today's world - organizations - make many of the major decisions: collective decision making. Providing the proper quality of environment (local to larger corporate culture and management style) that leads to *how* these decisions are made is the focus.

Roberto lists the five myths of decision-making, which are followed up by the "truths" about how decisions are made. Appropriate dissent and debate is needed and critical in today's rapidly changing environment. People who will ultimately make the decision need to ask themselves: "how honest are folks being with me?" Especially when debating, negotiating, and attempting to build a consensus for making the best decision and executing it.

This is one of the many reasons this book can help employees,
team-leaders, project managers, lower, mid, and upper level managers. Those who participate, question, and seek the best solutions get kicked upstairs. Yes-men don't get kicked upstairs, and for good reason.

Those with control should leave their egos at home and focus not necessarily on the "what" but the "how." This books will be helpful and provide results if one wants it to.

Years ago, George Reedy wrote a book, The Imperial Presidency, about his association with President Lyndon Johnson. As I read that book, I was reminded of Hans Christian Anderson's "The Emperor's New Clothes." Recently, as I read Michael Roberto's book, I was again reminded of Anderson's tale as well as Reedy's book. Emperors, presidents, CEOs, etc. who discourage, indeed punish dissent deny themselves access to information, perspectives, opinions, and suggestions which they may need when making difficult decisions. As a result, they as well as those for whom they are responsible are vulnerable to the consequences of bad decisions which can include making no decision whatsoever.

I forget the source but I once learned of a group discussion during which a CEO turned to one of his executives and observed, "You agree completely with me. One of us is useless." (Sounds like Jack Welch.) According to Roberto, the most effective leaders are those who "cultivate constructive conflict so as to enhance the level of critical and divergent thinking, while simultaneously building consensus so as to facilitate the timely and efficient implementation of the choices that they make." Roberto goes on to assert that "effective leaders can and should spend time `deciding how to decide.' In short, creating high-quality decision-making processes necessitates a good deal of forethought."

Roberto carefully organizes his material within four Parts. In Chapters 1 and 2, he provides "a conceptual framework for thinking about how to diagnose, evaluate, and improve strategic decision-making processes. Then in Chapters 3-5, Roberto focuses on the task of managing conflict (e.g. factors that can inhibit candid dialogue and debate). Next, in Chapters 6-8, he concentrates on how managers can "create consensus within their organizations without compromising the level of divergent and creative thinking." In Part IV (Chapter 9), Roberto shares his thoughts about how this book's philosophy of leadership and decision-making differs from conventional views held by many managers. "Specifically, I distinguish between two different approaches to `taking charge' when confronted with a difficult decision." He devotes an entire chapter to differentiating between the two approaches.

Throughout Roberto's lively narrative, there is a strong recurring theme: "leaders must strive for a delicate balance of assertiveness and restraint." One challenge is to be able to do either effectively. Another, greater challenge is to know when each approach should be taken. In this context, Roberto has much of value to say about great leaders as great teachers: "They prepare to decide just as teachers prepare to teach. They have a plan, but they adapt as the decision-making process unfolds. Great leaders do not have all the answers, but they remain firmly in control of the process through which their organizations discover the best answers to the toughest problems."

One final observation of my own. It would be a serious mistake to assume that Roberto wrote this book primarily for senior-level executives. All organizations (regardless of size or nature) urgently need effective leadership in all areas and at all levels. They need people who can make the right decisions, notably when the given problems are especially serious. For these and other reasons, I highly recommend this book to individuals who must make informed and correct decisions about almost any business situation as well as to others who must collaborate on them.

As Roberto well realizes, there are specific reasons why Dante reserves the last (and worst) ring in hell for those who, in a moral crisis, preserve their neutrality. Some decisions require courage, others require judgment, still others must be made quickly and often with insufficient information. How and why are great leaders able to make such decisions, either alone or in consultation with others? In essence, that is what Roberto's book is really all about.

Those who share my high regard for this brilliant book are urged to check out Jason Jennings' THINK BIG, Act Small, Michael Hammer's The Agenda and Robert Mittelstaedt's Will Your Next Mistake Be Fatal?

Boy, if I had a buck for every time I heard that from someone sheltering the boss at the top from the truth, I'd be a lot wealthier than I am now. "Yes" is what flunkies always tell the boss. "No" is what they often need to hear. "No, this project isn't going to pan out." "No, we can't achieve that goal, no matter how much money we throw at it." "No, it isn't going well at all." Problem is, who is going to bell the cat, as the Aesop fable asks.

The book "Why Great Leaders Don't Take Yes for an Answer" discusses behavior of leaders who realize that getting to the truth is more important that getting what they want to hear. And there are plentiful examples from real life situations that show us the tragedies that unfold when this isn't the case (The Challenger disaster for one.)

HOW a question is framed can result in getting answers, not fluff or outright obfuscation. The author lists five good alternatives:

1. Instead of "Why"--"Help me to understand why you believe"
2. Instead of "Why not" "Why not pursue other options"
3. Instead of "What if" "What if we found this assumption to be false"
4. Instead of "What would you do" "What would you do if you were in my shoes"
5. Instead of "What makes that optimal" "You must have good reason for thinking it's an optimal solution. I'd like to hear them."

There's a lot more in this book, but this is a modestly-looking book that packs a huge punch. If you seen projects flame down millions of dollars while the bad news is squelched, if you were a top manager who found out too late that something was heading south when you were told time and again it was heading north, you should read this. Excellent book, and really essential to any manager's reading list.

I use this book as part of my 100th day of school celebration. It helps my k students to have empathy for the elderly. We also discuss what they may look like when they are 100. Wonderful illustrations - typical Mem Fox style - perfect! Love it!

I discovered this book when my roommate told me it was one of her favorite children's book. Both my roommate and I are currently pursuing our Master's Degree in Elementary Education and are always looking for great books for our future classrooms. She informed me that this book is one she had to have immediately after reading it! Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge is a young boy who lives next door to an "old people's home" and he describes each of the elderly people he has become friends with. His favorite is Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper because she has four names just like he does. When Wilford overhears family members discussing the sadness of Miss Nancy losing her memory he sets out to find out what a memory is by asking all his elderly friends. He takes all the things he thinks are a memory and gives them to Miss Nancy. She begins to reminisce about the memories that the items remind her of and she is so happy that Wilford has given her back her memory. This book is incredibly sweet and will have you "awwwww"ing on each and every page. The illustrations are hilarious and depict abstract pictures of the elderly people and Wilford. As a 21 year old I found the book touching and think that children of any age will also be able to relate to it. It is a wonderful book to read to children who have grandparents or family members who have Alzheimer's and can make a little sense about the aspect of losing a memory. This book will most definitely be in my classroom no matter what grade I teach. I would recommend this book to anyone of any age!
-Andrea W.

This book was a favorite of mine when I was young and now I love reading it to my girls. It is so sweet and wonderfully illustrated. My absolute favorite from the spectacular body of work of Mem Fox.

This is a beautiful story. It's perfect for reading to children who have grandparents with major memory loss. The illustrations by Julie Vivas are equally beautiful.

All I can say is I have had this book for many years and it is one of my FAVORITE children's books. Cutely written and the message is wonderful.

I love this book, it has to be my favorite book of all time. Abby is the new girl in town and she moved her from Long Island with her mom and twin sis, Anna.

Anyways Abby is made to write a bio about her life for English. I seriously think this is the best one out of the Portrait Collection. Abby is so down to earth, humorous, and down right honest it's hard not to like her.

There are painful siturations in the book such as the details of her father's death, and the way she and her family handled it. It was with such honestly, you felt for Abby really bad espeically if you lost someone you truly and honestly love.

The hightlights of the book were whenever her family decided to go to Florida for Winter Break, and they althrough started out in seperate ways, but ended up retelling their favorite holiday stories, and creating new ways to celebrate the holidays together as a new family.

If you haven't read this book you should have. You will not be dissappointed. The way the book was written you find it hard not to like Abby especially after all the tragic situration her and her family had to endure, makes her a winner in all levels.

The book has some parts which are funny and sad. Abby tells us how she was born and how she lived on Long Island.

This book was so sad, it went into alot of detail about Abby's dad's death and how her mum never really gets over it (well, thats my impression) and how and how she went through everything. You really start to feel bad for Abby in the end! Read it if you like serious books, but not if you dont!

This book is the best, since Abby's the best baby-sitter! I really miss her in the new series, Friends Forever! I wish that there was a real person like Abby, so I could meet her! Please write some more regular BSC books, Ann, I really miss Abby!

Abby is, without question, my favorite member of the BSC series. (Yes, folks, the BSC has a following of ALL ages). Abby is smart, funny, wonderfully clever and gifted with natural expression. She's great! I like the way she tells her story in a tone of unflinching honesty and the part about the deep bond she and her dad have is classic. I also loved the way Abby's twin, Anna used musical terms to name the chapters of her version of their lives together. The sisters balance one another well. Abby is a very distinct personality and she is sorely missed in the new series. I wish Ann M. Martin would bring her back. Abby rocks!