Lobster Books

This is an absolute must read for any Maineac like me. Highly readable. Written with style, grace, flair and humor. The total opposite of a dense historical tome. Full of fascinating history. Quite wonderful.

Colin Woodard skillfully paints a picture of Maine both past and present, identifying the nuances that make the culture so unique, while detailing the insecurities that plague Downeasters. Through the course of the book, Woodard traces the troubled evolution of Maine as both a political and social state, detailing the hardships that plagued early settlers in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries and the economic disparity that have shaped the modern culture.

As a historian, Woodard is somewhat of a novice. He has difficulty weaving events together into a narrative that can be easily followed and tends to make broad leaps without establishing a proper foundation.

This shortcoming is more than compensated for by his obvious passion and interest in the subject matter. Woodard clearly understands the psyche of Maine. He recognizes that a Mainer is not an individual dwelling in a geographic territory bordered by Canada and NH, but rather somebody possessing a particular mindset... somebody that strives for the simpler things, while struggling to deal with the challenges of modern economics.

For anybody that loves Maine and the Downeast, this is a fabulous read and well worth the time. The book is definitely part history part sociology. But it's worth a look!

This book is a page turner I couldn't put down. Beautifully written, it does a thorough job of concisely telling the history of coastal Maine and, by so doing, gives us a start on the history of New England. It takes us from the earliest settlers to today, and even if one has, as I have, lived on the coast of Maine for close to 40 years, one can learn from the book. Put it together with "Islanders" by Virginia Thorndike, and you have a picture of one of the last best places on earth. Please don't let these books persuade you to move here!

is a all encompassing look at mid coast Maine, both present day and historically. It took me back to High School US history and made the French Indian wars come alive. Hear about modern day lobster pirates from of all places, "Friendship" invading a small island's lobster fields.

Look ahead for what is in store for a severely depleted fishery
then chuckle when a hidden camera reveals the secret life of lobster and captor. Great read, it belongs in your Maine libary.

After finishing the first short section, my first thought was that the book was a bit of a lightweight -- at best, a paperback to read while flying across the Atlantic. But when I got to the second section which filled in many of the historical gaps -- particularly the "why's" -- from Elizabethan England to the Pilgrims to the modern era, I realized how interesting this book really was. Anyone who enjoys travelogues will enjoy this book; perhaps you need to have visited Maine at least once or have some connection to the state, but if you do read it, you will learn much more about the history of the western world than the title suggests.

Kerri Langston has visions. She had them after her father died, leading her to believe he didn't commit suicide. And now she's having them about Mark Travers, the dead man she stumbled upon in the woods near Deacon Pond. But somehow, these new visions are connected to the ones about her father. Kerri is no longer content to let the police do their work; she wants to investigate for herself.

This choice propels her into a dangerous situation. She's caught several times by the crime scene by Officer Roberts, the father of her best friend and her father's partner, before her father died. Kerri's mother is uncomfortable with Kerri's interaction with the police because she still can't get over her husband's death. Seth, the son of Officer Roberts, tries to warn Kerri to stay away from the crime scene, but Kerri doesn't listen; she wants to find the truth about everything. But what will it cost her?

Death at Deacon Pond was a very exciting murder mystery. Kerri's visions are unusual when places out of context of the story, but they seem completely natural in this novel. I felt that there wasn't adequate characterization for everyone except Kerri, but then again, Kerri is the main character. Many times, scenes sprung up on my which can be both good and bad: it's good to have unpredictability in mysteries, but sometimes it just seemed implausible. Nonetheless, Death at Deacon Pond kept me on the edge of my seat; it wasn't exactly 100% high action, but there was a good dosage of it. I loved how all the events and characters connected at the end, which is fantastic for all mysteries. I was completely engrossed during the several hours it took me to read this.

If you love a good suspenseful novel involving mystery and murder, Death at Deacon Pond is a good choice for you. Also, if you liked The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson, you will like this book too. Fans of the Blue is for Nightmares series by Laurie Faria Stolarz will find that Kerri has many similarities with Stacey Brown and her visions but minus the magical aspect. I definitely recommend this fast-paced and exciting book to all readers.

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Greta descriptions of characters,events,and settings bring the story alive. The plot has the twists and turns that mystery readers love. This book is truly a great read. I look forward to E. M. Alexander's next book.

With an intriguing and suspenseful plot, readers will be drawn into Alexander's story of murder, greed, and ultimate betrayal as experienced by an extraordinary young woman who must learn about life the hard way. In this excellent coming of age story, the heroine ultimately discovers not only how she feels about herself but also how she feels about others in her life. Death at Deacon Pond is a moving and poignant tale that is sure to hook any young adult reader. Kudos to E.M. Alexander. We will look for more from this talented author!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I felt as though I were right there with the main character, Kerri, because the author paints such vivid descriptions of setting and character emotions. Ms. Alexander kept my curiosity piqued throughout the book. A very interesting twist at the end!

If it's not enough to suffer the usual injustices of growing up, Kerri is burdened with visions of people in the moment of their deaths: her dad, a local man, and a girl battered in a field. When she turns to the police to explain what she's "seen," no one believes her. And no one can help her.

With its many twists and surprises, Death at Deacon Pond will keep you reading until the last page is turned.

Wonderful story, we never tire of reading it at night, full of humor for all ages. A wonderful way to teach beginners to read! The illustrations are fabulous.

I chose this book, along with a few others, to read to my son's Kindergarten and my daughter's 2nd grade classes at their school and the students absolutely adored it! They think it's hilarious that a shark can be afraid of a tiger. They loved the illustrations with the speech bubbles. Even the non-traditional way of opening the book was a "wow factor" for them. Some of the students even asked me "can you email my mom and tell her the name of the book so we can get it?" I HIGHLY recommend it, whether you're reading to just your own child, or to a group of kids.

So I found this book in, of all places, the Memphis, TN airport bookshop. That was 6 months ago, and I now have the darn thing memorized. My 2 y.o. LOVES this book, though it does require a rather energetic performance on the part of the parent/reader.....BUT, the silly subject matter & illustrations are just the kind of thing that kids get hooked on and make you read it OVER AND OVER AND OVER again! Many, many thumbs up. Kudos to the authors/illustrators.

Kids who like Sponge Bob Square Pants will have an easy transition into this silly undersea story. Shark and Lobster decide they are afraid of Tigers. The fear spreads through the sea and many creatures get together to build a fortress. When Shark convinces them they are still not safe, they dive to the depths of the sea and bring back a sea monster to protect them from the Tigers. However, the sea monster has other ideas when it wakes up, making Tigers seem less threatening. The word bubbles and blocks of action make this book very comic book-like. But nothing is conventional, from the digitally colored illustrations to the orientation. Kids ages 4-6 will get a kick out of reading this book sideways.

You take Viviane Schwarz and you add her to her partner in crime Joel Stewart and things happen. Craaaazy things happen. Crazy mildly disturbing things, but with enough goofiness to allow the duo their place at the children's literature table. If the innate surrealism of writing "The Adventures of a Nose" together wasn't enough for them, now they're back with "Shark and Lobster's Amazing Undersea Adventures". The entire book feels like someone picked up a picture book, found the format dull, and decided to shake things up a bit. Okay, maybe more than a bit. A LOT. Charming and wacked out all at once, this is undoubtedly one of the more eclectic titles of the 2006 publishing year. Like nothing you've ever seen before.

Shark has a confession to make to his best friend, Lobster. Maybe shark is big and scary with lots of sharp teeth, but do you know what he fears more than anything else in the world? Tigers. Now no one else under the ocean has even necessarily heard of tigers, but what shark says about them is enough to give `em all the heebie jeebies right quick. After some fast thinking the underwater denizens set about building a protective fort. When that turns out not to be enough, though, they enlist the unknowing help of a sleeping monster. The monster, however, finds itself a little put-out regarding the role it's supposed to play and after some thrilling chase sequences the it returns to the briny deep. As for shark and lobster, they decide that tigers aren't anything to be afraid of and all is well in the end.

Now the book is one of those rare horizontal formats. You know what I mean. The kind of thing where you read the story with the book on its side, up to down rather than side to side. Other books have done this in the past of course. I think the best known was probably "Tops and Bottoms" by Janet Stevens (and IT won a Caldecott Honor). Inevitably the reader has to ask if this was a necessary way of presenting the book. I mean, is the author/artist just doing this for kicks or do they have a real reason for wanting elongated pages? "Shark and Lobster" definitely justifies the format, to my mind. The first full spread, after all, shows shark floating frightened in a beautiful blue sea. If a kid can look at this image and comprehend what's going on then you've no need to fear for the rest of the book.

I began this review by talking about how weird this book was, and you might have gotten a small sense of that from my discussion of Shark's fear of tigers (finned tigers!) or the fact that you read the book from top to bottom. But those weren't really the weird parts. Remember when I mentioned that Shark and Lobster decide that the only thing to do is find a monster to help them prevent the onslaught of tigers? Allow me to describe this monster to you a little more fully. It has seven eyes, a light at the tip of its tail (on a lantern), what looks like butterfly wings, some tentacles, two arms (wrists akimbo) sticking out of the top of its skull, and freakiest of all, hundreds of high-heel wearing women's legs. Hundreds. Oh... and a forked nose. She'd be cute if she wasn't quite so DADA. Time and again, the legs are what stop people when they stare at this book. I've never really seen anything quite like them in a children's title before. Monsters come and monsters go, but few look as if they've spent their spare hours modeling for Dali on the side. I, personally, think the monster is heavenly, but I guess I could see how some middle-of-the-road people would be seriously weirded out by her appearance. In short, consider handing this book to a kid with easygoing parents. Those of an uptight nature may find monster-dear just a tad off-putting.

With this book, Ms. Schwarz does the writing and drawing and her husband is relegated to coloring only. There's quite a bit of hand-lettering and some illustrations are drawn in ink, but color-wise this puppy's been digitally filled in. And that's all right. It's not your mother's picture book and it doesn't want to be. Instead it's goofy, and sweet, and will end up being one of those books that plague librarians in future years. Example: "Uh, hi. Do you remember a picture book, it came out in the early 2000s, and it had some ocean stuff with a shark. And there was a monster too, I think. And... and okay, I know this sounds crazy, but I think there were tigers? Does that sound right?" I don't envy those future librarians. I do, however, hope lots of kids grow to read and love this interesting English import in all its goofy little glory.

This is probably one of the best children's books I have ever seen... my friend's 8yr old son and 6yr old daughter love it!

I teach second grade and read this story to my class. It really struck a responsive chord in my students. Several parents told me their children came home and insisted upon calling out-of-state grandparents, aunts and uncles. Personally, I found it a really touching story and one that reminded me of how much I hated to leave my grandparents' house when I was a child.

This book provides a wonderful message for any child who has to say goodbye to a family member or close friend. Ms. Chiu captures the emotion of both characters in a beautiful story that is easily understood by both child and parent. The illustrations are a joy to see.

What a wonderful, touching, and thoughtful story this is! I moved to America eight years ago from Eastern Europe, and I can deeply relate to the experiences of both the girl and the grandpa, as well as to the lobster.... I will be reading this tale to my son, who was born in America, so he can appreciate the bravery one must have, when choosing to live between two cultures and two homes. Ms. Chiu and Ms. Takahashi have created a beautiful children's book, with a thoughtful message to both children and adults!

The Little girl in The Lobster and the Sea copes with the feelings of possible abandonment and loss at the departure of a grandparent. Her grandfather is not dying, but wants to go back "home" where he grew up, in this case, China. "I thought this was home," worries the girl. Understanding comes for her in a dream when a pet lobster weeps with the desire to go back to the sea. In the same way, her grandfather longs to see his home place. The lobster and the Sea is somewhat a mood book, both in the wistful crayon illustrations and in the cerebral notion of "wandering" in the world but finally returning to the place of one's birth. It attempts to explain this urge to the Asian American child who might well have no such urge. It also helps to impart the notion of the constant and loyal love pf parents or grandparents, even when they cannot be present.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Florrie Binford-Kichler, Founder of Patria Press, Inc.- an award-winning independent publisher and Member of The Children's Book Council; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

My kids love this book. I had to recently buy a second copy because the first one was worn out from being used so much. It's a wonderful story and the illustrations are marvelous. My kids and I are anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.

i really shake my head and wonder how on earth this was published. weak, weak stuff.

Heard about this book from a friend. Picked it up for the kids and they loved it. Looking forward to future books in the series.

This book is so much fun to read. The story teaches us about consequences in a subtle way but more than that, it is funny. My niece and son love to join in with the noises that Penelope's stomach makes. What child does not love a story where there are burps involved?
The illustrations are full of colour and energy. You won't mind reading this one over and over.

I bought every possible book about San Diego, but this one is the best so far. Very simple, but yet very easy to read and follow. I can not wait to move to San Diego in a month or so.

I got this for my kids, and they were very disappointed -- no pictures! We have gotten DK guides of other cities in the past which are packed with pictures and maps. This is black and white with 2 pages per attraction. Good information for mom and dad, but not designed for kids to read (IMHO).

I've bought many travel books over the years, but this was by far the best. Even for those without kids, it's a great guide. Easy to use, with short descriptions of things to do/see, including parks and beaches, not just tourist attractions, the information was extremely accurate and up to date. I loaned it to a friend who used it the following week and she thought it great too. If I'm ever looking to buy another travel book, I'd go with Lobster guides.

This book is handy, easy-to-read (as opposed to many huge, cumbersome travel guides) and focuses on family-friendly and educational doings in the San Diego area.Best of all, it is written in a fun, adventuresome style -- and most definitely by a mom who understands the intricacies of outings with children! Highly recommended for tourists and locals alike.

"Dinnie" Thorndike, ex-diary farmer and town selectman, also book writer, has written about a type of motorboat she likes. She and husband Phil bought one, a "lobster yacht" they named Sea Smoke. In it they cruised Maine waters and saw other lobsterboats and, about the same time, the urge to write about what she was seeing snuck up on her and she had to start writing. (This happens to us writers. Can't help it.) The book is the result.

Don't expect a scholarly epistle on the origins of lobsterboats and their evolution although Dinnie somehow includes an awful lot of such information. Nope, this book is what its title says it is-a series of lively interviews with those that design, build, operate, and race lobsterboats (race as in "up to 55 mph"). She gets people talking, she listens, she remembers, and it all goes down on paper so pat and smooth I can but envy her skill.

A chapter may be the result of talking to one person. Old-timers Leroy Dodge, and George Allen. Designers Arno Day and Spencer Lincoln. Builders-in-wood Peter Kass and Dick Pulsifer of Hampton Boat fame. Builders-in-fiberglass like the Young Brothers. Lobsterboat racers like Gweeka Williams and the Holland Family. (Did you know that Maine lobsterboats were invaluable support vessels in the unsuccessful effort to defend the America's Cup at San Diego in 1995? One was the famed racing lobsterboat Red Baron, which was used as a weather boat.)

Or a chapter may be Dinnie's assemblage of facts and stories about a subject. Rum-running. Old-time "fishing" (meaning lobstering). Lobsterboat superstitions. Lobsterboats as water taxis and tugs. Lobsterboats as valued family pleasure boats. Lobsterboats seining, hand-lining, gill-netting, and even lobstering.

Dnnie keeps up an easy flow of quotes, stories, facts, and fun. I highly recommend this book if only for the pleasure the reader will get from watching a very good writer stoutly march through a subject.

Informative and entertaining with local flavor from the men who build lobsterboats and fish them. Enjoyed it.

I wish the author had spent more time to the east of Penobscot Bay. With her repeated references to the designers and builders of Beals Island and Jonesport, I felt she should have spent more time there than she did. Interestingly, the oft heard complaint about the impact the modern, fast designs have had on the traditional good looks of the Maine lobsterboat seem to have come from those designers and builders whose boats don't make the "cut" at the seven-event lobsterboat race series held though out the summer along the Maine coast.

A better read than expected but not as complete as I'd hoped for.

Thorndike has assembled a thoroughly engrossing collection of solid information, individual viewpoints, opinions and tall tales about the Maine lobsterboat told in their own words by the people who know and love them best. Each interview unveils the character of the individual as well as the boats they talk about. Downeast life on the water comes alive in the droll understated humor that is their characteristic means of expression. The book is pure pleasure.

Remember your first serious relationship? The breathless excitement, nervousness, and giddiness that comes when you realize that he likes you? Caitlyn can't believe how lucky she is.

She first meets Tyler at an amusement park, in the splash pool. The attraction is immediate and mutual, and the timing couldn't be better. Her best friend, Ashley, is totally engrossed in Brandon, her boyfriend of eight months. And at home, she feels less than invisible. The latest insult is moving to the basement so her room can be turned into a nursery. Her mother and stepfather are finally going to have their perfect baby, a baby they've been trying for for years. It seems they've forgotten that Caitlyn even exists.

At first, Caitlyn convinces herself that she's not changing. She's doing what every other girl does who wants to be with her boyfriend. If she really loves him, she should try to please him, right? She ignores the inner voices that wonder why she's not talking to Ashley about her relationship with Tyler. She lets Tyler talk her into doing things that she would never have considered before. When she realizes that she can't paint a smiling self-portrait she begins to look beyond the euphoria of new love and finds support and forgiveness from her family and friends.

Teen feelings of being alive and loved, truly loved, for the first time, mixed with the uncertainty, stubbornness, and incredibly strong desire to please, are vividly portrayed in this debut novel. Ms. Peters does a beautiful job of immersing the reader in the heady feeling of young love. PAINTING CAITLYN was a very enjoyable read.

Reviewed by: Cana Rensberger

"Painting Caitlyn" draws an honest portrait of young girl's struggle to acknowledge her abusive relationship. While teen readers will certainly relate to the confusion and excitement Caitlyn experiences in the midst of her first love, they will also cheer as Caitlyn not only stands up to Tyler's abuse, but is finally able to face herself with full clarity and acceptance.

I am an adult who enjoys a good teen book.

Painting Caitlyn is such a book. Taking an honest, hard look at relationship and how easily it is to get manipulated when you are in love and trying to please.

Although this is a novel, it is a powerful story of personal responsibility and an excellent read for all teens who are dating or are thinking of dating.

Very well written and deep. Only negative, the book is too short.

The author of Painting Caitlyn totally got it right...she got all of the feelings that go along with a first kiss and a first betrayal and made it feel like it was happening to me. I have never been abused like Caitlyn ends up being but I now see that this is happening to a friend of mine. I'm going to give my friend the book. Because I don't think this is a book that lectures at all. You're enjoying reading and then all of a sudden the character's world is like totally out of control. Everything sneaks up on Caitlyn and suddenly her boyfriend's love which had seemed perfect, suddenly his love isn't a good thing at all: his affection is like being trapped in a never ending nightmare.

I loved this book.

I'm a middle school guidance counselor and I wish every student had to read this. It's a very realistic story of an internet predator. It's written from a 13 year-old girl's perspective so is really poignant for teenagers. There is not anything really graphic or horrible but parts are a little intense.

When Maxine received "Jo," her journal, as a present for her birthday, she never imagined that she would use it to chronicle the most terrifying of events...

Since her own parents refused to install the internet in their home, Max spens a lot of time over at her best friend, Leah's. How dangerous could it be, especially if they never used their real names or told anyone where they lived? Together, the two girls create a fake online persona to flirt with folks they met on their favorite music forum.

Caught by her mother, Max's fun on the internet ends, but Leah's spins out of control. Max is aware that Leah's online relationship is getting serious, but she's as powerless as everyone else when Leah disappears.

Max's entries in "Jo" follow her as she learns to deal with Leah's abduction, and the knowledge that she could have just as easily been the one taken. Although this book manages to be rather preachy at times, I still found it to be an interesting look at survivor's guilt and depression, and stayed on the edge of my seat until the book's conclusion.

Two friends are swept into a world that they never knew could hurt them in many ways and make them regret their actions.

Maxine has always been the good girl with the overprotective parents and the annoying siblings. She doesn't know why her parents are so restrictive on things such as the Internet. Then there is Leah, the only child who is beautiful and who usually gets whatever she wants. So when she gets the Internet she decides to share it with Maxine.

The Internet seems pretty safe to them, like the parts where they are able to talk in forums and log onto the hangouts where everyone at school goes to. But when they meet a guy who sweeps them off their feet, they decide that in order for them to keep talking to him they must lie about their age and anything else that would jeopardize the relationship.

Each girl begins to talk to different guys, writing to them every day; Maxine by relaying the messages to Leah through the phone and at school, and Leah, who does it secretly. The relationships begin to deepen as the guys begin to charm the girls. For Maxine, her mistakes are caught in time -- but for Leah, it was too late.

DEAR JO begins six months after Leah goes missing and Maxine, who is not only vulnerable but didn't even know that her best friend's "relationship" with her guy was getting so serious, is trying not to lose hope that one day her friend will return.

Written in diary/journal entries, DEAR JO is compelling and intriguing and focuses on an issue that most of us do not think of as serious. Christina Kilbourne writes a novel that will leave anyone who discovers it speechless.

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

Everyone loved this book, it was just perfect for someone learning the alphabet and loves lobsters and all that Maine had to offer

This delightful book will definitely appeal to young children learning their letters, but perhaps even moreso to people of all ages.

Lobster, of course, indicates Maine and so the author takes us through the entire alphabet with animals, places, or ideas associated with that state. On each page is a simple rhyme concerning the word starts with that letter. On the side of the page is more information, perhaps scientific or historical. I learned several things I did not know. The illustrations are not only beautiful, but technically accurate as well. One must really see this book to appreciate it.

Interestingly, at no time does it seem that the author had to reach to come up with a word for any given letter. Quick: what would you think of for the Letter U? Why the University of Maine, naturally -

The University of Maine starts with U Here, students called "Black Bears" dress in blue. A University is a place where big kids go to learn about everything they should know.

This concept could easily be used as a family game while vacationing. It almost makes me wish my children were younger and still traveled with us.

I heartily recommend this book and as a teacher I would like to see something just like it for each state in the Union.

We bought this book for our trip to Maine The whole family found interesting facts and wonderful pictures. There is text geared to mature people - like even some adults - and, of course, the simple alphabet for the tots. We learned things about Maine we never knew and we've been going there for more than decade. Heck - our relatives who LIVE there grabbed the book. After all - Maine is WAY more than just lobsters.

I'd recommend this children's book to any family interested in learning more about the great State of Maine. We plan on buying others in this series.