Brooks Books

"Love is an unreasonable thing -- that's something else she'd like to tell her grand-nieces back in Winnipeg. You can't predict who you'll fall in love with. Of course you can live a lie, and not follow your heart, and suffer secretly."

When, as a guy reader, I find a beautifully-written book about three interconnected generations of women with their stories of love, losses, family connections, and long-held secrets to be a totally compelling read, to be a book that demands an immediate second read, and to unquestionably be one of the YA highlights of the current year, then you've got to figure that it is one heck of a book.

In fact, I am so in love with MISTIK LAKE that I am skeptical of my ability to overstate the case for reading and sharing this stunning book.

"I don't say anything more to them. Just lie there being the filling in this sister sandwich. It's great to be here again."

Time and again I found myself laughing with total delight as the strands of story, which crisscross several time periods between the 1940's and the early twenty-first century, flow so effortlessly into one another and reveal all of the interconnectedness -- for better or worse -- that revolves around a little lake community whose name is a Cree word meaning "wood."

"Memories of every summer spent at Mistik Lake come flooding back as I give this old man my hand. He takes it, pulls me into his arms, and clasps me in a ferocious hug.
" 'Welcome, welcome, welcome!' he cries. 'Come in and meet Lilja. She's made you coffee! And cake!'
"As I'm ushered into the house I give a backward glace at Jimmy, who throws up his hands with a smile.
"His grandmother, a tiny woman, pats my hand, beaming, too, as I take her in -- her large ocean-colored eyes."

The tale of Mistik Lake is told in alternating chapters from the point of view of three characters: Odella, the primary narrator, whose story is the one told in the first person, her Great-Aunt Gloria, and a young man Odell's age named Jimmy Tomasson. But the character who is at the epicenter of the web of stories is a woman long known to all of Mistik Lake: Odella's mother, Sally McLean, nee Thorsteinsson:

"On a stone-cold night in 1981 a carload of teenagers went joyriding out on frozen Mistik Lake. The car careened around a few ice-fishing shacks, knocking one over, eyewitnesses said, then skidded and shimmied farther out on the lake, suddenly broke through the ice, and sank to the bottom. "There was one survivor -- our mother, Sally.

It is the rare young adult novel that so perfectly combines teen sensibilities and edginess and lust and dreams with an elegance of language and an unforgettable sense of place. MISTIK LAKE is truly a unique gem of a book.

For some people, the times in their lives in which everything finally comes together are the same times that everything falls apart.

Meet Odella, a teenage girl whose family is drowning in secrets. Odella and her two sisters are adjusting to the fact that their mother has abandoned them to move to Iceland with another man. Now they are faced with their mother's death. Odella must now deal with questions about her mother that may remain unanswered. Why did her mother drink so much? What really happened during that accident at Mistik Lake when her mother was a teenager? Why doesn't her Aunt Gloria visit anymore? And why is it that everyone in Mistik Lake and Manitoba seem to know the answers to Odella's questions?

Odella's life isn't all bad. There is Jimmy Tomasson, the boy Odella met last summer. Jimmy has come back into her life and Odella is thrilled to have him. But even Jimmy seems to know more about Odella than she does.

MISTIK LAKE is the story of two generations of family and the secrets they share. Author Martha Brooks tells the story through the viewpoint of three different characters: Odella, Aunt Gloria, and Jimmy. This compelling story will pull you along, tempting you with the promise of tantalizing secrets. More than that, Mistik Lake demonstrates how far the damage from those secrets can reach.

Reviewed by: JodiG.

Both young adults and younger audiences with parents who like to read aloud will appreciate the lovely new Shirley Climo story collection Monkey Business: Stories From Around The World, featuring color drawings peppered throughout by Eric Brooks, and monkey-focused stories from Africa, the Americas and Asia. This isn't a picturebook, nor is it entirely fiction: 118 pages blend folktales with facts and provide fables, proverbs, legends, and introductory facts. A unique, gorgeous coverage suitable for any elementary-level animal book collection.

BIAS ALERT! I am the illustrator of this book and VERY excited about it :) MONKEY BUSINESS is my first book illustrated for another author and also contains some of my favorite illustration work to date. A big thanks to Shirley Climo for writing the book and to the editors at Henry Holt for letting me illustrate it.

The 14 different stories (and monkeys within) required careful research on primates and cultural/enviromental settings at zoos and libriaries. Expressions and gestures are certainly exaggerated for effect, but opposable thumbs, prehensile tails etc. are all pegged to the appropriate primates. Enjoy!

MacIvor and Brooks create a masterful exploration of theatre and humanity in this work. It is cutting edge, powerful, and definitely unforgettable. The characters are full and dynamic, the story is eery and spellbinding. This is a play that is worth your time.

Like many of his plays, Monster is a solo performance with a frightening edge. It gets under your skin in such a seductive way that you don't even realize that you're going to be left devestated by the end of the work. A solo man plays numerous roles in an acting tour de force that should make the world stand up and take notice of Canadian theatre and drama. If you read it, you'll want to see it (or perform it), and if you do... spread the word. Long live MacIvor!

This is a wonderfully written book. There are so many features that make this book to be owned by anybody. For one, the book is bilingual. You can read the Spanish portion and learn from the English text as you go along. The pictures in the book, make this a book that is fun while dealing with serious content. And once you read this book, you will forever remember Annie. Her story is uplifting and helps reinforce the idea that no matter what differences we may have, with help and the will to overcome challenges, we can use our differences to better ourselves. This is a great book for the classroom and is a wonderful resource for anybody wanting to learn a little bit about a condition called hydrocephalus. Once you read this book, you will want all your friends and family to read it as well.

A BOOK EVERY CHILD (AND PARENT) SHOULD READ
By Constance Castaneda, Speech and language pathologist, New York


Imagine that you are born with a disability that affects your motor skills and makes your body do odd things. It makes one of your hands smaller than the other and nearly useless, and makes one of your legs weaker.
Imagine that due to this condition, simple tasks become difficult and hard tasks become practically impossible.

What if that disability made you the target of ridicule as a child, and now as an adult it still makes people stare at you, or pretend not to see you when you walk down the street?

What would you do?
Perhaps you should do what Annette Perez did; you write a funny, uplifting children's book about your experiences.

The New York City native of Puerto Rican descent, and York College (City University of New York) graduate, just released a children's book titled My Brain Won't Float Away (Campanita Books, New York) based on one key event in her childhood that changed her life forever, for the better I should add.

It's the story of Annie, an eight-year-old girl who, realizing there is something "wrong" with her, gathers the courage to ask her mom what is going on, leaving her mother with the tough job of explaining to her daughter that she has a condition called hydrocephalus (also referred to as "water on the brain," even though as you learn in the book, it has nothing to do with water). Her first reaction, as I am sure we all can imagine, is fear. Annie is scared of that strange-sounding label her mother has just placed on her, and terrified when she hears that she has "water on the brain." But knowledge is usually a good way to dispel fear, and with her newfound information Annie embarks on a journey of discovery that teaches her about hydrocephalus, but also teaches her about love, friendship, and courage. The book is a pleasure to read, and Ms. Pérez gives Annie a voice that sounds fresh, and authentic. As a person with a disability, she knows first-hand the daily struggle that so many adults and children have to go through to do what most of us take for granted. She writes about the time and determination that it takes to learn to live with a body that sometimes will not, and at other times cannot do what you wish it to do.
And she does it while telling a story that reads more like an adventure (which it is). That she also writes on the subject of being ostracized as a child for being "different" and how important it was for her physical and emotional well-being to be accepted by her peers, is a lesson that any child reading the book will relate to, without the need for lectures or a preachy tone. You have to read the book to understand how well it was written, and how much fun it is. Yes, fun.

Ms Pérez, who based the story on her own experiences growing up with hydrocephalus has covered so many bases that it feels like My Brain Won't Float Away is the only book that you'll need to buy for your kid this year. Funny? Yes. Suspenseful? Yes. Uplifting? Yes. Educational? Yes. Does it help you practice a foreign language? ¡Sí! I forgot to mention, My Brain Won't Float Away is also called Mi cerebro no va a salir flotando. The book is 100% bilingual in English and Spanish! That means it is also a perfect tool for any bilingual program. And it is a jewel in any language.

Recommended for all Parents, Elementary Teachers, Special Education Teachers, ESL Teachers, Librarians, Counselors, and Occupational Therapists. A must have for Character Education Curriculum Collections. Children 6 to 10

It contains a lot of information, both historical and cultural,
but it's not the kind of guide that offers tones of accommodation info.
Suitable for those who'd like to get off the beaten track.

My family went to the Czech republic in 2003 with this guide. We used it to take as many at 10 day trips around the Czech Republic. The book divides its destinations by regions. It is easy to use. It has great pictures. The guide takes you to lots of museums or places of culture. In fact, many of the places we went to had school children and their teachers. It is not a guide for great beer or food. Though it does list some restaurants.

What happens when a young boy loses his head? He must retrieve it in this humorous tale where the word "head" makes its way into the narrative throughout in imaginative ways. Fun and visually appealing. Hats off!

After working as a Reading Specialist for the public school system for several years, I began to realize how much awareness of word play and figures of speech have been lost as we enter raise and educate a new generation of children. In Ned Loses His Head, David Slater brings word play back into reading in a wonderfully entertaining story. This book is sure to be a great hit not only with elementary kids but with teachers and parents as well. It demonstrates how creative one can be with the English language.

Text includes study guide, CD, access code and unopened Diet Analysis CD.

This book was required text for a nutrition class I had taken for my Bachelor's degree. I found the book to be a very easy read with lots of interesting information on health and nutrition. The book explained things in simple terms that were easy to grasp. I highly recommend this book not only as a textbook, but also for anyone wanting to have a basic understanding of nutrition.

Book arrrived in a short time and was in great condtion.Will recommend this site to everyone I know that is in need of books.

My professor assigned this text for my first ever online course. I was worried that with out the lectures that I would have a hard time understanding the material and properly completing my assignments. I found this text easy to understand and very informative. I really enjoy the controverisies at the end of the chapters. It gives you a relatable aspect of what you just read.

This book came to me as my classroom textbook. It now sits in my car and accompanies me with my trips to starbucks. This is an easy to read book but it is also very informative and very thorough.

I purchased this book for a college course, and it is extremely well-written, easy to read and informative. The companion DVD is especially useful. I highly recommend.

This book arrived very promptly and timely, and it was like a brand new book!

I bought this book for class and I would say it really helps a lot in a way that it gives more explanations and more details about things that are not discussed in class. Because usually teachers do require reading and details that are not covered in class would still be on the test. And, some teachers do not explain some things very well, so reading this book helps in understanding the theory.