Youth Books

What can you say about Always the Young Strangers, other than it reads as well in 2004 as it did in 1953. Sandburg's look at his boyhood in Galesburg, Illinois has all the elements of opening a time capsule and looking back at the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
I am most fascinated by Sandburg's relationship with the Krans family who lived outside of Galesburg on a small farm. The respect that Sandburg accords the Krans' sturdy immigrant spirit permeates the entire book. Read the description of John Krans' death at the end of the book. It brought tears to my eyes.
Sandburg's shakey relationship with his father also attracted me to the book since I had the same type of relationship with my dad. August Sandburg never appreciated his son's writing talent. It took the mother, Clara, to nurture her son's mighty pen.
When I worked there in the 1970's, natives of Galesburg would tell me how much Sandburg hated the city. Always the Young Strangers tells a much different story. The love that Sandburg had for Galesburg and western Illinois jumps off the pages of this book. What a great read!

Carl Sandburg's Always the Young Strangers is not a new book but that is what makes it such a compelling read. In an era marked by the popularity of the memoir, Sandburg's tales of growing up in Galesburg, IL at the end of the 1800s and the beginning of the 1900s allow the reader to hear a distinctive voice no longer with us speak again. This is not any ordinary voice either but voice of a poet clearly in love with words. Though his boyhood stories are simple, they are rich with detail that allow us insight into Sandburg's future as a poet and as a most notable biographer of Abraham Lincoln--in it, for example, Sanburg recalls attending a funeral procession (probably one of many held across the country in a time long before TV allowed the nation to mourn together as we did when JFK was buried) for U.S. Grant and watching from atop his father's shoulders as the various mourners passed. Clearly, this event, along with others he mentions, fed Sandburg's curiosity about the Civil War and led him to write his many volumes about Lincoln. If, like me, you enjoy autobiography and memoir, you will enjoy Always the Young Strangers.

If one hears the name Sandburg, the first thing to come to mind is probably "Fog" or "City of Big Shoulders." But in reading this wonderful memoir, we are reminded of what a fine prose writer the man was. The tale of his struggling Swedish immigrant parents finding their way in late nineteenth century America and young "Charley" as he liked to be called, as the name Carl marked him as a foreigner, is a fascinating glimpse of a bygone time and place. The interesting jobs that young Carl took on, such as traveling the back roads selling stereo-optican views, and his conversations with a civil war vet are rewarding and insightful. I believe this is a wonderful read for anyone with a love of biography, history, or simply good storytelling.

Amelia Earhart is a very good book. I think every child ages 9 - 12 should read Amelia Earhart because it teaches them to do what you want to do. Amelia's dad was trying to stop her but Amelia said it was her dream to fly. Amelia always liked to see the airplanes take off to fly. I think Amelia Earhart is a very excellent book.

Amelia Earhart, Young Air Pioneer is well written, delightful and nicely illustrated. A geat read for both boys and girls, ages 8-12, and sure to entertain and inspire.

Once I started reading this book, I had a hard time putting it down. I thought this was a super book and I can't wait to read more of the "Young Patriots Series." I highly recommend this book to kids my own age (10 years old).

Brittani Castle

I was touched reading this book. Even though I knew Karen since I was a little girl there were details and nuances of her life that I didn't. The book offers beautiful stories about the small moments and the heroic moments of her life. The book captures her effervesence and is extremely inspiring. It was a pleasure to read and a wonderful tribute to a life well lived.

Kathie FitzPatrick's book, Angel Promises, is a journey into the odyssey of losing someone precious in one's life and then, through the process of this experience, attempting to find a purpose that goes well beyond the loss and the pain. The book is the story about Karen, her daughter who died in the Thirtymile Fire in July 2001. It is a story told through Karen's poetry, writings and experiences. But Angel Promises is also a dialog by a parent, and rightly so, as it describes a mother who, while celebrating her daughter's life, at the same time, is sharing her own suffering, questions, and her experience in finding answers through her faith. The book is a dialog rooted in the nature of faith and that age old question, why do these terrible things happen? Through the compilation of this experience, Kathie has modelled in tangible terms, through the publication of these thoughts and memoirs, a method by which others on this journey can rediscover those lost as well as themselves in a way that reaffirms the assurance that God still cares. Angel Promises would make an excellent background reading for courses dealing with the teleology of human suffering or the challenge of personal loss.

Firefighters throughout the world joined together to grieve over the loss of four young wildland firefighters. It was on a hot dry July 10th day in 2001 when 18 year old Karen FitzPatrick of Yakima was trapped with three young comrades and died. The whole nation was in shock.
Safety issues sprang forth from the tragic fire that will be heatedly discussed for infinity.
"Angel Promises" is a well written memoir about a lovely young woman who was denied adulthood by circumstances. For lovers of poetry, this book is a must read. Verse is incuded by both Karen and her mother Katherin (the author). The reader will obtain an understanding of the physical events that were never reported by the media relative to this fire in Northern Washington state, but far more important is the way the emotions leading up to and afterwards, are portrayed by beautiful verse. I highly recommend "Angel Promises." Of all the "tags" or key words available, I think "Inspirational" would far outshine any other possible tag. (9-2-07) The circumstances behind this tragedy are going to be more and more in the National news. Get a head start on a major issue; read "Angel Promises"

Anna DiVito has lovingly crafted this Level 2 easy reader and it shows in the finely detailed illustrations and the concisely written story. My twin sons are reluctant readers and this book captivated them from beginning to end. This is an exciting tale in the adventurous life of Annie Oakley that doesn't center around guns and thus, it is unique and just right for young readers. It is appealing to both genders and the art enhances that appeal.

Annie Oakley captivated me when I was a young girl. This book captivated the 2nd graders I read it with. It's historical fiction, gives some basic information about Annie O's life, includes a timeline, and has a story based on fact that tugs at the heart. It's simple enough for this age group to understand and read alone. Nicely done illustrations, too!

Beautiful, amazingly-detailed illustrations and an exciting story that held my daughter's attention. Well done!

Also enjoyed Eleanor Roosevelt and Thomas Edison by DiVito.

This wonderful book tranforms incidents that we can all identify with into brilliantly captured observations about life. I am struck by the book's honesty and Ms. Gordon's ability to inject an aura of mystery and intrigue into the incidents she recalls with such lucidity. It's a great read, very moving in its simplicity and yet filled with Proustian overtones, giving the book its strength and power.

Emily Fox Gordon may well become known as The Great American Memoirist for ARE YOU HAPPY? A Childhood Remembered, and her previous memoir MOCKINGBIRD YEARS. To read these books is to spend welcome time in the warm and brilliant company of a deeply insightful writer.
ARE YOU HAPPY? invites us into the compelling story of Gordon's childhood that is at once shockingly personal and universal. She reveals a psychic landcape, an event in our cultural consciousness, a deliciously discerning expose of family life, the fifties, parental love and failure. Her awareness of herself and the world is so evolved that the book unfolds as an exquisite map of individual consciousness, the "socialization" of that, and the brave refusal to limit one's imaginative life and primordial communion with the world.
She writes so well that I read many of her sentences over and over to savor them, and in fact savored the entire book. Gordon has a true gift for writing of profound emotional conflict with empathic clarity. This is a book I value most of all for its wry introspection and moments of awareness that explode in revelation. It's not only about a childhood but the self in all its pain and luminosity.

In the post-Frey era, it's refreshing to discover a memoir that
reflects the ways in which memory really works. Are You Happy? delights with loose chronology and fleeting images, like the balloon glimpsed after the child has let go of the string. Yet the book is grounded by scrupulous attention to detail, with attending sounds, tastes, and fragrances that fully realize each hovering miniature. Here, one understands the author carefully scrutinized the past not to recite a history, but to evoke and describe a state of being, embracing the privilege, and one of the goals, of the memoirist: to make art of the past, as would a painter, or a musician improvising on a theme.
Highly recommended.

Justin came to our school today, he was really funny! I just wanted to check out his book because he talked about it, and he said the same thing, that if your friends do it for you, they will do it to you. There was some other cool stuff he talked about.

Justin just came to our school today, Freedom Middle School, and he was really funny, and i also learned a lot from him! he was so cool! I have not read the book yet, but Justin talked about it and it sounds cool. I rated the book a five, because even though i did not read it, i thought it would be good if i did!

Well I have 4 words for you.... THis is book is awsome. This guy came to our school. He was hilarious, and he helped me point out some things about my relationship. When he was there we would keep us laughen, he talked to all of us who walked up.I know he said alot of inspirational things that got me and alot of my friends really going.He is awsome, his books are awosme, if you EVER get a chance to meet him, do it... and if he reads this letter, i doubt he will, but HEY STORK, HOW'S THE WEATHER UP THERE?lol, and he also helped me realize that if my friends would do it for me, they will do it to me!!! thanks alot Justin...

This book brings a fresh call to every Christian alike, and offers hurting people great hope.
I would recommend it as `Must Reading' for everyone; Especially to those in Ministry.

This book brings a fresh call to every Christian child and adult alike, and offers the hurting great hope.
I would recommend it as `Must Reading' for everyone; Especially to those in Ministry.

Jon D Parish does a wonderful job in this series of paralleling these adventures with truths found in God's Word. I would recommend this book as 'Must Reading' for every Christian and non-Christian alike. It is a great tool for Ministry.

I am a 9 year veteran of youth ministry and I have read hundreds of books on youth ministry, but this book tops my list. It is the only book that I feel shares my philosophy for evangelism in youth ministry. I use it as a training tool for my youth staff. Whenever I get burnt-out or discouraged or some adult has complained to the senior pastor that a teen has green hair or an earing, I always go and reread this book and it lights the fire again. GET THIS BOOK!...

I first heard of this book from the head youth guy of our state. Hutchcraft is well known for his radio ministry, and his book reflects his years of front line experience. Great illustrations and motivational sections alongside real practical advice. I think the "Four Deadly Decades" and the "12 Sentences That Define a Generation" alone are worth buying the book.

I absolutely believe this is one of the best books in dealing with our current trend of teenagers. Hutchcraft gives specific ideas on how to reach this new generation of teenagers. I put this book above Boshers and Fields as the top three in student ministry.

Because I Love You: The Silent Shadow Of Child Sexual Abuse by psychotherapist Joyce Allan (Coordinator of the Chid Development Resource Center and past Fellow at the VFH Institute on Violence, Culture, and Survival) is a compelling and revealing report on the psychology, beliefs and values underlying the child abuse associated phenomena of silence-keeping, not only by survivors of child abuse, but by their friends, family, and communities as well. The format is a compelling memoir, enhanced and informed by the expertise of a trained and experienced child activist. Because I Love You is strongly recommended reading for professionals dealing with (and students studying the psychology of) child abuse in general, and what the author describes as the "ecology of child sexual abuse" in particular. Because I Love You is a welcome contribution to the national dialogue regarding the sexual abuse of children, and in that regard is recommended to the non-specialist general reader as well.

Joyce, in a very intimate way, has revealed to the reader the consequences of keeping secrets about child abuse. We get to know her family as she reveals in a unique manner the story she must tell. Thank you, Joyce, for this vulnerable and important work. You may save a child from being abused today.

I was deeply moved by this book and its authentic and sensitive treatment of a subject seldom spoken about. What gets into headlines is shamefully limited in understanding of the scope of the problem, and only with understanding will victims and perpetrators alike find the courage to seek help. And, the understanding needs to come from all, not just those directly affected, because our lives are all intertwined. What hurts one of us hurts all of us.

We must educate ourselves and this book has opened both my mind and my heart.

Books by Augusta Stevenson can always be counted on to deliver a good story and to respect a child's intelligence - and to teach. The book opens: "A long time ago, away up in New England in the little city of Boston there was a certain blue ball. It was about the size of a cocoanut, and it hung above the front door of a certain little house. On this blue ball was a name - Josiah Franklin. That was all, but it was enough. Everyone in Boston knew that the blue ball was the sign Josiah Franklin used for his candle-and-soap shop in Union Street. They knew that he lived in this little house, too, as most tradesmen did in those days. They knew that the shop was in the front room facing the street, and that the Franklin family lived in the big room just back of it." The Childhood of Family Americans series, almost 100 years old now, chronicles the early years of famous American men and women in an accessible manner. Each book is faithful in spirit to the values and experiences that influenced the person's development. These books reaffirm the importance of our American heritage.

us historians of our past...I highly recommend this biography of a young printer, Benjamin Franklin. Stevenson talks about the bigger of Ben's life, however going into smallest details in ocations(In my opinion: Like all biographers should.)This is a small price for a large book and may be ordered from Amazon.com!

I thought that it was a good book because I like biographies. I especially liked the part when he went to the Latin School and he couldn't say the poem because the school master gave Ben the wrong poem. I recommend this book to you if you like to read biographies. I also recommend this book if you think that a president's life would be interesting.