Fourth of July Books

I feel that the praise for this novel, particularly on this site, has been somewhat extravagant. Though it is a decent first novel, it pales in comparison to Baxter's later work, which I read before reading this. I'm a huge fan of Baxter, however, I found the book anticlimactic and consequently unsatisfying. Using an unconventional narrative form, Baxter takes us backwards in time though the characters' lives. However, nothing happens. Yes, we get a great deal of insight into the lives of these characters, but they are, for lack of a better word, quite passive and frankly unentertaining. Where I can point out nothing wrong with Baxter's style or subject matter, I simply found that the book fell short of where I expected Baxter to take me. Still, if you're a fan of Baxter its worth the read, if only to get a taste of how his work has changed over the years. Check this one out from the library, but buy A Relative Stranger (a collection of short stories well worth the money).

If a modern novel could be perfectly written, "First Light" would qualify as a canidate. I admit that I'm partial to Baxter's writing, but you'll have to forgive me because he's a really good writer. He turns ordinary people into interesting specimens, looking at their lives through a literary microscope, making the reader want to look ever closer.

This is exactly what happens in "First Light." Baxter starts at a certain point in his main characters' lives, then proceeds backwards to the moment on one of their births. At each new intersection, we learn something about their lives, getting an understanding of how their experiences and views of the world are shaped. As the reader goes through the novel, he/she really understands why they are acting the way they do. As a literary device and metaphor, light figures prominently, and at the end of the novel we really do see the first light of morning, literally and figuratively, and wish to tell the characters how their lives will unfold. But alas, we can't, but we can analyze our own lives and wonder how we got to where we are.

This is one of Baxter's better works, and the four stars are to be taken as a comparison to his other writings.

Years ago, a friend read this book, then immediately gave it to me because, she told me, I'm also an astrophysicist who once lived in Buffalo, NY. Those facts are irrelevant -- I would have loved this book in any event.

Charles Baxter created the people in his book so exquisitely that I always feel I am there, traveling along in the story with them whenever I read it. I've never had such a close personal experiences with written characters.

He defines and develops his people as they alternately live in their present, and in their receding pasts; his creativity results in characterizations that are very strong.

I find myself unexpectedly writing this review after wanting to check if the book is still available; I'm not surprised to find that it is. And happily for me, as my copy is in pieces.

I just reread First Light, and it's even better on the second reading, in part because the reverse chronology takes on a whole new dimension when you have some recollection of what has happened earlier. It's a sensitive story of a brother-sister relationship, with all the resentment, competition and love that such relationships entail, and it's told by a man with an eye for detail and a prose style just about unmatched in contemporary American fiction. Enjoyed A Feast of Love too, but I think First Light is always going to be my favorite Baxter novel.

Baxter begins this book with a glimpse into the life of a family in a state of static malaise. Rather than take the story forward he begins drifting backward in time, layering in incidents and moments that start to explain how the family got that way. In the hands of many writers this would feel like a gimick, but Baxter has the grace and skill to pull it off beautifully. With each chapter our questions are answered and our understanding grows.

Very unique book that offers a realistic perspective on Chinese-American children. Can be used with any other culture when teaching children about adapting to the American way of life.

"Apple Pie 4th of July" (2002) by Janet S. Wong ("This Next New Year","Buzz") could have a multitude of functions in your classroom, depending on the age of your students and your subject. For older students in Language Arts (3rd-5th), this book will provide an example of character development. In this story, a Chinese-American girl tells her Chinese parents that their customers do not want to eat Chinese food on the 4th of July. The girl believes that people only want American food like apple pie on such an American holiday. Her parents continue with their plans of offering Chinese food in their market. Your students will enjoy reading about this girl and discovering whether or not she is correct. You will appreciate the manner in which Ms. Wong develops this character. Since the girl's parents were born in China, this book will function as an introduction to immigration for younger students (K-2). As the girl is living within two cultures, this book will serve you well in a unit on multiculturalism (K-2). You should include in any discussion the colorful illustrations by Margaret Chodos-Irvine and the fact that the girl is dressed in red, white and blue. The illustrations depict a cultural blend of the traditional 4th of July parade and fireworks with Chinese main characters and foods.

I did like the story. I read it to my 7 yearold son and we thought it was a good story to read. The little girl in the story did not think that her food that her parents prepared and sold would be something Americans ate on their holiday celebration of the 4th of July. How wonderful to be in America and have a place that makes oriental foods right down the street from whereever we live. The little girl is surprised that customers do start coming and her mother and father are quite busy preparing the food. The parents are not surprised, they seem to understand a little better than their daughter about the retaurant business in America. Americans love to eat!

I found the book great at identifying the problems Asian Americans face growing up in the American culture.

This story is told by an Asian-American girl whose family owns a Chinese food restaurant. The narrator is frustrated and discouraged by the separation of American culture and her own culture. ("No one wants Chinese food on the Fourth of July, I say.") However, as five o'clock arrives, so do a few surprises.

Wong's simple tale and Chodos-Irvine's striking illustrations combine to form an endearing story about how the combination of different cultures forms the true culture of America.

Reading Level: Grades 1-2

Three of these four [very] short stories relate to the holidays...

"Christmas Party" has (inveitably?) Wolfe in a holiday mood and role.

"Easter Parade" celebrates Wolfe's ongoing desire to stay home, no matter what.

"Fourth of July Picnic" recalls "Some Buries Caesar" a little bit.

"Murder is No Joke" is the only non-themed story here, and, in my view, it's the strongest for plot and characterization.

I hope we'll see these on audio CD or download some time soon...

Nero Wolfe is constantly getting himself into fixes through three character flaws. Arrogance, Cupidity, and Eccentricity. He must then shake off his indolence and use his intelligence to extricate himself from whatever predicament he stumbles into. Frequently he must extricate himself through the device of an elaborate caper designed to expose a killer while simultaneously burying his embarrassment.

Each of the four stories in this book has as its centerpiece an elaborate caper. In two of the stories Wolfe engineers a caper to extricate himself from danger; in the one the caper places him in danger; in the fourth, he is victimized by a caper and solves the mystery through sheer force of logic and deduction.

In "Christmas Party" Wolfe's fear that Archie is going to marry causes him to masquerade as Santa Claus and become prime suspect in a murder. In "Easter Parade" Wolfe's envy of a rival orchid grower causes him to stoop to petit theft and become embroiled in a murder mystery. In "Fourth of July Picnic" Wolfe discovers a murder at a picnic, attempts to flee without reporting it, and must expose the murderer before he himself gets arrested for obstructing justice. In "Murder is No Joke" Wolfe provides all the usual suspects with an ironclad alibi. How can he break an alibi that he himself provides?

Classic murder mysteries rarely bear any resemblance to reality. I've handled hundreds of homicide cases over the years, and the puzzles presented by real life homicide investigations bear no resemblance whatsoever to the puzzles presented in murder mysteries. You can imagine my pleasure on finding that Wolfe solved one of the mysteries in this book with exactly the same stratagem employed in a case that I prosecuted years ago. I've long since lost track of the investigator who solved that little mystery, but if I ever see him again, I'm certainly going to ask him if he has ever read any Nero Wolfe.

Spend the holidays with Nero and Archie, and quickly discover Wolfe quick thinking as he solves the mysteries faster than you can turn the pages. The last one is particularly good, as Wolfe takes offense to the fool who tries to fool him. In the others, Wolfe himself is cast in the spotlight as the police begin to even suspect his involvement - but naturally, his intellect always bails him out.

This edition now boasts "As Seen on TV!" on its cover, alluding to the fact that 1 (so far) of the 4 short stories herein has been adapted by A&E. Since 3 of the 4 are set during major holidays, Jane Haddam (author of the Gregor Demarkian holiday mysteries) was selected to write the forward. Apart from her forward and the afterward, the book is pure Stout, set after both _Black Orchids_ and _The Black Mountain_.

All four are murder investigations. The Ingram editorial review incorrectly implies that the killings were committed by 1 person - they're not. The cases are unrelated, and are only grouped in one volume because of a common holiday theme.

"Christmas Party" - The A&E adaptation is faithful to the story. Archie, having arranged for a day off, receives brusque instructions to cancel his plans and drive Wolfe out to Mr. Hewitt's for a special orchid powwow. He whips out a marriage license (!), with the news that he must attend his fiancee's office Christmas party that day. You've _got_ to read this one, if only for Wolfe's reaction to this. :)

"Easter Parade" - Rumor (via his gardener) has it that Millard Bynoe has bred a pink Vanda, but he refuses to admit it or display it before his wife wears a blossom for the Easter parade. Wolfe, giving in to acute orchid envy, has Archie arrange for a petty thief to steal it under cover of parade photographers. Unfortunately, that's the day that someone poisons Mrs. Bynoe, apparently with a dart shot from a fake camera.

When originally published in a magazine, the photos referred to in the text were provided in color as clues. The old hardcover edition of the book provided them in B&W; this edition omits them altogether. It's a pity, but does not detract from the story.

"Fourth of July Picnic" - Wolfe never leaves the brownstone on business; his friend Marko Vukcic (and by extension, his restaurant, Rusterman's) is associated with most of the things that can get him out. He has agreed to give a speech at the annual picnic of the Restaurant Workers of America, if they'll stop harassing Fritz to join their union.

"Murder is No Joke" - A different version of this story appears in _Death Times Three_.

Never read James Patterson until the Women's Murder Club. Have completed the entire series and am hoping there will be more coming. His style is unique; short easy reading chapters, interesting characters and spellbinding. Had a hard time even answering the phone; couldn't put any of his books down!

This book i must say wasn't the best JP book i've ever read and i found that about half way through it slowed down a little but like all JP books the ending was thrilling and i was and i was glad to have read it.

My daughter brought this home from the school library and I'm ordering our own copy today.

I completely agree with the first reviewer. This is a very nice, simple story about lots of traditional activities on the 4th of July. Makes me want summer to hurry up and arrive!

We love the Magic Tree House series, and Mary Pope Osborne has created another wonderful book.

An extended American family celebrates a traditional 4th of July, in this lovely picture book. Starting the day with a children's parade, enjoying pizza and popcorn, buying tickets for a raffle, then enjoying carnival activities, face painting, balloons, and finally ending the day with a barbecue, and concert under the stars with fireworks finale, the family has a wonderful time celebrating Independence Day. The illustrations are a little hazy, very nostalgic and timeless, with colors that depict the warmth and fun of the day. Any child who has ever attended a city park 4th of July celebration will recognize the activities depicted here. The text is short and simple enough to be included in a patriotic themed storytime for preschoolers. This will be a great addition to a holiday collection for which not that many books for children have been written.

The idea for a Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Super Mystery is an excellent one. This way fans, both male and female can read about their favorite characters working together to solve a mystery. The dectectives start out working on two different cases, that end up connected in the end. These novels are modern, and updated to meet the needs of today's kids. Older fans, will remember the old 70's TV series, that brought the three detectives together, this book reminded me as such.
In Murder on the 4th. Frank and Joe are in Bayport, investigating works of sabotage at a fireworks company called "The Dragon's Breath". The company just landed the account to put on the show in Seattle, for the 4th. However someone (or someones) is out to stop them from succeeding. There are plenty of suspects to choose from all of whom have motive to ruin the company. Of course there is also a love interest for Joe Hardy who falls for the owner's daughter. This assignment eventually brings them to Seattle where they run into Nancy Drew.
Nancy, along with Bess, is in Seattle for a celebration of the Orca Odyssey, the girls learn that a business man who is a major fund-raiser has been accused of murder. Nancy takes his case and sets out to find the truth.
Stolen paintings, a murder, and a plot to assasinate a top American official. This book is exciting, has cliff-hangers at the end of the chapters. Also great descriptions of Seattle and all of her landmarks such as the Space Needle. (Having lived in the Seattle area, it was a trip down memory lane).
Some criticism. Bess is portrayed as a naive girl, who only thinks about food and shopping. Why the author portrays her as such is beyond me. She is constantly asking when they can get something to eat. This got old very quickly.
Also, the Orcas. The back of the book makes it sound as if the whales are a major part of the plot. There not, there are paintings of them that are stolen, but that's about it. So don't think this is a book about whales or saving whales.
The book has an exciting ending, as soon as one mystery is solved, there is still yet another question to be answered and time is running out. A great book to read during the 4th of July, makes you feel as if your part of the action.
As a Jr. High Reading teacher, I recommend this book to anybody from Jr. High to high School students. Teachers may want to add this to their library. Parents can rest easy knowing their kids are reading a good decent book and building their vocabulary. Good for mystery lovers and those who like adventure books that move quickly.

This is a really fast moving book and I enjoyed it a lot.

I just recently saw the movie and became obsessed with it, so the next logical step was to read the book. It took me a few days to find it though, and in the meantime I read a lot of things about it, which might have been a mistake but whatever. Aparently it was a lot more violent than the movie, and a lot of people found it less satisfying because of this. Views on it are pretty polarized. Either people love it and put it up there with (or even above) Lord of the Flies, or they just don't get it and are turned off by how different it is from the film.
The edition I found has a new introduction by the author that talks about how it came to be written and his reaction to the film when it was made. He didn't like the film. He thought they made to many changes and that it only coincidentally resembled his novel. Things like making the gang mixed instead of all black, not using the slang that he worked so hard to portray accurately (apparently he sat in a rented van for weeks observing urban gangs talk and interact) and he thought the acting was generally poor. I can see where he's going with these things. it's his vision and they missed it, but I don't really agree. The changes that were made to the movie were pretty necessary. I don't really think it would have worked or had the same appeal if it was done exactly like the book. If for no other reason that it was written in the mid 60's and the movie made in the late 70's, times had changed a lot.
This sense of anachronism was something that I had to keep in mind as I read it. At first it was hard to get a hang of the narrative, but I got used to it. I think it helped a little that I was prepared by the author and other reviews. I had a better idea of what was meant to be important while I read it.
The plot points were more or less the same as the film. The only major difference is that in the book the gang is not directly blamed for the death that happens in the beginning. In the movie this is used as the driving force behind the numerous antagonists. But in the book it felt as though the entire city was already against them. The looming feeling of danger was all around them and it didn't need to have a coherant motive or reason to oppress them. I thought this was more subtle, but a lot more effective once I noticed it.
Since the danger is mostly intangible, and formed from their own perception of the world, it's much harder for them to overcome it. Instead of fighting other gangs to get home, they have to wrestle with one another and themselves to try and figure out what home is.
I had been warned about the violence, and it was there. But there was something strange about it. It was almost as if the violent acts were commited by the gang as a whole, and not the sum of it's parts. These were the things that the gang did to survive or keep face. But when each of them is taken away from that entity, they do not share the burden or guilt of it's actions. I will admit that they do some pretty terrible things, but in the end I did not hate them for it. They acted like a gang, not like a bunch of young boys. There's even a clear distinction of this in the text. The act of wearing or concealing the gang emblem had a real effect on the characters. A lot can be read into that, but I won't go into it here.
The end of the book was another thing that a lot of people took issue with. Some reviews I read said that it wasn't nearly as satisfying as the movie, that it just kind of stopped. I disagree with this completely. In the movie they reach their home and look back on it with a new kind of respect, and also the understanding that it is not the whole world. It's hinted that they will give up this life and leave. Maybe even grow up and become part of that bigger world.
In the book it doesn't just end. There's is something similar to that restlessness and need for change, but as with so many other things in the book, it's a lot more subtle.
I originally read this book to fuel my obsession with the movie. I wanted more of those characters and that city. Instead of getting just more though, reading the book was almost a whole different experience, and just as rewarding. In the end I thought it was very good. I greatly apreciate it's differences from the fim. In his introction to the book the author says that even though the movie is a cult classic and helped define a generation, no one really knows that it was based on a book. This amuses him because without the book there would have been no movie. I'm glad that I tracked it down and am part of that smaller minority.

So I bought the game for ps2 having never heard of it but thinking 'this looks good'

Anything 70s cult or camp appeals to me.
Then I bought the movie, then I found out there was a book!

The movie is one of my all time favourite movies AND games.

The book is the origin of its idea.

The book is violent, brutal, filled with rape and extreme ultra violent crimes. The 'coney island dominators' (name the Warriors in the movie)
are ruthless.

I recommend this book to ANY fan of the movie.

Warning = extremely violent. Extremely hard to put down!

This is a case of going overboard on detail. I found it stupid at times and boring. The characters had very little appeal to the reader, even though they are bad guys, sometimes you can still relate. The subway ride was drawn out and the final conclussion had no substance

This book was amazing! Sol Yurick did an incredible job with description! I couldn't put it down from the moment I got it. It was way better than the movie!

cool book quite different from the film..and as a fan wasnt expecting it.charachters in the book put a relatively new twist on my perception of it both film and book.
good though.

There's a steady beat to the text, which plays into the movement of the parade, and arrests the listener almost enticing them to turn the page. The phrase "music and drum" is repeated throughout, and is so catchy I find myself humming it afterwards. The poems are strained in places, but overall the writing is pleasing to the ear. The illustrations are delightful, and brightly colored. The artist, Gustaf Miller has a homespun appeal. The images are realistic; yet there's a casualness, and lose flair to his paintings.

We don't learn anything about Independence Day in Hats Off for the Fourth of July, which is fine, but I wonder if the illustrator has ever been to an Independence Day parade. There are a few American flags painted into the scenes, but every Fourth of July parade I've attended is adorned with American flags, and even the spectators are decked out in our nations colors.

As there's little in the way of reading material for young ones on our country's birthday, the book passes the test, and the illustrations are certainly worth a long look.

What a great book to introduce children to patriotism and the All American parade! The illustrations bring a parade to life! All three of my kids ages 6, 4 and 20 months loved this book! Like a real parade, something for everyone!

This book captures the essence of a favorite American event - the annual Fourth of July parade that can be witnessed in almost every small town. Ziefert's rhyming story is wonderfully illustrated with vivid paintings of the different entries in the parade. Uncle Sam on stilts, the Little League, the High School Band, the local beauty pageant winner---it's just like the author says "Everyone marches on the Fourth of July". My favorite picture is the one of the baton twirler trying to retrieve her baton from the mischievous pup that caught it. This book is an excellent one to read aloud to toddlers and preschoolers.

This book was so evocative of my memories of Fourth of July celebrations in my hometown in Wisconsin. From sparklers to grand fireworks, from wagons to parades, from wiggling jello to yummy picnic fare, this book is populated by a never-ending family--it's wonderful, joyous reading. And the ending gives me shivers each time I read it--thank you Marsha Wilson Chall for putting my memories into words.

As a librarian living and working in the midwest, I was thrilled to get a beautifully illustrated book celebrating July 4th. Not enough is published on this holiday. I was very disappointed, though, to see that the book lacks any depiction of people of color, who certainly inhabit many small towns throughout this country. Shame on all the powers that be who allowed this to go to print with such a narrow perspective. There is no excuse for not making this book truly representative of America, with all its hues, especially in the long shots, where dozens of townsfolk are depicted.

It's a funny book. We really like the way Nick and Justin pretend to be knights. When we went on our summer vacation to the Adirondacks, we hiked Bald Mountain (the one referred to in the book). The book makes the hike seem more adventurous. We strongly recommend this book.