School Time Books

Phyllis Ann Naylor's haunting York trilogy dips back into time travel and the haunting presence of the gypsy family. Though it doesn't answer all the questions, "Footprints at the Window" gives a note of finality to this trilogy.

It's been a stressful summer for Dan: He's found that Huntington's Disease runs in his family and may strike him down when he's in his forties, his father is being tested, and he is haunted by magpies and visions of the Faws, gypsies, whom he encountered in York -- even to the point of being drawn back into the waning days of the Roman Empire. Now a family of gypsies has come to the land near where his grandmother lives, and it's making Dan nervous.

What he finds is seemingly another Faw family, a few years down the line and with radically different names. And while trying to help the girl Oriole -- who bears a striking resemblance to Orlenda -- Dan is drawn back in time. Now it's the Middle-Ages, during the time of the Black Death, and he is the only person to recover from the disease. He encounters another incarnation of the Faw family, and for the second time tries to help the beautiful Orlenda escape to safety. What will happen will change Dan's life forever...

Perhaps the only flaw of this trilogy is that in the third book, some of the threads are left dangling. For example, I was never entirely sure why it is that Joe, Dan, and the Faws are repeatedly featured in the past; the implication seems to be that they were reincarnated, especially since Blossom refers to her grandfather being the exact image of Ambrose Faw.

Naylor hasn't lost her talent for atmosphere, either between the characters or in a given place. Dan shows a plausible growth in character, and a new philosophical bent that he did not have in the first book. This new maturity is reflected in his actions in the Middle-Ages and his increased acceptance of "what will come will come."

As the story progresses, we also see that it is less a story about gypsies, past lives or incarnations, or time travel, but rather a story about Dan and the inner struggles that are brought into focus and greater clarity by the events of the trilogy. Gratifyingly, there is also a note both of finality and of "starting again" in this book, a wistful acceptance, and a very real sense that sometimes a thing like Huntington's Disease can't be predicted.

A good conclusion to an extremely good trilogy, "Footprints" is definitely worth checking out.

Four Stories for Four Seasons follows the mishap adventures of four friends. A dog named Master Dog, A frog named Mister Frog, a cat named Missy Cat, and a pig named Mistress Pig. Follow them through Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. And there are really 4 stories for the 4 seasons. The stories and pitcures were done by a man named Tomie dePaola. Which if you like this book, then check out some his other works. I enjoyed seeing how 4 the four friends spends each season. And I leave it to you to find out what they do for the four seasons.

I can't emphasize how much I learned from this book and how interesting it was. I have read several children's books on Frida Kahlo and this one is the best. I'm hoping to read the books in the series about other artists too. Very, very good.

This book by Peter Weston for the general reader is an illustrated life of Friedrich Froebel that places him in the turbulent political and intellectual context of his times. It also identifies those aspects of his educational practice that are of enduring value in the contemporary world.

THis book has an interesting and innovative plotline, with an invigoratingly different flava of characters. Its socio-political analysis of the economic instability of the eastern prussian oil community is both informative, yet pleasingly origional in its useage of tantalising satire and a darkly written comical side. Overall, Geese Find the Missing Piece is a modern fable of the struggle of the working classes against their masterful social overlords.

My room is not the neatest room on earth but it is not the messiest either. It is one of those rooms in between. I would like to have the time to have it be more organized, but it never seems like I have enough time. This book helped me organize everything in my life including time, my room, my schoolwork, my goals, and what I want to save my money for. It helped me not by only having ideas written on the page of the book, but made me think of my own ideas and actually made me want to get organized. My room is now more organized, I have more time on my hands to do things I enjoy, I am not losing my homework every night, and I now spend my money more wisely and end up having what I got the same day I got it--(Not spending it right when I got it). If you need a book that is not so thick that you never think you will finish it, but a book that gives you a lot of information, this is the book to get to help you organize everything in your life! :)

I thought this book was well writen and had strong people. I think the mom felt sad through the whole book though because of the father and brother dying, girl coming back and her having to tell her to go away, and the girl going away to college, then to teacher and living there and jail. Overall I was in supense to see what would happen next.

God's Big Picture Bible Time Line includes pictures of the major events and people of the Bible in a reproducible format. You have the most used Bible pictures at your finger tips and in a usable form. For a homeschooling parent, a Christian Education Director, a Sunday School Teacher or anyone else who works with children and the Bible this book is a must.

This is a collection of children's poems. I found them absolutely delightful and lightheartedly funny. My little daughter enjoyed hearing them as much as I did reading them. Poetry is something every child should be able to experience and enjoy.

My son is in first grade and an avid reader. He selected this book from his school library and reading two chapters a night, we finished it in less than a week. Even thought it looks complex, the text and the illustrations in the book are wonderful. It's very well written and easy to read. My son knows most of the words in the book, and there is a glossary in the back for specific terminology. It's very engaging and stimulating even for an adult. I love reading it to him!