School Time Books

I really did not enjoy this book very much. While I love Diana Wynne Jones' work, the book is not her best at all. Almost none of the characters were likable and the ending was strange. However, there is one reason to read this book. This book is something of an autobiography. I read an auto biography of DWJ on her website, and the descriptions of Cart, Imogen and Fernella (or whatever her name is) in this book matched those of young DWJ and her sisters in the autobiography.

The four sisters, Imogen, Sally, Cart and Fenella, are all unpleasant and unlikeable. They are immature and uncared for in much of the novel, and perhaps that is the reason for their often bizarre behavior. Their parents, in their callous behaviour to their own offspring, are also very unlikeable.

Unfortunately, it takes at least half of the novel to make sense of what is happening in the plot. By that time, I was out of patience with it, although I did finish the book.

Diana Wynne Jones has written many better books. Try Archer's Goon, The Dark Lord of Derkholm, The Year of the Griffin, Howl's Moving Castle, Power of Three, the Merlin Conspiracy or Deep Secret. Give this one a miss.

I have so far enjoyed all of Diana Wynne Jones' books, and this one was no exception. It's a good story as well as an adventure. Besides just that, having a favorite author consistently providing good stories of varying subjects is refreshing.

Charlotte (Cart), Selina (Sally), Imogen and Fenella Melford had a tugging contest over a rag doll. The doll lost and was ripped into quarters. Cart felt guilty and sewed the doll back together. Then to make it up to Monigan she invented the Worship of Monigan and awakened an ancient goddess whose out for blood.

Sally's spirit travels back into the past after her boyfriend Julian Addiman, also a Monigan worshipper, throws her out of his speeding car. Sally, possibly due to the trauma of this incident, can't remember who she is. As things start to come back to her, she tries to influence her sisters to fight Monigan or the goddess will claim Sally's life on July 17th, as promised 7 years earlier.

This is a very dark story that deals with mature subjects like domestic violence, parental neglect, dark occult worship etc. I thought the plot was very original but a bit confusing when Sally didn't know who she was yet I kept reading because Jones peaked my curiosity. I wanted to know what was really going on. This book starts out rather slow but it just draws the reader into the story.

This book is a difficult read. It is not easy sailing, though the writing is superb. This book is unconventional to the extreme. There are two confusing points in the book, one of which is the ghost's identity (which sister is it?), and the other is that fact that the ghost is NOT a ghost of a dead person. But you can figure out the ghost's identity fairly quickly if you pick up several obvious clues that many seem to miss, and this book is one of my favorites.
I won't go into the plot--other's, such as the publishers, have done it already--save to say that it is not gory or freakshly disturbing. If you are zealosuly religions, then you may not like this book, as it does have a "dark, old, female something" (a goddess-like presence) and severe neglect from the parents regarding the four sister-protagonists. One of the sisters goes missing, and the parents doen't even notice after several days, even though the mother comes in to say good-night and the father throws a rage at them later, even going through all four names without noticing before leaving.
This book is more like a window into a at-once familiar and fantastical world than a science-fiction/fantasy novel, a world where things that most people go through in childhood (such as a play-sceance using scrabble-letters or a belief that there is a ghost in the house) do not collapse into disbelief with time but are confirmed in a subtle, definite way. THAT is the whole of the 'horror and occult' in this book.
The characters are exactly drawn. Perhaps others do not know people as unusual or interesting as the four Melford sisters, but they are the sort of people who are at the edge of the population, who turn into famous artists, writers, musicians--the sort of people who go into history books (the sort of people who are very unusual). They are disinctly portrayed, and you can feel that you would recognize them on the street after reading the book. The personalities are very vibrant, and the entire book is a pleasurable read. You may want to reread this book later, because it is one of those books that can be reread many times; not open and direct, but secretive, mysterious, and very well-woven. Five stars on this one. Diana Wynne Jones has done an excellent job and has not been afraid to step out of the borders of conventional fiction writing to turn out a novel of striking originality.

I read this book when I was 12 or 13 and it wasn't too bad. I remember it being witty and entertaining, don't expect anything too thought provoking though.

I wouldn't suggest this for anyone over 14 since it's a bit of an easy read and rather fluffy. (And not good fluffy like Old Magic, just boring fluffy.)

T.S. Eliot once famously said, "Some editors are failed writers, but so are most writers." This saying is very ably demonstrated here.

I found this book painful to read, not only because it was dull and tedious, but also because it was implausible, illogical, grammatically flawed and just plain badly written. The writer didn't seem to know how to write properly, and I'm convinced that she didn't actually understand the meaning of many of the words she was using, judging by the way she used them. She just sort of threw them together, and made pretty sentences that weren't entirely right. Moreover, she didn't just fail in a grammatical sense, she also failed to create a compelling, interesting storyline, which in my view is a far, far bigger sin. I can overlook grammatical flaws in a plot, so long as there's some great ideas behind it (as in the case of 'Lady Knight' by Evangelynn Stratton, or 'The Rose and the Beast' by Francesca Lia Block, which are both amazing books.) But there was no forgiving this. I almost got the feeling that this writer was a history teacher trying to make a history lesson more 'interesting' by turning it into a novel...and failing. There was loads of historical fact here--most of it dry, a little of it highly interesting. But it stood out from the plot rather than blending in. A good writer would have blended history and fiction until they became indistinguishable, like melting together chocolate and cream to make a delectable, tasty truffle. But this was more like blending tripe and lentils...the blend was obviously a mismatch, and an unpalatable one at that.

I lost count of how many times I put this book down, thinking, 'I can't go on, this is more painful than getting a leg wax!' And yet, I did persevere, because I paid retail plus shipping costs for this book (which, when you factor in the exchange rate of my humble Aussie dollars to your American ones, is quite a bit of dosh!) and thus thought, gosh-darn it, I'm going to get my money's worth out of it! So I finished the damned thing. But frankly, in retrospect, I would rather have had the leg wax.

If you're a hopeless romantic like I am, my guess is that you are going to be disappointed with this book too. In spite of the book's title literally promising 'Timeless Love', the reader doesn't even glimpse the hero for the first time until TWO THIRDS of the way through the book. And even then, the romance between him and the heroine is as underdone as a rare steak. This writer seemed VERY afraid of writing anything remotely mushy. One wonders if she shouldn't be writing non-fiction history books, as she seems to know her stuff much better when it comes to that.

The characters are two dimensional and unlikeable (actually, the bad guy was almost more interesting than the good guys), the heroine 'Sam' is often as dumb as a box of hammers but with less charisma, the dialogue is almost worse than a kiss from a scorpion with haliotosis, and the plotline is so full of holes I could use it as a collander. The worst thing, though, the thing that I found most implausible about the plot (other than the way the future changed when Sam went back and forward through time which was so fraught with paradox I began to yell "That couldn't happen!!") was the fact that Sam could cure King Edward VI's terminal illness simply by making a few changes to his diet, and taking a dog and a bit of fur out of his room. Now, I should have found this plot twist compelling, since I myself suffer from food and environmental allergies, and know what a huge impact they can have on your life. But no way are allergies that easy to diagnose and fix, and no way can they be cured in the space of A FEW HOURS, especially without cleaning any extra animal hairs and dander out of the bed linen or environment! Call me pedantic, but that was just too unrealistic for me.

The front cover is the nicest thing about this book. But of course, even this is flawed. The girl on the front cover has beautiful, straight blonde hair, whereas the heroine in the book has frizzy, over-permed, damaged hair with ugly streaks through it.

I gave this book two stars because it's not completely without merit. The author does do things right from time to time, and you'll even find the occasional touch of brilliance here and there. But otherwise, I don't think this was worth the sacrifice of chopping down the trees needed to make the paper it was printed on. The nine to twelve year olds will probably find this okay, so long as they're history buffs. But for anyone older, they may find they've already outgrown it.

If you're interested in love stories set in this exact period of time that involve Lady Jane and King Edward VI then get hold of the dvd 'Lady Jane' starring Helena Bonham Carter and Cary Elwes. It's touching, it's poignant, it's sweet and it's a damned sight better written than this book.

I bought this book after reading a review somewhere. When i picked it up i was like ok it is good but it did get better. It is definetly for kids 15 or younger just becuase of the way it is written. However i am 21 and i liked it.
After wrecking her dad's brand new BMW, she wishs (while holding her necklace) that she was anywhere else only to transported back in time. She soon finds herself in love and wanting some soap. She eventually gets back only to find that everthing has changed because she went back in time, so she goes back again to fix what she did. She even just might get the guy she loves from when she went back in time :)......

This is one of ther best books i have read like ever! and belive me i have read a lot. I found it very fun to read and it kepped me reading it till the end! i never put it down untill i finished it! it was great and i will mostl likely read it many more times. It has made my intrested in history and other things. I really love it because of Barnaby! it is just so cool because i love Ierland and fell in love with hids carecter!

I usually hate mushy romantic books but timeless love is simpley amazing! The main character is independant and easy to relate to! I recomend this book 100%

I purchased this book for my 3rd grade son to read and he loved it. Here's what he thought of the book in his own words: "It is a cool book. It is funny,adventurous and exciting!"

Im obsessed with the future and when i read this book i loved it right away.The ideas on anti gravity discs were cool(letting people fly!)And how Sam,Fred and Joe met their great grand daughters!I love to read books on the future and this book is great!I reccemend this book to anyone who likes reading future books.

I didnt' like this book. It flip flopped around and got confusing and I got frustrated.

The Time Warp Trio (Fred, Sam, and Joe) warp into the future. In the year 2095 they end up in a museum, the same museum that they were in, except in the future. They try to get back to their own time (1995). They run into some weird people, such as director Green and Uncle Joe. The problem in this story is that Fred, Sam, and Joe can't find the book. The book is the thing that allows them to go into the future and past, like a time machine.

This book is awesome because it is the only one I know of that goes into the future. In the past you already know what happened because you can just look it up in some history book. But the future is unexpected. I thought that the idea of the going into the future was great. This book was the first time warp trio book I ever read, and then I read some more because it dragged me into the series. If you like time warping I think you will want to read 2095.

The situation is a familiar one to children's librarians nationwide. A wide-eyed youngster walks in, clutching the latest "Captain Underpants" edition to its chest. The child has read through every Dav Pilkey book out there and the parent is desperate to keep them reading something... anything! So what do you hand a child that has gorged his or herself on a steady diet of fart and poop jokes? Jon Scieszka to the rescue. As an author, Scieszka has attempted to gets boys to read as much as possible. Checked out www.guysread.com if you don't believe me. Now none of this is to say that "Captain Underpants" is strictly a guys book. Of course it isn't. But boys do make up the majority of the readers and finding them additional material is nigh unto impossible sometimes. That's why I love "The Time Warp Trio". No, they're not too smart. No, they won't make your child an instant Honor Student (not on purpose, anyway). These are just books that slip in tiny bits of factual information along with interesting plots and storylines that are fun. And "2095" is just one of the many.

As our story begins, our three heroes Fred, Sam, and Joe are facing a deadly Sellbot, 100 years in the distant future. A quick flashback to the past and we see how they got in that difficult position. As always, the three boys have a magic book that usually drops them in unknown time periods for no apparent reason. Fortunately, Joe seems to have found a solution to the problem. The boys, for the first time, are able to tell the book what year they'd like to go to. And what time period could be more fun than a quick shoot to 100 years in the future? Once there, however, the guys bite off a bit more than they can chew. They have to escape enraged curators, dodge sellbots, learn how to levitate, and order $151 pizza slices. The real question is, will they ever be able to make it to the past again alive?

Admittedly, this is not one of the stronger "Time Warp Trio" titles. Unlike some of the previous books, Scieszka doesn't plumb this rich material for all it's worth. The future looks like every other "Jetson" inspired flying car fantasy. Also, it's clear that the author hasn't much hope for future medical technologies if his heroes are convinced that they'll be dead 100 years in the future. Shouldn't they have done 200, just to be safe? The plots a little jumpier here than in the other books and some lines of though are a little too frantic.

But honestly, we're not debating the merits of a Shakespearean sonnet. We're talking about good crude fun. The kind of book that comes up with an amazing array of ways to describe the act of vomiting in a somewhat classy manner. Now, if you're kid has already fallen for the Time Warp Trio books and you're looking for OTHER boy series reads, I'm rather partial to the "Sidekicks" series by Dan Danko. Otherwise, stick with this trio and you'll be just ducky. Good for those kids that yearn for reading matter that's more silly than cynical.

Hatching Magic was definitely one of my favorite books of all time. I liked the book because of mostly one reason. The main character was one of the best that I have ever read about. Her name was Theodora, and I think that I would not have liked this book at all if she was not in the book. She made the whole book worthwhile. At the beginning of the book, her father was going on a trip by himself, and she was not allowed to go. "Dodo" was left behind with her sitter, Mikko, and that is what started one of the best summer vacations of her life. She was a strong, and awesome character. She was also brave, I don't think that I would have survived a summer of wizards, mythical creatures, and magic on my own. I say again, without Theodora, this book would be terrible. Most people would have liked this book mostly because of the wizard, Gideon, But I think that Gideon was one of the characters that I could ignore. When the story came to a part that included Gideon, but not Theodora, I could not wait until the next chapter so that I could get the story of my favorite character in the book.

Theodora feels she is old enough to go with her father on his summer research assignment; however, once again she is left at home with her nanny, Mikko. What makes this time even worse than the others is the fact that her friends have all left for the summer, and Theodora has yet to collect the cards to get her into the Wyvernkeeper's Circle. But then Theodora finds a wyvern trump stuck to the bottom of her shoe, and Theodora's summer changes drastically.

In another time and another realm, Gideon is searching for Wycca, his pet wyvern. Much to his chagrin, he realizes that the pregnant Wycca has disappeared through a bolt-hole to another where and when. Gideon must enlist the help of a Harvard professor to help him find the appropriate wyvern-fetching tools in this strange where of Boston in the when of 2002. They must locate Wycca before she falls into evil hands.

Hatching Magic by Ann Downer is a great book to read in your spare time. It has magical critters and holes in time. There are a lot of really odd animals like wyverns. There are two wizards and a girl as the main characters. All three characters have trouble in this story. It starts in older times and then to a now a day's time. I read this book and I liked it because of the magic, mystery, and excitement that it has.

This book is full of adventure, magic, and excitement. You never know what is going to come next. An evil pair, a good pair, two dragons, and two girls. What will happen to them? Read the book and find out!

P.S. I think this surpasses Harry Potter -- and that's saying something!!

JB, age 8

The book Hatching Magic, by Ann Downer, is about a wizard, Gideon, from thirteenth century England who looses his wyvern, Wycca, through a bolt-hole to a different Where and When and ends up following her to twenty-first century Boston, Massachusetts. A girl, Theodora Oglethorpe, who suddenly finds his wyvern trump card on the bottom of her shoe, but if it falls into the hands of Gideon's half brother, Kobold, Kobold will gain more power and try to get his revenge on Gideon. Wycca, who's hatchling is about to come out of her shell, is also having trouble finding a nice comfortable place to hide her nest from the new world. As Gideon explores the new world he is introduced to Professor Iain Merlin O'Shea who works at Harvard University. Merlin, as he is called in the book, shows Gideon all the new technology of the twenty-first century. With the help of some magic and friends Gideon gets his card back and returns to thirteenth century England with Wycca and Theodora has an exciting summer and gets to actually touch a real, live wyvern. This book is interesting and adventurous with action. I'd recommend this to someone who likes fantasies and magic.

This book is interesting because the author makes the book seem real like it could happen. The book is also interesting because the details of different characters are so perfect and that the author doesn't say that the animal is a dragon, the author says it's a wyvern and that's what gets me thinking that it's real. It's also interesting how the author tells the reader how Gideon is seeing things in the new world. When the author is talking about him she'll explain what things he finds new to him how he sees it. The author does that with every character. The names in this book are interesting too, like Gideon, Wycca, Kobold, Febrys, and Oglethorpe. The first four names mentioned are from medieval times it seems like, and Oglethorpe is an outrageous name I've never heard of.

This book is adventurous because once Theodora finds the wyvern trump card everything gets put into place and everyone's trying to get something from the other. Febrys, the demon serving for Kobold, acts as a human woman in public who has foot problems. She also can go into someone's body and act as that person, and just like Gideon, although, they are from thirteenth century England. At the end of the story Gideon and Kobold are fighting for the wyvern trump card and they yell spells at each other trying to kill each other for the card. It's also adventurous when Theodora's trying to take care of the baby wyvern because Wycca had fallen in flight with the baby and were separated. Febrys was in Mikko, the caretaker for the Oglethorpe household, so Theodora was noticing differences like when Mikko made the omelet of eggshells and anchovy dip with dish detergent apple juice. Theodora had to try and feed the wyvern but it every time she did it threw up on her.

Also this book has some action at the end where Kobold and Gideon were fighting with spells. Kobold made Gideon sink into a hole in the floor of the Oglethorpe household. Then Gideon said a spell that created Kobold's coat into live moles that itched really badly. Then Kobold made Ouroboros, Gideon's trusted snake into an anaconda to suffocate Gideon which cracked one of his rib bones. Then Gideon yelled a spell which created bees all over Kobold's face. What topped it off though was Kobold's banned spell that produced a ghost of Gwenylyn, Gideon's love when he was sixteen.

This book is recommended to people who like fantasy and magic because it's a story of a wyvern and a wizard that go through a bolt-hole through time to a century 800 years later. People will like the interesting and adventurous parts finally because it's a story about magic, wyverns, demons, and wizards that makes anything adventurous.

T. Shepard

If you didn't know about the ungovernable border clans that made life miserable along the border between Scotland and England for 400 years, then this is the book for you. The author conveys a great sense of the sights, textures, and smells of 16th century country life among the Sterkarms, a family of "reivers" -- cattle rustlers, thieves and murderers. Sterkarm is a Danish translation of the surname Armstrong, and the book is loosely based on the activities of that family in the 16th century. In terms of the atmosphere, the only thing that doesn't seem authentic is the made-up language, which on occasion sounds like Quaker English and on occasion like a simplified version of Danish. One problematic thing about the book is the extreme violence -- the book is filled with slit throats, cut off heads and hands, impalements on lances. Another problem is the characterization. The Sterkarms come across as shrewd but otherwise completely childish. We are supposed to take at face value that they all believe that visitors who appear from the 21st century are elves (this is in Shakespeare's century, remember, not in the Dark Ages). The plot centers around a 21st century female researcher falling in love with a Sterkarm, although there is no explanation for this other than that she is overweight and has no love interest in the 21st. Back in the 21st she puts up with her boss ridiculing the way she looks to her face, saying nothing. In the 16th she seems to spend most of her time cooing at the love interest, notwithstanding the violence and killing he and those around him engage in. It is unusual in this day and age to see a female protagonist this indecisive and this morally challenged. It goes without saying that the head of the company that has created the time machine that connects the two centuries is an evil capitalist who has no goals other than exploitation. In sum, read this book for the history and try to ignore the gratingly annoying characters.

Have been looking forward to reading this book for a while, as it has received many positive reviews here and elsewhere. What started out as a compelling story line, quickly turned into tedium and annoyance mixed with flashes of action. I kept telling myself to pick it up again, to keep going. Alas, halfway through, I gave up for good. A disappointment.

I loved this book! My only wish is that more historical detail for the weapons and equipment had been present, such as found in Richard Cornwell's "Sharpe" series.

I recently read the novel "A Sterkarm Handshake" and I thought it was one of the most wonderful books I have ever read...and trust me, I've read quite as few!!! I love the clever way that Susan Price can write how she can refer to the real world 21st and 16th side without really saying what happened or what she meant. Susan Price is a great novel and she's up there with J.K.Rowling, J.R.R.Tolkien and C.S.Lewis. Susan Price has already won two awards for each of the books she has written "A Sterkarm Handshake" and "A Sterkarm Kiss". Although I must say, "A Sterkarm Kiss" though it was good, wasn't as good as "A Sterkarm Handshake." If you enjoyed "His Dark Materials" by Philip Pullman, you'll love this book. If you loved this book you'll love "His Dark Materials Trilogy" by Philip Pullman!!!

The concept of this book is interesting, but I don't find the execution to be well done, especially in terms of characterization and writing.

We're supposed to accept the romance between Andrea and Per without ever seeing anything to support it. Windsor is more than just a bad boss, he's all the bad bosses ever concieved melded into one completely unbelievalbe person. It's impossible to think he could actually run a success company. His only purpose is to cause trouble and manhandle the plot towards whatever scene Price has in mind next. Bryce is initially the level-headed, logical security chief, but by the end of the book he's acting like one of the rent-a-cops he originally had such disdain for.

The coincidence with Joe Sterkarm is so outlandish, it makes the rest of the book impossible to take seriously. The overall plot is predictable, especially with the foreshadowing story about the elf-swan near the beginning. We already know what's going to happen; all that's left is to see which unlikeable characters die before it's over.

Quite frankly, the puppet strings of the author are all too visible throughout the book. If you're looking for time travel with a cultural emphasis, I recommend "The Doomsday Book" and its follow-up "To Say Nothing of the Dog", both by Connie Willis. I guarantee you'll be happier for having read them than you will for The Sterkarm Handshake.

While as always well written and entertaining as ever, don't read this book expecting it to be just like the opera it is based on. Several character names and personalities have been changed to suit the authors needs and style, and the acutall opera base is only three chapters long. The book though is an interesting with a happy ending that is expected, though the scenes taking place in Hell are a bit rushed and grow a little boring. I thought the most interesting part was the begging before the prince enters the picture. Over all, a pretty good book.

I have to admit, I was skeptical when I picked up this book. I don't really like romances, and I wondered if I'd be bored. I figured I'd read a chapter and put it down. I was sure wrong about that.

Cameron Dokey's got an amazing way with words and how she weaves them together: It's magical and the story flows together brilliantly. I just couldn't get over how likable she made the characters: ALL of them, not just the "good guys." The "bad guys" are not all bad, nor are they hopeless, and problems are resolved in interesting ways. I couldn't tell you who my favorite character is (though I lean toward Lapin, who is Mina's best friend and defender, player of the bells.) They have depth and their feelings are interesting, not dull or run-of-the-mill, and these characters do not have any yawn-ish conversations, either.

The story is fun and easy to follow, but it's not simple, as in predictible. In order to prove his love, Prince Tern (how cool of a name is that?) agrees to "Boss of the Day" Sarastro's conditions of a very interesting set of trials: And Sarastro's daughter, Mina goes with him. Ever wonder how mourning doves came to be? Clever Cameron Dokey tucks this into the trials that Tern and Mina endure.

I won't give away anything about the ending other than to say it is very satisfying, on more than one level. I will definitely pick up another Once Upon a Time book by Cameron Dokey!

The Magic Flute isn't one of the classic Grimms' fairytales, so I wasn't at all familiar with it and failed to recognise it in the blurb. The story looked intriguing nonetheless: Sarastro, "Mage of the Day", and Pamina, "Queen of the Night", have a daughter who spends her life with her mother until she is 16 - whereupon she must leave to live with her father. The blurb then promises treachery and betrayal when Pamina lures a prince into a deadly agreement to win Mina as his bride.

Cameron Dokey puts a new spin on this story with first-person accounts from different - and very likeable - characters - mainly Mina, but also an orphaned girl who is brought up by Sarastro, Gayna; Lapin, a boy who owns a magical set of bells (not a flute), and Tern, the prince. Through their voices you get a glimpse of how they think and of how fate unfolds.

This is also a story of opposites. Night against day. Mina against Gayna. Mina with Statos and Tern. Gayna with Statos and Lapin. Love against hate and treachery. And of course, good against evil.

While everything seems quite separate at first, all the threads do wind together in the end quite satisfyingly. Everything that Sarastro does is based on trying to outwit a prophecy about Mina. The only problem is that, careful as he is, he may not have all the cards in his hands.

The tone of the book was refreshingly modern even though it is set in "a time that was young and many things were commonplace that are now forgotten". Sarastro and Pamina don't speak to each other, so Mina grows up wondering what her father is like. Sarastro tears her from her mother when she is just shy of 16, breaking the original agreement and causing a great deal of defiance on Mina's part. Gayna is hopelessly in love with Sarastro's guard Statos, but he's not interested in her. It makes absorbing reading.

And in the background there is Lapin, whom I count as my favourite character. He inherits a set of magical bells which can call your true love to you. While he practices listening to the music of his heart, he ends up calling birds instead. Lots of birds.

What Lapin and Pamina do after Mina has been stolen away by Sarastro is ingenious, and entirely within the rules of the game. I felt the blurb was totally misleading when it claimed that Pamina had lured Tern into a set of deadly trials. Sarastro set those trials, and Tern agreed to rescue Mina of his own free will.

Of course everything ends well and all live happily ever after. The story is shorter than I would have liked but it's very easy reading but sticks with you for a long while after. That's the best kind of story to own.

"Sunlight and Shadow" was the first book in the "Once Upon a Time" series that I read. It wasn't perfect, but I enjoyed it.

The story is a retelling of Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute", but it still manages to be original. The author puts some nice twists on an old story that was interesting and pretty original to begin with. It can be a little confusing because there are several narrators who switch without much notice, but it's not too hard to figure out. The plot has nice pacing, and the book is just the right length.

Best of all, she gives life to characters who were previously flat and stereotypical. The characterizations are nothing really special by themselves (still better than the stereotypes, but they're pretty typical of this kind of book), but it's interesting to get insight in the the characters' thoughts about events.

The writing was well-done. The romance was all right, but it seemed a bit shallow. But it was good for love at first sight, which was what it was in the opera. The author did a good job with it considering her resources. She does include a few themes about life in general, but they were nothing we haven't seen before.

I was not familiar with "The Magic Flute" before reading this, but it was a good way to introduce myself to it. It wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it was still worth my time.

I was excited about this book because "Magic Flute" is one of my favorite stories. However while I did find myself enjoying it, I am not sure if I really appreciated this particular feminist take on it. Sometimes I think that a feminist take on an old beloved tale is great, however there are other times where it just distorts the story. I think that Nights Daughter by Marion Zimmer Bradley probably has a better attempt at having a feminst take on the story. And for an even better treat, score a copy of the Ingmar Bergman production of Magic Flute through netflix or your local library.

Another Alex Delaware mystery hit! Jonathan Kellerman writes excellent books, and this is not exception. Highly recommend. A++++

I've enjoyed other Jonathan Kellerman novels, but I thought TIME BOMB was a real dud. This book is probably twice as long as it needs to be, with endless descriptions and ruminations that add nothing to the plot. Put simply, TIME BOMB is one of those novels that could have used a good editor. This might have been a decent novel if it was 150 pages shorter.

Even worse, there's very little genuine suspense; Alex Delaware faces no danger in this story until maybe the last 80 pages of the book. The plot is also too convulted, to the point of straining credulity. The identities and schemes of the book's villains, for example, are downright ridiculous.

In the end, this novel is a slow-paced bore. In particular, the dialogue in TIME BOMB is very poor and stilted -- too many conversations where characters give long, pretentious speeches instead of talking like real people. I also thought that Delaware came across as pompous and arrogant in many of these scenes, too much of a know-it-all for my tastes.

Kellerman's a very decent writer, but his plotting skills are highly uneven. If you've never tried him before, my advice is to read his earlier novels such as WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, SILENT PARTNER and OVER THE EDGE. Those novels have better structured plots, and are far more enjoyable reads.

"Time Bomb" is Jonathon Kellerman's fifth Alex Delaware novel wnd was first published in 1990. Delaware is a psychologist based in LA who earns his living as a consultant - largely working with the courts and the police.

Alex is contacted at the book's beginning by Milo Sturgis, his trusty pet detective from the LAPD. There's been a shooting at the Nathan Hale Elementary School, in Ocean Heights - thankfully none of the children have been hurt. However, Milo feels that it would be a good idea for Alex to come down and help the kids work through the aftermath. The school had been in the news relatively recently : suffering from a siginificant drop in pupil numbers, it had started admitting inner city kids. This has caused a problem for for certain people, as the majority of these kids are Latino - broken windows, racist graffiti on the school walls...even pickets at the school gates. This `problem' has brought two local politicians to the school - State Assemblyman Samuel Massengil and City Councilman Gordon Latch - who had opposing views on the presence of the kids. It's believed that Massengil - who was far from happy about the kids attending the school - may have been the target.

The would-be assassin, a young woman called Holly Lynn Burden, was killed by one of Latch's men. The police can only guess as to who she intended to hurt, though the most ovious target would have been Massengil. This leap has also been made by LAPD's anti-terrorist department, which means that Milo's time on the case is going to be very limited). However, Alex is subsequently given an alternative line of inquiry when he is approached by Holly's father - who is convinced she wouldn't have been capable of acting in this manner. When he accepts, Alex discovers there's more to the race angle than he may have thought...

The book started out from an interesting - and not an entirely implausible - angle, and was pretty enjoyable for quite a while. I've only read two others by Kellerman, and thought - maybe, just maybe - I'd found one of his books that didn't rely on a certain amount of daftness. (Well, as further I got into the book, I realised that wasn't going to happen). The writing is pretty lame at times, too : Kellerman tends to get overdescriptive and labours on what a room looks like, or what somebody is wearing. (In the case of Dr. Linda Overstreet, the school's principal, Alex tends to focus on her long white legs). There's even a fair number of typos and spelling mistakes in the book - well, at least in this edition I have. (Given that the edition I have was printed in 2002 - 12 years after the book was first published - I'd doubt that I'm alone). It's therefore a little funny that Alex criticises a book written by another character - Terry Crevolin - for being 'typos and grammatical errors'. Easily enough read, but no classic.

All hell brakes loose, when during a visit of two politicians, a sniper opens fire in a school. None of the children get hurt, but the sniper, a young woman, is killed by the bodyguard of one of the politicians. Alex Delaware is asked to help the children to overcome the stress and trauma. But when his work is being questioned by the two politicians, Alex and Milo are sure that there is a lot more going on then they originally thought.

As always Kellermans book is well constructed with a lot of action and an exciting plot. Friendship, broken relationships and corrupt politicians play a big part in this book. Fascism and rascism give this book a more dark side, with sometimes horrible descriptions and thoughts. You will really start thinking about these themes when you finished this book.

If a story doesn't hook by the middle of Chapter 3, there are other books to open, books that kick in by PAGE 3, thank heaven. I bought TIME BOMB because the reviews on the jacket made it look fast and thrilling. I could not even finish chapter 3. I'd read something once by Jonathan Kellerman that made me remember him as a reliable author of great escapist fiction. I can't remember what it was.

*sigh* I don't see where these rave reviews are coming from. The book is so boring.

Also, the racist meanies I saw lurching up over the horizon, as well as being hackneyed and ho-hum, were unrealistic. Even the meanest harshest republican white adult male doesn't picket a school in a high income neighborhood shouting "wetback" and "greaser". Not even in wacky California, I shouldn't think.

My four year old son is in love with this chapter series! A friend suggested it to us since he seemed ready for a more advanced reading material at bedtime. My husband reads him a chapter every night...sometimes more because they don't want to stop. It's become a great tradition for them, and something they both look forward to. We love that there are so many in the collection! Start with number 1 and just continue. :)

MAGIC TREE HOUSE OLYMPICS
By KRISTIAN
In the Magic Tree House there is a boy named Jack and A girl named Annie. They went to the OLYMPIC . Annie went And took her mask .The mask she had on was to act like a boy .The guard grabbed Annie she said get off of me! To get more info about how Jack and Annie got home read MAGIC TREE HOUSE
My favorite part was when Annie took her mask off and the guard grabbed her and she said get off of me . I like this book because it has good vocabulary word and it had good details I had NO connection .
The 5th grade will like this book first grade will not want to read such a long book
Second through 5th will like this book because if they are studying on something they will learn about it

My 1st grader hates to put it down, he would rather read Magic Tree House books, than play video games. He even reads them to his class and explains the story for show and tell. In his kindergarten class the teacher would also let him read the Magic Tree House books out loud, not to give her a break, but to promote reading out loud. Great books!

The last Magic Tree House that I read was Hour of the Olympics. I liked it because it had a lot of interesting facts about the early olympics. I thought it was funny that some people wore armor when they ran in races! I suggest that you read this book!

The book you are going to read about is called Hour of the Olympics. Mary Pope Osborne wrote it and she is a great writer. This story is about the first Olympic game. The two main characters are named Jack and Annie. This book comes from a series of books, so this is only one adventure. The problem in this story is that Jack and Annie are at the first Olympics and no girls are allowed. Annie sneaks in and gets caught. Can Jack get her out of this mess? To find out you will have to read Hour of the Olympics.

These Bear series booklets are perfect for any issue arising during the preschool age and beyond. My 3 1/2 year old loves these series at bedtime, especially "the Bad Dream", because she wants to understand why kids have bad dreams. Even the "SpaceGrizzlies" characters in the story, were a little scary at first. As we read the story bit by bit, she overcame her anxiety and loved reciting the story, acting it out with her plush animals. I would recommend choosing any book from the series as real situations arise to help, or get a handful for story reading which can be used as example later. I preview the books at a store if not sure how the tale goes or how wordy the stories can get sometimes.

This book has the advantage of both being really funny and really helpful. The story about a movie featuring "Space Grizzlies" is hilarious, while the lesson about how to deal with and understand the bad dreams that the movie can inspire is genuinely helpful.

This book really should be owned by every child, it's really that good! It's very hysterical in places and it's really the favorite of all the Berenstain Bears books we have. The book talks about the day the bear kids have, what they do, etc. However, when they go to bed, sister is first to have a nightmare so mama and papa explain to her what it's all about - just her brain mixing up all the events of the day. Then brother does and when he explains his dream, it's just really, really funny! It's one of those stories that kids never forget and it helps them so very much. Especially when Brother's dream is explained and it shows how very weird dreams can be. Awesome book, a loved very much favorite in this house. Highly, highly, highly recommend!

This book shows that bad dreams may be scary but there is a reason behind them.

I was looking for a book about bad dreams, and since the kids like the BB, this seemed like a lock. And in general, it is good, but it takes FOREVER to get to the actual bad dream part! The majority of the book is setting up all the things the cubs did all day which then precipitated the bad dreams. Then only about 4 pages are spent dealing with the actual dream. So that was a bit disappointing, but it is still entertaining and you can certainly use it as a jumping-off point to discuss bad dreams. (It is based on a TV episode that we've seen since.)

I truly enjoyed reading this book, How far Sam goes to try and protect Elizabeth from Finn. This book show Sam has a really good side even though he is a slob but he is very good person who truly cares about Elizabeth. Definetly must read!

What I like best about this book was Elizabeth & Finn's sex saga. I had a feeling that Finn was just toying with her. Choloe's part is second. It was GREAT that Jess was nice enough to let Choloe and Val have a 2nd chance ( At what? You read the book!)And Nina and her new boy was 3rd. It was exciting. Finally, last place was Todd. I mean, who wants him when he dumped Liz? That was a dumb move...

Liz is worried and pressured by Finn to have sex, but Sam knows Finn's little secret. He refers to Finn as "Dr. Cool" and "Huckleberry Finn" Finn does something so awful in this book, but I'm not telling what. Nina gets a new boyfriend. Chloe learns about loyalty. Jessica is being Jessica. Todd tries to fit in more. Meanwhile, Elizabeth is still making a very tough decision whether to sleep with Finn or not. Also, as I said before, Finn dooes soemthing really bad at the very end. You won't believe what he does! Anyway, this is a GREAT book!

This book was so good!In this book Liz's boyfriend Finnis pressuring Liz to have sex with him. But what Liz dosent know is that Finn is cheating on her.Her roomate Sam knows that Finn goes out with girls, sleeps with them, and then dumps them, and he knows that Finn is cheating on Liz. Does Sam get though Liz in time? Nina meets a guy and starts blowing off her studding time and blows off her classes. But can she blow off class again? Its pledge week. Chole really wants to get in the Theats. But how far will she go to get in? This was such a great book. Buy it!

This book is really great. It is also sad. Finn wants to sleep with Elizabeth, but Elizabeth feels she's not ready. Finn puts a lot of pressure on Liz, and makes her confused. Finn becomes a real jerk and does something really, really cruel to Liz. I felt so bad for her. Sam tries to protect Liz, because he knows that Finn dates girls, sleeps with them, then dumps them. Sam wants her to ditch Finn, and tries so many ways to get her to, but she thinks he's lying. ALso, Sam refers to Finn as Huckleberry Finn and Dr. Cool, which gets amusing and funny. This book also speaks about all the risks of sex, and the diseases and stuff. i will not tell you if Liz loses her virginity that night or not, you'll have to find out for yourself. I will not say what cruel thing Finn does, but he does something really, really cruel. Also, Nina Harper dates Xavier, a member of the band Wired. Todd works really hard at his job, but everybody calls him a "townie". The Neil finding a new love, and Jessica disagreeing with it is barely mentioned though. It's very sad what Finn does to liz, and it's really cruel. But Elizabeth makes the right decision. Her feelings on this are really realistic, but I wish she'd seen through him before. Anyway, this book is great!