Middle Ages Books

I read this book before handing it to my soon-to-be middle schooler. It encourages and reinforces the benefits of positive social skills such as saying hello, thinking positively, finding a hobby and helping others. It's also a good story that moves along at a good clip with a variety of distinctive but realistic characters including honors students, average students, school bully, parents, a grandmother, teachers, the principal. I was afraid it was going to be a story about someone plagued by a bully, in fact one of the subplots is the problem that the bully befriends the lead character, and the lead has to avoid offending him while not succumbing to that lifestyle. A great "make your own choices" story. And a great "the power of positive thinking and steping outside your comfort zone" story.

My seventh-grade, Harry-Potter-loving son was all jaded and bored with other books after devouring the final Harry Potter this summer. Luckily we found Happy Kid! on the library shelf. He loved it. "It was very interesting because I could really relate to the character. I could imagine the stuff taking place in my school. It was a cool book!"

I found Happy Kid! to be a quick read, with realistic middle school interactions and experiences. At the same time, I found it to be a remarkable book, incorporating universal truths about self-help and relationships in a kid-friendly, non-preachy manner.

Happy Kid! is about Kyle Rideau, a pessimistic and inadvertently notorious boy about to start seventh grade. He's had a rough sixth grade year, feels separated from all of his friends (due to having been placed in some 'special' (advanced) classes, and he ended the year with a distressing incident. He's not looking forward to seventh grade. His psychologist mother buys him a self-help book called "Happy Kid! A Young Person's Guide to Satisfying Relationships and a Happy and Meaning-Filled Life." He is naturally embarrassed by this, but she offers to pay him a dollar per chapter, and the chapters are very short. So, in a weak moment, he starts to read it. Kyle finds himself strangely compelled to follow the advice in the book, and experiences unintended consequences (unintended by Kyle, anyway) in response.

Kyle soon notices some curious facts about the book. First of all, the chapters that he reads bear an uncanny relevance to whatever is going on in his life. Second, until he acts on a piece of advice in some way, the book will only open to that page, and not allow him to move forward. At one point, a girl in his class reads from the book, and finds that it offers her completely different advice, specific to her needs. Although these are rather unexpected attributes to find in a book, Kyle takes it more or less in stride. And gradually, the book does help him to improve his life and relationships.

There's a lot of subtle humor to this book. I can relate to Kyle's wry, pessimistic voice. Here's a small example that struck me, from Chapter 5.

""So there I was, in these two 'special' classes, and the only I could get out of them would be to join two classes that weren't special but that I was a month behind in, so I'd have to work extra hard to catch up. What was the point? Work hard in one class or work hard in the other."

"Wow, talk about irony," Jared said, nodding his head in appreciation.

None of Lauren's other boyfriends ever used words like "irony." Jared definitely is a step up for our family."

I also like the character of Mr. Kowsz, a teacher who isn't entirely what he appears to be, and of the determined-to-do-the-right-thing Melissa Esposito, who sets out to right a wrong, under difficult circumstances. There's also Jake, a school rebel and bully who has decided that he wants to be friends with Kyle, much to Kyle's chagrin. All of these characters, and their interactions, make the book a fun, realistic window into middle school life.

However, it's the aptness and wisdom of the Happy Kid! advice that makes this book unique. I think that anyone could benefit from some of the book-within-a-book chapters, such as: It All Begins with Hello ("Make a point every day to speak to the people around you. Before long, you'll be doing it without even thinking!"), Does Your Life Stink, or Is It YOU? ("Does your life actually stink, or do you just think it does?"), or Kick-Start Your Life with Something New! ("Being a different person can only be a good thing since whatever you were before wasn't working for you now, was it?"). A couple of them really resonated with me - I actually found myself repeating one of the pieces of advice to someone a couple of days after reading the book. Which is a lot more than I would generally expect from a novel written for children. I especially like the way the old-fashioned, peppy self-help speak (as above) is interlaced with Kyle's humorous, slightly sarcastic tone. I don't know why these two voices work so well together, but they do.

I recommend this book. I think that middle schoolers, and their parents, will enjoy it. And maybe they'll even find a little tidbit that resonates with them, and helps them to improve some relationships.

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on August 20, 2006.

Gail Gauthier has perfectly captured the academic, mental and emotional state of that no-man's land we call Junior High in her new book, Happy Kid! I love this book; I am going to nominate it for the Texas Lonestar List.

Kyle is an average kid just trying to survive at Bert P. Trotts "the gateway to Hell" Middle School. During the previous year, Kyle was accused of bringing a weapon on the bus as a result of his tech ed. school project. His innocence was established but the fallout over the incident carries over into the new school year.

In an effort to help him improve his attitude and get him off on the right foot, his mother purchases a self-help book for him, Happy Kid: a Young Person's Guide to Satisfying Relationships and a Happy Meaning-filled Life!

Kyle is mortified but accepts his mom's offer to pay him a dollar for every chapter he reads. Kyle finds that the book mysteriously keeps opening to the same chapter and only changes once that chapter's issue has been dealt with in his life. How does the book seem to always know what help he needs?

Gauthier has perfectly recreated the environment of high-stakes state student assessment testing. Here they are called (wonderfully) the SSASies. I chuckled as teachers pass out SSASie review sheets, in every class, on the first day of school. As one student says, "The schools are being tested but we are taking the tests?"

She has also accurately captured the strange social world and tension that develops between "A" students (honors/advanced), the regular kids, and the small, scary underclass of soon-to-be-criminals. Finding the right-place-to-sit at lunch the first day of school IS a real crisis, and having the campus bully think you are one of his posse is serious.

Like many junior high faculties, the teachers at Trotts are slightly odd. (I have always wondered...do the teachers get that way by teaching middle school-ers or are they already slightly nutty and therefore drawn to junior high?) He has a great family complete with an obnoxious older sister. His mom is anxious for him to have a good year. His dad is slightly bewildered and trying to understand the two teenagers under his roof.

As I read Happy Kid!, I was rooting for Kyle all the way. He is struggling to succeed in his advanced courses where he thinks he has been placed by clerical error. He is also looking for some friends and time for any fun outside of school. Ultimately, Kyle must face a huge ethical dilemma, and he wants to do the right thing but he risks losing everything he has gained.

There are great truths in the pages of this story. It will make you laugh. Just read it.

McGinn's work engages the reader in an well-organized, fascinating discussion of mysticism in medieval Germany, placing the works in context of larger Church history and contemporary religious movements. I thought I would read chapters relevant to my research only (Eckhart and Suso) and scan the rest of the book, but it is so interesting and well-written that I plan to read the entire work. McGinn is a master of his craft.

This book is the fourth in a general series by Bernard McGinn on the history of Christian mysticism. In this volume McGinn surveys the mystical movement which flourished in 14th century Germany, starting with the famous speculative mystic Meister Eckhart.

This work explores the historical, theological and philosophical currents which conditioned this flowering of mystical thought and writing, and also closely examines the mysticism of Meister Eckhart, Henry Suso, John Tauler, Nicholas of Cusa and other German mystics of the period.

This work is essential reading for any student of theology or mysticism and is a valuable addition to any personal theological library.

The quality of scholarship that Dr. Bernard McGinn displayed in vols. 1, 2, and 3 of his "Presence of God" series is evident in this fourth volume. May he be blessed with enough years and good health to write the next volumes, bringing us up to the 20th century (and, if we are lucky, he'll have time to write briefly of the 21st too).

This volume is the fourth in the series of Bernard McGinn which aims to give a comprehensive history of Christian mysticism.

This volume focuses on the Rhineland mystical tradition (Eckhart, Suso and Tauler) in medieval Germany, and also examines the controversy over heretical mystics and mainstream mysticism, the historical and intellectual background to medieval German mysticism, and also examines the mysticism of Nicholas of Cusa.

The main dissapointment for this book was the omission of John Ruusbroec, the critical Flemish mystic, and the important medieval English mystics including the author of the Cloud of Unknowing. Perhaps they will be in the next volume.

Overall the very high quality and depth of McGinn's scholarship is retained in this volume and as such it is an essential purchase for any theological library.

This book gives you a warm, secure feeling after reading the poetic format and viewing the wonderful illustrations! I taught 4th grade for most of my 32 yr. teaching career. Every year, this book was a special hit with the students. I would read it aloud to them while displaying the pages. We would have to stop often and make comments and discussion about the glowing illustrations. The text gives one a feeling that the Heartland of our country is truly a living being. Afterwards, the students would scramble to see who might take it home that evening.
Think kids are jaded in today's society? Give them a gander at this book and then make a decision.

My son absolutely loves this book, the illustrations are gorgeous and it is written like a long beautiful poem. The rhythm lulls my son to sleep.

"I am the Heartland,
Shaped and lined
By rivers, great and small, that wind
Past farms, whose barns and silos stand
Like treasures in my fertile land."

My son is fascinated by tractors and anything that has to do with farms so this book has definately been a hit with him.

This is one of my favorite children's books of all time. I was born and raised in the midwest and this book always reminds me of my roots. It also has great pictures. A great present for any child.

Heartland sings the praises of America's Middle Western farms in poetic text and full-color illustrations. Many colonial era stories, both fiction and non-fiction, focus upon the farm as a symbol of hard work and accomplishment. Thomas Jefferson, for example, was a well-known agriculturist and devoted gardener. The pioneering and self-sufficient spirit upon which this country was founded is still evident in today's farming communities. "I am the Heartland, Great and wide. I sing of hope. I sing of pride." This book serves as a great way to make children aware of the contemporary farming lifestyle.

As a non-clergy or professor, I found this book to be a revealing history of woman not only in the church by in society in the twenty first century. Many of the current ideas about the role of woman in society can be traced to the activities described in this well written and easy to read book. It should be required reading by anyone interested in the role of woman then and now, the power of the political church at the time and how the effects of that power continued to have on modern society.
I would highly recommend this book to all not just college professors and their students

In this time of radical transition more than forty years after Vatican II, nothing could be more salutary for the Church than Gary Macy's judicious historical study of women's ordination in the Medieval West. Clearly and succinctly written, his history reads more like a masterful medieval mystery rather than ponderous scholarship. Any one, scholar or popular reader, will be nourished by this important work. It is a vade mecum for persons interested in the ordination issue; it also serves as a lucid lens into the whole history of the church's self-understanding in the first two millennia.

In this important volume, Gary Macy makes a clear, compelling case for the long and hidden history of women's ordination. How refreshing to find a book that's at once scholarly, meticulously researched, convincingly argued AND highly readable. And how fortunate for all of us that Macy presents this history in a way that is accessible to lay persons as well as academics. Reading this book is like taking a course with your favorite, most engaging history teacher ever. Highly recommended!

This is a must read for anyone on either side of the contentious issue of the ordination of women. This is an extremely well-written and well-documented story of the ordination of women in the Catholic Church into the 13th Century -- and it's an easy read as well.

Macy separates the historical issues from the theological issues and then does a marvelous job of revealing that the definition of "ordination" used in the early church was different from the definition of "ordination" used since the 13th Century.

Additionally, he pinpoints the 100 years in which the definition of "ordination" changed, and presents some convincing evidence to show why the definition changed, as well as the devastating effect it had on not only the diaconate and priestly ministry of women, but also other minsitries of women.

Don't miss it.

I had the privilege of seeing and reviewing the original manuscript of this book. Dr. Carmen Butcher has translated St. Hildegard's works into modern English that is very readable. Those familiar with St. Hildegard and her works will appreciate this reader and those new to her will have a great introduction to this wonderful saint and follower of the Rule of St. Benedict. Dr. Butcher in the introduction presents a short biography of St. Hildegard. In my original review I suggest that if Pope Benedict is looking for another woman to declare a Doctor of the Church, St. Hildegard would make a wonderful candidate. St. Hildegard was very influential in her time. She had the special permission of the Church to preach to clerics and lay alike. Pope Eugene III read some of her works at a synod he was attending and praised her. St. Bernard of Clairvaux also praised her as did many clerics and lay people of note. Many sought her advice and aid. Again this reader by Dr. Butcher is a great introduction to this holy saint of God, St. Hildegard.

In an age when life expectancy was somewhere around forty, Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) lived a life that was remarkably long and incredibly productive. Butcher describes Hildegard as an "Über-multitasking Frau" and authentic "polymath." The description fits. The Benedictine abbess founded two convents, conducted four preaching tours, penned at least 400 letters, wrote music and a morality play, supervised illuminated manuscripts, cared for her fellow sisters, and wrote three major theological tomes based upon her famous visions. All this despite her pronounced feelings of self-doubt, the lack of formal schooling, chronic illnesses that probably included depression and migraine headaches, and the subservient roles assigned to women by a male-dominated church and culture.

Hildegard was born the youngest of ten children to an aristocratic family that lived near Mainz. She started having what she later concluded were divine visions as earlier as age three. When she was eight her parents dedicated her to the religious life, and at age fourteen she entered the St. Disibod Abbey at Disibodenberg. Until her death almost seventy years later, she devoted herself to the life of a Benedictine nun. After keeping her visions to herself for decades, when she was forty-two Hildegard says that God told her to write what she had seen and heard: "So now you must give others an intelligible account of what you see with your inner eye and what you hear with your inner ear. Your testimony will help them. As a result, others will learn how to know their Creator. They'll no loner refuse to adore God."

Butcher describes her anthology as a "Hildegard 101." After describing the life of Hildegard (pp. 1-29), her seven chapters introduce readers to Hildegard's varied works: twenty songs, Scivias or Know the Ways of the Lord (a work of twenty-six visions in three parts), her morality drama called The Play of the Virtues, selections from her 400 letters, excerpts from her writings about nature and medicine, The Book of Life's Merits (six visions about Christian temptations), and then The Book of Divine Works (10 visions in three parts). A short conclusion is followed by an extensive chronology of Hildegard's life, and a bibliography for further reading and also for listening to recordings of Hildegard's music. Butcher's short work is no substitute for the critical editions of Hildegard's works, but it might well provoke curious readers to seek them out after enjoying her fine introduction to one of the most important mothers of the church.

Brilliant!! Hildegard comes alive in the pages of this wonderful book. Carmen Butcher truly captures the essence of this remarkable woman! This is a must read!!

Carmen Butcher has done it again. In her newest book, "Hildegard of Bingen: a spiritual reader," not only has she once more rendered ancient medieval texts readable, enjoyable, and inspiring, but she has also provided a concise and interesting biography of Hildegard of Bingen. She has taken her gift for translation, as evident in "Incandescence: 365 readings with women mystics," and combined it with her penchant for breathing new life into long-gone characters, as in her biography, "Man of Blessing: A Life of St. Benedict." The introductions to each chapter are written in such a way that they are suited for, as Butcher writes, a "first-time Hildegard reader or long-time Hildegard friend" (xii). Each section gives the reader insight into another facet of the twelfth century abbess. As I read, I was continually surprised at the beauty and poetry Butcher maintained throughout her translations, whether it be a song, vision, or letter. This book is made to be read more than once. The first reading will be a delightful rushing from page to page, as you soak up Hildegard and her work. But the second reading will be a slow, meditative one, rendering spiritual nourishment and inspiration that seeps from Hildegard's wisdom and passion. Hildegard writes in one of her letters, "Always try to learn new things, then, because that's as necessary to wisdom as internal organs are to being healthy." Read "Hildegard of Bingen," and you will have learned new things.

As a homeschooling mom, I highly value books that inform my child about historical facts, while captivating them with exciting stories. I highly recommend this book as a supplement to any Egyptian studies. Written in "newspaper format", it is a joy to read aloud to my children. Using imaginative headlines and wonderful illustrations and photos, this book has definitely captured my child's attention. The plethora of historical facts presented are accurate and entertaining. I would recommend this book for children between the ages of 5-12.

This is a wonderful book that written in a News form. The information are incredibles. I totally think that this is a great book for anyone who is interest in Ancient Egypt.

This book presented some events from Egypt's history in the form of newspaper articles. It was a very creative way to give children an introduction to Egyptian history. It presented lots of interesting informationa, and also some neat pictures. This book is good at sparking a greater interest in history in children while entertaining them at the same time.

This is a delightful book. It has wonderful color illustrations on every page, and it's loaded with facts and information about the history of Ancient Egypt. It covers a 3000 yr. period, and contains a detailed, colored map of ancient Egypt, articles on pyramid building and the mystery surrounding the death of Tutankhamun, a list of the most important Egyptian gods and pharaohs, and charming colored "ads" for goods and services in use at that time. This informative book should appeal to kids, teenagers and adults alike, who want to learn more about the fascinating realm of ancient Egypt.

This is so much better than the other general information books available. I had to pay the cost of new for a rather worn and discolored version. It was still worth it. This is a superior approach to making general information about the middle ages interesting to children. The other books now look like a hodge-podge.

Fiona Macdonald is famous for writing beutiful books about the past. She explains in a very friendly, clear and fascinating way how our ancestors lived. Children who dislike history and who think that the past is boring change their mind when they see the magnificintly illustrated books Fiona makes. This book pulls you into the Middle ages and gets you as close to the past as possible without a time-machine. On the first page you see a picture of a medieval town, people are working, there ia a market and there is more than enough to see. On several place throughout the city you find small questions like 'Would you be afraid of these soldiers?'. You see three scary looking soldiers playing a game on a tower. If you would like to know what game they are playing you can go to another page. It works almost as a internetsite with several links. The book is almost ineractive. The Chapters are clear and very beuatifyllt illustrated. The author tells us how life would be for people in the middle ages. You can follow 'a-day-in-the-life-of, you can see battles, castles, cities and farmers. It is a book that you will pick up again and again. Children will love it, it is very handy for making school projects. As always Fiona Macdonald has succeeded in making another brilliant book about the past. Bringing the past closer and educating the young. The Illustrators have done a perfect job, every single picture is a pleasure to look at.

This is a fun little book. I use it with my high school students when we study literature from this era.

With the rather facile title of the series, I had no great expectations--but WOW! what a wonderful book to counter all the misconceptions about the middle ages that are promulgated even in many adults' books! I adore it. If you only get one book that touches on the social history of the middle ages, this should be it!

One of the most important books on the history of the Jews in the world. A virtual encyclopedia of Jewish life in the 12th century, which means it coincides with the Crusades and the height of Spanish Jewry. Benjamin of Tudela, mentioned in the Rishonim, was a Jewish traveler and he cataloged all the Jewish communities he came across from Rome and Europe to the far East. He even spoke of Jews in the most far off places such as Africa, India and China. His most important observations however have to deal with the massive Jewish communities that were once found in places such as Baghdad. He described not only the Jewish courts and Jewish way of life but also the demographics. At Tadmor for instance he mentions 2,000 Jews who "valiant in war and fight with the Christians and with the Arabs...and they help their neighbours the Ishmaelites. At their head are Rabbi Isaac Hajvani and R. Nathan and R. Uziel. The book is simply a must read and includes a lively and important introduction and discussion but otherwise leaves the reader to learn for himself this piece of Jewish geography. Many of the interesting details are left unexplored, such as `who are these Ishamaelites'? Are they the Ishmaelites of the Torah or at they the Ishmaili Muslims known as the Assasins of the time who lived in Iraq and Syria? Why are the Jews allied with them? What is this secret history of Jewish warriors in the 12th century that no ones learns in school?

A fascinating read, a true piece of history.

Seth J. Frantzman

This is a work which gives insight into Jewish communal life in the Middle Ages.

This book is remarkable. This is basically a travel diary of Benjamin, a Jewish man, in the middle ages. He vividly describes the different communities he visits throughout Spain and the middle east. Anyone who enjoys reading primary sources in history will enjoy this.

Benjamin de Tudela entre los años 1127 y 1173, aproximadamente. Comenzó su viaje, que duró varios años, hacia 1165, saliendo de Tudela con rumbo a la costa mediterranea. Recorrió la costa desde Tortosa hasta Roma, pasando por Barcelona, Marsella y Génova. Desde Roma traversó el sur de Italia, luego Grecia, para llegar a Constantinopla. Después de Constantinopla viajó ampliamente por el medio oriente, pasando por Alejandría, Jerusalén, Damasco, Bagdad y cientos de poblaciones menores

Joe O'Donnell captured the aftermath of World War II with his photographic record of the Japanese rubble. As a 23 year-old US Marine, O'Donnell served as a photographer, and a sample of the photographs he took are included in his book, JAPAN 1945: A US MARINE'S PHOTOGRAPHS FROM GROUND ZERO. The collection is a visual snapshot of the Japanese landscape of the cities and towns, Sasebo, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki, almost a month after the atomic bombings and air raids.

Indeed, JAPAN 1945 includes poignant and moving exposures of remnants of the worn torn landscape. The book is a composition of photographs of O'Donnell's seventh month long tour of the Japanese cities in which he documented what was left of the cities -- pure destruction without a living thing in sight. There are numerous shots worth mentioning, such as the boy and his young brother on the cover of the book, the boy served as O'Donnell's guide through the streets of Hiroshima, as well a man severely burned, "Victim with Rope" who is covered with an immense amount of clothing in order to protect his skin. However, there are also photographs depicting reconstruction, such as the shot where a teacher leads a class with the classroom still intact despite the outside view of the devastating rubble that lurks in the background.

JAPAN 1945 is an excellent photographic record of the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. O'Donnell's account of what he had seen has been best described not with words, but with the photographs he presents. The book may further provide a better understanding of World War II history as well as how photographs provide a template to how history is interpreted.

Photographer Joe O'Donnell, a 23-year-old Marine assigned to the occupation of Japan, has released many of his photographs that he took while on station. Locked away for some 45 years, these vivid, graphic, and moving photos show what life was like immediately after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

O'Donnell's photo archive begins with images from his arrival in Japan. A prayer service offered aboard a landing ship, and the unloading of equipment are shown in this section. The harbor at Sasebo is photographed with many American ships filling its waters, but it is in this section where the reader gets their first glimpse of the level of destruction wrought by American planes; most of the surrounding city is literally flattened. Many displaced Japanese citizens are shown wandering the streets of what has become a barren wasteland.

O'Donnell has also included images of American soldiers giving candy to Japanese children, and Japanese geishas performing dances. Images of children with babies strapped to their backs cleaning rubble and elderly displaced civilians with few or no possessions really touch the reader.

The most eye-catching part of the book for me was the images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Both cities were literally wiped off the face of the earth; only massive piles of rubble remained. O'Donnell had to travel by horse to navigate through the massive piles of debris. Images of people wandering about aimlessly, smashed factories, and burn victims dominate this part of the book.

The most piognant pictures I saw in the book are the one of the three brothers in Nagasaki; the eldest pushing his brothers in a make-shift cart, and the most heartbreaking one, the photo of the child who has come to the cremation site in Nagasaki with his dead baby brother strapped to his back, all the while struggling to keep from crying. I can't remember seeing a more moving photograph.

This is a tremendous book. Each photograph tells its own story, and O'Donnell has provided excellent narrative above each photo. I highly recommend this fine book. Open it up and take a photographic journey through a defeated Japan. Some photos will inspire awe; others pity, and you'll get a true sense of what it was like in Japan immediately after the war ended.

Could it be that we see a photo of an 8 or 9 year old boy bringing the body of his dead baby brother to a site in Nagasaki for cremation? Could it be that this photo was taken by a 23 year old American Marine? Would it be possible that the Marine was mistaken, perhaps he misunderstood? Perhaps the baby is only sleeping. Alas, the older brother's face belies the truth as the baby's body hangs lifeless. Marine photographer Joe O'Donnell was obviously moved by many of the photos he took during his time in Japan, just after the war ended.

But it's not just bombed out cities that he shares with us. There are happier times when American GI's were talking to children, geisha and hotel maids and other slices of Japanese life that would interest most any foreigner (or perhaps today's Japanese even). We can only wonder how many other photos he has that are have not been published.

I think Japanese history is at its most interesting when it interacts (or collides) with other countries. O'Donnell shares with us images of a Japan that no longer is. Perhaps Japan never has publicly atoned for its war time actions sufficiently; but this book shows clearly that it certainly was punished sufficiently.

We've all seen the pictures of Hiroshima where everything but the shells of a few building is flattened. Here are seventy-four pictures from several cities, fire-bombed with conventional munitions, not atomic bombs, that look just as devastated, just as destroyed.

But more than that are pictures of the people. There's a picture of the crowd at an Athletic Day - women, children, and old men - the young men are gone, probably never to return. There's a picture of a young boy, perhaps eight years old. To his back is strapped his little brother, perhaps one year old. The little brother is dead and the boy is delivering him to the cremation site.

Yes the pictures from other wars, the child at the railway station after the rape of Nanking, those from the camps in Germany are equally tragic. Even the pictures showing Charleston after Sherman's army went through show this kind of destruction.

But there is a special feeling I get from these pictures. Perhaps it comes as a residual of the racial hatred this country felt towards Japan. I hope not, but the fact is that these striking photographs make me feel terrible.

Juliet is a young girl living in Medieval England. Her best friend is Marguerite, the young lady of the manor. But today is the worst day of Juliet's life. A thief steals Marguerite's lovely hankerchief from right under Juliet's nose. Marguerite is going to be sent away to court. And now, Juliet's little brother has released a valuabe falcon by mistake. Can Juliet save the day?

The Girlhood Journeys series, written in the late '90's, is something that I've long wanted to see -- a series of books about kids in different historical periods, that talks about what their life was really like. This book fits the bill perfectly: Juliet is a freeman's daughter in medieval England, and her friend is the manor-holder's daughter. There is an excellent contrast shown between Juliet's lifestyle and that of her friend Marguerite. The book also has an excellent lesson about honesty ... teaching the importance of this value without preaching about it is perfectly executed here.
I'm a reenactor by hobby, and wish that books like this had been available to me when I was a young girl growing up. Parents who want their daughters to have a sense of history while still being entertained by good story lines should definitely investigate the Girlhood Journeys books.

I really like this book! The old-english dialect was a little hard to understant though.Juliet must lead a really cool life!

This story is very good.It is about a girl name Juliet. She is ten years old and she is also a falconer.She is also a peasent.But one day Marguerite leaves Juliet to go to court.After she leaves a stranger steals Marguerite's kerchief.Juliet doesn't want to blame herself for it.Her brother makes a mistake by releasing one of the falcons.Juliet needs to try to find the preious bird.She doesn't want to lose her job being a falconer.I gave this book five stars because this is a very good book.I want to encourge you to read so you can be a very good reader.You should really read this book.It is very awesome!