Town Books

This was a great story. It was fun reading it to my kids in CA, after living most of my life in Malden MA. We loved the part about Filene's Basement (and I'm sad won't get to take them to see the real thing because it will be gone in the summer of '07) and shopping at all of the markets in the North End. It was amazing how many of my stories as a kid came out of reading that one book.

This book is just terrific. I grew up in Somerville, MA and took the bus and train into Boston very often. It brought back so many memories of growing up. I used to go to Filene's Basement all the time with my mother, as well as, Bailey's, Haymarket, etc. My son just loves the book, almost as much as me.

The author relives fond childhood memories of travelling into Boston with her mother and sister to visit Boston's Italian North End, riding the bus and visiting Filene's Basement, an ice cream shop, produce market, butcher and baker. especially fun for kids familiar with Boston, this book would also be of interest to those who ride the bus, like shopping or hold an interest in Italy.

This book is great. We live in Seattle and are going back to Boston for a visit. My 3 year old son wants to go on a bus like the 2 girls in the book. He is so excited to come back to Boston for his 10th time. We read the book every night before bed. Great photos.

I felt like I was reliving my childhood! I grew up in Boston and remember the excitement of having special days in town with my mother. We would end our wonderful day by stopping by Bailey's for a sundae. She would recall her special days with her mother and doing the same things that we did!

I bought this book for my son after seeing it in the library. I have a used board book version, which is in FANTASTIC condition. I find this book is EXTREMELY durable, and would recommend getting a used one if this is for your own child.

My son was ONE when we purchased it, and loved it enough to ask for it every day for several months. Now he's almost 2.5, it was at the bottom of the pile for awhile, but now he loves it all over again. WE both love the colorful pictures, and there are cute things to look for, things that you may not notice the first few times you go through it. LIke the driver in one car has a somewhat angry expression, like he wants to run over the lady that is crossing the street. I think it's funny, it's not obvious and cruel, just something that as a grown up, you may notice, that flies over the child's head. Or like, on the hospital page, the patients are Green... get it? green, sick? Too cute! ANd one guy is wrapped up in bandages like a mummy from head to toe. Each page has things it asks you to point out. But you can easily find more things for the child to notice. My son just loves it. I think it is especially appealling to kids that like cars, trucks and busses. But girls will like it too... it's not full of those things, but there are enough of them in there. It is so colorful, and it's fun to ask the child to find an orange car, or a yellow house. There's even a little kitty cat wandering in the crowd on the marketplace page.

This is a very sweet book for a child... I'd say from One - Four years old, but I have no doubt mine love it enough to thumb through it himself when he's older, or maybe it will be a book he learns to read from. Great overall, I'd say one of our top 10 books! It's my favorite book in the "it doesn't have a deep message, and doesn't rhyme" category.

We have many Taro Gomi books, in both English and Japanese. His graphics are always amazing, and this gem is at the top of the list. The English translation here is great (as opposed to the dreadful "Where's the Fish?"), and my child loves the story of the bus as is winds through town. Especially nice is the touch near the end, where WE get off the bus at our house, placing the child into the story, then the driver gets off the bus at the end. Cute and snappy, a work of art that will engage child and parent alike.

My daughter has loved this book since she was a year old. At 2.5 years she still loves seeing where the bus goes on its route, who gets off, who misses the bus...She loves to answer the simple questions on each page. (Parents can always ask different questions when they get bored). The text and pictures are just right for the pre-speaking to pre-school age child. There is something on every page to captivate even the youngest child yet, there are so many interesting little details that older children remain interested. And for parents, get this, the bus stops at a movie set and who's in the director's chair but Akira Kurosawa with his white hat and sunglasses. Oh and who's that bearded actor? Toshiro Mifune. No kidding. This book is THAT cool.

My 20-month old loves this book, and with good reason. It's a fantastic example of a book that can grow with a toddler; at first he was most interested in the buses, then started noticing the cars, moved onto the trees, and now loves all the little people. It's a sweet book, gentle in tone. My toddler will spend 15 minutes at a time reading this one with me.

I frequently give this book as a baby gift, and get reports back that it always becomes the baby's top favorite book, the one they want to read everyday over and over - and since it's mostly a visual book that lets the child explore objects and places, and has art-quality illustrations, parents enjoy it too. Taro Gomi's books don't aggressively teach, but just let a small child wander slowly and curiously through the pages, noticing things of interest, always discovering new details.

Okay, I'm not so much into mysteries and thrillers. But this book is a "genre-bender" in the best sense. It offers so much, in both depth and edge-of-seat storytelling. If you like to be simultaneously entertained and challenged, this book is for you. I enjoyed the HECK out of it.

Considering that several Texan cults are currently in the news (like the FLDS and that creepy guy who lays down naked with virgins,) Callous is spookily prescient and yet hauntingly timeless.

The action centers around a cult, the Country Congregationalist Bible Church. (Get the reference to Our Town?) This church isn't *predicting* the end of the world. It's *instigating* it. The church's pastor, while not a POV character, is a cross between Barack Obama and Charles Manson: witty, smart, and charismatic enough to get people to follow him to Hell.

The five main characters are varied and all at odds with each other. Diane, the DA, and Zeke are members of the cult. Zeke's daughter goes missing on the first page.

Diane's husband, Max, is the head deputy and the best investigator in Texas, and he investigates the girl's disappearance, even though he thinks she's probably just run off with some boy.

Vanessa, the Cassandra and the vamp, is the missing girl's childhood friend and now a forensic scientist. She's convinced that the girl was taken by a serial killer because she sees all the signs, but no one will listen to her.

The last major character, P.J., is the only witness, maybe. She's a Goth and a high school girl, adopted from India when she was small child.

This missing-person mystery segues artfully into an inquiry into the nature of evil and memory. I'm an MD, and the careful and accurate reaches into neuroscience are all correct and startling. This is another example of a novelist, like Proust, scooping the neuroscientists, except that Kenyon is a neuroscientist and is writing about the soul and pack of neurons that we think we rise above.

There is one lovely section that does for neuroscience and memory what Primo Levi (in The Periodic Table ) did for carbon and the period, this one, right here.

Veronica

T K Kenyon is launching a literary career from small town Texas. Like the best mystery writers, she has created a unique geographic niche with characters that are every day believable. CALLOUS is hardly a stereotypical mystery where the only plot motivation is to figure out whodunnit. The characters and plot are complex. There is more in the lives of the husband and wife detectives than solving mysteries. You care about them as people as they sort out the differences in their lives. CALLOUS is for those who enjoy mnystery, for those who care about characters, and for those who just enjoy a good can-t-put-it-down read. Highly recommended.

Suspenseful and populated with well-drawn characters, Callous is a multi-layered, page-turning crime novel of high quality. Loved it.

What is it about small towns? Are they magnets for outrageous murderers or what? Or, maybe it's just TK Kenyon's over-active but well-expressed imagination that makes you want to look inside the brain of every slow-talkin' hayseed you meet to see if there's mayhem lurking around somewhere in there.

Like Kenyon's first novel, Rabid, this one draws convoluted lines of battle between science and religion. There is also a big dose of small-town intrigue and some really smart law enforcement folks, although you don't always notice that right away. Kenyon has a way of painting vivid characters with a broad brush, although she also keeps a few character traits in reserve to keep things interesting.

The book starts conventionally enough, with the disappearance of Ester, the adult daughter of a rancher in Texas. Chief Deputy Max, an old-fashioned cop if there ever was one, is on the case with his wife, County DA Diane, who is a secret Bible reader. You can't have a murder mystery these days without forensics, either, so Ester's childhood friend Vanessa carries on that theme.

The tension and suspense build throughout the book, which makes it a tempting one-sitting read. If you get hooked on it, though, take time to enjoy Kenyon's characters, who offer a lot of detail to study. There's an unconventional ending, too, but I better not say anymore about that.

I have loved these stories since my early childhood. In an age of [...]on the TV and movies. These stories will delight children young and old and make you wish you were born back when this stuff was comon place.

Centerburg Tales is the second book to hold stories about Homer Price and friends. The first four stories are tales from Grandpa Hercules, an old man known for his tall tales. All of the stories, including the three not told by Hercules, are fun to read, even outloud! Giant ragweeds, 'Eversomuch More-So' (which makes everything better) and a song you just can't stop singing! Good, old fashion, drug free, rocket-ship free, non-violent FUN for most of the family.

"That character," said Freddy after a long silence, "could make some little squirrel very happy."

This is a great sequel to the original "Homer Price". Homer and his friends are off on more wacky adventures, each one funnier than the last. The final story, in which Homer and his fellow citizens are literally dancing all over town, is one of the most hilarious children's tales ever written. McCloskey had magic in his writing pen and his drawing pencil; it's hard to say which are better, the stories or the illustrations. Suffice to say that they all add up to a wonderful book for young folks. Highly recommended.

I loved the silly stories of Centerburg as a kid and hoped that my nine-year-old nephew would not find the material too dated to understand. No worries! He laughs out loud at the complicated adventures that ensnare Homer Price and his friends. I'm pleased that he's enjoying a book that enlarges his vocabulary and his ideas about life way back in the mid-twentieth century.

The Adventures of Homer Price in the quaint town of Centerburg are flat out hilarious. Homer's uncle Hercules quickly sets the tone of disbelief by spinning some yarns that have just enough "truth" to them to be plausible. This is a truly a story of the American Scene in a time when people entertained themselves by gabbing with one another and singing songs together instead of hiding in the basement watching videos. Good old timey values like hucksterism, lying, and cheating face the good natured community of Centerburg and sometimes turn it upside down. Strange things happen in Centerburg, and the curious Homer Price is going to get to the bottom of it. Robert McClosky is also one of our finest illustrators and his lively drawings add texture and background to the story. Highly Recommeded.

Julie Linker's debut novel, DISENCHANTED PRINCESS, is sure to be a success. A combination of high fashion and down-home charm will make it a fun read for teen girls.

West Deschanel's life is turned upside-down when her father is sentenced to five years in prison. Since her mother's death years ago, she has lived with her father and her caretaker, Maria. Now her mother's estranged sister has surfaced and wants to take her to some out-of-the-way farm in Arkansas.

Living in L.A., West was accustomed to lavish surroundings. She attended a posh high school, drove a cool car, and was designing her own line of clothes about to be revealed at her very own fashion show.

Now she's in Possum Grape, Arkansas. She's gathering eggs, pulling weeds, battling chiggers, and riding the school bus. Dear Aunt Sherrie is all excited about taking her school shopping at WalMart, feeding her good home cooking, and dragging her to church every Sunday.

The only saving graces are meeting Sophie, who loves to design and sew as much as West, and having an amazingly cute foster brother named Steve living right under the same roof. Can Sophie and Steve offer enough to make West feel at home, or will West be driven totally crazy by the country life?

Linker's quirky characters and great humor had me giggling in every chapter. The lighthearted tone and easy style made this a pleasant and relaxing read. Girls are going to enjoy it and will probably hope that West's adventures continue in a sequel some day.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

I am not a big reader, but when I read the book Disenchanted Princess, my mind totally changed. Julie took a spoiled rich girl and made her a loveable person. This book is a fascinating story about a girl's life that practically got turned upside down. This book is by Julie Linker. The main character in this book is West Deschanel. She is a totally rich blonde who lives in L.A. Her mom died and her dads in jail. So West was shipped off to Possum Grape, AK to live with her aunt for a while. West and her best friend, Delaney is throwing an amazing party in just a couple of weeks. So West has to figure out a way to get back to L.A in time. This book is amazing to read, and when you pick it up, you can't put it down. I absolutely love this book because of all the hard times West had to go through. This book would be best for young teen readers. Some other books in the series are Bloom, Two-way Street and the Private series. The genre of the book is fiction. Being dumped in the middle of nowhere is not the worst thing that could happen to you, or is it?

With her mom dead and her dad recently locked up for (supposed) embezzling, West is sent off to live with her aunt in the middle of nowhere, also known as Possum Grape (yes, that's really the name). West needs to make it back to LA in two weeks for the biggest social event of the year, especially since it's for her! But can a few new friends, a hyperactive little cousin, and one extremely delicious guy make her stay anyway?


I loved this book! Filled with hilarious quips and scenarios (especially the church incident), as well as great well-drawn characters, this is one book you do not want to miss. What really kept me going in this novel was not only the smooth prose, but also the frankness and honesty that Linker shows when talking about controversial topics like religion and sex rarely seen in YA chicklit. Linker also does a fantastic job in putting a twist on the classic fish-out-of-water story, and she is one author you definitely need to keep your eye on.

Julie Linker's DISENCHANTED PRINCESS was a fun, fast-paced read and it ended with a pleasant twist. Two thumbs way up! :)

OMG, I've never been much of a reader, but this book totally makes me reconsider my "non-reader" stance! I found myself laughing outloud all the way through it, wondering what southern mishap was bound to happen next. This is a great book, and an easy read, and a breath of fresh country air. Bring on the next one!

This book is one of a kind. I've looked at various travel books through the years, and usually have to buy one if I'm going to a part of the country I haven't visited before. Susan Kraus' book is simply amazing, in that it provides information on all the top Big 12 towns that is not available in other guide books, Plus, it highlights locally owned businesses. This is important to me because I like to mingle with local folks when I travel. If you are a sports fan and go to games, or if you're like me and just like to travel to cities in TX and surrounding states, this book will provide you with anything you'll need to know.

Susan Kraus provides all you need to know to have a great time in the college towns of the Big 12: where to eat and where to stay, what to do and what to see. She ignores the over-publicized "chain bracelet" stops in favor of what is locally owned and grown. Kraus has written an energetic, fun, fact-filled travel guide well worth the sticker price. Read and travel!

I live in Topeka, and know many of the Big 12 towns. But I have consulted Kraus' book before trips and found that Susan Kraus has discovered more than I have about where to eat and what to do in these great college towns. Whether you're attending a sporting event, or just traveling through, Game Day Guide is a great resource. Really, the book is an "any day" guide to the best the Big 12 towns have to offer.

This book helps me and my husband make decisions on where we want to eat, drink, explore and budget for when we are at home in Lawrence, KS, or traveling. These are the places full of local flavor and local drinks. Susan Kraus gives some sound advice on shopping, lodging and recreation, and some of her comments are quite witty. Good read. Good practical guide for residents of towns of the Big 12 and athletic fans. Pick it up you'll find something in there for you, including chapters on each of the universities of the Big 12 Conference.

This book provided me with very useful and unique information about Norman that I could not find from any other sources. A Game Day Guide To Towns of the Big 12 is incredibly well thought out and provides you with exactly the information you would want to know when visiting a town in which you are not familiar. It caters to all ages and interests as I was looking for restaurants and nightlife and my mother was interested in the description and historical background of OU. I would recommend this book to friends and families and sports fans alike!

I really enjoyed this book, as the final installment to the series.

IN this valume, we see Camelot falling apart as the Grail Quest consumes the companions. Lancelot and Guinevere finally consummate their relationship.

The relationship between Arthur ans Mordred, his son by Morgause, comes to a head, and the story ends as it usually does. But, this story makes it all fresh. Its morew realistic them MZBs story, without all the magic interfering. Don't get me wrong, MZBs book was, and still is,one of my favorites. But its nice to see a book(or trilogy) where for once, religion isnt such a large part. Its the people more at center stage. This book is more historical fiction then fantasy.

This trilogy by Persia Woolley, which includes Child of the Northern Spring, Queen of the Summer Stars, and The Legend in Autumn, is well worth reading. Among the plethora of feminine centric Arthur retellings, I thought this trilogy was second only to The Mists of Avalon, which is the best Arthurian novel I've read, period. Neither a simpering bauble like Marion Zimmer Bradley's queen, nor a bitter shrew, as she is depicted in Rosalind Miles' trilogy, the High Queen in this series is a strong woman, bold, intelligent, compassionate, and well worth the love of two legendary heros. My only complaint with the character is this: Woolley saw fit to make her Guenevere homely, not the great beauty of legend, and Guenevere is supposed to be the fairest of the fair. Otherwise, this trilogy gets my highest recommendation. It is much better than the other Guenevere trilogies out there (by Miles and Newman). If you like this one, you might also enjoy Queen of Camelot by Nancy McKenzie.

I love reading the Arthurian Legends from a "woman's point of view." I loved Mists of Avalon because of that feature, and I adored these books about Guinevere. I knew there had to be more to her than traditional Camelot portrayals! I am surprised the 3 books in this series are out of print. I was lucky enough to find the first 2 (Child of the Northern Spring one year and Queen of the Summer Stars the next year) in hardcover on a clearance book cart at 2 different locations! What a treat! I had to order this final one in paperback. Each time I got the next book I went back and re-read the previous one, until finally, when I bought Legend in Autumn I re-read all 3 one after the other. I was sorry to see it end. I am not sure if Persia Woolley will write anymore, but if she does I am certainly a fan. Thanks for a great series!

This book was FANTASTIC!!! I am an avide reader, and can honestly say that the three books in this series were the best I have read in many years. I laughed and cried and sat up till the wee hours of the morning not wanting to put down these books. The storie put such an increadable spin on the King Arthur tails, and made me want to read everything I can find on the ancient Celts.
The only negative thing I could say about the series is that it is probably more of a "Chic" book than something a guy would get into.

This is a good book--even though it perpetuates the flaws seen in Woolley's previous Guinevere books, _Child of the Northern Spring_ and _Queen of the Summer Stars_. Woolley's Guinevere still has a habit of distancing herself from the story, briskly rattling off the legendary happenings like an anchorwoman for the Camelot Nightly News. Woolley's desire to tell the Arthurian legend without the use of "magic" or "fantasy" still results in cumbersome and byzantine plot devices as the author attempts to explain magical events without the magic. Her characters still borrow heavily from other authors--Cai is straight out of Phyllis Ann Karr, and Morgan is a twisted reflection of Bradley's Morgaine. But all of this aside, this is still a good book.

In _The Legend in Autumn_, the dream of Camelot begins to fall apart. There are quarrels--Guinevere and Lancelot fight bitterly over Elaine of Carbonek, whom Lancelot accidentally slept with. And Mordred, whose best friend is a Saxon captive, comes to believe the Saxons are basically OK, and wants to include them in the Round Table--but Arthur, veteran of countless Saxon wars, holds his old prejudices dear, and refuses his son's request. And into this tumultuous court comes the young bard Taliesin, singing of the Grail, and the Round Table warriors begin to scatter to the four winds in search of the mysterious object.

Woolley deftly describes the tale told by each returning knight; she does a great job of showing how the Grail means different things to different people, and what sort of meaning each man finds. (And woman, too, for Guinevere will find her own personal Grail by the end of the story.)

Also wonderfully done was the treatment of Guinevere's punishment for adultery. The usual retelling shows Arthur standing by heartlessly as his Queen is sentenced to the stake, and Lancelot ruthlessly killing his friends to save her. Woolley has a more complicated but more believable theory about what reall happened behind the scenes, one that rings true to the characters of the brave Queen, the idealistic King, and the deadly but good-hearted knight. I won't give it away, but it's good.

After Lancelot makes away with Guinevere, they flee to Joyous Gard, where they live simply and happily--until the threat of war looms. Guinevere is supported by the counsel of Isolde of Cornwall, who has grown wiser since her star-crossed love affair with Tristan, and together they see what must be done. Far from being the downfall of Camelot, Guinevere will now give her all to save it.

This book ought to be remembered, above all, for its sensitive portrayal of the Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot love triangle. Gwen and Lance truly have a love for the ages, but Gwen also shares a special bond with Arthur, which holds Camelot together more than they realize. Guinevere is the human touch that balances Arthur's ideals.

I own this book in the electronic format (Adobe Reader and DRM-locked) and finish my reading a couple of months ago. Suburbia is, in my modest opinion, a very good-looking place for a family life and this is why it is appealing for anyone who wants to live in one. Having your own large and greened piece of land with a large house on it is a dream coming true. No other thing symbolizes better the achievement of the American Dream than owning a house in the suburbs.

However, I never liked the feeling of loneliness and isolation that places like these offer its inhabitants. While it can provide a comfortable living and a strong sense of ownership, it lacks convenience and community sense. I agree with the author that the effect of these downsides are much more relevant than the good ones. Some people can deal with it, but many people cannot. And for those who cannot, life becomes a struggle and the dream becomes a nightmare.

Despite its beauty, suburbs do not promote human interaction due to its large dimensions that makes difficult for people to communicate with each other in a regular and informal way. The lack of such interaction really can make someone to be less tolerate and more aggressive and fearful of somebody else. Human interaction can only be learned if it is commonly practiced.

The book does a good job on explaining briefly the origin of the suburbs, why it has grown so fast, why it is still so popular and, with more details, what the consequences of living in such places are. After reading the book, it is perfectly possible to recognize that well-being and life in the suburbs aren't things that are necessarily connected to each other, although this is what your next door real estate developer says to a prospective buyer...

When I read this book, I found it very interesting and informative. I was interested to learn about how and why sprawl came about in the first place, as well as how it has affected people's lives and our society generally, and the solutions to it. I really like books that offer solutions to major problems and/or better alternatives to the status quo!

It is interesting that sprawl is a major contributor to the high crime rate in the U.S.! According to this book's author, suburban sprawl and crime are worse in the U.S. than in Canada. I live in Canada, and if sprawl and crime are not as bad in Canada as they are in the U.S., even in Canada, both of those things are bad enough!

In his book geared at helping the everyday person understand the alienation and environmental/physical dangers of urban sprawl, Doug Morris also extends his prescriptive understanding, allowing the reader to grasp how he/she might help reduce the negative affects and correct this phenomena through individual and community efforts toward recreating community through smart urban design. As an anthropologist can objectively observe other cultures, Morris can reflect on his personal experiences of growing up in Europe and other places abroad where urban spaces are designed to embrace and foster community spirit, and help us understand how sprawl is both unique and destructive to the U.S. I highly recommend this book. Dena Hawes

Suburbia has changed from an American dream into a nightmare of violence: Douglas E. Morris 's IT'S A SPRAWL WORLD AFTER ALL is the first book to consider why, drawing some important connections between sprawl and violence. The lack of connections between people living in small areas has left suburban residents isolated, alienated and afraid of strangers. Sprawl involves more cars, more malls, and more in-home interaction replacing social events and community feel, and has evolved a culture of violence in turn. Examples provide case histories outside the country where sprawl problems have been changed.

In the tradition of Robert Putnam's seminal 2001 book "Bowling Alone" author Douglas E. Morris offers "It's A Sprawl World After All". Although the focus of the two books is a bit different the conclusion that the two authors reach are strikingly similar. To quote the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) "The unplanned growth of sprawl has left Americans isolated, alienated and afraid of the strangers that surround them. Suburbia has substituted cars for conversation, malls for main streets, and the artificial community of television for authentic social interaction." Douglas Morris opines in his book that Americans are growing tired of the lack of community and the absence of civility in their day to day lives. Some may challenge his premise. But "It's A Sprawl World After All" presents a compelling case for the proposition that we as a nation need to reverse many of the policies that for the past 60 years have benefited a few at the expense of the rest of us.
The United States and Europe have taken very different paths since the conclusion of World War II. Spurred by an amalgamation of big money interests that included the construction industry, the automobile industry and the airlines, the U.S. government promoted policies that unleashed what would ulimately result in the unchecked growth that we have experienced over the past several decades. In the meantime the folks in Europe have largely rejected these approaches our government so unabashedly promotes. "It's A Sprawl World After All" cites example after example why the quality of life in Europe is so much better that it is for us in the U.S. Even the most skeptical reader would have to cede Morris some points here.
Having been born in 1951, I am old enough to remember what real community is like. I grew up in a blue collar neighborhood where I knew just about everybody. People rarely moved. There was a neighborhood grocery store (we did not need 30000 items!) and a variety store with a soda fountain. In the summer we played baseball three times a day in a vacant lot. We used to cut the grass ourselves! I am still in touch with many of the folks from that neighborhood. Contrast this to the way most youngsters are growing up today. They are rarely home and even when they are they never go outside. The houses they live in are much bigger than they used to be and equipped with all sorts of gadgets. But are these kids really happier than we were? Douglas Morris agrees with the preponderance of data that would suggest that they certainly are not.
If you have never taken the time to consider the subject of sprawl and the social, economic and psychological effect it has on all of us then "It's A Sprawl World After All" would be a great place to start. Douglas Morris has done a great job of explaining how sprawl came to be and why it is so destructive. He goes on to make numerous practical suggestions on how each one of us can help to reverse these trends. Finally, there is a valuable appendix included that cites a number of websites for those who wish to explore this subject more extensively.
"It's A Sprawl World After All" challenges the way most Americans live today. Unlike some books that are prone to be full of jargon, Morris makes his case in easy to understand language. A great book to provoke discussion in high school and college classrooms or at the dinner table with your teenagers. Highly recommended!

I'm ALMOST done with this book and am looking forward to the next book(s) in the series. Its a wonderful mix of modern American times, magic, adventure and sci fi, where a couple of young kids/tweeners learn the value of their skills and how to be unique!

I purchased this book after hearing the author talking about it on TV. My pre-teen loves this book. I have purchased books in the past but this is the first she started reading and can't stop talking about it. This was one of my best purchases and at a great price.

Wow! What a story!

Louis Proof is a teenager in East Orange, New Jersey. When the book opens, Louis one of the most popular students in his class. He is helpful, kind, and smart. He accepts an invitation to go to a wonderful amusement park where all of your wildest dreams come true. After things go a little wrong there, Louis leaves and mysteriously collapses and falls into a coma.

When Louis awakens, it is three months later and everything is different. Many adults are being replaced with replicas of themselves -- and they are a child's dream. They let their kids do anything they want. Slowly, Louis realizes that he is the earth's only chance. Earth is being taken over by Galonious, a very funny but evil person. He takes away a person's inhibitions and promises freedom. Some people steal and vandalize while others commit murder.

I spent some time speaking with my fifth-graders about this concept and I believe that they found it as scary as I did. The story doesn't come to a conclusion, as there are supposed to be sequels. The hero is also African-American, which is a first, and there are many references to popular culture which makes the story fun.

Enjoy reading THE MARVELOUS EFFECT!

Reviewed by: Marta Morrison

Being an adult who still reads what are called "chilrens novels", I was pleasently suprised that kid in me has been re-awakened in Marvelous fashion. Troy CLE has infused Hip-Hop, True teachings, and a world of fantasy into the "Marvelous World" of East Orange New Jersey...I would say more but the Crims would get me. Then as young Brandon would say, it would be "on". I highly recommend this to anyone who has children of their own, or better yet, to anyone who has a child's heart... Bottom line, "it's marvelous darling". Peace.

This is a beautifully written book that will instantly engage even a reluctant reader. It's fun, it's deep, it's alive with a lively plot and creative setting. I use it for an urban book club. Most of my kids have never read a book over 100 pages, yet they finished this book ahead of schedule. It's a very smart book with great vocabulary and themes that are rich for discussuion. This author has written a book that kids can see, hear and feel.

"Welcome to Mossy Creek the town you can count on ain't goin' nowhere, and don't want to" with these words you get the flavor of life in the small southern town of Mossy Creek. The people are fiesty, funny, sad, and loving. Each chapter is a different character's story. You learn the history of the dispute between Mossy Creek and the nearby town of Bigelow. Each chapter becomes a story unto itself while characters overlap occasionally in the tales. From Miss Ida, the guardian/mayor of Moss Creek who will go to jail rather than put up a new welcome sign outside of Mossy Creek (afterall it was written by a Bigelowan!) to Casey, an Olympic hopeful whose dreams are dashed while returning from her elopement, due to a car accident which leaves her paralyzed from the waist down, you will laugh and cry with the inhabitants of this marvelous town. Come on for the ride and enjoy a few moments in Mossy Creek. It is a fast read and powerful in its emotions.

I am not usually a fan of short stories, but this book was different. Each story is character sketch and many of the characters make guest appearances in other stories. This is truly fiction, all the characters are big-hearted people who trul y love their town and each other. I loved Mossy Creek and also couldn't decide story I liked the best

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - lots of fun, quirky characters. Looking forward to the next in the series.

I read this book because I love Deborah Smith's work. I figured at least her stories in the book would be fantastic. I laughed so hard with the first story my husband finally asked me to share the joke. And it just got better after that. I can not wait for the next book to come out! The characters were all fun and lovable. It made me wish my small town was a wee bit smaller, Southern and full of Mossy Creekites!

This tale about the residents of Mossy Creek will warm your heart and touch your soul. It's like sitting down with good friends for a piece of warm apple pie. Delicious!