Media Books

I thought that Up Up, Down was a great book. When the father fell down and his bottem was red. That anna repeats the same things. The baby brother because when he said no!! there were great. Yes in the store I always repeated the same thing. All kids read this book!!!

I think it was a wonderful book because the book was funny. My favorite part was when Anna fell down, because it was funny. The funniest part was when Anna said, I'm the queen of the castle mommy is a dirty rascal. Anna was my favorite character, because Anna was the funniest character in the book. The illustrations were very wonderful and colorful. I recommend all children should read this book.

I liked this book because it was a funny story. My favorite part was when Anna said, ouch my favorite character is Anna but I thought this book is all ages to read this book yes, I remembered something about my live. So have fun and buy this book.

I thought the book Up, Up, Down was a great book. My favorite part was when Anna repeated what their parents said to her. Also, I thought the funniest part was when Anna bundled up her parents with humongous band-aids. My favorite character is Anna because I thought she was very funny and always fooling around.

My favorite part of Up, Up, Down is when Anna parents told her, "Don't climb." The funniest part was when Anna sang, "I'm the king of the castle, mommy's a dirty rascal." My favorite character was Anna. I recommend this book to kids in elementary school.

The book has great pictures and very detailed if you know someone who loves Sta Wars movies would love this book..

My son is using this book as a reference for his drawing class and we all find it very helpful. There are facts here which are quite detailed and wondered how the author know all these stuff! Anyway, we love the book!

This Book has a lot of glear crisp pictures in it. Since I make Star Wars movie props (Lightsaber hilts, Helmets, Costumes) this book helped a lot. darth vader lightsaber is totally sweet and the moment I saw it in the book I said I gotta make that, so right now I'm in the process of making his and many others.
Again this is a great book so please don't hesitate a second. buy it!

RYAN J.

This guide was accurate, except for one thing: Solah is Padme's sister, and Jobal is her mother. This book portrays it as the other way around. But otherwise, a good reference book for the best movie ever!

This is the best book for any fan of the movies. It explains things you'll never learn about on screen. From their weapons, to their clothes and why they need and have them, it makes sense of things that don't make sense. Good book!

My daughter and I have LOVED sharing Betsy-Tacy as a read-aloud. The way that the author weaves the girls' fantasies right into the chapter is a perfect illustration of just how real imaginary play is to children (or at least used to be when kids were allowed to imagine). Beware, parents: Have a hankie on hand for the Easter Eggs chapter. I had tears running in rivulets down my cheeks. The only sad thing about Betsy-Tacy is that my daughter wishes that she had a kindred spirit of her own as they do. Highly recommended!

I was introduced to Betsy and Tacy at 5 or 6 by my mom. She adored the series growing in the 50/60s. I grew up in the 70s/80s and fell in love with Betsy, Tacy and Tib. I have 3 daughters that now love these books also. If I had to name the best gift I ever received, I would name my Betsy books. I read the books at just the right time in my life. I would look forward to receiving my Besty/Tacy book at Christmas. When I had my 1st child, my mother gave me the final book in the series when Betsy also has a baby. I was overjoyed yet sad because I knew it was the end of the books.
These books were so important to me growing up that I still think of the characters often. They are wonderful classic stories of a simple time and true friendships.

B-T fans rejoice! Sutton Foster acquits herself well, and brings the characters and Maud's distinctive writerly voice alive in her reading of B-T.

Tired of reading the book over and over and over to your children? This audiobook can take over the chore. Or guarantee that you arrive at work in a good mood, by listening during your commute.

Don't hesitate, just get it before it goes out of print. Let's hope they issue more of the books on CD too.

What a delightful book! I cannot believe I missed these books as a child; I picked them up to read with my daughters on a friend's recommendation, and they are a treasure. They remind me of so many other classic children's books -- Lois Lenski, Carolyn Haywood, Beverly Cleary, Eleanor Estes. Not only are the stories sweet and captivating, they take me back to a place where life was so much simpler. It's a return to innocence, and I loved the journey. I would highly recommend these books for little girls; they'll make new friends that they'll cherish for a lifetime.

I was recently reminded of the Betsy-Tacy books I loved so much when I was a young girl. You can not imagine my horror at seeing the current editions' illustrations of the girls, though. Part of the original books' charm was the simple illustrations. Whoever decided to change them should be ashamed. Ashamed and fired. Seriously.

Contact me if you want to join a campaign to have the real drawings returned to future editions of these timeless classics so many of us loved so much.

Wally Hatford is a 10 year old boy who started a war between the Hatfords and the Malloys. He has three brothers, Peter, Josh, and Jake. The Malloys just moved in from Ohio to the Bensons' (The Hatfords' best friends) old house, and the boys want to want to oust the Malloy girls, Caroline, Beth, and Eddie (Edith) out of Buckman.

Wally is in Mrs. Applebaum's class, right in front of Caroline, the wanna be actress. He is the mastermind for the boys in the war between the Hatfords and the Malloys. Wally wants peace between the boys and girls to see how long it takes for a waffle box to travel down the river, to jump off a tree, and to climb a church steeple.

I could relate to Wally. He is like a kid in my class named Jake. Jake, like Wally, can think up of ideas to win a war against anybody, boy, girl, or parent. Jake also is curious of just things in normal life.

The Boys Start the War is a book just for children seeing that adults aren't interested in wars between boys and girls. It is easy to understand all of the humor and vocabulary in the book. I loved the book and went on to read the whole series.

The Hatford boys were looking out the window with their binoculars waiting to see three boys moving in their friends house across the river.When they see their girls moving in and not boys.They makea plan to sent the Malloy girls back to Ohio.Throwing dead animals to dead bodies.Playing bad tricks on the girls.Will the girls get back on them?Is the war barly begining?Are the girls going to get even with the boys. This is a really funny book to read.

This book is a hilarious book. The Hatford brother's best friends, the Bensons, moved away from Buckman to Georgia. The boys were expecting 3 boys to move into the Benson's house, but they were surprised when they found out that it was actually 3 girls. The Hatford brothers decided that they would try to make that the Malloy sisters so miserable that they would want to move back to Ohio and the Bensons would move back because no one would rent their house. The boys are in for a surprise when they have to go against the Malloy sister's cleverness. The pranks go on from dead fish to dead bodies and from floating heads to washing windows. The boys and the girls keep going at each other. They both can't tell their parents because then they would have to tell about all their other pranks. The war goes on and on to other sequels.

I like book because of all the pranks. The pranks are all thought up cleverly but something always goes wrong. A quote that shows something going wrong is, "`You got the flashlight?' Jake asked Wally breathlessly. `Heck, no. You were carrying it.' `I thought you grabbed it,' Josh said. `Someone did!' But that someone was already inside the house." This shows how the Hatfords lost their flashlight while pretending to be a floating head outside Beth Malloy's window.

Another reason I liked this book is because it's a humor book. I don't read many humor books but this book made me laugh. This book is filled with many hilarious events. Caroline Malloy draws a funny picture of her teacher but Wally manages to steal it and blackmails her. The things that go wrong are also funny. Just when one side thinks they've won, the other side finds a way to get even. There are many other books in the series and this is only the first.

My favorite part of the book is at the end of the book when the final prank is played. When the girls go to get Caroline from the Hatford's tool shed, they think they won because they made Jake say to them, "Your faithful, obedient servant." As they were leaving Wally comes out with Mrs. Hatford saying that the girls were coming over to help peel the bushels of apples the Hatfords had picked. I thought this was hilarious and was a great way to end the book to keep you hooked.

Just when the Hatford boys were expecting three boys to move into the house across the river the Malloy girls arrived instead. Wally and his brothers decide to make Caroline and her sisters so miserable that they'll want to go back to Ohio, but they haven't counted on the ingenuity of the girls.

Cast of Characters:
Malloy's:
George Malloy-father-football coach
Jean Malloy-mother
(Edith Anne) Eddie-11-6th grade
Beth-10-5th grade
Caroline-8-4th grade
Hatford's:
Tom Hatford-father-mail man
Ellen Hatford-mother-hardware store worker
Jake and Josh-11-6th grade
Wally-9-4th grade
Peter-7-2nd grade

This is really cool.It can be for 3-??yrs old.Pluse it takes places in my hometown Buckhannon,WV.The school they go to has beem turn into a building for 5-18 year olds,called Stockert Youth Center.The Mallory girls are really cool!!The Boys are trying to get the girls out of their old best friends house by playing tricks and being mean,and the girls try to show the boys the can't tear them away from Buckman wich really is Buckhannon.Read it!!Its cool!!

I read this book in adolescence and it has stayed with me since then--over 20 years. I have thought of Eric's story many times over the years, especially now that I have my own son. I think that I will read this book again and add it to my permanent collection. It is very touching albeit very sad.

Eric is the heartbreaking, inspirational true story of Eric Lund, a seventeen-year-old boy who is diagnosed with Leukemia just days before he is set to leave for college. This book is a memoir written by his mother, Doris Lund, about Eric's unwavering will to survive, and about how his cancer affects not only himself, but everyone around him.

When it's a story about a terminal illness, there can be no unexpected twist. As soon as I read the description on the back cover of the book, I knew basically how it was going to start and how it was going to end. But it's what happens in between that makes Eric Lund's life so interesting. What makes him different than many whose lives have thrown seemingly indomitable obstacles at them is that Eric refuses to give up. Even when the doctors, despite their greatest and heartfelt efforts, can offer only ominous warnings, it doesn't prevent Eric from living his life to the fullest. In this way, Eric isn't just the tragedy of a boy whose life deteriorates little by little. Instead, it is the motivational story of a man whose confidence, positive outlook, and exceptional will to live bring hope and joy to everyone around him.

Of course, Doris Lund doesn't leave herself out of the picture. A lot of the book is focused on her own hopes and fears instead of Eric's, on which she can only speculate in many instances. She is also honest about her rocky relationship with Eric and the difficulties that they sometimes had communicating, which is something that most teenagers and their parents can relate to. I couldn't help noticing that there are places in the book where Doris Lund interrupts the flow of her writing, perhaps with a misplaced or awkward metaphor, but then she quickly remembers that this story is beautiful and memorable on its own without too many fancy words and phrases to distract from it.

Even if you don't usually read this kind of literature, I still recommend Eric. It may be depressing, but it's not cynical, and it leaves you with the kind of hope that Eric held on to his whole life.

I have probably read this book 8 times since it first came out. The first time I read it was shortly after my brother had been diagnosed with a form of leukemia. This book is a wonderful tribute by Doris Lund to her son, and I highly recommend it to anyone.

This story is just a good read, and such a testimony of a young man struck with lucemia, his spirit his valor...emotions are stired to beyond words.

I hate to be the skunk in the five-star garden party, but I remember reading, or rather trying to read, this book when in high school some *cough* 20 years ago. I could barely get through it. Apparently I wasn't alone, because someone else had graffitoed on the (soft) cover, "This book sucks. Don't read it."

Sometimes I think there should be a moratorium on grieving parents writing about their dead offspring. Aside from one brief moment when Lund catches her son checking out girls in a hospital corridor or waiting room, I don't remember a single aspect of Eric's personality aside from "Mama's Little Angel." And although my memory is vague on this, I seem to recall the book contains a fair amount of delusional mumbo-jumbo about "God's will" ('scuse me while I barf).

If you want to read a superb book by someone who lost a child to cancer, read "Death Be Not Proud" by John Gunther. That book preserves every quirk of his late son Johnny's wry sense of humor and considerable intellect, and actually makes you regret that the son didn't live to take up the father's pen. Not only that, but Gunther deals with hard questions of mortality and loss without resorting to the kind of sticky sentimentality you'd expect from Oprah or the "women's channels" on cable TV. Cripes, even Marie Killilea's books about her handicapped (no, NOT "differently abled") daughter Karen are better than Lund's book.

The entire genre, for obvious reasons, is for the most part manipulatively mawkish, but that's what sells, I guess. If you have an "I Believe in Angels" bumper sticker on your car, Thomas Kincaide "paintings" on your walls, and every CD Whitney Houston ever recorded in your music collection, go ahead and order "Eric." You'll cry your eyes out and write a five-star review.

I personally have not read these books, but I have been purchasing them for my niece for special gifts, for her. After I gave her the first three books she said she really enjoyed them, because she likes horses alot. Then when I gave her a few more she was very excited because she didn't realize there were more in the series. In March I will have given her through book 10, so there are still more to come for her. I enjoy giving the gift of reading to children.

In 5th grade my AG reading teacher told me about the Heartland seires I used to not like to read but these books hve changed my mined!I am on #15 but Every New Day is my absolut favorite Heartland book! I love the new charachters and the new setting!! I loved the way Huten (amys moms freind) works with his horses and helps with Murcery I wish I could Give it thousands of stars!!!!!( I will Be sooooo Sad when I Have read them all but im looking faward to the nw series Chesnut Hill!)

This book is Very Good. In the book Amy takes a horse mucerey that once loved to jump but now he refuses even the tinyest jumps. When Amy can not figure out the problem she takes mucrurey to a guy (Huten) that once new Amy's mom. Amy had seen the man work his own horse and she thought they had a very speical bond. Once Amy is there it is almost time to leave and her and Huten haven't worked with mucerey one bit, instead Huten takes amy out on walkes and talkes about stuff. Read this book to find out if what happens. I would recomend this book to any horse lover(like me). I Really LOVED it.

This book is so cool. Whenever Amy and Ty are alone together, I just want to be with them!

go out and read it NOW!!!!!! This was my all time fav tied with new beginnings. amy goes 2 the appilachians with mercury, a horse that wont jump. the reason amy takes him is because she wonders if the ppl there could help mercury. when amy gets there, huten, a native american friend of her mom (,and a wise horse healer), doesnt seem 2 do anything 2 mercury. instead he helps her understand with strange sayings. but wat huten says is really true. go out and buy it NOW!!!! :) peace out,
a huge heartland fan

This book is a wonderful holiday book! Not only is there great art work, but the story is hilarious! If you go to Dav Pilkey's site, you can download coloring sheets, too. Anyone age 1 to 99 will "howl" with laughter while reading this book, and it has a great lesson about acceptance at the end!

Great book, very funny. I don't mind reading it to my three-year old over and over and over. Cute illustrations.

This is a darling book. The little dog dreams of being something terrifying for Halloween, but to his horror, his well-meaning mother makes him a hot dog costume, complete with mustard. The other dogs make fun of poor Oscar (the book is full of wiener jokes) until Oscar and his ridiculous costume save the day. I put this book on my top ten list for the kindergarten crowd.

Poor Oscar Myer wiener dog (a hotdog dog) gets teased all the time. The bully dogs are always laughing at him because of his size and shape. For Halloween, Oscar's mom buys him a costume that is a hotdog roll with mustard on it. Oscar is so embarrassed, but wears it to avoid hurting his mothers feelings. Oscar gets laughed at once again but the story twists to allow Oscar a chance to be a hero. Oscar wins the respect of the bullies and they all share their Halloween dog treats with him. Silly story with decent, basic illustrations.

I've always been a sucker for the underdogs in life. This book is about a sweet one who in the end teaches us about the real meaning of friendship. I've learned never to judge a book by its cover. This may look like a typical silly book with no thought behind it, but it's so much more! You see, it's about Oscar the dachshund (or as my kids call it - a wiener dog) who just wants to fit in with the other dogs in the neighborhood. They're always teasing him, and it doesn't help when his mother calls him "My little Vienna sausage" or makes him a hot dog bun costume for Halloween. However, Oscar doesn't give up and ends up saving the day and his new pals in the end. Now, wait just a minute! It's not as sappy as it sounds. There are so many funny details in the illustrations and text to enjoy - like the sentence: "Then Oscar showed up, looking quite frank." (Cracked me up!) Be sure to take your time when you come to the classroom scene at Obedience School - hilarious! The teacher reading a book entitled "Dogs who Hate Fleas and the Fleas Who Love Them". I especially liked the dog standing at the chalkboard, writing sentences..."I will not sniff my neighbor". What a cute tale!

Tim Harrower provides a very practical guide to newspaper design. The art of newspaper design tends to be very subjective, so this book lays down some facts and guidelines to put to rest some of the indecisive elements of design.

For a beginner, this is a book that will give you the confidence and understanding to conquer page layout.

The CD gives the novice an even more practical guide than the book can deliver.

One criticism is that the book is printed on light gloss stock and is spiral bound. I am not sure how it was survive rough treatment.

Brian Hurst

This textbook is awesome. I've never seen a better textbook. It lays everything out, and makes it simple to understand. It tells you what to do and what not to do in simple language and clear pictures. It's one of few textbooks worth keeping for future use in your career (provided you're going into the newspaper industry)!

When I accepted my first "real" job in journalism as a page designer for a local weekly I was struck by a horrifying thought, I really knew nothing about newspaper design. I had done it before for my college paper, sure, but this was the big time. I needed a refresher course and I needed it fast... Tim Harrower and this spiral-bound book came to my rescue.

Although it was first published in 1989, this book will be relevant as long as newspapers exist, even in this age of computer design. Harrower explains and shows why certain designs are good and bad and he approaches it in a situational, problem-solving format. For example, he explains what should be done when you have to design a page with no art, when you have butting headlines, or two horizontal photos etc. Harrower says that most page designers stumble into the job and from this point of view he explains what exactly, a good design is. This book will always be on my desk.

(I wish my publications professor used this instead of the worthless $105 monstrosity he made us buy (and that we never used by the way).)

So, after some mild freaking out followed by a lot of reading, I can start my new job with confidence thanks to this book.

I ordered the hardbound and got the spiral bound, a product worth $12 less. It was then that I discovered there is no way to express a complaint to Amazon: no phone number, no email address, no human help. All that is available is a maze of pre-written web help, none of which includes "credit my account $12, since I don't want to go through the hassle of sending this book back." What's up, Amazon? Don't you want satisfied customers? I spend literally hundreds here each year. This egregious deficit needs to be fixed immediately. Otherwise, I highly recommend this book.

I am an editor these days.
I came on this book quite a few years ago when I was a sub. It was recommended to me by an old hand in the newspaper game.
Without doubt, it is the single best aquisition I have made in terms of newspaper design.
In the places I have worked, I have been regarded extremely highly for my layout skills.
This book, with a little creativity, is the basis of almost everything I do in terms of layout.
If you are serious about the newspaper game, get it, study it and then apply what you learn. It will help our career enormously.

O'Reilly's an up and coming publisher of computer related books. Maybe a kingpin already. This selection is a true quick reference guide. Written by the Thompsons, this selection gives you a thorough look into buying, assembling and operating computers. You do need a basic understanding to get anything out of this book, but if this is the case, you won't be disappointed. I have a first edition copy, and it's still current. That says a lot, a first edition published four years ago is still not too outdated! Think about it. How many computer related books can you think of that's relatively current after four years? Huh?

This book is amazingly concise and thorough, yet also very easy to read. It contains many helpful photographs, and the authors maintain a great website that is tremendously useful and is a great addition to the book. I am not a big fan of the "In a Nutshell" computer books published by O'Reilly, but this book is definitely an exception. It's great for both beginners and experts.

Robert Thompson is a man who doesn't hold back from giving his opinion on why something is good or bad, either on his website or in his books. In _PC Hardware in a Nutshell_, he tells you just what he thinks of what's good and bad about PC components in just about any category you can think of, and backs it up with all the facts, figures and personal experiences you could ever ask for. Every chapter includes historical information on the components under discussion, detailed reviews of what they do and how they do it, and recommendations on what to use (and what not to use). The final chapter walks you through building your own machine step-by-step, though, this being an omnibus book, the chapter is necessarily slightly skimpy in comparison to _Building The Perfect PC_. The writing style is clear and lively, in fact the book is well worth reading as a book even if you don't need any specific information at the time. The only real complaint I have is something the author has no control over - the fact that new PC hardware comes out so fast that it's just impossible to review every single new thing in a paper edition. (Well, that and the fact that Thompson doesn't like Western Digital because he's had bad experiences with their hard drives, whereas I've been using WD exclusively for years and never yet have had one go out on me. I think that can be chalked up, though, more to the fact that there's just so much PC hardware out there that different people are just going to end up having completely different experiences with components from a particular manufacturer. That, or I just got lucky with WD hard drives.) All in all, this book is truly indispensable.

This is a great book that covers every aspect of building a PC. However, as of August 2004, the 3rd edition of this book is a bit dated. For example PC3200 memory is considered the newest memory and both Pentium 4 Prescott processors and Athlon 64 processors were not out when this book was published. If you are buying this book, you may want to wait for a 4th edition, unless you are looking to assemble an old computer.

I would not accept the author's hardware recommendations as the final word. For one thing, the components they review are in many cases no longer manufactured. Magazine reviews and PC hardware Web sites are going to have different opinions on what the best components are.

Let me start out with a huge thanks to O'Reilly. I'm not a big fan of large corporations or publishers - but I have come to trust O'Reilly implicitly wherever technical issues are concerned. Although I'm certain that they are not the "perfect" publisher, nor in the business for wholly (ha!) altruistic reasons, I AM amazed by the remarkable originality, diversity, range, quality, accuracy, and honorable business practices of this publisher. Oftentimes I wonder how they manage to maintain such a level, when their current library is so chock-full of tough-to-follow acts.

That said, PC Hardware in a Nutshell does not fail to meet up to these high expectations. Let me get the review portion of my review out of the way - simply put, this is the book I have been hunting for a couple years. That I did not immediately search the O'Reilly library only shows that I am a bit silly. I should have known better. End of review.

But I would like to carry this a bit further, and go out on a limb to discuss the only complaint prior reviewers have voiced: that the book is too "Microsoft-centric."

Rather than a weakness, I believe that this is actually a strength. Let me offer big kudos to the authors and publisher for realizing that a serious, yet accessible, compendium of computer hardware knowledge was necessary. The folks who register such complaints are those least in need of an in-depth introduction to PC hardware. These are the high priests of hi-tech, who rule the roost by virtue of their knowledge-monopoly on all issues technical. They would have you believe that if it was not hand-crafted from spare parts, duct tape, and copious amounts of solder and configured with the most obscure version of Linux, then it's only fit for a 4-year-old. They are, quite simply, dead wrong. Let them compile their own "PC Hardware for Only the Most Serious Tech Gurus", I say!

Thompson's very first point is that he intended the book to be of the most practical usability possible. The practical reality is that the people who desperately need such a compendium are poor fools, like Yours Truly, who are too technical to be satisfied with tutorials on how to use Microsoft Office, yet are not quite knowledgeable enough to get right under the hood of their PCs (never mind build a Linux box from spare hatpins and Reynolds Wrap). We, the "psuedo-techies", often do not come equipped with enough experience, knowledge, or confidence to take ourselves to the next level. We are the crowd who are using Microsoft products, yet would love to learn enough to understand exactly WHY Microsoft means "mush-mind" and Linux is God - but will never get there without a guide. This book is the guide, and to me it says, "Psuedo-techies unite! Power to the people!"

Trial by Journal is one of the most intriguing and one of the best books I have ever read. Whomever would of thought that a town would actually allow a child on jury duty just because another child was involved in a murder. Well, she needs to pass [...] grade and the journal she keeps of her experiences helps her recieve and A+ from her teacher. This book is told in newspaper articles, maps, radio talk shows, newscasters, and ofcourse journal entries.

Trial by Journal was written by Kate Klise. It is a fantastic mystery that takes place in the mythical town of Tyleville, Missouri. The book is written in a very unique way. It is based on journal entries by Lilly Watson (the main character); newspaper articles from the local newspaper; transcripts from the local radio station; and personal letters

Trial by Journal is filled with never ending action and jokes by the quick witted Lilly Watson. Twelve year old Lilly Watson is a member of a jury attempting to solve the murder of Perry Keet. Perry is a twelve year old boy that works at the local zoo. Perry did not return home from work one day and his body was not found. His co-worker and friend of Lilly's, Bob White, is accused of Perry's murder. Lilly is selected to be on the jury because of a law that requires a juvenile to be on the jury of cases that involve children. The book chronicles Lilly's adventures as she tries to unravel the mystery of Perry Keet's murder. Other characters in the book include Lilly's co-jurors Fawn Papillon and Anna Conda; and the wealthy Rhett Tyle whose testimony is important to solving the mystery.

My favorite part of the book is when Lilly solves the mystery. I like this part because of the clever way that Lilly analyzed the clues and uncovered the truth. Trial by Journal was an exciting and thought-provoking mystery. The protagonist, Lilly Watson, is a bright, funny, and enthusiastic girl. I particularly enjoyed the way the author developed this character.

I give this book four out of five stars. It is a very enjoyable read. I became very involved with the characters and rooted hard for Lilly to solve the mystery. I recommend this book highly for people that enjoy good mysteries and humor. This book is suitable for anyone over nine years old. Adults may enjoy this book, but the complicated storyline may be too confusing for children under the age of nine.

Trial By Journal was written by Kate Klise. The illustrator for this wonderful book was M. Sarah Klise. Trial By Journal has 238 pages total in the book.

This book is about a 12 year old girl named Lily Watson who was put on to a jury to solve a murder of a sixth grader, who happens to be a boy named Perry Keet. The person who they thought was the murderer was Bob White. Her teacher Mr. Holms has asked her to keep a journal about what is going on with the case the whole time of jury duty. Mr. Holms has also told Lily that she will have to go to summer school for missing so much of school, but Lily doesn't think that is fair, because she never asked to be a juror.

Lily's problem is that she has to find out/solve the case and prove that Bob White is either innocent or guilty.

My favorite part in Trial By Journal is when we meet all of the jurors and we find
out their names. I like this part because the names are so funny. Some of the character's names are Perry Keet, Bob White, Fawn Papillon, and Anna Conda.


The genre of this book is realistic fiction because this could happen but I doubt the names. When I read Trial By Journal I felt like I was actually there to witness everything because the author had great description and I was really caught into it.

Trial By (Jury) Journal, By Kate Klise, Illustrated by Sarah Klise 256 pages


I read the book Trial by (Jury) Journal by Kate Klise. I think that this book is great! The author Kate Klise did a wonderful job of describing everything and making it all come alive. It seemed real! I would definitely recommend this book to other readers who like to read books that have fake letters, articles, and journal entries. It was a little hard to read because of all these things, but it was definitely easy to enjoy!

In this book a law is passed that if there is a child under 18 in a case, then a child under 18 has to be on the jury. The main character in this book is Lily, who gets chosen to be on the jury. While on Jury duty, Lily keeps a journal telling about her experiences in the courtroom and at the hotel where the whole jury is forced to stay during Jury duty. They can have no contact with others except fellow jurors.

My favorite part in this book was when Lily and her new Jury duty friend Fawn Papillion decide to let out all the birds in the hotel out of their cages. My other favorite part is when they discover the paintings in Priscilla the Gorilla's cage.

Although almost everything about being on Jury duty is tough, Lily makes the best of her free time off from school. She has many unforgettable experiences.

The case is hard and everyone thinks that one person did it. Bob White. But did he? If you want to find out you should read Trial by (Jury) Journal.

I think that anyone who likes a laugh, a good humored girl, and a bit of mystery would love this book because it's all of those things wrapped into one.

Kate Klise probably knows that her books will never win her any great big awards. If she receives recognition for her published works, by and large it's by children and not adults. Don't believe me? Check out the other reviews for this book down below. Who has written them? Kids. Lots and lots and lots of kids. And how do the kids feel about the author who has brought to the world books like, "Trial by Journal" and "Regarding the Fountain"? They worship at her feet. Even those kids who have NEVER read her, never even HEARD of the woman, gravitate to her novels like the books were singing a siren song to beat the band (and other mixed metaphors). I run a homeschooler bookgroup at my local library. The other day I gave the children a choice. They could choose an infinitely cool and relatively new fantasy novel with a shiny cover and the promise of magical creatures. Or they could read, "Trial By Journal". And unanimously they all reached for Klise's book. Not having read it myself, I quickly zipped through the story as quickly as I could do so. What I found was a book that contains horrid puns, contrived plot devices, so-so pictures, and a mystery. I also found a book that children will be lining up around the block to check out again and again and again from the library. She may not be the best writer you even encounter, but she'd certainly win a kiddie popularity contest beyond a shadow of a doubt.

There's trouble in Tyle County. Trouble like you wouldn't believe. Murder trouble. Yes, a perfectly nice twelve-year-old boy has undoubtedly been murdered by a creepy keeper at the local Tyle Park Zoo. Now there's to be a trial to determine whether or not Bob White is guilty of the murder of Perry Keet. In Tyleville, however, there's a new law that declares that when any crime is committed against a minor, a minor in turn must be on the jury panel. In this particular case, that juror is Perry's old classmate, Lily Watson. During the course of the trial Lily befriends an aging film star who is also on the jury, and keeps a journal of events in lieu of the schoolwork she's missing. As she remains sequestered from friends and family, Lily slowly begins to unravel the mystery of what actually happened to Perry. What she discovers will pit her against the most powerful man in town and mean that she must save the life of an innocent man jailed for a crime he did not commit.

The book is told in the form of journal entries, newspaper articles, letters, notes, and radio transcripts. That's Klise's schtick. Not only is it an appealing method of storytelling, but an eclectic one as well. When my homeschoolers (aged 8 to 12) picked up the book and randomly flipped through it, some were reduced to giggles when they saw a pretzel taped to the bottom of one of the journal pages. It was just an illustration of a pretzel, mind you, but the effect was instantaneous and effective. Most of Klise's books are put together in this way. You can talk all you want about the cool young adult titles written entirely in e-mails, but Klise was the first to do it this consistently with children.

Of course, her storytelling has to be fairly simple as well. There are always rather large plot gaps and stretches of plausibility. I'll try to avoid giving away any plot details, despite the fact that kids will probably figure them out long long long before Lily does. At one point out heroine encounters SOMEONE who is being held hostage by the story's villain. He rests the hope of escaping his imprisonment entirely on her shoulders. Then, to make certain he doesn't escape too soon in her tale, Klise writes in all sorts of peculiar details. Still, when you compare the book to "Regarding the Fountain", "Trial By Journal" is far better thought out.

The illustrations in this book are written by M. Sarah Klise, Kate's sister. She has illustrated all of Kate's books. They are a team. Peas in a pod. Two of a kind. For the most part, M. Sarah is a fine illustrator. She's created some highly amusing and intricate building and Tyleville landmarks at both the beginning and then end of the book. Unfortunately, she's not so hot with people. Even gorillas look pretty darn good when she draws them, but human beings by and large are grotesque. The villains are always obvious right from the start and the good guys don't fare much better. If M. Sarah could somehow avoid people altogether when she draws her elaborate concoctions, she'd be a perfect complement to Kate's tales. As it stands, she's only so-so.

You can't judge, "Trial By Journal" too harshly since it's clear that the Klise sisters are having a wonderful time writing their books and kids have a wonderful time reading 'em. More importantly, the book even manages to show exactly how trials work, defines terms for children to understand, and goes through the entire legal process in a fun and interesting way. They come for the kooky format, story, and mystery. They stay for the legalese.