Media Books

This is without doubt the best of all Star Trek stories, both in film and in print. It touches on many grand philosophical, scientific, and technological themes: machine intelligence (both in Commander Data and in the Borg), space-time engineering (the first time humanity has done this, via the efforts of Zefram Cochrane), the first contact from an alien civilization (the arrival of the Vulcans), the confrontation with true history (meeting Cochrane and finding out just who the man really was), and the ethics of highly advanced civilizations (the contrast between the Borg and humanity). This book and the film will without a doubt inspire many a young reader to take up the practice of science, and thus it will do the best job of all. Science fiction has the habit of coming true sometimes, but it also has the fault of underestimating. The future of humanity, as exemplified by the Star Trek crew of the year 2367, is a grand one to contemplate, but the true future will be much better: a world populated by humans and machines striving to be the best they can be; a future that is never static, for stagnation to intelligent life is an abomination. We will do genetic engineering of humans, to be the best we can be; we will do space-time engineering, to travel beyond any immediate confines; we will create intelligent machines, to be our friends and allies. All of these things we will do, and much more. Humans and all other lifeforms, organic or not, will be very different in the time frame set in this novel. But they will be restless, ambitious, and always yearning for more understanding, for more insight, for more knowledge: these traits will characterize the beings of the 24th century...and beyond.

"And you people...you're all astronauts on some kind of...star trek?"

That line, uttered by Dr. Zephram Cochrane in both movie and novelization, has to be my all time favorite from the Trek film series. The most interesting difference between movie and book, as far I am concerned, is that despite James Cromwell's fine performance I found the film's Zephram Cochrane incredibly annoying. I never developed a shred of sympathy for him, because the background the film gave me - the Third World War and its chaotic aftermath - wasn't sufficient to make me understand him. I don't know, not having seen the script from which J.M. Dillard worked, whether she added "Zef" Cochrane's tragic battle with bipolar disorder (a disease that before the War had an effective treatment), or if it was among the elements that inevitably got cut as the film took shape. But I do know that for me, it made all the difference in being able to care about this character and root for him.

The book follows the film with little filler added except for background on Lily Sloane and Zephram Cochrane, which gives it a similar pace. They complement each other well.

As usual, J.M. Dillard does a fine job of remaining true to the source material, while still elaborating on it. The story is an excellent one, with plenty of action and plenty of interesting science-fiction concepts for the more thoughtful to consider. It gives us a bit more insight into the "future history" between the near-collapse of civilization and the beginning of the Federation that has been hinted at but rarely detailed in various episodes of Star Trek, in various generations of series.

The plot and characterization are both excellent and the writing is fluid and professional. The book is a pleasure to read.

This is, of course, the novelization of the highly successful Star Trek: The Next Generation film of the same name. First Contact refers not to first contact with the Borg, for, six years later, Picard still bears the mental scars of his assimilation in the form of Locutus, but to Earth's first contact with an alien civilization. It is a story that had yet to be told, although Captain Kirk and his crew had met the extraordinarily old Zefram Cochrane, inventor of the warp drive, in an episode of the original series; additionally, there had been hints that this pivotal event in human history took place some time after a terrible Third World War on Earth.

As the story begins, the Borg have attacked the Federation, with one of their massive cube ships making a bee-line for Earth herself. Picard and the new Enterprise-E starship defy Starfleet orders and rush to the battle, after which they follow a small Borg ship through a time portal which takes them back to 21st-century Earth. The Borg plan is to destroy the Phoenix, the spacecraft which Zefram Cochrane launches and, by way of its successful warp drive test, captures the attention of a Federation scout ship. If that pivotal event does not happen, the Federation we all know and love will never come to be. While half of the senior staff is planet-side trying to make sure the Phoenix launch happens on schedule, the rest of the crew find themselves battling a Borg infestation onboard the Enterprise herself. Data is captured, Picard is in danger of letting his hatred of the Borg overrule logic and reason, and we get to meet the Borg Queen. Personally, I've always felt that the introduction of the Borg Queen was a disservice to the greatest Star Trek villains of them all. The Borg Queen is a complete contradiction that introduced a level of individual vulnerability into a collective that was, up until this time, faceless and seemingly invulnerable.

This is an impressive novelization of the film, making it a worthwhile read to those of us who are already familiar with the onscreen story. In particular, it provides a great deal of insight into the erratic nature of Zefram Cochrane himself; in the movie, he came across as basically a drunk, but the novelization does a much better job of explaining his behavior. That alone makes this novel a natural and extremely beneficial corollary to the movie.

Star Trek First Contact by J.M. Dillard was an excellent book. it showed emotion, fear, dispair, and anger. IT was a well written book considering it was made after the movie. I encourage all Star Trek fans to read this book and watch the movie.

This is an excellent book, and an excellent resource for secondary educators. Lots of creative ideas. I would recommend it for middle school, secondary and post high school art instructors.

As an art teacher I occasionally need a new idea to spice up my curriculum. I found this book to be a wonderful resource of innovative takes on traditional techniques.

This book was purchased as a gift. It is a nice alternative to
what is available in this category.

The author has written some of the best art education books I've ever read- this will not disappoint.

This book is full of wonderful lesson plans as well as ideas to create compelling lessons yourself. My students have found much sucess with Ken Vieth's projects. His motivation is wonderful and really simplfies the process for delivering the lessons. He has a keen insight into the secondary student's mind and how to create an interest in extraordinary artwork.

This book is really a great book. I couldn't stop reading it. This is a good book because it tells you what its like for a divorced parent to get married again. It tells about the struggles and the ups and downs of a parent getting remarried. I liked this book because it was very well written

"To Have and to Hold" is a very good Madison Finn book. I really enjoyed it, and had to keep reading. I finished it in three days! This book is mainly about Maddie's dad getting married with Stephanie, in Texas! Madison doesn't want to leave Phinnie, her friends, and her mom. And then, Maddie finds out that she has to do a reading in front of a hundred people! Meanwhile, back home, something very bad happens to Fiona's father, and Maddie wishes she could be back home. Maddie doesn't want to meet Stephanie's huge Texas family.....especially a Posion Ivy like cousin. Will Maddie get through this wedding? What about everybody back home?

This is the BEST Madison finn book EVER! Madison;s dad and Stephanie are getting married! And Madison is a little overwhelmed, and then, she is asked to go and be a bridesmaid in Texas! So she turns to Bigwheels for advice, then, Fiona's dad has a heart attack, and is in the hospital! Will this wedding turn out okay, or will this New Yorker get more than what she can Have and to Hold?

Summer Vacation is on and Madison's dad drops a bombshell. He is got engaged to his girlfriend, Steph and they are getting married in two weeks. Plus, they want Madison to be junior maid of honour and recite a poem at the wedding. Dad says that there will only be 30 people at the wedding. Then Steph's mom gets carried away with the guest list. Before long the wedding goes to 300 hundred people and about five different affairs. How is madison going to survive?

Madison Finn is back! And in a whole new, exciting way. On the first page, the book just sucks you in, wanting you to read more. It begins with Maddie's Dad announcing his engagement to his long-time girlfriend, Stephanie. Suddenly, Madison's world turns topsy turvy, and she's become part of the wedding rush. As if her Dad getting married wasn't enough...it's going to be far away from home...in Texas! Think things can't get any worse? Well, it does. Stephanie's niece, Tiff, acts like a total spoiled brat towards Maddie. Will Madison's luck change? Or will this whole ordeal turn out a disaster...just like Madison thinks it will? Find out in 'To Have and to Hold'.

Book Review: The Fugitive Factor


Imagine your parents are accused of a crime they didn't commit, or so you believe. Because of this you and your sister are placed at a juvenile farm. After you and your sister escape the farm, a crazy bald man is in pursuit of you. You don't know who he is, but when you hide he searches for you and when you run, he follows. You have to avoid him if you want any chance in freeing your parents. This is Aiden and Meg Falconer's story.

In The Fugitive Factor Aiden and Meg are on the run since their escape from Sunny Dale, a juvenile farm. The Falconer children were placed at Sunny Dale Farm because their parents have been accused of helping terrorists sneak into America. After escaping the farm Aiden and Meg experience the harsh conditions of life on the run as they try to evade a man they've dubbed Hairless Joe while trying to locate Frank, the only person who can prove their parents' innocence. When Aiden and Meg find a picture at their summer house of Frank and their parents sitting outside a hotel, Meg and Aiden decide to visit the hotel and try to trace Frank down. Once at the hotel, Aiden asks the clerk to search for records of Frank's visits there. When the clerk hesitates, Meg distracts him long enough for Aiden to search the files.

With a little luck Aiden comes up with the name of Jane, a woman registered with Frank at the hotel. When they visit her, she gives them some good information including Frank's old room number. When Aiden and Meg visit the current occupant of the room, he gives Aiden and Meg some things Frank left behind. This leads to more unanswered questions. Later, when Aiden and Meg return to meet with Jane, she opens the door along with police. The Falconers immediately run, but Meg is caught. Posing as a police officer, Aiden is able to find an address for Frank. He then busts Meg out and they head to California to find Frank.

The Fugitive Factor is a very descriptive and well written book. It is at about an 8 to 10 year old reading book. Throughout this book you are entertained with the ups and downs of the Falconer's everyday struggles to prove their parents innocent. This book kept me wanting to read more at all times. This is one of the best books I've read yet. This touching and moving story is a great read.


I would most definitely recommend this book.

My 10-year-old loves this series, and has hooked her 12-year-old sister in to it, too. I've read some of the books out loud to the kids and they are fun, fast, and clean. Great suspense of a very appropriate nature for young readers. I would recommend these books to anyone.

This series by Gordon Korman worked wonders for several reluctant readers in my class. These are good fast moving books that really move you on to the next in the series.

Great but before I say anything, NOTE this is a six part writing, the reader must read them in order to make sense.

This book is about fugitives running away from cops because their parents were accusing of committing a crime, but they really didn't. So, they have to prove that their parents are innocent. They look for clues, and the clues keep taking them places far away. The cops always get so close to Aiden and Meg, but they always get away, except at the end of the story. You will have to read the book to get the ending.
I loved this book because you never know what is going to happen next. It is full of adventure and surprises. I give this book two thumbs up. This book is part of an exciting series, and I can't wait to read the next one.

All this book is, is a collection of the daily comic from the last book with very little new material. I don't think they've created any new material for this strip sense Liz and John ended up together.

This is a great book. I hope Jim Davis makes a 50th.

Other than now being in full color instead of black and white, Garfield hasn't changed much over the years. He still picks on Jon and Odie, sleeps all the time, loves food, and can't help being nasty, incorrigible, and hopelessly loveable. This book is a thick, beautiful, and easily readable tome to everybody's favorite cat.

Highly recommended.

I have been reading Garfield books for a long time now, and I have wathched him evolve in his animation and personality. He is truly still just as funny as he was when he first started. He has made us laugh through all these years, and is still making books. The book was truly classic Garfield. I hope Jim Davis makes a 50th.

Okay, there's not many days left until Xmas but let me assure you that this Garfield book makes an excellent last-minute gift. Everyone I know loves Garfield and would be thrilled at getting a book like this.

It's rather thick and taller than usual. Plus it's in full color. As long as I can remember I've loved reading Garfield, even when I was a little kid reading the black and white pocket books. So kids will appreciate this too. Trust me.

It opens with 'Garfield's code of Nevers', such as 'Never Eat the Mystery Meat. And ends with 'Garfield's Top Ten Suggestions for New Athletic Events, such as 'The Fridge Lift' and 'Eat till you Explode'. Crammed inbetween are hundreds of hilarious comic strips. Plus there is information on the last page on how to join the Garfield fan club. And why not?

I was fortunate enough to meet Frances Moore Lappe recently. Hearing her speak, I was reminded of the source of true leadership. If you ever get the chance to hear her in person. Go! If not, get this book.

Frances is able to express her vision clearly and logically, without any of the brohaha and self-importance so many thinkers possess (and foist on the rest of us). Being a life coach, I love her focus on taking action, but more than that, on helping us to understand how our thinking is so manipulated by our culture. Just today, I was speaking to a client about fear. I told her about this book and directed her to the matrix on "Seven Ways to Rethink Fear." Being a visual person myself, I appreciate the way she's laid this out as well as "Toward a Language of Democracy." Interestingly to me, one of my favorite psychology book, "Escape From Babel, Toward a Unifying Language for Psychotherapy Practice" points out how there are only a few things that make psychology work and that all therapists need to understand and "speak the same language" or they cannot help others. In the same way, Moore Lappe's "Language of Democracy" shows that "truth" remains elusive and it is how we look at things that matters. We can CHOOSE to view words and the people who utter them as antithetical to our own beliefs or we can choose to look deeper and open ourselves to the alternatives.

Fast service from the source.
Intriguing book which will affect your outlook on America.

It feels like now is the time in history for the People to stand up and shake off the fear and loss of control and believe that they can and will change things for the better. Frances Moore Lappe in this book helps us out of our chairs and pushes us out the door with a feeling of hope and excitement. Read it, get a grip and smile again while planning one small step that will make a difference.

This book is the key to keeping it real. I find myself more productive after reading it.

Francis Moore Lappe asks, "Why can't we stop wringing our hands over
poverty, hunger, species decimation, genocide, and death from curable
disease we know is all needless?" She reached into our lives and changed
our understanding of the causes of hunger some thirty years ago when she
wrote the groundbreaking book "Diet for a Small Planet." Now, after
years of research and writing, she has again responded to the questions
raised by her curiosity and has shared her analysis in "Getting a Grip:
clarity, creativity and courage in a world gone mad" It is easy to
identify with her intense desire for change, as she states,
"I'm ready. I'm past ready."

The book is hard to put down as Ms. Lappe shows us how to move from
powerlessness to empowerment. I was drawn by the intensity and clarity
of thought on the first few pages and, later, by the creativity,
insight, and determination of a woman who is committed to sharing her
perception of the work ahead so that we may join in getting a grip on
what seems "a world gone mad."

No matter how many times I read this to my son, I never tire of it. He loves the beautiful pictures and I love those plus the clever, sweet, soothing bedtime story. This is now one of my very favorite children's books.

Goodnight Mr. Night was an instant hit for both my children. They have never been afraid of the dark knowing Mr. Night is looking after them.

A beautiful bed time book that the entire family can enjoy. This is one of my all time favorites.

I agree with the previous reviews that this is a great bed time story with stunning paintings.
But.....I personally preferred hard cover stories for kids especially when it will be read at bed time.

Good Night, Mr. Night is a book that was written as a night time aid to parents of small children. Some children are very reluctant to fall asleep and this book, with its somber mood and colorful yet peaceful drawings, is intended to be used as a means to get little children to stop resisting the inevitable, close their eyes, and get a good night's sleep.

What I like best about this book are the drawings. Each drawing is colorful, but yet the mood of the book remains somber. And the drawing of Mr. Night is very effective. Instead of drawing this figure as a cartoon- like person, the illustrator of the book wisely decided to add some creative flair by depicting Mr. Night as a person whose body is comprised of stars set against a black background- just like looking at the night time sky. Mr. Night even has crescent moons for his eyes. This creative angle on the drawing makes Good Night, Mr. Night, a better book than it otherwise might have been.

The message of falling asleep is pretty clear in this book and reading it to little children usually accomplishes the book's main goal. However, the writing of this book isn't really anything special. Not only are the words very bland and lacking creativity, but there is also no rhyming or rhythm. Kids generally enjoy rhymes, and it would have taken little effort to add rhyming patterns or something rhythmic to the book. This would have improved its effectiveness.

There are several good books to read to little children to get them to go to sleep. Good Night, Mr. Night is one book in a large market that continues to grow as more and more individuals come forward with books designed for children. This book isn't the greatest in its class, but that doesn't mean it has no useful value. It is still a good book for small children and it does accomplish its main task. It offers a good degree of success at getting youngsters to fall asleep and for that reason alone, it is worth buying.

Poor Abby Hayes! Every time she receives money she ends up spending it. She is having such a hard time saving up for her new rollerblades!

I like that Abby is not always spending her money on herself, but sometimes spends it on friends. Toward the end, this idea is again repeated when she has extra money that she chooses to spend on friends, teachers, and family. Appreciating others is a nice subtle message in this book.

The book has a mixture of text and diary like entries which makes it fun for kids to read. Abby tries a few different ways to earn money which are nicely woven into the story. I am always on the look out for books using a fictional story to teach children about money (as they seem to be fairly rare). This was certainly a worthy find.

I am a BIG fan of this series. This book acutally gave me the idea of having a garage sale. So,Abby wants new rollerblades,not Eva's(her SuperSis who is a twin)rollerblades. The ones that she wants are dark and shiney but best of all,they have purple wheels with a swirling,bright desing that would flash when they turned. Abby just has to have them...but how. She does her chores,looks on the streets for money,washes her dad's car and, takes care of Marshmallow(her neighbor's cat).She's going out of town for a week and when Heather(name of the neighbor) comes back she will give her $10.Perfect...until Marshmallow escapes. Uh-oh,wants a 10 year old girl to do? Read it for yourself.

This is a great book, although I HATE to play rollerblade. Abby planned a garage sale and save money to buy herself some rollerblades with purple wheels!( Purple was Abby's favourite colour. So am I!)

P.S.:Question:Do people actually save money to buy rollerblades?I wonder who.

Before the garage sale, Abby did many things, but she only got a few dollars. So at the gargage sale, she earned $162.75! She could buy rollerblades,new pads and presents for her friends
and family who had help her while she earn money. At the end, she still have little money for herself.(PHOO!)

In the fourth book in the series, Abby Hayes has hand-me-down rollerblades from her older SuperSis, Eva. Abby hates them, she can barely take them off! So she decides to save her money. Many unexpected things happen in the process, and someone in her family takes a trip to the emergency room! Abby finally gets an idea where she earns more than enough money to buy shiny purple rollerblades she has had her eye on for a while. I loved this book because it is so interesting to see how Abby resists the urge to spend money and how she finally accomplishes her goal. Read this book today!

This and the rest of the Abby Hayes series are amazing! The books are wonderful and very cool. There is one problem though: Anne Mazer (the writer) repeats the same thing over and over. Like about Abby's friend Jessica and how she has asthma. That kind of gets frustrating. But, overall, this book is great!

I bought this book along with "Vanishing Africa" and I am pleased with its quality. I am happy I bought it, because I feel it brought me closer to Africa.

This book is amazing. It draws the reader into the lives of the African people! It stirred my heart to prayer and made me love them even more!

There are few words to describe Cowart's work and Jenna's commentary. If this book made it's way into every household in America, Africa would look like a completely different country, because we could not help but be moved to action.

i reccomment this book to anyone passionate about AIDS, who cares about people living in destitution or just enjoys great photography.

The pictures are beautiful; some of them are only templates begging for words, but they convey the stuff that Africa is made off: the wood, the mud... The children's faces are smiling, always innocent and beautiful. The older people show resilience, dignity, and an expression that seems to say: 'It's done, I'm almost there'. The more enigmatic faces are of those in between, the young and middle ages; they are going through it. Most of these people dress clean clothes, specially the women. The book does a good job in that it makes the pictures alive, and their protagonists almost speak to us (although whatever they say depends on the listener).

One gets an idea of what Africa looks like. The landscapes under ominous skies, the muddy lanes, the water streams in front of the doors threatening with floods. I felt, however, that I wanted to know more about specifics in these people's lives. Their problems are mentioned as in headlines. I know it wasn't meant to be for this book but, still, I feel I would have liked to know even just a little more about those people in the pictures, from themselves, in their words.

I was given this book as a gift for the holidays and couldn't put it down. The books is easy to read and VERY entertaining. As an amateur genealogist I found the stories heart warming, spine tingling, and most fascinating. It also gave me ideas of what else I need to do to find additional ancestors. I have already ordered four additional copies to give to friends and fellow genealogists.

So many times we associate genealogy with just names and dates. This book reminds us that there so much more to genealogy... the stories of our search, what motivates us, and the reminder that we all have a fabulous tale to tell. Read and be truly inspired!

I bought this book to read one article, but I got hooked. As I read article after article, I found that I couldn't put the book down. The book shares unique stories about everyday people who found information about their own past in surprising and wonderful ways. Now, I find myself telling friends about the fascinating articles that were in this book.

Gems of genealogical tidbits wrapped in one hundred and one surprising and fun stories. I was inspired by, and will never forget, the researchers who thought to ask to actually see the burnt records, the daughter's pursuit of information about her father who died in the war three months after she was born, using the Internet to find a sister not seen for six decades -- or any of the 98 other inspiring, sad, sometimes-scary, humorous or (mostly) very happy stories. Even my friends who are not interested in genealogy wound up carrying the book around to read the stories...everyone enjoyed it!

Megan Smolenyak's, "In Search of Our Ancestors; 101 Inspiring Stories of Serendipity and Connection in Rediscovering Our Family History" breaks new ground in the long-known but little discussed area of the seemingly divine help millions of researchers have known when they commenced to discover their kindred dead. The book chronicles the most remarkable--but believable--instances of individuals who sought to learn of their ancestors and their heritage but who encountered brick walls along the way, only to have the walls smashed by acts of kindness or happy and unexpected breakthroughs.

Some of the accounts in the book border on the miraculous, such as when books fall-off shelves to reveal portraits and biographical sketches of ancestors. There are accounts of distant cousins from different continents meeting in the same county court house on the same day, looking for the same ancestors. There are accounts of microfilmed records seemingly scrolling to the exact spot necessary to find an ancestor. There are accounts of cousins working on genealogy who discover one another by serendipitous accident: one accidentally leaving his genealogy on a photocopier the other was next to use.

In all, "In Search of Our Ancestors" is a life-affirming work, edifying us in our knowledge that we live not just for ourselves and that there is more than this life alone. It is a remarkable contribution to the hobby and the practice of family history research.

As a professional genealogist, I have already purchased dozens of the books and given them to my clients. Everyone should own a copy.