Audio Books

This is a marvellous book - Rafael Sabatini meets P.G. Wodehouse, humour and adventure and elegance and, yes, romance, perhaps the best of the early-style swashbuckling Heyers, and the first of a series continued with "Devil's Cub" and "An Infamous Army."

But won't someone, ONCE, get the covers right? What is this chichi sub-Tissot Regency pap? This books takes place in the 1750s in England and France, less than 10 years after the Jacobite uprising and Culloden. Madame de Pompadour has a cameo. This coy illustration (really, only fluffy kittens are missing) would have INFURIATED Georgette Heyer. Tchah!

I did not think I could like a May/December romance. I was wrong. The hero is dark - he needs redemption. He finds it in a sprite of a heroine who needs to save someone. It's wonderful.

True to Heyer's style, this regency romance has humor, mystery, and romance. The romance is clean enough for your teenage girls and sophisticated enough for your grandmother.

This Heyer book has it all. A little bit of mystery, a lot of humour, and romance.

Justin Alastair is the Duke of Avon and he is the hero in this story. He is jaded and has lived a life of hedonistic pleasures and vices. He is always coolly aloof, never one to indulge into a fit of temper, and has the most dry sense of humour that is very amusing. He is not known as the kindest of gentlemen, being known by his peers as "Satanas" (or Devil), he has quite the black reputation.

While in France, by chance he comes across a young boy in the back streets of Paris as the boy is being chased by his older brother. The Duke takes pity on the boy and buys him from his sibling and takes him to his residence near-by. Needless to say, the boy is no boy but a girl, the heroine named Leonie. The heroine is quite young, in comparison to the hero, but her mischief and innocence is captivating. Her charm is her youthful exuberance and honesty and unaffectedness.

Alastair sets up the "boy" as his page and as the story unfolds it becomes clear that the Duke did not take Leonie in out of the kindness of his heart, but that he has other more ulterior motives in mind. Namely, to use her in his game of vendetta against another, a French nobleman he crossed paths 20 years before.

Though I've read this type of plotline before (the innocent and young heroine, masquerading as a boy, being saved by the hero), what makes this novel different is the secondary characters and the feel of the novel (as if it has been lifted straight out of mid/late 18th century France and England).

One of my favorite secondary characters is Lord Rupert Alastair, younger brother of the hero. Rupert is an irrepressible young man, very passionate and always ready to joke and make fun. He acts as comic relief and on more than one occassion I found myself laughing aloud at his behavior and words.

Anyways, this is a great book to start out with Heyer. It is fast moving and you'll find it hard to put down once you start reading!

I realize that Georgette Heyer is a woman's author, but I still feel compelled to suggest this to anyone who likes to escape into wonderful humor regardsless of the reader's sex. Many years ago my wife picked up a book by this writer, read it in one night, and insisted on getting everything else available. After being kept awake by her night long bouts of laughter, I decided I could either get angry or join the fun. This book was so good that I smuggled the sequel {Devil's Cub, which I heartily recommend) onto the subway in a plain brown wrapper and amazed the other riders by rolling off the seat by the humor of the book. Is it roamntic? I don't know, maybe. What I do know is if you don't find the characters and events of this book funny, your sense of humor needs some serious help. Get yourself a paper bag and enjoy yourself.

Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul; 102 Stories to Give Kids Courage, Hope, Laughter

This book is more than just a book. My friends and I have read it and we agree that it's an awesome book.

My wife loves this book. I get tired of the same fables with pictures. It's nice to read something that peaks the child's curiosity and allows discussion about meaningful things.

I bought this book for my little daughter, but I ended up reading it, too. It had good, inspirational stories about kids. I really enjoyed it.

Chicken Soup for the Kids Soul
JAck Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Kimberly Kirberger, Mitch Claspy
K. Gan
P. 6

This book is what everything a kid goes through. They go through love, friendship problems, family problems and attitude a justment. Every kid should get this book because this book has the answers to your problems. No matter what situation, good or bad, this book does have the answers. This book shares a lot of problems a kid goes through and a lot of good times in their childhood. For me, i don't dislike the book, i really love it!
As I was growing up, I had a lot of problems. One of my problems was the fact that my bestfriend was moving. In this book, it says "But the more i thought about it, the more I realized I wasn't really losing her. The person taught me so much in life and laughter, the person who had helped me grow to be myself, was just going away for a while, to do some growing and learning up of her own." This quote is really true. The person who taught me so much is still here with me. I think that he just needs to keep learning. He was always there for and he made an impact in my life that no matter where he is, he is always going to be apart of me.
This book teaches a kid not to take things for granted. Lately, I been taking time for granted. Me and my brother has been really distance in the last few years. Me and him are seven years apart and we and him never really talked. In one short story in the family section it says " Hey Tova,It's me Sara. I just called to tell you I love you." This quote is a good quote. In this story, Tova is travaling to Egypt to study by herself. Her sister, Sara, is a few years younger then her. Sara wanted to be everything her sister is, so she copied everything she did. On the night Tova left, Sara noticed how quiet it is without her older sister so she cried all night. She then got the courage to call her and say I love you and she did. I wish that I could do this, so this short story gave me the courage too.
I have no favorite part in the book because everything in this book is really usefull in a kids life. This book covers every aspect in a kids life. Turning from a kid to a teenager, this book has it all. I advise every kid to read it because it's really handy when your in need.

I have not read this book, but my nine year old daughter has read and enjoyed most of it. Last night though, she cried herself to sleep after reading graphic stories (near the end of the book) by an incest victim whose father was sent to jail and the daughter of an injection drug user who woke up one night with police pointing guns at her. I'm sure the inclusion of these stories was well-intentioned, but there's no way they are "chicken soup" for the average kid's soul.

I am still reading this book; there are so many insights that I find myself highlighting and writing them down; then I go back to review them over and over. For the person who wants to be an Effective Executive or just an effective individual I would recommend you read this book. You can just read this book you have to put the information into practice. It is a text book for the effective leader in you. You will go back to it over and over again to ensure you are doing the right things to become more effective.

Skip all the "hype" about leadership theory. Drucker is the king. Years since this book was written - it is all about Executive Effectiveness. Well isn't that the same as "leadership" but just without all the hype? You bet. Buy and read this and burn your leadership mental masturbation books.

If you're looking for concise, simple dialogue on what it means to be effective and how to parlay that into your work life, here it is. If you are looking for a fashionable, faddy, flashy Seth-Godin-type mantra to chant, you will be vastly disappointed and fantastically bored.

To those who are serious students of business and it's execution and are willing to do what it takes to be leaders, this is one of probably 3-5 books on the required reading list. Read through it quickly at your own peril, for amazing gems are buried mid-paragraph in the most seemingly innocuous paragraphs.

Now for the love of effectiveness, please buy, read and apply this to yourself so I don't have to do business with you sloths anymore!

Very good book on the true management skills required by any and every manager. Drucker clearly points out that not all great managers were created the same....but most share certain traits. An excellent, must read for any and all managers everywhere!

Excellent advice from a incredible coach. From time management to management contribution this book offers what you need to achieve management positions. A must.

The Real Deal! No "Steve Mcqueen" character, but everyone a true hero.The Great Escape

If you want to know how to make something out of nothing, this is the book for you. I've been reading and re-reading this book since early childhood and that's how I learned to make a needed item out of just what was at hand. McGyver had NUTHIN' on these guys.

MRS. Dee Schauer
Texas

I love the movie the Great Escape and I loved reading the book it was based on. The movie did an excellant job of following the book but reading the book gave me so much more of an understanding of what these men went through and the courage they had. To truely understand the courage these men had and what they went through, you have to read the book.

It's a shame the publisher decided to put a picture on the cover of Steve McQueen wrapped up in the barbed wire at the end of his big motorcycle escape attempt. Because, you see, that never happened in the TRUE story of the Great Escape contained in this book. The movie (while good) took serious dramatic license, while Brickhill's book presents the facts. And they are quite inspiring and thrilling enough without the addition of fictional elements such as McQueen's stunt riding.
I first read this book while in elementary school, and was hooked to the extent that I've read it many times since over the decades. A truly outstanding story.

This is the (true) story of the efforts of a multinational group of POWs to escape during WW2, and led to what is one of my favourite films.

I anticipated the book to be a bit of a let down after seeing the movie, but it really wasn't. They emphasize quite different aspects, and some parts of the movie were clearly made up with entertainment value in mind (people jumping motorcycles over fences for instance!). I can't blame the movie makers of course, because the compelling essence of this story is the daily slog of tunnelling set against the backdrop of the mind-numbing drudgery of incarceration. No movie could be long enough to get this point across, but the book allows one to build up a better picture of what captivity was like, particularly because it provides such incredible details. I was really struck by the ingenious ways the prisoners found to fake German uniforms and official passes, improvise tools, and build radios and other vital pieces of equipment. The book provides sufficient descriptions to allow you to get an impression of the main characters and camp layout, though I personally would have enjoyed a few photographs of the people involved (good and bad), though I realise these wouldn't have been easy to obtain.

The author has a relatively dry style typical of a historian rather than a dramatist, and at times relates key events remarkably passionately. The book ratchets up the tension without having to try too hard however, and I could sense the tension that existed whenever the guards entered the barracks to check for tunnels. The depression that accompanies every uncovered tunnel jumps out of the page, as does the resolve to keep trying to escape without ever accepting captivity.

I was also pleased that the author described the events some time after the final escape, so that I could see how thoroughly the Allied authorities pursued the main protagonists, and what was their evetual fate.

This book was a fine testament to the memory of the brave men who didn't wilt despite literally years of incarceration in conditions that can best be desribed as spartan. If they had all died without anyone knowing their story the world would be a poorer place.

This is one of my favorite books from childhood! I especially love the way it reads in a sing-song manner. I purchased it along with others for a baby shower to help the new mom start her child's library.

I just love this book, its addictive! When choosing a book to read my daughter before bed I usually end up picking this one!

Great for pre-schoolers. Some of the rhymes are a bit forced but it is charming nonetheless. A very fun read!

This has become one of our favorite books for our 6 mo old son. Everyone thinks its funny when we read it, including him. If only he could eat the pages!

It bores my son after a couple of weeks and he's not yet three. At first though, he did really like it. Cute rhymes that are easy to remember, and he loved screaming the responses at first.

A positively adorable book, from its hilarious and sweet story to the bright illustrations. Great for read-alouds, as kids instantly like the somewhat stuffy police officer and his whimsical dog. Excellent message.

this is the book our 16 month old picks up every morning when he wakes up and wants to read... a great story.

I absolutely LOVE this book...............I have my special copy, and I am 'over 37'........and I also give it to special people in my life. It is delicately beautiful....and....lets us all know that puppies are more human than human beings.....

I use Officer Buckle and Gloria with kindergartners when I teach my humane education classes. I found it well-written because it was "engaging" for the students, keeping the attention of the children as it moved forward to its happy conclusion. The colorful illustrations throughout the book were great for helping communicate the action. I recommend it for pre-K and K children as a way to enhance their love and appreciation of dogs! Donna Forst, M.A., Education Coordinator, Hawaii Dog Foundation

Abbot and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, Gracie and George--one the straight guy, the other the comic! Welcome Officer Buckle and Gloria! They've been around delighting children and grown-ups for 13 years now. Officer Buckle and Gloria.

A local police officer dedicated to the safety of children, Officer Buckle speaks to auditoriums full of kids about rules of safety, then passes four safety hazards without seeing them. The principal herself is breaking several safety rules.

One day Officer Buckle got a partner--a dog. When he gave his safety tips, unbeknownst to Officer Buckle, Gloria was acting out the tips or--mimicking Officer Buckle. The team became a rip-roaring success. Dozens of thank you notes came in the next day--all with a picture of Gloria on it. Soon the two were visiting every school in the county. Finally, the television station decided to film the presentation. Of course, that night when Officer Buckle watches it, he discovers the truth.

The story has a big bang ending with banana pudding in there somewhere. Don't worry, this is a happy children's book and award winner!

The Caldecott Awards are sometimes strange and mysterious. Some years, like 1995, the year of Officer Buckle an Gloria, the winner is an awesome book. Some years, the winner is a great big puzzle.

Great book, great author, great illustrations. Everyone should have this book and share it with children.

First, I want to be clear that this review pertains to the CD that comes with Runny Babbit. My 7-year-old son checked the Runny Babbit book from the library, and we read it and loved it. We'd pause to figure out what the words "should be." When he received money for his birthday, he wanted to buy a copy of the book. I made the mistake of suggesting he purchase the book that comes with the CD. THE CD IS AWFUL!!! The narrator sounds like he has a head cold and should have called in a sick day, but showed up at the studio anyway. There are only 12 poems on the CD, and it only runs about 10 minutes. (I know, that's like the joke about the restaurant that served lousy food, and such small servings!!! But it adds to the feeling of being completely ripped off by the CD.) It is not worth buying!!! Just buy the book without the CD and either read it to your child aloud or have your child read it; the experience will be much more worthwhile.

This book is the last that Shel Silverstien wrote, it took him twenty years.When you see how this book is written, you will understand why it took him so long. After he died his family compiled the entire thing as a project of love.
I highly recommend this read, my children love it and it is eduactional. Since it is all backwords, it forces children to think about every word and how it should be instead of how it is. It is fun to read as is and switch around and read as it should be. I had to add this to my children's collection, since it is a one of a kind and Shel's final book.

This book had my son rolling on the floor with laughter. There's one poem in particular that we have to read every time we open the book. It never fails to get his funny bone. I would recommend this for children who are reading. Younger children will probably not get the humor intended.

In a wave of nosthalgia, I bought this Shel Silvertein book. As a little kid I loved "Where the Sidewalk Ends" and the other works. This has to be the best, though.

While obviously it is a children's book, adults love it, too. It tickles the tongue and the spirit. When I took it to the office we took turns reading from it and laughed silly. It really lightened the atmosphere.

Also a warning: You will me tompelled, no cempted to wange you chords after beading this rook.

I own an original first edition (and did not realize its value until recently), but in searching for this book to add a link from within my new book on Irregular Warfare: Waging Peace, I realized the reader is faced with two choices today, one costing $4 more than the other. I believe I found the explanation in the less expensive version, which is described as "severely abridged." So all things being equal, buy this version instead.

There is no finer summary of this work that I have encountered in my literature search than "T.E. Lawrence And the Mind of An Insurgent" by James J. Schneider, Ph.D., a professor of military theory at the School of Advanced Military Studies, U.S. Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Previously published in 2005 in varied works, it can be easily found online by searching for the author and title.

My preliminary research for the new book shows that the Lieutenant Colonels/Commanders and some Colonels/Captains of the Navy get it, but the flags do not. Even the vaunted counterinsurgency handbook avoids dealing with three realities:

1. Absent a moral legitimizing strategy that includes a commitment to sufficiency of presence, no occupation will succeed.

2. Absent a national intelligence community willing and able to jump deep into Multinational, Multiagency, Multidisciplinary, Multidomain Information Sharing and Sense-Making (M4IS2), no commander will succeed.

3. It costs asymmetric irregular warriors $1 for every $500,000 they force us to spend with our present idiotic emphasis on technology as a substitute for both thinking and human presence. They can keep this up forever, we cannot.

IMHO, Dr. Schneider's distillation is utterly brilliant, and if the publisher issues a new edition, I urge the publisher to obtain permission to include Dr. Schneider's distillation as a new professional preface.

Although I have a very very large personal library (photo at oss.net), here are the books I bought today as part of my homework. In the comment I provide the URLs for the pieces I have had printed locally.

Modern irregular warfare: In defense policy and as a military phenomenon
The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism
Counterinsurgency and the Global War on Terror: Military Culture and Irregular War (Stanford Security Studies)
Asymmetric Warfare: Threat and Response in the 21st Century
Guerrilla Warfare: Irregular Warfare in the Twentieth Century (Stackpole Military History Series)
The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual
Never Surrender: A Soldier's Journey to the Crossroads of Faith and Freedom
Kill Bin Laden: A Delta Force Commander's Account of the Hunt for the World's Most Wanted Man

Two other books I already own within my ten link limit:
War of the Flea: The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare
Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam

And everything written by H. John Poole, but especially Tactics of the Crescent Moon, Phantom Soldier, One More Bridge to Cross, and Tiger's Way. Also Col Hammes on Sling and Stone, Mao and Che, Max Manwaring's various works including Search for Security, Uncomfortable Wars, and Environmental Security....and on, and on, and on....IRWF is finally "in" now we just have to spend ten years waiting for the current flags to retire.

Although a bit confusing in his presentation of dozens of key characters unfamiliar to the reader, Lawrence paints an extraordinary sketch of a time and people otherwise just a footnote to World history. The richness of the text and word pictures were worth the time spent laboring through massive amounts of detailed narrative.

TE Lawrence (1888-1935) the British soldier, poet and scholar wrote this insightful personal account of the Arab Revolt based on his war journals which is as confronting as it is poetic and beautiful. How could one not be enthralled by the writings and perspectives of a fine intellectual mind tormented by the reality of war and hypocrisy? What makes this book unique and powerful is Lawrence's sensibility as a poet and a soldier. Even if you are not into war history, this is a riveting book you can't afford to miss.

This is one of the great books of the 20th century. That it could be written at all is almost a miracle in itself. Take a brilliant Oxford student trained in the old classical tradition, place him in the Arabian desert as advisor to the wild Bedouin tribesmen during their revolt against the Turks and have him write with an acute sensitivity and unparalleld insight into what was transpiring before him and you may have some notion of what the book is like.
It's a long book. You will learn a great deal about blowing up a railroad bridge in the desert, about camel rides, thirst, and hunger and the heroism and brutality of war. The portraits of Sheik Auda, Sherrif Ali and Prince Faisal of the two Arab boys who Lawrence takes under his wing are masterpieces in and of themselves. The nobility and savagery of the desert tribesmen contrasted with the cold stoicism of the British and the inculcated cruelty of the Turks are just some of themes addressed during the course of the work. There are brilliant passing insights as to the Semitic inspiration for all the revealed religions and their relation to the desert beautiful descripitions of the terrain the weather and the obstacles encountered. When Lawrence says that from the beginning he believed the Arab revolt would succeed because it grew out of a sympathetic population was opposed by a modern army that could not garrison the territory occupied one wishes that President Bush had read it instead of just seeing the movie. Read it yourself.

Rightfully regarded as a modern classic, this book is nevertheless not light reading. This is a result of the density of information, as well as Lawrence's writing style, which often makes a re-reading of passages necessary to fully grasp them, besides his use of some unusual vocabulary. But by the time one has completed the journey to Damascus with Lawrence and his Arabs, one has almost got a taste for his own peculiar style, even if one cannot always agree with his views, which however, were pretty progressive for a man who grow up at the height of imperialism.

There are, however, many contradictions in the man. At the start of the book, for example, he sympathizes with the unwilling Turkish conscipts, illiterate Anatolian peasants who really wished to be back home, led by a militaristic officer caste fresh from the Armenian genocide. Later in the book though, little sympathy is shown, and on one occasion when Lawrence was angered by the Turks, he did nothing to stop their massacre on their defeat, and left all their wounded where they fell - every one of hundreds froze to death in the cold winter night...

But when one considers that he lost both brothers in 1915 in France, his father in 1919 of the Spanish influenza, and his closest friend, and probably boyfriend, Salim Ahmed, shortly before his entry into Damascus, one can be more forgiving of his attitude. And who can forget his botched execution of Hamed, who'd killed another man? To avoid a blood feud, Lawrence suggested that he execute the man, which was insisted on by the Arabs. 3 shots with his pistol, one of which hit the man on his wrist. No wonder he said he couldn't sleep that night. Or his having to shoot long-time compatriot Farrah in the head as he was too seriously injured to move, and wanted to avoid the inevitable torturing to death of Arab prisoners. Enver Pasha, the Turkish commander, had thrown so many men live into his furnace that he knew just how long it took before you heard the sound of their heads popping. Considering this background of brutality, Lawrence comes across as positively humane.

The book has it's lighter moments though. Who can forget the tribe of the Ageyl, who were so poor they used to go into battle stripped to their loin cloths, both in the belief that it reduced their chances of infection if they were hit, as well as to protect their clothing from bullet holes or blood stains...the young Arabs urinating on others' wounds as the only antiseptic treatment in the desert...the Howeitat treatment of snake-bites - bind up the part with snake-skin plaster, and read chapters of the Koran to the sufferer until he died. Life was hard, and luxuries were few, something which seemed to attract Lawrence even more towards his mission of reaching Damascus and driving out the Turks, even if his conscience continued to bother him that the British Govt's promises to the Arabs were unlikely to be fulfilled.

Finally, Lawrence claimed he left the original manuscript on the train, and had to rewrite the entire book from memory, an amazing feat considering the wealth of detail here. Actually, it would be a superhuman task, and Robert Graves, one of his best friends, believes the story was a lie. The implication is that Lawrence made out that he'd had to rewrite the book by recalling his memories as a cover for the fact that parts of the book are invented, and many facts changed, and that this would be the perfect excuse should his information later be found to be inaccurate. But why claim to have blown up over 70 bridges when the real number was around 20 or so?

The answer is that this is a work of literature, and not a military textbook. We'll never be really sure of which parts are exactly true, and which merely invented as representing what typically happened. It's not always light reading, so set some time aside for this one, but when you get to the end, you'll be glad of having made the effort.

This is a "pick it up, and cant put it down" book. Bold and honest in it's writing and also pays respect to the other units involved in the bastonge battle. This rates as one of the better books I have read with regard to the Bastonge battles. The freshness and clarity of the accounts shine through, having been written shortly after the battle and make this book a good read. The hand drawn maps showing company movement supports the written work well. A must read. 5 stars. I will be reading more of Don's work

This is the best of the 4 books that Burgett wrote (and all are excellent). This book does a fantastic job of summarizing just how outnumbered, outgunned, under-supplied, and exhausted the 101st was at Bastogne. After reading this book, I've got a new interest in the Bulge and will be buying more books on the subject.

This is an excellent book, the kind you can devour in an night or a few days. I agree with the other reviewer that this book would be worth of 6 stars.

all four of his books are great first person accounts of his military service as a WW2 paratrooper.a very easy read.

This third of Burgett's four books about his experiences in the 101st Airborne during World War II reveals a young man (19 at the time) at what could be easily seen as his finest (or worst) hours. The author gives this book an intense personal touch that is missing in many accounts of this unit during its defense of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. Burgett takes the reader into the hell he lived through, vividly describing the shortages of basic military necessities such as weapons and ammunition, the incredible struggle for Noville in the early days of the battle and the withdrawal back to the main lines, and the difficulties of being ready to fight after coping with the harsh winter of the Ardennes and the lack of sleep, food, and water.

But what really comes through most clearly in this account is death. Burgett sees much of it in just a few weeks. He sees close friends (the "old men" of his company) and replacements die in what seems to be a random pattern. He takes the lives of German troops without a shred of remorse, yet almost shoots a fellow paratrooper who shot a prisoner of war.

Burgett does not portray himself as a hero--only as a man doing his job. He was very good (and I would also say lucky) at what he did. His story is not the nice neat narrative found in many accounts of the Bulge. It is dark, chilling, and brutal. It makes one wonder what men like him endured--both during the war and the many years since. I highly recommend it and the others volumes about his time in the 101st.

Donald Burgett gives a great view of WWII through the eyes of a 101st airborne paratrooper.

I love the Laura books, I can remember my mother reading them to me when I was young. Since then, I've read then again and it never ceases to delight me.
My only complaint though, is that the illistrations are pathetic. They don't even look real, so I had a hard time seeing Laura as a real person. For me, when I see lifelike drawings, it really makes get in touch with their character. The drawer, Garth Williams, is someone I wouldn't want to be doing my book! I like the illistrations for The Caroline Years. Oh well...still love the books.

I usually buy CD's but this time got the tape version, the first tape didn't even work. I ended up buying it again on CD. Stay away from tapes.

I love most of the Little House on the Prairie books, as well as the stories of Laura's great-grandmother, Martha, her grandmother, Charlotte, her mother, Caroline, and her daughter, Rose. I've read every one I can get my hands on. My all-time favorite of the all the series is These Happy Golden Years. This tells of Laura and Almanzo's courtship, and it is so chaste and sweet.

This book definitely belongs on my 10 favorite children's books.

I would rate this book 4.5 stars. It tells of Laura Ingalls years between the age of 15 to 18, and her first teaching job where she goes to live with a family where the wife doesn't treats her shabbily. It's a good story but it mostly told more of her and Almanzo than her teaching.

Now fifteen-years-old, Laura Ingalls can't help but crave getting a job in order to help her family. Ever since her first taste of earning her own money, she is determined to find another position that complements her skills. Besides, with Mary away at college, as much as Laura misses the companionship of her beloved sister, she can't help but feel compelled to assist her family in keeping Mary in a place where she is learning, and happier than ever. To do that, however, she'll have to do what she can to find the perfect job. Now that she has her teaching certificate, she'll be able to do just that.

It seems like only yesterday that Laura Ingalls was racing around the schoolyard with the boys, playing ball and sharing secrets with her friends; now she is basically all grown up, and beginning her career as a schoolteacher. But being a teacher isn't as easy as Laura hoped it would be - especially when many of the students are older than she is. And, to add insult to injury, she's forced to contend with boarding with a couple who spends the late nights hurling insults at one another, and living in miserable conditions. The only consolation is that Almanzo Wilder drives in to town each and ever Friday, to pick her up and bring her to her folks house for the weekend, before she must start another grueling week. It is during these long rides that Laura begins to spend more and more time with the older man. But it also makes her question why he is so willing to drive the twelve miles to her aid each week. Laura is unsure of his motives. She is also too tired and busy to spend much time thinking about them. Instead, she thinks of the paycheck that will soon come her way; and the beauty and splendor of the items she can buy for her family as time goes by.

With each and every book in the LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE series, I have seen Laura get older and older. I have also grown to love her as much as an old friend. Laura is such a responsible, mature individual - quite different from the little rascal she was during her younger years. She seems so caring, and eager to assist her family, and see that her sister gets the education she has always craved. It is so refreshing to see a character who puts others ahead of herself. Like in LITTLE TOWN ON THE PRAIRIE, the reader has the opportunity to learn more about Almanzo Wilder; however, the more you learn, the more you see just how much older he is than Laura, and how strangely the relationship between the two of them develops. Another winner from Ms. Ingalls-Wilder!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer