Audio Books

This book is so different than the average children stories! My 4year old loves it, mostly for the illustrations, I love it for the language used. The descriptions are wonderful, if only I could speak or write this way. It exposes us both to great timeless stories.

This was a great find for my grandchildren that we have temporary custody of. I love sitting in the rocking chair with my 2 1/2 - year old Sarah and cuddling up with these wonderful stories! This is a great quality book, and the illustrations are wonderful! It will get a lot of use, and look beautiful for years to come. Don't pass this one up. It's great for creating memories with your children and grandchildren.

I got this for a baby shower gift for someone. I wanted to give something that could last. I ended up buying one for myself. It's a trip down memory lane reading the sweet stories and looking at the beautiful pictures. I hope my friend's baby has great memories growing up with these stories as I did.

This is a lovely book that comes in a sturdy, decorative, open-eneded box to protect the volume. Besides containing all of Beatrix Potter's wonderful children's stories, it has all of the original illustrations in one volume. This is the perfect "bedtime story" book, and it sits on the nightstand next to my 11-old-granddaughter's bed. She reads the stories to her 3-year-old sister every night, and is planning on continuing the tradition with her 1-year-old brother. She told me that she is enjoying the stories as much as her little sister!

I purchased this book as a gift for their family, and, as a proud grandmother, I can't think of anything that costs so little and yet gives so much. I would recommend this book for anyone! I am going to purchase another copy for my own house, just in case I have guests who show up with little ones. It's a perfect addition to anyone's library, and I highly recommend it.

This book is beautifully presented and a true gem for any library or child's collection. All of the stories are presented in the order in which they were written and published. All of the original illustrations are there as well.

I highly recommend this book....it is reasonably priced and complete.

I gave this book to each of my children's families. The kids LOVE it. My Daughter-in-laws don't know if they like me anymore because they have to read it all day long.

This is my very favorite story to read at Halloween. I read this story to my preschool class every year. The children love the pictures and the repetition. After a few pages they will begin to recite the verse "Drat" along with the characters. I ordered several copies so I could put it in the listening center. I also have the cassette tape to play along with the story.

This book is one of my favorite of all time! It takes Halloween characters and makes them fun. The story is all about working together toward a common goal-making pumpkin pie. This story can be acted out with preschool students. It also has an audiotape that you can't miss with! Even my students with short attention spans pay attention and participate with this one. When we are done reading it for the week, we make pumpkin pie. A great ending to a fun week!

Scholastic put out a tape many years ago with this book being read to music. It is the most fabulous addition to this book. I've seen 3-5 year olds with special needs who won't sit for anything, perk up and take interest when this book is read along with the tape. Unfortunately you can't really find it anymore. If you do come across it, GET IT!

Big Pumpkin is so Big in our house, it's read all the time...Oh and our son loves it too!

Once my son (4 years old) discovered and fell in love with Big Pumpkin it didn't matter if it was Halloween or not. The story is nothing short of hilarious, the illustrations could not be better suited and truly compliment this book where so many others fall short. My husband and I get such a kick out of reading this book as well, we practically know it by heart and have been known to recite it in jest around the house. One of my favorite things about this book is that it introduces the so-called "scary" characters of Halloween, the Ghost, the Vampire, the Mummy, the Bat, and the Witch in the most loveable manner with such simple and innocent humor that it completely removes any possible thought of "scary" for our little ones. Big Pumpkin can make you befriend a Witch, want to help out a Vampire, and just love your "Mummy"! Don't wait until Halloween, buy it now, it's too cute to pass up.

My small womans group wanted to do a bible study on this book and at first I was against it because I felt like I wasn't anxious. After reading the first chapter I did a complete turn around! This book is VERY good! It really makes you look at your life in a different way and see what is really important and what really matters. I would recommend it to anyone!

I have done a lot of studies, but this is one of the best studies I've done in awhile, and several friends say the same. I recommend it to all women, as anxiety is a stranglehold for so many of us. This book helps you to give it over to God and holds your hand along the way with it. Great book!

My sister-in-law gave me this book. It's the best gift I've ever been given. I've bought several copies to give to women in my family and friends. The book addresses what peace we can have when we hand our concerns to God and learn to always be content. I wish I'd read this when I was young. It's a book to read several times as a great reminder to hand it all over to God.

I couldn't imagine Linda writing a book more helpful than Creative Counter part, but this is the proof (for me at least). This book is applicable to the Christian woman no matter what stage of life she is in. I have found it to be encouraging and helpful in my growing relationship with Jesus. Thanks again Linda.

This book helped me get through a very difficult time a while back. In the time since, I have occasionally felt the anxiety levels creep back up, and I have come back to this book. It isn't one to be read one time, but is worth reading again and again.

It is easy to have this book recommended to you, or even to have someone give it to you and leave it sitting on your shelf. I did that when I first received it. Don't do that! Read it and see if you can grow and glean from it as so many of us have done. It can really help you move beyond worry to trust, and it builts more than just anxiety-free living. It helps accomplish the opposite -- contentment and acceptance of your lot. If you struggle with worry or discontentment, this is the first book I would recommend. I can't say that enough!

There are so many other good reviews, that I do not feel the need to say much except read this book. It was great through and through, cover to cover.

the ending made me switch to 5. I liked the happy ending. I think what made it kinda bad for me reading this one was that I saw the movie first. So while reading I kept trying to copy parts to scenes in the movie.

What makes this book great for me is the fact that it's written by a black man about his troubled life. Most black men won't even tell the people close in their lives things like this let alone write a story for the world to read.

End child abuse today.

This is an awe inspiring piece of literary work. The narrative from the beginning inspires the reader and allows almost a walk-along journey into the author's life and the actual steps that he took. The movie was good in its setting and up to date account of a life in the 60's. The book adds so much story that went untold in the movie and is that much more moving. Antwone Fisher writes as if he has been doing this since a child.

The novel Finding Fish by Antwone Fisher is a very good book. The book is far better than the movie and i reccomend it to all. It entails his life as well as select readings from his poetry. It is a a story of struggle and beating the odds to become a success

If you have any interest in human behavior, this is a must read. It is a true story of a man who has to overcome so much to succeed. The challenges he faces are so harsh, as he struggles through life as a foster child.

Jackie and Me is a book about a kid named Joe Stashack. He has the power to touch baseball cards and go back in time to when that card was printed. Joe is supposed to write an essay on African-American Heroes. He loves baseball so much he does his report on Jackie Robinson. There is also a contest where the best essay wins a trip to Kentucky Kingdom. Joe really wants to win. Joe goes to his favorite baseball card shop but they don't have a Jackie Robinson 1947 card. Jackie will break the color barrier which is not an actual barrier but it is the law, yet in 1947 he hasn't broken it yet. So they don't have the card, but they do have a Jackie Robinson 1947 signature. Joe is able to travel back through time and he learns something from Jackie. You must stay cool and do not use violence. This is a great book. -Andromeda Grade 5

The book I am reading is Jackie and Me. It is written by Dan Gutman. I think this book deserves five stars because it has real events but at the same time its fiction. It's about a kid who travels back in time to meet Jackie Robinson. But the next thing he knows he gets stuck back in time. So the next thing he tricked ant a bat boy to give his Ken Griffin Jr. Card back the key to get back to his time. He also wrote Babe and Me Honus and Me.

Jackie andme is the best baseball book ive ever read but the thing i hate about it isthere is a kid namedant whosi very negative and hecalls african americans bad names thatwe cant speak of but i would recomend the book if you like baseball.

This book was very powerful in climaxs and the segregation.As I read this I was mad at the terms and the abuse the african american people had to stand up to and in doing so were at risk of being killed.But at the same time I enjoyed hearing about the early 1900's ball players so i rate this book a 4 star book.

I purchased the book as a gift for my children. They love the series and have all of them. I highly recommend the series. It engages the minds of the readers in a fictional, imaginative way for those avid baseball lovers.

There was a seeming dual purpose motivating the author to write this book. Remen is a medical doctor who basically tells the stories about how her professional experiences moved her closer to, rather than away from, emotional involvement with her clients particularly as it pertained to the connection between one's spirituality and recovery,amongst other things.
Remen also shares some very deep and moving stories that were shared with her by her clients once she became a therapist.
It's a wonderful read and will be helpful to anyone seeking spiritual enlightenment and motivation.

Beautiful sweet touching book that helped me get me through some tough times. Celebrates the human spirit.

I recently had the privilege of hearing the author speak. she is an amazing woman.

Rachel Naomi Remen believes in the healing power of stories. She trained as a pediatrician and expected to practice traditional medicine much as her father and other male members of her family had done before her, but something happened to change her carefully planned course.

In the introduction to Kitchen Table Wisdom, Remen tells how her male colleagues frequently knocked on her office door to ask for her help with a crying patient. They believed that she, as a woman, would know what to do. Though she knew no more than they, she felt flattered that they came to her and felt that this helped her be more a part of their exclusive "Old Boys Network." She began to spend more and more time listening to patients share their fears and feelings of living with a terminal disease.

Since the age of fifteen, Remen has suffered from Crohn's disease. As she listened to her patients, she began to feel less lonely and isolated. Probably, her guidance and uncanny understanding of her patients stemmed from her familiarity with physical and emotional pain.

Kitchen Table Wisdom is a compilation of eighty-eight poignant stories that Remen heard over many years, as well as stories of her own life. Her stories demonstrate her belief that a larger process is at work in all our lives and that human beings are "unfinished, a work in progress." She believes we come into the world whole but lose faith in our wholeness and become discouraged by feelings of not being pretty enough, smart enough, etc. " ... our wholeness exists in us now," she writes, "Trapped though it may be, it can be called upon for guidance, direction and most fundamentally, comfort."

No retelling of Remen's stories can do them justice. One of my favorites is "The Question"--a story told by a patient named Tim (now a cardiologist) of his experience at the age of fifteen with his father, who was in the last stages of Alzheimer¹s disease. At the time, his father had not spoken for ten years and was totally helpless. Tim and his brother were alone with their father when he suddenly slumped over and fell to the floor. The brother was calling 911 when both boys heard a voice commanding, "Don't call 911, son. Tell your mother that I love her. Tell her that I am all right." With those words, the man died. An autopsy later revealed that Tim's father's brain had been entirely destroyed by the disease. Tim never stops wondering who spoke those final words. He tells Dr. Remen, "Much of life can never be explained but only witnessed."

The author believes that talking about and sharing one¹s feelings revives memories that can lead to important new insights about one¹s life, bringing about a healing that formal treatment is unable to offer. She says that Shamans believe illness is a direct indication of soul loss. The soul, she explains, is that which is aware of the sacredness we carry and the sacredness that exists in the external world as well. Losing our appreciation for our sacredness, living with sadness, with feelings of unworthiness can manifest illness.

"Life is the ultimate teacher...," she writes. "It is through experience, and not scientific knowledge or expert academic training alone that we learn our deepest lessons." In her lectures and writings, Dr. Remen likes to tell of a sign on the wall of a room in Florida where the elderly come to play Bingo. It reads, "You Have to Be Present to Win." And so it is in life.

by Duffie Bart
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

I am presurgery and this book helps to calm me and encourage me to think positively.

For years I refused to read this book after a friend's recommendation thinking that it would be another "feel good" attempt . Boy was I wrong! This book is one of the most extraordinary pieces of writing I have ever encountered. I have read it over and over again many times (the stories are short enough that allow you to read at your own pace). It has actually become sort of a "guide to Life" for me. Furthermore, as story-telling itself goes, is simply masterful. Dr. Remen is a powerful communicator and her wisdom goes beyond "new age". It is a groundbreaking work about mystery, awe and Life with a capital "L".

From the first time I heard it I knew it was one of the best cd's EVER made, and now some 12 years later, I still feel the same way about it. I put it up there on the same level as Public Enemy's "It Takes A Nation...", Common's "Like Water For Chocolate", Ice Cube's "Death Certificate", Mos Def & Talib Kweli "Are Black Star", Dr. Dre's "The Chronic", And Outkast's "Aquemini". I wish De La Soul would get the credit they truly deserve!!!!!

Great alternative to other 96 joints like All eyes on me and Reasonable Doubt. De La delivers as usual. Peace to the Plugs!

Top Joints:
Stake is High
4 More
Dinninit
Itsowezee
Supa Emcees

It is a strange fluke to be reviewing back to back De La Soul records and awarding them the allustrious 5 stars. Perhaps no other group has exemplified the longevity, quality, respect, intelligence, and playfullness like only De La can do. With their fourth album, they made some major changes (only because the times were changing so quickly). Prince Paul was absent for the first time in their career, the beats sound more lively and raw, they play the samples then then play them on light keyboards with hard drums...and their lyricism is absolutely MINDBLOWING AS EVER! My review of the Group Homes "Living Proof" stands by my opinion that it is the essential album for any hip hop producer. However, if you asked me what is essential for any aspiring lyricist; then "Stakes Is High" is it. Posdunous and Trugoy juggle their syntax, craft witty metaphors that stays on beat (while outshining them), and their language is so rich in imagery that the lyrics reveals something new with each listen. If you thought that their rhyme patterns were complex on earlier records, then you haven't heard nothing yet.

The albums "Intro", preceded by a skit, is not your typical skip material. After paying homage to the pioneering Boogie Down Productions, the lyrical onslaught begins. Posdunous rhymes, "A fresh linen scent so sniffer on the two-inch/ A talker of the berg without we-- influence/ So stick to you Naughty by Natures and your Kane/ 'Cause graffiti that I based upon the wax is insane". Apparently, the line was a show of respect to the aforementioned artists but the complexity was taken out of context and sparked a short beef between Treach and Posdunous. "Supa Emcess" follows and is unquestionably a superb single. The play on words are timeless especially when Posdunous spits, "Within this program of rap, I'll eradicate the glitches/ Yo I'm dark like Wesley, but I be sparkin more bitc---/and to them my constellation put your lives in jep/ While you others represent, I present my rep". The album just doesn't let up because the next song is "The Bizness". Another excellent single and once again the song is so lyrical that you can't help but say DAMN! Common is freakin' flows for the fun of it and as bold a statement this is, it is my personal favorite verse from him (including anything on "Resurrection"). "Wonce Again Long Island" and "Dinninit" follow and continues to blow me away. If the former doesn't make you look at degradation of women in hip hop in a different way then your a lost cause. Posdnous rhymes, "R&B nig--- lie to mother, sister, and daughter/ to have sex disguised as lovin in the rain/ Their words are more hollow than October 31st/ what's worse, hate to see the/ females switch to sexual mentality/ it doesn't match with they given anatomy/ Man they rather be ho'z like that male emcee/Who walk around like they got nutz/ And use they titz and azz like a crutch/ Man the underground's about not bein exposed/ So you better take your naked azz and put on some clothes/".


Truthfully, it is hard to quote certain lines here and there because it just doesn't do this record justice. Any verse could have been featured smack dab on the Source Magazines Quotable page. On top of that, if you think Prince Pauls influence is void on "Stakes Is High", then you are sorely mistaken. Being around Prince Paul, De La Soul has obviously learned from his genius and they have injected their own madness here. Telephone buttons ring to the mellow groove of "4 More", a short skit combating Country Musics ignorance towards rap music appears at the end of "Long Island Degrees" and the soul samples are extremely tight and layered by mixmaster Tim Latham in startling peak form. One of the tightest beats has to be "Big Brother Beat" featuring a young and hungry Mos Def. Since the album is so lyrical, Mos Def decides to flip Rakim lines just to keep pace with Posdunous and Trugoys 'Attack of the adverbial nouns'. I could talk about each song for days because there is so much standout material. However, the title track is one of hip hop musics underappreciated masterpieces. If you ever had a doubt in your mind that award shows are nothing but a popularity contest and are quite meaningless then this will erase those doubts. Trugoy spits, "I'm sick of bitc--- shakin' as---/I'm sick of talkin' about bluntz/ Sick of Versace glasses/ Sick of slang/ Sick of half-azz awards shows/ Sick of name brand clothes/ Sick of R&B bit---- over bullsh-- tracks Cocaine and crack/ Which brings sickness to blacks/ Sick of swoll' head rappers With their sicker-than raps/ Clappers and gats Makin' the whole sick world collapse".

In conclusion, "Stakes Is High" raises the bar of lyricism so cruelly high that NO emcee has stepped to it since. Contrary to many previous reviewers, I believe De La Soul took a huge step forward musically. They experimented with their own basslines (filtered them brilliantly with hi-tech studio equipment), sampled then played the samples on keyboards to inject more life in the sound, and they brought in the late Jay Dee (R.I.P.) to produce some cuts, whose hard drums and smooth sounds would be emulated over and over again. The album that you needed yesterday, "Stakes is High" will forever remain a benchmark in artistic growth, musicianship, and a dangerous display of euphemism, slang, and metaphor. Beats and rhymes like you will never hear again!

Are you tired of all the garbage that plagues rap music now-a-days? Then cop this and remember how great REAL HIP HOP MUSIC was (and if you search hard enough still is) today. De La is one of the best groups and this is easily one of their finest releases and a personal all-time favorite of mine. Hip Hop fans I highly recommend this! A++

I had a hard time connecting with this album, no matter how many times I played it. I find De La Soul to be one of the best groups in the hip hop game. Don't get me wrong, this album is enjoyable from time to time, but this just didn't hit like other De La Soul albums that I've heard. People say that this trio reached their peak with this album, and I disagree. The problems that I had with their fourth album "Stakes Is High" was the obvious absence of Prince Paul and their jump from psychedellic hip hop (3 Feet High and Rising and De La Soul Is Dead) to hardcore hip hop, which is shown on this album. No more songs like "A Rollerskating Jam..." which made them seem fun to listen to, to songs like "Supa Emcees" where that (and a lot of other songs i.e. "Itzsoweezee (Hot)") sounds forced. For some odd reason I find that De La Soul was trying too hard this album, mostly with their "Anti-Commercial Rap" songs.

Now production. I believed everybody was dissapointed that Prince Paul was not behind the boards on this album, but mostly De La Soul along with Spearhead X, Ogee, Skeff Amslem, and Jay-Dee who co-produced the excellent song "Stakes Is High". Most of the other produces to include De La Soul do a good job pulling thier weight throughout this album.

Now don't get me wrong. This is a very good album, but not perfect like a lot of reviewers are saying (seeing the average is 5 stars...bring on the negative votes...). In my opinion, I just find it unbalanced. But hey, don't take my word for it, listen to the album yourself, because you might like it better than I do. "Stakes Is High" to me is like A Tribe Called Quest's "Beats, Rhymes, and Life".

Lyrics: B
Production: B
Guest Appearances: B+
Musical Vibes: B
Overall: B

Favorite Tracks: The Bizness, Wonce Again Long Island, Brakes, Betta Listen, 4 More, Stakes Is High

Honorable Mention Track: Supa Emcees

Favorite De La Soul Albums:
1. De La Soul Is Dead
2. 3 Feet High And Rising
3. AOI: Mosaic Thump
4. AOI: Bionix
5. Stakes Is High

Haven't heard:
The Grind Date
The Impossible Mission
Buhloone Mindstate (which might be important to why I didn't connect with this album very much)

Peace Everyone!!!

The book was used, but in very good shape. I bought it for my ex-mother inlaw, I didn't tell her it was a used book and she never knew otherwise. :)

In this book, a brilliant and sadistic serial killer is targeting Irish immigrants in New York. His methods are sickeningly brutal, and each death is different. With the very first death the killer draws Eve into the mix, calling her to boast about the murder and to give her a riddle to lead her to it.

Evidence points straight to Summerset, Roarke's devoted 'servant' and friend and the bane of Eve's domestic existence. While it quickly becomes obvious he's being set up, proving that in an official capacity is another matter.

While there's a familiar theme here of Eve's cases bringing her into conflict with and causing her to investigate the very people she cares about, it's carried off far better in this volume than in some of the others. Summerset's reasons for distrusting police are extremely well-founded and far too deep-set for him to shake off. The reasons why Eve can figure out that he's innocent but can't easily keep him out of jail are clever and believable.

A new and highly entertaining series character puts in an appearance (McNab, a flamboyant electronics expert with the police force). Eve and Summerset are forced to stretch (and break) their veneer of civility. And Eve and Roarke have to face, and embrace, more of his past than she's even been aware of up until now. There are no easy answers, and their only chance lies in being able to manipulate and outwit a killer who believes he's the instrument of God's vengeance.

The character development is beautiful, the pacing and tension are gripping, and the mystery is fascinating. I highly recommend this volume of Robb/Roberts's in death series.

The J D Robb series has me hooked. I was very happy that Amazon has back copies on had at a reasonable price.

I love this series... you must read it to understand. It's all about a homicide detective named Lt. Eve Dallas and how she goes about solving a case which always seems imposibble to solve at first.

This book is well written. I do not enjoy reviews that give too much of the storyline away, suffice I should say this book does not let me down from the previous Lieutenant Eve Dallas series. However, it will stand-alone, you do not have to read any other book in this series to know what is going on with it. I would not spoil it for you if I were to tell you that the murders start off extremely grisly and get very personal to the investigator. You gotta' love this book because, Lt. Eve will not stop until the killer is found. The suspense kept me going till the end.

One of my best friends bought this book for me when my husband was very ill in the hospital. I'm a knitting addict and this book was not only hysterical, but really lifted my spirits! It's a book you can't wait to read & will make you smile and laugh! You feel like someone else really understands your world as a knitter! Hilarious! I just loved every page of it! Stephanie has amazing wit! You'll love this book - it's a must, must read for anyone who loves to knit, read and laugh!!

This author never ceases to enthrall me with her true life experiences as a knitter.
If you knit (at all) you will 'see yourself' in her observations too.
The only problem is I can't read the book. laugh and knit at the same time.
However all knitters should rest their hands periodically, and reading this book
and sipping a cup of coffee is my prescription for rest!

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is not only a talented knitter but a gifted writer as well. I have 4 of her books and want to get them all eventually. It's great to have a knitter I can relate to. She has a super way of expressing herself. This is a gem of a book, and I recommend it, yes I do! Get it for yourself or for a friend who knits. I first read one of her books from the public library, then I was hooked. I usually read them in bed while my husband's sleeping, trying not to wake him, while I'm snickering away. I've even read parts of her books to him. After living with me (a knitter) for so long, he gets her humor too. Wonderful book.

This is a great little book... I decided to bend the corners of each quote that I liked. Needless to say, most of the pages have a little corner turned down. I recommed this book.

How delightful!! I tucked the book in my knitting bag to read in spots were knitting is not deemed appropriate - but those are the very spots where laughing out loud is not deemed appropriate either. I promptly decided I needed to spend less time in such places.

It is so very humanly funny, that I had to share it with my mother - who doesn't knit at all. She loved it too. As a matter of fact, I never got it back...

Want another mythology you can enjoy? Try Branson Mull's work in Fable Haven. Book 1 setup up the mythology; book 2 builds skillfully on that foundation. Turns, twists, possible betrayels...good stuff.

I bought this book when i was working for border's as another light read, and although i liked the firat in the series better, I still fell in love with it. It was exciting and detailed and well written. Finally Seth does something stupid with good intentions instead of selfish ones. We get to meet the brownies. And we also get to see more of dale and his brother clearing up alot of unanswered questions about dale and his bleak outlook we've seen before. Oh, and we get to see my favorite puppet again, yes i am a mendigo freak (for those of you who havent read the first book, mendigo is a limberjack, google it if you want more info). I had wierd and funny dreams three nights in a row after reading this and it all togeather gave me a warm fuzzy satisfied feeling throughout and after.
End Strange unorganized rant...

As a result of being touched by fairy magic, Kendra is now the center of attention from the Society of the Evening Star. After trying to kidnap her and Seth, they escape back to Fablehaven, where they must try and secure one of the five keys to a prison holding an ancient demon - before the Society of the Evening Star does! On the way they have to defeat a demon intent on devouring Seth and figure out who the traitor is bent on stealing the key!

If you get this book, get #3 as well - Grip of the Shadow Plague. You won't be able to stop reading until both are done!

I couldn't wait for kendra to get her next powers. As I finished the first book and awaited the next book I wondered who was going to save the day next. It was suspenseful. It was like a mystery thriller wih the question, "who sent who to their deaths?" The author gave a description about what humans thought as true myths and reshaped those myths into his own evil monsters and fit them into his story. 1 or 2 of the few pictures will probably freak you out. This book is a must read.

Seth and Kendra Sorenson are looking forward to another summer visit to Fablehaven with their grandparents who are really caretakers of a preserve for magical creatures. However, Fablehaven's magical mayhem comes to them as a fairy creature appears in their school, and a mysterious group bent on the destruction of magical preserves, the Society of the Evening Star, targets the kids at home. Seth and Kendra head for Fablehaven for protection, but also to help solve a mystery that could be a greater threat to Fablehaven than they faced last summer. New characters, new mysteries, and a bigger view of Brandon Mull's magical world make "Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star" a must read. Not only is this a fast paced, fun read, it also has some good lessons to learn about obedience, authority, decision making, and courage without being preachy. Just like the first installment in this series, I can't wait until my kids are old enough to read this. The action and other aspects may be a bit intense for kids under 10, but adolescents and teens will love this one. Parents will love it, too!