Schools Books

Fast delivery, good quality, nice transaction, and product as advertised.
This book is a classic and the values inherent in the book are timeless.

I have loved this book for many years and have looked forward to reading it to my children, its full of adventure, curage, love, faith and trust.
What a wouderful way to teach our children. That you don't have to be big or a "A" student to go far in life.

I first read this book as a little girl. I was swept away by the wonder and (dare I say it) majesty of this story about the Easter Bunny. I loved it so much that I wore it out. I found another copy as an adult, and fell in love all over again.

Apart from the sheer magic of the story, there is a positive message here that is even more powerful when one considers that it was written in the 1930's by the author of the famous book "Porgy" - for this is metaphoric the story of a plucky little dark girl-bunny living on a plantation in the distant past, and she bravely barges ahead in spite of many obstacles, to deliver a special gift to a special baby.

Of course the metaphor was not so apparent when I was a child in the 1950's. On face value, it is the story of a little rabbit who desperately wants to be an Easter Bunny, and is willing to work hard, have faith, and be the wisest, kindest, bravest of bunnies. The story is precious, sweet and moving, the illustrations are charming. This is a must-read story for grown-ups as well as children. You will treasure it.

I have an original hardcover that I have read every Easter, a gift in 1950 from my mother. I have read it to myself, my sons, and various Sunday school classes. The messages of humility,diligence,right priorities are much needed in this era where self-absorbed thinking is rampant. I am purchasing one for my grandchildren.

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by DuBose Heyward and illustrated by Marjorie Hack has been around for yours. In fact, it made its first appearance in 1939 and has gone through several printings since that time. The latest one I could find was 1974, which is far too long ago, as this is one that we had better not loose.

Briefly, this is the story of a little brown country bunny that happens to be a female bunny. In this mythological story, as told by the author, there are actually five Easter Bunnies. These five bunnies are selected for being the kindest, swiftest and wisest bunnies in the whole wide world. Our little brown country girl bunny states that when she grows up, she wants to be one of the five chosen bunnies. The Big White Rich City Bunnies who live in the fine houses laugh at her, as do the male Jack Rabbits with their long legs.

When our little brown country bunny, whose name is Cottontail, grows up she finds herself the mother of twenty-one baby bunnies and responsible not only for their care, but the care of the house and all that goes with it. Cottontail trains her children to be very responsible. They help her with her house work, gardening, washing, sewing, cooking and other skills useful in living a full life. Word goes out that one of the five Easter Bunnies has grown too old to do his job (thus far, all the Easter Bunnies have all been males), and that a new Easter Bunny must be chosen by the Old Grandfather Bunny. This old rabbit, being rather wise above all others, of course, chooses our Mother Cottontail. The story goes on in a sweet way, almost a quest adventure and in the end we find that Mother Cottontail is not only the wisest, kindest and fastest bunny in the world, but also the bravest. Don't want any spoilers here, so will stop with the plot over view.

First, the art work. The artist, Marjorie Hack, has her bunnies dressed in late Victorian or possibly early Edwardian garb. It is quite detailed and quite fitting for the story. She has used very mellow colors and each picture is simple, while at the same time being extremely detailed. In many ways it is typical of the art work featured in children's literature, of that time, but then she throws in surprises, such as in the winter sequence where Cottontail climbs the mountain. The art here jumps way beyond its years. Actually, I cannot see why this art work would not appeal to everyone, young and old alike.

As to the message of the story; if you do a search or some advanced research on this particular book, you will find that it has had a profound influence on at least two, possibly three, generations of small children, following them all the way into adult life. This influence has been extremely positive. You must remember that this book was written in 1939 and you must remember what the world was like at that time.

This is the story of a little girl rabbit that overcame economic, racial, social and sexual biasness and fulfilled her dreams. This is simply an overall good message. I read this particular work to a group of seven year old children, and every single one of them was able to pick up on this theme. I was so proud of them. Now this book has been accused of having a strong feminist message (as if this were some sort of dirty word...how sad.) I suppose it does, indeed, deal quite well with this subject. Again, this is good. I would suggest that, in my humble opinion, if anyone has a problem with any of the messages this work projects, then they probably should move back into the cave they came out of.

This is a work we do not was to lose. Highly recommend this one.

Read this one a few years earlier, still as amazing as ever. It's not my favorite of Kathryn Reiss's books, but they're all so ridiculously good! Mystery with every bit of suspenseful goodness, history, and a touch of romance and psychological thriller, all in one great book. Not sure how she does it, but she does. Reiss' stories are always full of the randomest [and BEST] plot twists, never predictable and never repeated. You really can't listen to the "Clementine" song the same way ever again after reading this book. [Not to mention, I finally learned that the phrase 'lost and gone forever' was from that song, fancy that!]
As for characters, Molly's mom is an idiot. Molly was kind of annoying, but not nearly as annoying as Clementine. Molly definitely had it right about that girl being the epitome of spoiled. Then you've got Hob and Jared. I felt like there was little [or pretty much NO] difference between the two characters, which bothered me, but not too much, cause they both worked in their respective stories. I wish we'd seen more of Ms. Wilkins and Abner, they seemed like they had more to tell. Paulette and the baby were a good twist and that storyline had me horribly worried until the very end [didn't want history repeating itself there!]. Molly's dad was also highly underdeveloped, with a lot of potential.
Overall, I give it 4.5/5 stars. There were some descriptive bits that bugged me, because they were the kind that seemed to be inserted just for the sake of having description instead of adding to the story, and they were overly rambly fluffy blahness.

I read this book in the summer between my 5th and 6th grade year and I absolutely loved it. I have always been into spooky stuff and ghost stories so this book was perfect for me! Very weelwritten with great characters and plot!

This book is so awesome, its my favorite book. Once you start reading you cant put it down! I love the time period of the early 1900s so this book was freat for that too. Its very interesting to read about Molly and Jared as they go back to the early 1900s as two different people. Its not one of those mystery books where you just have to wait until the end in order to just get the answer to the mystery. Instead, it is a continual answer being given away from the middle to the end.

I first read this book I was in the 6th grade, and I recently bought it and read it again. I have to say, I liked it better the first time round. But that might have been because I was younger, and this book seems suited for the pre-teen, young teen audience.

The book I recently bought was different from when I read it in 6th grade--the cover was different, and I was disappointed because this edition seemed cheaply made--the cover was flimsy, and the binding wasn't very tight. Oh, well, that doesn't matter too much. Onto the story.

This is the story of Molly, who is extremely afraid of water and has had the same nightmare over and over for as long as long as she can remember. Then she meets Jared, her friend's cousin, and she has a strange urge to call him "Hob" and they both feel like they already know each other, even though they have never met before.

Molly goes to her friend's pool party, and Jared is there. When she won't get into the pool, he suddenly grabs her and throws her in the water. She sinks to the bottom and blacks out. Luckily Jared gives her mouth-to-mouth and she's ok. Molly decides to visit her dad and new stepmom in Maine for the summer, partly to recover from her scare. She is furious with Jared, and never wants to see him again.

When Molly arrives in the little town in Maine, strange things begin happening to her. She experiences something like flashbacks, except she is not herself--she is Clementine, a girl who lived in the same house as Molly's father with her uncle's family, a long time ago. Molly also realizes that the nightmares she has been experiencing are connected with Clementine and her house.

Jared comes to visit Molly in Maine, and tells her that he has been experiencing the same feelings, about a young man named Hob, who knew Clementine. Something tragic happened in this little town involving both Clementine and Hob, and Molly and Jared begin to piece together the clues, while finding that their feelings for each other have been growing stronger.

This is certainly one of the best scary books I have ever read. This book was given to me by a friend and it was the perfect choice. It was scary, but in perfect doeses, fast-paced and a definite page-turner. I really, really loved it! I highly. HIGHLY reccomned it to any one seeking a thrill!

No Flying in the House
By Betty Brock

Young Annabel is being raised by Gloria, a three-inch tall dog who can talk and do three hundred and sixty seven tricks.

Gloria teaches Annabel manners, she teaches her to brush her teeth and even listens to her prayers. Annabel grows up to be a very well trained little girl. Although Annabel loves Gloria, she begins to wonder why she doesn't have parents like everyone else. Gloria always tells her that someday her parents will return.

Gloria, the three-inch dog is very protective of Annabel and won't let her out of her sight, until the day Annabel starts school.

Annabel is visited by a golden cat, named Belinda. Belinda is rude and calls her stupid, but she also tells her a secret. Annabel is a fairy and she can fly. Annabel is not to tell anyone her secret. She tries to fly and only manages to break her ankle.

One day, much to her surprise, Annabel begins to fly around the house.
Although she is overjoyed to be a fairy, she is forced to choose between being a human child or a fairy. Her choice can make all the difference for her future happiness.

You will enjoy this unusual fairy tale and want to share it with your friends.

Jill Ammon Vanderwood
Author: Through the Rug
Through The Rug: Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)

I absolutely love, love, love this book! This was my favorite book when I was a child, and when I was having my own daughter I just had to have a copy of this book to share with her. Thank goodness Amazon had it! I read it to her a chapter at a time every night until she was 5 and started reading on her own. She loves the book as much as I do. It's just a fun book that you can share with your own children. Thanks, Amazon! Now if I could only get a good copy of Old Black Witch, another of my favorites.

I read this book as a child, and just loved it. I have a clear memory of trying VERY hard both to fly, and to kiss the tips of my own elbows while I read it (according to the book, the ultimate proof of being a fairy).However, I didn't remember any of the story's details -- neither the title nor the author. Finally, after an in-depth Internet search, I found it and I ordered it for my own 8 year old daughter, who read it straight through. She seems to have loved it as much as I did, and still talks about the memorable characters and situations. (I reread it the day it arrived in the mail, and it turns out it is not just a story about an orphaned little girl and her tiny talking dog -- it is a mystery as well!) The best part for me was watching my daughter try to kiss her own elbows. But why not? After all, who knows which of us is really a fairy? Now I am left to wonder why this author didn't write more children's books. I will definitely try and find other things she has written.

This was a book I read as a child... it was one of my favorite books and has now become my nine year old daughters' favorite. We read it together, a chapter each night, over a week... it was compelling, exciting, mysterious, and amazing all at once - we were captivated. I thoroughly recommend this story to any little girl who has dreamed about being a fairy.

I really loved NO FLYING IN THE HOUSE as a child. (I still have my original copy, which is 38 years old!) I still love it now. And I have just finished reading it to my three year old daughter, who was very taken with it. It was a delightful adventure for both of us, being able to share a true favorite together.

NO FLYING IN THE HOUSE is the story of 3 year old Annabel Tippens and her companion Gloria. Gloria is a small white dog, three inches long and three inches high; she can sit in the palm of your hand. But that is not the most remarkable thing about Gloria: she talks, she is extremely smart, and is the sole care-giver to young Annabel, whose parents have had to go away and who have entrusted Gloria with Annabel's care, upbringing and protection. But even that is not the MOST remarkable thing about Gloria...

Annabel is not quite what she seems, either. As Annabel gets older, she begins to discover certain unique abilities. As a matter of fact, Annabel can fly. (What little girl doesn't dream of flying???) It seems that Gloria has a secret that she has been keeping from Annabel, for her own good. Annabel isn't just any little girl, she is ½ a true fairy princess. Unfortunately, Annabel discovers this secret, and now she must make a very important choice, one that will change her life forever.

NO FLYING IN THE HOUSE written in a simple, straight forward style that captures the hearts and imaginations of readers young and old alike. It is an exciting tale of fairies and flying, that also teaches the true meaning of love. It is a wonderful story to share, and I am so glad that I did.

This is a good book for my 4th grade son. It is hard to find books on his reading level that hold his interest. The narator of the story is Hank the cowdog (also self proclaimed head of ranch security). The chapters are only 3 or 4 pages and give my son a sense of accomplishment for being able to read a couple of chapters each night.
Hank also has a few pronuciation problems, allowing the young reader to identify correct pronunciation and grammer. The stories are interesting and funny and have really improved my son's interest in reading as well as his grades in reading and language skills. We now own them all as well as many audio books as well. It was fun to hear Hank's voice and read along.

Some background for this review: I originally purchased Hank in book and cassette form for my nieces and nephews in the early 80's. What first caught my eye was actually The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog. Further adventures? I plucked the Original Adventures book from the shelf and was hooked after the first two pages. These stories are entertaining and funny, the characters, too; and they aren't just for kids, either. Everyone I have given Hank to over the years has enjoyed hearing and/or reading the stories. I also like that it is the author giving voice to his creations.

I loved hanks first adventures in this book.this book is great.

The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog (Hank the Cowdog 1)

These audio books help children that are having trouble with the written word. I also use them in the car, so each trip we hear more of the story. The kids love them and I think it makes them interested in reading.

This book takes place on a ranch in Texas. The characters are Hank, Drover, Loper, the coyotes, and Bruno. Hank is the boss for guarding the ranch at night. He watches out for the chickens. But Hank got sick of the ranch. He tries to find the kill of the chickens, but eats one of the dead ones instead. Then he went to live with the coyotes and still tries to find the chicken killers. Does Hank go back to the ranch? You will have to read the book for yourself to find out. I really like this book because I got to see the author give a talk and read out of one of his books.

My son and I really enjoyed this story, and we have the paperback at home. His first grade teacher had been looking in bookstores for this book and couldn't find it, so we ordered it for her. We ordered the library binding, which is sturdier for all the little hands it will be held by! This book has good historical value, and the basic content is accurate, without scaring the children. It's the best "Jack and Annie" book!

I purchased this book in order to replace a damaged one. The transaction was smooth and the price was great!

Magic Tree House has done it again!! Jack and Annie are in for the adventure of their lives when they climb aboard the Titanic!! An unsinkable ship that hits an iceberg. What will Jack and Annie do when they dicover that the Titanic needed twice as many life boats as it had on deck?Jack and Annie find themselves just as sad as so many passengers when they realize that people could have survived if the people who planned the voyage had thought ahead. This is an amazing story that I couldn't stop reading! Women and children were put into the lifeboats first becuase men were brave and cared about their lives. More than 1,500 people lost their lives. Everything was explained clearly so that you don't get confused. After this tragedy, laws were made so that all ships would have enough life boats for all of its passengers and an INternational Ice Patrol was formed so that ships could be warned about severe ice conditions. In 1985 a scienctist named Dr. Robert Ballard discovered the ship under water. I reccommend this book to everyone that I know!!

Here is a summery of this book. There is two kids and they were playing in the woods when they found a tree house. So the kids decided to see in side. So read this book to find out what happens to the kids. The way I found out about this book is because my mom told me to read a book when I was in 5th grade. So I heard about this wonderful series of books. I would love to recommend you to read this book. Who can read this book you ask! Anybody can read this book. If they like to explore then you should read this book.

What did I like this book you ask! The thing I liked was the characters because they are young and they don't know what was going on. They are always getting in trouble and they don't know why they are in trouble. I also like the action in this book. There are so many parts. I don't know how to explain. There are some parts I don't like is the length of the book. It is to short.

I loved this book a lot because it is nice and cool. I really think you should read this book. So read this book.

My 1st grader hates to put it down, he would rather read Magic Tree House books, than play video games. He even reads them to his class and explains the story for show and tell. In his kindergarten class the teacher would also let him read the Magic Tree House books out loud, not to give her a break, but to promote reading out loud. Great books!

This is the best book I have ever read. It is mainly about a half-naked boy who is a hero. The part I like the best is when the toilet and him fought. This is very cool book.

I love spending time with my grandson and this book is fun to read with him. I also love to hear my grandson laugh.He likes to read now and he takes the book to school for others to read.He likes all the Captain Underpants books.This is an excellent read...

Captain Underpants is a great epic novel series by Dav Pilkey.With his new book Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking toilets we discover his power against talking, eating, mad toilets. He uses cafeteria food and his underware.This book also has more flip-o-ramas than ever.The flip-o-ramas are filled with even more juicy underware fighting.Captain Underpants beats the talking toilets with underware and his extreme power.
George and Harold,the main characters,try to help Captain Underpants but just stir up more trouble.Captain Underpants not only has to worry about the evil talking toilets but also freeing George and Harold.Captain Underpants ended up winning the battle and freed George and Harold.Over all,Captain Underpants is an awesome fighter and awesome warrior.

My book review
What I'm writing for my book review is Captain Underpants. The reason why I'm writing Captain Underpants is because the book is funny and I want to share how the book was funny with the class.
In Dave Pikley's second adventurous book he talks about Captain Underpants and the attack of the talking toilets. Captain Underpants runs around in his underpants saving the world. I know, your wondering why he can't just do these things with his clothes on instead of doing it in his underpants. It was not his fault that he runs around like this.
The top-secret truth about captain underpants. There were two boys named Harold and George. In the book Harold and George are the narrators. Their principal (Mr. Krupp) was always mean to them. So Harold and George bought a hipno-ring that could hypnotize people. Here comes the funny part. Harold and George hypnotized Mr. Krupp! Then they turned him into Captain Underpants! Now whenever Captain Underpants hears a scream, he runs off and says "tralalaaaaaa!" Every time he does this Harold and George have to watch over him, then catch him.
The whole book is a comic book that Harold and George made to make fun of their principal. Harold and George are known around the whole school because of the pranks they pull. One time they put bubbles in the band instruments. Another time they glued everyone in the lower school to the auditorium seats, and another time they changed the words around on the school board to make it say come and see our hairy armpits.
Captain underpants is a funny book and I hope a lot of people read it.

By Jordan

My eight-year-old loves this book, and I think it's hilarious myself. If fighting vicious toilets using underwear and cafeteria food sounds funny to you, you'll love this book.

This book does teach a certain amount of contempt for adults and suspicion of cafeteria food to children. In that sense maybe it's emblematic of our society. I have found it necessary to sit down with my son and explain that all of this is FICTION, and has nothing to do with the real world. Did that have any effect? I don't know. I suppose it's worth it to have him reading.

I picked this book up in a used book store. Although I am not a huge fan of his music I picked the book thinking it may be interesting. I was actually surprised to find out how good this book was to read. DMX discloses so much of his personal life in this book. He is very candid and does an excellent job telling his life story from his passion for pitbulls to his problems with drugs.

There aren't many people who possess the energy and resilience that DMX has. He connects with his audience in ways beyond belief. I met him at a recent performance, was on stage with him the whole time, and was literally blown away. He is one of the greatest performers in the industry today and should be recognized as such. I appreciate his honesty in his book and in his life. What a great man!!

I just grabbed this book out of curiosity. I knew of DMX and his music but no fan. Wow, was I impressed. To be completely honest, I figured it wouldn't be so good because frankly, how good of a story can a ghetto playa bring to the table?
Well, a very good one in fact. My favorite part of it was that he didn't restrain himself from sounding intimate. He would describe how he was living with nothing and then he had bought a little bouncy ball and that was the shiznit! lol I love that. He appreciated the small things. He still had a heart and needed love no matter how roughed up he was. I got mad respect for him and I feel his story was genuine. DMX did not try to make the projects seem cool or anything. I had a picture the entire time reading it. Dark, gloomy, dirty streets and bad vibes. I recommend this book. Seriously, just read it with an open mind. WOW.

Never could have imagined what a rough life DMX had. He has truly defied all odds!

This book offers nothing positive at all. DMX lived a negative life and he speaks negative rap. He robbed people (mostly women) as a youngster. He robbed other kids by using his dog. He stole cars. He stole for the thrill and because he wanted nice things without working for them. And he didn't care who he stole from. He stole a chain from his friend (TQ). He would offer his home made tapes for sell to people, take their money and not give them anything. He promotes violence. He spent most of his life victimizing people in and out of jail. At one point in the later chapters and in one of his raps, he implies raping men in jail. He summarizes quickly what his jail time was like, he avoids going into alot of detail about those years. He's showing you the slice of his life that he wants to show.

He spends too much time on the earliest years of his life which are uninteresting. He doesn't really cover the parts of his life that most people are interested in. He doesn't talk much about the actual business of music. He doesn't talk about how his life changed with the music business success. He doesn't talk about how he grew as a person or what he learned from his incarcerations. Did he spend his time in jail doing anything positive? Or was his jail time just fighting people and rapping about it?

I do appreciate his talent, but not his messages. There were alot of DMX songs that I used to listen to. After reading this book, I see him more vividly now. I see him as a horrible person who I would want nothing to do with. He isn't a person that should be celebrated, he should be ashamed for the life he has led.

You shouldn't buy this book. You shouldn't even borrow it. It's a waste of time to read, there are much better, more positive things that you could be doing with your life.

The book is perfect for my 6 year old. She had to read it for school..and we truly enjoy the Frog and Toad books. The seller sent it in a timely fashion and it was in excellent condition :)

The Frog and Toad books have helped my 8 year old grandson learn to read--he has been having trouble and these books were so interesting and fun to him that he finally realized how reading could open up whole new worlds for him. He loves these books.

I've read this book over and over and over again to my kids... they're now adults, but they still remember Frog and Toad.

An absolute classic book of short stories - my favorite is the one where one of them is in bed all winter, and the other one is bored, so he tells the sleeping one to wake up because it's spring, even though it isn't quite spring yet... just too cute. They're friends, they love each other - what more could you want in a story that you'll read to a child? One of my family's favorite bedtime books. I look forward to reading this classic to my grandchildren.

And Remember: all Toads are Frogs, but not all Frogs are Toads.

'Frog and Toad Are Friends' by Arnold Lobel is a story is most appropriate for children ages 4-8. This is a great story of friendship between Frog and Toad. Toad tells stories to Frog when Frog is sick, Frog helps search for Toad's lost button, and Frog writes a letter to Toad because he never receives any mail. This book is full of tales of friendship and adventure. Read this book to see all that Toad and Frog do on their adventures.

The books were in excellent condition and arrived earlier than expected. I had checked all local used bookstores. They were not available because of the high demand in our district. Similar books were the same price as Amazon's including shipment. I will not be going to used bookstores again. Amazon saved me time, money & gas!

I LOVE Jan Brett's books! I buy them anytime I see them whether on sale, old ones on Amazon as remainders, or new.. They make great gifts. I have a backup of many to give to children, particularly my granddaughters. The illustrations in this one are so beautiful it is really a keepsake to save as well as enjoy. Give it as a gift and you will make some child very happy and a parent happy,too.

Beautiful illustrations reprinted from over 40 sources. All illustrations are credited on last page. Book measures 9"X11.5" Only down side was that the price changes by the day. One day it's almost $11 another it's $8.97. But that's just the way Amazon works; something to be aware of. (It's worked in my favor often while shopping at midnight--price suddenly went down!)

it's a classic, so of course you can't go wrong, but as far as the best one being out there... well, I'm sure there are much better illustrated ones out there than this one

I bought this for my grandchildren last Christmas. The wording is traditional, and the illustrations are wonderful! This has become a part of the Christmas Eve tradition at my daughter's house.

These illustrations are the best ever for The Night Before Christmas...Stunning even! A worthy heirloom Christmas Book. The illustrations cover both sides of the page for a large panoramic view seldom seen in other books...

Although I think it may be a bit advanced for my 9 yr. old, I'm still glad I purchased this book for my most recent book club choice. A gentle book that flows easily, and the characters change for the better in wonderful ways. The one thing that bugged me was Mrs. Shaw and her smelling salts. It almost seemed to me that Polly Milton was the better 'mother' to the Shaw family. All in all, this is truly a memorable classic.

This book started off a bit slow, but if you read more than a page or two at a time, I think you will like it. This story is about a girl from the country who goes to visit her cousins in New York. Polly's cousin, Fanny, and her friends find Polly "coutrified" and "old fashioned". Everyone falls in love with her because of her quiet manner along with the fact that she dresses and acts her age. Although their are multiple hardships along the way, you couldn't have wanted the book to end any other way. I recomend that you don't read the book until you are at least 11 or 12 because some of the wording is odd because it was writtedn so long ago. Happy Reading!

Alas. In my opinion, both "An Old-Fashioned Girl" and "Eight Cousins" audio versions would benefit by having a much younger narrator. Despite her long and illustrious career in audio, Flo Gibson is now too old to bring these novels to life. They are books about young girls, and they are obviously being read by a grandmother. Rather than illustrating the timeless quality of these fine books, an elderly reader makes the books simply sound old and out-of-date. What were the publishers thinking?---CaroJ11

An Old Fashioned Girl begins with a teenage girl, Polly who visits her cousins in the city. There, she realises that they are exactly the opposite of the old fashioned girl that she is, and this causes some distress on both sides. Being a modern woman, I expected that this book would be a wonderful read but the initial chapters where Polly was a teenager were hard to take in. Alcott created what she felt to be the "perfect" teenage model in Polly, but I found myself wishing that this "perfect teenage model" would loosen up a bit and do something for herself instead of serving everybody else, which was the "proper thing to do." Ironically, Alcott herself wrote in the book "excessive virtue doesn't last long ...except with little prigs in the goody storybooks." She should have taken herself more seriously because her main character came very close to becoming exactly that! Compared to other classics like Tom Sawyer, The Secret Garden and The Railway Children, the teenagers in the book were very unrealistic, I dare say even for that time. Alcott wrote too much of what she wanted children or teenagers to be, opposed what they actually were, which can get exasperating. However, that is less than half the book, which follows into young adulthood. In here the characters become more realistic, and Polly begins to be truly affected by her poverty and to long to be different. To avoid spoilers, it morphed from an exasperating read into a very good read. Overall, the valuable lessons in the book make it good addition to any collection, especially for children.

Do you ever feel like you are tied up in our times? Worrying too much about cell phones, fashions, and the latest whatevers? This book can set you straight. It gives you a peace of mind and fills you with simple pleasures.

The stories main character, Polly, we meet at the age of 14. She has come to stay with rich friends for a while. THey do everything so differently from she. The family has two daughters. One that is two years older than Polly called Fan, who cares for fashion, balls, and beaus. The author daughter is six and she is fixed onoo having her own way about everything. THe young man in the family Tom is a trouble maker, who no matter how hard he tries can't seem to stay out of trouble very long.

Polly is a gentle, kind, loving, caring, selfless, practical, and sensible girl. SHe becomes a great service to this family, touching each of them in a special way. She moves in the same town six years later and gives piano lessons. The family needs her more than ever and she helps them all in the end. This book has heart, romance, and realness to it that we can all relate to, rich or poor, young or old. It will make you feel warm fuzzies. Read on a rainy day underneath a flanel blanket!