Issues Books

This is the first of Martha Brooks books that I read and it is still one of my favorite books. Her characters are real and the way this book explores what happens to a family in the midst of grief while still trying to go on with their lives, will appeal to teens as well as adults.
If you like books by Sarah Dessen, you will love this book.

I loved the book. It was really something I could relate to. I could put myself in Sidonie's place and feels what she felt. Her stress, emotions and problems were really common in the teenage years, so i knew how she felt. She was dealing with her mother's death and there was alot of details that made it interesting. It was written in a way that I could understand, it wasn't too complicated. And it was also written in a way that I could feel like I was there. It doesn't have a boring place in the book and there's always a cliff-hanger everywhere. I think it was a wonderful book!!!

This book rocks! I've read this books a million times and it's still as good as the first time i've read it. This book is about family relationships, and love. It's a really good book for mature 12 year olds and up. It's a story about a girl who becomes interested in the boy across the street. Read it and find out what happens.

i am a big reading fan, and this is one of the best reads ever. i love this book so much. you laugh, you cry, and it has a totally awesome story. too bad its not a series

I think this book was really good and really easy to relate to. Sidonie was a really brave and independent teenage. The stress and problems she dealt with is really common in teen years. It was a happy yet sad story at the same time. It really shows that when you're feeling bad, family is always something you could count on. It was a wonderfully moving story, it showed that you shouldn't blame yourself for someone's actions. I liked the way it described everything in a way that I could understand it but without TOO much details. I think it was a great book and I could probably relate to it later on in life.

Have you ever thought of a cow in a cat's point of view? Well in the book Upchuck and the Rotten Willy you will find a lot of things in a cats point of view. In Chuck` s point of view if you haven't eaten spaghetti you haven't lived.
Have you ever just sat on a fence all morning telling jokes? Just hanging out with friends. If not, Chuck will tell you all about it. In this book at times I think Chuck talks and thinks like a person. He thinks about things that most people wouldn't thing twice about.
This book is really funny in the first part of the story when the 2 friends (Tom & Chuck) make fun of the dogs at the park. "Why are dogs noses so flat?" " From chasing parked cars."
If you like animals, horsing around, or if you like spaghetti this is the right book for YOU!

If you like animal books this is the book for you it is adventerous, funny, sad, and loveable! It is the most wonderful book I have ever read you have to read it, it is so exciting you'll not want to put this book down it is so good! Yuo'll also want to read it over and over again it is just so good I can not explain how good it is it just is so good!

If you looove animals like me you'll love Upchuck and the rotten Willy. Know here a little about it. Well, let's see THeres these two cat's who have adventures, but one cat moves away and so chuck makes friends with a dog. It also made me cry but in a good way.READ this book if you like excitment, adventure, and love- Upchuck and the Rotten Willy!

If you like animal books this is the book for you. It is adventerous, funny, sad, and loveable! It is the most wonderful book I have ever read. You have to read it; it is so exciting you'll not want to put this book down! You'll also want to read it over and over again.

My 8 1/2 year old got this book and asked me to read it to him every night. I also fell in love with this book and it was so well written. I am now going to get all of the sequels to this book as a special surprise for Christmas. A story of friendship and sharing life together, it warmed our hearts. The book also kept us both in stitches. We would read paragraphs over and over just to get a good laugh! It was wonderful time together laughing and learning about what life as a cat would be. I loved the parts where the cats would make fun of the dogs.

I loved this book from first page to last, and was truly sorry to finish it. Weeks later, it's still part of my everyday thoughts and life. The characters are so honest, their stories so compelling, and their voices so perfectly realized by Jana Laiz that I feel as though I live in the book with them, even now.
The story is a startling one to those of us who live unperturbed by the kind of random upheaval that war brings - a family torn apart, children sent into the vastness of the ocean in a small overloaded boat to face unknown terrors and possible death. The parallel story of the unhappy, frustrated American teenager who becomes the boat family's lifeline is equally moving, and her feelings about her life are so clearly expressed that the reader will instantly return to high school, no matter how long it's been. Speaking of high school, this book should in every curriculum! We are all capable of so much more than we realize, and Weeping Under the Same Moon reminds us of that with grace and humor.
Nancy C. Tunnicliffe

With a sense of heartbreak and hope, I was inspired by the spirit of Hannah.
Hannah a struggling teen, and forward thinking young woman, saw through the blindfolds of racial injustice and chose to follow her heart.
The story is written in such a way that I felt the pain of human suffering, yet I also felt the humor that made me laugh, and the warmth of the loving characters.
The characters are courageous survivors, loving families quietly suffering in a foreign land connected to the altruistic spirit of one, Hannah.
Hannah a "social misfit and outcast" in her high school yet a healer in the Bronx, was driven to make a difference in the lives of "Boat People".
It is when Hannah reaches out to help-priceless gifts, stories and pains are exchanged.
What evolves is the story of courage, healing, hope, compassion, friendship, trust, self worth, connections of humanity.
After reading this, it reaffirms the truth that one person can truly make a difference in the lives of others.
We only need to turn on the news as Hannah did, listen to our hearts and reach out.
I am inspired now to find the Hannah and Mei in me.

"Weeping Under the Same Moon" should be required reading for any disaffected teen (that just about covers all of them). Kids always think they are the only ones who've ever felt misunderstood, who have parents who don't "get" them, who feel like their peers are judging them harshly. Hannah, the young American heroine of this book is cranky, judgemental, unhappy, yet filled with good intentions. It is only when she finds a place where she can make a difference - in this case, in the lives of a Vietnamese refugee family - that she truly begins to like herself and feel at home in the world. The book alternates between the trials of the refugee family, as seen through the eyes of Mei, the eldest daughter, and the frustrations of Hannah, who finds salvation is her connection to that family. It's a win-win for everyone. The fact that this is a true story makes it even more inspiring for any youngster who picks up this wonderful book.

Jana has opened my eyes to a culture and a people I knew nothing about. I never thought of the pain and suffering it took for these people to reach our shores. I am glad they did because they have brought a lot to our society. I cried at the human suffering and how we could let this happen. Through all of this Jana found herself.
I could not put it down. Please keep writing.
Thank You!!!!

Gail Curran
Prince Edward Island
Canada

A friend passed this book to me saying that it was a fast, good read. Unpacking my bag, I laid it on the bed where my young granddaughter casually opened it - and never put it down. I asked her what she liked about it. She told me it ranks among her elite group of favorite books but she couldn't(wouldn't?)tell me why. Her mother then read it, describing it as a lovely story of tolerance and growing up. Reading a passage from the book to my 4 accomplished agemates, describing Hannah's feelings about her high school,my friends declared that,"I could have written that about my high school experience!" Telling this to my granddaughter, she smiled warmly at me and said, "Oh Grandma, I didn't think you would understand about Hannah." So three generations of my family connected at a deeper level through the sharing of this adeptly written story, "Weeping Under the Same Moon" by Jana Laiz. Thank you, Jana.

The book is about a girl named Olivia. She has always the independent goody good in school. Morgan, the most popular girl in 7th grade passed Olivia a note in class. The note was signed " your best friend Morgan". That next week she started being best friends with Morgan. Then she developed a crush on Lou Hochstetter. Morgan thought he was a dork. She can never tell Morgan. Morgan is in a fight with C.G and Zoë. C.G is Morgan's ex-best friend. Could Morgan be using her?
The setting is at Olivia's school, Olivia's house, Olivia's walk home, and Morgan's house. Olivia is in 7th grade. She goes to Boggs Middle School. Olivia's house is Olivia is most of the time. Olivia walks home every day. She calls it her alone time. Morgan's house is they were recovering from a fight. All of these places are important.
The conflict of this book was that Olivia started crushing on Lou Hochstetter. Morgan is her new best friend. Lou is a dork to Morgan. She kept hiding it by saying " I don't like anybody". To Olivia this was shallow. She never really cared about what anybody thought about her before.
The resolution was this. Olivia finally told Morgan about Lou. Morgan was surprised. She was actually okay with it. She actually wanted to start dating dorks. Then C.G, Zoë, Morgan, and Olivia all had friendship rings. They were now officially best friends. Olivia got her way so did Morgan.

Olivia has always had strong ethics and values but when Morgan decides that they are best friends,she is not always true to herself.Rachel Vail has created another masterpeice in addition to the well read "If You Only Knew","Please,Please,Please" and "Not That I Care".This book will keep you in suspense as you anxiously await to hear how she works things out with Morgan,CJ,Zoe,Lou and many other people.

Everyone goes on and about how the books are all the same plot from different perspectives but I like that. The characters assume things about others and are usually wrong. With this series you can understand the whole story. If Rachel Vail hadn't written "If You Only Knew" we would all hate Morgan. These characters have soo many secerts if their wasn't a book on everyone's point of view, we would never understand the depth of the story.

I just finished the book today and I loved it. I thought If you Only Knew and Please, Please, Please were really good, too. I didn't like not that I care, though. Basically the whole friendship series is good

Everyone goes on and about how the books are all the same plot from different perspectives but I like that. The characters assume things about others and are usually wrong. With this series you can understand the whole story. If Rachel Vail hadn't written "If You Only Knew" we would all hate Morgan. These characters have soo many secerts if their wasn't a book on everyone's point of view, we would never understand the depth of the story.

what if everyone knew your name in the book i could connect to it. i ask other people to help me make my decisions but they dont fuully make my dcisions for me. haley is 15 and she moved to hilsdale new jersey and go's to hillsdale high.she hengs out with the most popular girls in school and lives next door to her crush. she goes through her upe and downs/ but she's getting every bodys attention after she changes and she's getting reese's attention too. who knows! the main idea of this book is when your choosing your choices it's like making choices for what you would do and you woul face the concequences. the scene that i most reemember from the book is when haley goes to coco's house and they (coco and whitney) want to give her a makeover. when they're finished with her whitney says she looks hot and from then on she has a sanse of style and everyone knows her name.

This was a GREAT book. Okay, so actually, you get to choose your story so i guess anyone can say it's a great book. I mean who deosn't love to choose what happens?

I guess its not that fantastic, but it's original, which I love. So many people these days have similar books. Ugh! It's a great book and it's definitely worth the money because you can read it over and over and over. It's like 4 books in one! Haven't read the next book, but I can't wait!

;)

I loved this book! It was interesting and fun to read. I really liked the way you got to choose what the main character does. I would recommened this book to someone who is 11 years old or older and someone who is ready for an adventure. This book is worth your time and money.
-Taylor, 12

The book What If... Everyone Knew Your Name by Liz Ruckdescel and Sara James was a realistic fiction novel about a girl who's family takes a road trip, moving from the Golden State of California to the Garden State of New Jersey. She moves to a new school called Hillsdale High and needs to know how she can fit in.
Haley Miller, the 15 year old going into a public school for the first time is scared and ready to be friends with anyone she can. While she wishes she didn't ever move, she meets a neighbor whom she thinks is very god looking. She befriends him and others while the story takes its twists and turns.
I really liked this book because of the way it was, how you got to choose what she did. It really makes you feel as if its you living in the book, not Haley. The book takes you through the up and downs of high school and you get to control everything; her friends, her grades, her love life, her future. You don't know how it will turn out either, so that makes it suspenseful, just like real life because you never know what life will throw at you next. For all you know in the book, Haley could be invited to the next big party, and make a bad decision and drink, or you could have her not take the drink and it turns out the stud she's looking at, doesn't like alcohol either.
I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read the other one like it called "What If... All the Boys Wanted You." It sounds just as interesting as the first one they wrote and I can't wait to see what that book throws at Haley this time.
I strongly recommend this book for any teen who likes books that will take them through the happy, and not so happy parts of high school. Some of these things in the book can really teach you some stuff you can use in real life, like many novels about teens. So if you are into real life situations, I defiantly recommend this book to you. It was a great read, and I couldn't put it down until I finished it.

WHAT IF...EVERYONE KNEW YOUR NAME is an interesting idea. It's a lot like those Choose Your Own Adventure books you read as a kid. The story is about Haley, a fairly average fifteen-year-old girl who has just moved to suburban New Jersey and is starting at her first public high school. She starts out average, so that the reader can pretty much choose everything that happens to her as the story goes on.

You make every little decision for her, even the ones that seem really minor, like riding the bus to school or getting a ride from her father. You decide who she wants to be friends with and what crowd she wants to be a part of. You decide everything about her.

While an interesting idea, and fairly well-written, this book isn't for everyone. If you're all about finding out what will happen, this book might not be for you, because you decide what happens. It's a cool concept, though, and a fun read, especially since you can read it more than once, with a different story and outcome. The characters aren't particularly three-dimensional, but I guess they have to be simple enough so that it is believable that they would make any one of the very different choices you choose from. This book is fun, but not a must-read.

Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce

This book was an interesting companion to The Giver and Gathering Blue. In answer to the questions about Gabe and Jonas they both survived and arrived together on the sled. Jonas became leader and Gabe is the mischievous eight year old student that mentor is tutoring early in the book as he has not attended his studies enough and instead has concentrated on playing. He is only mentioned for this couple of lines but the age and name mean that it must be referring to the child Jonas rescued.

All I can say is: READ THESE BOOKS - you will not be able to put them down. They capture your heart and mind, and, what a wonderful time you will have reading Lowis Lowry. You dont have to be a child to read these books, I am not a child and I throughly enjoyed these books.

I remember that my brother bought The Giver for school and he told me it was actually good (which is rare since he doens't like to read) so I decided to read it. I was absolutely emerged with it and keep the name of the author in my mind. One day I saw Gathering Blue and noticed it was by Lois Lowry so I read it without realizing it was a "sequel." I read it and loved it as well and then noticed that the inside flap had The Messenger, so of course I had to read it as well. It was when I finished the last book that I realized it was a trilogy. I loved how she wrote all three books because regardless of having read all three books or not you would not even notice they are related to each other as she writes the books as stand alone pieces. I highly recommned anyone to read these books as they deal with issues that make you think while enjoy a great story.

I think Lois Lowry is an amazing writer. My favorite book of all time is The Giver.

All three of these are wonderful children's books! Having the three in a set together makes a great gift also.
I suggest them for advanced 4th graders up to around 7th grade.

Great advice put in the style of a children's book! Simple, well stated, and super to use as a gift for a graduate, a child, or just to keep for yourself and read over from time to time.

This is the perfect gift for someone going on to bigger and better things in life (Graduation, Promotion, etc.). Love the book!

I gave this book to my 31 year old nephew who, after getting his BA in English, decided to be a high school English teacher. So, it was back to more college courses and a very difficult test to pass before being certified in Texas. I realize that YAY, YOU is really written on a child's level, but the message remains the same: It's a big, wide world out there, so soar as high and as far as you can when you can and have fun doing it. I am a retired teacher of 30 years who would use this book with my 4 year old granddaughter as well as my 31 year old nephew and any age in between and older.

I purchased this book as a high school graduation gift for my neice's boy friend, and the kids loved passing it around. It may be a children's book, but you're never too old for the message or to enjoy Boynton's artwork.

I have bought multiple copies of this book for my kids' friends for graduation gifts. I also bought it for my aunt when she recieved her doctorate degree. I decorated the inside of the kids' books with pictures throughout their kindergarten and Pre-K years at school. It has the best ending telling the person that no matter what they do in life they are special!

This story takes place at the Comfort Zone Camp. Teens talk about how they miss each of their parents and how losing a parent can affect your whole life. They help each of the teens with their struggles. They all share each of them stories that remind them of their parents.
This is a heartwarming story! They explain how always remembering you parent help. I know how it feels because losing my dad was I very hard thing for me and this book help me through hard times because knowing that there are other kids and teens that they are going through the same thing I'm going through. And somehow that helps me!
I think anyone who had lost a parent should read this book because they will know that a lot of teens have feelings after a loss of their parents. And that every person should be heard.

I'm biased as a longtime volunteer at CZC who travels 13 hours from Toronto, Canada every year just to be a part of this wonderful place. I purchased the book and read it cover to cover in one morning, took me about 2 1/2 hours. I sat down and was compelled to write Lynne a very personal four page letter expressing everything that came to mind reading the book and how much she (and the camp) means to me. It was an awesome experience as much because alot of the names & stories are familiar to me and because I can relate personally to almost every chapter but truthfully it's because I found answers to questions I had been asking elsewhere in my life, even at my age (36). I'm also a survivor of childhood loss, losing my dad at the age of 12 years old. I Highly recommend this book as a resource for parents, caregivers & teens alike!

As someone who has had the privilege of volunteering with Comfort Zone Camp and who also experienced the death of a sibling during childhood, I am more than impressed with "You are not alone: Teens talk about life after the loss of a parent." Throughout the book, Lynne does an amazing job of conveying the stories that numerous teens have trusted her with. The book is amazingly honest and powerful. As always, I am impressed with the campers, volunteers, and everyone who is a part of Comfort Zone Camp.

All other books that I've read about this subject EXPLAIN teen grief... but none that IDENTIFY with it. This book did that. Excellent!! *****

I was 20 years old when I lost my parents within 9 months of each other. Lynne's book as been a great help to me despite this happening to me and my siblings a long time ago. I am a big buddy at the Comfort Zone Camp and it's one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done. Now with Lynne's book all children can be reassured that in time they can heal and have a happy and healthy life. We are the proof of that.
Great job Lynne!

We bought two of these for our 17 year old daughter & her boyfriend to work on together. Great workbooks!

This is the companion workbook for The 7 Habit of Highly Effective Teens book The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective Teens

This combination is very good for middle and high school age kids. It gives them a direction and a way to plan how they live and interact with other teens and adults. Used together they are very effective.

Nice workbook with alot of interesting information. Nice guide for ANY teenager who wants to do something with their life.

I use this book in my clinical practice. It allows my clients to make positive changes in thier lives. It is user friendly and easy to use and understand.

This book provides a great opportunity to discuss with young teens important habits and goals in life and how to achieve them. The format and approach are appropriate for younger teens to appreciate and enjoy. The examples are helpful and relevant. OVerall a good discussion book for and with younger teens.

A fascinating look into the man behind such a creative literary & scientific mind! He is quite 'bare bones' about himself. Also suggested bio.: "The Lost Notebooks of Loren Eisley" ed. by Kenneth Heuer.

Thoughtful writing, and interesting, but Eiseley sure was a bitter and despairing fellow. He held grudges forever and never forgot a slighting, even from childhood. It appears that he wrote this at an advanced age, when his friends and associates were dieing off seemingly all around him, and he wasn't very happy about it and his own mortality. Interesting, but definitely a downer.

An excerpt from 'All the Strange Hours'

"...Oncoming age is to me a vast wild autumn country strewn with broken seed pods,hurrying cloud wrack,abondoned farm machinery,and circling crows..."
Frankly I lost my reference notes.But this is a wonderful read.You enter deep into the thinkings and passions from the heart of one man.Eiseley will invite you into his thoughts and observations about life and people like a quite and unassuming gentlemen.These stories bring you deep into the core of the Midwest cast of mind.
Great Read

There are few books written today that I don't want to rewrite. All the Strange Hours is one of them. This is the real thing- forget "Magical-Realism" and forget all other memoirs. This is unlike any memoir, or book I've ever read before, and should be getting out to a larger audience. You don't need to be into science, archeology, or even know who Eiseley is to appreciate this work. His writing is so good that it doesn't matter.
He also doesn't delve into the mundane things that most writers would- in fact, you go through the entire book, and you don't even know his wife's name. If I met Eiseley, I'd feel that I'd know little about what he likes to eat, or what kind of music he enjoys, or if he's a morning or night person. But none of that matters- because I feel like I know him on the inside. People who knew Eiseley say that those who read his works often knew him better than those who knew him in person. I'd list Eiseley easily as one of the greatest writers of all time, and at minimum I'd put him in the top 3 of great prose writers. Check him out, and you'll see. You won't be disappointed. Trust me- - I don't like most contemporary stuff, and if you don't either, this is great literature for you.

This is a beautifully written personal meditation on the impermance of life against the passage of time and the attendant sense of loss by a deeply compassionate existentialist who searches for the meaning within the design of nature. There is a palatable sense of both truth and despair. There is also a consistant thread of both awed respect and admiration for the immensity of "the terrible beauty" of existance. If you are looking for a book that balances the invisibly fine line between the light and the dark of insight from the perspective of a honest man who grasps both, this is your book.