Arthur Books

Based on the "Arthur" episode by the same name, "Buster Baxter, Cat Saver" teaches a lesson, but at the same time includes humor that escalates to greater and greater levels throughout the story. When Buster "rescues" a cat from a tree, he at first denies that it was an act of heroism; he just happened to be in the right place at the right time. As more and more attention starts be heaped on him, he starts to really get into being a hero, even starting a script for his own television series, which he states will be "edutainment." ("It's supposed to be a combination of entertainment and education, but often ends up being the worst of both.") When he starts trying to get the Brain to do his homework and being otherwise pompous, his friends start hatching schemes to try to bring his eager down to size. This is one bunny, though, who isn't so easily swayed.

My class of first graders loved this story. This story hasfunny things happen to the characters. Arthur is upset because Busterthinks he is better than everyone. This story has many plots and mysteries as Buster's friends try to show him that he is not as brave as he thinks. It is easy to read and easy to follow, but NOT BORING!

My 7-year old daughter (2nd grade) loves this entire series of books. When she was younger (up to kindergarten) she loved the "adventure" series of Arthur books. We made the transition to the chapter books because they have so much more story to them. They were perfect at the age where I would just read them to her, and by now we're at the point where she reads them to me. We have LOTS of books, but no others have held her interest as well across these stages. Fantastic value for the money. I automatically buy each new chapter book as they're released.

Fans of the authors in this will want to scoop up this highly original collection, as well as any Arthuriana buffs. The authors include such greats as Anne McCaffrey, Terry Pratchett, Debra Doyle/James McDonald, Diana Paxson, and others.

McCaffrey's story is an excerpt of "Black Horses for the King", a YA novel about a young boy named Galwyn, whose abusive uncle is shipping enormous Libyan horses for Lord Artos. Pratchett's story is the entertaining "Once and Future" about a time traveller who creates the sword in the stone. We see the roots of Nancy Springer's bittersweet "I Am Mordred" in the story "Raven," in which young Mordred's soul is imprisoned in a raven's body. Doyle/MacDonald craft a hilarious story called "Holly and Ivy" about Lancelot having a little fun with Gawain.

The writing styles range from "kooky" ("Holly," "Once and Future") to detailed ("Black Horses") to dreamy ("Raven").

As a previous reviewer stated, the only flaw with this is the last story. Honestly, we've had enough drooling in the area of the former president, haven't we? The final story isn't really Arthurian at all.

However, the final story is the sole flaw. It is, overall, a lovely collection of highly original stories about Arthur, Merlin, and Camelot. A must-read for fantasy and Arthurian fans.

This book is great i reccommend it to all of you. There is detail and adventure. the characters are great, and the fact that it is written by different authors is good, because people get a sense of the characters. Otherwise one author may have a different interpitation of a character or setting, now it would be easier to see what it was really like.

Ah, Arthurian fiction! I love it!

This is a stunning collection of short stories, often reflecting the different ideas of the various authors. There are stories about Merlin and Arthur, Guinevere... and a few that are out of the ordinary. A part of the Anne McCaffrey book "Black Horses for the King", the short story that led to "I Am Mordred," the glorious alternate view of Arthur's unfortunate son. Almost every story is accompanied with illustrations that go with the story's theme-"Black Horses" has a realistic drawing, while "Mordred" is strange and dreamy. The cover art is simply stunning--Merlin, you glorious old crank!

My only problem is the last story. Does this REALLY count as Arthurian fiction? But if you ignore the last one, this is as close to perfect as you can get!

I was very touched by the way he cared and loved his wife. He did a lot of trial and error and gave 110%.

This is a most thoughtful insight from both the point of view of the Caretaker and the one for whom care is given. Many of your own thoughts, questions, fears, victories, frustrations and actual experiences are seen and lovingly, yet honestly, shared by a gifted writer. Thought provoking, calming, and a real companion for a Caretaker who feels alone -- as we all do from time to time. Well worth the read!

Thank you, Aaron Alterra, for sharing your very insightful experiences while giving such loving care to your dear wife, Stella. Your touching recount of Stella's final days as a cellist and your countless successful efforts at preseving her dignity brought tears as I (a sexagenerian) empathized with your many dillemmas.

I would certainly recommend this book to anyone with elderly parents or who themselves have become caregivers.

This book is a powerful expose' revealing some of the true qualities of Light. What is Light? True, it is bright, it shines, it energizes all life on Earth, yet what, exactly, is it? Humans not only need the qualities of light from the Sun, but we breathe Light, we absorb Light. We need the Energy produced by the Light in order to live. Readers interested in delving beneath the surface of the visible world will be enthralled by this book. You will finally understand who you are, where you've come from, where you're going. Your soul will revel in this insightful book.

On the cover of this book, James Gleick (of Chaos fame) calls it a "small gem". Indeed. It shines.

Arthur Zajonc has written a contrapuntal study of light and mind. He plays mankind's understanding of one against the other and shows how insights of mind, by mind, illume our notion of light. Zajonc tells how these, in turn, relect back onto our idea of mind. Brilliant.

This book not only provide a full review of the history of the light (or better, of the conception of light in the human mind) but it is exceptionally well written. English is not my first language and I was delighted with learning to read English through this book.

I love this book! First saw it when visiting with Sarah Burlingame in Cheyenne Wyoming, who got an autographed copy since Myla was speaking at a Writers' event there. Loved the story and illustrations so much I've bought copies as gifts for all of my friends with children.

I knew Myla at Oberlin, and this is just the sort of beautiful, magical book I would expect from her.

Thanks, Myla, for a great story full of imagination and surprises.

It is a beautifully written and illustrated children's book, with a lot of learning material in the story.

Myla Goldberg's CATCHING THE MOON tells of an old woman who fishes with rod, reel and mouse every time the moon comes out. Nobody would fish in the dark - what can she catch with a mouse? One day the Man in the Moon puts on his traveling hat and pays a visit in this fun whimsical tale.

You will not be disappointed with Professor Challenger and his exploits. I have been a long time Doyle fan with his White Company and, of course, Sherlock Holmes cannon. I must admit I had never read Challenger before this edition. It is most enjoyable and will further entertain all of Dr. Doyle's admirers.

Professor George Edward Challenger is the lesser known creation of Sherlock Holmes' creator, Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). Unlike the cool and calculating Homes, Challenger is irascible, domineering and extremely outspoken. In short, he is a lot of fun to read. However, unlike Holmes, Professor Challenger never caught on and as such only five Challenger stories were ever written. This book combines all five of the Professor Challenger stories together in one book:

The Lost World - originally published in 1912 - 5 stars - This is the greatest, and the best known of the Professor Challenger stories. Professor Challenger has heard of a plateau in South America where dinosaurs still roam, and he loses no time in setting up an expedition to this strange place. However, when the expedition finds itself marooned on the plateau, the team faces many dangers and adventures.

The Poison Belt - 1913 - 5 stars - Professor Challenger has learned that the Earth is moving towards a poisonous section of space, and has figured out a way that he can save a few members of the human race - the last people left on Earth!

The Land of Mist - 1926 - 1 star - The worst of the Professor Challenger stories, this one is really just a polemic, written to convince the reader of the wonder (or whatever) of Spiritualism. This story might have been what killed the series.

The Disintegration Machine - 1927 - 5 stars - A Latvian scientist has created a machine that can disintegrate matter, and reintegrate it again...or not. This is something that Professor Challenger must see for himself if he is to fully understand its ramifications.

When The World Screamed - 1928 - 5 stars - Professor Challenger is digging a well or mine of some sort in southern England, but what is he up to? It seems that the eccentric professor has a new theory - that the Earth is really a living creature!

Although more than a little dated, scientifically, I found these stories to be well written and quite exciting. (Well, four of the five that is.) They reflects a world that is now gone, but is quite interesting to read about. If you like adventure stories, then you will like this one. Read this book, and learn about A.C. Doyle's other hero!

A fun volume collecting all the Conan Doyle Professor Challenger adventures. As usual, Leonaur editions are of very high physical quality.
These stories, actually a novel and several novelettes, suggest that if the author had not become famous for his creation of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, he might be regarded as a forefather of fantasy and science fiction, a la Rider Haggard and Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Not to be missed.

We received this book as a gift for our son's first birthday, and he has loved it to death! He loved to fill in the missing words as we read to him, and quickly learned all of his nursery ryhmes. Now at age 2, he is rediscovering this treasure...he has fallen in love with the illustrations all over again, and he understands the meaning and humor in these wonderful rhymes!

I got this book when I was little and now I want this book for my little girl. My favorite nursery rhyme is the one about the Crooked man. I reccommend everyone buying this book for their children.

The Classic Mother Goose is the perfect book to introduce nursery rhymes to kids of all ages. The illustrations in this book captivate the smallest children and they will choose this book over and over again as a favorite for bedtime stories. My kids read our first copy to death. That is the true test of how good a book is.

Anne of Green Gables is about an orphan that gets picked to go with avery nice woman and her sweet shy brother but it was all an accident. It was an accident because the woman and her brother wanted a boy to help the man do the work outside because his back was hurting and he needed help, but when they sent a lady named Nancy to the orphanige, she made a mistake and told the orphanige they wanted a girl. But because the lady and her brother became very fond of her and began to like her, they decided to keep her. The woman's name is Marilla and her brother's name is Matthew. The orphan's name is Anne. Anne is a 12 year old girl with a huge imagination. She talks alot but Matthew and Marilla don't mind. they kind of like it. Anne has red, long and curly hair. She doesn't like it but she thinks it is't bad. She finally went to school after she settled in. she made lots of friends, but her best friend is a girl who lives next to her. Her name is Diana. they love each other alot. Anne uses big words and likes poems and books that have sad and romantic endings. she is sometimes a trouble maker but did alot of useful things and is a good girl. She is really good with kids because before she came to Green Gables, she used to live 2 families. the first one, the woman's husband died and she moved to live with her mothr in law but she didn't want Anne . The second family, the same thing happened to the husband, he died and the wife and her kids went to a different state. But the reason she became really good with kids was because the second familt who went to another state had 8 kids including 3 sets of twins.
This book is amazing because everything i mentioned wasn't even half of what Anne does and her adventures. I really love this book because children and adults love it. I know adults would like it because my mom read it and she really likes it, so i'm pretty sure aduls would like it. When my parents bought it for me, i couldn't stop reading it. I didn't even have a boring part because all the parts are either funny or catching. I had alot of favorite parts but i really liked the part when Anne and her friends were playing Elaine. It is a poem and they wanted to act it out. so some one had to get in a bout and act dead and the other gils would push her and the bout in the water. And the girl who did it was Anne. If you like books exitment and amazment, you will surely like Anne of Green Gables.

This series is a wonderful way to introduce your children to literature. I have an 8 yr old and a 6 year old. All I have to do is read them the first chapter and my 8 year old keep reading to the 6 year old. They have read through this book as well as 8-9 others in this series. Each one keeps them captivated and encourages a love of reading.

Anne of Green Gables is about an orphan that gets picked to go with avery nice woman and her sweet shy brother but it was all an accident. It was an accident because the woman and her brother wanted a boy to help the man do the work outside because his back was hurting and he needed help, but when they sent a lady named Nancy to the orphanige, she made a mistake and told the orphanige they wanted a girl. But because the lady and her brother became very fond of her and began to like her, they decided to keep her. The woman's name is Marilla and her brother's name is Matthew. The orphan's name is Anne. Anne is a 12 year old girl with a huge imagination. She talks alot but Matthew and Marilla don't mind. they kind of like it. Anne has red, long and curly hair. She doesn't like it but she thinks it is't bad. She finally went to school after she settled in. she made lots of friends, but her best friend is a girl who lives next to her. Her name is Diana. they love each other alot. Anne uses big words and likes poems and books that have sad and romantic endings. she is sometimes a trouble maker but did alot of useful things and is a good girl. She is really good with kids because before she came to Green Gables, she used to live 2 families. the first one, the woman's husband died and she moved to live with her mothr in law but she didn't want Anne . The second family, the same thing happened to the husband, he died and the wife and her kids went to a different state. But the reason she became really good with kids was because the second familt who went to another state had 8 kids including 3 sets of twins.
This book is amazing because everything i mentioned wasn't even half of what Anne does and her adventures. I really love this book because children and adults love it. I know adults would like it because my mom read it and she really likes it, so i'm pretty sure aduls would like it. When my parents bought it for me, i couldn't stop reading it. I didn't even have a boring part because all the parts are either funny or catching. I had alot of favorite parts but i really liked the part when Anne and her friends were playing Elaine. It is a poem and they wanted to act it out. so some one had to get in a bout and act dead and the other gils would push her and the bout in the water. And the girl who did it was Anne. If you like books exitment and amazment, you will surely like Anne of Green Gables.

Think about this for a sec...
Your going to a grave yard at mid night with a friend to see if devils are really and if there take the body of a dead man who died a couple days befor. Any way you and your friend are waiting for the monsters to come and take the bait but as your waiting you hear a sound but its not what you expect. Its three intirely different people coming for the goods left in the cofin. But then out of no were one of them kills his partnerand blames the other one for doing it! Then you and your friend relize your in grave danger, if the murder finds out that you know what he did then he'll come after you and your buddy next!How did Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn do it? find out by reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

These are just fantastic books. Tom Saywer is the first of these classics that I read to my kids and they absolutely loved it. The book itself is beautifully bound and seems like almost a collectors item. I found that they really did manage to capture all the best parts of the original and kept the pace going so the kids couldn't get enough. Well done....will collect all the Classic Start books!

My third grader loved this book, as well as the one about Huck Finn. He's not one to just pick up a book and start reading. He has to be motivated and encouraged! So, to see him WANT to read this book without me pushing him ~~~ means it MUST be good! He said it was full of adventure and he loves adventure. These Classic Start books are GREAT! I highly recommend!!!

Treasure Island

Retold by Chris Tait Original story by Robert Louis Stevenson

I am ten-years-old and my Teacher, Mrs. McAuley asked us to write a book review on the book we read. This is mine.

This book is just one of the Classic Starts series. These books are easy to read and good for all ages. I highly recommend this book as a good family novel because it's easy to make a mind image of putting yourself in the story. I would like to see this made into a movie.

The story has many different settings, first you start out in Admiral BenBow Inn and then we go on board the Hispanola ship, eventually it all ends up on Treasure Island. At the Inn we meet Jim Hawkins and his mom who rents a room to Billy Bones. Billy Bones turned out to be a pirate with Captain Flint's secret treasure map that Jim Hawkins found.

Jim shares the map with his trusted friends and they all decide to buy a ship, hire a crew, and set sail for the treasure. Chapter Seven describes the crew which includes: The captain (Captain Smollet), the ships doctor (Doctor Livesey), the cook (Long John Silvers), 2nd mate (Officer Trelawney), 1st mate (Arrow), and 19 additional crew members. Can you tell which crew members are evil and which are good, read the book and see. However, it'll be hard to tell whether Long John Silvers is either a friend or a foe.

With so many crew members and only one treasure, a battle is about to spawn. Good sailors, and evil pirates, who will become victorious and receive Flint's treasure,?

Near the end they finally land on Treasure Island. While searching for the treasure suddenly... "Fifteen men on a deadmans chest--- Yo ho ho in a bottle of rum" everyone screams in fear, at the familiar voice... but if Flint's dead and the Island is uninhabited, who can it be?

You feel like a kid again when you get these small treasures to read. Treasure Island is one of those little books that you have to read. I read it as a child and you don't appreciate them as much then as you do now looking at the book and thinking back to when you first read it. Now I want my kids and someday my grandchildren to read it, too. It's a great gift to start a little ones library with.

my son is 19 years old, in jail and is finally trying to read and is enjoying it! thank you for having the classics starts, it's not heavy reading but it was exciting as he can accomplish reading a book in 2-3 days! it gives him accomplishment!