Bean Books

I really like the characters in this series, but felt that this book was not as good as some of the others in the series. Some parts went along great, and some lagged. Claire seemed very restless in this one, and started to verge on "hysterical female" at one point. I really hate that in a strong female character, and I have always felt that Claire was a great example of the strong female without the flights into "hysterical female" that plague other good, strong female characters.

I thought this one dragged a bit, but I still like Mary Logue's writing and the characters.

I know this area very well and was very excited to see a novel set here. The book doesn't disappoint. Logue is a polished writer. The story was suspenseful. What intrigued me most was the Prologue--a glimpse at true evil. A great read!

Good solid mystery. I loved the rural setting along the Mississippi River.

POISON HEART features Deputy Sheriff Claire Watkins set in a Wisconsin farm community. Rich in local color and flavor, POISON HEART, is novel that emphasizes the character and setting over the suspense of a traditional mystery. There is no doubt who does what, and what their motives are. Instead this novel is about character interaction. If you are looking for fast-paced action or intricate plotting, this book is not for you. If you like reading about the simplicity of small-town life and undercurrents, then this novel will not disappointment because Mary Logue is a wonderful storyteller.

Some gaffes in this book, I don't think the author has any real understanding. He even messes up the definition of expectation, and it doesn't get more elementary than that. There are many better probability books out there, don't choose this one.

I appreciate that many people will be buying this because it has been endorsed by the Society of Actuaries. My review is for those who aren't being compelled to use the book in exam prep. I find "The Science of Uncertainty" to be the most consistently useful of the statistics texts in my office. The examples are clear, it has the right equations, and it's well organized.

Some people here are complaining of inaccuracies but they provide no examples and, frankly, I've never noticed a problem.

I like that authors provided an appendix explaining how to manipulate the distributions they discuss in the book using Mathematica. This was not new to me, but I can imagine it would save others some headaches.

I used this textbook as my main study material for the SOA/CAS P/1 exam. I found it to be well-written and understandable. I have some background in calculus and probability (long-forgotten college courses). I'm hanging on to it for future reference. It's actually possible to learn the material from the book all on your own. All in all, one of the better textbooks out there.

As a statistics graduate, I found it hard to understand this book. There are not many friendly examples to help the readers to understand the concepts, even with the help of solution manual. There are some mistakes too.

I used this book to study for SOA exam P and loved it! If you already have some background in statistics and probability, this is the book to go. It will fill in the blanks left by your average school textbook and give you the nesessary coverage of the exam material.

We borrowed this book from the library at first. We tried many of the recipes and loved almost all of them and so ended up buying it. We have tried about 8 recipes so far and the only one we haven't enjoyed thoroughly was the long beans with dried shrimp (the dried shrimp was not to our taste-buds liking!).

This book just serves as an intro to the veggies used in asian cooking, giving a brief description for each one. It offers only one or two recipes per veggie. And don't be deceived, this is not a vegetarian book! Most of the recipes have meat! (The braised short ribs with hearts of bok choy was great!)

Very delicious!

This book would've ordinarily been a very good book, however, with a few of the same kinds of books available at the same time, I believe that you should shop around before purchasing this one. I have looked at several with the same theme and have found that "Asian Greens" is more concise and lists 3x more vegetables than this book and offers 30 more recipes than this book. Yes the pictures are very beautiful but so are the ones in "Asian Greens". For an informative guide, I would have to go with "Asian Greens" -- unfortunately, I picked up this one first and have since bought "Asian Greens" to help me pick Asian vegetables at the markets.

Next time I go to my local farmer's market I will take this book with me to share with the other shoppers who stand puzzled in front of the Asian vegetable vendor's table. In addition to a complete guide to Asian vegetables with great pictures, this book is full of recipes that are clearly explained and good to eat. The author's style, something one doesn't always notice in a cookbook, is personal and fun to read.

`Asian Vegetables' by first time author, Sara Deseran is a lightweight entry into the world of books about Asian cooking. While there may not be as many heavyweight classics as there are in English for Italian, French, or Mediterranean cuisines, there are important classics against which one's efforts must be measured. The heavyweight in the area of guides to Asian ingredients is `Bruce Cost's Asian Ingredients', updated in 2000.

For starters, for roughly the same list price in paperback, Cost's classic has twice as many pages, covers all ingredients, not just vegetables, and presents vegetables and all other products in a greater depth than Ms. Deseran's book. For starters, Deseran does not include the Latin scientific names for her vegetables, which is doubly annoying as she herself says, most of the vegetables have different names, even in different parts of China, let alone different names in Japan and Thailand. So, the only way to be sure we are talking about the same thing is to give the one name that is guaranteed to be the same across all books.

Ms. Deseran has one opportunity to gain a march on Cost's book by providing color photographs of almost all of the plants she discusses, but this feature is, to my mind, done poorly. In an attempt to compare and contrast the appearance of related vegetables, the photographs are all `family pictures'. Thus, for example, one picture of four oriental members of the cabbage family is so small that I am very hard pressed to see the differences between the four vegetables in the photograph, and I am hard pressed to see the difference between choy sum (Chinese flowering cabbage) and the Mediterranean veggie, broccoli Rabe (rapini). This brings up another weakness with the book.

One of the main features of the book is the recipes presented for each featured ingredient. One problem with these recipes is that relatively few of these ingredients are available outside of an Oriental market in a large city such as New York or San Francisco. My local very well stocked megamart probably carries less than a third of the ingredients in this book. One of the virtues of Bruce Cost's book is that since it covers all types of Asian products, including meat, fish, noodles, sauces, and grains, the average coverage is probably better than half, as grains, noodles, and fish are much more common than many vegetables. So, even though Ms. Deseran says that most oriental leafy greens are almost entirely interchangeable with one another, this doesn't help if you can't find any. It would have made the recipes much more useful if the author had provided substitutions, especially for the leafy green vegetables and the squashes.

Even on the subjects on which both Deseran and Cost have articles, Cost's information is deeper and generally more useful. While Deseran has articles on `Ginger' and `Galangal and Turmeric', Cost has several pages on the `Ginger family', including individual articles on `Ginger', `Galangal', `Turmeric', `Mioga Ginger', and `Lesser Galangal'. For the ginger family, both books provide two soup recipes featuring ginger and Galangal. Deseran gives the usual short paragraph to ginger, while Cost gives two pages to ginger, including a discussion of `baby ginger' and ginger shoots. Cost also covers dried and powdered preparations made from ginger and turmeric, which are beyond the scope of Deseran's book. Deseran does cover a fairly sizable number of non-vegetable topics in her `pantry glossary', but most entries offer little substantial information. For example, there is a paragraph on chicken broth, which gives no recipe for same, and makes no mention, like Cost, that the Asian chicken broth is an entirely different preparation than it's French or Italian cousins. She simply suggests you use a commercial western style organic chicken broth. This point alone makes me question the depth to which Ms. Deseran has seriously researched her subject.

Oddly, Ms. Deseran's bibliography is very respectable and includes `Bruce Cost's Asian Ingredients'. It almost seems she knows of this important work, but has never read it. Ms. Deseran's patron and inspiration for this book is noted Chinese cookbook author, Barbara Tropp, whose `The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking' has all the cachet and quality of a Chinese `Mastering the Art of French Cooking' by Julia Child. And, Ms. Tropp agrees with Mr. Cost in clearly distinguishing Chinese from French broth by leaving out the vegetables and adding ginger. So much for packaged supermarket stocks!

One attraction found in Ms. Deseran's book is the anecdotes by noted chefs on Oriental ingredients. I found these contributed virtually nothing to the value of the book.

Virtually the only situation in which it seems Ms. Deseran's book may have an edge over Bruce Cost's work is if you happen to live near a first class Asian market which stocks a good variety of fresh ingredients and the color pictures can serve as an aid in identifying the products. But then, Cost's book becomes more valuable, as it offers an excellent guide to how to make the best of Asian markets, something Ms. Deseran does not cover, except to note how to care for the vegetables once you have them.

This is really an average book, so my three stars simply reflects that this book offers virtually nothing when compared to the standard works on the subject.

This is a good guide to the produce you'll find in an Asian market, and it gives you a decent idea of what you can do with that bitter melon or mustard cabbage after you've brought it home. It's a good book -- but I can't work up my enthusiasm for it.

For one thing: even though the photography is attractive, it's not terribly useful. Presumably to both save money and to give a sense of size-and-scale, most of the vegetable photos have several items in the same picture (Chinese broccoli next to choy sum next to mustard cabbage), with little circles (TOO-little circles) indicating the item highlighted in the text. The veggie photos are also smaller than the recipe photos; personally, I'd rather a good hard look at a healthy bunch of greens than a full-page picture of Asian gumbo with mustard cabbage and chinese sausage (however appealing that recipe might be).

The information given is also... well, not quite minimal, but far from exhaustive. While the entry for Lotus root in Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini is two or three pages (plus recipes), there's really only 3 paragraphs devoted to it here. It's good information, mind you, just not that much of it.

But note that I do give the book 4 stars. If you're completely new to Asian cooking, then this inexpensive book may be helpful (and a fatter book would be overwhelming).

For some strange reason my daughter did not like this book. She likes Clarice Bean but she really didn't care for this book.

A late night call and Clarice's mom has to fly out and take care of her brother Uncle Ernie the policeman who slips on a doughnut and breaks his legs(The joke about policemen and doughnuts was lost on her).

Nobody can babysit so out of desperation, Uncle Ted the fireman is contacted. Due to his past history of breaking things, lassoing lamps and Minal, Clarice's mom "lays down the law" with a list of orders for Uncle Ted to follow.

Nothing happens for a couple days but then Minal looses the class Guinea pig and everything goes downhill from there.

Overall, I thought it was a good book but as I mentioned my girl did not care for it.

It might be because of the artwork. It's good but she was used to few pictures as from her main books.

It could also be she was expecting more to the story. She said it was different.

Oh well.....

An awesome book that deserves 6 stars BUT this is the same book as My Uncle is a Hunkle with a different cover and name. So, I bought it hoping to see more about Uncle Ted only to find that it was the same book. Perhaps this is my fault for not reading reviews carefully, but who ever expects the same book to be sold under two different names? Not me. Great book - but turns out I already had it!

What a busy book! Lauren Child has created a tongue-twisting, mind-boggling story about the adventures of two city kids whose Mom must hurry off in help of her own brother, a policeman, who has slipped on a doughnut & hurt his legs.

Who can Mom get to babysit her two darlings? Not her older children. Not anyone in her family, nor any neighbors until, her daughter asks about Uncle Ted. What a good idea!

Safe in the care of a Fireman, Mom rushes to her other brother's side, & the fun begins!

I realize Lauren Child thinks she has written "only" a children's book - however, once you've read GUESS WHO'S BABYSITTING? I bet there'll be other bigger thoughts simmering away!

A great family read!

When Clarice Bean's Uncle Ernie slips on a doughnut and breaks both his legs, her mother has to rush to New York and help him out. Unfortunately her dad has to go away on important business and the only person they can find to babysit Clarice, her phone talking older sister, Marcie, her sun hating big brother Kurt, her accident prone little brother Minal and wandering Grandad is Uncle Ted. Clarice is thrilled. Uncle Ted is the best. He's a firefighter who loves westerns, can lasso lamps or kids and has been known to break a few things in the past. Mother leaves very strict instructions. She wants her house in one piece when she gets back and all goes very well for the first two days. But then Minal let's the school guinea pig, Albert, that they're taking care of over spring break, out of his cage and all heck breaks loose..... Lauren Child's sequel to Clarice Bean, That's Me will have both old fans and new readers jumping for joy and laughing out loud at the antics of this "typical" family. Narrated by Clarice, this charming and hilarious story really captures the essence of the grade school mind as she tells everyone about the terrible chain of events that was set off when Albert got away. Ms Child's delightful prose is almost outdone by her creative cartoon and collage artwork and even the text is artistic, changing fonts and size and wrapping itself in and around the illustrations. Perfect for youngsters in grades 1-4, Clarice Bean, Guess Who's Babysitting is a rip roarin' good time the whole family will enjoy.

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More fun in the Bean household! Mom has to go to New York, and Dad has to go away on IMPORTANT BUSINESS. So who looks after Clarice, Marcie, Minal, Kurt and Grandad while Mom and Dad are away? As a last resort Mom calls in Uncle Ted. After only two days of normality chaos takes over.

Albert the Guinea Pig gets lost, Minal has an accident and Grandad wanders off.

Lauren Child's book is a long way removed from the pastel coloured world of traditional kid's books. The illustrations are full on, with clever use of photomontage with text and type-fonts that go every which way.

Most children will get a kick out of the very stylish layout and quirky humour. You can really believe that young Clarice wrote this book. All young readers will certainly enjoy her latest story.

I read this book, dusted off my popcorn popper, and using their instructions was roasting my own, GOOD coffee rather quickly. I highly recommend this book to people who have not roasted their own coffee before and I highly recommend roasting your own coffee. You can buy green coffee for 1/4 the cost of roasted if you purchase it in bulk and you will be surprised to find out how tasty and fresh your own coffee can be. This book shows 4 (of) 5 different ways to roast your own coffee, I will try the other ones in future. Very pleased to have found this book. I am now hooked on roasting my own coffee!

I read this 145-page booklet in less than one hour. It uses very large print (perhaps nice for readers with poorer eyesight), but it also limits the amount of information that the book contains. It is a self-published book, which clearly would have benefitted from the services of a professional editor. For example page 94 says "Vienna is in the Danube Valley in Italy". While Vienna is indeed on the Danube Valley, the city is the capital of Austria and the Danube river doesn't even come close to Italy! Page 106 says "the basic proportion for Frech press or drip brewing is two heaping teaspoons (sic) of coffee to 6 ounces of water". Every acknowledged coffee expert (T.J. Castle, Corby Kummer, Kenneth Davis) emphasize two TABLESPOONS as the correct proportion. A typo? Maybe. But if the book gets such basic, major issue wrong, what else is wrong? The reader is better off buying any of the books by the above-listed authors at similar prices.

I got the impression that the authors are nice people that decided to self-publish their coffee roasting notes in a folksy engaging style. The book, however, lacks substance. There are five coffee-related, cute and romantic short-stories that belong on a creative writing book and not on a "how to" manual. Finally most of the information is repetitive. How many times do we need to be told "to be careful, the beans are hot when coming out of the roaster"?

The book is not a total loss. Some people may like their step-by-step guides for the true beginner that is looking for a "cheat sheet" The enquiring, serious coffee aficionado looking for guide on roasting coffee at home should look elsewhere

I was surprised at how easy it was to roast your own coffee at home. We tried the cowboy coffee on a camping trip and it was a big hit. A good, easy to use reference.

At $17.95 I figured this book would be useful for both the beginner & advanced roaster. It is barely useful for the beginner. You can easily obtain all info contained in this book plus much more by going online, typing "coffee roasting" in your search engine, & hitting the "go" button. This book might be worth $5.00!

I never expected roasting my own coffee to be so easy. For the cost of green beans and surrendering an air pop popcorn popper to the job, I'm hooked. I'm one of those people who has been grinding beans for brewing coffee for years. Fresh roasted is even better than expensive beans from your favorite vendor...

Coffee Roasting at Home is a great little book with lots of tips. If you are a coffee fanatic, try roasting your own

Los Angeles is known as many things. A city under siege is not one of them. But a madman, an intelligent yet devious madman, holds the city hostage.

John Dantes has already been convicted as a murderous bomber. The threat remains even with Dantes behind bars. Someone else is out there - working with or against him.

Dr. Sylvia Strange is called in as the last hope of penetrating Dantes' outer shell. And while Dantes plays cruel mind games, more bombs rock the city.

Sylvia is quickly thrust into the center of a carefully calculated plan. Trying to get into Dantes' head could cost innocent people their lives, as well as her own.

There's only one way to stop the source. Get into the mind of a killer. And get out before the timer hits zero.

Sarah Lovett has really done her homework. It's easy to see an incredible amount of research went into creating this novel. Lovett's talent for writing vivid action scenes put that research to good use.

Dante's Inferno, despite a fairly intricate plot, fails to deliver much suspense or mystery. Most of the developments upon which the story twists and turn were formulaic and predictable. Sylvia's character is one-dimensional, and the adventures in which she participates would never be remotely possible in a real life setting. The other characters simply hover around Sylvia, who calls the shots for police, forensics, FBI,other psychiatrists, and the rest of a large but poorly defined cast of supporters. Even sociopath John Dantes comes across as wooden, as he helplesslessly becomes enamoured of Sylvia while trying to manipulate her. This is a long book not worth the effort it requires to reach the "climax".

The fourth outing for Dr. Sylvia Strange is the best one yet. Although the plot of "Dantes' Inferno" might seem familiar, there is enough that is new to keep the reader interested. John Dantes is a particularly interesting villain, both for his brilliance and his passivity. We're never quite sure what he's up to, if anything. Watching him match wits with Sylvia makes for excellent reading.

Unlike most thrillers, this is an intelligent book, interweaving an above-average plot with an allegorical depiction of Los Angeles as Dante's (note the similarity to Dantes) nine-circled Hell. Throw in the psychological study of "Dantes' Inferno's" twisted bad guys and it's clear that author Lovett is one smart lady. I look forward to returning to this series in the future.

Reviewed by David Montgomery, Mystery Ink

This is a powerful, fast-paced story. I especially enjoyed the literary allusions so thoughtfully and accessibly woven into the novel. Ms. Lovett's use of the Inferno's geography of hell is fascinating and, added to the things we experience with her always-deep characters, makes complex moods and a terrific foreboding that continually draws in the reader. When I finished the book I felt like I knew these people (including the villains) and had been through a lot with them.

When an elementary school class was asked to select between going to Universal Studios and Getty Center in Los Angeles, they chose the latter. That decision led to a lifetime of regrets at least for those who survived the bomb blast that killed their teacher and ten year old Jason Redding. Dr. Sweetheart, a counter terrorist expert and the uncle of Jason believes that anarchist John Dantes is the culprit. Using all his contacts, Sweet launches a manhunt that culminates in the capture of Dantes.

Dantes asks Dr. Sylvia Strange, a forensic psychologist, to fly to California to administer court ordered test. As the pair battle for supremacy, Sylvia becomes convinced John did not commit this crime, but instead is a victim of a cunning predator playing deep-rooted psych games with all of them. Her theory soon converts her and Sweetheart from hunter to hunted, as they struggle to survive a deadly killer.

Serial bombers are a product of the last forty years so that data is limited and subsequently profiling is difficult. DANTE'S INFERNO uses that premise to build a fantastic story line based on one knowledgeable pro Trying to destroy the infrastructure of a city. Sarah Lovett's latest Dr. Sylvia entry is an exhilarating read due to the antihero John gaining grudging respect from an audience who want to see him burning in hell.

Harriet Klausner

Like other kids her age (eleven), Emmaline "Emmy" Augusta Addison "named after two great-aunts" sometimes feels invisible. Her formerly loving, attentive parents seem to have taken a turn for the selfish since inheriting the fortune (and thirty-three room house) of a distant uncle. They can no longer be bothered with tending to their daughter, and are almost constantly absent, embarking on a series of increasingly prevalent and lengthy trips. Upon their return, they seem like their old selves again - briefly - before taking on personality characteristics entirely opposite of their true selves. Emmy, as a result, is primarily parented by an inconsiderate, controlling nanny with a penchant for using odd remedies for curing what (the nanny believes) ails the girl. Her classmates seem almost unaware of her existence. Finally, one day when she is alone in her school classroom, a (p 25) "small, arrogant, impossible creature," gives her what for after witnessing her sometimes-spineless behavior. In spite of his imperiousness, she unlatches his cage and releases him to fend for himself. And so starts their adventure.

Along with both human and rodent friends, Emmy and Rat endeavor to foil an evil plan masterminded by her nanny, Miss Barmy, having lots of fun and fright along the way. Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat, filled with gnawing, nibbling, funny, furry characters (as well as a few humans), is a magical, marvelous story about a good girl and a ridiculous (but lovable) Rat. The novel includes a flipbook along the rhs of Rat falling from a tree. Also good, The Tale of Desperaux by Kate Decamillo and Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins.

Lynne has created an instant classic; it reminds me of my favorite stories like Stowaway to the Mushroom Planet and Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang. Her story has memorable characters that you'll love and enjoy right from the start and a storyline that combines mystery, magic, real life problems and wonderful, droll humor. It's delightful to watch Emmy break out of her "too goodness" to solve the mystery and to save her family. Not to mention saving not just herself but all of her newly made friends. It's gripping, its a bit scary, its funny and comforting. It is a satisfying read from beginning to end that I think kids and adults both would enjoy.

It's easy to become jaded. Read enough children's fiction and it all begins to swim and swirl about in your head. Was that the middle grade novel about a girl who likes a boy with twinkling blue eyes or deep brown ones you just read? Did that historical fiction work involve a plucky boy working in a coalmine or a plucky girl in a mill? And fantasy? Don't get me started. If the villains don't burst onto the scene in the first chapter it's the exception rather than the rule. I gotta say though that when it comes to rodents with magical powers, there are few titles to turn to. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh was strictly scientific (that is, if you can forget the movie). I, Freddy is more along the lines of The Mouse and the Motorcycle than anything else. No, mice and magic don't intersect all that often. One can't help but think that if they did the result would be wuh-eird. Wuh-eird, as it happens, is not a bad word to describe author Lynne Jonell's startling middle grade debut. At this point in my review's introductory paragraph I usually like to compare the book in my hands to titles you might be familiar with. Something along the lines of, "It's like James and the Giant Peach meets The Perils of Peppermints." But when it comes to "Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat," there's not much you can compare the book to. It's one of a kind, and how kids take that originality will be interesting to note, indeed.

Poor Emmy. Nobody notices her. Not her parents who are constantly jet-setting around to globe. Not her schoolmates or her teacher, who all seem incapable of remembering her name. No, it's just Emmy, her somewhat frightening nanny Miss Barmy, and the school rat. The Rat not only pays attention to Emmy but talks to her sometimes too. Granted it tends to tell Emmy to try being bad once in a while, but the girl knows that it has a good heart beneath its prickly demeanor. Soon, however, Emmy finds that the Rat is not all that it seems to be. Talking is just the least of its abilities, and as the girl discovers more about her nanny and the woman's sinister plot involving Emmy, her parents, and a host of exotic rodents, so too does she establish a core group of friends who will aid her through thick and thin.

At some point Henry Holt and Company got all clever on us and decided to create little packets of first chapters of their upcoming book seasons to hand out at library conferences. As a result, I read the first chapter of "Emmy" some time ago and remembered to give it a glance when a full-length physical copy fell into my lap. I'm glad I did. In spite of its 346-some-page length, I can't help but think that this would make an excellent book to read aloud to a 4th, 5th, or 6th grade class. There is something distinctly Dahl-like hidden in the crevices of this book. Much of the plot relies on old Roald Dahl standbys, like malicious caretakers, controlled magic, and children who are far cleverer than the adults that surround them. And if I'm not too much mistaken, I think that there's even a tip of the hat to Ramona Quimby in this book. Where else, after all, have you ever heard the National Anthem sung with the words, "daaawnzer lee liiight"?

I should note that some small illustrations in this book have been created thanks to the frighteningly prolific pen of Jonathan Bean. The man has contributed to AT LEAST four children's books in 2007 alone. One gets a little queasy wondering how much else he might have up his sleeve. In this particular offering Bean provides only scant pictures. There's the cover, a title page or two, and a very amusing flip-book graphic on the side of the text that shows the Rat falling out of a tree into Emmy's hands. Librarians should be warned that if you find this particular title over-thumbed in your collection, there is a very good reason for it.

I did appreciate that Jonell felt obligated to cover her bases, even when the reader forgets a detail here and there. For example, there is a point in the story when it is discovered that the Rat's bite shrinks people. Yet Emmy's schoolmate Joe points out that he was bitten by the rat before but to no effect. He raises this point several times, actually, so that the reader slowly realizes just how important this fact is (particularly since it leads to a huge climax in the plot later). Still, sometimes the book felt less than entirely consistent. You're never quite sure exactly how small Joe and Emmy become when they're shrunk. Joe is able to wear G.I. Joe clothing sometimes, but at other moments he's supposedly large enough to play soccer with some chipmunks. Then again, we're told that "We're only a few inches high, you know. Four feet, to us, is going to seem like being on top of a six story building." Inconsistencies like this made it hard to visualize the action.

There are also some convenient plot devices that raised an eyebrow but weren't really distracting. Apparently when you shrink, your clothes shrink along with you (as opposed to in The Dark Ground). Also, Jonell requires that you remember some pretty minor characters from the beginning of the book all the way to the end, which I thought was a bit odd. I liked the internal logic going on here, though. I liked the peculiar world Jonell had envisioned and how neatly everything slotted into it. I can guarantee to you that if you've a child who has read the oeuvre of Roald Dahl and wants a little something extra, "Emmy" is a good way to go. Ideal for any child who has felt ignored or looked over at some point in their life. Which is to say, most every child.

This book, frankly, is a snooze. I couldn't make it past the middle and ended up reading from the end backwards. The plot elements are recycled from elsewhere -- the talking rat from "Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents," the evil housekeeper from "Rebecca," the absent and controlled parents from "Lionboy," the girl who isn't noticed from scores of teen books, etc. etc. Unlike Eragon, another pastiche, the author gives you no reason to care about any of these characters.

A diabolical nanny, a clever thoughtful little girl and a talking rat face off in this deliciously witty and intelligent story. Emmy is an exceedingly well-behaved girl who enjoyed life with her parents and had many friends before an inheritance from a great uncle brings an end to cozy family interactions and Emmy and her parents move to her Great-Uncle's mansion. Now Emmy attends a new school, her parents are always off traveling and Emmy is supervised by Miss Barmy, a very unpleasant and strange nanny who is constantly tearing down her self- esteem and giving her mysterious medicines, one turned her face orange. Her classmates and teacher hardly notice her, "Emma? Emmaline Addison?" Mr. Herbifore gazed out over the heads of his students. Emmy stood up. "No, I don't see her," he said into the phone. "Emmy walked forward and stood by the teacher's desk. What did she have to do, she wondered, bewildered. Throw firecrackers under his chair? Hang from the ceiling and make like a monkey? She tugged at the teacher's sleeve and spoke loudly in his ear. "Here I am, Mr. Herbifore." The teacher stared at her doubtfully. Oh? Are you sure?" One day, the classroom rat tells her that she is too nice, "A little meanness is good for the soul. I highly recommend it." At the end of an entertaining repartee that includes Rat's response to Emmy's surprised comment, "Rodents play soccer?" "Of course they play soccer, he snapped. What do you think they do for fun? Run about, frightening elephants? Scavenge in churches for crumbs? Really, your ignorance is appalling." Rat pleads with Emmy to release him from his cage and when she does this engaging story explodes with adventure, suspense, and humor.

As you can see from my other reviews I have read several of Belva Plain's novels. "Evergreen", the first of this series had me glued to my reading chair. Sadly, this piece, "Tapestry", was the next one I read not realizing that there was a second book in the series "The Golden Cup", I already have it and I will read it soon. But back to "Tapestry". Taking place during WWII, Belva wrote eloquently about how the war affected the Werner family, living here in the states, as well as those unfortunate casualties of Hitler's regime living in Europe. I loved this book. Belva Plain can write the family saga like no one else. I understand there is a fourth book to the series and I most certainly will read that as well. I think that these are books that women will find most interesting, but as a man, I gotta tell you guys...they are great stories! I am anxious to find out what happens with the relationship between Paul and his daughter and to find out how his relationships with Isle and Anna turns out. A great book to read in front of the fire on a cold winters night. Highly recommended.

To each his own, I suppose. I'm halfway through this torpid book and far from sure I'll bother to finish it. Certainly I won't go for the first two parts of the series. Oh well, I guess the lesson is, just because someone gives you a book you don't need to read it. But waiting for my next batch from Amazon it is, for now, the only game in town. Cardboard characters, cloying romance, pathetic sex, nerveless plotting -- who cares what happens to Paul Werner? The moment my next book arrives from Amazon this one goes out the window.

The saga contines. Paul is a main character who loved Anna in Evergreen and this story is told a lot from his point of view. It is about war, love, passion, and a mobster husband having his wife's relative killed. A man in wheelchair after the war committed suicide. I enjoyed reading this book, but it is long. One more sequel in this family saga to go and that is Harvest.

Karen Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

Tapestry is the third book that Belva Plain wrote with the same main characters. Her first book in this series of three is Evergreen followed by Golden Cup and then came Tapestry. You will love Tapestry. I did. I am going to get Evergreen and Golden Cup even though the reading will be out of order.

This book picks up the threads of the family saga begun with Mrs. Plain's powerful novel "Evergreen". Paul Werner married a woman of his class after his true love, his parents's maid, Anna married someone else. Paul's wife Marian is a poor, weak, neurotic, passive, dependent, frigid woman whom he should never have married and she should never have been married anyone....... One accidental meeting with Anna after Anna is married results in a daughter, Iris. Because of his promise to Anna, he never reveals to Iris that he is her father..... As Paul wrestles with his deep secrets and forbidden passions, the world changes mostly due to World War II which takes place after the "great depression" of 1928-1930....The family suffers more losses as the country undergoes many social changes.....The final (book #4) of this series is titled "Harvest."

This book is in great condition and is absolutely perfect to help me in my classes to become an excellent writer.

I looked everywhere for Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing Mycomplab. I thought I found it here on Amazon, but when I got the book it had no complab. Someone told me that they don't have the rights to sell the complab. I believe they should disclose that information.If they did I didn't see it. I am alittle irritated and alot of people from my class ran into the same situation as I. I gave it three stars because the service was quick and the book is new and in great shape. However, know that you are not getting mycomplab. You may still buy the book and purchase mycomplab on its own as I will have to. It will cost another 25 dollars.

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I can't believe they charge so much more for the 4th edition than the 3rd.... I did not notice much difference.

This book is an excellent guide for first time and experienced parents. I must say I do not agree with the "reader". And if the anonymous "reader" has such strong feelings, to validate those feelings, I suggest the "READER" lay claim and not hide under the anonymity of "reader".

I have used this book as a supplement for teaching infant development courses at the college level. Students find the information in this book easy to read and understand. It gives an overview of development in the first two years of life, including changes in social, physical, mental, and emotional growth. The author also provides many personal examples that the reader can relate to. I strongly recommend this book for any one who wants to understand more about basic child development.

I would recommend to parents and educators looking for a book on early childhood development to look elsewhere than this particular book. It is difficult to read and at times, is incongruous with current research findings in developmental timing. I question the author's knowledge and skills, and would encourage others to do the same.

My husband and I wondered what was going on inside the mind of our newborn son and how he was growing and changing month to month. This book answered our questions and gave us an insight into his social development as well as the development of his senses. The book is very easy to read and doesn't go overboard with details. I highly recommend the book to any parent.