Brooks Books

The book is well written and consist of a wealth of knowledge about the breed. Unfortunately it is to theoretical and not as practical as I hoped it would be. Also the pics are dull and in black and white and doesn't give the book an attractive feel to it. Also some chapters in the book are useless information unless u plan to write a thesis about the first dogs in the line. Overall some useful info. in this book but will not consider it to be the ultimate book to describe Alaskan malamutes

We bought this book shortly after it first came out and from that point forward we have purchased copies for anyone who has gotten one of our puppies. We feel strongly that along with our mentoring new owners, this book provides a resource for them to understand their dog. Bobbie Brooks has done an outstanding service to our breed with this book!

You will find all you need to know about this fantastic breed from grooming, showing, training, and of course the origin. I recommend it to everyone who loves mals like me!! (greetings from Malta Europe)

I wish a bought this book before I got my first Malamute. It's got everything about the breed. As a malamute owner, it's one of the best books I've ever bought. I would even bet it's the most comprehensive book ever written on ANY dog breed!

This book tells it straight about the butchest dog there is. You can't say fairer than that.

This memoir comes unvarnished, a raw but beautifully written account of life in an era characterized by inspired and truly inventive energy alongside desperation and despair. I was in awe of the artistic risks taken by members of the Angels of Light and loved reading about the unfolding dramas involved in creating each production. This was a group that knew how to push every limit, producing moments of brilliance and courage and genuine fun. Adrian Brooks captures the intensity of these moments and portrays the stunning assortment of those involved in vivid detail. The Angels clearly had a hell of a good time.

But in the end I came away feeling saddened by the fact that this group that had such creative energy was ultimately unable to get it together to protect its members--even its children--from danger. Angels watched each other abuse themselves and abuse others, but few seemed to step up to demonstrate responsibility or even much kindness.

Brooks portrays these incongruities in all their inspiring and troubling detail. He writes with psychological insight so that the characters ring true, but he refrains from wholesale judgments. As part of the action, he does not shy away from giving us a clear picture of his own struggles as well as triumphs. I came away appreciating the complexity of the intersection of time, place and characters that stayed with me long after I had finished reading the book--a reflection, to me, of its quality and value.

Flights of Angels held me from the start, and that includes the gorgeous cover art too. It is truly a wonderful memoir of an era that impressed so many of us and Adrian Brooks has portrayed it perfectly. What Adrian has captured here is more than a memory though, it is also the feeling, the very heart of the times, and he carries us through it with grace. Thank you Adrian Brooks!
Nikki Lastreto

I was an 'Angel of Light' from 1973 and I love this book. It is beautiful. It is honest. And it is real. It also expresses
the group's belief in peace and art and the spirit of free theater.

Adrian praises geniuses and the Light but shows the ugly Dark side too. He had to. If not, this would be a coverup
but he is fair about a scene that only a few people ever saw from the inside. I was one. And he was too. After 1974,
he was one of the big stars and a tremendous positive offstage influence offstage.

San Francisco was the world capital of Gay Revolution in the 1970s and the 'Angels' were shamans. As a performer
and scriptwriter, Adrian helped the group out of anarchy and helped channel our greatest triumphs that were political,
gutsy, funny, transforming and beautiful. All done in a spirit of love and celebration.

The era comes alive as Adrian also shares his poems for the first time since the Seventies. They are as wonderful
as his other writing. If anyone wants to know the inside story about the art vanguard in San Francisco before AIDS
they should read this book. I salute it. And I'm as proud to be in it as I was to be an Angel of Light.

Tony Angel
San Francisco

Let me be as candid as author Adrian Brooks is in this amazingly layered snapshot of San Francisco during some of its most culture-creating years (1973-1981), and admit that I was strongly biased to pick up this book and love it. And I did both.

My bias: I have co-published one of Adrian's novels, Roulette, and I'm giddy to publish another, Black and White (and red all over), in the fall of 2008.

But why I loved Flights of Angels was not simply a knee-jerk "I love anything Adrian Brooks" writes response.

Yes, Adrian is an author who knows how to create an authorial voice--all the while juggling those of many characters--and work it. In other words, he can tell one hell of a story. And yes, there are parallels between the wild bunches of misfits making incredible communities in both Roulette and Black and White (and red all over) and what the Angels of Light were trying to create on- and off-stage in San Francisco. And yes, there are over-the-top antics in all three books--though fact is way wilder than fiction. But what really makes this memoir so much more than just a tell-all of a zany troupe of artists and activists and now and then a lot of drag queens or even of San Francisco itself, is the relentless and often ruthless scrutiny with which Adrian Brooks looks at himself and from there, the events and the times around him.

In fact, when I finished Flights of Angels, this memoir was no longer a memoir to me. It was a piercing first-person look at San Francisco during a time where much of the good, the bad, and the ugly there was a refraction of what was going on and what was to come on the larger national and world stages. And San Francisco from the mid 1960s on was not for the faint of heart, or art. It was more like a social and cultural particle accelerator--where tiny specs of energy smashed together on the stage, on the streets, and in the sheets to make incredible explosions of light and energy-- surrounded all around by shadows and the dark. And all of that is here in this book. And perhaps all this messy complexity is best wrapped up in the tragic story of the little boy Sham, the group's living mascot and totem, whose beauty and pain comes to embody the best to the worst of both the Angels' and the greater seventies peace, love, and happiness visions and their crashing failures.

But as ponderous as I'm making the book sound, it's incredibly readable and enjoyable because we come to it through Adrian's wild ride from scion of a Mainline Philadelphia family to bohemian black sheep to a world-traveled artist with a ramrod-straight spiritual spine who looks back unflinchingly at the times he and his fellow angels looked the other way so they and their bedazzled audiences could only see beauty--fleeting but transformative--onstage.

And I have to add that nothing enhances that very real beauty like the photos of Dan Nicoletta. His collaboration with Adrian makes this book an amazing time capsule for those of who could not be there (I was a tween in Tulsa, Oklahoma myself).

Finally, as a writer, I really appreciated how Adrian Brooks contextualizes the creation of each poem in the post-epilogue section of the book. It was a fascinating way to add yet another layer to this study of San Francisco's art--from its more measured fits and starts in the poetry scene to its most brazen soaring and crashing with the Angels.

As a fellow "survivor" of the Drugs, Rock 'n Roll, and the San Francisco free-spirited Gay Sexual Revolution of the 70's....I feel we are very fortunate that Adrian Brooks has the insight, awareness, and writing talents to document the Beauty, Madness and Theatrics of the phenomenon called "The Angels of Light"! Not only was Adrian a keen-sighted observer...he was also an integral participant who had the first-hand opportunity to enter and exit the very vortex of this creative cyclone.
His book ""Flights of Angels" is a tell-all...good-bad...beautiful-horrific...that is a "must read" for any one truly interested in this "once-in-a-lifetime" exotic living theater troupe. Adrian's unflinching portrayal of those involved(including himself)shows his brutally honest approach to this entertaining and mystifying cast of characters. If he stepped on some HIGH-heeled toes...or ruffled some of the gaudy plumage..SO BE IT! His end result in this Book is both very entertaining and A JOB WELL DONE!!!

ps For some good laughs...read his book "Roulette". And...for an erotic book...read one of his earliest works "The Glass Arcade" (an intriguing creation of book that is highly erotic...yet devoid of blatant sex scenes).

I wanted to know about real food that has not been adulterated with pestecides and hormones. I wanted to learn how to eat properly for me and my familet's health. This book provided all that information in detail and also made me aware that to get this good food we have to support our local farmers. I now purchase most of our foods from local farmers markets and I am now considering learning how to preserve good food to get us through the winter. This is the best book on this subject I have read out of at least 30 books.

In recent years, our society has become more and more obsessed about food. Many people consciously count calories, limit fat intake, and cut carbohydrates hoping to become healthy. At the same time, however, our food has never before contained so many additives or had so many chemical and other unnatural processes occur before the product ever reaches the supermarket. Such things not only reduce the nutritional value and tastiness of our food but may even be detrimental to our health.

The authors propose a real food revival to counter these costly effects. This revival takes the form of understanding the processes that our food undergoes to get to us and determining the freshest, least processed food products on the market. At first, this task seems almost impossible given that many of us have very little time to research, seek out, and then prepare these products. However, this book sets out in an easy to understand way, various practices that reduce food nutrition and taste starting from the raising of animals and the growing of crops through the antibodies given to these animals and the pesticides used on these plants to the chemicals and freezing processes that keep foods looking flawless during transportation and storage. The authors then explain ways that consumers can reduce costs and increase potential nutritional value of the food they buy. The simplest of these plans is to buy local foods in season, limiting the amount of chemicals that are needed to keep the product looking perfect during long periods of transportation.

Are you sick of eating tasteless food that may contain genetically modified ingredients or harmful amounts of pesticides and herbicides? Check out this book, and take back your right to good food! This is a great book, and really inspired me to take control of what I and my family eat. Learn how to find out what is in the food you buy, and how to insure a steady supply of fresh, nutritious food for your family. Includes some practical steps we can all take, and a list of resources in the back.

I was so impressed that I bought 6 additional copies to give to close friends. It's not preachy or radical, just wholesome information. Like the other reviewers, I was appalled of what I learned about food and livestock production, it's impact on the environment thus our economy. I particularly laud the German, French, and Japanese governments for the food production actions they are taking to protect their people. The EU is also instituting humane legislation for chickens that has a deadline of 2012. I consider the current pertinent laws a blatant selling out of the American peoples' health by the USDA and FDA (not from content from this book, but other books and web searches) through lobbying antics by mega international food and chemical producers (most started here and then went international). I also quit Splenda (as a RN I had been one of its strongest proponents to diabetics and overweight persons) and went back to sugar (now organic) and will soon try stevia. I think each of us has a responsibility to make our consumer demands for healthy products well known by no longer purchasing unhealthy food products and notifying our local, state and federal government officials of the same, including the USDA and FDA. Unfortunately money or political votes seem to be the only way to get a message through nowadays. As an aside, Monsanto and the US government own a shared patent on technology that renders a plant's seeds sterile so they cannot be saved for future plantings. Sounds like a bad science fiction movie or a take off from Logan's Run (1976) or a more accurate Soylent Green (1973), but it's really true. In the latter movie, when Charlton Heston says the freeze dried company developed its technolgy for soylent green in Norfolk,VA, I about flipped out that 1973 Hollywood even knew my hometown existed.

Whether you're like me and you were outraged by "Fast Food Nation" and "The Future of Food," or like the author of this book, you simply miss the taste of your grandmother's home-grown peaches, this book is an excellent resource on how to eat Real Food. By Real Food, the writers mean food that is not genetically modified, grown with harmful chemicals, or overly processed. The writers take you through the grocery store, aisle by aisle, explaining exactly what terms such as "free-range," "antibiotic-free," "USDA inspected," and "natural" really mean. It is eye-opening as well as interesting. One thing I particularly like about this book is that the writers do not insist that you must be vegetarian or vegan. They include plenty of information on buying meat, dairy, and eggs that are healthy and sustainable.

"STILL LIFE with BROOK TROUT," by John Gierach is on the surface, a vignette of Fly Fishing stories. However, like the pools described in those tales, this book goes much deeper. This is not only a "thumbnail sketch" of a fisherman's tales and travel log; it is the imprint of his soul and the art of which he pursues.

Gierach writes with realism, and a great sense of humor. He also writes with a true "Zen" understanding and appreciation for nature and trout fishing at it's finest.

"Chapter 6" specifically addresses the spirituality of fly-fishing and the beauty of silence when one fishes alone. Gierach understands the importance of allowing "ones spirit to catch up with their shadow" especially; in such a chaotic world as we now live in.

Chapter 9 would make any angler salivate like a dog peeking into the window of a butcher's shop. After all, imagine fishing all your life and then being presented the opportunity to actually catch a 10 (ok...maybe 9.5) pound Brook Trout!

This is an enjoyable and easy-read book that pulls you out of your recliner and mundane world and casts you out upon a "virtual" glistening stream as easily as the author's bamboo fly-rod, casts a dry fly into real world swirling waters.

Don't just sit there, get up and pack your fishing equipment and, don't forget to get a copy of "STILL LIFE with BROOK TROUT" by John Gierach on the way out of town!

I don't even fish, and I really liked the book. Partly it's because he writes so well about the places where fishing goes on and partly it's because of a delightful sense of humor. The essays create a sense of the man, too, so that you meet an interesting new character

There are authors you just have to read if you love fly fishing. Anything that comes out by John Gierach or Nick Lyons or Bill Tapply just has to be read. It's not as great as landing a lunker trout, but it's the next best thing.

John writes so well that it seems as if he just stumbles across his words of wisdom, comic relief, and society commentary. You find yourself thinking, "yeah, I've said that myself", although you probably haven't! There's storytelling which flows quickly, and there are those passages that you just know took time to craft. I appreciate that.

How does John Gierach do it? This flyfishing legend keeps on writing and entertaining like no other. This book is to be read and enjoyed by all flyfishermen.

As a manufacturing executive and California resident, it has become increasingly difficult to remain competitive in the world market place. Author Ronald Buckley has written a "how to" book for achieving or just rejuvenating your operations world-class results.

There is a saying that knowledge is power. However, implementation is just as important. Mr. Buckley has written a book that delivers both the key concepts for continuous improvement and real world examples of successful implementation. At the end of the day, we are all striving to achieve world-class results. This book delivers an ideal balance of diverse industry knowledge and hands on experience.
A key element throughout the book is the impact of cross-functional, self-directed teams on driving change and breakthroughs within organizations. Mr. Buckley provides a blue print for the formation, management, recognition and dissolution of these teams.

If it is time for breakthrough results, this is a book to be read by anyone who is interested in influencing their organization to achieve manufacturing excellence.

Mr. Buckley has written this book with an insight into reality of Manufacturing. This book provides a clear picture based on his experiences how we can turn around manufacturing companies into Lean by using "Self Directed Cross Functional Teams
Mr. Buckley's experience in defining a world class manufacturing facility is so apt for the new millennium. He shares the entire supply chain starting from Customer to factory to Parts that come from suppliers. He talks about Customer Quality out of box failures, Manufacturing velocity, first pass yield and Kanban process for parts getting from suppliers.
What I really admire and encourage about this book his the way Mr. Buckley approaches to establish the highly productive manufacturing operations, with cross functional team working while providing an insight into end to end approach.

Mr. Buckley has written this book with an insight into reality of Manufacturing. This book provides a clear picture based on his experiences how we can turn around manufacturing companies into Lean by using "Self Directed Cross Functional Teams
Mr. Buckley's experience in defining a world class manufacturing facility is so apt for the new millennium. He shares the entire supply chain starting from Customer to factory to Parts that come from suppliers. He talks about Customer Quality out of box failures, Manufacturing velocity, first pass yield and Kanban process for parts getting from suppliers.
What I really admire and encourage about this book his the way Mr. Buckley approaches to establish the highly productive manufacturing operations, with cross functional team working while providing an insight into end to end approach.

Author Ronald Buckley has written what will surely be considered the Manifesto for Manufacturing at the dawn of the Third Millenium. He clearly and concisely puts forth a methodology based, not on theory, but his own experiences in turning his factories into manufacturing powerhouses to be reckoned with.

From the factory, to quality, to cross functional self-directed work teams, Buckley shares with his readers a blueprint for "doers". Only a 30 year operations veteran could offer his readers this sage advise, " Sure, it would be nice if the resources were available for a full blown Six Sigma program; however much progress can be made using the simpler tools, such as SPC. So if you are a smaller organization, start with SPC and when you collect from the payoff of your efforts here, move on to Six Sigma, but don't think for a minute that you cannot compete without it." This may be considered heresy by the Six Sigma "bigots" but for a small or midsize company struggling to survive it's like the clouds parting and the stone tablets being handed down from on high!

If your company's back is up against a wall, your choices have been reduced to two: You can quit or you can stand and fight. If you choose to stand and fight "Winning in a Highly Competitive Manufacturing Environment" can be a tool to begin rebuilding your factory with a chance to have a future!

Mr. Buckley has captured the essence of what it takes to win in a highly competetive manufacturing environment. The most important element of any continuous improvement program is employee involvement. The author conveys an exceptional message that it is the combination of teamwork along with lean flow techniques, that can make an operation truly great.

I got exactly what I thought I was buying. This is a really convenient way to have a textbook, because you can just stick it in a three-ring binder and take it with you! Also, you can just take a few chapters if you want, or the whole book! The pages are a little thin, but it's a wonderful educational textbook. As a B.A. in psychology, I would recommend this book to anyone looking to have a great learning experience and a textbook that doesn't cost a fortune.

The book was in excellent condition mater of fact it was new. I was very please with the time of shipment.

The Seller was great - item shipped in a timely fashion and the looseleaf version is much easier to work with than regular hardcover texts.

The book is easy to read and it gives great examples to better understand the concepts. I would recommend this book.

The book treats many cases and reaches high level of coverage; it is very helpful, that in practice one can find many similarities, since the cases are very realistic and explained in depth. My opinion is, that it is valuable because it is applicable.

My almost three year old daughter loves this book and requests it every night before bed. The reason I think it is special is that the illustrations encourage the reader's verbal participation. For example, at the end of the book when Clara still isn't tired and might get out of bed again with another imaginary friend, my daughter Jane says "No Tata" and tries to put her back under the covers so she will go to sleep. Or, in the middle of the book when Clara is blows a bubble to be carried into the sky, Jane will pretend to blow the bubble. Or, when the bubble pops, my daughter will holler "POP!". I have to say that I enjoy the book just as much as my daughter does and can say that this is a book I do not mind reading again and again.

Such a beautiful book to read. It really taps into how children (of any age!) can use their imagination. My 5 yr old boy really loves this book. Even his 7 yr old brother drops what he's doing when we're reading this. Perfect read for any child, boy or girl. And a pleasure to read at bedtime...perfect dream starter!

book was in perfect condition and didn't take too long on shipping.

Amazing, amazing illustrations. Simple yet intriguing writing. Clara and her imaginary friend, Asha, tell a story most kids know and live in their minds. The flow of the pictures, characters and words allow one to delve into the mind of a child and relax to their thoughts. This book made me want to buy it for all the kids I know and read it to them together to watch their expressions as the pages turn.

While it doesn't have that wondrous vintage animation look that highlighted his Caldecott Medal winning "My Friend Rabbit," Eric Rohmann has another winner in always the classic motif of a girl and her fish. That's part of the fun here, we can imagine a girl or boy and his dog, or horse, or even pet rabbit--but a fish? With the exception of "Finding Nemo," "Mr. Limpet," and a few other famous fictional fish (and the former are both movies), the finned set is hardly the stuff of which dreams are made of. Yet, that's exactly what Rohmann does, and his enormous talent as storyteller and illustrator makes this seem almost as familiar and stories featuring animals that are more typical.

Rohmann pulls off this by setting his fish tale within a standard kids' book formula: The youngster who has fantastic dreams about some object encountered while awake, often a toy. Even within this context, Rohmann shows his originality, for the referent is not some household plaything, but the fish that form the base of a fountain seen by the young girl at the park.

The next problem with fish is that some people think they're slimy, ugly creatures akin to other people's image of snakes. So...how do you make a fish look loveable? Rohmann's oil paintings are uncluttered, fresh, and surprisingly light for their medium. The fish's big eyes and friendly face, it's very buoyancy, make it seem like a Macy's Parade float or a giant kite, rather than some dark, ugly-mouthed lunker bottom-feeding in some briny seawater. The fish actually looks huggable, and so when the little girl hugs her imagined fish, it looks real and seems--well, warm and cute. Rohmann also draws his well-known panoramas, including one where the giant (but floaty-friendly) fish takes her on a ride through the skies, planting her safely back to the bed from which she dreamed him. The dream device, by the way, is done in a subtle that permits a toddler audience to suspect that the gentle adventure might be more than "only a dream."

As with "My Friend Rabbit," Rohmann the storyteller provides a little twist at the story's conclusion: When a big alligator shows up next at the girl's window, the most watchful of readers/listeners may remember seeing a toy alligator several pages earlier. Another simple yet imaginative outing from Rohmann.

This was my first time reading a book by Tina Mckinney and I was very impressed definitely a page turner and funny as all out doors...can wait for the sequel...Boy how the tables turned!!!!

Tina, you did the damn thing with this book!! Of course, I wanted to slap the taste out of your mouth for leaving me hanging.

Tarcia is just as ghetto as she ever was in Lawd Mo' Drama. However, when her cousin, Lasonjia moves in, things she never expected begin to happen that make her rethink her relationship with the still delusional Kentee. This man is a piece of work who only worries about how things effect him and his comfort. He's willing to even use his children to get what he wants. Talk about selfish and self-centered!!! He deserves everything that happens to him and MORE.

Leah has finally found the man of her dreams. Luckily, she seems to be the woman Craig has always wanted. Will they both blow it or see their way through to appreciate what has landed in their laps. I was, however, confused as to what happened to Craig's wife.

Sammie is her own worse enemy. And her new found sister, Jazz has more than enough on her hands trying to make up for what she feels Sammie has never had.

All in all, Tina did an outstanding job with this book and I think it's the best one yet. I can't WAIT to see what happens next!!!

FOOL STOP TRIPPIN' begins by reintroducing us to Tarcia, whom we first met in Lawd, Mo Drama. Tarcia is determined to have the man of her dreams, at any cost. It doesn't matter that he already has a wife and family. She is willing to go to great lengths, including using black magic to get what she wants. Her decisions will lead to her losing almost everything, including her life.

Sammie, her half-sister, Jasmine and Leah also return to add spice to an already smoking story. FOOL STOP TRIPPIN' is a book you will not want to put down. Tina McKinney does something I for one wish more authors would do; creates a relationship between characters and their readers. She leaves you wanting more. Excellent Ms. McKinney.

I would just like to say that Tina, showed her tail in this book. I read all three of her books in 4 days and had the pleasure of meeting her this past Saturday. "Fool Stop Trippin" was by far the best book in the series. I love the way she incorporated the surprising twist and turns throughout the book. This was one of those books that you hate for it to end. I am so looking forward to the next book in the series to see what happens with Tarcia, Kentee, and Chauncey.

Thanks Tina, for the GREAT time and I look forward to your next book.

This book left me speechless! The ending was quite a twist from how I thought it would end. Waiting for the sequel which i hope includes Chauncey!

Brooks wrote the Freddy series between 1927 and 1958. They combine superb character development, unbelievable educational content, and generally mesmerizing entertainment. They are appropriate for reading to children as young as five or six, and make excellent readers for children from nine to as old as early teens.

If you read Freddy to very young children, expect to leave out some slower-moving segments and provide lots of side explanations. The good news is that these books can make your kids WANT to know more about judges and juries, bond and bail, the electoral process, World War II, banking, newspaper publishing, geography, ... I could go on and on. The vocabulary-building value is also enormous: words like "constituents" and "torrid" are sprinkled in throughout.

If you look at the membership of the Friends of Freddy organization, you'll find it is predominantly male. I think that's because of the book titles, not the content. My second grade daughter looks forward to my reading Freddy every night. She has named toys after Brooks' characters. Brooks handles the characters and their relationships so deftly that literary experts have suggested that these works actually inspired Orwell's Animal Farm. Oh, and the president of the First Animal Republic was a female.

Before Overlook republished the entire series, some rarer titles were bringing as high as $200 each. That fact aside, this combination of the first three titles in a single volume is a terrific bargain. I would argue that Freddy Goes to Florida and Freddy the Detective are the two best books of the 26 book series anyway.

In this age of unlimited access to Disney DVDs and slam-bam, in-your-face video games, the Freddy series just might be your kids' ticket back to calmer, more thoughtful, and much more valuable entertainment. But be warned: you may find your fifth grader reading under his blankets with a flashlight long after he's supposed to be asleep. It happened to my parents when I was in the fifth grade.

Such fond memories from my childhood. I read all of Freddie's adventures when I was around 8 years old and they stick in my memory. That was over 50 years ago! I can't believe I remembered Freddie's name. Any child will enjoy this series. Freddy has been a good friend in my memory for all these years. Enjoy!

My 5th grade boy couldn't seem to get as interested in reading as his older borther was at the same age. He disliked all of the many, many books we have from when his older brother was that age. His older brother liked conflict type books like Jacques' Redwall series where there always seemed to be some grand battle brewing between good and evil.

The younger one is much gentler and avoids conflict and dark books like the Harry Potter series. Finally, I found that he likes the same Freddy the Pig stories that I so tremendously enjoyed reading when I was his age. There is no fighting although there is adventure and a gentle page-turning plot of "what will come next". To my surprise I find these are much better than the more recent books intended for his age group so I guess he just has good taste.

I read them to him at bedtime and he reads them on his own at other times. The earlier stories are almost 80 years old but they don't seem at all dated. Each book has a main plot with lots of little sub-plots running though them just like an adult novel. Once you accept pigs, cats, mice, etc, talking and interacting with humans everything seems perfectly reasonable. Interesting and fun - highest recommendation.

I was seven or eight when I found the Freddy books on tape at my library. I checked one out and am still listening and reading them five years later. My parents constantly wonder why I read such easy and, to them, childish books.
But the reason is very simple. They are wonderful books, which immediatly
transport you to the marvelous world of Freddy and his friends. Cocky Charles the Rooster and his irritable wife, Henrietta, the sarcastic and witty Jinx the Cat, Mrs. Wiggins, the intelligent cow, and a plethora of other well written charecters grace the pages of these books. They are also books that make you think. More than once I had to ask my parents what words like "constituents" ment. I learned things about banking, trial and jury, and geography, among other things.
These are books for everyone, but especially children. Freddy was a magical part of my childhood. Anyone who hasn't read these is missing out
on a magical part of life.

The Freddy books are so great! They are especially good for reading out loud and the whole family will find them exciting and hilarious. They're good books for all ages.

Caroline Lawrence writes incredibly detailed, fascinating stories. This one is no different. The well-paced plot keeps you turning the pages to find out what is going to happen next.

However, this is a very bloodthirsty book mainly because the Roman games were bloodthirsty games. The children explore their feelings about the violence and find that the bloody nature of the sport can be both frightening and addicting.

I really felt that some of the descriptions bordered on too graphic. One of my main problems with this book was the part with the little girls being eaten by hippos and crocodiles. The main character, Flavia, just barely manages to escape death through the intervention of her former slave, Nubia. I found the entire scene with the girls in the water to be disturbing. It was fairly graphic and heartbreaking. I have a fairly vivid imagination and I actually ended up dreaming about this scene the night after I read the book.

The bottom line is, if you have a child who is prone to nightmares or who has an over-active imagination, then this would be one I would have them skip. However, since the plot line is important to the rest of the series, it would be good to read it and summarize the events for your child. This is what I did for my son.

These books are just great for kids who love adventure, excitment and like to learn about history in entertaining way. My kids can't put these books down and now have a real image in their minds of what it was realy like to be a child growing up in this time in history. Kind of scary!!!!!

The Roman mystery series is as good as it gets. Three of the children--Flavia, Nubia, and Lupus, go in search of their friend Benjamin who was last seen during the burning of Rome. Rumor through the city says that a dark, curly haired boy set the fire and Emporer Titus is searching for him. Emporer Titus is also opening the Flavian Amphitheater, now known as the Colesseum, with 100 days of celebration that will include gladiator fights and executions. The three friends find mystery and danger as they search for their best friend. Nubia holds the means to save either Benjamin or her brother, a gladiator, which will she choose? This series is exciting and in the process describes the life in Rome of 80 A.D.

If your pre-teen reads this book, she/he may want to run to the nearest bookstore to buy an armful of books on ancient Rome. Not because there's too much in it that's incomprehensible, but because Lawrence makes it a very realistic and compelling world--both the "good" and the "bad." The protagonists--all children--adroitly negotiate a morally difficult world where men, womnen and even children are victims of spectacular (and bloodthirsty) games in the Flavian amphitheater. However, the narration is also quite sensitive to the young reader's possible reactions, and sympathetic views are always heard from at least one character. The subject of personal loss and family tragedy is well explored here. I'm not a a mental health professional, but this books feels like the type that might help a child who has had to cope with the loss of a loved one. I've read every book in the series and as an educator in literature, I highly recommend it, and also the other books in the series.

The Gladiators from Capua is a continuation of the story in The Enemies of Jupiter, one moth later. There has been a fire that devastated much of Rome but the epidemic has ceased. To take their minds off the troubles of the past six months, Titus has deiced to hold 100 days of games to mark the opening of the new Flavian Amphitheater (later known as the Colosseum). Flavia, Nubia and Lupus are in Rome to attend the opening games but they have returned to Rome to search for Jonathan, who mysteriously disappeared. In their search the friends manage to get access to the lower sections of the Colosseum in order to search for clues. How they get inside the workings of the amphitheater brings each a measure of trouble that challenges each.

Caroline Lawrence provides a mesmerizing account of the opening games using Martial's book on the spectacles as inspiration (and there is a brief appearance by the poet). There are quite a few scenes of action that are magnificently described and the story keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat. She also fleshes out her characters superbly so we see them as real individuals. The Roman Mysteries is the kind of series that you do not want to end with each succeeding book building on the prior one. These are excellent books for young adults to learn about ancient Rome but adults will also enjoy them.