Fitzgerald Books

An interesting kids book about serving those in need but not being foolish with their devious desires and safeguarding yourself.

My Name is Deyaneira and I am 8 years old. My English teacher read this book to us in class and I thought this book was funny . My favorite part was when Dr. De Soto climbed in the fox's mouth. I recommend this book for everybody. I also like this book by Mo Willems: Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct. I hope you will love this book.

Just loved this book .Great book for kids of all ages. I even enjoyed this as a adult. Great ending .

This is a wonderful book! I purchased this for my 4 year old son and have given several copies as gifts to his friends. The story appeals to boys and girls. The author of this book wrote the original Shrek story as well as another book titled Boris and Amos. I highly recommend this book!

You can call me StoryMaker. "Doctor DeSoto" is not my favorite book, and I especially don't like the end. I like how they are animal people, but are the size they are supposed to be. What I mean is, they are animals that talk, walk on 2 legs, and live in their own house, but unlike most people animals, they are the size they are in real life. It would probably be a book a young child would adore (probably most children ages 3-5) but I don't fall into the "Dr. DeSoto lovers" category or the "children ages 3-5" category. This book is where a mouse named Dr. DeSoto (a dentist) finds out a fox is seeking dental care. Dr. DeSoto never let an animal that might eat him come in before (that's where them being the size they are in real life is important), but the fox really wants that dental care so Dr. DeSoto's wife lets him in. The part I hate the most is the end when Dr. DeSoto gives the fox his so-called special treatment so he won't eat them. That so-called special treatment causes the fox to not be able to eat anything, even if it isn't a DeSoto family member at all. He could DIE if it dosen't ware off! I actually don't have a lot of complaints, but this book is not very exciting. Overall, perhaps you may like it, but if you like foxes, this book will not please you. Signed, StoryMaker. "Gotta trust the kid's review!"

This is one of the most interesting books in the series. The series is fantasy, and I recommend it to grades 2-4. This is great for kids and it gives you facts about what or where they are near. This is probably one of the best series books I have ever read.

This book was fantastic. Jack and Annie went back to when knights were around. They walked around a castle. They fell in a moat and the knight saved them.

I learned some interesting facts. The knights wore armor when they traveled long and dangerous distances. A helmet could weigh up to 40 pounds. I learned that drawbridges crossed moats. Moats helped protect the castle from enemies.

I would recommend this book for three reasons. One reason is you can learn lots of stuff about knights and castles. Another reason is because Jack and Annie can go back in time and have an adventure. A third reason because Jack was protecting his sister Annie when they fell in the moat.

The Knight at Dawn is an interesting book about two kids.

Do you want to read a book that's really mysterious? Well, the book Magic Tree House #2 is the book! Do you wish that your tree house could take you wherever you want to go? Well, Jack and Annie have a tree house like that. Once they got to the creepy castle, with a knight. When they got there they got shocked because they got caught by a knight. You have to find out what happens next.

What I really like about the book is when Jack and Annie ride on the knight's horse.

I would recommend this book to people who like Magic Tree House books.

I liked this book. It had a lot of exciting parts.It was interesting and funny. I liked the characters Jack and Annie. They went back to the time of Knights and found a castle. The character Jack reminded me of a friend I know. Jack try's to take care of his little sister Annie and my friend likes to take care of the little kids too.
By Brian of Stockbridge Central School

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

Based on the number of search referrals I get, the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is a popular search. So, while perusing the new books at the library, I came across a book by Michael Schumacher, Might Fitz: The sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Contents:
Chapter One: The Toledo Express
Chapter Two: The Final Voyage
Chapter Three: Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Chapter Four: Search for Answers
Chapter Five: The Marine Board Report
Chapter Six: Tarnished Gravesite
Postscript

As you can tell by the Chapter List, Schumacher doesn't waste any time getting to the actual event. However, don't be fooled by the apparent lack of build-up, he does an excellent job framing the story, providing all of the backstory you require to become fully acquainted with the ship, the crew, and the events leading up the sinking. The most heartbreaking parts occur after the ship goes down. He has talked to the families of those men that were lost, their stories of how they learned of the wreck, and its aftermath. Even though the ship lies at the bottom of Lake Superior, the controversy surrounding it continues. First, Schumacher researches the Marine Board Report and its finding that the hatch covers were improperly secured, thus allowing water into the holds. Then he concludes with a research vessel that investigated the wreck, and to some, desecrating the grave (apparently, while filming, they discovered some bodies). And, don't forget the issues with the removal of the bell and replacing it with another one, as a remembrance of the sailors. All of this was new to me, and fascinating.

For those of you looking for more about the Edmund Fitzgerald, I don't think that you will find a better book on the subject. My only complaint is the lack of maps and pictures. I find it difficult to believe that Schumacher allowed this book to go to print without these items. I feel that they would have increased my enjoyment of the book, being able to follow the route, seeing actual pictures of the ship and the crew. However, he does a great job with his Notes and Bibliography. So, you will have some other reference material to check out (and find some of those missing maps). He has done an exceptional job reporting, without sensationalism, the life and death of the great ship and its crew. The aftermath, as I mentioned before, was, at times difficult to read. You tend to forget that there are people that must keep living, and Schumacher brings these people and their stories to you.

Highly recommended.

A really well written book concerning the last days of the ore-ship Edmund Fitzgerald. The author reall knows Lake Superior and the iron-ore shipping industry. I had difficulty putting this book down.

This was a very well written comprehensive account of the Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald... I learned facts that I didn't know before. Thank You for giving Credit to Tim McCall for his Beautiful Website the SSEFO.
It was a good read...

Mighty Fitz is a good, balance telling of the story of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, the loss of which was made famous by the Gordon Lightfoot song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". Mr. Schumacher presents the several theories of her sinking and details the human aspects of this story well. His research is correct (I compared both the US Coast Guard loss report and the final NTSB reports to his recounting) and delivered in a very readable manner. He uses "real English" and doesn't get overly technical which makes this a great read for anyone who loves stories of the sea (or the Great Lakes in this case).

Michael Schumacher's "The Might Fitz: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is a very good but superficial narrative of the tragic loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald in November 1975 and the subsequent investigations, theories, and activities surrounding its loss.

Schumacher does an excellent job in this short, readable book describing the "Edmund Fitzgerald's" last voyage and eventual loss. He never gets bogged down or sidetracked with too many details. He also covers the various investigations that followed the sinking and the competing theories about the cause of her sinking, without pushing any one theory. Finally, he briefly touches on some of the latest efforts to memorialize the "Edmund Fitzgerald," along with some of the legal battles that have arisen over the artifacts at the site.

My one criticism is that this book would have been much better with just a few maps, pictures, and charts. Maps are important to explain the location of the ship and its track; pictures to give life to the "Edmund Fitzgerald" and the men who crewed her; and charts to explain the setup of the ship and some of the theories as to why she sank.

In the end, though, Schumacher does a very good job bringing this tragedy to life and making the reader feel the loss of the ship and its crew. This is a very good book for someone wanting an overview of the second most shipwreck in modern history, but it is probably too superficial for "Edmund Fitzgerald" aficionados or anyone wanting an in-depth, detailed study of this tragedy.

Pirates Past Noon (Magic Tree House, No. 4)Summary:
It's a rainy day and Jack and Annie go to the tree house and see a book that has a picture of a sailboat, a parrot and a palm tree. They head on an adventure to an Island..............

Review:
I thought the book was quite interesting and wished it went on longer. It was exciting to hear about them getting captured and being brought onto the ship.


I was disappointed that they never opened the treasure chest and left us at the end of story without telling us everything I wanted to know.

I would recommend it for second and third grade boys and girls. The words are easy to read except for one.

In this 4th installment of the Magic Tree House series, Jack and Annie find themselves on a deserted island, quickly confronted by three not so nice pirates - Pinky, Stinky and Cap'n Bones. The pirates are in search of Captain Kidd's buried treasure and they are sure that Jack and Annie know where it is. With the pirates desperate to find the treasure and a storm on its way, how will the kids get out of this one and back home safely?
The end of Pirates Past Noon holds a delightful surprise and is sure to lead you quickly in search of book #5! This is a great series that my 5 year old daughter and I love. It is perfect for kids who are outgrowing the younger picture books and getting ready for chapter books. These books have a picture every few pages, so that helps in the transition of reading/listening stages, I think. They are also a great way to introduce your child to different regions and to learn a bit about history.

This is the first book we read in this series and we are looking forward to going back to 1,2,and 3. The book takes you on an adventure through another book. There are mysterious things happening that Jack and Annie are trying to figure out. In the mean time they get caught up with a couple of pirates. A great read for a young boy.

My first grade grandson could read like lightning but could'nt remember anything he read, never understood what the story was trying to tell him and generally became very apprehensive when asked to read anything. He had classic performance anxiety. Having taught in Special Ed., I had found the Magic Treehouse books helped put the most anxious reader, especially those who faced language based reading difficulties, right at ease. As with them, my grandson almost instantly became a part of the story. His reading became more fluid and he would sparkle when asked to relate what he had read. Thank you Mary Pope Osborne!

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

Tears of Autumn offers an alternative explanation for the Kennedy assassination that may make sense but is unsupported by a shred plausible evidence, even in the book itself. Still everything proves to be exactly as Paul Christopher intuits, apparently on the strength of gut instinct alone. Far from being a realistic character, Paul Christopher is simply a more intellectual version of James Bond, a spy who never makes a prediction that doesn't come true, follows any blind leads or makes a single mistake. I saw nothing of the real life espionage work in this novel, just as series of increasing lucky, and decreasingly credible, guesses.

I first read this book in the mid-80s and again last week. It was wonderful then and has aged nicely. The book has it all. The well-sketched characters come alive on the page. The thrilling plot is complex but easy to follow (however, it does require careful reading). Since the main character's success depends on him navigating between western and Vietnamese cultures, the reader even gets a bit of an enjoyable cultural anthropology lesson! I strongly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for an intelligent espionage thriller.

McCarry writes: "It's normal in South Asia for people, even educated people, to horoscope important projects. They believe there are forces beyond human intelligence that have an effect on the acts of men...but if you don't understand that reality, and give it due weight, you'll be making an arrogant mistake."

If you can blend this description of Vietnamese culture with the subtle background story of the Kennedy assasination, you should find that this is a good book -- a solid three stars. For me, what holds "The Tears of Autumn" back from being a stronger read is simply that there is never any real tension where you feel as though Paul Christopher isn't going to make it to the end. And, if you never have that anxiety about a lead character whom you like, then the author almost has to keep any foul play to a minimum. In other words, McCarry can't endanger everyone except the protagonist.

Having said that, the description of Frankie Pigeon's interrogation in an underground holding cell was excellent. More of this type of tense, but enlightening spy method, would really boost this book's effectiveness.

This is an outstanding tale of significant believability. Even from the span of time from when it was written to today. How did McCarry slip under the radar?

I only recently discovered McCarry's political thrillers, but he's been around for decades. This book, though, was really a disappointment to me. First published in 1975, it follows the adventures of McCarry's series character, CIA agent Paul Christopher, as he seeks the shocking truth about the JFK assassination.

Well ... let's face it, in the ensuing years, we've all been beaten to death with theories about JFK's death. Maybe "The Tears of Autumn" was thrilling and shocking when it came out 33 years ago, but now it feels like a hoary tale indeed. And the conclusion (spoiler alert!) -- that the Diem family of Vietnam killed him for his complicity in the assassination of their family members in Vietnam -- hardly seems worth a blink in an era when people blandly accuse the president of masterminding the deaths of thousands of innocents in downtown Manhattan in casual conversation.

McCarry writes brilliantly, but "The Tears of Autumn" is too dated to be more than a curiosity.

Reviewer: Elizabeth Clare, co-author of the historical novel "To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis and Clark"

I loved it. Nothing was bad. I liked it when Jack and Jim became friends.

This book is about two main charactor, named Jack and Annie, and every day they ask if they can go out side to play, but they actually go out to this tree house that is full of books, and they find a book they like well in this book they found a book with tornadoes in and they decided to wish to go into that book and it took them
there and in the story Annie becomes a teacher who work in a wooden place that had one room and they called it a school. So these funny looking shapes start to appear in sky made out of clouds that looked like
cones and then they started coming down to the floor. If you like old histoy, school and/or tornadoes than I would sujest that you read this book.

This book is about two main charactor, named Jack and Annie, and every day they ask if they can go out side to play, but they actually go out to this tree house that is full of books, and they find a book they like well in this book they found a book with tornadoes in and they decided to wish to go into that book and it took them
there and in the story Annie becomes a teacher who work in a wooden place that had one room and they called it a school. So these funny looking shapes start to appear in sky made out of clouds that looked like
cones and then they started coming dow to the floor

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

The book Twisters on Tuesday features magic, danger and history. The magic is the tree house. I bet you're saying huh? Read the book to find out about this magical adventure.
The main characters of the story are Annie, Jake,Ted and Morgen. Annie is Jake's sister. She likes danger and Jake likes to study.
Ted is a featured charactar in this book. He starts out as a human and changes, into a dog and the story's plot is how Annie and Jake help him. I recommend this book to people who like magic and history in their books.
- Moises

A collection of short stories about teenagers trying to figure out how love works. There were a few characters that I'd be tempted to beat with my shoe if I ever met them on the street, but overall, the voices were realistic and this will appeal to teens, especially girls. Several of the stories made me laugh and others left me feeling depressed. My favorite story was "A Letter to My Daughter," a letter from an absent father to the daughter he's never met.

I am a teacher and this was chosen as a school-wide read for 9th-12th graders. It was a beautiful thing to have students begging for a copy of this book. Students couldn't eat lunch for reading the book! A Great Book for guys and girls.

This collection of short stories addresses issues teenagers face in a very real way. I looked over the Table of Contents before I began to read and wondered which story I'd like the most. After reading "Jacobs' Rules", which teaches a very important lesson about relationships, I thought I found it. But "A Letter to My Daughter" turned out to be my favorite. It took a lot of courage for Alicia's absentee father to write this letter; teaching her about boys, and, more importantly, admitting he fell short when he was with her mother. Any girl who receives a letter like this from her dad, absentee or not, has a dad who truly loves her, and she should certainly heed his advice.
The author did a good job with these stories; some sad, and others thought-provoking or entertaining. Whether male or female, teens should read this book.

Who am I without him?
i just finished reading who am I without him? Basically this novle is a whole buch of short stories of girls and their relationships with boys. The main problem that is taken place through out the whole book is girls who never had a boyfriend, or ither girls who do everything they are told by them. Then these girls end up getting hurt. Thes stories take place all around the world. This happens in everyday life, so it is not just in one place. Mainly these girls are not ready for what they are getting themselves into. Their relationships go ither good, bad, funny and heartbreaking. something you might want to ask yourselfe is who am I really without him? You need to make sure being in a relationship is what you really want. Give it some time and really think hard.

We read this one a month ago. The title led us to believe this book was about teens relationship with God, which would've been a good subject to read about. But this was not about God. It was ten stories about teen relationships. We pretty much enjoyed reading them all. Our favorite was A Letter to My Daughter. We enjoyed this one the most because a father was writing to his daughter explaining to her what boys were all about and what their intentions were when dating or having a girlfriend. It's always good to hear it from a male perspective. This way, girls will have the inside scoop and know exactly what to lookout for.

On the negative side, we wished that some of the characters were of other ethnic groups instead of mostly urban African American. The story, "I Like White Boys" was good. We wanted to read more racially integrated stories. Sometimes it's difficult to read slang. We try to read books that doesn't have a lot of slang because it's not the standard in this society. We recognize that urban communities have citizens that uses slang and improper English, but we're trying to change all that by incorporating ourselves into this American society by speaking proper or standard English. It's not that we disapprove of urban books. No, not at all because we love the BLUFORD SERIES! It's just that we want to be able to articulate a sentence when we go on job interviews.

All in all, it was an okay read and we would recommend it to other teens.

Teens'R'Us
3.5 ***-.*

(4.5 stars) Anthony Trollope does, indeed, fill the ending of this delightful social satire with all the "sweetmeats" any reader could desire. Between the introduction and conclusion are so many moments of wry humor, genuine thoughtfulness, and satisfying come-uppances that the extra sweetness at the end is actually a bonus. In this second of the Chronicles of Barsetshire, published in 1857, Trollope continues the story of Mr. Septimus Harding, the gentle and unambitious clergyman who, in The Warden (1855), resigned his appointment as warden of Hiram's Hospital for the poor and became the vicar of a small church, living frugally above a chemist's shop. His daughter Eleanor, who married reformer John Bolt at the end of The Warden, is now a widow with a small son--and considerable inheritance.

Ecclesiastical controversies, many of them linked to the desire for power within the small world of the church hierarchy, still exist in Barchester, and the arrival of Mr. Slope, as chaplain to Bishop Proudie, signals fireworks. Slope, one of Trollope's most unforgettable characters, is one of the slimiest, most sycophantic, and manipulative clergyman ever to appear in English literature, and before long, he is controlling the bishop, clashing with the bishop's wife (who regards herself as co-bishop), using the unfilled wardenship of the hospital as a bargaining tool with Mr. Harding and Eleanor, alienating and even outfoxing Archdeacon Grantly, and seeking a wife with a large fortune.

Far more complex than The Warden, the novel has more fully developed characters acting from more realistic motivations. Victorian England, as we see it here, is a multileveled society which does not allow for much upward mobility, and the entrenched clergy regards itself as second only to the aristocracy. The human foibles, the back-biting, the selfishness, and the one-upsmanship which Trollope includes in his depiction of all levels of society are particularly ironic in the case of the godly churchmen, and the honest and straightforward Mr. Harding is a counterweight to them throughout the novel.

Several courtships and marriages are presented so unromantically here that it is difficult even to imagine the concept of sexuality, but the novel is witty and clever, and Trollope shows his continued development as a satirist. Not a writer of "sensation," like Wilkie Collins, or of social criticism, like Dickens, Trollope has his own quiet style, and his wry observations about his world may resonate with the present reader more than either of those other giants. n Mary Whipple

The Warden
Doctor Thorne (Barsetshire Novels)
Framley Parsonage

This edition is an adaptation, a fact that is *not* mentioned in the item record *at all*. I ordered it, and when if FINALLY came (6 months after I ordered it), I had to return it because I prefer the real edition of a book, not some dumbed-down "retold" version to go with the TV version of the story.

In Barchester Towers you have the feeling of being in a command center during a war; everyone is in uniform; archdeacons are common, and bishops, far from rare. It is an exceedingly rare perspective of the Church of England's clerical politics, and Trollope brings it to life with Giotto-like realism. Trollope's writing is tension-filled and the protagonists' and antagonists' characters are depicted in black and white, just as their clerical garments would suggest. Barchester Towers, is a love story from start to finish, and if the reader finds the sequence of compound misunderstandings which form the basis of the plot's tension to be incredible in the extreme, Trollope would defend it as the "fog of war," which creates confusion on any battlefield.

The detail with which Trollope portrays his characters is crystal clear, yet economical: "He knows how to say a soft word in the proper place; he knows how to adapt his flattery to the ears of his hearers; he knows the wiles of the serpent, and he uses them." "Why she had chosen Paulo Neroni, a man of no birth and no property, a mere captain in the pope's guard, one who had come up to Milan either simply as an adventurer or else as a spy, a man of harsh temper and oily manners, mean in figure, swarthy in face, and so false in words as to be hourly detected, need not now be told." But it is to Mr. Slope that Trollope devotes particular attention: "If it should turn out to be really the fact that Mrs. Bold had twelve hundred a year at her own disposal, Mr. Slope would rather look upon it as a duty which he owed his religion to make himself the master of the wife and the money; as a duty too, in which some amount of self-sacrifice would be necessary." And of Mr. Harding: "He had that nice appreciation of the feelings of others which belongs of right exclusively to women." And you have to love Trollope's baptism of his characters with names which serve as labels: Farmer Subsoil, Rev. Quiverful, Dr. Fillgrave, Mrs. Lookaloft, Miss Thorne, Mr. Plomacy.

Trollope's craft is apparent throughout: "Olivia Proudie, however, was a girl of spirit; she had the blood of two peers in her veins, and, better still, she had another lover on her books; so Mr. Slope sighed in vain; and the pair soon found it convenient to establish a mutual bond of inveterate hatred." And in describing the henpecked Bishop, "If ever he thought of freedom, he did so as men think of the millennium, as of a good time which may be coming, but which nobody expects to come in their day." And our protagonist: "Mrs. Bold would have given the world not to blush, but her blood was not at her own command."

Trollope's 1857 British usage takes some acclimation, as with his liberal use of compound negatives: "...not unnecessary...quite impossible that he should now deny his love...he could not but know...he was not the last person to hear of it...her state, nevertheless, was not to be pitied...I doubt very much he won't lose his gown." Trollope's liberal sprinkling of Latin and French phrases, as with "nil admirari" and "couleur de rose," are evidence of Trollope's trust in the reader's cultural qualifications. Comic relief is less liberally sprinkled, but it is welcome when it breaks the tension, as when Mrs. Lookaloft crashes the area of Miss Thorne's lawn party reserved for the "quality," which she so ardently strove to emulate.

A significant part of Trollope's craft is also comprised of befriending the reader and confiding in us regularly: "Will anyone blame my heroine for this?" Or "You, O reader, and I, should be angry with Eleanor..." Or "The sorrows of our heroes and heroines, they are your delight, oh public! Their sorrows, or their sins, or their absurdities; not their virtues, good sense, and consequent rewards."

Barchester Towers is a masterpiece of fantasy. Trollope here rivals Austen, some forty years his senior, as a creator of misunderstood and pitiably human characters whose stars we ardently pray will cross. Unlike Austen, however, Trollope gives us the basest and vilest of antagonists, whose downfall we demand. And you, O reader, shall not be disappointed.

Where Dickens paints memorable characters with wonderful names, Trollope draws characters closer to ourselves then shows us how they think, behave, and interact.

Another difference between characters in Dickens and in Trollope is that Trollope's are more nuanced. The detestable Mrs. Proudie repels us with her prudish haughtiness but when she upholds the cause of Mrs. Quiverful she does so as much out of charity as out of principle. The odious Obadiah Slope suffers pangs of love that made me want to shake him by the collar and tell him to wake up! The good Mr. Harding is clearly in the wrong in thinking ill of his daughter Eleanor's judgment, and yet Eleanor was also at fault in thinking herself above defense. There are no white hats or black hats in Barchester, only various shades of gray.

Trollope delights in describing what all these people think, and how they express themselves. How the tone of voice is intended to undo the work of the words spoken. How truth can be spun into a spider's web as does the wonderful character of the Signora Madeline Neroni. If anyone in the novel can be called evil it is her. She manipulates people like objects for her own amusement; she's like a cat playing with a mouse which it has no intention to eat. And yet even the reader can't help falling in love with la Signora. And yet, and yet, and yet... No one is simple in Trollope's world.

Barchester Towers differs from its predecessor in the Chronicles of Barsetshire. The Warden is a classic romance tainted with a touch of tragedy all brought down to the scale of everyday life. Barchester Towers on the other hand is a sprawling pageant of people, a long chapter in a comédie humaine that follows Balzac's tradition.

Vincent Poirier, Tokyo

Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) has earned his place in the pantheon of great English Victorian authors. His greatest novels are those in the
Barsetshire series dealing with the clergy and the Palliser novels concerned with politics focusing on the Palliser family.
The first novel in the Barsetshire series "The Warden"introduces us to the Rev. Septimus Harding and his charming daughters Eleanor and Susan. Harding gives up his supervision of Hiram's Hospital for elderly men as that novel concludes. His daughter Eleanor weds John Bolt the newspaperman who had criticized Harding for earning too much in a sincecure; his other daughter Susan is wed to Dr. Grantley the son of the Bishop of Barsetshire. "The Warden" introduces the characters in "Barchester Towers" which is a longer and more complicated novel.
In this novel the new Bishop has been chosen by the British government following the death of old Dr. Granley. He is Bishop Proudie the henpecked husband of one of literature's greatest shrews Mrs. Produie. The uxorious bishop must obey his dominant wife or face the consequences!
As the novel opens Dr. Grantley the scion of old Dr. Grantley is upset that he is not chosen to succeed his father as bishop. He is a member of the high church party in opposition to the evangelical wing of the Anglican church favored by the Proudies. It is time for clerical warfare to begin!
The oily chaplain to the new bishop is the Rev. Obadiah Slope who seeks advancement in the church but fights with Mrs. Proudie over who will have the wardenship of Hiram Hospital. He favors the restoration of Mr. Harding but Mrs Proudie wins out when the Rev. Quiverful, his wife and 14 children win the prize of the wardenship.
A love story is told as widow Eleanor Bold is courted by the odious Rev. Slope; Bertie Stanhope an impecunious and fatuous sculptor and the intellectual clergyman the Rev. Francis Arabin. Arabin is a favorite of the Grantley faction in the church feud with the Proudies.
The widow Neroni is Madeline, the daughter of the Rev. Stanhope, who is crippled but a bewitching temptress for all the men in the story. We also meet the Thornes who are an older brother and sister living in the country near St. Ewolds wherin is located Mr. Arabin's parish. They are hilarious!
The novel ends with the social, religious and romantic worlds in a state of calm salubrity. The novel was a bestseller in 1854 and is the bestselling and most humorous of all the Barsetshire novels. Anthony Trollope wrote about good men and women in a realistic, easy to read style which is enchanting 150 years after first being written.
I have read Barchester Towers several times and still enjoy this enchanting classic from the hand of a literary master.

I know that "Biscuit" is one of those books that looks utterly mind-numbing, but that little dog has managed himself a respectable-sized series with adventures perfect for all those little readers. This little precious guy has to be the cutest dog to ever appear in kiddie literature. He's a playful, spunky, but rather needy boy who needs the attention of his young mistress. Little girls especially will love this sweet little book.

Cute illustrations show Biscuit's young owner taking care of him as she tries to put him to bed. The text is simple and beginning readers will pick up the simple words easily, with the illustrations a big help when cues are needed.

A super bedtime book, especially for kids who have something in common with Biscuit - they want a drink, a snack, a hug, one more kiss... will they NEVER go to sleep?!? Of course they will, because just like Biscuit, sooner or later, they're just plain tired!

I can remember reading this book all the time when I was younger! I just loved it. It made me want a puppy that was just like the one in the story. Its a good book because the words in it are big and easy to read, and because it teaches responsibility because it shows the girl in the story feeding him and taking care of him.
I gave this book 5 stars.
Kathy Weirauch

Have always enjoyed Biscuit stories, this one is not a disappointment. The binding on the book itself is soft, the pages cannot be turned easily which is frustrating for toddlers.

My mother, a teacher, gave us some Bisquit books for our 4 year old son. He loved them so much, he has learned to read them in just a couple weeks.

The illustrations are as cute as can be.

The text ranges from simple to moderate for a first reader. I have found the balance between easy to read / appropriately repetitive text and few few places where the rules for sounds change a little to be just right. You can see where your child will try to apply a known rule (e.g., here vs. her) but will fail. You can explain the difference between the words and how to know proper pronunciation. After doing it a few times, he gets not just the words, but the rule. This, of course, requires the parent to be active while the child is reading.

The construction of the book provide plenty of reinforcement for the child and our son always wants to read more.

However, like all things, it is good to get other first readers as well. After a point, children will have memorized the text and will no longer be really 'reading' or stretching themselves.

We have some Bob the Builder, Toy Story, etc. books. However, Bisquit was unknown to us and is preferred by our son.

ISBN 0679863710 - Books in series for kids aren't new - Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, the Bobbsey Twins.. right on through to the Babysitters Club and Goosebumps - they've been out there for generations. This series, however, does seem to have a slightly younger target audience than most and that, in my opinion, is a very good thing. The younger they're hooked, the harder it is to give up the habit, and reading is a habit you want to encourage.

Jack and Annie are headed home from the library, wondering where Morgan and the Magic Tree House are and when she and it might return. Annie runs off into the forest and sees that it has returned! The only question is - where's Morgan? A note is found, along with a mouse, and the kids have the tree house whisk them away to Japan, sometime in the 14th-17th centuries, where they are meet ninjas and flee from samurai warriors and gather the first of four items they will need to rescue their friend. They return home in time for dinner, but they still haven't found Morgan!

I have a few problems with the book - for one, the kids go to Japan and meet some ninjas who speak fluent English. Or the kids unknowingly speak fluent Japanese. Either way, they're able to communicate without trouble. Jack makes small notes as he goes, like "ninjas were warriors in old Japan", but there's little effort made to delve too deeply into anything informative. Not that every book in the world needs to be educational, but it feels very much like a missed opportunity. Last is the obvious fact that book #5 comes nowhere near being complete, as Morgan is still missing. It's one thing to hope your readers will return for book #6, it's another thing altogether to split a story that way - whether it's a kids' book or a book for an older audience, every book should stand alone and allow a latecomer to the series to jump in at any point without feeling lost.

Still, I take only one star away for all of that because I think TMTH has tons of potential. This book was action packed, fast paced and full of exciting adventure and kids will enjoy that. What they enjoy, they will read! The prologue, to bring you up to speed, is a help. The back cover says RL 1.9, ages 6-9. I think the more likely audience age group is 5-7 and these chapter books would make an excellent jumping off point to learn about other cultures with Mom and/or Dad's help.

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

This book is a very nice mystery chapter book. When you finish it, you want to add a chapter or 2. This book is mostly about ninjas. Jack and Annie have a big problem to solve. Their friend, Molly, was in a trap! She sends them a letter. It says, "Help! In a land of ninjas! In a tree house!" Jack and Annie are afraid! They want to help Molly but they can't, that's because they don't know how to get to ninja's land. I won't tell you any more. If you want to know more, then read the book. I think it's a good book to read.

Raymond Georges 3/13/06

Ms. Hillgardner Class: English

Title: Magic Tree House #5

Night of the Ninjas

Author: Mary pope Osborne

Illustrator: Sal Murdocca

Jack and Annie the two main characters. They go to the magic Tree house. It whisks them to ancient Japan. Their mission is to find their friend Morgan, while their friend Jack and Annie get seen by two ninjas. Jack saw them as a treat so he was very caution. They followed the Ninjas through valley up mountains and in the forest. They saw a few samurai warriors who were looking for the ninjas since they are with them the samurai see jack and Annie as emesis.
On their little journey they way of Jack and Annie met the ninja Master. He told Jack and Annie," Use nature be nature, Follow nature, if you use these three things you will find your way to the tree house and find your friend Morgan pg 38. I'm not going to tell you anymore because I do not want to spoil it

Night of the Ninjas
By Mary Pope Osborne

Would you like to hear about a book called Night of the Ninjas? The two main characters are Jack and Annie. They find a Magic Tree House that allows them to travel through time. In this book, they go back to the time of the ninjas. They are captured and taken to the head ninja. I'm not telling what's next. The series is Magic Tree House. This is book number five. Read the book to find out what happens to Jack and Annie.

Terry, 7 years old
Cunniff School
Watertown, MA.