King Books

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of America's greatest heroes and this is a collection of his wonderful writings and speeches. Often people stop at "I Have a Dream" but this shows the complete evolution of Dr. King. A wonderful read that has been part of my library for the past 10 years -- and I've read it three times and often use it for reference and store it next to the Bible.

"I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World," by Martin Luther King, Jr., is a fine collection of texts by this important figure. The book has been edited by James M. Washington. Coming in at less than 300 pages, this is a concise but meaty book.

Washington includes King's most important texts: the "Letter from Birmingham Jail"; the "I Have a Dream" speech; his Nobel Prize acceptance speech; "My Trip to the Land of Gandhi"; "A Time to Break Silence," his 1967 speech criticizing the United States war in Vietnam, and more. These writings and speeches cover King's great themes: nonviolent resistance, the African-American civil rights movement, etc.

Those seeking a more comprehensive collection of Kings' work should seek out "A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr." also edited by James M. Washington. At more than 700 pages, this is a truly monumental collection, and includes much material not found in "I Have a Dream": the 1965 "Playboy" interview, transcripts of television interviews, and more. But for those who want a shorter text that cuts to the heart of King's life and work, "I Have a Dream" is perfect.

"I Have a Dream" reveals King to be a true Christian prophet, and a man with a global vision. As literature, these texts also show King to be the heir of such American thinkers as Henry David Thoreau and W.E.B. DuBois. Highly recommended.

This collection of Dr. King's writings includes all the major speeches -- such as I Have A Dream and I See the Promised Land, as well as important writings such as Letter from A Birmingham Jail. It also has great essays on the lessons Dr. King learned from Ghandi and a wonderful introduction from Mrs. King. This is a great collection to get started learning about Dr. King -- from his own pen. I highly reccomend it.

Dr. Martin Luther King's collection of writings and speeches, "I Have A Dream", brings aspiration to light. The events that surrounded the life and death of this true hero reveals the shameful fact that no matter how great the United States of America is today, it is one country that was nurtured with inhumane machinery: slavery, racism, injustice, Mickey-Mouse freedom, and Mickey-Mouse democracy. I hate to think about it, but it is an honest fact, which we should all come to terms with. Nobody can rewrite history.
The 256 pages that is "I Have A Dream" was enough to highlight the wickedness and the violence that were deliberately sustained in America, for a full century, after a bloody Civil War ended her tenacity on slavery.
One question that will always beg for answer is: How on earth did U.S. Presidents who presided over the ruthless color-bar era qualified for those Nobel Peace Prizes that they received? Knowing what life was like in the U.S.A. just a couple of decades ago melts my heart. "I Have A Dream" is a big eye-opener!

Reading the speeches of Dr. King are inspiring. You get a glimpse into his mind and to genuinely understand the struggle he was up against. I'm not just refering to the Civil Rights movement. you also get insights into the responsibilities and pressure he felt as the leader of this movement. He was a man who changed history. This book offers glimpses into his humanity as well as his motivational and inspirational speeches. A must for anyone interested in American history, the Civil Rights movement or in biographys. It will continue to effect you long after you have put the book down.

"Idylls of the Queen" satisfies on many levels. One: it's a unique look at the world of Arthur's Camelot through the eyes of the much miligned Sir Kay. Two: It's a terrific murder mystery with red herrings and surprises. Three: It's a great fantasy, containing magic and otherworldly spells blended in a unique way.

If you're looking for something different, be it fantasy or mystery, I recommend "Idylls of the Queen" you won't be disappointed!

I absolutely could not put it down! And extended story of Guenevere's dinner party where Sir Patrise dies of poison, it is written in the style of a murder mystery narrated by Sir Kay, in which he and Mordred are the primary characters. Throughout the entire book they try to find out who the real murderer is in order to get Gwen off the hook, and as they do this they retell traditional legendary events, looking for "motive" within them. It's great--very creative and suspensful. I read it twice, and the second time I couldn't remember who the murderer was, and I was still guessing at the very end! Also, I love the way Karr presents Mordred.

King Arthur meets Hercule Poirot in this enjoyable murder mystery, set within the context of "Morte D'Arthur" in a scene that was related with brevity, but here is fleshed out to a darn good story. I've been reading a great deal of Arthurian lit currently, to help me focus for my own book, and this is one of the best I've read.

It takes place when a certain knight dies of poison during a party thrown by Queen Guinevere -- and the queen herself is the primary suspect. Sir Kay, being the lead character, dives in to help Guinevere and prove her innocent. (If you've never read the legend, then you doubtlessly won't know who the heck it is).

The characters are recognizable, but thankfully do not fully fall into the well-worn slots that many authors shift them into. Karr's portrayal of Kay was excellent, sympathetic and extremely accessible to the reader. I felt sorry for Guinevere, loved Karr's portrayal of Mordred (I'm seeing good Mordred portrayals left and right at present). On the flip side, Lancelot enthusiasts may want to run for the hills (are there Lancelot enthusiasts?).

Phyllis Ann Karr, aside from being a darn good Arthurian author/historian is also a darn good mystery author. She gets the pacing and interactions that are suitable in a good mystery, never becoming too extended and therefore, boring. The tone of the writing is wry and mildly humorous, though never Monty-Pythonesque. The cover is of the quiet, dignified type that many lower-key, higher-quality Arthurian books current have, with the sight of a castle fringed by green leaves.

Overall, this is what I think Elizabeth Peters would write if she wrote Arthurian lit. After the highly enjoyable "Arthurian Companion" (a must-read for Arthuriana buffs) this was a rare treat.

*Idylls of the Queen* is so much more than a good murder mystery. It is a good murder mystery, but unlike an ordinary mystery, you can reread it, even knowing whodunit, without any of the fun being spoiled. The mystery is sort of a backdrop to the real show--which is yet another new take on the personalities of Arthurian legend, and a different look at chivalric ideals.

The narrator is the oft-maligned Sir Kay, the grouchy but well-meaning seneschal of Arthur's court. He's not a bad guy. He *is* a sarcastic curmudgeon, but that's because he's seen so many self-serving buffoons win glory and adulation while his own hard work goes unnoticed. He is also secretly in love with the Queen. Kay shares an uneasy friendship with a wonderfully written, morbid, fatalistic, and somehow sympathetic Sir Mordred. Together they set out to clear Guenevere's name of the murder charges, meeting fascinating characters right and left. Morgan and Iblis are especially engaging, and Karr puts some deep words into their mouths. Morgan's defense of her mixed Christian and pagan ways cuts right to the heart of things, and Iblis's observation that justice is different for women than for men, is shocking just because it is so true of the times.

If you're an Arthurian buff, read this book. It's a quick read, and a great way to spend a lazy afternoon or two.

Phyllis Ann Karr has done all Arthurian fans a big favor by writing this book. "The Idylls of the Queen" is basically a murder mystery set in Camelot, with all the familiar knights and ladies as suspects when Sir Patrise is inexplicably murdered at a small dinner hosted by Queen Guenevere. Sir Mador accuses the Queen of the murder, and a race against time ensues to discover the truth. The usual knightly quest becomes a hunt for the killer--whoever that may be. Along the way Karr treats us to some very unique interpretations of the Arthurian cast, including Sir Gareth, Sir Bors, Sir Gawaine (more like the title character of "Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight") Morgan le Fay, and Sir Lancelot himself. Told in the first person by Sir Kay, King Arthur's foster brother and seneschal, usually noted by other writers solely for his comedic boorishness or ignored entirely, the novel clearly demonstrates that there is a lot more to Kay than he's usually given credit for--as was the case in the earliest Arthurain legends, where the sarcastic boor of later years is replaced by a loyal, courtly knight. Karr's version of Kay is still a fountainhead of caustic wit, but even so he's likeable and clearly indispensible to the well-being of Camelot.

A fast, suspenseful novel that should stand up to multiple readings, "The Idylls of the Queen" is an ingenious work that should please all fans of Arthurian literature.

Last night, my wife Kathy and I watched the second debate in the United States 2008 presidential election and there were some black people in the audience. When one of the older black people walked up to Barack Obama after it was over and had their picture taken with him, I turned to Kathy and said, "Just think what she must be thinking, she is old enough to remember segregation and now it looks like a black man will be president."
Young people are heavily favoring Obama, yet they really do not know much about how in the recent past it was difficult to impossible for black people to vote or even execute their rights. This book, written for the person in late elementary school, is a brief yet reasonably thorough explanation of the plight of blacks and the civil rights movement. This movement was much later coming that it should have been; yet when it did it was unstoppable. As is made clear in this book, not even the pain of death was enough to keep the dedicated people from marching and speaking out against the ills of racism.
Now that the country is poised to elect Barack Obama president, we can look at it with pride. However, we must never forget the pain and suffering that was endured in getting to this point, which makes this book so valuable as a historical retrospective on how we got here.

This is a perfect read for those middle grade elementary school students. It has a just-right balance of text, information about ML King and illustrations.

Whenever teachers in our predominantly white elementary school ask me to recommend a title pertaining to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., or to African American history, this is one of the first books I suggest for grades 4, 5 and 6.The question and answer format lends itself to reading aloud and then discussing topics that come up, like segregation, white supremacy, the Montgomery bus boycott, etc. I recently read part of this book to a fourth grade class who just had "segregation" as a vocabulary word. The students were quite attentive and asked some excellent questions.The title is a bit misleading in that some might view it as a biography of Dr. King. While many sections do draw upon personal events in Dr. King's life, such as when he was a youngster riding in the car with his father and he heard a police officer call his dad "boy." Or again, when he was young and he was told he could no longer play with his white friends. But as the title says, it's really about if you lived at the "time" of Dr. King. Therefore, it's an excellent introduction to many aspects of the Civil Rights movement.While the watercolor illustrations are an improvement over the black and white drawings in earlier editions of this "If You Lived At the Time Of" series, in this case I think the text could be more fully enhanced with actual photographs, especially since many of these illustrations are copied from well-known photographs.All in all, this is an excellent introduction to the Civil Rights Movement for upper-elementary students (and apparently for middle-school students according to another review here). This is one title that, in my opinion, should be in every elementary school in the nation. Recommended.

Martin Luther King Made the Black and white people be together and I wish I was there to help Martin Luther King. I wish I could of met him. When I was reading this , it felt like if I was there and seeing white people hurting black people's feelings. If I was one of the black people hearing the insults I would try to change it like Martin Luther King. I would recommend this book to all people so they could learn about his changes.

If you lived at the time of Martin Luther King J r.
By Ellen Levine

The Book is about when it was the 1950's to 1960's. A man named Martin Luther King Jr. was the leader for the blacks. White people were very mean to African-Americans. They had to use different schools, phone booths, neighborhoods, bathrooms, restaurants, hotels, and drinking fountains.

I like this book because I wonder about if I were there, would I have tried to help the black people? I know I would have.

I also think the illustrator did a great job on coloring the pages. I think the author wrote this book because it was about segregated laws. She wanted kids to know a famous leader or what it was like if the kids were there with him.

From the very first page I got involved..most books just don't hook you that quickly. You want be disappointed, it keeps you until the last page and leaves you looking forward to the remaining stories about the Clavell family.

I personally know Golden so waiting for her book was hard- when it came out, it definitely didn't disappoint! I read it in two days and I'd recommend it to anyone (and I do! :-))

It took me a couple of chapters to get into it, but as soon as Madeleine went to Versailles, I was hooked and couldn't put it down. If you like any historical fiction, I highly reccommend this. I really cared about the characters and couldn't wait to find out what happened. I'm really looking forward to the next novel in the series.

From page one I was sucked into this story, reading the pages as fast as I could. What a great drama this author has created. I love a well written, well researched historical book with lots of tension and this one did not disappoint.

The Clavell family finds themselves at the mercy of King Louis XIV's merciless dragoons, soldiers who terrorize the Protestant Huguenots and try to force them to convert to Catholicism, the state religion. Madeleine Clavell, who knew King Louis when they were both very young, believes she can persuade him to call off the dragoons. Her husband, Francois, and her mother, Elizabeth, both try to dissuade her from traveling to Versailles, but Madeleine is desperate. Surely the king cannot be heartless. Surely he must remember what they once meant to each other and he will show mercy to her and her family. It is a gamble which could cost her everything.

I had no idea that such persecution went on in France in the 1600's. I found it very intriguing to "experience" through this story what it was like to be persecuted simply for believing a different doctrine. A dramatic story of love, betrayal, and persecution!

This is a powerful, fast-paced story that kept me guessing what might happen until the very end. I thoroughly enjoyed this family's story. I can hardly wait to read the next book in the series! I want to know how things turn out for each of the family members. I highly recommend In the Shadow of the Sun King.

All the "Seth" books are nothing short of stunning. They are also gripping, mind boggling, unforgettable, and life-changing.

But to read this you had better be prepared to throw away a whole bunch of worn-out beliefs, and pick up a whole bunch of crisp new ones.

It's important to realize that this book is as much about the individual and the power of the individual to control (or partake in chosen) events in immediate surroundings as it is an offering of insight into the nature of "mass events." As usual, Seth points to the power of the individual in the context of the individual's deep connection to "all that is." The revelation that we are not powerless in a world gone berserk (from a subjective perspective) is comforting and downright empowering. This is evolved thought at its best. All that is left to the reader is to experiment with vigor the value system presented. In my mind, this book taken as a whole, was one of the best presentations of the Seth ideas. Read it, practice it's teachings and change your life for the better.

"You create your own reality".

This is the central message of the Seth material. Far from being the helpless victims of circumstances that have been thrust upon us, we are the masters of our own destiny, even though most of us are unaware of it. But if we all create our individual realities, how come that there are events that influence a great number of people simultaneously, like elections, natural disasters or epidemics? How could one possibly believe, for example, that the 6 million jews who died in the holocaust all individually chose that fate for themselves?

It is at the intersection of individual and mass reality where Seth's message indeed appears to fail the reality check. Not so, according to Seth, but it takes a whole book to explain why. 'The Individual and the Nature of Mass Events' carefully elaborates how the individual and the collective consciousness work together in a grandiose balancing act to create a shared reality that serves all the invididual development needs, simultaneously. Seth illustrates his points by discussing some of the great mass events of the time, such as Watergate or Three Mile Island. Of particularly significance in this context is Seth's statement that public health announcements and prevention programs, by their suggestive nature, create more instances of the diseases than they prevent!

'The Individual and the Nature of Mass Events' represents a cornerstone of the Seth material, as it reconciles Seth's principal message with our common sense perception of reality. It helps the reader to make sense of seemingly senseless events, and it shows how each of us, individually, can make a difference.

Why do we have world events, disasters, weather, etc the way they occur? This book address these questions. Reading this book, one can see how we create our realities as societies, cultures, countries, etc. We can gain additional, if not totally new, insight on this matter. What you will find out may surprise you, it may even make you angry or just make you not believe what the book says. To gain further insight, read The Personal Nature of Reality also which will show you how we create our own immediate reality. To me it was difficult to read but others that I know had no problem. Possibly it was hard to read was because it was packed full of information? I give it 4 stars because the way it was written. I think it could have been written so that it is less verbose and easier to understand. This book was written in the 70's when this kind of information was new and hard to find.

Don't get me wrong. All the Seth books by Jane Roberts are worthwhile. And given recent global events, this book is more timely than ever. So I highly recommend that at some point you purchase this book so that you can read and reread it many times over. You should definitely aim to have all the Seth books as part of your personal library. I surely do. And I can pick a Seth book at random, turn to any page, and come away with a fresh insight. But if you are not sure who or what Seth is? Then this book may only confuse and perplex you. If you are new to Seth, I highly recommend that you start with "The Coming of Seth," followed by "The Seth Material," and then the must-have-Seth-book-of-all-time, "The Nature of Personal Reality." Then you will most surely want to read "The Individual and the Nature of Mass Events." My only complaint about this book? The "current" events referred to in this book may seem like ancient history to some. Oh, how I wish Ms. Roberts were alive today for Seth to comment upon such things as the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the more recent terrorist attacks. But indirectly, this book will help you come to terms with all these events and more. So in this respect, it is more important now than ever before. And one of the reasons that I include it on my list of "Timely Tomes for Troubled Times."

THIS BOOK IS FULL OF ADVENTURE, MYSTERY, AND FUN!!
I RECOMEND THID BOOK TO ANYONE!!!

It has all the princesses. It is fun to read. I like it because it's good.

I think that if anyone in my class read this, they would want to get all the books like I did!

This great book is wonderful for children that love adventure. These 4 sisters are the most couragest girls I have ever read about.Read they're great adventure in this awesome book.

First I got this book and it got so worn out from me reading it all the time that I had to get another one!!!!!!!!! :) This book is about the princesses working together to get the crown back. If you like fantasy, princesses, adventure, and fun you will love this book. It is my favorite book in the Jewel Kingdom series.

You laugh, you cry. It is so wonderful. I started reading it to my olderst child when she was three.
Now it is on all 3 kids most wanted list.
A book to cherish for ever. Each have one to take home when they are grown up to read to their kids.

This is a wonderful book for the whole family. It's hard these days to find a picture book where the narrative is as compelling as the illustrations. This is one of those rare books. The folk tale is refreshingly new and unfamiliar, and teaches a lesson not often heard in children's books. And Kristen Balouch's brilliant sense of color and design have a warmth and humor that is really appealing. I wish I could decorate my home with these pages!

I look forward to more books from this talented illustrator.

What's great about this book is that it's not the usual children's fare. The story of the Persian king and the three thieves who help him to learn tolerance and generosity is told in clear simple language that children of all ages can understand. The illustrations are just gorgeous--they're done in subtle and rich color, with bold graphic patterns, and in a style that reflect the origins of the tale. My kids love it! I hope this author comes out with another book soon.

What's great about this book is that it's not the usual children's fare. The story of the Persian king and the three thieves who help him to learn tolerance and generosity is told in clear simple language that children of all ages can understand. The illustrations are just gorgeous--they're done in subtle and rich color, with bold graphic patterns, and in a style that reflect the origins of the tale. My kids love it! I hope this author comes out with another book soon.

My kids loved it and enjoyed having it read to them. The illustrations are fun and I recommend this book to all parents.

All the over the top praise the other reviewers have given this work is justified. One can't help but to gush over it. Liked all the stories - each one got increasingly better. Extraordinary use of the famous Millhauser love triangles (sometimes quadrangles) - every story utilizes this technique. The best thing about Millhauser is that he understands this about the nature of love (and lust and hate): it is rarely a neat and tidy relationship between two people. Rather, it is almost always a complex web of interactions, contextualized between the lover and the object of the lover's desire, who usually only obtains that status when compared against another love or lover! Deep stuff, huh? Deep stuff that Millhauser portrays perfectly in this collection. Not to mention the beautiful, fluid langauge. Not to mention the lush imagry. Not to mention the interesting pacing ..... It could go on and on. Anyway, get this book, because after you read it you'll feel glad to be alive simply for the experience of discovering a fine work such as this one.

I LOVE Steven Millhauser. I own almost all his books--read them one after the other, within the span of weeks. His only flaw in my mind is slow-pacing, but my eye didn't skip over anything in King in the Tree!! I read the Tristan and Ysolt story word by word--something I never do.

This dazzling collection should be of interest to all lovers of Interstitial Fiction, for Millhauser is a master at blending different genres -- myth, fantasy, surrealism, historical fiction and Romance, contemporary realism, horror -- into elegant, innovative, and utterly gripping stories. He is, quite simply, one of the best writers of our day -- and this collection of three stunning novellas is not to be missed.

The three novellas contained in this book are perhaps the most exquisite I've ever read and it pains me to see this beautiful book with but three reviews previous to mine. Anyone who hasn't read "The King in the Tree" is really missing something extraordinarily special.

The first novella, "Revenge" was simply not to my taste but it is perfectly crafted and oozing in irony and sarcasm. Your taste might be very different from mine and this could well end up being your favorite among the three. It is the least "flowery" and the one told in the most spare, but perfect, prose.

"An Adventure of Don Juan" was my favorite because of its overriding sense of melancholia, something I like in a book. In this novella, Don Juan's adventure at an English manor house is quite different from his adventures in Spain or other parts of continental Europe. I loved every word of this novella, from the first to the last.

The title novella, "The King in the Tree" is a heartbreaking retelling of the story of Tristan and Isolde told from the viewpoint of Oliver Cromwell. As the Amazon editorial review says, this novella is a small masterpiece. While I preferred the second novella just a little more, I do have to say that I finished reading this one with a sense of awe. If Millhauser can write something this crystalline in its perfection, this moving, this absolutely beautiful, then I feel the man can surely write anything at all. This is one of the most beautiful pieces of writing I have ever been fortunate enough to read. This is what every "would be" writer should aspire to.

If you love good fiction and you haven't read "The King in the Tree" you are really cheating yourself. Buy or borrow a copy today. This is probably the most beautiful book and the most perfectly crafted book I've ever read. I feel so lucky to own a copy.

Anyone who has had the pleasure of taking a journey between the two covers of a Millhauser book will approach this selection of three novellas with particular glee. Steven Millahuser has revived the glory of Romance Novels and yet has done so with his unique skill and vision. He has an obvious love for the Grand Epics of the past and here he delves deeply into the tale of Don Juan, transporting the Spanish lothario into the prim and measured world of England, finding a startlingly altered view of love among the proper Brits. His retelling of the legend of Tristan and Ysolt (Isolde) is even more beautiful than the versions we know so well. His explorations of all the agonies of love's commitments overlay the exquisite longings in this tale of chivalry, fidelity, and passion. It is impossible to read this novella without hearing Wagner's lush 'Liebestod' ringing through the air.

Millhauser is at his finest in the first of the three marvelously written and conceived novellas in this colection. In what appears to be a simple tour of a house that is on the market he manages to tell us of a marriage troubled, doomed and revenged in a simply eloquent monologue by the surviving wife. How much of this tale is purely cerebral, the workings of a mind gone mad, and how much is the actual distillation of revenge on the perpetrator of a failed marriage and death of a husband is left to us to determine.

Millhauser writes with elegant and eloquent prose, asking us to linger over his pages the way we might linger over a painting in a museum walk. And indeed his stories are written as though derived or inspired from just such experiences. Stunning writing this!

I am not a tech savvy individual and I get frustrated having to scroll through many pages to get to the chapter and verse I want to read. Time is a precious commodity, and this kindle version of the King James Bible has just given me more bible reading time! No more endless back and forth scrolling, the navigation is easy-to-use and takes me where I want to go in just a few clicks.

When I first used my Kindle, I inadvertently downloaded the wrong KJV. It had no table of contents and to get to the New Testament I had to turn every single page. I wasn't through the first chapter in Genesis when I realized the futility of my task. I began a more thorough search for a Bible that was more "user friendly." This one caught my attention because Diana Mecom, the lady who formatted this version, offered to send a sample of it. I requested it and was pleasantly surprised to receive a personal note from Ms. Mecum which instructed me in how to transfer it from my computer to my Kindle. The sample was ample. It gave me Old and New Testament books to experiment with. I bought it and am delighted with it. I was extremely impressed with Ms. Mecom's kindness and follow-up on this transaction. I highly recommend this version of the greatest story ever told. STLemos

This was one of the easiest books to navigate through that I have ever seen because it emulates the hardcopy. In fact, it's better because I don't have to keep paging and paging to get to where I want to read. Instead, each chapter or individual book is just a click away. This decreases my frustration which increases my enjoyment. Thank you, it's fantastic.

This offers book and chapter navigation - without such an ebook of this size is useless. I have tried a number and this is by far the best and worthy of 5 stars. Also includes a previous and next link on each chapter so you can easily navigate to the next. Great formatting of each page.

This was the 3rd or 4th purchase I made when I received my Kindle. I was pretty hesitant that the Kindle version of the Holy Bible would be as good of quality as an original paper copy. I took a few minutes to see if I could navigate through the books and chapters with ease. I am pretty critical when it comes to a Bible in terms of what I want and expect. But after a few short minutes of searching through the text, I had forgotten that I was actually reading the Kindle version. It is very impressive. I am enjoying having the Holy Bible at my fingertips. I have given this 5 stars...for the simple reason that I notice nothing different between my Kindle version and my favorite hard copy of the Holy Bible. A perfect addition to my newly expanding Kindle Library.

Kristin Sorra's vibrant drawings bring an old English folk story to life in Aaron Shepard's engaging King O The Cats. What kind of intelligence can cats have? Young Peter Black has noticed some strange things happening among the local cats lately; but nobody will believe his wild tale. His investigation of what is affecting all the cats in town reveals a changing world brought on by a single leader.

Aunt Mary read _King o' the Cats_ to niece Robin, age 8, who really loves cats. She liked it all, especially the coronation scene. Robin is involved in Renaissance Faire activities and is attuned to the rituals of royalty. Aunt Mary liked the irony of Father Allen gaining a reputation for telling tall tales. Also, the illustrations were lovely, dark and appropriately spooky.

I read "The King O' the Cats" to a group of children ranging in age from kindergarten through 5th grade. After hearing the story, all the children thought this was a good book to read to kids, but that it might be too scary for the younger ones. They all like cat stories and liked how the cats helped prove Peter's "stories" to be true. They thought it had to be something important to get the cats to talk to people, though.
The illustrations lead to discussions on how the pictures were used to bring out the most important parts of the story, such as how the King of the cats stood out from the crowd as he was being crowned and thought it was interesting that the priest looked angry but spoke kindly to Peter.
There was the one child who prefered books with non-talking cats, though.

Our class really liked the book King O' the Cats. Kelly enjoyed the crowning of the cats, and all the cats going meow, meow. Mary enjoyed the details, which made her want to read more and more. Cheyenne liked how in the beginning Peter was making up stories, and at the end, the priest does the same things. Marissa feels that the book was "fantastic and funny." She especially liked when Tom jumped up and shouted "Then I'm the king o' the cats!" Diana enjoyed reading about Peter's shortcut. Shannon liked it when the cat hit his head! Alex B. liked the cats on the foxes chasing the dog. Brittany's favorite part was the cats in the church. Alex C. made a text-to-self connection, since he has cats, and he felt bad when his cat died. Daniel H. made a text-to-text connection-it reminded him of The Secret Shortcut. Destin also made a text-to-text connection, with The Boy Who Cried Wolf. (He also feels this book should get a medal!) Efren liked when the cats cried for the dead king cat. Morgan liked the whole book, but especially when the cats were speaking. Preston says, "I love your book, oh yes I do!" Ty liked when Tom went up the fireplace chimney, and he liked the title, too. Michelle wants Aaron Shepard to write a King O' the Cats part 2!

First the disclaimer: I am the author's wife. BUT...Wait...Before you decide to skip this review, let me add something.

I've never reviewed any of his other books.

So why this one?

King o' the Cats is a very special book. It's a slightly spooky story with twists and surprises in both the plot and the characters. It dramatizes truth and imagination, creativity and conformity.

But mostly, it's a delight. A special book, a special gift--for children, grownups, cat lovers, and anyone at all who enjoys a good story.

By the way, Aaron has a reader's theater script of this book available online at www.aaronshep.com/rt/RTE36.html