Smith Books

The trapper Link and his snow dog Chiri are my favorite characters in books by Jim Kjelgaard. Link and Chiri are both natural loners who are steadfast and competent in the far northern wilderness. Chiri's mother is a big pack dog that Link had just bought. Her first litter of puppies had been killed on the trail by a cruel master. With a new litter on the way, she cleverly runs away and bears her three puppies in a windfall in the territory of a fierce black wolf that hates man and dog alike, having been shot early in life. Chiri is the biggest and most promising of her pups, and the only one who escapes from the black wolf. His mother and siblings dead, the lonely pup learns survival by necessity, and being a superior animal, becomes a strong and able hunter. The trapper Link is also strong and competent, but like the orphaned dog, he is lonely. He has dreamed of having a special dog who can be his companion in the wilderness. How he tames the great dog and together they live in nature, experiencing beauty and danger, and hunger and plenty, should make dog lovers and nature lovers of any young person who reads the book. There is a sequel that is just as good, maybe better, entitled "Wild Trek". If you liked these two books of adventure in the north, you would also like "Lost in the Barrens" and "Curse of the Viking Grave" by Farley Mowat.

This story has delicate explainations of many things for instance, the beautiful nature, the sign of each season, and the animals behaviors especially the humorous doing of the mask face puppy, Chiri. Moreover, The story has shown the relationship between dogs and men that is very impressive.

This book was one of my favorite childhood reads when I was growing up. I loved dogs, and I loved it when dogs bit back and had their own little adventures. Years later, and now a young adult, I still cherish this book, however, I now love wolves as well as dogs, and although I love how Kjelgaard describes the harsh wilds style a la Jack London, it is clear that Jack London has come first, and did something a bit better when it came to wild wolves.

Meet Queen, a Husky/Irish Wolfhound mix that is supposedly The Dog to get and a lucky trapper Link Stevens had gotten her from a good bargain. However, Queen is weary of man after being mistreated by past owners, and even more so when she is due with pups. So fleeing Stevens' cabin and his dogs, she goes off into the wild to raise her puppies in peace. Of course, as the summary already supplied, we already know Queen and two of her pups will die to a vicious black wolf with a grudge against mankind and the beasts who are slaves to men. The black wolf is the main villain in the story, the leader among a great pack of bloodthirsty wolves who follow their leader in the joyful act of killing for the sake of killing. Of course, the strongest, darkest, and bold pup survives the black wolf's vicious killing of his family by hiding deep in a hole and fighting back as the black wolf tried to dig him out. After that, the gray pup grows into a strong, wild dog who is soon captured by Link Stevens. Link names the dog Chiri and despite his many tries to break the dog in, Chiri proves to be too wild for the man to handle. After Chiri runs away from Link, the man gives up and tries to leave his cabin along with his other dogs when the weather proved too harsh to stay. However, the black wolf and his bloodthirsty pack await in the next corner, and after tense moments, Chiri comes out of nowhere, slays the bad wolf and saves the day.

The action is very well-written, the suspense there, however, the author does not seem to know anything about wolves. Given the time period that it was written in, I can't be too rigid about it, but let it be known that wolves do not travel in such a large pack, even if food is scarce. If an outside wolf ventures into their territory, they will do their best to chase it out, but they will not go out of their way into territories to make sure that tresspassing wolf is dead. They also do not kill their young if they prove to be too weak or worthless to hunt down game. Wolves also do not blunder into the snow when chasing prey. Their paws are flat, large, and they are able to walk across snow. Reading this when I am now a lot older was a bit painful because there were so many false facts about wolves in this story. Although the author had tried to give the reader that it was only the black wolf's pack who killed for the sake of killing, I couldn't help but think that he was also labeling all other wild wolves. Despite these mistakes, I'm sure you can stomach down this helping of a wild dog facing the harsh wilderness in one sitting, unless you're a rabid wolf lover, to which I think you should avoid this book like the plague.

This boook was and is still my favorite book in my collection. This is a thrilling story about a trapper named link stevens who traps in the "Black Devil's" territory.The black devil is a black woulf who was shot by a Chirikov as a puppy and in time the black wolf has killed him.
Link lost ha dog named Queen who was about to give birth to a litter of puppies.She dose and is killed by the black wolf protecting her puppies . Only the masked face puppy or Chiri survives .
This story is one of the best

I am a 50ish woman and Jim Kjelgaard was my favorite writer when I was a young reader. I found I could get his books and ordered Snow Dog and Wild Trek. As an adult I still find the writing to be better than average compared to many current best selling authors. I enjoyed reading Snow Dog and am looking forward to reading Wild Trek (which was my favorite book).

Reading Kjelgaards books, and other books about the outdoors and wilderness adventures, probably contributed to my life long love of the outdoors and my interest in the environment and conservation.

I am glad to see young readers are still enjoying his books

This book really helps me learn all the ballet steps and poses. Anyone can read it and understand it. It teaches different styles, such as Cechetti, Russian, etc. I highly recommend it for any ballet lover at any level. This book is an EXCELLENT tool.

If you are a learning (or even trained) dancer,, you should definitely buy this book. Teachers- you should keep a copy in your studio library. My old dance teacher introduced me to this dictionary, and I continued to use it in my college dance classes and when I taught dance on my own.

It's small enough to slip inside your dance bag, so you can take it with you to class. It's a fabulous resource for terminology, which is priceless to learning dancers. Because, there's nothing worse than going to a class when the teacher is of a different methodology. This one features several, including the more popular methods, like Cechetti. There are also some drawings to help you understand more clearly.

This book will help you learn all your arabesques, positions, and more.
A great tool!

It helped me visualize my eight body positions in order to put them in practice. It also helped me with spelling of different positions.

This book best serves those who have had enough experience with ballet to be able to understand the terms within the definitions themselves. Almost all ballet terms in this book contain other ballet terms within the definitions, and pictures are minimal (positions of the feet/arms, body in space, head, stage terms). If the dancer is not familiar enough with ballet terms, technique, and form, then this book can be overwhelming. I recommend this book to all teachers as well as teenagers who are serious about ballet (it's a must have). For younger students (9 years old and up), I recommend any ballet book that contains basic terms as well as pictures showing proper form/execution of these terms (pictures will also include proper alignment and proper turn-out as well as a clear explaination on how to work toward both).

First published in 1950, this ballet reference guide has stood the test of time. Who's it for? Ballet students and teachers, choreographers, or any ballet enthusiast. Here's what the book covers:

-descriptions and definitions of over 1100 ballet steps (in alphabetical order)
-how to say the darn words (worth the price of the book alone!)
-illustrations showing you body positions for the more common ballet steps and movements
-cross-references to other names for similar steps/positions that vary from the Russian, French and Italian schools

A must have book that can easily be toted around, I doubt most readers will regret buying it. Other ballet resources I recommend include The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution for practitioners who have trouble with their feet.

This is one of those books I found as a child AFTER seeing the Disney movie and reading that it was based on a book. As usual, the book is so much better! If you've never read this book, but you're fond of the movie, or of dogs, you will love it. The story is truly heart-warming, and I love that certain scenes are oh-so familiar if you've seen the movie, but so much of the story is completely new! Did you know Perdita is NOT the name of the "leading lady"? That's all I'll say about the actual story, but please, read it for yourself, even if you don't have kids. It's a wonderful read-aloud book, too--the first time my husband ever heard about this book was when I made him lie down and let me read it to him. We didn't have a child then, so now we get to share it with our son, too. Truly, a wonderful book. However, just so you know--the second book is not nearly so good! I own both of them, but I probably won't read the second one more than one more time, when I read it to my son. It's just not at all the same thing--aliens in London? Anyway, read 101 Dalmations and I know you'll enjoy it!

I loved this book I read it when I was very young, I fell in love with it then, I lost the book and for years thought of getting it again. I feared that I would not like it as much, it was as I remembered, and not the Disney version. I still love the book it did not let let me down. It made me laugh, cry and now understand my dog a little more (ha ha)

I owned this book by Dodie Smith when I was a boy. I loved it and from this story I developed an even stronger love for dogs and animals in general. Written in a most loving way, the story takes us beyond the later Disney film's watered down presentation of the story and dives deep into the realm of dogs. We discover the magic of "dogdom" and how dogs of every kind communicate with each other and with their humans (as Dodie states, and I am certainly paraphrasing, dogs own their humans, but let them think they own the dogs because it is so sweet!)

I have only one complaint about this publication of the book. the illustrations are just short of atrocious. I had an earlier edition of the book that had wonderful drawings that clearly were created with a real understanding of the story and what Dodie was trying to say. The illustrations in this edition look like they were pulled from someone's generic dog clip art. They are technically fine in their own right (I could NEVER draw like that), but they just don't capture the magic of the book.

If you can look past the illustrations, this is a wonderful story and a well written book.

101 Dalmations has appeal to dog lovers of all ages, breeds and sizes.

Dodie Smith - Thanks for leaving this gem for all to share.

This is a charming and delightful book that is deserving of its status as a classic of children's literature.

It takes a dog's eye view of the world, and features as its heroes Pongo and Missis, a pair of Dalmatians whose litter of puppies disappears one day.

As they set off to reunite their family, they find themselves in a struggle against the illegal coat-making operation of one Cruella Deville, an iconic villainess whose name and passion for high temperatures hint that she may be the devil incarnate.

The book becomes a fantastic quest book that takes place in the heart of England. The adult dalmatians find friends and foes along their path, and end up liberating nearly a hundred little puppies.

Smith has fun with the details and logistics of feeding, disguising, and transporting the refugee puppies, and young readers will enjoy learning the particulars of the secret lives of dogs.

The original animated movie adaptation is a good and fairly faithful movie in its own right, but the book is better by far.

Some parents might shy away from the book because of the gruesome idea that Cruella literally skins her young charges, but I think that the darker elements are an integral part of the winning tone, which refrains from talking down to children.

Highly recommended!

I won my tattered, dog eared, Disyned-fied copy of "100 Dalmatians" in a school auction when I was 7 years old. I learned to read late because I'm dyslexic (hence any bad spelling you may notice) so this was the first real chapter book that I ever owned and the very first I read.

It was great. This is a fabulous novel for all ages but especially for kids. I'm not going to re-hash the plot because I think the whole world knows it by now. The themes of good parenting, loyalty, and of course, good, intelligent, kind dogs are things that every child should learn. It is true that this book contains some talk of puppy killing, which didn't disturb me, and I'm guessing that today's 7 year olds wouldn't be scared by it either.

Another reason to read, or let your child read this book is that it will encourage a love of dogs, and having grown up with dogs every minute of my life, I can tell you having one (or more) helps immensely in all kinds of situations, social and otherwise. It provides an example of love and loyalty, as well as the responsibility involved in feeding and caring for a dog. However on that note Dalmatians, contrary to the lovable Pongo, Missus and Perdita in this book, do not make good dogs for children. They don't have the temperament for it. If you read this book and decide to get a dog for your child (an excellent idea) I recommend a good old fashioned mutt (they're smarter because they're not inbred) or a border collie, which can actually be trained to be nannies for children because of their sheep herding instincts.

Anyway, five stars. Great for the whole family, and an excellent way to encourage reading in a child of any age. At 18 years old I still love reading this book. And the sequel, "The Twilight Barking" isn't half bad either.

I'd like to say that Dr. Klaus' book rang a very alarming bell with me. I believe he percieves the environmentalist' movement to be a nascent fascist world tyranny, and I believe him to be correct in that asessment. The world of the future, if they have their way, would be one that those who've seen "Soylent Green" would recognize, I'm sure. The lies and obfuscation and outright intimidation the Greens use in pursuit of their agenda is reminiscent of the "brown shirts" of early Naziism. Dr. Klaus very clearly shows this in his book, and indicates with commendable brevity and succinctness why they can't be right scientifically and economically; and how one must perceive the claims they make through the lens of clear-thinking reason in order to marshall an effective resistance to the alarmism and scare tactics they use against those who would speak truth to power. I heartily recommend this book.

Blue Planet in Green Shackles is an excellent tour of the global climate change policy debate.

Key ideas reviewed by Vaclav Klaus include:

Resources, Their Exhaustibility, and the Irreplaceable Role of Prices
The Wealth Effect and the Effect of Technological Progress
Discounting and Time Preference
The Absolutism of the Precautionary Principle
What is Really Happening with Global Warming

If you have received most of your information about global warming from the popular media, you will be very surprised or even shocked by the information Klaus provides. The existence of so many scientific and economic reasons to doubt the conclusions of the climate alarmists and reject their efforts to control or even "un-develop" modern societies is never publicly discussed. Klaus catalogs these reasons.

The introduction quotes Professor Richard S. Lindzen of MIT:

"Future generations will wonder in bemused amazement that the early twenty-first century's developed world went into hysterical panic over a globally averaged temperature increase of a few tenths of a degree, and, on the basis of gross exaggerations of highly uncertain computer projections combined into implausible chains of inference, proceeded to contemplate a roll-back of the industrial age."

You should read this book.

The book is full of proves about the deception of global warming but be careful when reading this book because your friends won't want to hear about it. Otherwise, they will want to destroy your opinion.
However, it's the only way we still have to fight against this kind of people.

This booklet deserves five stars not only because it is a well argued presentation of the dangers of environmental extremism but also because it is short and to the point. Thank you to President Klaus for heroically standing against the tide of climate change political correctness. The author argues his point from an economist's point of view and for the most part keeps things at the layman's level. This is required reading for those that want to be educated on both sides of the debate on climate change.

A thought-provoking, reasoned approach to the hysteria that is the global warming movement. Pres. Klaus approaches the questions about and proposed solutions to global warming with sound economic principles and common sense rather than intellectually vacuous rhetoric and fear mongering that has become en vogue. A must-read for those looking for some clear-headed perspectives on climate change.

I purchased this book on recommendation and am glad I did. It covers everything from choosing the best land for building these structures to everything you need to build it. There are lots of pictures (both color and black and white). The book also covers earth ovens and fireplaces. Even if you are not interested in building an earth home, you can build a backyard fireplace with seating.

There is no better book to curl up with than this one and none more useful. Read it and, if you love it, consider taking the 10-day class in Oregon. You will learn a whole new way of living, as well as building. My only criticisms of the book are minor and things that will likely be added in a later addition, if there is one. A chapter on bale cob and similar composite materials would be helpful. I think a separate book is in the works on bale cob. The book is a masterpiece!

I bought this book several years ago, when it first came out. I love it! I have yet to build anything out of cob, but hopefully that will change in the next five years. This is one of the few books I own that I would NEVER consider selling. It is chock full of information, and when I am feeling blue, I whip out the book, page through it, and fantasize about it. If you are thinking of building anything with cob, buy this book!

It's a guide. No matter if you will be building in cob or not, it' real pleasure to read this book. I recommend it heartfully.

I purchased this book based on the overwhelmingly positive reviews in Amazon.com.

I was looking for a practical guide on Cob building - not on living according to the new age hippie ethos of the authors.

I've read the first few chapters, and there are nuggets of practical advice, but the narration keeps getting bogged down by Ianto Evans digressions on how evil humans keep screwing up the environment.

It is my hope that I can finish the book, collect some useful information, and in the end, be satisfied with my purchase. I'm just finding it difficult to wallow through the enlightened philosophy.

I will attempt to read it through to the end and perhaps revise my review. I've looked briefly at the sections written by the other two authors (Smith and Smiley) and they both seem, on the surface, to be a little more instructional in their writing, and less interested in teaching me about their new age voodoo.

This glorious book is wonderful for children and parents (plus grandparents and teachers) to romp through and enjoy together. The colorful art visuals are stunning combined with heartfelt tools and games for DreamMaking/Masterminding that will long be remembered. IN-POWER! IN-LOVE! IN-JOY! is sure to win top acclaim for its brilliant, original and unique interactive approach.

Mimi Greek's message is inspiring and joyful with fun empowering "hands-on" processes. This book is a magical catalyst for positive well being and self-esteem. Children and adults will find it captivating from beginning to end. My grandchildren adore IN-POWER! IN-LOVE! IN-JOY! We have enthusiastically explored and enjoyed many hours together of self-discovery and laughter in this wise, witty and wonderful book.

I actually wrote this review in 2002, but noticed today it was no longer posted. One of my grandchildren also did a review using my account so perhaps that is why mine disappeared.

Sharon A. Warren, M.A.
Author, Magnetizing Your Heart's Desire

If I could recommend only one book for parents who want to start their children on a life path of success and happiness, MasterMind DreamMakers is it.

This book has given our family a shorthand language to remind ourselves of, and reinforce, values that lead to strong self-esteem, respect for all people and creation, self-fulfillment, peace and joy.

Every child and parent on the planet should read this book. This book's color illustrations, zany characters and incredible message is a terrific learning experience and carries the kind of positive influence that every child needs. Buy it for someone you love! Fun to read, too!

A positive mind is the number one environment for learning. My daughter loves the exercises and the whole of the book took her by surprise. I find the material exposes my own limited thinking and inspires me to be at my optimal best. Besides developing self-awareness, self-reliance and self-esteem, this guidebook presents children with reading and writing skills, moral development, imaginative thinking and science. I recommend it as both a win for the one teaching as for the one learningp

Collaboratively written by classroom educators Mimi Greek and Suzanne Smith Tillman, In-Power! In-Love! In-Joy! is the first book in the interactive "MasterMind DreamMaker" series. Filled with simple, vibrant color illustrations, In-Power! In-Love! In-Joy! offers pages of fun and "user friendly" educational activities that parents and teachers can take advantage of to enable children to build independence, self-reliance, self-esteem, and life-long learning habits in their inquisitive young minds. A highly positive and motivational book meant to be shared between adults and young people, In-Power! In-Love! In-Joy! is a highly recommended supplement for classroom curriculums and homeschool instructional activities.

I bought Mission Octagon as a birthday present for my son. I started reading and he recieved his present a little late. Mission Octagon is a book you simply can't put down. You start to hear the voices of the characters as you read. They become so real you feel as if you know them. Ken's research into the Vietnam War and his childhood experiences with his father and his faters military experience has made this a very personal and interesting read. It keeps you wanting to turn the page. Hope there is another soon!

This is a great book! A real page turner that let's you dive in the 60s. A great gift for action book lovers!!!

Amazing insight into the Vietnam War. Fundamental struggle between "taking the easy road" and what is the "right" thing to do. A childs admiration of a parent-to rebellion-to ultimately gaining the respect from the parent. Just a few of life's lessons portrayed in Mr.Smith's expertly woven thriller, Mission Octagon. A must read!

Smith has written a real fast ride: you keep reading and reading trying to figure out where he's going. Having protested my way through the Viet Nam war as a young teen, and then served in the Navy myself as a young adult, I found the history and perspective wonderful reading.

What a great book! I couldn't put it down...a real page turner.
I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for an exciting escape from the daily grind. Enjoy!

Esta edición de la Biblia hebrea es fabulosamente hermosa: el tipo de letra es claro y suficientemente grande, la encuadernación inmejorable, por lo que puedo ver. - Tengo casi 50 años leyendo la Biblia en hebreo; pero nunca sabe uno de memoria todo el vocabulario. Por eso, el tener el significado de las palabra al pie de la página es una gran ayuda.
¡Muchas gracias!

A Reader's Hebrew Bible is produced by A. Philip Brown II (PhD, Bob Jones University) and Bryan W. Smith (PhD, Bob Jones University) with Zondervan. Its designed purpose is "to facilitate the regular reading of the Scriptures in Hebrew and Aramaic." The reader assists students of the Bible by lessening invested time browsing through a lexicon, while improving and maximizing students' previous acquired skills in the target languages .RHB also "allows students to focus on learning Hebrew and Aramaic vocabulary in its literary context rather than in isolated word lists." The reader is also useful for teachers of Hebrew and Aramaic intending to "remove the necessity of creating new gloss lists when one wants to have students read different sections of the OT" (xiii). RHB provides necessary help to students to become more familiar with the Hebrew and Aramaic Texts; as well as improving (their) reading proficiency respectively.

The Book includes the authors' prefaces, a quick user's guide on how to access the Text. An informative introduction recounting the genesis of this edition is included. A section summarizing the Hebrew and Aramaic Verb Stem Abbreviations (e.g. hif = hifil, nif = nifal, pal = palal; af = afel, hishtaf= hishtafel, itpa= itpael, shaf=shafel) & Sigla (`marks words where WLC and RHB read L differently than BHS) substantiates the usefulness of RHB.

The Quick User's Guide aims to provide a quick reference to readers on how to navigate through the texts of the Jewish Bible both in its original tongues (Hebrew and Aramaic respectively). The A Reader's Hebrew Bible uses the Westminster Leningrad Codex 4.4. All words, excluding proper nouns occurring less than 100 times, are footnoted. The Glossary includes all Hebrew words, excluding proper nouns, occurring 100 times or more; whereas Aramaic words, excluding proper nouns, and those that occur less than 25 times are also footnoted. An Aramaic glossary is not preserved.

The reader contains significant glosses which are taken primarily from HALOT (Koehler, Baumgartner and Stamm's The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament) and BDB (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon) . For example, Appendix A includes a glossary of all Hebrew words occurring 100 times or more; and all Aramaic vocabulary occurring less than 25 times.

RHB is similar to the text of Biblia Hebraicai Stuttgartensia (BHS) and Biblia Hebraica Quinta (BHQ) with minor changes. Textual criticism decision is not a priority of RHB.

What A Reader's Greek New Testament (Zondervan, 2007) does for students of NT and Greek is what A Reader's Hebrew Bible will do for students of the OT and Hebrew and Aramaic. Together students of the Bible have two enduring "twin resources" to study the Word of God in its original written texts.

A Reader's Hebrew Bible is a tool that will not disappoint you." Bible students and pastors cannot afford not to own a copy of A Reader's Hebrew Bible. RHB is user friendly, elegant, leather bound, convenient, and eye-catching.

Purchased this as a gift for my husband and found it to be a beautiful bible and very closly accurate to the original hebrew. He Loves It !

The Reader's Hebrew Bible has been on the market for only a few months and looks set to become a "must" for everyone who has covered the basics of the language and wishes to progress to "real" Hebrew. You need, though, to have a good working vocabulary for it to enable you to read in extenso with fluency. The grey-scale shading of proper names is a good idea. The price is also exceptionally cheap for a product of this quality.
What would be really helpful is a Grammatical Analysis of the Old Testament similar to "Max and Mary" for the New.

I've got both the first and second editions of the Reader's GNT companion volume. Either is a great value for the money, but neither comes close to the quality and usefulness of the Reader's GNT published by UBS -- the real deal. So I was a bit hesitant to purchase Zondervan's Reader's Hebrew Bible.

My hesitation was overcome by the fact that I use my UBS RGNT on a daily basis for devotional use, but don't read the Hebrew text in the same way as frequently because of the need for a lexicon nearby. A reader's lexicon helps, but it's still a clunky way to read, and because Hebrew vocabulary is so much larger than NT Greek, there are few of us who will ever be able to simply read with no lexicon around. So seeing what a reader's GNT did for me, I ordered this.

I'm very pleased. It hast the same cheap binding and paper as the companion RGNT, but the fact that it's duo-tone (basically PVC plastic) does mean that despite being flimsy, it should hold up for a long time. They seem to have overcome the typeface problems present in both editions of the RGNT. This font is very easy to read. I have not found the proper names being in gray instead of black to be a problem -- they're not that light and the purpose is to make proper names used less than 100 times stand out so that the newbie doesn't waste time trying to parse them. That's the whole point: to gloss the words so the reader doesn't have to. The more you read, the more you learn, and the more often you read and learn the more Hebrew sticks in your mind.

The fact that this text is that of the Westminster edition of Leningradensis is great. They essentially cut and pasted from Bibleworks 4. There are minor variants between this and BHS/BHQ, but nothing significant and all differences are listed in the appendix. I also like the way they've dealt with Kethib-Qere readings -- something that should serve good training for the student just learning his way around the Hebrew Old Testament.

If Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft ever prints a readers edition of BHS or BHQ it will probably leave this in the dust just as the UBS RGNT leaves the Zondervan RGNT in the dust, but until then this is a great tool.

Very good, tightly-scripted entry in the series. The last few, O'Brian has run out of historical events to fictionalize, and his plotting freed from the constraints of mapping to historical markers is really good. He has learned how to leave at least one unresolved conflict that keeps the reader on edge for the next entry, and those conflicts aren't always resolved for the good guys! Plus, he has learned how to quickly refresh the story from the previous entry in the readers mind at the beginning of the current one without long-winded exposition.

One of the best of the series. The only drawback is the rapidly approaching end.

Twelfth in the series: The Letter of Marque

This book, which by all means should be read before "The Letter of Marque" is a wonderful, if sad installment in the series. In the midst of the unfortunate treatment of Aubrey however, is a real powerful moment towards the end of the novel. Again, a real testament to the themes of honor and friendship that abound in this series.

This is the 11th novel in the Aubrey-Maturin seagoing series. This book is all about honor and reputation, how easy they are to lose, and how hard they are to get back. The story takes place mostly on land and finds Captain Jack Aubrey an easy mark for some stock swindlers who lure him into a confidence game, with terrible consequences. Doctor Stephen Maturin finds that he has been dumped by his flighty wife, who ran off with a Swedish officer. The book ends with the men in an unaccustomed circumstance, with Aubrey reliant on Maturin to salvage his own future.

It was nice to see the series back in good form after the silliness of "The Far Side of the World." However, some of the on-going international intrigue that spans several books has gotten so complicated that I can't remember what it was about, and I find myself not caring, either.

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

The twelve books that precede The Reverse of the Medal in the Aubrey-Maturin series together form a coherent, engaging chronicle of naval warfare, intrigue, and romance. Had its thirteenth installment been simply more of the same, the appeal might have begun to pale; however, with a single plot twist, Patrick O'Brian changes the rules of the game completely, handing Aubrey and Maturin a whole new set of challenges.(Note: plot spoilers follow).

Captain Jack Aubrey, ashore and in funds for a change, is induced to invest in the stock market on rumors of peace. When the rumors turn out to be a hoax, Aubrey is falsely accused and convicted of stock fraud and dismissed from the Navy. With his fortunes in ruins and reinstatement to his rank a dim prospect, his only choice is to take up privateering in the newly-decommissioned Surprise.

What sets this book apart from its predecessors is the extent to which we see Aubrey struggling honorably with devious opponents and murky matters quite at odds with his seamanlike competencies, and dealing with the loss of his Naval identity, so much a part of his being. In so doing, it contains some of O'Brian's finest writing - the scene of Aubrey's punishment in the pillory, cheered and protected by a city square full of seamen, is one of his most bitterly triumphant and touching.

The Reverse of the Medal is not the place to start reading this saga. However, the changes that it rings on the previous books' formula ensure a fresh tone and a new perspective that will invigorate even the most jaded veteran of stern-chases and luffing-matches.

Just one of an awesome series focusing on "Lucky" Jack Aubrey and his friend, Dr. Steven Maturin (sp?). Series is a robust and rich historical men-at-sea and -at-war yarn that covers many years in the late 1700 to early 1800s. Ah-HA! (inside joke). Simon Vance's voice is excellent and each character is distinct.

Like others reviewers before this, I'm rather surprised how obscure this wonderful, quirky book truly is.

The story revolves around Toseland, a young child who goes to live with Mrs. Oldknow. He goes to live in a big manor in a country estate (think the estate the Pevensies go to live on in Lewis' THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDOBE). He soon realises there's something odd about the house, and is puzzled why Mrs. Oldknow talks about the history and past inhabitents of the place like they were around only yesterday. It turns out the house is inhabited by children of the past, and he learns of an evil gypsey named Green Noah who he ultimately must confront. This final confrontation is rather scary, and Green Noah is one of literature's most memorable villains that I've encountered in a long time.

The book is a rather charming blend of supernatural meets reality, and there is something very delightfully English about the whole affair. The author's Catholocisim is rather apparent n the book, and she fits a lot of different allusions to literature, music, and history.

For those looking for good Children's fiction, this is a powerful story. It's too bad it's not well known.

I found this to be an excellent novel not only for children but also for adults. There is enough intrigue to hold the reader's interest throughout the novel as well as being a lovely, warm family story.

I first read this book when I was a child (in the 60's) and immediately fell in love with it. It has everything I adore in a book; a little magic, a little ghostliness; an English castle; lovely animal companions; characters from times past; people with manners, morals and down to earth values and last but not least--love. I have re-read this book many times and have just finished listening to an audio-version. This is forever a beautiful and enchanting book.

The book I'm going to talk to you about is called; The Children of Green Knowe, by L.M. Boston. I didn't really like this book. It was a little confusing and hard to understand. There just wasn't a clear point. There was not middle, or a climax and resolution. I thought this book was about a mystery or a ghost story, by the cover and the blip from the back. I was very disappointed in the ending, and that it was appoint-less fantasy, that bored me half to death!

The Children of green knowe was about a boy named, Tolly, who was the age of 8-11,whose parents die (they don't say how),so he was sent to live with hisGreat-Grandmother in Penny Soaky. Her house was called Old Knowe.
Three children, Alexander, Toby, and Linnet, died in Tolly's(the boy's name), Great Grandmother's house many centuries ago. They started appearing around the house just days after their death. They played with Tolly, and went on great Adventures. Enjoy one of Granny's stories every 20 pages, and learn about Tolly and Granny's love for the flute andthebirds.

Other reviewers have praised the book. But then, they also liked Harry Potter, and "Series of Unfortunate Events" as well, so that clearly showed me, as a College Prof, now HS dad, that I might not like this book, as the excesses of sardonic humor, death, magic, and evil, are all too prevalent in this day and age, to encourage the reading of fiction to stuff yet MORE garbage into my children's (or my!) head. As it is said, "Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof...".

But Green Knowe is different- perhaps because it was written in a gentler, kinder time. While there is fantasy, and a sense of the blurring of the dimensions (ghosts that are not evil, a world within our world that has connections to the past, and the interpenetration of them all) overall, this work has as much depth as Potter's does for the adult reader, without all the preachiness of 'PC' dogma which has so marred Rowling's later writings, and has influenced all of the film treatments. One really does not need to rehash Shirer's work on WWII in a Children's fantasy novel, which is all Rowling's works have become at the hands of her American editors...

Boston's world is alive- with literature, history, music, and artistry, which Rowling's is not. For adults, the references to the Restoration, Cromwell, Purcell's music, Anglican Church, and British Christmas customs provide a wealth for any HS parent discussing the period 1660-1700. But, as another reviewer noted, she never GOES anywhere- unless just BEING is enough. Her world is one to inhabit, not to holiday through, as if it were an itinerary of sights to check off. The ONE confrontation is scary, and could frighten younger audiences...but a vision of a redeemed world shines through. I was reminded while reading Boston, of Jame's novella, that Britten set to music in the opera, "Turn of the Screw." NOT "cheery" stuff, that!

If I seem ambivalent, it is because, while there is much to recommend in her writing, and the pictures she paints are very vivid, and full of life, the theological issues of the spirit world interacting with the real world, the malevolent curses of a gypsy long dead, and the subtle hints of either a strong genetic lineage, or a nascent reincarnationalism, coupled with clear Christian imagery and pious sentiment (Do ghosts really sing Christmas carols, without malevolent intent?) bothered me.

Is the book magical? oh yes, in many ways. Is it troubling, as say, Wind in the Willows is not? Oh, yes.. in equal measure. Is it a good read? Definitely. But the rest? I'm not sure....