V Books

Pip is a 15 year old boy that drinks and does drugs that you can usually either find at a cemetary or smoking behind a deli. Life at home isn't to great for him, his father is an alcoholic that is usually angry and his mother pops pills. His little brother looks up to him, even though Pip does not want him to, his little brother doesn't understand what really goes on. Pip has to keep good watch of him because he is exposed to alcohol and drugs and doesnt want his brother to get into those kinds of things even though he doesnt get a hold of them. In the book Pip has to death with trying to not get kicked out of school, family issues, forced counseling, drugs and alcohol addictions. This book is excelant because it talks about problems most teen-agers have and are trying to deal with.
-By Kayla

All parents of teenage boys should read this book. It is a remarkable porthole into their minds. Although written by a woman, both my son and I agree that it taps into this young man's psychy. Very good story, well written, informative.

Pip is desperate to leave behind his life, and all of his problems. He does this by getting high, drinking and cutting classes. He feels his family, including an alcoholic dad, a doormat mom, and a needy little brother, dont understand. Hes busted by his principal and is given the choice to either take counciling, or be expelled. Pip must turn his life around for the sake of himself, and his brother.

Bottled Up is a great, relatable book for any average teenager. Pip struggles with his alcoholic father at home and overbearing teachers at school. He is responsible for his little brother as well as keeping his grades up and making sure his drugs and alcohol use under the radar.
It's a good read.

When you get into High School, there is a lot of pressure. Sometimes people ask you to do things you don't want to do, like drinking and doing drugs, but you go and do them because you think it's cool. If you decide to go along with it, you may regret it when you look back. In Bottled Up, the main character, Pip, is stuck in a place where he thinks everything's okay, doing drugs and drinking underage is fine. When he finally gets hit by reality, his principal finds out and threatens him by saying if he goes to counseling and his classes, he won't tell his father, Pip has to make a huge decision. His father is the kind of dad that likes to drink a lot and hits his children. Pip figures that if his father finds out, it might be the last thing that ever happens to him. He agrees to go to the 'stupid' counseling and tries to find out who he really is. A good reason to read Bottled Up is that it captures you attention, where the reader could get through this book in a matter of hours without putting it down. It makes the person reading the book feel as though they are really there, right with Pip every time something dramatic happens. Another good reason to read Bottled up is that no matter if the reader is a teen or an adult, this book can still be related to their life. If they are an adult, the reader might being seeing things from a different view, being a parent. The best reason to read Bottled Up is whether the reader is a male or female, the book is still fitting. Even though Pip is a guy, girls still go through the things he does. Whatever age and sex the reader is, the book can still be related to. In conclusion, this is a great book for all teenagers in High School and parents. It focuses in on the trouble of being a teen when you start heading the wrong way. This book shows that no matter how far you go down the wrong path, you can always turn back.


-Sarah Burd
Block 3

Very comprehensive and interesting review on the global styles of beers and food pairings. Any fan of real beer should probably own this one, although I'll disclose that it doesn't cover every new USA craft brewery that seem to be springing up all over the US. I don't agree with pairing spicy foods with highly hopped beers, but found no major objections to the rest of the book.

I have read this three times and continue to return to it. The author has a very easy to read style and is very knowledgeable. Reading about biking through Belgium makes it that much harder waiting to go there myself. I highly recommend it for anyone that is interested in beer.

This is without a doubt the best book on pairing beer and food I have found. It's also one of the best beer books available, with detailed, even passionate descriptions of most beer types, and knowing descriptions of representative individual beers and famous breweries. One can quibble ... it's possible to disagree with a few of his reviews or a few of his selections, and after a while one tires of hearing of beers that can be matched to beef cheeks. But, by and large, a fantastic book. I've started giving copies to friends ... even friends who don't drink beer ... so that they will have a vague idea of what it means to be a beer enthusiast.

Between 1850 and 1880, "Brewers Row" in Brooklyn became home to eleven breweries, due to a massive influx of immigrants from Germany. By the end of the century, Brooklyn had become a major center for brewing, boasting 48 brewing establishments.

In the spirit of this brewing tradition, Garrett Oliver emerges. As Brewmaster and a partner of Brooklyn Brewery, he imparts his knowledge like flakes of gold, creating traditional styles of beer with classic depth. An avid lecturer, he articulates the connection between fine food and beer with the passion of a master.

THE BREWMASTER'S TABLE - DISCOVERING THE PLEASURES OF REAL BEER WITH REAL FOOD is a bible for the beer foodie. Mr. Oliver entices you into his world, using colorful words to tease you into submission. Once captured, he takes you on a grand journey, matching food tastes with beer styles, introducing you to fine European traditions, and creating a burning desire for more.

The reader travels with him throughout Europe, to the Payottenland district west of central Brussels, home to lambic beer. Discover the Bavarian Weissbiers, with their strong spices and malt sweetness, merging seamlessly with Thai, Indian, Mexican and Chinese foods. Visit the pubs of London, with their English Bitters and Imperial Stouts. Enter the fascinating world of Trappist and Abbey Ales - Chimay from Abbaye Notre-Dame de Scourmont and Westmalle from Abdij Trappisten van Westmalle - and onward, through the Czech Republic and returning to America, where traditions are merged by the artisans of beer.

Whether you are a connoisseur of beer, a gourmet cook - captivated with the art of pairing food with beer, or an individual with a passion for palatable treats, THE BREWMASTER'S TABLE leads you into the pleasures of real beer with real food.

I've had this book for 2 years and just bought it for a friend because I've loved it so much. I've reread this book twice because there is so much great information. This book changed the way I look at, buy and drink beer. I'm also a home brewer and this book gave me a whole new perspective on what I was trying to make and what I wanted from my beer.
There are few books that talk about pairing beer with food and I think this is THE book on the subject.
If you want to broaden your beer horizons, this book will do it. You will never look back.
Enjoy!

In this mosaic of stories, Lillian comes of age and matures beyond her years, almost against her will. With an alcoholic father and a fragile, flighty mother, Lillian, with her siblings, struggles with her troubled family, and yet they all fiercely love each other, flaws and all. While this isn't a conscious feeling, it does crackle beneath the surface and colors the actions of everyone. Lillian navigates a lonely path encompassing sexuality and a yearning to be free. With a crisp voice and a vivid portrait of Acorn Lake, Minnesota, "A Brief History of the Flood" waxes almost nostalgic as it nudges the reader through these various tales that deliver a surprising portrait of a family unbalanced.

The perfect choice for a book club looking for an undiscovered gem, this is a delightful read that is lean enough to consume in one sitting, or savor over a few days. It's a coming of age story told through the eyes of young Lillian Anderson, a girl growing up in the sixties in a small town in Minnesota. Chapters are short bursts of her life: her Mother's dramatic mood swings, her Father's alcoholism, first sexual experience, first job, first crush.All told with an honest intimacy that at times feels less like a novel, and more like someone's diary entries. Her heroine at times reminded me of Astrid in "White Oleander", and if that was a book you liked you'd probably enjoy this one as well. A well written, comfortable first novel.

This book literally found me (and I must say that I am really glad it did.) I am still unsure how this slim little gift of a novel made it into my hands, but according to the Amazon.com reciept, it is a gift from the author so I figured: What the hell, I'll read this and see what I think. So, I cracked open the cover and was wonderfully entertained right up until the end.

Lillian Anderson is a strong-minded, fiery, wise-beyond-her years-girl who tells the story of her family, her perpetually run-down house and her life in rural Acorn Lake, Minnesota. Lillian begins narrating the story at the age of eight and it continues virtually seamlessly, with Lily's steady hand on the pulse of her family until the age of nineteen. Lily's mother, Marion is a neurotic, manic depressive personality who always has some wierd project in the works. Jack, Lily's Dad, is an alcoholic but no one ever talks in such negative terms. Marion seems to be able to put a positive spin on everything that's wrong, even her husband's years of substance abuse. Oldest child, Randy, (age twelve when the book begins is the dyed-in-the-wool peacekeeper of the family. Mitzy, the middle daughter, seems to see her mother for what she really is and is very bitter about it. Mitzy has no trouble saying what's on her mind and even at ten years of age is tired of ignoring the pink elephant in the living room. I am amazed that Lilian seems to be the only sane one in the family and has learned, (certainly not through example) to take care of herself. She has learned to become a mother figure for the youngest, Davey who is too young to understand the extent of the chaos in the family.

I love coming of age stories and this one was a very good one. It reminded me very much of ELLEN FOSTER by Kaye Gibbons and AMY & ISABELLE by Elizabeth Strout. The writing and the imagery and the lanuage of A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FLOOD were very high caliber. I will be watching for more from this author.

I wasn't bothered at all by the fact that this book was originally chopped up into several short stories. The stories came together so well and the novel made such an impact that I can't imagine it in any other form. Bravo to a wondeful new writer.

I concur with the opinions expressed by the other reviewers. I casually picked this book up at the library as part of a stack of summer reading. It's such a joy to start a book with no expectations whatsoever and be so tremendously satisfied. I am a bit puzzled, however, at the author's choice of the short story format. Why write a series of short stories and then package them together chronologically this way, so that the result is an "almost" novel? Because each story is meant to stand alone, there is some repetitiousness in certain descriptions of people and places--yet we are obviously intended to read them as a whole. I'd be interested to know whether the stories were written and/or published individually, and, if so, in what order they appeared. Are you out they Ms. Harfenist? Please enlighten us!

  A Brief History of the Flood is that rare book that can't be put down, and one you'll want to read again and again.  Like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, each chapter fits together with a satisfying click to reveal an insightful picture of an unforgettable family of unique characters. Read the excerpt and I guarantee you'll be captivated by Harfenist's voice, wit, and the wisdom that comes with understanding how we all grow up survivors of imperfect families. If you liked Mary Karr's memoir, The Liars Club, you will love this book. It may be billed as fiction, but it has the unmistakable ring of truth. Ironically, A Brief History of the Flood turns out to be a life preserver--reminding each of us how our unique childhood journeys help determine our destination in the world, and how understanding the past can buoy us in the present.

The kids in my son's fifth grade class were all raving about this book, which was a miracle in itself, so I decided to read it for myself. I have to admit, I've been a big fan of Gina Gershon for a long time and it's hard to imagine her writing a kid's book. What a pleasant surprise! The book is well written, the story is clever, and the dialog is hysterical. The main character, Einstein P. Fleet, is a computer geek turned reluctant hero who faces the challenges of a monster theme camp run by aliens with a great sense of purpose and humor. My son has turned me on to a lot of new experiences --- reading Camp Creepy Time was one of them. Looking forward to the sequel.

Einstein P. Fleet has already logged hundreds of hours trying to blow the whistle on baddies. Through his popular blog, The Smoking Peashooter, Einstein manages to spread the word on all sorts of conspiracy theories, and he's even had a lawsuit pending against him since the fourth grade, all thanks to "The Wilson Incident."

Naturally, he questions his parents' motives for sending him to a remote summer camp for eight agonizing weeks, with no Internet access and a limited supply of Twinkies. From the moment he steps on the bus and sees every other camper in a monster costume, Einstein worries that perhaps this particular camp may be much more difficult to deal with than any normal one would be.

Unfortunately for him and his unsuspecting parents, his fears are well-founded...

Chock full of werewolves, vampires, mummies, giant spiders, and greedy mobster aliens, this book provides the same brand of entertainment as a classically cheesy monster film. Highly recommended for reluctant readers.

Reviewed by: Allison Fraclose

I got this book as a present and really had fun reading it. So much so, I ran out and bought 3 books, one for each of my nieces and nephews, ages 8-13. They loved it! We all had fun talking about the adventures of Einstein and his cohort. My 11-year-old niece really loved Roxie and has decided she wants to be an alien spy. I would recommend this book for anyone. We are all looking forward to the movie version to come out.

Every once in a while you come across a book that makes you laugh out loud. Camp Creepy Time is one of them. The main character, Einstein P. Fleet, is a lovable thirteen year old computer geek. You know, the kind of kid that rarely sees the light of day. His parents send him packing off to a monster theme camp smack dab in the middle of the Mojave Desert for the summer ---- which turns out to be merely a stop over on the way to being abducted and sold to an intergalactic monster zoo in another galaxy. The story mixes all types of elements from the science fiction genre and somehow manages to glue them into a cohesive, original plot. It's also funny and very well written, especially for a pair of first time authors. The book ends leaving the door open for a sequel, which I can't wait to read. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a sense of humor. You will be pleasantly surprised.

You simply can't go wrong with this wacky zany summer send-up. Einstein P. Fleet, a loner-nerd trapped at a hellish summer camp in the Mojave Desert, leads us through a wild storyline of escape, with monster costumes, vampires, werewolves and aliens all in the mix.

This fast-paced, well-written farce is a quick, irreverent, hilarious read for kids and adult-kids. Highly recommended. It's no surprise that Dreamworks has this story in script development....Can't wait for the movie!

I've had this book for years and used it every holiday. Wonder recipes the family loves. Great ideas for you home. I like the art work in the book also. A must have for the family and a book to pass along.

I am slowly forming a collection of Susan Branch books. The time and artistic beauty that are shown throughout are worthy of keeping out every season. This one is in my kitchen next to a little tree , her recipes are also wonderful.

I've had this book for years and I have purchased this book many times over for the perfect gift at Christmas for the person who has everything. I leave it out all during the holidays and people will pick it up and then want it. It's just a great book to read through with lots of great ideas to make your holidays enjoyable. Beautiful illustrations too. You simply can't go wrong wih this book. The perfect gift!

I bought this book when I first discovered Susan Branch books. I loved it so much I gave it to all my sisters and sisters-in-law. They have all used it as a reference during the holidays and even through out the year.I have given this book to so many others as well and they all love the book. I can only state that this book stands up with all the Susan Branch products and is wonderful and so useful.

As with Susan Branch's other seasonal books, I use this Christmas treasure to kick off the season! Serioualy, I've dog-earred some of the recipes that have become family traditions since I first got this book. I've learned how special it is to replace all sheets with fun holiday flannel sheets. I do much more than simply put up a tree these days. In short, I must attribute my refreshed zest for holiday living to re-reading this book every year before do anything else. (It's also a nice gift!)

I'd never read any of Bobbie Ann Mason's work before reading Clear Springs for a book club. I believe I may be missing out if her other books are like this one. There is a warmth to her story that makes it a real pleasure to read. Mason's language, too, is comfortable and highly readable. Her rhythms, especially, give a real richness to her prose. I highly recommend this.

Indispensible to serious readers of Mason's fiction, this memoir is true to family and community life in Western Kentucky (despite what other reviewers might say).

Bobbie Ann Mason has done a wonderful job with "Clear Springs". I did not grow up in Kentucky in the baby boom generation, but I did grow up in rural southern Missouri just after it, and this story is so very like what I was familiar with. Ms. Mason is of my mother's generation and except for the disfunction there are many similarities between this story and stories my mother has told. My family reminded me of the older Masons and not the disfunctional Lees. The isolation of rural life, but the joy in many ways that come from it. The curiosity of the outside world, but the fear of it. She relates that Clear Springs hadn't changed much since the Civil War and she was correct in that. The world that slowly evolved for most Americans changed before this rural generation's eyes. A Great book!

When writing a memoir, authors are advised to write the first draft as if everyone is dead - and then to prune the damaging parts in subsequent rewrites. Perhaps Mason pruned a bit too much. This otherwise lovely and affectionate memoir of how it was to grow up in a small, working-class town in Kentucky in the 40s and 50s is a bit long on respect and caution - and a bit short on grit.
Otherwise, I loved it. I grew up in Kansas in the 50s and can relate to the pace, small-town values, and lack of danger (except from the "evil Communists" and "the bomb") that Mason portrays as such inherent parts of her roots. Her language, esp in the first part of the book focusing on her own childhood memories, is rich and multi-layered and pulls readers into every scene right along with her. In the rest of the book, she uses the techniques of creative nonfiction to weave a background narrative that spans the lives of three generations of women within the community.
A worthwhile read; it won't change your life, but it might make you think, and it's certainly a pleasant trip to take with this accomplished author.

I'm an appreciative fan of Bobbie Ann Mason's short stories, about rural people raised with traditional values now somewhat at sea in a world of consumerism, pop culture, and a new morality. Young adults, whose parents would have stuck with a marriage come hell or high water, now divorce and drift through relationships. Their parents tied to the land and other life-long occupations, Mason's post-war generation is less rooted, freed of conventional beliefs, but often at a loss about what to believe in. Most striking as America grows increasingly urban, Mason's people continue to inhabit a rural landscape -- more worldly than their forebears, but not more sophisticated.

While some readers of Mason's stories and novels may have been puzzled by the point of view in them (ironic? matter of fact? sentimental?), this wonderful memoir should do much to clear up that ambiguity. Here a reader is introduced to the world of day-to-day experience that these narratives have emerged from. And you can begin to see how the matter of fact, ironic, and sentimental blend into a perspective that is distinctly rural American. The strongest individual (who is surely the source of many of Mason's fictional characters) is without doubt her mother, a remarkable woman with a quizzical sense of humor, a colorful manner of speaking, and a long view that comes of witnessing much of the 20th century at first hand.

A list of highlights in this book would go on for pages; there's just so much to savor and enjoy. There's Mason's own unsophisticated childhood (barefoot summers, crushes on pop stars, rock and roll fandom), the making of the film "In Country," and the continuing transformation of the rural Kentucky environment from horse-and-buggy days to the invasion of agribusiness -- a huge processing plant has sprung up across the road from the family farm.

I recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed Mason's fiction. It is rich with thoughtful and well-observed detail reaching back across three generations of family history.

The language of "Come on Rain" is as colorful and vibrant as the beautiful artwork. Karen Hesse uses just about every literary device in this book which makes it a wonderfully interesting teaching tool. At the same time, it is a melodic read-aloud, first creating a true sense of heat, and following with the refreshment of impending rain. When the Mamas join in, my eyes still well up (even after 30+ reads). Although Mr. Muth received a well-deserved award for his illustrations, Ms. Hesse deserves a literary award for her eloquent and evocative writing.

Karen Hesse captures a beautiful moment in this book. She expertly creates a scorching, wilting summer day with vivid images. My mouth was parched just reading it, and then the rain came. You'll love the images created here of the "bare-legged mamas" and girls, both from Hesse's beautiful writing and Muth's spectacular watercolor illustrations.

I found the book "Come On, Rain!" at our local library and immediately picked it up. The first thing you will notice about this beautiful book are the gorgeous ilustrations! The pictures in this book are lovely and the prose is so happy and full of the anticipation everyone feels on a hot summer day while waiting for a cooling rain. You and you children will love this book!

"Come on, rain!" are the fervent words of Tess, as she looks toward the sky with a great deal of anticipation and hope. It has not rained in 3 weeks. Therefore, everyone in Tess's neighborhood and city was hoping for rain to bring relief from the scorching heat. Well, the best part of this story is that it seems her fervent words finally reached the clouds; for "over rooftops, past chimneys, into the way off distance . . . clouds came rolling in." As soon as Tess realizes that her wish for rain was on the way, she quickly gathers her close friends together (and their mothers too) to run, dance and play in the wonderful rain showers that fall upon the city.

The watercolor illustrations of Jon Muth do an excellent job of enhancing the movement of Ms. Hesse's story. The opening illustrations of bright yellow and gold give readers a sense of how hot and oppressive the heat was for Tess's neighborhood and city. Gradually as the rain clouds moves in, hues of soft grays, brown, and greens are used to depict the moments just before rain falls from the sky. By the time rain actually comes, the illustrations are filled with splashes of pink, violet and blues, which represent the renewal of spirit and feelings of relief for all in the city. You know, this is more than just another weather story! It is a story that shows how rain, a powerful element of nature, has the ability to invigorate all of life!

This lyrical ode to the coming rain, accompanied by the soothing wash of lush watercolors, make Hesse's Come on, Rain! sure to please young children. In prose that reads like poetry, young Tessie bemoans the heat of summer while waiting with confidence that rain will soon come. Along with her multicultural friends and all their mammas, Tessie dances in gratitude for the refreshing wetness the rain bestows. While the lyrical prose is of such beautiful quality it could stand on its own, the soft watercolor illustrations portray the emotions of the characters in such lovely detail; the two, the prose and illustrations, combine to create a delightful work of art. Even with the vertical lines of rain which one would expect to stop the motion of the story, Muth manages to create a sense of flowing from left to right, page to page, in keeping with the cadence of the text by using achromatic colors for the backgrounds of most pages. Recommended for children ages 4-8. Public librarians may want to share this title in a storytime about rain, along with Bill Martin's Listen to the Rain.

A must book for anyone who wants to understand why so many black boys and men seem to be targeted by the society for failure, criminality, jail, etc. I highly recommend it and the rest of rhe volumes in this series.

As an educator who strives to find direction on how to break the negative experience in pre K-12 education for a high number of Black male youth, I find this book, along with the other two in the series, to be informative and innovative when it comes to establishing a marker for administrators to use in order to monitor the teacher-student relationship and provide the positive environment that is necessary for all students, especially the Black male youth, to succeed.

This book is a must read for parents of African American boys and boys of color.

Reading this book revealed unfortunate truths that were not surprising to me at all. Serving as a public educator for over twelve years, it's sad but true as to why young black males at a very young age lose the desire, hope,and will to do better in school settings due to the facts listed in this book and many more since this book was written. I was overjoyed to see that Marcus Garvey Academy, a school that I taught at for eight years under the sincere leadership of Dr. Harvey Hambrick was mentioned. I was honored to read that Dr. Kunjufu took notice to how Marcus Garvey Academy in Detroit, Michigan and other schools assume pivotal roles in contributing to the solution to this horrible epidemic impededed on the futures and lives of young African American Males. Dr Jawanza Kunjufu did a great job at presenting multiple truths and the sad reality of how young black males are unfortunately targeted from the start.
Adra Young
Author of: The Everyday Living of Children & Teens Monologues

This an Dr. Kunjufu's many other books are exceptional in the fact that he details the facts straight to the point. I enjoy his methods of writing without pullng any punches. I wish that I had read this before my son started grade school, but now he is in the 4th grade and he went from being placed in special education, to a 4.0 dean's list GPA. God bless the power of prayer and guidance. Anyone can change their situation. I also just finsihed my Associate in Business, and I am in my Bachelor's Degree program right now for Marketing. Of course I will go on to the Masters programs and Doctorates. Learn for life...

"Please share a priceless thought through literature" "Give God the glory"

Thank You Dr. Kunjufu

Probably one of the most realistic alien invasion books ever and I'll be looking for the next in the series, if any. The aliens are TRULY ALIEN and therefore more scarey. The invasion is told in retrospect, but reads like what would really happen--a few cities wiped off the map, but most retained for "use."

Based on my reading of other books by these authors, the guts of COURSE appear to be by Wentworth. The thoroughly delicious inner monologues of the Jao and the descriptive passages of their physique are in that same supple style as seen in STARS ON STARS.

But the first chapter seems to lack pizzaz and most importantly, it lacks a hook to impell the reader foward to the next chapters. Still, once you get past that, you're in for a ride. So strap yourself in tight. Enjoy.

Excellent attempt at reconciling disjoint culture and thought processes. The main antagonist was displayed early with a bit too much emotional anthropomorphism. As the story evolves, other aliens follow suit. Has some valid earth historical contrast and comparison.

Could have been an earth based war story. Read for fun!

I won't go into details of the plot, since others have done that. Suffice it to say that this story seems so real you could almost believe it really happened in an alternate universe. I'm not one of those New Age groupies that feel all ETs are our space brothers, so I found the idea that our world was invaded by force quite believable. As was the fact that the aliens had different factions that fought amongst themselves. Why should ET be any different than humans?

For a very realistic take on an extraterrestrial intervention check out the Allies of Humanity.

I'm constantly on the prowl for sci-fi portraying convincing scenarios of human/alien contact. "Empire" is one of the best of such. The Jao are a fascinating species who come alive because of the level of imagined detail the authors have devoted to them, and because there is potential for "association" between them and humans. With the other aliens, the Ekhat, no bridge of understanding is possible, and these weirdly "musical" monsters provide a common enemy for humans and their Jao conquerers to unite against. But the question is whether the threat of annihilation will be enough to overcome the rivalries in the complex Jao organizational system and the bitter determination of earth's indigenous peoples to resist their fierce occupiers from the stars....

"Empire" does take its time establishing the main characters and the situation in which they all find themselves. But the investment in that steady build-up rewards the patient reader as the action revs up to a blazing fire fight in the sun. Don't stop there though. Then comes the Jao Naukra (enquiry/trial/calling-to-account) where consequences including death are risked by the leaders who exceeded the usual boundaries of authority. The forwarding of a "third way" at those proceedings reminds the reader that thinking outside the box may solve seemingly insoluble political/social/species conflicts. And although a courageous young Jao male and human female spearhead the push for groundbreaking changes, "Empire" does not forget that great revisions are often planned for by "elders," sometimes very Machiavellian ones.

This novel meets the very highest sci-fi standards. A sequel of some type would be wonderful -- perhaps set forty or fifty years in the future, permitting Aille and Caitlin to mature in wisdom and power in the reality they help create and their offspring to be the radical thinkers and doers....just a suggestion.

This one was intriguing, exciting, maddening and fun right from the beginning. It was also hard to put down.

The venue is Earth, at about our present level of technology. The time is about 20 years after an alien invasion. Humanity was conquered by the alien Jao and now lives a precarious existence. The existence is precarious because humans don't really understand their conqueror and the conquerors don't really understand humans. Any infraction is punished mercilessly but there is no rancor in the punishment. There is no rancor except from the alien who commands earth. He hates humanity. That makes the situation tense.

There is a reason for the conquest beyond mere imperial desires. The Jao are at war with the Ekhat. So is everyone else in the galaxy who is not Ekhat. This is for the simple reason that the Ekhat regard all other life as an abomination and wish to cleanse it from the universe. This is not a healthy situation for anyone who is not Ekhat. Unfortunately, humanity does not understand the extent of the problem and many of them do not even believe in the existence of the Ekhat. Many regard them as some sort of Bogeyman used by the conqueror to keep the subject races in line.

The Jao themselves are not completely unified. They are organized into great clans and political alliances and often let those ties overshadow the common good. So it is that the ruler of earth is of one clan and the Jao sent to serve as one of his top deputies is of the clan most at odds with his. This leads to even more clashes of will and ultimate goals.

Although this book deals with conflicts on many levels, it is mostly about indirect manipulations. Human factions try to manipulate each other to their desired goals. Jao factions do the same thing. Humanity tries to manipulate the Jao and the reverse is also true. When larger, even great schemes are laid on top of this cauldron of scheming, things get really complex. It is said that Byzantine court intrigues maid Prince Machiavelli look like an amateur. The machinations in this book put the Byzantines into the same category. It is all wonderfully intriguing.

This different view of the Vietnam War is filled with adventure, the danger, and the hardwork on the part of a young soldier and a German Shepard. The author's method of telling the story from two points of view adds to the knowledge of the war experience. What a surprise to learn that the dogs were not brought home again after their time in Vietnam! Luckily Cracker's fate was positively different.

This is book for children. I should have known this because Kadohata has written several children's books (Newberry Award on some of them) and the story line is appropriate for children, not deep enough for adults. The happy ending, although I'm not sure it could have happened that way considering the rules that the military enforced at that time (Vietnam War), could only be appropriate for children.

The rules have changed since this book was written, though, and I wonder if the change of rules would have made for any kind of story compelling enough to write a book about.

Cracker is a terrific story about one of the unsung heroes of the Vietnam War, namely the K9's. It's great the way the author has written from both the soldier and the dog's point of view. It's also great to see that war dogs are finally getting some attention. This book also introduces the Vietnam War to a new generation of kids. The war and the dogs that saved so many lives should never be forgotten. Anyone interested in another war dog historical fiction--this time a World War II real war dog hero should try Chips a Hometown Hero. Chips: A Hometown Hero Both of these books are great for any dog lover's collection!

For a kid that has dyslexia this was a wonderful buy. He is beginning to love to read again... And this book helped.

I got this book for my 11 year old after he requested it at a book fair where they wanted 5.40 more for it and was thrilled to find it less here. Although, when I got it I figured it was a kids book, I found that after picking it up out of curiousity I enjoyed it too. The switching between the soldier and the dog thoughts are very smooth and the portrayal of a soldier and his relationship with a K9 I felt was pretty much dead-on. I like that they portrayed an era of history with a story but still stuck to reality. Happy Reading!