McDonald's Books

Who says childhood has to be boring? Not with all those cute rubber duckies and colorful plastic blocks; too bad many of them are poisoning our kids. What an eye-opener this book is. (And on the subject of eyes, I've got to say, I never really thought much about what my teenager was applying to her face in the name of beauty.) Reading McDonald's personal stories interwoven with her well-researched facts brought it all home. This book will leave the reader clearer, but also with a sense of hope that something can actually be done - as opposed to, say, escaping to the farthest corner of the Earth, which isn't usually an option.

I just finished "The Toxic Sandbox" yesterday and thought it was great. It was actually quite readable considering the subject matter. Libby MCDonald manages to be very informative while not hitting readers over the head with too much information. What she ends up doing is telling stories and then tells the story behind the story... well done.

The author has sifted through all the recent research on environmental toxins to provide parents with the relevant stuff (what do I really need to be concerned about, and what can I do about it?) in a concise, readable format. Highly recommended reading for anyone with kids.

Am I Missing Something? Why aren't the issues in this book addressed or discussed more? This book discusses the most dangerous toxins that your children (and you) will encounter on a daily basis. Some of the points I had heard before, but others just floored me. Every parent needs to be aware of what is in the environment that will adversely effect the health of their children. This book is easy to read and can be used or read as a reference book. My wife and I went through our plastics (for food and drink especially) this week and tossed quite a bit. We plan to continue to weed out anything dangerous (including toxins that my wife would pass on to an unborn child). This is definitely worth the read.

This is a real document of its time. It's hard to imagine in this day and age that no one has come up with something like this before. Here is a real mother who has done her homework, talked to The Right People and given it to us straight.

This book is a good source for orchid lovers. The photos are beautiful, but I couldn't help feel as if I were previewing a fancy catalog. Why were these orchids picked to be in this book? I was disappointed that the plants listed were not of the more readily available variety. I had the book with me when I went into Smith and Hawken and the odd thing was some of the plants they had for sale were not listed in the book. So I guess it's not a catalog after all. A great thing about the book is that it offers information on the plant shown so the reader would have an idea what plant would bloom in what size pot. It also gives you good info on how to care for a specific plant so you don't make the mistake of buying one that would be too difficult to care for.

I found this book to be easier than most orchid books to read and understand. It covers a wide variety of orchids. However, it tends to be over simplified. Orchids are not as easy to grow as the author lets on. Also, some of the orchids mentioned in the book are not readily available and some tend to be very costly.

Bob Hirnyk

This book provided a great overview of the main genus of orchids. I would have liked to have seen more about how the genus are related, and which can be crossed to produce a hybrid. Also, what techniques are used for judging orchids? The pictures themselves are worth the price of this book. More than half of the orchids pictured will be imposible to find, but a good local gardener will be able to find you a close match.

I have found this book to be helpful in finding information regarding a specific orchid. I'm the Orchids host at BellaOnline.com and need to be able to research and become familiar with a variety of orchids. This book devotes 2 pages to each of the 100 orchids featured--one page to the growing requirements and the other to a full page color photo of the plant in bloom.

You may not be able to find the exact plant pictured, but the information included will give you a good start on finding an orchid with similar needs. If you are looking for a profile of Oncidium "Sharry Baby", you can find one here--with a nice photograph.

The first section of the book contains general information on culture, buying orchids and various locations to house your collection.

After someone leaves envelopes containing $100,000 each in several small towns across America, Boston Police Inspector and Secret Agent Francis Xavier Flynn is called in to investigate.

After finishing reading MacDonald's "Fletch" series of books, I decided to give the "Flynn" books a try, but the simple fact is that the "Flynn" books just aren't as good as the "Fletch" books. "The Buck Passes Flynn" is the second Flynn book, and not only is there no murder for Flynn to solve (yes, I am aware that it is possible to have a mystery story without a murder, but they're generally not as interesting), but the whole novel is essentially just a vehicle for MacDonald to voice his opinions on the evils of money. The story is slow-moving, far-fetched and totally hypocritical. The message of this book seems to be that money only brings misery, and yet MacDonald seems to overlook the fact that Flynn himself is very rich (this fact is mentioned in the first Flynn novel and in "Confess, Fletch", but is conveniently omitted in this book) and I'm sure MacDonald isn't a charity case either. I own copies of the other two "Flynn" novels, so I will probably keep reading them, but after this book and "Flynn", I am beginning to have my doubts as to whether I will actually enjoy them.

Have you read a Fletch book? Flynn is, in some ways, Fletch's flipside - he is a perfect gentleman, a devoted family man even, who works for the forces of law and order - but if free spirit Fletch lives in fun stories that might give you some pause for thought, reliable Reluctant Flynn lives in hilarious stories that might later keep you up nights in deep contemplation.

McDonald is a damn good storyteller, running his clever characters through a series of plausible situations with snowballing root causes that give broad opportunity for adventure and the display of wry wit. Flynn and Fletch are his vehicles for some of the best dialogue I've seen in print.

This is one of my favorite McDonald books. My biggest problem with the work is that I keep giving copies away to friends and having to purchase more.

Thought-provoking idea, well-written in McDonald's excellent style... witty, inventive. I love the Flynn series! More, more, please!

McDonald's hero "Flynn" is not as popular as his "Fletch" series, but "The Buck Passes Flynn" is the best of the series and every bit as good as a Fetch novel. The theme, that someone is making random $100,000 deposits on the doorsteps of every home in small communities around the country and creating havoc in the process, is quite fascinating (though admittedly dated, it would probably be about $250,000 today). It is a mystery worthy of the great Inspector Flynn, and is told in a humorous style for which McDonald is known. Overall, a great book for fans of detective fiction.

Friends and relatives rave at the food created using these recipes. The tid-bits of Danish and Danish-American history are fun for conversation while consuming the wonderful, authentic Danish dishes. These books are perfect gifts for friends who are of Danish descent, Danes by marriage, or are just wanna-be-Danes.

The book is very informative. But does not seem to have very many authentic Danish dishes. This is more of a Danish American recipe book. If your looking for authentic recipes, this is not the book you want.

This book contains more than 100 recipes-from Racine's famous Danish kringles to the famous open-faced sandwiches. There are great fruit soups and the well-known frikadeller (Danish meat-ball) recipes.

Julie Jensen McDonald is noted for her novels about Danish immigrants in America, published by Iowa State University Press. This is her first cookbook.

The cover of this book shows a young woman in Solvang, California in Danish costume. Solvang is a major tourist attraction in America, first settled by the Danes from Iowa. The back cover depicts two charming children in Danish costumes holding a kringle at the O&H Danish Bakery in Racine, Wisconsin. Racine is America's largest Danish community with over 40,000 people of Danish heritage living there.

Recipes come from fabulous Danish cooks in Iowa, California, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Nebraska, all states with Danish populations. Special coverage is given to Dana College in Blair, Nebraska and to Grand View College in Des Moines, Iowa.

The 16 page color section of the book contains photographs of Danish foods, the street scenes and people of Solvang and works by Danish artists such as Christian Petersen at Iowa State University, Ames, and the Mount Rushmore sculpture by Gutzon Borglum.

Delectably Danish: Recipes And Reflections is a flat-spined cookbook of uniquely Danish delicacies, from Danish Liver Loaf to Rum Soup, Irene's Danish Kringle, Tivoli Salad and so much more. Black-and-white and color photographs offer a visual peek into Danish culture, and the text gives an ultra-condensed rundown of Danish history and holidays, as well as famous Danes. A highly affordable introduction to Danish culinary culture, filled with easy- to-follow recipes.

I've had this book sitting around forever. Literally, I think. I have had it since I was a teenager and never read it. With every move it somehow gets boxed up anyhow and shipped with me. I would see it and think that I needed to read it, and then somehow I would forget about it. Anyhow, I finally read it. I am not going to say that it is worth a 20 year wait, because what would be? But it is a pretty good book, and I enjoyed it enough that I think I will look up some of Ian McDonald's more recent works.

Desolation Road was McDonald's first book, and was apparently released to all kinds of glowing praise. For a first science fiction novel, it definitely gets credit for imagination and unusual ideas. The book begins with Dr. Alimantando following a greenperson across a desert. This following, plus an unexpected accident lead to the founding of Desolation Road-- a town where no town is supposed to be. Rather than follow any one character, the book tells the story of the town itself. The structure of the book consists of a series of interconnected stories about the people who live in the town. It spans several generations.

I am always a sucker for this structure of interlocking stories. (Another good example is The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden, by Catherynne M. Valente.) There is something about the pace and flow that I really enjoy. McDonald is also a good writer with solid craftsmanship. I engaged with the characters, and was interested in the fate of the town. I cannot exactly put my finger on how, but sometimes the plot felt a bit like much of a muchness. This was the only real flaw I can identify, but it kept me from loving the book instead of just liking it.

Anyone out there recommend other McDonald books that would be worth the time to read?

Ian Mac Donald has a refreshing style that should appeal to all hardcore sci-fi readers tired of big spaceships and huge disasters. Here, the core of the plot is the human destiny, with its share of luck and coincidence ; if everything seems at first a bit disentangled, it all ties up in the end in a glorious finish wich is one of the best ever written. This book is like foreign food : try, and you'll find it excellent.

Desolation Road is a scifi romp through what might be when we start migrating to distant planets. The combination of entertaining and well thought through characters, peculiar perspective manipulation, and engrossing dialogue makes this one of my personal favorites. Air, Land, and Sea all take secondary roles to time and space. A distinctly new style and approach while addressing the mundane and oft peculiar activities of current life in the post industrial age make this book breath with the life of all times. Heinlein without the mysogynistic attitudes

Ian McDonald's Desolation Road is undeniably his best book, a rich and vibrant tale of village life on a terraformed Mars. Reminiscent (intentionally) of the magic realist novels of Marquez and Llosa it transcends the science fiction genre without denigrating it, revelling in both worlds to the credit of each. This is one of those books that critics should hold up as an example of great writing in sf, especially because it won't disappoint even the most hardened veteran reader--literally, a book for everyone.

It is 1959 and Dove Alderman is white. She has a father who cares about her and he also happens to own 700 acres of orange grove. She has Delia, a mother-like housekeeper that makes delicious food. And she has Chase Tully, a childhood friend that starts to become more than a friend. Her life is perfect, right? Well, it was perfect until she started to question the uprising of the black pickers and the strange fires that were happening all over her hometown of Benevolence, Florida. Dove is not the only one who has noticed it, and the people of Benevolence are beginning to suspect something much bigger than a fire is soon going to break out, especially with the new girl, Rosemary, stirring up trouble.
Devil on My Heels is a perfect book for teenaged girls because of the historic base entangled with a love story of Chase and Dove. There also may be chemistry between a black boy and a white girl. The novel quickly jumps to life as soon as you open the book with the realism of 1959. Even though this is a longer book (around 300 pages) it draws your attention right away to the realistic characters and the harsh setting of the South.
Joyce McDonald creates the perfect scene of what life was like in the south with the strong sense of racism and the colorful imagery. McDonald creates the feel and tension throughout the book with remarks like "'This nigger bothering you, sugar?'" (35) from the white folks in the town. She also makes unexpected twists in the story, so you don't stereotype the races. She writes the book from Dove's point-of-view, which helps the reader experience the lifestyle back then. I felt so close to Dove that I cried when she felt pain and my heart quickened when "... [Chase] rested his free hand on top of mine" (McDonald 64).
Devil on My Heels takes you through an unforgettable journey about racism through the eyes of a teenaged girl. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has an eye for historical fiction and likes a little adventure. This novel reminded me a bit of To Kill a Mockingbird and I thought both books were amazing and very accurate for the time period.

Devil on My Heels is a book that displays both racism and loyalty. It takes place in Benevolence, Florida in 1959. Fifteen-year-old Dove spends her time in the Benevolence Baptist Cemetery reading poems to dead boys, since they "listen and don't walk away" like the other boys. As a child she played in her father's orange groves with Chase Tully, and Gator, and African American orphan. Suddenly, there are fires breaking out in the groves, both the Mexican and African American are blamed. Dove then discovers that both her father and Chase Tully are part of the Ku Klux Klan, which leads to Delia, their African American housekeeper, no longer work for them. The racial hatred leads Travis Waite to beat Gator up, and beat his face with a belt buckle. Gator starts going out with a white woman, and stirs up trouble. Dove's relationship with her dad will never be the same after she found out about the Ku Klux Klan, and especially after she finds out her father had been hiding a shoe box full of pictures of Dove's mother. Soon everything returns to normal, but Travis is left without a job, and Delia will receive money. This books demonstrates how people can change with the influence of other people, but can overcome this influence from the help of good people.

The novel "Devil on My Heels" by Joyce McDonald is a great outline of the post-WWII time period. It showed how racism still played a major part in society. For example, "When he gets about two feet from me, he leans forward and spits right in my face. 'Nigger lover,' he says" (238). Back before the Civil Rights Movement, white people treated colored people with much disrespect. This is reflected in the novel by the way Travis Waite and the Klan beat up Gator (Dove's colored friend). They automatically assume that Gator is the cause of all the troubles Travis Waite had been going through because none of his workers had shown up for work. In addition, McDonald consistntly brings up the point that a colored-white relationship would be out of the question through Rosemary and Gator's secret relationship. Apparently, during this time, if a colored man was in a relationship with a white woman, they would get beaten or maybe even killed. Therefore, Rosemary and Gator's relationship was kept very secretive. Another post-WWII issue McDonald successfully tackles in this novel is the Ku Klux Klan. She does a great job of proving that the Klan caused many disturbances; specific to this novel was setting fires to migrant camps. As Dove is searching for answers to who has been setting these fires, she learns that her own father is a member of the Klan: "I am holding a blue-green card with the letters KKK at the top. And there, at the bottom, is my dad's signature" (155). From here on out, Dove's purpose is to get down to the bottom of this and try to stop these terrible things from happening again. At the end of the novel, everything plays out and Dove makes a difference by standing up for Gator, although this does not end in the KKK's cease to exist. McDonald does a great job of showing how the Ku Klux Klan played a major role in society after WWII. Overall, this book does an excellent job of informing the reader how life after WWII would have been.
What is the truth and how do you know? Proven this novel, it is almost impossible to tell what is and isn't the truth. Many times, Dove would ask questions, and wouldn't recieve answers. She constanly asked Chase if he knew anything about the fires or what had been going on at the migrant camps. Just about everytime she asked these questions, Chase would veer away from the subject. Therefore, whenever he did answer her questions, she could never really tell if he was being truthful or not. Also apparent in the novel, Dove had troubles getting the truth out of her father. He would go to secret meetings late at night and not tell her what he was doing or where he was going: "'You take off, don't tell me where you're going. Most of the time I don't know where the heck you are'" (179). When she later found out that these were Klan meetings her father had been attending, Dove was infuriated. She felt as if she could no longer trust her father without second guessing if he was really being truthful. McDonald proves in this novel that the only way to the real truth is to find it yourself.

This book has everything -- mystery, suspense, romance -- and a great story too. I felt like I was in a time machine, back to Florida in the 1950s. I learned about racial attitudes of the time, but the author didn't preach. She got her ideas across with a great story. They should make it into a movie!

I bought this book because I found drafting job in electric company. My previous knowledge about substations was less than general, so I have to learn this stuff. This book helped me to learn everithing I need. It is detailed and easy to understad. Good thing is that author show schematicaly some segments of substation and because of that it is much easier to understand it's purpose.

This book is very concise and yet a powerhouse of very good information. This is the book to be read first to get the overall picture on power substation engineering quickly and precisely, without overwhelming yourself on the subject. I wish I had this book ten years back :)

(Zhu Fang, Dr. & P.Eng., Ontario, Canada)

This book outlines the physics and logic behind the relevant IEEE standards. So it helps to understand and application of these standards in engineering work. As working on power transformer engineering, I find that this book enriches and updates my background knowledge on application of power equipments. It is ideal for electric power engineering professional and student who wishes to know more about engineering practice.

This book is a good practical book. It helps me clearly understand some concepts and applications. It is a really good source and I use it all the time at work!
I will definitely recommend this book !

Crowther traces the development of his SF reading in the introduction, and looking for wonder, but this is one of the statements he finishes with: "What the great supporters of the field have always said is true: science fiction is the literature of ideas. Here are four more ... but they are four covering a whole host of styles and images and approaches to the field. Space Opera, Future Civilizations, Alien Invasions, Scientific Advancement, Political Chicanery, Human Relationship and even Police Procedural-they're all here. But then they would be ... because those are what science fiction is all about."

A rare sort of anthology this one, all novellas. A good one, too, at 3.50.

Futures : Watching Trees Grow - Peter F. Hamilton
Futures : Reality Dust - Stephen Baxter's
Futures : Making History - Paul McAuley's
Futures : Tendeleo's Story - Ian McDonald


War torture story.

3.5 out of 5


Who is scared of who, why?

3 out of 5


A Kenyan woman and her community come to terms with an alien infestation, as the outsider who fancies her adapts as well.

4 out of 5


Caesar murder, by Jupiter.

3.5 out of 5

Four novellas that are everything that is great about science fiction. These four authors are absolutely among the greatest voices in the genre today.

In WATCHING TREES GROW Peter Hamilton took history, turned it upside down, shook it a bit & gave us an alternate view of a history quite unlike anything I had ever read before.

Stephen Baxter's REALITY DUST made the reader look at reality in a whole new way.

In MAKING HISTORY, Paul McAuley showed how history is not always written by the victor.

Ian MacDonald's TENDELEO'S STORY took me back to the Chaga in EVOLUTION'S SHORE which always impressed me as being one of the most possibly real First Contact stories ever written.

All four novellas explore the very trait of our species' survival, adaptability, that brings hope & after all that's what science fiction is really about.

I bought this collection for one reason and one reason only: it contained another slice of Ian McDonald's world-turned-upside-down 'Chaga; sequence. As it turned out this was by far the best piece in the book, but more of that later.

I haver never been convinced by Pater Hamilton, much as I want to like a British author who can do cyberpunk and do space opera with the best of the yanks. However his piece in this collection, 'Watching Trees Grow' changed my opinion of him. It is an alternative-history crime novella based on the premise that descendants of the Romans still rule Britian through a set of East India Company-style families who combine economic control with a monopolies over various areas of scientific progress. It is a neat idea, and takes the premise further than many other alternative histories by throwing the story further and further into the future, as an old rivalry becomes an obsession that almost transcends time.

I enjoyed it despite the episodic feel - perhaps a novel would have been more appropriate - but its 'Britishness' seemed slightly musty and old-fashionned, and redolent of dreams of Empire, in stark contrast to McDonald, or more overtly hip authors like Jeff Noon or Justina Robson. Maybe that was the point, and if so it was well made: science fiction is much the poorer if it doesn't teach you something about the society in which you live.

As for Stephen Baxter's 'Reality Dust': well, he does try, and he does keep churning them out, but this is so boring and so mainstream and so traditional. It is all done very competantly, but it is basically the kind of SF I enjoyed when I was a teenager, it isn't challenging in any way.

I was a little disappointed with Paul McAuley's novella, 'Making History', especially as he is one of my favourite writers. This was partly because at the heart of it was a very tedious old argument about the nature of history (great men versus social processes) which tended to intrude on the quite interesting story of the processs of war, defeat, reconciliation and the way history is written. Perhaps this was set up as part of the character of the historian to demonstrate his own flaws, but it didn't really convince. This is certainly not one of his best stories.

As I said at the start, I bought this collection for Ian McDonald's 'Tendeleo's Story'. I was certainly not disappointed by this one. McDonald is one of the few writers in the genre today who can combine real politics and a strongly compassionate and empathetic grasp of human nature. He is also a superb writer, able to portray setting and character in a vivid, dynamic and sensual way.

This novella, as the title suggests is the story of Kenyan girl, Tendeleo, the arrival of a extraterrestrial nanotech lifeform, the Chaga, that begins to transform Africa, and as a result the balance of global power. Initally for Tendeleo, however, this means growing up and simply trying to survive in the ferment that follows, which in her case means geting more and more deeply involved in street gangs smuggling Chaga material out of Africa. Capture and exile is never far away and whe it comes she loses here family in tragic and guilt-inducing circumstances. She winds up in cold, rainy Manchester, England, where she meets the other central character and narrative voice of the story, Sean, a black Irishman, who is also an exile in various ways, and a tentative love affair begins. Of course, inevitably Tendeleo has to return to Africa, where the Chaga has begun to revolutionise everyday life and the place of Africa in the world.

'Tendeleo's Story' is worth the price of this collection alone. It is an almost perfect example of how to write a novella that with none of the structural problems of the others in the book. The narrative is perfectly paced, with a deft handling of both action and emotion and no forced-ness or pretension. It is truly worthwhile and heartbreakingly real story that exist within an utterly fantastic and transforming world, yet a world which says so much about our own. A true gem of a story, from one of the best and most underrated writers around.

This volume is somewhat different than the usual flurry of anthologies that come out, especially during the holiday season, on two counts.

First, it is a British import, and thus the authors represented, while to varying degrees familiar to most of the rest of the world, really are British in tone and outlook.

Second, rather than stories, this volume has the longer novella form for the stories, and thus there is one story apiece. SF seems to be the last bastion of this "not quite short story, not quite novel" length work, and the virtues of the form are admirably displayed here.

The first story is Peter F. Hamilton's WATCHING TREES GROW. Although far better known for his Reality Dysfunction space opera, Hamilton has written detective SF before (The Mindstar Rising novels) and this is another example, with a twist...it is set in an alternate history where Heinleinian long-lived families vie for power and influence, and that is just the backdrop to a murder mystery.

The second story is REALITY DUST by Stephen Baxter. Unlike Hamilton, Baxter's story is set in his trademark universe, the "Xeelee Sequence". This is set after the Qax Domination, where their former collaborator-lackeys seek escape from the freed peoples of Earth in a rather unusual escape route.

MAKING HISTORY, by Paul McAuley is set in a more standard "near future" solar system, in the aftermath of a war...and even if it is true that history is written by the victors, that history can sometimes be rather muddled in the making.

The last story is TENDELEO'S STORY by Ian MacDonald. Like the Baxter, it is set in a trademark world of his, the "Chaga stories", where a strange alien life (nanotech? technolife?) has started to colonize the Earth, beginning with Africa. This story, like his other novels and stories, focuses more on the people affected by the Chaga, much more so than the actual event itself.

All four of these stories are strong, but of course, tastes may vary. The stories do range a far chunk of SF, and it is very possible that while you might like two or three, you may not like all four (personally, I liked the Baxter the best and the McDonald the least). Thus, the 4 star rating. Still, all in all, if you are at all interested in what the best British SF writers are doing, this paperback is perfect for the purpose.

I understand that saving an eagle is important, I don't mind that, the eagle is our national symbole after all. But I believe the woman who wrote this put too much emphasize on saving the earth.
I'm a Christian, I believe we should take care of the Earth, but at the same time we should care for people more. I saw this as a Earth worshipping book, I wouldn't want my child reading this.

After finding a baby owl in the park, Julie and Ivy give it to a local wildlife rescue center. There, Julie meets Robin Young, a graduate student at Berkeley, and four beautiful eagles: Shasta, Sierra, and their two eaglets. Shasta has an injured wing and cannot be released back into the wild until he recuperates, but if the center doesn't raise enough money soon, the eagles will become too dependent upon their human caretakers to ever be released.

Though Julie enjoys hanging out with Robin and helping feed the baby eagles, she wants to do something more. After her teacher brings up Earth Day, Julie eagerly tells her class all about her feathered friends. Before she knows it, Project SAVE - Save All Vanishing Eagles - has taken flight. On Earth Day, she and her classmates set up booths at Golden Gate Park to help raise awareness and money for the center and for the eagles. The event is a huge success, but they still don't make enough money to create a new habitat for the eagles. Some more quick thinking and unexpected visitors help them make their goal - just in time for Julie's tenth birthday.

This is the fourth American Girls book about Julie Albright, written by Megan McDonald and illustrated beautifully by Robert Hunt. (Look at the detail on the characters' clothing and check out the wingspan of those eagles!) This story will teach young readers about eagles, Earth Day, conservation, and endangered species, and it will definitely inspire readers to take a look at the world around them and get active in their schools and communities. Let's celebrate Earth Day every day!

In a world of broken-down, drug-addicted teen stars and pop princesses with tarnished crowns, it is refreshing to read a book about a young girl with strong moral fortitude and solid goals.

Julie Albright, the latest American Girl, is a ten year old girl living in 1970s San Francisco. In the first book, Meet Julie, we learn that her parents have recently divorced, forcing Julie and her sister to move away from their friends, father, and family home. We also learn that Julie is a quietly determined girl who cares deeply about those near to her and the issues that are dear to her.

In Julie and the Eagles, Julie and her best friend, Ivy Ling find a baby owl in a local park and learn that the choices America has made to modernize and advance themselves technologically have had big effects on the environment. Soon, Julie hatches a plan to help save two eagles and their hatchling.

Why I love Julie and the Eagles:
This book tells the story of a compassionate, intelligent young girl living in a time of great change, yet it never preaches or attempts to make the reader feel guilty. I love that American Girl seems to be committed to addressing the concerns of young women living in the world today by giving them identifiable characters who are faced with similar challenges. It's not enough to tell a young girl that she should have goals and stay out of trouble. I love that American Girl, with these Julie books, actually shows girls how they can stay out of trouble by caring about something greater than themselves. In a world of sad, broken-down Britney's and troubled, unlovely Lyndsey's, it's nice to have a Julie to introduce my daughter to!

This is the fourth book in the 'Julie' series from American Girl. I am an adult who works at AG, but that doesn't influence my opinions on the books. It just makes it easy for me to read them. I thought this book, in particular, was great. I was born two years after the fictional character Julie, so my experiences are very similar to hers. I loved the 70's references in the book and thought they were very accurate. The author does a great job of slipping educational bits into all the 'Julie' books and they're still very entertaining.
This book focuses on environmental awareness. Julie finds an abandoned, sick owl in the park, and when she takes it to an animal rescue facility, she meets two eagles, Shasta and Sierra, and their baby. Shasta is recovering from an injured wing. She learns that if the eagles are not released into the wild soon, they won't ever be able to go back and will have to live in a zoo. The problem is, the center doesn't have the money needed to accomplish an eagle release. Julie gets her family and class involved and starts a fund-raiser to save the eagles.
At the end of each book in the series, there is a section telling real events that happened during the time the book takes place. This one has nice information about how new laws were passed in the 70's banning DDT and how laws were put in place to make sure animal habitats wouldn't be disturbed before new building takes place.
This is a great book for children 7 and up. I recommend the whole series.

Face it, many of us lose games in under 25 moves or so. What makes this collection of modern miniatures compelling are a few factors: you get to see world class players make some obvious errors, which rebuilds our hope that even though we make many mistakes, we can still be competent; McDonald is an excellent writer; and, most importantly, there is a wealth of textual explanation and analysis of positions. For instance, he frequently somes up the results of the opening to show what it is about the position that leads subsequently to the quick win. This makes the book an excellent instructive manual on the opening and middlegame.

This is a really great effort. The format, diagrams, and games are all excellent.

This book could be used just for fun (i.e. playing over the games), or for instruction (i.e. especially in a scholastic setting).

I once attended a lecture given by Grandmaster Ashley on how to teach scholastic players (i.e. what was most important for rapid improvement). He said the focus should be 1) tactics 2 ) endgames and 3) play over minature games.

Playing over minature games can help you (or your students) develop a sort of "feel" for tactics sort of by osmosis.

anyway, give this book a try - you wou't be disappointed.

(June 2005) This book is already ten years old ... and I have owned it for a very long time.

Read the other reviews here, they all say that this is a good book. McDonald was a very young writer when he wrote this, he spent a great deal of time on this volume, and it is apparent from the first time that you pick this book up.

Most authors just splash the game across the page with broad, vivid strokes, often they are content to let the moves speak for themselves. Not so for Mr. Neil McDonald, his love of chess is evident - he spends time telling you how the game was played, how the combination could have been improved - in short, he gives you most of the information and detail that other (more experienced?) authors could not be bothered with.

Why should you study miniatures? Well ... there are a lot of good answers to this question.
# 1.) You quickly learn tactics.
# 2.) You learn how to punish your opponent's mistakes, especially in the early part of a chess game.
# 3.) If you study enough games of this type, it will definitely improve your overall feel for the game.
# 4.) Just because it is fun!!!

I love this book, when I used to work nights at a local radio station, I studied this book for around an hour every single night. I really like McDonald's work ... he has written enough books now to show that he is a good author - and that he is here to stay.

I did not give this book five stars ... for reasons that have nothing to do with chess. ---> The diagrams are not 100%, the print is fading, and the pages are rapidly yellowing. ALSO - the binding has come apart on two of these books ... but I will readily admit that intense wear could have been the cause. (This is like my third or fourth copy of this book.) But I honestly do not think these are serious issues, many of you may not even notice these flaws.

I wholly endorse this book - the quality of the writing is well above the standard most authors normally set for a book of this type. McDonald - by turns - instructs, delights and amazes his readers. (Recommended.)

Great little book in you enjoy playing over miniatures (games won in under 30 moves). Over 50 games by players such as Kasparov, Kamsky, Kramnik, etc. that are well annotated. Games are grouped by theme to illustrate attacking methods.