Media Books

I loved this series in middle school and would highly recommend it as a fun leisure read for children in that age bracket.

The last book of the enchanted forest chronicles, it is as funny. It is a sequel to Calling on Dragons and the end of the story is a happily ever after for a lot of characters and a not so happy ending for others. It is a book that should not be missed.

My daughters often read the four books from the Enchanted Forest series by Patricia C. Wrede. They came across the books a couple years back. They seem to check out the books and audio tapes every couple months. Over the last year I have listened to bits and pieces of the series.

Talking to Dragons is was the first book published, but it is really the fourth in the series. The hero of the story is a 16 year old boy by the name of Daystar. For the first 16 years of his life he lived on the edge of the Enchanted Forest with his mother. Then one day his mother gives him a sword and sends him out into Enchanted Forest. His mother tells him he has a mission, but won't tell him what the mission is.

Fairly quickly Daystar bumps into a fire-witch. They are both in trouble with wizards, and decide to stick together. Daystar was taught to always be polite to dragons. They come across a young dragon. Daystar is very polite and the dragon joins the group. Near the end of the book Daystar finally figures out his mission and helps save the day.

This is a fun book. It moves along well. I stayed up till midnight to finish it. If your children like fantasy, you might have them try this book.

Talking To Dragons Jane Yolen Books,
Patricia C. Wrede ISBN 0-15-284247-0

Talking to Dragons is a great book about kings, princes, princesses, dragons, and wizards by Patricia C. Wrede. It takes place in Enchanted Forest. The narrator of the book is the main character, Daystar.
One day Daystar's mom tells him to go on a quest that he knows nothing about. He started out on a quest and meets new creatures and people, some of them become his companions and some his enemies.
His companions, a young fire witch named Shiara and a young dragon, become really good friends with him. They help him on his quest. After a while he started to figure out that the sword his mom gave him was important because everybody wanted it. People called it "The Sword of the Sleeping King." All he knew is that he needed to go through a cave to be where he was supposed to.
At the end he found the Sleeping King and everybody was reunited. I recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and also a happy ending. I recommend reading the first three books Dealing With Dragons, Searching For Dragons and Calling for Dragons.

PR28

All the Enchanted Forest Chronicles are so much fun! Definitely at my top of Harry Potter fan recommendations. They're just such an amusing read; I even teach with them. Don't forget to read "The Frying Pan of Doom."

If you like horses this book is for you. The basic plot:
-after a shipwreck, a kid ends up stranded on an island with a horse
-the two befriend each other and help each other (kid feeds horse, horse kills snake near kid)
-the two our found and taken back to NY, where the kid lives
-all are happy to see the kid's alive
-the horse has amazing talent in the field of racing, but the kid has no papers for the horse so he is unable to race it
-they find a race that was set up by the owners of the horses and ask the owners if he can be entered into it
-they say yes
The book ends with a thrilling race that you feel you are riding in.

A boy and his horse.


In something of a change of pace, a horse book that may just be slightly more directed at boys than girls, although the plot stays fairly similar.

Boy helps out horse in island shipwreck situation. Horse returns the favour. Horse of course is an impressive specimen and can do the fast running thing quite nicely.

So, off to the races then go.

Strange in a way that I loved this book so much when I read it in fourth grade, because, ironically, in real life, horses kind of scare me. I think Walter Farley's book is magical and I hope others who read it find as much meaning as I did in the story of a boy named Alec Ramsey, who survives a shipwreck and befriends a magnificent black Arabian stallion. Yes, this enduring classic is basically a fantasy, but sometimes it takes fantasy to create a book that is capable of touching the human soul in the exact way this one does.

What would you do if your horse saved you from the frightening death of drowning? Then what would you do if that horse was taken away from you? That is exactly what Alec thought of in the fictional book The Black Stallion written by Walter Farley.

Alec was on a ship back to his homeland, when the ship got in contact with a glacier. No one even thought of about saving that horrible, kicking, horse in the stables. Though Alec knew it was the right thing so he went into the stables and saved the horse. As they jumped off the ship, Alec was too weak to swim. So the stallion swam miles with Alec at the end of the stallions lead rope, until they saw land. They were stuck on that island fighting to survive as their friendship grew between them. One day a ship came and saved them. In a couple of days they would be at home. The stallion was named The Black and was kept in an older barn behind Alec's house.

I couldn't put this book down. This whole series was amazing. Anyone who loves horses would love these books. This book made me happy, nervous, and sad. It also made me cry. I think everyone should experience these feelings when you read a book.

-Courtney Dommer

This book is a must-read for any child. When I was young I read lots of Jack London books and I also read the entire Walter Farley Black Stallion series. Walter Farley's books are written in a very simple style, easy for young readers to understand. The movie is a timeless classic & was so well done. Some children will find the movie slow (no talking during the whole island sequence) but if your child appreciates beautiful images, and is horse-crazy, they'll love the film. I now own a black Arabian stallion of my own...so be careful, Black Stallion books can cause a lifelong horse addiction!

The third book First Strike is set after the destruction of Alpha Halo and is about how the Master Chief, Cortana, his fellow Spartans, and some human survivors return to Earth in a captured Covenant Flagship: Ascendant Justice by first stopping by the colony Reach to track any covenant homing beacons to be sure not to reveal the location of Earth to the Covenant. After they find other Spartan, Vice Admiral Whitcomb, and Dr. Catherine Halsey they leave Reach in a damaged justice and later form a temporary alliance with separatist rebels in order to gain repairs. After another fight with a covenant ship, Dr. Halsey enters slipspace in a stolen ship and exfiltrates Spartan "Kelly". Later after hearing from Cortana that the Covenant are headed to Earth, The Chief and his fellow Spartans decide to go on a mission to disrupt the covenant operations by destroying the "Unyielding Hierophant" a vital battle station between the Covenant fleet and Earth. With authorization from the Admiral, the Chief and his fellow Spartans set out for the Hierophant and successfully overload its reactor. They escape on a covenant dropship and get picked up by the justice. Whitcomb and Lieutenant Haverson trick the Covenant fleet into coming near the Hierophant heavily damaging the covenant fleet allowing the chief and his team to escape. Meanwhile on the covenant capital ship: "High Charity" the Chieftain Tartarus and the High Prophet of truth discuss the fate of an Elite who allowed Alpha Halo to be destroyed and and the Ascendant Justice to be Captured.

Overall I'd say this is a good story that bridges the gap between Halo 1 and Halo 2. If you have any questions after you finished the first halo game, I suggest you read this book. It explains how the Covenant were able to discover the location of Earth, and how the Master Chief was able to return to Earth after the destruction of Halo and many more. This is a good read if even if you haven't played the game. But if you want to understand the story better, I suggest you play the first Halo game or read the first two books. (Halo: Fall of Reach, Halo: The Flood).

I haven't been a fan of the Halo Series for long, but after playing Halo 3 I was curious about the story. I found a copy of this book and was happily surprised. Based on the game, I wasn't expecting much, but this book builds a great story around the already famous characters.

The book doesn't require a big understanding of the Halo universe. Some background info does help, of course that makes a little sense because this is not the first book. Anyway, the characters in the book are well developed and the action will keep you reading until the end. Master Chief are Cortana are both expanded upon and the supporting character are all very likable.

The only small problems I found was that many of the characters actions seemed a little dumbed down, almost as if this book was targeting a younger audience (despite the games M rating). Sometimes the book repeats previous sections of plot to remind you. This was annoying to me. Still, that is not enough to detract from the story, which is very good. Worth Reading.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who likes futuristic war, blood and gore violence, and a little love story between John(a.k.a. Masterchief) and Cortana his personal artificial intelegents bot. Aliens try to invade and destroy Earth with plasma shots and bombs in a destinguished pattern. Masterchief finds survivors and they hi-jack a covenant ship and try to get back to REach. The other spartansare already on Reach. They and Dr. Halsey discover that there is much more to Reach the thought. The doctor finds old documents and maps of the station at Reach. Find out what happens when Halo is detonated.

SPARTAN-104, Fredrick, twirled a combat knife, his fingers nimble despite the bulky MJOLNIR combat armor that encased his body. The blade traced a complicated series of arcs in the air. The few remaining naval personnel on the deck turned pale and averted their eyes- a Spartan wielding a knife was generally accompanied by the presence of several dead bodies. In the beginning of the book, it starts with twenty-six SPARTANS going to the planet reach and three SPARTANS staying on the space dock. The Master Chief (aka SPARTAN-117) was the leader of the "space op" and Fred (another SPARTAN) was the Red-Team leader on the planet reach. Red-Team thought that they got the easy job, land on Reach and protect the MAC (Magnetically Accelerated Cannon) gun (the cannon uses magnets to pull the projectile) generators. When the Pelican was going to the planet, Covenant Seraphs attacked the drop ship and four Longsword Fighters had to fight them away. Even then, the drop ship didn't have a safe landing. All of the Spartans (26 of them) had to bail going just below Mach 1. Fred told them to them to overload their hydrostatic gel and curl into a ball just before landing. Only four of them were killed from the landing. When the Chief was stuck in a sector of space where there was nothing but "dust and echoes," and the worst part is, they only have a couple of hours of air and they don't have the capabilities of slip space (it would take over five years to get to the nearest planet). Latter in the book the planet Reach is destroyed by the Covenant. The one spot that the Covenant did not "glass over" was full of them. The thing that they were looking for was the "Holy Light." The "Holy Light" is a radioactive mystery crystal. Dr. Halsey got the crystal and all of them ran literally for their lives. Alter they reach an asteroid belt they look for a place to hide from the single Covenant ship that was able to follow them. They found a rebel base and convinced them to repair the ship by blowing up an asteroid the size of their base with one of seven plasma cannons. The covenant fleet catches up with them and the escape again. I recommend this book to anyone who likes the books about HALO.
This book tells about the planet Reach and a little about the book The Flood (another book in the series). This book is not good for a "Quick Read."
If you wondered how Reach was destroyed, read this book. I learned about many things I didn't understand in the other books.
In conclusion, this book was a great read and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

A. Snively

Spartan-104, Fredrick, twirled a combat knife, his fingers nimble despite the bulky MJOLNIR combat armor that encased his body. The blade traced a complicated series of arcs in the air. The few remaining naval personnel on the deck turned pale and averted their eyes- a Spartan wielding a knife was generally accompanied by the presence of several dead bodies. The third book, Halo: First strike, which is a Sci-Fi, starts after the destruction of halo with the Master Chief in a small ship rescuing all the remaining humans. He is in uncharted territory so no one knows were he is. He finds a few survivors and has to get passed three big fighter class Covenant ships. He has to get Cortona, a computer intelligence, to the UNSC headquarters.

I liked this book a lot because it had a bunch of action senses. The action senses were well described with great word usage. I would recommend this book because of the descriptive battle senses and the fact that it is the best of all three Halo books. If you liked the first two books you will love this one. The group I recommend this to the most are teens that like video games (mostly boys) because it is from the video game series Halo. I enjoyed the style of writing very much because of the description. Here is an example, the Brute bellowed, and globules of spit spattered onto the Chief's visor. It leaned closer, screwing its massive hands tighter around his throat. The Chief's vision narrowed. His windpipe swelled, and he gagged. Also, many chapters ended in a cliff hangers which made me keep reading. Here is an example; a thunderous detonation cut her off. The mountain exploded, and ONI's base collapsed over their heads. When I was reading my mind did sometimes wander because at some points in the story all they did was talk about boring stuff like why the ship was not working. Stuff like that.

Honestly the first time I saw this anime on T.V., I was turned off by the whole crazy psychotic demon stuff. Then I decided to give this anime a chance, and after the first episode, I was hooked. The story is about a girl who falls into a well and she ends up in feudal Japan. Bizzare? Maybe at first, but after a while you'll say, wow that well gos great with the story.
So I decided to purchase the first volume of the manga, and now I will definately say, this is one of my most favorite series. The story involving and thrilling which also leaves for many unexpected events to happen where they end up fighting countless hordes of demons. All in all, this first volume of the manga will make you want to buy volume 2 of this great series.

I ordered the first two of the series.
I was pleased with the fact that they were a pretty good length, but I'm still reeling over the cost!
American dollars are bad. Very bad. Am so broke *droops*.
I love the story very much however, and Inuyasha makes a most adorable villian/good-guy. (confusing isn't it?)
I have shared it with a few of my friends. (Trusted ones mind you. Sooooo expensive to replace!)
They had a lot of reactions ranging from:
*yoink* "I'll see you after Japanese" *runs off clutching book muttering 'My preciousssss'*
To:
"Oh, they aren't very good quality drawings, are they?" *gets head bashed in by me*
And even!:
*Opens first page* "That girl looks really mad. Who is she?"
"Oh! He's a guy??? Are you sure???"
Yes. That really happened. That particular person also mistook Sesshoumaru for a female but I can forgive her for that.
I'd love to buy the rest of the series, but I'm pretty darn sure that I can live without it until the prices go down. One day.

Rumiko Takahashi is the writer of InuYasha, which is known by fans has being a Feudal Fairy Tale. InuYasha is a story about a average schoolgirl who is taken back in time through a well on her family's property. She soon discovers many facts abut herself and her destiny that makes one realize that she in no average schoolgirl. She, with the help of Inuyasha, a half human, half demon hybrid, must gather the shards of a Sacred Jewel that gan give demons enormous amounts of power. Now, one might think that this is just a simple story, that can't be very interesting, but one would be very wrong. InuYasha is a `historical action and romance from one of Japan's most beloved creators' with a touch of gothic horror. What more could one want? With a cast full of interesting characters, and even more interesting villains, anyone reading InuYasha will instantly fall in love with at least one of the characters, and instantly hate a few has well. I myself have read all the books in this series to date (Jan. 7, 2004) that are available. But, if you want to find anymore out about Kagome and Inuyasha's adventures, well... you'll just have to read the book yourself.

Allison R.

"Inu-Yasha" has one of the best stories I've ever read. It starts off simply, maybe a bit generic. From there though, you get to know the characters, and you really do sympathize with them. The relationships between them are not rushed, and the romance is done very well. The story gets better in every volume, too.

Anyone who loves manga should try out Inu-Yasha. It's popular for a reason.

There is a little nudity, but it's not done in a sexual way. Still, it's not something for small children.

Violent, gruesome, nudity. Should be removed from the shelves. My 7 year old son told me he read one of these books that a friend in his second grade class brought in. I purchased a few books in the series and we reviewed one for content. I was horrified to see that it talked about murder, a person saves a bucket of human livers and has to move to another town because he has run out of victims. There were pictures of nude girls on a few of the pages. Although it says it is for Teen on the back cover- Young kids are reading these books. My nephews, who are teens, think these books are for young kids. Most teens are not interested in reading them. Which shows that these books although labeled for teens have a young child audience. I am bringing the books I purchased last night, back to the store this morning.

Before I lost this, I was constantly using this as a point of reference for the time line of things and to make sure I wasn't mispelling certain things.. getting other things right, what was where, what all kinds of Star ship classes there wear, etc... this was all for a fan fiction novel that I was, am.. writing. Good thing I put some of those things I was always looking at.. on paper.. so I didn't have to lug the book around everywhere I went.

Granted it's lacking the last few seasons of Voyager and the whole of Enterprise, but I thank Okura for even making "an" edition of these, though it would be nice for a new one.

This is a great book, with one rather glaring error. Under the SETI entry, there is a picture of Pioneer's plaque. On the plaque, the Pioneer appears to be launched from the second planet from the sun. As we all know, the probe was launched from the third planet, Earth.

If you consider yourself a Trekkie or just someone who is truely intersted in Star Trek this Encyclopedia is a must buy period.It has insight to every facet of the Series.From the Original to Voyager you'll know details to everything.You'll won't be able to just glance through it once.I consider myself a huge Trekkie and like to think I know alot about the Shows,but I'll find myself amazed when I discover details about a certain charecter of Episodes I've forgotten or never knew exsisted.Especially interesting is the Timeline parts of the book,The breakdowns of Ship commisions and Designs,information about Actors,Cuisine,backstories of Charecters.You name it and they have everything about it...well almost everything.

You have to realize this fact before buying this Encyclopedia is that it was made in 1999.It's been 9 Years.Alot of History has happened in Star Trek since then and if you don't realize this now,you'll be disapointed to discover that to information about Deep Space Nine's last Season,the last 2 Seasons of Voyager,The whole of Enterprise and Star Trek Nemesis.All of this information is non-exsistant.And just imagine the frustration of people who actually owned this book through the years and reread it wishing it had all this wealth of new information.I honestly can't comprehend why Pocket Books would not release the Book with all of this missing information availible.Or make a CD-Rom of it.

This might sound like I'm ragging on the Book,but that would be impossible to do.Wiether or not this info is in this paticular Book doesn't really matter,because it extensively covers in scrutinizing detail of all the Series up to Deep Space Nine Last Season,Voyager's last 2 Seasons,the whole of Enterprise and Star Trek Nemesis.And believe me you'll be more than satisfied with that alone.

So,most definately buy this now and enjoy it and you will.But just realize it's outdated and once you do that then you can truely enjoy this Encyclopedia the way the Publisher intended you enjoy it:with wonderment and fun.

I bought this book in 2003, and it covered most of the bases then, but only the movies through 1998 ("Insurrection" IIRC; "Nemesis" is not covered.), and the 5th season of Voyager. It just covered the last season of DS9. And of course it has none of the "Enterprise" series.

There have also been events such as the Paramount auction of all the series and movie paraphernalia since then, and that could be a chapter all by itself.

I came on Amazon today expecting to see a new and updated version for sale, and was disappointed that the old edition is still all that's available.

Michael and Denise Okuda know everything there is to know about ST, and are the perfect people to update this. If I were shopping today for the first time I would say wait for the new edition, but buy a used paperback 1999 just to see what it's all about.

Keeping my fingers crossed that someone sees the demand for an updated version!

Nothing on the end of Voyager's Delta Quadrant wanderings? Nothing on Enterprise's backstory additions and newly-created anachronisms? Both this book and the related Star Trek Chronology need serious revamping. I appreciate the Okuda's insider Trekker style, but this reeks of willful blindness!

My 18-year-old daughter said, "This guy is a philosopher! As a kid I thought these were just funny."

I'll keep this short - this is one of the best collections you can own for Calvin and Hobbes. As there is a gigantic compilation that includes all of the strips ever made, you might think there is little reason to own anything else. However, this book contains insight directly from Watterson himself. It includes his own personal takes on some of his strips, how he evolved his artwork, his battle with syndication and layout restrictions, and overall a great look into the mind of a rather reclusive man.

His work is magical in every possible sense.

Don't get me wrong, I love C&H. But Watterson is a bit preachy in this book. He tries to explain his rationale behind some of these comics and that's generally cool. But he has comments where he bashes other comics for being pretentions jerks while he comes across like basically a pretentious jerk. /shrug, it's still a good book with good comics. For me, it was a mix of eye-rolling at Watterson's comments vs. laughing at the comics.

"I've always loved cartoons. With 'Calvin and Hobbes', I've tried to return some of the fun, magic, and beauty I've enjoyed in other comics. It's been immensely satisfying to draw 'Calvin and Hobbes', and I will always be grateful to have had the opportunity to work in this wonderful art form." (p. 208)

This book allows us to see the man behind the pen. This collection is a selection of what Watterson thought was important, interesting or profound about various strips he drew. It is the equivalent of a director's commentary on a DVD.

I relished the introductory essay, which is far superior to the one found in the Monster Box Set. It covers more of the in and outs of drawing, Watterson's battle for control of Calvin, his no-marketing stance, and his push for those wonderful Sunday comics. We have yet to see his artistic superior, much less an equal.

If we read between the lines, Watterson's retirement was not a surprise. The battles he fought for his integrity really damaged a part of his soul. This book provides a better explanation than his terse press release, and I feel for him. The Far Side, Bloom County, and now Foxtrot have run their course, and like these other comics, we can use this book to stoke memories--the roses of the soul that charm us in winter.

From Watterson's point of view, this book is the best of the best. After reading it, I see what he meant. The reason why C&H was so popular was that he touched the soul's taproot. You have the two sides of the man, with the animal being human, and the human an animal, then the shifting frame of reference between the imaginary and real world. As a chronic daydreamer, I understand this perfectly. In fact, I find myself in many situations that Calvin does, with the same results.

This is art--we se ourselves, and are better for it.

Best cartoon series that I can remember. Use it as a coffee table book for guests to flip through and enjoy. Very satisfied with condition when received.

I nearly fell asleep while reading this book. It only gets more than 1 star from me because of the somewhat predictable plot twist at the end.

This book is the first chapter book to interest my six year old. The characters, five sisters, each have their own personalities which are drawn in detail and carried through all of their adventures. The stories are sweet, focusing on everyday life in a poor jewish family at the turn of the century in New York (on the lower east side). The traditions will be familiar to an educated jewish reader but the setting just diferent enough to make it interesting. My daughter demands it every night and now cant sleep without her nightly dose of "naughty Henny and her sisters."

This book is just as entertaining as it was when I read it as a child! The book arrived quickly, in fantastic condition. Thanks!

Sydney Taylor's classic book for middle readers is set in the Lower East Side of New York City and depicts the life of a traditional Jewish family in the early 20th century. All-of-A-Kind Family is the first in a series of novels about the lively family and is a sweet, charming read. The story takes the reader through most of year and involves not just the family but their friends and acquaintances, too. The book opens with a chapter about going to the library, and the children's librarian (or "library lady," as the girls like to call her) is a gentle, recurring presence. The children's adventures include a trip to the market, scarlet fever and an outing to Coney Island, where one of the girls gets temporarily, and happily, lost. Meanwhile the story meanders through a year of Jewish holidays and teaches the reader a little about each one. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on Shabbat and how Taylor contrasts the hubbub of shopping and preparations with the simple serenity of the day itself. The family relationships struck me as very true and believable- for example, Papa's ambivalence regarding the present the girls get for his birthday and his quick turnaround struck me as realistic and human. I can imagine any parent reacting the way he did initially and then rallying in the end. I appreciate Taylor's honesty about her characters throughout the book, too. It's a great book for anyone and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series and sharing in the further adventures of this fun, busy family.

All-of-a-Kind Family was a turning point in the history of Judaic children's literature - the first mainstream book with Jewish characters! In memory of author Sydney Taylor, the Association of Jewish Libraries gives out the Sydney Taylor Book Award each year to the best in Judaic children's literature. See lists of winners at www.sydneytaylorbookaward.org.

Also, you can hear an interview with Jo Taylor Marshall, the daughter of Sydney Taylor, on The Book of Life podcast's October 2007 episode "Catch Me a Classic!" Jo shares memories of the real people who became the characters in the series. Tune in at www.bookoflifepodcast.com!

i am reading the series and i finnished this book in two days. i feel ots the best one yet. very few times when ui was reading this book i got board and when it did it would instantly be filled with awsemness and suspense. u should get it

Eagle Strike is one of the best teen spy novels in a series of books written by Anthony Horowitz. It combines action across numerous European countries, celebrities who aren't what they seem, Air Force One, politics, and enough chase scenes to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire book. This undoubtedly one of the best Alex Rider adventures yet.
Alex is vacationing in France with Sabina, his new best friend, and her family, when the man he hates most, Russian contract killer Yassen Gragorovich, shows up to stir up trouble. Yassen, though, seems to be uninterested in Alex and doesn't even know he's in the area. However Alex, being a suspicious teenager, cannot help but get in Yassen's way. After going out one day after Yassen, Alex returns to find the house he's been staying in has been blown up, and Sabina's father is in intensive care. This leads to the discovery of a strange plot involving a famous singer, Damien Cray, who has developed the ultimate video game system called Gameslayer. This seems to be nothing more than a marketing move for Cray, but the more Alex Rider dives into this Gameslayer and spies on Damien Cray, the more sinister Cray's part in the events becomes.
This leads to Alex travelling around Europe with his trusty guardian Jack in search of the truth and the bad guys, but the bad guys find him first. Alex is stuck in the middle of a plan with deadly consequences. The world's most powerful celebrity has gotten control of the world's most dangerous weapons, and his intentions are unthinkable. A brilliant climax, Eagle Strike will have you on edge of your seat, waiting to know how the book ends, while learning about an explosive secret regarding Alex's history.

Scott Totten

This book is one of the many Alex Rider books; this is defiantly an action thriller. This takes place all around Europe from Venice to England. Its theme is about a young teenage spy who has to solve mind puzzlers to saving damsels in distress. It starts in a little town in Europe when Alex and his new friend Sabina are on a vacation; But Alex ends up seeing Yassen Gregorvich, the man who killed his uncle. After Alex sees this man everything starts to go wrong. The adventure involves a famous singer named Damian Cray; this man is also the man who made the new game system called the Game Slayer. This seems nothing more then a way to make money for Cray but really it is really to fund Cray's evil plan.
One part of the book that I think you will really enjoy is a chapter called "Pain Synthesis". This chapter is when Alex has to face real challenges that are in a video game for the Game Slayer. Also Alex has to face a deadly python, gods, flying spears and electric vines.
The climax is at the end where a crazy super star is in control of weapons of mass destruction. The turnout is incredible on Air Force One. But I can't tell you the turnout you have to read the book to find out what happens.

This is a compelling, shocking, and thrilling book. this is about Alex Rider a teenager being forced to do spy work again to save his friend but this time he must do it alone. This is an action/adventure/suspense/thriller fiction novel. Four and a half stars out of five because, it had nonstop action and kept me guessing what was going to happen next throughtout the entire book. people wgi enjoy Darren Shan or Christopher Polini will enjoy this. tgis is a wonderful read for people of all ages.

I read all of the Alex Riders (not including Snakehead)and Eagle Strike is the best. It has so much action from start to finish. The best part is when Alex is thrown into a real life replica of a violent video game. It's so good you won't be able to (willingly) put the book down.

Authors are increasingly coming to appreciate the fact that by the time their book is written, only half of the job is done. Promoting the book may take as much or more time than writing it. Unless authors are internationally famous or very lucky the proceeds from book sales may not allow for expensive promotion. The solution is to do it frugally. Carolyn Howard-Johnson's [[ASIN: 193299310X The Frugal Book Promoter]] helps authors to do just that. While the ways to promote a book are increasingly becoming known through books and online resources, everything cannot be in one book. I found many tips in The Frugal Book Promoter that I had not seen elsewhere. I recommend it to all authors.

As evident from its aggregate reviews, THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER is a concise, well-organized, user-friendly, and practical guide. As a writer,The Passion of Maryam I also find it inspirational. Most of us writers, Carolyn Howard-Johnson accurately points out, want to hide from promoting our work. Her book encourages bite-size steps, aimed at accenting the marketplace communication skills each author has nascent within her/him--and which indeed are connected to the essentials of the writing skills. Hers is a guide one can visit and revisit at every stage of the publishing process and find something that further affirms a sense of "Wow, I'm out there." She helps turn the feared, the distained, yes, to some of us, the odious, into a process and set of goals that can not only be affirming of oneself as a real (read professional) writer, but which can actually be fun. Buy this book, go through it, keep picking it up and reconsulting it, and let it help you get out there--and keep you out there. Also visit her website.
That she makes THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER work so well undoubtedly derives from her background in PR, but also, as a seasoned writer herself, she teaches and keeps company with writers. I look forward to her now-available THE FRUGAL EDITOR.

The Frugal Book Promoter is a must own bible for all independent writers, self-publishers and anyone who feels left out of the publishing world. Carolyn Howard-Johnson encourages the writer to empower themselves as long as they have the information necessary to take them to heights they never believed they could ever achieve. The information is substantial. The experience of doing this and actually collecting it so that others can benefit is such a positive vehicle for any writer whether they are first time writers or want to supplement their publisher's efforts. I found amazing resources in this book. If you don't have it with you when you are ready to promote your work, don't even think about it. Get it. It's money well spent...

I don't get the 5-star reviews on this book. This is an honest review from someone who was really excited when she bought the book, couldn't wait to dive right in, and within the first twenty or so pages was starting to wonder if I was duped. Yes, there are a lot of ideas in this book. And I guess if you are completely new to this, then this would be a good book. But also note, the ideas aren't that great, they're old ideas, and there are several other books on this topic that are much more worth the money and time.

A couple turnoffs were all those quotes--tons of quotes (I finally figured out the quotes were from the authors). Then all the 1995 links included, and by that I mean when she offers you a link to a resource, it goes to something like EarthLink or Tripod or some other general service used more for personal pages. The links and the pages you're taken to are like the ones you'd see back in the day when people were getting started with the Internet. I couldn't take much of it too seriously because if you're not sending me to a professional site with a professional domain, then how can I trust the information on that site.

I did go through the entire book, and to be honest, I did not come away with one single new idea. Not one! If you're really looking for a good book on PR, and want to read one with that's fresh and new, then check out The New Rules for Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott . Now there's a book you can trust. I really wanted to love this book, but I came away highly disappointed. I felt like I was reading a book dated back to 1995. Old ideas, old info, old links, etc. And the appearance of the book and the way it was organized was awful. Kudos to the author for trying. But I need something more in tune with today. Makes me wonder where the 5-star reviews came from. Scott's book is worth 5 stars, this book, seriously, is not.

As a published author myself who has been left to do the vast majority of the legwork to promote my book, I speak with some authority as to the validity of the ideas outlined in the Frugal Book Promoter. The text is chock full of outstanding suggestions and recommendations for elements all along the book publishing/promotion timeline for both traditional and non-traditional publishing paths. I don't think there's a single page that doesn't offer something extremely useful, and oftentimes multiple nuggets of wisdom to get your book in the public eye. I've got several in mind to help expand my own efforts.

Here's my gripe, though. The formatting of the book is awful. It would have been so much more readable had the author or someone else taken the time to clean up the presentation. I can't help but conclude that the book was just a cut and paste job from a website or ebook. There are long, underlined URLs all over the place. The book employs a great deal of bullet lists, but the lists are crammed together. There are also all kinds of alternate formats used in a less than elegant fashion making for a very clunky looking work.

I give the content a 5, but the formatting a 1. That would average a 3 for a score, but since the material is so useful I'll weight that higher and give it a 4.

This is a classic for young children. Please don't forego this book for the movie version. I like the Chuck Jones-directed, 1966 television production but that doesn't stop me from bringing this book out from November through December for a regular rotation in our bedtime reading.

Purchased a lot of 8 books. All were in perfect condition, arriving in a timely manner. Great seller!

My husband and I both loved the Grinch as children. The book is wonderful and when read, you can't help but think of the animated short film and its music. Our son had his first Christmas this year and we've made reading about the Grinch part of our Christmas Eve traditions. It brings back such fond memories while creating new ones.

who doesn't love this book also love the shinny new cover

How The Grinch Stole Christmas is a classic tale about greed, materialism, and the kindness of man for his fellow man all wrapped up in one great big package! The illustrations are wonderful and the rhyming text impresses me. This is a story by Dr. Seuss that is so popular it was made into a Christmastime TV special; and it deserves every bit of recognition that it gets. (Note: this story is very popular; and because many, many people know it all the way through there are spoilers in this review.)

When the story begins we are introduced to the Grinch. He hates Christmas with all celebrations down in "Who-ville," a village he can see from his home on a mountain. The Grinch hates the noise, the caroling, the sharing of presents and the feast of "roast beast."

Eventually the Grinch gets an idea--he dresses up as Santa Claus and uses his dog Max for a reindeer; and this perverse take on the real Santa Claus tale is meant to strike people as ugly. The Grinch comes down from the mountain with his sled and his dog Max made up to look like a reindeer. Soon the Grinch steals all the presents, the stocking hung with care on the fireplace mantle, the roast beast, the Christmas trees--and even the firewood!

The Grinch gets quite a surprise when on Christmas day the "Whos" of "Who-ville" celebrate and rejoice anyway--without any material things to mark the holiday spirit. This shocks the Grinch and he must consider the possibility that Christmas doesn't just "come from a store."

Of course, once the Grinch learns his lesson he returns everything and there's quite a huge celebration with the Grinch leading the way as he carves the "roast beast." It's a very positive ending.

The moral of the story for our children is, of course, that Christmas DOESN'T just come from a store. The importance of Christmas with its religious significance and its message of good will toward all mankind is stressed without banging the child on the head too aggressively. The story overall makes for a fascinating experience for the children. I have many fond memories of watching this TV special and reading this book when I was a very young child.

As with many Dr. Seuss books, children can use this book on a concrete, literal level to improve their vocabulary and reading skills. Older kids will learn the importance of Christmas and the need for all mankind to respect each other and share the beauties of the world together.

I highly recommend this exceptional children's book.