Siblings Books

Beezus and Ramona is a good book! In this book, you meet Fred, Ramona's imaginary pet lizard. Ramona also happens to destroy a library book! How do you spell Ramona and Beezus? F-u-n, f-u-n, f-u-n! I'm not allowed to tell you anything else. So how do you find out about this? READ THE BOOK-NOW!

Is there *anyone* on the planet who doesn't like Beverly Cleary's books and the wonderful characters she created?

Beezus and Ramona (along with Henry Huggins and the rest of the gang on Klikitak Street) were part of my childhood. 40 years later, they were just as appealing to my own son. And don't tell anyone -- although we bought these audiobooks when he was about 8, at 12 he still likes to put these on ocassionally and listen. Why? In large part because of Stockard Channing's masterful performance here. Her rendition of Ramona is EXACTLY how we imagine this impish little creature would talk.

I highly recommend these books, both because of the delightful stories and characters that Mrs. Clearly created for us, and because Stockard Channing has brought them to life so perfectly here. The stories are reminiscent of simpler times and will take parents back to their own childhoods while providing toddlers to tweens with good, wholesome entertainment.

We listened on road trips, and unlike certain kids entertainment (a certain purple dinosaur comes to mind), you won't want the kids to wear headphones to preserve your sanity. You'll want it on the main speakers for everyone in the car to enjoy.

Five stars!

If you have a little sister and think she's annoying, think again. Does your sister think Bendix is the most beautiful name in the world? Does she ruin your birthday cake--twice?! Sometimes little sisters are annoying, but Ramona is impossible! Beezuz, Roamona's big sister finds out that no matter what happens in her childhood with Ramona, they will think it funny when they grow up. I hope you'll enjoy this book!

Beezus really got annoyed with Ramona, she wrecked the art class, she bite into all those apples,etc. I would have probably screamed if I had Ramona for a sister! I like Beverly Cleary's books. I own this particular book of hers, and I read it again and again! It's awsome! I totally recomend it, along with Cleary's other awsome books!

Ask any older sibling about younger siblings, and you'll get one common answer...they're A-N-N-O-Y-I-N-G. They steal your toys, throw tantrums, and constantly steal the spotlight. But, even the most perturbed older siblings know that, deep down, it's impossible not to love younger sisters and brothers - sometimes.

Nine-year-old Beatrice "Beezus" Quimby has always been a quiet soul, content with spending her time embroidering pot holders, helping her mother do the sheets on Saturday's, and reading the countless books she checks out of the Glenwood Branch Library on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, her four-year-old sister, Ramona, is the exact opposite of her. Ramona has one thing on her mind, and that's making as much noise as possible, and driving the whole family out of their mind. Beezus can't stand it, especially since the responsibility of taking care of Ramona, and ensuring that she behaves, is often delegated to her, so that her parents can get their work done. Ramona, however, refuses to obey Beezus. Unless, of course, she's reading one of her favorite books - The Littlest Steam Shovel, or Big Steve the Steam Shovel - to her. But even that doesn't keep Ramona occupied for long. When Beezus is in the midst of creating pictures for her art class, Ramona is there to cause a mess, and challenge Beezus' imagination. When Ramona is offered two marshmallows as a snack, she uses them as powder puffs, as opposed to putting them in her tummy, where they belong. During checkers games with Beezus' pal Henry Huggins, Ramona destroys the checkerboard, and wreaks all sorts of havoc - even some involving Henry's beloved dog Ribsy. In Beezus' eyes, she can't win - even when it's her birthday. But as she gets older, and learns more about her mother's relationships with her siblings, Beezus begins to realize that, as obnoxious as Ramona is, she's still her sister. And even though she may become angry at Ramona for her crazy antics; she still loves her - just not all the time.

I fell in love with Beverly Cleary's RAMONA books when I was five-years-old, and now that I have decided to re-read them, I'm finding that I can't help but fall in love with them all over again. I feel as if I have reverted back to my five-year-old self, and can actually relate to the mishaps that continually take place during both Ramona, and Beezus' lives. Beezus is such a fun character, who seems wise beyond her years, and is serious to a motherly extent. Ramona, on the other hand, is carefree and impossible to handle. Her wacky thoughts, and determination to always have her way is humorous; while some of the debacles she finds herself in are downright cringe-worthy. Cleary has penned a book here that is essential to read aloud to both older and younger children. The message of love is clear on every page, and truly helps to bring siblings together. Clever, funny, and irresistible.

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

Having listened to the first two books on audio and loved them, I continued with the third book "curse of the warmbloods" On CD. I love it when a childrens series continues to grow, in both content , character maturity and overall plot wise. I have read books before that seem to go nowhere with ever installment and I quickly tire of those.

This book, is my favorite out of the three so far. The first one "Gregor the Overlander" correctly laid out the mythos and introduced the characters in a nonconfusing way (there are so many and types!) It made you want to read more. The second book "Prophecy of the Bane" continued where the first left off but wasnt as exciting or compelling. This third book launches Gregor back into the underland for another adventure and its all about true realities, growth, family and way darker than the first two, much like Prisoner of Azkaban is to the Harry Potter series.

Gregors family isnt just chilling in the overland allowing him to sew his wild oats underground, they are struggling with mental illness (because his father was tortured by the rats) Money issues (his mom has to be the sole breadwinner) His sister is scared to death of losing her family wouldnt you be if three of them just dissappeared underground and came back talking of giant rats, squids, roaches, and bats? The underlanders of course eventually need Gregor, but his Mother puts her foot down and says NO! Not even to help them out with a Plague that is killing them and Gregor is the "one" to find the cure according to another prophecy.

What takes place after that is truly scary, and exciting and heartwarming. More characters are introduced, and we lose more along the way. I rushed out and got the fourth Audio CD's as soon as I could!

I am a K-5 school librarian and am always looking for good books to recommend to my students. This series is truly excellent!

This second book of the "Underland Chronicles" continues the journey of Gregor and his baby sister Boots. Meeting new characters and encountering more tests for all involved. The author weaves a wonderful tale and my son absolutely adores all the characters. I also enjoy reading this series to him, we both become very caught up within the stories and with all the characters...it's hard to put down!

For the third time, Gregor and his little sister Boots descend to the Underland to fulfill an ancient prophecy. In this story the Curse of the Warm-bloods is a terrible plague that threatens every mammal in the Underland. On their journey to find cure, the heroes encounter Luxa, her bat Aurora and Hamnet, Luxa`s long-lost uncle. Although I enjoyed it, the story jumps around far too often and also fails to answer questions from previous books. As one and two were okay but not great and this one is only so-so I don't think I'll read any others.

I've read the last two Gregors and when I finished them i couldn't wait until the third. Collins is a genius. The last two have been about the usual stuff you read in these kind of books today but this took it to a whole new level. Theres plenty of violence for those of you who don't like sissy books and plenty of action that will keep you on the edge of your seat through the whole book. This in my opinion and out of all the books I've read this could be the book of the year.

Get the non-pop up, the story is really wonderful and funny - not a boring read for mom and dad. I'm very disappointed, though; I love this book and we used to get it all the time from the library (non-pop up). We could only find the pop up hardcover online and it doesn't work well at all. The flow is hard to follow, too, and I'm always missing part of the story as I read, and having to go back.

Charlie has to look after his little sister and give her dinner. Unfortunately, Lola is a very picky eater, and we have to sit through the entire list of things she won't eat. ESPECIALLY not tomatoes.

So he decides to "play a good trick on her" and tell her that all these foods she "won't eat" are really *different* and exotic foods that she's sure to love. (Are you sure you don't want these green drops? I'll eat them, then, they're very rare!)

Predictably (to us grown-ups), she gobbles all these foods up, and then turns the table on her brother by asking for the tomatoes (These? Are you sure you want THESE?) declaring that they're "moonsquirters" and saying "You didn't think they were tomatoes, did you Charlie?"

What's interesting is that this technique is actually recommended for both child and adult picky eaters. Oh, not the trickery, but the use of pleasant sounding names to make foods sound appealing. (And really, Lola wasn't tricked at all, was she?)

Cute illustrations and clever text. May not change the mind of a dedicated vegetable-hater, but they'll enjoy it.

I love this book. It is so cute and even convinces my three-year old to eat foods she doesn't want to!

This book should be read by fussy readers everywhere -- and I have a few adults I know who belong in that category!

The illustrations are delightful, showing pictures of the food against interesting textures and colors. This book will have a positive effect on the fussiest eater.

Funny, heartwarming and highly recommended!

Family Apart follows the lives of Irish children. They move from Ireland during the potato famine to NY to survive. But then their da dies and their ma finds it impossible give her family the basic needs. She decides to send them WEST so they can have the basics, education, and love. I read this book to many children because it is a quartet of books. Afterwards, they want to read the sequels. These tell the individual stories of each child. Being historial fiction, it also leads into to reading real accounts of Orphan Train riders lives. The book is exciting and has many emotions that children can identify with now.

What if you and your family had to leave your mother and go west on one of the orphan trains to be split up into differnt families?

In this book you'll experience the wide array of feelings the kelly children are feeling and the adventure that the kelly chilren have to endure. The kelly's dicover Mike, the oldest boy, is a copper stealer, they are being taken from thier mother, and most comfort Mike because he blames himself for all that has happened.

I recommand this book to anybody who like suspenseful novels or is just looking for a good book to read.

I really enjoyed reading the book Family Apart, because it keeps you guessing , whats going to happen next? Also it helps you learn a lot about orphans and what they go through. A Family Apart has a lot important teachings to offer. I would love to read the next six books in the series.

This wonderful book A Family Apart has a lot of meaningful things that can be learned. One lesson that can be learned is, that you don't know what you've got until its gone. If you have something or know somebody that means a lot to you, once you lose them you don't realize how important it was until its gone. A moral that can help you in life is to believe in yourself. Believing in yourself is good because if you are trying to reach a goal and you believe in yourself you will reach that goal and if you don't you might not. Another lesson that can be learned in this book is to love your family. You should love your family because they do a lot for you and they are your only family. The last great moral is to accept changes. Even though accepting changes is hard we have to, because sometimes we cant change them. As you can tell this great book A Family Apart has a lot of important teachings to offer.

This was a thrilling book about a poor family that live in newyork the family has to deal with many problems first the dad dies, then the 3rd eldest gets in to some trouble because he is a copper thief Mike (the copper thief) is sent to a hearing The judge announces under there mothers wishes that the children ( Petey, Peg, Danny, Mike, Megan, and Frances) are to be sent west on the orphan train. Before the train leaves Frances the eldest child overhears that two kids in the same family are more likely to be adopted if they are boys. So Frances promising her mother that she would take care of her youngest brother cuts her hair and pretends to be a boy named Frankie. That's just the beginning Frances and her brothers and sisters encounter many other things on there quest to the west. Read this fantastic book and your eyes will open up to a whole new world of adventure thieves, slaves, fear, and depression it's sure to make your heart ache.This is a book you will always remember.

Wally Hatford is a 10 year old boy who started a war between the Hatfords and the Malloys. He has three brothers, Peter, Josh, and Jake. The Malloys just moved in from Ohio to the Bensons' (The Hatfords' best friends) old house, and the boys want to want to oust the Malloy girls, Caroline, Beth, and Eddie (Edith) out of Buckman.

Wally is in Mrs. Applebaum's class, right in front of Caroline, the wanna be actress. He is the mastermind for the boys in the war between the Hatfords and the Malloys. Wally wants peace between the boys and girls to see how long it takes for a waffle box to travel down the river, to jump off a tree, and to climb a church steeple.

I could relate to Wally. He is like a kid in my class named Jake. Jake, like Wally, can think up of ideas to win a war against anybody, boy, girl, or parent. Jake also is curious of just things in normal life.

The Boys Start the War is a book just for children seeing that adults aren't interested in wars between boys and girls. It is easy to understand all of the humor and vocabulary in the book. I loved the book and went on to read the whole series.

The Hatford boys were looking out the window with their binoculars waiting to see three boys moving in their friends house across the river.When they see their girls moving in and not boys.They makea plan to sent the Malloy girls back to Ohio.Throwing dead animals to dead bodies.Playing bad tricks on the girls.Will the girls get back on them?Is the war barly begining?Are the girls going to get even with the boys. This is a really funny book to read.

This book is a hilarious book. The Hatford brother's best friends, the Bensons, moved away from Buckman to Georgia. The boys were expecting 3 boys to move into the Benson's house, but they were surprised when they found out that it was actually 3 girls. The Hatford brothers decided that they would try to make that the Malloy sisters so miserable that they would want to move back to Ohio and the Bensons would move back because no one would rent their house. The boys are in for a surprise when they have to go against the Malloy sister's cleverness. The pranks go on from dead fish to dead bodies and from floating heads to washing windows. The boys and the girls keep going at each other. They both can't tell their parents because then they would have to tell about all their other pranks. The war goes on and on to other sequels.

I like book because of all the pranks. The pranks are all thought up cleverly but something always goes wrong. A quote that shows something going wrong is, "`You got the flashlight?' Jake asked Wally breathlessly. `Heck, no. You were carrying it.' `I thought you grabbed it,' Josh said. `Someone did!' But that someone was already inside the house." This shows how the Hatfords lost their flashlight while pretending to be a floating head outside Beth Malloy's window.

Another reason I liked this book is because it's a humor book. I don't read many humor books but this book made me laugh. This book is filled with many hilarious events. Caroline Malloy draws a funny picture of her teacher but Wally manages to steal it and blackmails her. The things that go wrong are also funny. Just when one side thinks they've won, the other side finds a way to get even. There are many other books in the series and this is only the first.

My favorite part of the book is at the end of the book when the final prank is played. When the girls go to get Caroline from the Hatford's tool shed, they think they won because they made Jake say to them, "Your faithful, obedient servant." As they were leaving Wally comes out with Mrs. Hatford saying that the girls were coming over to help peel the bushels of apples the Hatfords had picked. I thought this was hilarious and was a great way to end the book to keep you hooked.

Just when the Hatford boys were expecting three boys to move into the house across the river the Malloy girls arrived instead. Wally and his brothers decide to make Caroline and her sisters so miserable that they'll want to go back to Ohio, but they haven't counted on the ingenuity of the girls.

Cast of Characters:
Malloy's:
George Malloy-father-football coach
Jean Malloy-mother
(Edith Anne) Eddie-11-6th grade
Beth-10-5th grade
Caroline-8-4th grade
Hatford's:
Tom Hatford-father-mail man
Ellen Hatford-mother-hardware store worker
Jake and Josh-11-6th grade
Wally-9-4th grade
Peter-7-2nd grade

"The Boys Start the War" is a hit in my small Catholic library. After the first girl returned the book, she asked for Book 2, "The Girls Get Even." I had acquired only the first one, waiting to see the reaction. She was so delighted that I bought the entire set. The rest has been popular history!
As with this series, let one student read and spread the word, then a reading frenzy follows!

In historical lore the Hatfields and the McCoys lived in West Virginia across a retaining wall on the river from each other. Bitter feuds ensued. One reason this story is so notorious is that the origin of the feud is buried in time. No one remembers, yet the war continued for generations. See Wikipedia for more information.

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor chose intriguing family names for the "war" in the book: The Hatfords and the Malloys. The setting for the book is West Virginia. The two families live across a loop in the river from each other. The two families are connected by a swinging bridge across the river. For a much shorter route to school, the Malloys must cross the bridge, going alongside Hatford property.

This is how the war starts: The former neighbors, the Bensons with five boys moved, leaving their house up for rent. The Malloys take it. The Hatford boys are overjoyed because they think a family with three boys are moving in. Perched on top of their house and carrying binoculars, the four boys eagerly await moving day. Instead of three boys, three girls get out of the new family's car.

The boys decide to leave dead animals on the Malloy side of the river to make them think the river is polluted and leave to go back where they came from. This is not the day of wimpy, prissy girls. The three Malloys have gumption. They create their own form of retaliation. The war has begun!

What Wally, the middle son and brains of the boy feuders, later concludes is that this will be a war of wit. The skirmishes are often humiliating to one or another of the two clans, even though humorous to the reader. I will say that pranks go into the school, each family house, the neighborhood, wherever they can plot a new embarrassment.

That's as much as I'm telling. One prank after the other. One-up-manship. Match queen. However, by novel's end, the reader grasps the tiniest gleam that the reason for the feud will be forgotten. Origin: To drive the girls back from whence they came.

Note: Except for the historical allusion, this series is simple entertainment, yet anything that gets reluctant readers to engage in a book is a winner. This series should appeal equally to girls and boys.

Book 2: The Girls Get Even (Boy/Girl Battle)

"Ramona And Her Mother" is a later entry in the Ramona & Beezus series, and yet it is also one of the finest books of its kind, another in a long line of great books by the masterful Beverly Cleary.

First pubished in 1979, the book finds the gauzy comfort of the Eisenhower era (when the first Henry Huggins and Beezus books were written) replaced by the strain and worry of the recessionary 'Seventies. Ramona's dad, who recently lost his job, has found new work at a local supermarket, but he doesn't like the position, and having both parents out working full-time places new strains on the family. Ramona, who is now seven years old, is no longer an overt brat, but there's a lot going on in her little head, as she struggles with the demands that come with growing up. She is envious of her teenage older sister, who she sees as a goodie-goodie and as her parent's favorite. Her relationship with her mom seems to be up in the air as well, and her parents, both tired from long days at work, have started to argue, which worries the kids. Of course, Cleary finds the silver lining, and while young readers may both recognize their own families (and become anxious for exactly the same reasons as Ramona does) Cleary magically produces happy endings that still do not deny the hardships and imperfections of life. If you've enjoyed Ramona's earlier adventures, you will not be disappointed with this funny, quick volume. (ReadThatAgain children's book reviews)

The book Ramona and her mother is about a 7 year old little girl who is jealous of her big sister Beatrice and she wants to spend time with her mommy as mommy's little girl but Beezus has already taken on that role. In the end, Ramona Quimby gets her wish...To spend time with her mother. You'll need to read this book and find out how it all actually ends. Though this book does have some boring parts, I would recommend this book to any elementary or beginning middle school girl who loves Beverly Cleary books or any girl who might be experiencing what Ramona is going through. I myself can relate because I go through this almost on a daily basis. Sometimes I'm jealous of my baby cousin who gets most of all the attention but in the end (just like Ramona), I get my mommy all to myself.

G.B.M. Sanders - 6th grade - Hammond Middle
Alexandria, VA

Ramona is seven-and-a-half-years-old right now. She is going through a difficult time trying to figure out if she wants to be mommy's little girl or grow up. Ramona's mother invited Ramona's best friends family over for brunch. When Howie's little sister Willa Jean arrives Ramona can't stand to be jealous. Willa Jean is a little girl with curled hair and has pretty little dresses. When Ramona sees her bear, Roger she will do anything to get her hands on it . Ramona's mom puts her in charge of watching Willa Jean. While Beezus and the adults eat brunch the adults refer to her as mother's girl. Ramona is trying to figure out why she doesn't get in trouble for anything and gets away with everything. Ramona never gets away with anything and is always in trouble. When she squirts the whole tube of toothpaste in the sink, she gets yelled at and when she has a tantrum, she is told to stop right away. In Ramona's world nothing is fair. She can't stand that her mother has to work and she is forced to be watched by Willa Jean's grandmother evryday after school. Ramona would rather stay at home sewing, cooking, reading, and watching T.V. with her mom, but things never seem to work out. All she wants to do is be mommy's little girl forever. Now time passes by and she realizes she will just have to grow up.

Ramona is seven-and-a-half-years-old right now. She is going through a difficult time trying to figure out if she wants to be mommy's little girl or grow up. Ramona's mother invited Ramona's best friends family over for brunch. When Howie's little sister Willa Jean arrives Ramona can't stand to be jealous. Willa Jean is a little girl with curled hair and has pretty little dresses. When Ramona sees her bear, Roger shes will do anything to get her hands on it . Ramona's mom puts her in charge of watching Willa Jean. While Beezus and the adults eat brunch and she keeps getting called mother's girl. Ramona is trying to figure out why she doesn't get in trouble for anything and gets away with everything. Ramona never gets away with anything and is always in trouble. When she squirts the whole tube of toothpaste in the sink, she gets yelled at and when she has a tantrum, she is told to stop right away. In Ramona's world nothing is fair. She can't stand that her mother has to work and she is forced to be watched by Willa Jean's grandmother evryday after school. Ramona would rather stay at home sewing, cooking, reading, and watching T.V. with her mom, but things never seem to work out. All she wants to do is be mommy's little girl forever. Now time passes by and she relizes she will just have to grow up.

Being seven-and-a-half-years-old (right now!) may seem like a simple task, but for second-grader, Ramona Quimby, it's proving to be a mix of difficulty and confusion. After all, she's between two strange ages - seven and eight - and can't figure out what she wants to do. Part of her is determined to stay her mother's little bunny, twitching her nose and being babied; while the other part wants to act like a grown-up, and do whatever she pleases. When Ramona's parents throw a New Year's brunch to celebrate her father finding a new job, she's thrilled to get the chance to eat a mix of breakfast and lunch. But when her best friend Howie's younger sister, Willa Jean arrives, Ramona can't help but feel jealous of the "little angel." For one, Willa Jean has ruffles sewed onto her underpants; and two, she's holding a stuffed bear - aptly named Woger - that Ramona would do anything to get her hands on. But, alas, even at her young age, Willa Jean is determined not to part with Woger. To make matters worse, Ramona's mother leaves her in charge of Willa Jean while Beezus and the rest of the adults get to fraternize with one another over hot muffins, coffee, sausage, and so much more. Ramona can't understand why her parents are treating her like a baby, while Beezus is constantly called her "mother's girl." Beezus doesn't even get in trouble for anything, because everyone says that she's at a "difficult" age. Ramona feels that she's at a difficult age, as well. But she never gets away with anything. When she squirts a whole tube of toothpaste into the bathroom sink, she gets yelled at; when she has a tantrum, she's told to "stop this instant," when she wants to stay up later than her bedtime, she's not allowed. In Ramona's eyes, nothing is fair. She can't stand that her mother has to work, and that she's forced to be watched by Willa Jean's grandmother everyday after school, and the fact that Beezus gets to go to her friends houses only makes matters worse. Ramona would do anything to just spend everyday with her mother - sewing, cooking, reading, watching TV. But things never seem to work out the way Ramona wants them to. All she wants is to stay her mother's little girl forever, but the more time that passes the more Ramona begins to realize that, perhaps, her wish will never be granted, and she'll be forced to grow up.

I first discovered Ramona Quimby when I was about six-years-old, and instantly fell in love with her pesty antics, and penchant for throwing tantrums at the worst possible moments. Now, with the re-publication of the RAMONA series, however, I am beginning to realize that I missed out on quite a few of Ramona's tales, and have decided to re-immerse myself in the life of the Quimby family. Now, even though so many years have passed, I find that Beverly Cleary's tales about Ramona are still enjoyable, and quite irresistible. Ramona, as always, is the perfect example of a precocious child embarking on the trials and tribulations that accompany growing up. Her ability to act slightly mature at times, then revert back to full-blown childish behavior is spot-on with how growing children truly act; while her jealousy, and ability to find herself in countless bizarre situations only prove to make her even more hilarious. Cleary manages to balance humor with family problems by placing a slight emphasis on difficulties with money, a parent losing a job, and being bombarded with bills. While subjects such as money problems, and not wanting to grow-up are often sore spots, Cleary presents them in a neutral way that offers parents the opportunity to discuss such issues with their children in an effort to put their minds at ease. However, even by introducing these problems, Cleary never overshadows the humorous side of Ramona, and never talks down to the reader. In fact, Ramona remains as lovable as ever as she traverses the muddy waters of second grade, and works to accept the new teacher whom she's still unsure of; while, at the same time, working overtime to twitch her nose to remind her mother that she is, and always will be, her little bunny. The most obnoxious - yet entertaining - little sister in fiction!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

Night of the Living Dummy is a Goosebumps book by R.L Stine. It's a great book because it's kind of scary, because a girl named Lindy and her sister Kris were walking around the block and they swear they saw a kid hanging out of the dumpster. As Lindy walked closer she realized that it was a dummy. So when she got home she named the dummy Slappy. That night it came to life and started to cause trouble. I recommend this book third through fifth grade, because it would be too frightening. I give this book 5 starS because I like scary fiction stories.

This book isn't to bad. it was very enjoyable. It's a good book for kids 12 and over. I love R.L. Stiens's books whaen i was a kid. I still will read goosebumps when i can't find nothing else. This is probably the best kid's sereis books out there. Night Of The Living Dummy was pretty intense. It Is a good book.

Wow, this book was awsome really awsome toatally triple awsome! I thought this was better than Night of the living dummy 2! I wonder why it shows Slappy on the cover of the book but the main ventriloquist dummy is Mr. Wood which on the other hand isn't as cool and evil as Slappy. YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK!!!

The books in the Goosebumps series regularly seem to take the vein of a morality tale (of a twisted sort) where one virtue, evil, personality flaw, or issue is taken up as the focus of the story, and Night of the Living Dummy is no exception. The order of the day here is competition...in this volume we meet twins Lindy and Kris Powell who are constantly competing, arguing, trying out do, out wit, and one-up one another. Their parents are frazzled and fed up with these beautiful twins who seem to frequently cross the line into cruelty and viciousness, and often behaving without sympathy toward one another and others.

As we join them, the twins are exploring the house across the way from theirs when Lindy discovers a ventriloquist dummy in the construction dumpster...even better he appears to be in excellent shape. To Kris' horror, Lindy keeps the dummy, which Kris initially distains as stupid, gross, and boring. Shortly after finding him, Lindy manages to gain some skill and when her act becomes popular with their classmates...popular enough to get her some gigs doing birthday parties with her act, Kris decides that she too MUST have a dummy. Her parents initially rebuke her, dummies are expensive and try to get the girls to share which outrages Lindy...she becomes quite cruel toward her sister calling her a copy cat and really wanting this one thing for herself.

When their father manages to conveniently stumble upon a second dummy in a second hand shop for a good price, it seems like the problem is solved...but Lindy is still angry at her sister for trying to steal her thunder and begins to pose the dummy so that it appears to be alive, frightening her sister terribly...when the secret is revealed, Kris is crushed...but shortly after the dummy DOES come to life and the twins are left without their parents support (they are just fed up with talk and whining about the dummies to hear a single thing more about them). Will the girls be able to stop Mr. Wood? Will he make them his slaves? You'll have to read to find out...what you get is always different than what you expect with these stories, and Night of the Living Dummy is no exception, it does have a signature "got ya" moment at the end.

Overall, Night of the Living Dummy is well written and the characters are simple but adequately written. The girls are sympathetic in some instances and not in others...there are times in the story when you think they are getting what they deserve for the way they behaved...but in the end, you want them to pull out of it and save themselves from Mr. Wood. At the very end, just when you think it's all going to be ok, boo...an abrupt shock at the end and the story is over, leaving the reader wondering how the girls will get out of their predicament...this one reeks of sequel, which I understand there are several of. I give it five stars, this is much better written than some of the other books I've read in the series and for taking something that's already kind of creepy (the dummy) and making it horrific several times over.

Lindy and her sister Kris discover an old dummy in a dumpster walking home one day. The dummy is in perfectly good shape and they can't understand why somebody threw the dummy away. Lindy decides to keep it so she names it Slappy. Lindy tries Slappy out on two of the kids her and Kris babysit. Slappy is an instant success. Kris becomes extremly jealous so Lindy decides to keep him. Lindy and Kris's dad buys Kris a dummy of her own which upsets Lindy causing her to play a mean practical joke on Kris. But soon after Kris gets her dummy, strange things start happening. No way it could be Mr. Wood (Kris' dummy) right?

This book should be read by anyone not just girls. It teaches
people that if they are molested or abused it is not their fault
especially if they are kids. They didn't do anything wrong. I would recommend this book to anyone who can read.

Jesus, Nina sure wen't through alot! My blood ran cold when her uncle said they were going to adopt a child! Luckily, Nina spoke up. i would have been afraid to tell. Let's hope what Christopher was doing didn't mean any thing. Anyway, it was great!

Nina won't tell is an excellent book from the series Making Out, all written by Katherine Applegate.

It deals with 2 separate topics that Nina won't talk about:

1.) Her crush on her sister's ex, Ben. He happens to also be her best friend's brother.
2.) Her uncle molesting her when she was much younger.

With the help of her friends, Nina is able to confront her past and come out ten million times stronger. By the end of this book, you will be so proud of Nina, even though she is a fiction character.

Nina Won't Tell is basically 2 stories about Nina.

One is that Nina loves Ben, Claire's old boyfriend. Nina has loved him for the longest time, but she hasn't got the guts to tell him. She's afraid that if she tells Ben, he won't love her back and she'll be embarrassed and alone.

The other is a deeper problem that Nina experienced while staying with her Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Mark in Minnesota after her mother died. The problem probably wouldn't have come to anyone's attention if her Aunt and Uncle wouldn't have come out to Maine to visit them. Nina lives in fear until the end of the book.

By the end of the book, you'll have laughed, cried, and mentally said, "You go, Nina!" millions of times!

Somebody should have told Christopher, if he is going to play the field. You do not do it on a small island wherer everything is accessible by foot. He should have kept that on the mainland. I was so glad when Nina blew the whistle on her slime ball Uncle, and when she finally told Ben how she really felt. I like Nina and Ben.

I fell in love with the Mccaughey's right after the babies births. I still find them amazing. This book was excellent. I like the way it was written from both Bobbi and Kenny's points of view. I highly recommend it. :)

I have been a huge fan of them ever since I saw them on a magazine covor. I love this book because it shares feelings and hopes that at first they didn't want 7 babies but after time they couldn't bare to lose one! A must read! This is good for children to!

This book was great. I had a really hard time putting it down. I have three kids so I can relate to some of the things that was said.

This is the best book that I've read in a long time that expresses faith in an ordinary, loving person such as Bobbi. (I didn't mean that as an offense) She has done the right thing by glorifying God in the press and in the book. I commend her efforts, because our God is an awesome God, and if we believe and have faith, He will supply ALL our needs, and He has kept His promise to her and her husband. I know that being in the public isn't what she dreamed of, but in this way she Glorified God, and that was meant to be. :)
God Bless You and Your Family,
Sandra D.

In the rush to see how many they could breed via one pregnancy, neither of the McCaughneys apparently gave much consideration to the serious long-term health problems of their miracles. This book is a continuation of the same circular logic that they subjected the world to during their odyssey.

As a person with a severe disability myself, I have little sympathy for people who intentionally go out of their way to place a pregnancy in circumstances that can give children a disability. Both Bobbi and Kenny were warned of the risk but apparently placed public relations dreams at a much higher priority than health and well-being.

Certainly, there is a degree of risk with every pregnancy from environmental factors, but to knowingly place children's health in danger because you have to have your own biological kids at all costs--irespective of who suffers---is selfish and emotionally immature.

There is nothing brave or heroic about increasing child suffering when there are numerous risk factors already in this world.

I was supposed to read one of Jordan Sonnenblick's books this summer as he is coming to visit next year. I wasn't too excited at first as I had never heard of him and that usually means a red "X" in my book. But this book is one the best I have read so far this summer. I almost cried several times, like when Jeffy sent Steven that note and when Samantha had died. Jeffery was such a cute and generous brother, yet I still understood how he was annoying. Steven was an engaging character with a ton of wit and sarcasm up his sleeve. I enjoyed how he and Annette got together at the end(but who didn't see that coming?)and liked how Renee (who had a really big ego)became friends with Steven and cared about him. I found the scenes where Steven was suffering and crying the most painful to read, and I began to ponder about life and how lucky we all are. This book really opened a window for me, and I'm thankful for that. I only have one problem,and that is how much the author uses "rents" in his book. I have never heard any kid my age use that in reference to their parents. But I think that Mr. Sonnenblick caputured the speech and actions of the teenager well, so that's a plus, considering how little I can relate to a lot of the teen/real-world fiction books that pervade the market. In all, this book was so enjoyable and so good that I'll probably read all his other books. Well done!

Sorry, I just didn't find this book realistic at all. The author tries very hard, but does not succeed in writing a well written book about childhood cancer.

It is extremely hard to do and the author was very unsuccessful with this book.

Skip it!

This book is about an 8th grade kid trying to deal with life: school, girls, and playing in the band. He is the lead drummer for the all-city band. However, this all changes when his brother gets cancer. His whole life is turned upside-down. now he has to deal with school, girls, band, and a brother with cancer. It is an intriuging book and easy to read. I would reccomend it to someone in middle school or, maybe, in the early years of high school.

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie is a realistic- fiction book where a kid named Steven finds out his little brother has leukemia. On top of that Steven has school, drums, and girls to think about. I gave Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie a rating of 5 out of 5 stars because it was one of the best books i have ever read. It makes you cry and laugh at the same time. I like books were i can not predict the ending and this was definitely one of those books. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie is a heartwarming book that left me thinking about the difficulties of having someone with cancer in your family. I mean imagine having cancer or the medical bills that need to be paid. What about the family falling apart? Find out about this and much more in Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick.

As if being a 13-year-old, eighth grade male isn't bad enough, (there's girls to impress, homework to catch up on, drums to practice), try finding out your five-year-old brother has leukemia. It started the morning Steven left his little brother, Jeffrey, on a stool while he made his "moatmeal." Jeffrey fell and the bleeding started. Their mother races out the front door to take Jeffrey to the emergency room with an ice pack on his nose. Steven dreads the lecture he knows he'll get once he's home from school. Instead he's told his mother and brother will be leaving for Philadelphia and tests.

Steven tries to hold it together. But before long, he's feeling invisible, left out, guilty, angry. lonely, helpless, and wondering "what's the point?" His mother is totally wrapped up in caring for Jeffrey, his dad has become a worried zombie, and there's nothing Steven can do to help. Or is there?

For me, the single most important criteria for a gold star book is that it must make me "feel". It must make me reevaluate life as I see it, and wonder if I'm doing all I can to 1)appreciate my own blessings, and 2)make life better for others. This book does that and more. Jordan Sonnenblick gives the reader an honest, gritty look into the life of a family dealing with childhood cancer. He does it with amazing sympathy and humor. My 13-year-old son recommended this book to me. Two of his friends read it as well. If you haven't had the chance to read DRUMS GIRLS & DANGEROUS PIE, I highly recommend it.