Siblings Books

Our two year-old son loves the Charlie & Lola series, both books and DVDs. Each story entertains while weaving in basic lessons about how to manage relationships and situations with friends and family. The characters are a delight. The use of language is sophisticated though still manageable for a toddler. It's fascinating to watch how our son picks up more and more of the verbal complexity each time we read one of the Charlie & Lola books. And he always reaches for them from his bookshelf at bedtime - even Goodnight Moon has been de-throned! This particular story has Charlie negotiating between his little sister who has a cold and wants his attention versus his soccer buddy who is counting on him for the big game.

My daughters, 5 and 2, LOVE Charlie and Lola's show on the Disney Channel. The books make terrific bedtime stories as they aren't too long and are lighthearted.

I bought this book when my 5 year old was sick and missed her very first day of school. She was so upset by it that we got online and purchased it so she had something to look forward to getting in the mail. When the 2 year old got sick the very next week, the book was the first thing my 5 year old wanted to do to cheer her up.

Great series.

My grandchildren have been in love with Charlie and Lola ever since I brought back a couple of books from England for them. They also love the DVDs. The British accents are charming and not a bit off-putting or difficult to understand. We are fans!

My 2 year old daughter is obsessed with all things Charlie and Lola, so of course I pre-ordered this book. She loves it so much! I read this one at least 20 times the first day we got it! The thing I like most about the Charlie and Lola series are the lessons imbedded in the stories. There are really great springboards for teaching in all the stories -- this one gives you the opportunity to address germs and staying healthy. My daughter now quotes this book on her own and reads it to me -- any book that encourages reading is worth adding to your library.

I really enjoyed reading 'Cry of the Icemark' so I was excited to see was Mr. Hill had thought of next. The formula was good, with Thirrin, Oskan and her kids, but the story was dragged out far too long and ended to abruptly. Overall a good book, if it had been shortened a bit.

Clang! The Icemark cavalry and infantry clashed against the enemy and started to hack away at the Empire's troops.
The Blade of Fire is about a queen named Thirrin, her son Charlemagne, nicknamed Sharley, and her arch enemy Scipio Bellorum and his two sons, Octavius and Sulla. Thirrin sends her son away, because he can't fight with a crippled leg. When Sharley gets to his destination in the south and becomes prince regent to the exiles. As Sharley explores the south he finds things he has never heard of, or seen before. He finds unlikely allies, but the question remains is he too late?
My favorite part in the book is the battle at the end of the book. I liked it because it had the greatest details in the whole book, including vampires, wolf-folk, giant snow leopards, Icemark cavalry and infantry clashing with the enemy. Men on both sides getting killed everywhere and the dying screaming in pain
everywhere you looked.
Scipio Bellorum and his sons are the
worst characters in the book. They are ruthless and uncaring. For instance, Octavius had a squad of men shot to pieces by their comrades for marching to slow, and then his brother complimented him on it. They may be the worst characters in the book, but you have to give them credit for being geniuses.
Sharley on the other hand is a very interesting character, because he has a crippled leg and yet he has the brain of a diplomat and the heart of a warrior.
I recommend this book because it is a very awesome book and it's definitely in my top five books I've ever read and that's a lot.

I liked the first book in this series, but he series has really taken off with this book. The characters are all very interesting if sometimes a little hard to relate to. The story is really well written and I had a hard time slowing myself down at the end of the book. A great book for a young reader, but still good for adults.

the first book was a page turner, the second book is a page turner. can't wait for the third to come out. Stuart Hill mesmerizes his readers.

This book was incredible! It was about Alec who hates his little brother. A old lady gives him a magical coin and he makes a wish that his brother was never born. He finds out how wonderful his brother is in his adventure. This story is definitely a book you should try to find!

"If I Had One wish" is a great book. It's about a boy named Alec. Alec was at a mall when he literally ran into a bag lady. She gave him a coin and said it would grant him one wish. Alec wishes his little brother Stevie away because Stevie is driving him nuts. When Alec relizes the wish came true, and his familiy didn't remember Stevie, Alec became sad. Alec's familiy was richer but they didn't have time to do fun stuff with him. The story teaches you to be careful what you wish and to love your familiy dearly.

Id have to say the movie was better, but the book was good too.

I think this book is excellent because I have a brother and it showed me how diffrentlife would be with out him.People that would enjoy this book the most is the ones with little brothers or sisters.

We all know about Wolfgang Mozart, the wonderfully talented musician, but what many of us don't know is that his older sister, Nannerl, was also incredibly talented. She was, in the beginning, thought of as her brother's equivalent. They played together in concerts, sometimes in front of royalty, making money for their family. But soon, she was overshadowed by her brother, but that didn't stop her from playing.

She wanted, more than anything, to go to a prestigious music school -- but her father would not allow it and forced her to stay in boring Salzburg with her mother. IN MOZART'S SHADOW follows Nannerl from the time she and her brother begin playing throughout her entire life.

To be honest, the book dragged a bit at the beginning, but after the first fifty pages or so I felt myself being dragged into the world of Nannerl and her family. Her story is both heartbreaking and easy to relate to. Though she lived in a completely different time and led a much different life, I could feel myself understanding her actions and cheering her on. The writing was great and the voice was true to the characters, who were all very realistic.

I'd recommend this to anyone who likes reading historical fiction or who admires the Mozart family.

Reviewed by: Harmony

I have loved every single one of Carolyn Meyer's books. She draws characters so life-like that we grow to love each and every one of them like we personally know them. Princess Catherine has always been my favorite, yet Nannerl might take her place.
Nannerl Mozart is the older and very talented sister of the more famous Wolfgang. She never gives up hope that one day she will be sent to Italy to study, therefore becoming Europe's best female clavier player. However, her control-freak and ambitious father is concentrated fully on young Wolferl, who he believes can bring fame and fortune to the family. Much of their childhood is spent traveling to the grand courts, but when Nannerl wants to go to Italy with her brother she is denied. She has been left home and abandoned mentally by her father. Throughout the book several love intrests pop up, but her true love is an aging captain named Armand, who is by her side all the time even when her father forbids them from marrying.
The writing in this book is flawless. Although a little dragging at parts, I found the detail and imagining very accurate. The only comment I have is that characters with no particular significance to the story, like Davey, shouldn't really have been put in as they have nothing to add. As this is a work that has real people in it, I understand why Nannerl didn't have a happy ending, but at the same time I wish she became a big star and married Armand. But that's history, so it cannot be changed for romantics such as me.
This new Carolyn Meyer book pleases. Nannerl is a strong and hopeful girl, and she might become your new favorite character. If you enjoyed the author's other books, you will certainly like this one.

I was thrilled to see a new Carolyn Meyer book! I own four other books by her(including the Young Royals Series) and I continue to be huge fan! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. She did a great job describing Nannerl's life while not forgetting about events in Mozart's life. I think it was a great subject to write a novel about and I am thrilled that I gained some new insight into a woman I had never heard of before! It was a great read and Carolyn Meyer did not disappoint me at all. I highly recommend it!

Beautifully evoked in every way, this is the story of the forgotten Mozart: his charming, pretty, highly gifted musical sister Nannerl. Beginning in the backwater town of Salzburg in the early 1760's, the father of the family Leopold Mozart (who was a gifted composer himself), realized his six year old son Wolfgang and eleven year old daughter Nannerl were extraordinary musicians and toured them all over Europe to play before royalty and the elite. But the spirited, imaginative boy Wolfgang Mozart soon drew all the attention. Nannerl was a gifted keyboardist and he was a genius in performing and composition. For the rest of her long life she would live in his shadow.

As an 18th century woman, Nannerl could have made her way in music as a singer, but she was not a singer and thus her love of music, which she had shared with her little brother and which equaled his, largely lay frustrated within her. All the family energy went to further her brother's career, for as a man and a composer, he could one day support them well. But he grew up and away from his father's possessive hold and Nannerl went on to make her own life.

One so loves Nannerl in this sypathetic book as she tries gently to find who she is apart from her brilliant brother and domineering father. The Mozart family, friends and times are warmly, wonderfully drawn. She grows up, tries to find love and to compromise and still, even as her correspondance with her beloved brother who is now famous in Vienna draws to an end, she is determined to keep the music she shared with him as a child alive in her.

In the end this novel is not just for someone who wants to read about the Mozart family, but for any girl or young woman who ever struggled between adoration and envy of a brilliant brother and goes on loving him long after he has left her for a brighter life.

I am the author of the novel MARRYING MOZART (Viking Penguin).

This is a great book to read out loud. It's a fun fairy tale about three sisters that need to take care of themselves, as their parents are pretty much doing their own thing (like eating bon-bons and traveling without their kids). Along the way, they get into many adventures: running away from wolves, living in a house made of cookies and sweets, and trying to rescue their younger sister that got kidnapped (along with hundreds of other children). If you are reading it out loud to a small child, I might skip over chapter 12 "a game of bones" as it doesn't add anything to the story, but does talk about a ghost, which may be too scary for little kids. Other than that, it is a great enjoyable read with lots of adventure.

I have it on good authority that this book is very appealing to readers (ages 9-12) for which it was intended, but I'd like to speak to its appeal to adults as well. Adults who like to see classic fairy tales become a part of new stories, and adults who enjoy theatrical allusions (from Webster to Beckett) should delight in this book. Reading Into the Woods should very well help to produce a literate audience of young people, some of whom will delight in recognizing allusions to works they know.

"Look after it, Storm... It's not a trinket. Whatever you do, don't let it fall into the wrong hands." Storm Eden isn't inclined to take her mother's dying words too seriously. After all, Zella Eden was not a very serious woman. She never did much of anything other than sleep, gaze at her own reflection and eat chocolate truffles in bed. Plus, the tiny musical pipe she pressed so urgently into Storm's hand doesn't look terribly powerful. It looks like a pipe. And a cheap one at that.

But then the wrong hands her mother warned of come knocking on the door of Eden End. hands that belong to the sinister Dr. DeWilde, a scar-faced gentleman with an unhealthy interest in rats. He wants that pipe, and he'll stop at nothing to get it.

With no parents to protect them, Storm and her sisters, Aurora and Anything, have no choice but to flee into the woods -- with Dr. DeWilde's hungry pack of wolves snapping close at their heels and a host of new dangers awaiting them in the shadows.

Featuring wonderful illustrations by the award-winning Mini Grey, Into the Woods is a classic tale with a very modern twist that will delight readers of every generation. ~ from the book's cover ~

Lyn Gardner's INTO THE WOODS tells of Storm Eden, whose dying mother gives her a warning she ignores - until a small musical pipe and a strange man with a passion for rats threatens her world. Storm and her sisters have to escape him, and their journey through the woods will bring new dangers into her life.

Jack's New Power is great. The best chapter is at the end when he goes to the cock fight and loses a piece of money. Even though his sister is annoying, she ends up being right. I felt bad for Jack, kind of, at the end. He's off to Florida and he doesn't know what that is going to be like.
The funniest part was when he is totally purple and is trying to hide that fact by running around the neighborhood at night when it is dark. Even though he doesn't want to see anyone, someone else is running at night too. He ends up being his friend.

I loved this Book about Jack and his Memoirs. I read it in One week!!!!

i know this is a kids book, and i read it a few years ago, but every once in a while i get it out and read it from cover to cover again. every time i read this book i get inspired about life. does that seem a little drastic? i love this book. it's like my security blanket. read this book!

What a truly great book. I read this when I was in 4th grade.It has a beautiful mix of comedy and just plain interesting writing.It's the best book that I've ever read in my entire life. I also own my own copy of it. I would automatically recommend this book to anyone who wants a good laugh. This is a great book for all ages. I would also like to recommend "Heads Or Tails" which is also in the same series. I am also currently reading the third book in the series, "Jack's Black Book". It's great. Everyone should go out and buy copies of all three books and read them.

Using vivid sensory descriptions, Mary Ann Rodman illustrates American family life from a child's perspective during World War II. This gentle, nostalgic story explains how Ellie McKelvey's world turns upside down when her beloved brother Jimmy is drafted into the war.

With competence and creativity, Rodman lures the reader into the past, revealing a child's fears from a bygone day.

Rodman skillfully exposes the sacrifices that American families experienced amidst the fear, the angst, and the uncertainty of war life from the home front. Jimmy's Stars is a must-read for today's youth who know little of sacrifice, especially from America's own history.

Jimmy's Stars is a beautiful, poignant and touching story. Eleven year old Ellie McKelvey finds out one day that her beloved brother, Jimmy, has been drafted into the war. He must report to Union Station at 6 A.M. October 2, 1943. This is the day that will change Ellie's life forever.

As young Ellie learns to deal with a house and daily life without her brother at home, she cherishes the days when a letter comes in the mail addressed to her from Jimmy and she knows that he is all right. Soon Christmas comes and goes and Jimmy does not come home, as he promised. An occasional letter still makes it's way to Ellie, as her young life is filled with the sacrifices and worries brought on by the war. Each day prayers are said that the war will come to an end and loved ones will be home safely.

Jimmy's Stars is a vivid peek into a bygone era of war and sacrifice. Mary Ann Rodman brings both the characters and the sitting to life and enables the reader to fall right within it's pages. This is a story geared toward the 9 - 12 age range, however, I think that anyone of any age would deeply enjoy this stirring work. Though this is the first story by this author that I have read, I anxiously look forward to reading more by her. I greatly enjoy her style of writing and am enormously pleased to have discovered her.

Not only do I give Jimmy's Stars my highest recommendation, I also believe that this would be a perfect book for a book club pick. Such a perfect book for young people (and adults alike) to read and discuss together. Mary Ann Rodman brings forth an engrossing story, with Jimmy's Stars, and displays a true talent to engulf young people in the treasure of reading.

Mary Ann Rodman has captured the spirit of many youngsters during World War II in her delightful and latest book.

Although, eleven-year-old Ellie McKelvey is used to making war-time sacrifices, the one thing she absolutely doesn't want to do without is her adored older brother Jimmy. When Jimmy is called to serve his country, Ellie's anxiety is compounded when Aunt Toots arrives and takes over Jimmy's bedroom as if he's never coming back. Throughout it all, Ellie's ongoing rivalry with classmate Victoria Gandeck escalates until things reach a dramatic conclusion that makes it clear Rodman has written another masterpiece.

This is a poignant story about a young girl whose beloved older brother Jimmy is drafted into the army to serve as a medic during WW2. Ellie enjoys a very close relationship with her brother who always calls her, " Movie Star": she meets him at his bus stop after he finishes work every night, they go to the movies together every week and they always pick the Christmas tree together. Ellie knows that other kids have brothers who serve as soldiers but she prays that Jimmy will not be drafted -for a while he isn't since his father broke his leg and Jimmy is the only financial support for the family-but then the official military letter arrives and Jimmy leaves. Ellie's father returns to work, her mother starts a job, and her Aunt Toots joins the family and moves into Jimmy's room. Ellie holds desperately on to Jimmy's promise that he will be home for Christmas. She does not get along with a girl named Victoria who constantly brags about her four brothers who all serve in the military but soon even her best friend Stan often joins Victoria and her group to play war so Ellie feels abandoned. This wrenching story shines: the dialogue is crisp and natural sounding, and the setting rings with authenticity. A retired teacher is drafted back to teach the younger siblings and children of former pupils, neighbors bring food and dispense comfort to bereaved families, Mr. Corsiglia hangs audio speakers outside his grocery store "so he could share his collection of Bing Crosby Christmas songs with the neighborhood. Whether they wanted to share them or not". Ordinary activities go on side by side with descriptions of meat rationing. This is a truly excellent story filled with the robust language and spirit of wartime America that also does not mince words about the family suffering that accompanies the yellow telegrams delivered by the War Department.

My "identical" twin girls love this book that recognizes the similarities and differences between twin sisters. Its very cute with nice illustrations.

This is a wonderful little story about twin sisters who are alike in a lot of way, but different in a lot of ways too. Your child will be introduced to fifty-seven words, many he or she may already know in this book that is very, very easy to love. I know I fell in love with it a long time ago and still love it today. Jennifer and Julie are super little girls your child will just love, as I did when I was a little girl.

My five year old loves this book. It was a loan from the school library, but now it has a home for good. This book is easy to memorize making it very easy for early readers to learn how to read!!!

This book was one of my favorites as a child, and I am buying the newest edition to read to my children. I always wanted to be a twin like Julie and Jennifer. It teaches that children can be alike and different because that's what makes them unique. Although it is a little bit repetitive, with every page ending, "Just like me," or "Not like me," it emphasizes the point that no two people are exactly alike, but everyone has some things in common.

There are surprisingly few books written for siblings of adult children.
I find this odd since the majority of us are siblings, and who knows an adult
better than his/her brother/sister. I purchased and read this book for my daughter
who is grieving the loss of her brother. I found it an easy read, yet reflective
of the bond between two sisters.

Letters to Sara is a must read for anyone that has lost a sibling, but is just as significant to anyone grieving the loss of a loved one. The "letters", often very intimate, made me truly feel Anne's tremendous sense of loss for her sister Sara. The book helped me to understand the stages of grief and I realized my own sorrowful phases were a natural progression in healing. The "letters" tell a sincere and candid story of two siblings so different, yet so devoted and they genuinely define the meaning of "sisters". The book is an emotional and frequently funny tribute to Sara's life and I cried many times - for Sara AND Anne, but also for my own grief over the recent loss of my father. Reading Letters To Sara will help reassure that however you suffer through the death of a loved one, no matter how different it appears to others, it is totally natural for you.

Grief takes on a uniquely different dimension when trying to come to terms with the loss of a brother or sister; after all, siblings are linked literally from birth to death, unlike any other form of familial relationship. The loss is so deep that it's like a real part of you has died at the same time. "Letters to Sara" is one woman's wrenching attempt to make sense of the basic unfairness of death, and these letters become a vitally necessary form of self-therapy to try to understand all of the "whys." Far from gloomy, however, author Anne's concise insights are sometimes profound, sometimes simplistic and oft-times humorous. Just like life itself.
While each of the letters is quire short (indeed, the entire book is quite a quick read), each addresses a central question that Anne ultimately answers herself, at least partly. In this wrenching journey, written over a period of three months following her sister's untimely death at 54, Anne agonizes from phase to phase as part of a long healing process that is just the beginning. Death, like life, is irrationally unfair, and Anne experiences flashes of frustration and anger -- with herself, with her brother in law, and even her sister Sara -- trying to work through the process of being left alone as the last survivor. At the core of all of this is the central question: how to adapt to a life without a loved one.
Having recently lost my own kid sister, it was difficult to read this book at a single sitting without breaking down, as the questions posed were both uniquely personal while at the same time universal. Similar to the author's situation, I knew for some time that my sister would not win her battle with cancer, no matter how valiantly she fought. But no matter how foreordained the loss of a sibling may be, you can never really prepare yourself for the huge void that the death of a brother or sister creates. Anne approaches her own grief on a systematic basis -- talking with friends, reading endless books about grief and bringing unresolved questions to her own therapist. This approach helped her to better undersand the process, if not the resolution.
"Letters to Sara" ended up becoming a sort of memorial to Anne's older sister, whom she had idolized her entire life. At one point, she admitted that Sara's "Carpe Diem" personality -- seize the day! -- was the critical philosophy that made Sara's life an incredibly full one, even if tragically short. For anyone going through this very personal trauma, either approaching the inevitable or dealing with the final reality, "Letters to Sara" will serve as an invaluable map to ultimately coming out of the darkness into the sunshine. While things will never be the same, the concept of living every day to its fullest is truly a legacy which will help those who survive heal over time. "Letters to Sara" will provide help, insight and -- best of all -- hope to anyone wondering how they can ever face the future after such a devastating personal loss.

Letters to Sara: The Agony of Adult Sibling Loss
Anne McCurry has accomplished something really unique in her creative tribute to her beloved older sister. Using the style of letter-writing to portray her deep, agonizing loss, she effectively draws a picture of not only the important, much-too-young life that was lost, but also conveys such a strong sense of her own personal loss. I lost my own kid sister last Thanksgiving; unlike Sara, my sister's death was sudden, unexpected and shocking. I found limited resources available in the weeks and months that followed to help me navigate through this enormous crisis.

Now, nearly a year later, I've found some good resources that are helping me to gain perspective. So many of Anne's observations are universally applicable to any grief situation, but with the loss of a beloved sibling, particularly an only sister who was close in age, I could really relate to her analysis that the word "sister" is now a painful one. Anne's experiences with her friends, who want her to "get over it" truly resonate. As if we will ever get over it! Anne's reflections helped me to see that what I'm feeling is not unusual.

Anne's message of continued devotion and loyalty, long after death has separated the sisters and her pledge to keep Sara's memory alive are beautiful, sincere thoughts. I will hold this delightful book close to my heart as I continue to navigate this very tear-stained and slippery slope. I know now that many others have walked in this lonely territory before me; while that gives me no comfort, it provides me with the belief that I too will survive this. Thank you, Anne, for this gift to all of us who have lost a sibling.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and Sweet Valley Middle School is having a dance.The Boosters,Sweet Valley Middle School's Cheerleading and Baton Squad,who are also Unicorns except Amy Sutton and Winston Egbert,do Cheers for other people's Valentines,for a Dollar something. Lila Fowler,the spoiled brat of The Unicorns,doesn't have a valentine,so she makes one up.Grey Williams is his name and he goes to Lovette Academy.The gardner's grandson,has a crush on Lila when it was Mrs.Pervis's day off.His name is Justin Pratt.He loves Lila,He goes to Lovett Academy.Meanwhile Elizabeth sends a lovagram to Todd,her Valentine.They have a fight and break up. Todd thinks it's Bruce Patman.Lila sends herself flowers,and[ I didn't read anything about chocolates],to proove to The Unicorns that Grey exists.The D.J requests a special dance for Grey and Lila,but Grey never showed up.The Unicorns suspected Li was making it all up.Then Justin walks in,pretending he's Grey. How Romantic!

I love this book.I just finished reading it yesterday,but today I read it again.This book is so romantic and exciting.I recommend this book to anybody who loves Sweet Valley.Read it,you'll LOVE it!!

I gave this book 5 stars because this book is great! I f you like books that have a great ending then I suggest you most definetly read this book!

Lila Fowler tells her friends that she has a cool boyfriend..but it isnt true.She has even created an appearance,personality and NNAME! for this guy!!!!!!She is so scared of showing up to the upcoming dance alone after all her bragging about her terrific boyfriend.