Australia Books

My four year old son is in love with this chapter series! A friend suggested it to us since he seemed ready for a more advanced reading material at bedtime. My husband reads him a chapter every night...sometimes more because they don't want to stop. It's become a great tradition for them, and something they both look forward to. We love that there are so many in the collection! Start with number 1 and just continue. :)

My daughter loves these books and this one is the only one she was missing. Happy to have found it through Amazon!

My 1st grader hates to put it down, he would rather read Magic Tree House books, than play video games. He even reads them to his class and explains the story for show and tell. In his kindergarten class the teacher would also let him read the Magic Tree House books out loud, not to give her a break, but to promote reading out loud. Great books!

Jack and Annie are helping Teddy get all four presents. They're going to Australia to find the last present. They go on all kinds of adventures like helping a little kangaroo get back to its mother. Will Jack and Annie help the little kangaroo find its mother? If you want to know, you'll have to read Dingoes At Dinnertime. I like this book. It's good because I like the Dingoes because they remind me of my dog Paco.

Jack and Annie are trying to get the last present to free Teddy from the spell .Can they get the last present? My favorite part was
When Teddy helped Jack and Annie to get out of the wild fire.
I really liked this book you should too!

You want to know why you should or shouldn't read this book. Here is why you absolutely should read Fit, Fat and Forty by Nigel Marsh:
-If you want to laugh out loud at original yet unmistakably British humor, read this book.
-If you are looking for a better way of conducting capitalism, read this book.
-If you are unsatisfied with your life and are looking for inspiration, wisdom, examples, and a fantastic adventure, read this book.
-If you are an alcoholic, or suspect that your drinking has caused some of your problems and missed opportunities, read this book.
-If you can read, read this book. It is an important essay on fathering, business leadership, lifestyle management, and alternative paths to enlightentment. And if all of that bores you, then just read it for the laughs; Nigel Marsh is as much a hilarious author as he is a wise and enlightened leader.

This book is easy to read and very entertaining. I highly recommend it. I have only one criticism. Nigel Marsh is not some poor smuck who was fired from his average job. He is an extremely well educated, intellegent man who was able at age forty to correct some things about his life that needed fixing by not working for about 10 months. As a father, I had the same day dream when my children were small. I admire Mr. Marsh for being able to make his day-dream come true. I don't think it would have worked out as well for me or many other folks. Still, those ten months were great for Mr. Marsh and his family.

Loved this book. The odyssey of the author's year off work is rich, poignant, warm, and at times hilarious. Highly recommended for everyone. Great Father's Day gift idea!
(LD)

Nigel has an excellent way of sharing a perspecitve of work/life balance through stories we can all relate to. I was recently in a similar situation, and although I found this book after getting back to work, I wish I had found it sooner. I encourage everyone who found this review using the search words "Help me, I just got fired, have lost touch with my family, need perpective through humor" -click on the shopping cart!. Nigel puts great honesty and wit out there for us, take advantage, there aren't that many books this good.

This book is disarmingly funny, genuine and touching. A must read for all generations and for anyone feeling afflicted by Affluenza. Look forward to seeing this make a huge splash in the US this summer. Great bookclub and chat show material I would have thought...buy it now!

This story is so exceptional and wonderful!!! I read the book loaned by a New Zealand friend and loved it so much that I purchased it in N.Z. It has now been loaned to friends here in the U.S. and in turn they have passed my copy on to others. I have just finished buying a 2nd copy.

After reading this book I felt two things, the first being emotionaly drained, and the second so humbled. I cried when he cried and laughed when he laughed. The thing that struck me most was that any other person who would of gone through what he did what of been so bitter and sad, yet you really did believe that he considered himself fortunate. The way it which he meets his wife will warm even the coldest heart. A truly beautiful book

As a young Australian, reading this book reinforced the hardships the early Australians had to put up with. This is an amazing and inspirational story about a young mans life that had to put up with the hardest upbringing and the Gallipoli campaign. Even at the end of his life he was still able to call it fortunate. Its a great read for anybody.

When this book was first released, I saw that it had won a State Award (NSW Premier's Award). So I picked it up and started reading. I couldn't put it down. I bought it, read it and couldn't stop praising it. I was SO impressed that I bought 25 copies to give to friends for Christmas.

Bert Facey, the man that this book is about, speaks to you from the book as your grandparents would tell you a story whilst you sat at their knee.

It is beatifully told. Such courage in adversity, stoic in enduring pains, the love he shows to his family.

I wish I could tell you more; but I belive that reviews that tell you about a book ruin the story.

It has my highest recommendation! A must have book, to read again and again.

The author of this book was approached in old age to talk about his life. From memory it was because of some form of literary grant or a history project. However what was said was of such quality it was transcribed into a book and became a huge seller in Australia.

The author grew up in Australia around the time of Federation. He was abandoned by his mother and from an early age did tough farming work in Western Australia at the time pasture land was being cut out of the forests. His work involved ringbarking trees and then clearing them. He worked for a brutal man and his early life is enough to make anyone cry.

He served at Galliopoli and was injured by a trench collapse. This restricted his ability to do farm work and after the first world war he worked as a tram driver and later owned a poultry farm.

One of the most touching things about the book is the quality of its author. Despite the worst hardships imaginable not one bitter word comes from his mouth. His view of his life was that it was fortunate despite being the victim of countless acts of cruelty and abandoment.

The book is a classif of life in early Australia and if there was justice in the world it should never go out of print.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/ROFPGM4FEAJKE

I have read many books and heard many speaker discussing coming out and as they address the conflict with one's sexuality and faith. Venn-Brown presents a work that rings an authentic tone as he unearths the pain of living a closeted life. He does so without self-indulgence or bitterness. His words brim with hope, humor and integrity. As he unfolds the complexity of being a Christian who also happens to be gay, he reveals the many horrors we can inflict upon ourselves and others in our attempts to submerge parts of our personalities. He also models the courageous process of starting a new while remaining faithful to the people and beliefs at our core.
I highly recommend this book.
-Peterson Toscano
author of Doin' Time in the Homo No Mo Halfway House--How I Survived the Ex-Gay Movement

WHEN A HOMOSEXUAL CHRISTIAN LEADER `COMES OUT'

Review: Anthony Venn-Brown's 'A Life of Unlearning: a Journey to Find the Truth', 2nd edition, New Holland Publishers, 2007.

The Church has wrestled with a dozen major paradigm-shifts in its history. The first had to do with accepting Gentiles. The Protestant Reformation was built on the radical proposition that we are saved by faith purely on the basis of God's grace, and that we can trust ordinary folks to read the Bible. Then there was slavery, charismatic renewal, women in leadership... Conservative groups have recently wrestled with issues like dancing, divorce, Sabbath/Sunday-behaviour, dress-codes, and rock music.

And now the Big One: Homosexuality.

After 25 years counselling ex-pastors, what generalizations can I make about Christian homosexual ministers who declare their orientation/ practice?

If they were credentialled by a fundamentalist denomination they will be treated, with very few exceptions, as lepers/pariahs, and even with hate. [1] If from an evangelical background, the neglect will be more benign: they may receive one or two contacts from their colleagues (or they may not). Mainline Christians are less homophobic, but also often uncaring.

Fundamentalists/Pharisees quote Paul: `[Do not] associate with anyone who bears the name of brother or sister who is sexually immoral... Drive out the wicked person from among you' (1 Corinthians 5:11,12, NRSV). [2]

Progressive Evangelicals align their stance with that of Jesus, who was castigated by religious leaders for hanging out with 'publicans and sinners'. They might agree with Tony Campolo: 'In the likelihood that most (homosexuals) will still have their basic sexual orientations regardless of their efforts to change, we must do more than simply bid them be celibate. We must find ways for them to have fulfilling, loving experiences so that they might have their humanity affirmed and their incorporation into the Body of Christ assured.' [3]

Anthony Venn-Brown is probably Australia's first openly-gay Pentecostal leader. His story is both typical (he attempted suicide) and atypical (he attends a Pentecostal Church and has set up a ministry - Freedom 2 B[e] - a network for GLBTIQ - Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer - people from Pentecostal and Charismatic backgrounds).

Wikipedia says he prefers to be known as a gay ambassador rather than a gay activist. [4] That's also atypical: most homosexual ex-pastors (and serving pastors for that matter) still lie very low.

When I tell clergy conferences that every Christian denomination has pastors and ex-pastors who are gay, that used to be greeted with disbelief. Now, of course, they've all moved beyond the `Don't ask, don't tell' stance.

And when I write/preach that the Bible has nothing whatever to say about homosexuality as a (non-chosen) orientation, most conservative Christians just don't understand. Non-chosen? Yes: I've not met a homosexual or lesbian client who chose to be that way: most of them would prefer to be a much-less-complicated - and socially more acceptable - heterosexual.

But not Anthony: if reincarnation was true, he writes, he wouldn't mind coming back as a homosexual. Again, atypical.

Sample paragraph: `I was overcome by a feeling of utter failure. I thought about what I'd done to Helen and the girls, the people who might lose faith because of my transgression, the humiliation of everyone knowing my sin, the way I'd discredited the ministry and how unworthy I was of anyone's love, even God's... I was a failure as a husband, father and servant of God' (p. 285).

Anthony's book is well-written, a `must-read' for all (adult - though some may disagree with that) Christians, especially Christian leaders. It's confronting, occasionally (appropriately) explicit, irenic, sad, honest, and well-researched. There's a commendable integrity about his approach. (My main suggestion would be that in the next edition he adds an appendix with a more in-depth summary of the biblical/theological material.)

Two of the most difficult questions for conservative Christians relate to a 'cure' for homosexuality and the issue of same-sex marriages.

Anthony's experience demonstrates that the advice often given to people with same sex orientation - that a heterosexual marriage will solve the problem and be the final evidence that they have received a 'miracle' - frequently ends in a traumatic and devastating experience for the partner and children: one that can take years to heal. Also most will be shocked to learn, from the emails Anthony has received, that some Christian parents and church leaders suggest hiring an opposite sex prostitute to help with the 'cure'. Obviously there is still a great deal of ignorance out there about sexual orientation and church leaders need to be more informed.

On the issue of same-sex relationships, I have said often that there's a great deal of hypocrisy in our churches. In an ABC TV program I suggested that churches have been selective in their indignation re the three so-called 'deadly sexual sins' - adultery, fornication, and homosexual practice. We condemn the first and third, but most (yes, most) of our Christian young people practise the second one: but are not excluded from the memberships of most churches on that account. (Why? They're the children of church leaders!).

Here's a heart-felt comment from Anthony on this question: 'Those who are privileged to have a close relationship/friendship with gay or lesbian couples know that the essentials that build and maintain their relationships are the same as heterosexual marriages: love, trust, respect and a desire to create a life long partnership. These are all honourable traits and should not be condemned as evil but supported by those who believe God's love is for all. To welcome them into our churches is an acknowledgment of the right choices they have made.'

And I would add that no one should be definitive on this broad issue until/unless they have listened carefully to the stories of homosexual people.

We may not agree with all Anthony says, but if our homophobic judgmentalism can't cope with this sort of 'in your face' truthfulness, or if we don't cry with Anthony sometimes - he cries a lot - my gentle suggestion would be to get help!

Rowland Croucher

November 26, 2007

*****

You can purchase his book here: http://www.anthonyvennbrown.com/

Anthony's blog - http://alifeofunlearning.blogspot.com/

Freedom 2 b[e] - http://www.freedom2b.org/phpBB2/

*****

[1] http://www.godhatesfags.com/

[2] Put Anthony's name into `Find on this page' at http://www.christian-witness.org/active/mail/y_letter35.html

[3] Homosexuality: an Interview with Jesus - http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/12135.htm

[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Venn-Brown

[5] You can read the transcript and view it here: http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/13440.htm

This is an extremely moving account of an ex-minister's journey to find his total purpose in life during the midst of a high profile ministry and at the expense of losing everything he had. But arising from the ashes of despair, he awakens to a new self-discovery of who he really is and has a new sense of self worth and importance.

Mr. Venn-Brown speaks from the heart of his painful journey of battling and coming to terms with his same-sex orientation while becoming one of Australia's leading pastor/evangelists within the Assemblies of God. His journey is identified by many who have been isolated/rejected by the conservative mainstream church because they were gay.

Mr. Venn-Brown's story has made it to the United States and other countries. It is a must read for anyone who needs to discover and be reacquainted with who they are within themselves. I am truly blessed and honored to have read his story.

I really loved this book. To me it was not about a gay man coming out, its about how an outdated society seeks to contain aspects of our life if someone decides to follow their inner feelings and be different to the 'normal' people around them. Trying to control the world with fear only results in pain from oppressing feelings and therefore wasting life.
He has proved that being gay is not a sexual thing, its a state of mind.
I have more admiration for the writer of this book than anyone who climes Mount Everest. The mountains that we build in our minds take more effort to clamber over that anything on earth. He pushed ahead in his life. Sometimes falling for long periods but always coming back to holding on to what he found to be the true him. For what its worth, I am straight male, you don't need to be gay to read this.......and it will not turn you either if you are worried about that. Honestly I give it 10/10.

Very cute book, lovely illustrations. My kids loved this book when they were younger, so I bought it for my niece's little girl and she loves it too.

This is a superbly lovely book for pre-schoolers and children in the early grades. After seeing it in Australia, I ordered three copies, one for each set of grandkids. My grandgirls, 5 and 7, made me read it to them twice, even though they both can read most of it, and I even caught the 9-year-old eavesdropping. It is one of those books whose illustrations match the charm of the text, and both text and pix are simple, straightforward, yet colorful and delightful and totally enchanting. It's the story of how Hush, a little girl possum, is made invisible by her Grandma Poss's magic and their subsequent search to make her visible again, which they do by cycling around Australia (and sailing to Tasmania in an umbrella) and eating the various specialty foods. Just naming them will make any Ozzie homesick: pavlova, lamington, vegemite, minties, etc. Even a Yank tourist like myself gets a little misty-eyed. The only thing the author left out was Victoria Bitter, but it is a children's book, after all.

A wonderful picture book with a delightful story line and engaging illustrations, Mem Fox provides a culinary tour of the "best of Australia" in her book Possum Magic. Young people will learn about the geography and foods of the Land Down Under as they travel with Little Possum and his grandma searching for the foods that will make him visible again.

This is a classic Australian picturebook which is becoming popular again as those of us from the generation who were kids when it was first published (1983) now are buying it ourselves and reading it to our children or nieces and nephews. Granted there's always the hey I remember this book when I was kid factor that drives up sales but unlike a lot of books which have this factor of when you get home and read them you remember that you never really liked that book back when you were kid because it is infact not that good, Possum Magic is remembered and was popular back in the 80's because it was a good book. Although some of the food (remedies for Hush's invisibility) inside are no longer uniquely Australian (which is a good thing), learnign about them along with the uniquely Australian wildlife inside this book would make an ideal gift or purchase for any Australian now living overseas to read to their kids and teach them a bit about their heritage. For anyone whose not Australian it is a great opportunity to learn something about Australian culture.

The basic tale of this book revolves around a little girl possum called Hush whose grandma (named Grandma Poss) who was an expert in bush magic turned Hush invisible to prevent her being eaten by snakes (now of course in reality snakes don't use sight like we do to find their prey but see the heat from the body like someone wearing night vision goggles does so being invisible wouldn't have actually helped Hush but anyway this is a fiction book and that's a discussion/lesson probably left for an age group older than this book's target market). Although Hush gets into a few dilemmas as the result of being invisible such as being sat on by a koala she still gets up to lots of fun like riding down the back of kangaroos like a slippery dip. Hush however wants to know what she looks like so asks Grandma Poss to make her visible again which Grandma Poss has of course forgotten, although she remembers it has something to do with human food. This is the tale of finding the cure and travelling across (with a bit of poetic licence by riding a bike and in a floating umbrella the vast distances of) Australia to find it.

Other good children's books about invisibility if that's what you were after include My Best Friend Is Invisible (Goosebumps) by R. L. Stine, You Are Invisible: CYOA #48 by Susan Saunders, The Invisible Day by Marthe Jocelyn, Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich by Adam Rex, you can even get an illustrated version of H.G. Wells 1897 classic The Invisible Man (Great Illustrated Classics).

Delightful book with illustrations that takes kids 3-6 on an imaginative trip to Australia. I could identify with the main character, "Grandma Poss."

Reading Bill's work has given me a new outlook on my own Celtic heritage, and I'm finally 'hearing' the songs and stories my grandparents couldn't share with me. In 'A Celtic Childhood', Bill proves himself a true Bard in the modern world, serving his own happiness, tears, songs, stories & wit with the world. And we come back begging for seconds... And thirds.

Drop dead funny, but also bittersweet. I loved this book and recommended it to all my friends

I was caught up in this first book by Bill immediately because of his warmth, humor, and the amazing way that his unsurpassed storytelling skills vividly draw you into the events of his childhood as though you were right there. A Celtic Childhood reveals the humor and heart and goodnatured view on life that Bill exudes today, in spite of any troubles and hard times. His perspective on life is very refreshing, and not at all bogged down by any self-pity or guilt as others have unfortunately exhibited in memoirs.

It's very difficult to put this book down. There are adventures around every corner which all turn out inevitably funny no matter how disastrous. These are told at an exciting and rapid pace similar to a child's energy and intake of experience. In particular, I love the language and the rhythm -- the ways that Bill questions in his early years the meanings behind common phrases, sayings, and words. His view of the adult lives around him are hysterical and apt!

His inclusion of a glossary and tune lyrics, as well as injection of many insights and facts of Celtic history, lore, and culture all serve to make this memoir an incredibly rich and vital read, that will leave an indelible imprint upon the heart and mind of all who read it.

Rarely have I read a book with such heart, and phenomenal wit and way with words. Bill's a grand storyteller, and a wonderful, generous and multi-talented human being. Looking very forward to reading "Scotland is Not for the Squeamish", and the 3rd book in this trilogy when it comes out next year!

I was caught up in this first book by Bill immediately because of his warmth, humor, and the amazing way that his unsurpassed storytelling skills vividly draw you into the events of his childhood as though you were right there. A Celtic Childhood reveals the humor and heart and goodnatured view on life that Bill exudes today, in spite of any troubles and hard times. His perspective on life is very refreshing, and not at all bogged down by any self-pity or guilt as others have unfortunately exhibited in memoirs.

It's very difficult to put this book down. There are adventures around every corner which all turn out inevitably funny no matter how disastrous. These are told at an exciting and rapid pace similar to a child's energy and intake of experience. In particular, I love the language and the rhythm -- the ways that Bill questions in his early years the meanings behind common phrases, sayings, and words. His view of the adult lives around him are hysterical and apt!

His inclusion of a glossary and tune lyrics, as well as injection of many insights and facts of Celtic history, lore, and culture all serve to make this memoir an incredibly rich and vital read, that will leave an indelible imprint upon the heart and mind of all who read it.

Rarely have I read a book with such heart, and phenomenal wit and way with words. Bill's a grand storyteller, and a wonderful, generous and multi-talented human being. Looking very forward to reading "Scotland is Not for the Squeamish", and the 3rd book in this trilogy when it comes out next year!

Bill Watkins book is a breath of fresh air with a unique style of prose, seldom, if at all, found these days. Poetic, humorous and delightfully witty, the oral tradition of Watkins Celtic roots opens a door to a rich heritage that even a non Celt can appreciate. All ages will love this many-layered tale of wild adventure, mothers especially.

Big tough talking penguins and talking never ending desserts, what more could you want? Ok, that, but this is a kids book, and one you should get if you have some (kids, that is, not talking penguins and puddings). There are the good guys, and there are the bad guys. Both are hungry, but the bad guys want to put out tasty pudding friend to nefarious ends, while the good guys just want enough dessert. Needless to say, the pudding is cantankerous.

The Magic Pudding is a fun-and-nonsense tale that has become my nine-year-old son's favorite book. It deserves to be published in the US so that American children can enjoy what has become a classic in Australian children's literature. If you enjoy Roald Dahl's books, "The Phantom Tollbooth," and "Alice in Wonderland" you'll enjoy this.

Bunyip Bluegum the Koala leaves home because he can't stand the sight of his uncle's whiskers in the soup any more. He meets Barnacle Bill the sailor and Sam Sawnoff the penguin, who own a remarkable pudding. Every time you cut a slice from the pudding, another one grows in its place, you can eat as much as you like, the pudding lasts forever. What's more, you can change the pudding to any kind you like, it can be steak and kidney or plum duff or jam roly poly. The pudding is apt to get discontented and starts complaining if it isn't eaten enough. Such a desirable pudding is naturally at constant risk from pudding thieves, and the three friends have their work cut out trying to outwit the sneaky Possum and Wombat who are always trying to steal it. This is a very funny story with lots of action and a great many fights, it should appeal to anyone who likes humorous fantasy.

Honestly, I'm no read-aloud wimp! And my kids are usually up for anything. They giggled like mad at the pompous puns of Mr. H.M. Wogglebug T.E. in the Oz books, and urged on my faux-Yorkshire accent in the Secret Garden. The century-old Australian slang and endless sea shanties of the Magic Pudding, though, just about did us in. It really is a magnificent flight of fancy, but there were just too many incomprehensible sentences to paraphrase and longggg songs to make up tunes for. Save this for when you're at your most daring and energetic, read-aloud parents!

This book is part of the wonderful new series of republished children's books from the New York Review of Books. Over 80 years old, "The Magic Pudding" describes the adventures of a koala bear, named Bunyip Bluegum - the kind of koala who wears a high collar and spats - who falls in with a crazy cowboy sort of fellow named Bill Barnacle and a penguin named Sam Sawnoff.

Bill and Sam are possessed of a magic pudding (named Albert, if you can believe this), who regenerates every time you take a bite of him and changes into whatever flavor you like. Albert the pudding is much coveted by two evil villains who are constantly tricking our Heroes into giving up the Pudding, whereupon they must go and re-re-re-rescue it.

The characters and style are very reminiscent of "Alice in Wonderland," with Bunyip seeming a little White-rabbitish to me, and Bill and Sam sort of Mad Hatter and Dormouse-y. The effect is somewhere in between "Alice" and an old Loony Tunes in which Bugs Bunny constantly bewilders Elmer Fudd.

The whole narrative is punctuated with many whimsical song lyrics, like the poetry in Carroll's book. The lyrics make it a great read-aloud for the younger set, although older kids might be a bit puzzled by its style. However, everyone will be charmed by the Pudding himself and want one of their very own.

During my two big trips through the South Pacific, I always had one of David Stanley's guidebooks in my backpack. Stanley has been writing guidebooks to these islands for almost 25 years. Like his other Pacific guides, this fifth edition of Tahiti Handbook (which includes the whole of French Polynesia, the Cook Islands and Easter Island) is completely packed with information for the traveller.

Tips for travellers
While planning, Tahiti Handbook will help you find out which islands will be more interesting, easier or cheaper to visit. Stanley gives a good idea of what to expect in the islands, while you can still have a great adventure and discover things on your own.
In the Pacific, this guide will save you money and trouble. Following Stanley's advice to sleep at Tahiti's airport when arriving at night, to wait for the early morning bus instead of taking a taxi to your hotel, will already save you the cost of the book. Accommodations of all categories are described, often including critical commentary. The same applies for restaurants and organized activities. Stanley identifies with any kind of traveller. He answers almost any possible question to arise on other travel matters.

Incognito
I haven't used this edition of Tahiti Handbook in the field yet, so I can't say much about the accuracy of the travel information inside. However, during my trips through the islands, Stanley's information usually proved reasonably up-to-date. You can never expect everything to be correct, Stanley admits that. For every new edition of his guides, he makes a research trip to check the places listed in his book. On these trips Stanley arrives unannounced and tries to identify himself as little as possible. This way he is better able to experience a place like any other traveller. For this fifth edition of Tahiti Handbook, the Marquesas and Easter Island were visited in addition to more regular places. It would be nice to know what islands were exactly visited. If you feel some information is incorrect or missing from Stanley's guide, you can write him and he will seriously look at your comments.

Lively and critically
The chapters on history, people and places and the references in Tahiti Handbook are an excellent starting point to learn more about Eastern Polynesia. In my opinion, some more attention could have been given to the language section: an extension of the Tahitian and French section and adding Cook Islands Maori, Spanish and Rapanui.
The biggest problem with this book, as with Stanley's other guides to the Pacific, is that you'll want to go to almost every island he so lively introduces. With every new edition, Stanley not only updates travel information, he also perfects his writings. Stanley won't bore you. It's obvious he loves the islands. Still, he does so without writing over-positive about it. Stanley will tell you about the French nuclear testing at Moruroa and Papeete traffic jams. As he puts it on page 3: `Through this book we've tried to show you the best of the region without ignoring the worst. Paradise it may not be, but it's still a remarkable part of our planet.'

Three in one
Since the previous edition of Tahiti Handbook, the Cook Islands and Easter Island are also included, without making the guide too thick or expensive. The only I only place I miss in Tahiti Handbook is Pitcairn. Since it lies between French Polynesia and Easter Island, you would expect it to be included. It does receive more visitors than islands like Puka Puka or Maiao these days. For information about Pitcairn, you need to get Stanley's South Pacific Handbook.

Maps and photographs
You can find 56 maps in Tahiti Handbook, including ones of more remote islands. Of the main islands; there are detailed maps of towns to show accommodations, restaurants, offices and more. The atolls of the Tuamotu Archipelago are a bit underrepresented. But since these are mostly thin necklaces of land, this is not really important. In general the maps in Tahiti Handbook are fine. Only the coloured map and the index map at the beginning of the book could be better: the lagoons of the coral atolls have all been coloured in like land.
There are not many photographs in Tahiti Handbook: two coloured ones at the beginning of the book and a handful of black and white ones throughout the book. Without doubt this helps to keep the price of the book down. Also, you don't really need photographs here: Stanley's writing will bring Polynesia to life for you.

Take it!
Despite some small critical notes, I still give Tahiti Handbook five stars. There is nothing to match this guidebook. Take it when you go to French Polynesia, the Cook Islands and/or Easter Island no matter what your budget or style of travelling is.

Comparing this guide with other guides for Tahiti, it's just great!!.. It's far more accurate then the others, but those others it's often plain bad.

Most guides are correct about weather, currency, number of inhabittants etc. But when it comes to accomendations, guiding companies etc. it's a completely different story.

I went to Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands 3 years ago. I stayed at a pension which Stanely recomended. The pension was a joke and the owner was the sleaziest guy I come across my 5 weeks in the South Pacific.

I asked Stanley after the trip if he had been at the pension which was not the case. This pension is still recommended in the last edition.

Lucky for Stanley that very few tourists travel to Nuku Hiva..

It's just incredibil, that's not possible to trust the correctnes of infor- mation from a guy who has been travelling in the South Pacific for 20-30 years.

I will use Stanley's guide this year too, but only as a basic tool. Getting an honest and accurate answer, I use the web-forums.

An excellent guide to the islands of French Polynesia. We used it during the planning stages to pick our resorts and research the activities we might be interested in in Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora. Each day we were there, the book helped us plan our activities and learn more about the islands and what they had to offer. The island and Papeete city maps were of great use finding our way around. The book covers all islands of French Polynesia and the Cook Islands. I enjoyed reading about all the others we didn't visit. Will definitely take this our next trip down. Highly recommended.

David Stanley has a wealth of personal knowledge of the South Pacific, and it shows. This comprehensive guide to French Polynesia, Rapanui, and Cook Islands is a must for anyone planning to travel to these exotic tropical paradises. Covering everything from history to present day conditions, from the practicalities of getting there to getting around, he tells it like it is. No matter your preffered travelling style, there is a wealth of realistic information to please everyone, from backpackers to luxury seekers alike. You will find this book invaluable; don't leave home without it.

As a producer researching filming locations throughout the Pacific Basin, I have found David Stanley's Moon Handbooks guide to Tahiti and the Cook Islands to be of tremendous value. Having travelled extensively throughout the world, I've often had trouble finding guides that are thorough and accurate. In Stanley's book, I've found just that. Rich with historic, cultural and practical information, along with numerous illustrations and maps, Stanley provides his readers with all of the necessary and critical information required in order to get the most out of a travel experience. To anyone planning a trip to this region, I would highly recommend this book.

This is the definitive guide for anyone looking for a corporate sponsor. It was enjoyable to read and I find myself reaching for it time and again. The concepts were easy to grasp and the tools were especially useful. It is a great source of information for beginners as well as seasoned sponsorship seekers. It's a great read and well worth purchasing.

This book is very useful and practical thanks to its suggestions in a matter which is at the same time delicate and fundamental. Besides it is well-organized and clear in its contents

Being a realtive newcomer to sponsorship procurement, this book has been valuable and well used. The Sponsorship Seeker's Toolkit teaches every step necessary to make first contact, foster relationships, build a creative winning proposal, administer your proposal and prepare followup reports.
This and the two previous Sponsorship Seekers Toolkit can take a novice and teach them how to speak to sponsors confindently and knowledgably.
If you're a seasoned professional, Kim and Anne-Marie come up with such creative partnerships, you'll find yourself smiling over the common sense they inject into every chapter.
This book has taught my staff how to present proposals that will enhance multiple sponsors, thereby giving them more bang for their buck as well as making the event more memorable for the audience.
This book is a dog-eared must in my professional library.

Content was relevant and definitive. Great examples and templates and every aspect clearly explained and expounded where necessary. An essential piece of reading.

This book is an excellent resource for anyone attempting to obtain sponsorships. It is well written and easy to follow with many useful tools.

Fifteen-year-old Rosie Moon lives in a small seaside town in Australia, where experiencing life is limited to walks on the beach and secretly piercing your nose. Her parents aren't getting along, her uptight mother finds it difficult to give Rosie the freedom she craves, and she's not sure how to impress the quietly rebellious new boy in her class, Asher Fielding. Asher just moved to town with his newly single mother and desperately wants to leave his restrictive new school and head back across the country to his father and his old friends.

Rosie and Asher's friendship begins when they are paired up for a poetry project, and their romance takes off when Asher is mistakenly accused of stealing. He decides to run away for the second time, his first attempt to return to his father having proved fruitless. Rosie, desperate to break away from her own small-town troubles, decides to go with him, and the two take off on a cross-country search for adventure, freedom and, of course, love.

Brigid Lowry's novel was first published in Australia, and while American readers may be a bit confused by some of the geographic references, they will also find it interesting to learn about daily life on the other side of the world, where the lingo may differ but the issues and emotions of the characters are strikingly familiar. The story is told in a series of vignettes, including everything from stream-of-consciousness thoughts to lists of the contents of someone's pockets or what someone had for breakfast. Anything that may provide a further glimpse into a character is fair game.

Some of the vignettes can be confusing, such as Asher's scattered thoughts or dialogue scenes with no speaker indicated. Also, some of the thought sequences feel unnatural at times, with characters narrating their actions to themselves as they do them or describing their emotions (apparently for our benefit), creating the feeling that we're being told what the person is thinking or doing rather than overhearing their actual thoughts. This is an interesting approach to storytelling, but at times it can come across as a self-conscious attempt at originality. Perhaps this technique was more original when the novel was first published, but with the recent popularity of books told in diary, email, list, or other unique formats, some of the creative appeal of Lowry's style is lost.

On the whole, however, the charm and good intentions of the characters --- everyone from frustrated students and teachers to struggling parents and even the occasional stranger --- make this a sweet story worth reading. There's not much of an edge to the characters, but the parents' difficulties at figuring out how to be the best parents, and the teenagers' need to explore the world around them without restrictions, are both real and very touching. After reading GUITAR HIGHWAY ROSE, readers may wish they could be the stars of their own road trip adventure/love story.

--- Reviewed by Emily Shaffer

A teenager, Rosie is ready for adventure: she's been an obedient girl most of her life but now longs for action. Asher is a new boy in school with dreadlocks and an attitude to match: Rose is instantly attracted. An accusation of theft leads to a hitchhiking adventure that will change her life and decisions. Romance and action blend in a satisfying story which teens will relate to.

Rosie Moon, 15, is irritated with her life. Her mom treats her like a 5 year old, her dad doesn't really care, and her younger brother is a nuisance. The best thing about her life is her best friend, Pip, until a rebellious new kid, Asher, comes to school. His parents are seperated, which doesn't help with the move. Asher and Rosie want to get away from it all and when Asher is accused of stealing a wallet, their dreams become a reality. They set off for their "crazy" adventure where they find themselves...and each other.

At first, I was confused by the writing style. The book used words that I wasn't familiar with because the book originated from Australia. The book was also incomprehensible because it jumped to different characters, and I got thoughts and opinions confused. As I read more, it became clear and it was amazing. The plot was well thoughtout. Lowry used superior descriptions for the settings and people. It felt like you were there! The book showed situations that teenagers have to overcome these days. Towards the end of the book, I couldn't put it down. It was supenseful, a definite page turner. Overall, it was an exceptional book. Kids under 13 should not read this book. It had some vulgar language and usage of drugs.

Reviewed by Flamingnet Book Reviews
www.flamingnet.com
Preteen, teen, and young adult book reviews and recommendations

Usually I don't read books like this, but it looked good so I decided to read it, and I'm glad I did! It was a quick read and it was very intertaining. I don't know if I liked the writing style at first, but after a while it grows on you. I would definitly recommend this book to everyone.

This book was like, the best book EVER! I first of all LOVED the cool way it was written. It's really easy to fall in love with Rosie and Ash. Definetly one of my all time faves! Read it if you haven't already!!! : )