Canada Books

Heavy Gear is a great game -- both in its rules system, which is simple and easy to pick up, and its background and story material.

The main rulebook comes with a full set of rules for both the RPG and the tactical combat game, plus a good amount of detail on a likely setting for an RPG (Peace River), and a slightly smaller section on the world as a whole (which is expanded on in the Life on Terra Nova sourcebook that can be purchased separately, and is also excellently written).

Heavy Gear takes place 4000 years in the future, on the colony world of Terra Nova. Heavy Gears are one-man mecha, something between an infantryman and a tank. The planet is divided into two polar leagues separated by a vast desert known as the Badlands, poised on the brink of war after years of uneasy peace. The game has an ongoing storyline that leads from this starting point and is continued with storybooks and through the sourcebooks. The storyline is planned out in advance, which gives it a great leg up on other games.

One note -- the computer games and cartoon should not be used to judge the pen and paper game; the computer games are not really in the best spirit of the game and the cartoon...has nothing to do with the pen and paper game other than the name really.

In addition to the rulebook, you will probably want to hunt down the Life on Terra Nova sourcebook if you plan to run an RPG game (or if you're just interested in reading more about the game world).

The year is 1934... 1934 TN, that is - make that 6132 AD, or thereabouts. The planet is Terra Nova, one of several planets colonized by mankind after it survived a minor ice age and discovered a net of space anomalies connecting about a dozen planets. Unfortunately the Earth government collapsed some centuries back and left the colonies to fend for themselves...
On Terra Nova, a planet without oceans divided into two hemispheres by an inhospitable desert girdle, several nations have developped since that time. The southern nations have been subjugated by the Southern Republic, which in turn caused the northern nations to band together for their own protection. Now these two power blocks, armed to the teeth, are gearing up for war once more, with the unhappy inhabitants of the desert Badlands in the middle, seeing their home become a battleground.
And then there's the fascist Earth regime, come back to claim its own...

This is the Rulebook for the Heavy Gear system, Dream Pod 9's most exciting and best game system ever. At the core of it all is a game engine called the "Silhouette" system, a well thought out system of rules equally useful for roleplaying and tactical combat, for simulating space, submarine or ground environments.
HG offers you the opportunity to step into the future and see the world through the eyes of the inhabitants of mankind's new home, wether you want to do classical roleplaying or fast paced mechanical combat, or both at the same time.

The rulebook is very well written and contains lots of examples illustrating the realistic, yet easy to understand and use rules system. Talking of illustrations... those are there as well, *lots* of them, and very well done, too.

But you get more than just a bunch of rules. At the beginning there's a gorgeous colour section showing the planetary system and a world map, followed by a short but thorough introduction to the world of Terra Nova, covering the various nations and regions. There's even a short source book on Peace River, a huge desert city/arcology/weapons factory, allowing you to start playing right away if you wish to.
Of course you get the necessary character creation rules, an exhaustive list of skills, some equipment and weapons, and rules for interaction, skill tests and, of course, combat. You also get archetypes and some animals to populate the wilderness, not to forget the enigmatic desert nomads known as Sand Riders...
Plus you get the complete tactical combat rules, if you like that kind of thing. If you prefer hex-maps or miniature games is entirely left to you. The Silhouette system allows you every imaginable freedom while covering all the necessary aspects.

Some people have called Heavy Gear the heir of Battletech (you know, the combat game with all those giant robots... what serious Heavy Gear fans refer to as "that other game"). Fact is, HG is much, much more.
The trademark of the game is the Gear, a roughly humanoid combat machine of the future - but that 's where the similarity ends. The tactical system is hugely superior to that of BT, allowing for opportunity fire, sensor detection, communication and ECM, while the roleplaying system is not just an afterthought, but an inherent part of the game (if you want to, the main part - if not, it's a nice background. Your choice.)
HG is incredibly detailed (there's a huge range of sourcebooks, covering every imaginable aspect, if you feel like it - but you don't need them if you don't want) and quite realistic, plus it's got an overarcing background story similar to Babylon 5. And there's no need to read through stacks of badly written novels. Conflic is certainly a constand of the HG universe, but the system doesn't force you to concentrate on war, like the other game did, but allows you to explore the future any way you like.

In short, HG is my favorite game of all times. And I've tried out quite a number.

This hardcover edition of Dream Pod Nine's Heavy Gear Role Playing and Tactical Game was one of my first pruchase of the game line.

It was money well spent.

The book itself sports quality binding and paper. The printing is clear, legible and easy on the eyes. There is plenty of excellent content, spiced generously with outstanding pen art.

Even if not a fan of Role Playing and Tactical Miniatures Gaming, Sci-Fi fans will enjoy a depiction of a futuristic colony world both at war with imperialistic conquerors and with itself.

It is a stark, hard sci-fi story of human settlers that have braved harsh desert conditions, isolated from the rest of humanity and struggling not only for suvival, but also for cultural identity.

Role Play and Tactical Game Players will also find Heavy Gear to be a refreshing change of pace from the tired Sword and Sorcery Genre. And, they will find this high quality rulebook to be a perfect collectors and players peice in any library.

Enjoy!

Heavy Gear is one of the best SF roleplaying games in existence. It combines an incredibly rich setting, an overarching storyline that rivals Babylon 5 for depth and complexity and a simple, flexible and intuitive rules system for roleplaying and tactical combat.

Some people may already be somewhat familiar with the Heavy Gear setting through either the Activision Heavy Gear computer games or the Heavy Gear animated series. For those who are not, a brief synopsis:

Heavy Gear takes place in the 62nd century. The action primarily takes place on the colony world of Terra Nova. A harsh and beautiful world, it has also been wracked by conflict. Two decades ago, Earth attempted to reclaim her wayward offspring in the War of the Alliance, a devastating conflict which briefly united the major Terranovan powers against the invaders. However, this hard won unity quickly fell by the wayside as old conflicts reemerged. Terra Nova is once again on the brink of war.

The conflict will be fought with the game's namesake, the Heavy Gear. A native Terranovan development, these fifteen-foot tall humanoid combat machines provided a rude shock to the invading Earth forces two decades before. While Gears are the game�s centerpiece, they are not the be-all end-all of combat on Terra Nova. Tanks, artillery, aircraft, landships and even larger walking machines called striders provide additional speed and firepower.

If tactical combat isn't your thing, the Heavy Gear setting provides a wide variety of options for less militaristic adventuring. Divisions between and among the major powers present opportunities for espionage political intrigue. On the other hand, many areas of Terra Nova are still very much part of the frontier, where individuals can make a difference and make their fortunes by their own actions. The setting is so vast and detailed that the possibilities are limitless.

While the main rulebook is all you need to play, the game�s publisher, Dream Pod 9, has published an extensive array of supplements detailing every aspect of Terra Nova, along with sourcebooks covering the technology, vehicles and spacecraft of this future setting. Recently, they have moved beyond Terra Nova itself and have begun covering Earth�s other colony worlds. However, the most interesting aspect of the Heavy Gear line is the Storyline Books. In addition to its rich backstory, the Heavy Gear setting has a Babylon 5 like 20-year story arc. Each storyline book moves the game�s history along by a few years. The basic setting described in the main rulebook is complex enough to provide an enormous amount of adventuring, using the storyline books provides the opportunity to set an RPG campaign in a living, breathing world with a constantly unfolding history.

In short, Heavy Gear is one of the best, most innovative roleplaying games out there. I would highly recommend that anyone pick it up.

This book and the system it represents is one of the most complete and well-realized (not to mention REALLY well supported) items in my game library (now teetering at 175 different titles...woah). When I want to get someone into a new, easily explained tactical or RPG setting, Heavy Gear always comes to mind.
This book is just the tip of the iceberg: Dream Pod Nine makes a huge number of sourcebooks and miniatures and they are consistently engaging.
Do I love this book? i love this book. Do I love this game? You betcha. Go to the Dream Pod 9 site ... and get a taste. then get back here and grab this book.

I have to say that even though I love food and finding awesome recipes, I rarely use the awesome cookbooks and recipes that I already have. EXCEPT THIS ONE! I can honestly say that I have made and tasted several of Kathy Casey's recipes. I really like that the ingredients are all easy to find in your local, normal grocery store. (B/c I want quality AND a one-stop shop.) I also love the flavors that come from the finished product. Try the crab cakes or endive salad!

This beautiful coffee table cookbook has it all; from creative uses of apples and hazelnuts to raspberries and rhubarb (w/honey mousse!). Crab, salmon, muscles, oysters, and halibut all here as well as pork loin, lamb, chicken and duck. And the cocktails and desserts are spot on for our region. As a northwest native and editor of The Good Home Cookbook: More Than 1,000 Classic American Recipes, I can say that these recipes well represent our region in a classy, tasteful and accurate manner. I highly recommend it!

Last night we finally got rid of the left over turkey from Thanksgiving and I get to think about fixing something else. I think I'm in a shrimp mood, and this book just fell open to page 66 with Sesame Roasted Shrimp Sticks with Zippy Apricot Dipping Sauce. Spicy, quick, easy and they look absolutely delicious.

As you would expect, this book from the Northwest has a lot of seafood. More ways to cook salmon that you can count (well, really you could count them) including some ways that are quite different from the others I've seen.

Another food area that has a lot of production in the Northwest is fruit, and some of her combinations of fresh fruit with farly shart ingredients like blue cheese look like the evenings side dishes are well taken care of.

Complaints, well there's one - Martini's are sacred things, you don't go messing them up with things like cucumber and sake (see page 38) - you don't even make them out of vodka - yuch! And Seattle Expresso Martini isn't really a Martini at all. Then again, the Slow-Roasted Martini Short Ribs (page 134) maybe I won't do shrimp tonight after all.

There are a lot of things here that you don't see in other cookbooks.

I just picked up Kathy Casey's new book and I love it. I must admit that I am one of those cooks that needs pictures to entice me to make something and Kathy's cookbooks always have them. Her salad recipes are to die for. So many salads are just so bland, but the Endive salad with Roasted pears is amazing. I'm also a big fan of her French Seasoning salt. I put it on everything!

Everything we have tried from "Kathy Casey's Northwest Table" has been incredible!! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to impress their Family and Friends with delicious (and fairly easy---a must for me!) Northwest favorites. You can't go wrong!

The Publisher's Weekly review can't be improved upon. It's accurate and wonderfully written. I would just add that you really need to read Soon To Be A Major Motion Picture before Making a Killing. While the plots have very little to do with each other, Dunford doesn't waste much breath on back story as he spends his words in the sequel on developing an intricate plot and new characters such as Cortland McPhee. To be properly enchanted with the main characters, Mitchell, Ingrid, and Ramir, one should first enjoy Soon To Be, and then the sequel will be that much more delightful. Readers who enjoy Warren Dunford's books would also like Misadventures in the 213 and Sex Toys of the Gods. I hope Warren Dunford writes another!

This is the sequel to Soon to be a Major Motion Picture in which our hero, Mitchell Draper, faced with writer's block finds a screen play in the "real-life" story of an unsolved murder in a Rosedale mansion. Rosedale is a ritzy area in Toronto, Canada. We also learn more about Mitchell, Ingrid and Ramir as well as other fascinating characters. This is another funny, witty, page-turner by Warren Dunford.

This story is the 2nd in Dunford's Mitchell Draper murder mystery series. It continues the on-going saga of our gay screen writing friend, Mitchell and his pals Ramir and Inga. Faced with writer's block, Mitchell discovers an unsolved murder in Rosedale, Toronto that would make the perfect story. Talk about being involved in your work! Our screen writer must once again turn sleuth and solve the mystery. Dunford is funny, witty and better than all those conventional murder mystery authors put together. Read this and you'll never be able to stand the boringly obvious plotlines of a Grafton or a George again!

Mitchell Draper has lost his job working for a children's television series and is looking at a career in the children's ghetto of scriptwriting. With a month before his next job starts, he decides to write the perfect blockbuster screenplay. The only problem is, he doesn't have a story. Visiting his friend Ramir's guru doesn't give him any ideas but it does unleash a strange vision. That vision eventually leads him to investigate a decades-old murder-suicide--or was it a double-murder.

MAKING A KILLING explores the gay and artistic communities of Toronto, Canada. Mitchell is a great character, filled with angst about his future, yet concerned about his friends as well. The concept of a movie script driving the mystery forward works, motivating Mtchell to continue his investigation despite the increasing threats he faces.

Talented author Warren Dunford combines a light, humorous touch with a real sense of the urban 30-something artistic community and enough mystery to keep the story interesting. While you may guess the killer's identity, the Dunford does a great job rolling out the clues and both foreshadowing and obscuring the full story behind the twin deaths. I found myself laughing and reading segments to my wife--something that doesn't happen enough.

In this wildly entertaining sequel to "Soon To Be A Major Motion Picture", we catch up with Mitch Draper, a struggling (and gay) screenwriter in Toronto, as he investigates a bizarre high-society murder-suicide case from the 1970s as potential research for a script. His friends Ramir and Ingrid each have their own tumultuous lives, and Mitch's investigation into long-buried secrets stirs up more than he bargained for, and ultimately affects the lives of himself and his friends. And could Mitch have finally found love with the gorgeous movie company executive from Los Angeles, or is the handsome stranger hiding something as well? Dunford's second book is superbly written, thoroughly engrossing, and filled with hilarity, twists, and hijinks. Combining sex, celebrities, violence, and a touch of the supernatural, "Making A Killing" is the perfect mix.

I've long had a theory that the most effective pastors are ones we'll never hear anything about. It's hard to believe this in a day of celebrity pastors and megachurch conferences, but our values are so far out of line with God's that I'm sure we'll be surprised one day at how God's estimation of things is different from ours.

Chances are that you've never heard of Tom Carson. He was an ordinary pastor who gained respect but never rose to prominence. He planted a church in Quebec when this was no small feat. He eventually left the church when he was not seeing the conversions that he had hoped for, and he finished his working life as a civil servant and a tent-making pastor. Throughout his ministry he struggled with a sense of inadequacy, no doubt in part because he was just an ordinary pastor. I'm sure there many pastors who can relate.

If Carson's son, noted New Testament scholar D.A. Carson, had not written this book, we probably never would have heard of Tom Carson's life, or benefited from his story. But I'm thankful that he did. Any pastor who feels ordinary, and who sometimes feels discouraged - and that's pretty much every pastor - could benefit from reading this book.

Memoirs helped me see the beauty of ordinary pastoral ministry as I observed it in Tom Carson's life. I was inspired by his example of faithfulness, integrity, and humility, especially when lesser men would have compromised. I recognized some of my struggles in his life. I was frustrated to see Tom Carson get discouraged when he probably did a better job in many areas than I'll ever do. The book helps us understand how the Gospel can help the pastor deal with discouragement in ministry.

D.A. Carson has managed to write an account of his father's life that is neither hagiography nor a tell-all memoir. The book concludes:

"Tom Carson never rose very far in denominational structures, but hundreds of people...testify how much he loved them. He never wrote a book, but he loved the book. He was never wealthy or powerful, but he kept growing as a Christian: yesterday's grace was never enough. He was not a far-sighted visionary, but he looked forward to eternity..."

"When he died, there were no crowds outside the hospital, no editorial comments in the papers, no announcements on television...But on the other side all the trumpets sounded. Dad won entrance to the only throne room that matters, not because he was a good man or a great man - he was, after all, a most ordinary pastor - but because he was a forgiven man."

May God raise up more ordinary pastors like Tom Carson.

very humbling, very encouraging, very challenging to see the way Tom lived despite the hardships difficulty in spreading God'sword. He is faithful and loving, generous, just like Jesus. Read it if ur'e a christian!

You don't have to be a pastor to profoundly benefit from Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson, a moving biographical account written by Pastor Carson's son, eminent author Dr. D.A. Carson. This is a simply an outstanding book for any Christian who wants to fight sin, grow in grace, and be faithful until the end. I read it straight through, and was quite moved.

Dr. Carson writes poignantly about his father, Tom Carson, who spent much of his life in pastoral ministry in small churches. Tom Carson never wrote a book and was never a sought-after conference speaker, but he was a faithful, consistent, Christian man. Though imperfect, Mr. Carson was an overwhelmingly godly example to his children, leading them in both family worship and by his own exemplification of Christian virtues. He faithfully prayed for and loved his congregation, and sought to redeem every relationship for good.

The book begins with a brief history of Canada, to give the reader some perspective as to where Tom Carson ministered. Interesting historical details are given as to how Canada viewed and was impacted by the American War for Independence. Carson gives emphasis to language issues; much of the Quebec area (where Carson's life centered) was predominantly French speaking. This would become an issue in Mr. Carson's ministry because the congregation he served was bi-lingual, and toward the end of Carson's life most churches were bifurcating into English-speaking and French-speaking congregations. Chapter 2 walks us through Carson's early years. He was soundly converted in high school through the influence of a godly mother. Carson's father, however, was not a Christian until the last few years of his life--long enough, however, for Don Carson (a grandson) to discern the difference conversion makes in an older man's life. [An application: Don't stop praying for your unconverted father.]

The next few chapters walk us through some of the difficulties of Mr. Carson's ministry. He occasionally received unfair treatment from denominational leaders, but never returned evil for evil. The book quotes at length from Mr. Carson's journals and we're given access to how he led his family. Mr. Carson's story motivates me greatly to authentically live the Christian faith before my wife and children. It also motivates me to want to suffer well and work vigorously for the Audience that truly matters. Mr. Carson, even to the very end of his life, was one who redeemed his time. His journals document that he was up early for intimate prayer and devotional reflection in the Word, and then sought to be fruitful in study as well as in visitation with his parishioners. He also did not neglect to pursue healthy relationships with his children (e.g., encouraging Don in his sports and his studies).

Mr. Carson died well, three years after his wife Margaret succumbed to a painful, extended season of Alzheimer's disease. Mr. Carson's final suffering was relatively brief, a persistent cough, then a fever. A month later he breathed his last. The last two paragraphs of the book are particularly moving--but read this 148-page book straight through -- regardless of your calling, you will be blessed:

"When he died, there were no crowds outside the hospital, no editorial comments in the papers, no announcements on television, no mention in Parliament, no attention paid by the nation. In his hospital room there was no one by his bedside. There was only the quiet hiss of oxygen, vainly venting because he had stopped breathing and would never need it again.

But on the other side all the trumpets sounded. Dad won entrance to the only throne room that matters, not because he was a good man or a great man--he was, after all, a most ordinary pastor--but because he was a forgiven man. And he heard the voice of him whom he longed to hear saying, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord.'"

I was at once drawn in when I first heard of Don Carson's project to write a book reflecting the life and ministry of his late father. I eagerly awaited the book's publication, then received a copy and was, ironically, in a very busy period of ministry and so therefore unable to get to the book. However, I picked it up during my son's baseball practice last weekend and pretty much could not put it down. This book was a tremendous blessing to me.

Tom Carson was involved in ministry for a span of six decades. His station was the French Canadian area around Quebec. The younger Carson combed through the journal entries, letters, notes, and sermon notes that were left behind. Apparently Don was significantly aided by Tom's regular notes and his tendency to hang on to everything. What results is this book that I will refer to as a `journal-ography'. Don Carson interacts with the development of his father's ministry via his journal, the letters and his own first hand observations.

The title is fitting: Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor. Carson notes in the introduction that many men seem to be extraordinarily blessed by God; their ministries grow, they see many conversions and they leave a large imprint as they pass from the scene. But, Carson writes, "Most pastors will not regularly preach to thousands, let alone tens of thousands. They will not write influential books, they will not supervise large staffs, and they will never see more than modest growth. They will plug away at their care for the aged, at their visitation, at their counseling, at their Bible studies, and preaching...Most of us--let us be frank--are ordinary pastors."

In chronicling the development of Tom's ministry there are several encouragements that I took away:

1- Tom was faithful to do the important things because it was what God wanted, regardless of the human concept of success.

2- Tom's burden for French Canada to be saved seemed only to increase amidst the persecution from Roman Catholics, the lack of conversions, and his own shortcomings.

3- Tom believed that faithful preaching would accomplish God's end.

4- Tom believed that God was sovereign while at the same time laboring with tenacious zeal for souls.

5- Tom was a pilgrim. He loved ministry because it emphasized the transcendent message and the coming kingdom.

6- Tom did not get disqualified. He was faithful to his wife, his family, his church, his city.

7- Tom loved his wife. The chapter on Marg's Alzheimer Years was a heart wrenching chapter. Tom and Marg were very much in love with each other, even till the end.

8- Tom did not fire in vengeance back when wronged. Several times in the book he was unjustly accused or mistreated. Instead of retaliating he was prayerfully compassionate. Even his children had not heard of some of the conflicts until they were older. When Don asked his father why he had not told them he replied, "he did not went to become bitter."

9- Tom taught his family the Bible.

10- Tom took a job as a civil servant after his Drummondville ministry and still was as engaged as ever in ministry while also being a faithful evangelist at work.

Some other interesting points, particularly if you, like me, enjoy D.A. Carson... "...after he (Tom) was gone I found he had carefully gone through most of the books I had written, often with little ticks or marginal notes or question marks, neatly written in pencil."

As a pastor this book was a delight to read. Tom Carson is a pastor I wish I could have known, now, thankfully, it is as if I had. He has influenced me greatly, causing me to be more thankful for the blessings of divine grace, the power of the gospel, and the time remaining in ministry, that I might be more faithful. That is, more like Tom Carson.

In Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor, New Testament scholar D.A. Carson says his book is "a modest attempt to let the voice and ministry of one ordinary pastor be heard, for such servants have much to teach us."

He has succeeded in his purpose. This little book, obviously a labor of love, is a jewel. This account was pieced together using excerpts from his father's journals, the author's own memory, and recollections from friends and family. Carson follows the career of his father as he served as a pioneer Baptist church planter in French Canada from the 1930s until his death in 1992.

There were a few times I felt slightly bogged down in all the backstory. A good portion of his father's life and career was affected by things that happened in his denomination during that time. Explaining these things was essential to understanding the rest of his father's career. They couldn't have been left out.

Church politics, whether it's denominational or just in the local church itself, are part of life (a sad part of life that reflects our sinful natures, but part of life nonetheless). I doubt there is a pastor alive whose life hasn't been affected by these things. To leave them out would leave the story incomplete.

This is a wonderful biography that can edify any Christian who is occasionally discouraged by the ordinariness of his or her life. There are plenty of books about people who thrill the world with great an amazing things. To read the story of a man who lived a lifetime of faithfulness in the small things, who labored diligently without seeing a lot of earthly rewards, is a refreshing change from most biographies, and the kind of thing there needs to be more of.

In our Purpose-Driven, Megachurch world, I think this book could be a fantastic edification for any ordinary pastors out there. Since only a handful of pastors in each generation receive any sort of professional notoriety, I think that would include most pastors you know.

I'm not a pastor, just an ordinary Christian, and I enjoyed the book very much.

Jean Little does an excellent job in explaining the life of a little girl by the name of Sal to the rest of the public. This girl is very courageous and goes through some very big hurdles and obstacles, but she is eventually going to get through some of the hurdles, but it will take some time. I think that she does an excellent job with this. If you want to find out more about Jean Little and Sal, read Mine for Keeps.

I just finished reading my childhood copy to my 6 1/2 year old daughter. We both loved it. The family portrayal was lovely as well as the inisght into Sal and her struggles with fears and cerebral palsy. I am dissapointed the book is out of print and I cannot give it to others.

"Mine for Keeps", by Jean Little, is a great story about friendship you can't miss. It's a story about a girl, Sarah Copeland (Sal), who suffers of cerebral palsy (faulty development or damage to motor areas in the brain). She had always dreamed of going home with her family, but when her dream came true, she wished she had never wished for that. Sal has to overcome many obstacles: make new friends, adapt to her new home, and to not look bad in front of others. It is a story about friendship you can't miss, where a girl who use to be scared of everything-dogs, people, school, even dressing herself, finds friendship in a dog. It is a story with an ending that will leave you pleased.

This book can really capture your heart. Sal has just come home to live with her family, after living in a special boarding school, for people with Cerebal Palsey. She gets enrolled in a public school, and makes two best friends, Libby and Elsjie. Elsjie has a brother named Piet, who is also crippled, like Sal. If you like reading Jean Little's books, I reccomend her biography, "Little by Little" This book is a must read!

This is truly the best book featuring a character with cerebral palsy. Sarah (Sally) is the central character in this story. At 9, she has attended a school for children with physical challenges for the past five years. The Canadian province she lives in has no such school, so her parents arrange to have her admitted to the school in America.

Finally, a rehab center opens in her town. Sally's parents move closer to the center so Sally can live at home. Her father flies her back and works like a soldier helping Sally to feel integrated into her rather large family.

Sally has an older, bossy sister named Mindy, a brother close in age named Kent and a sister in kindergarten named Meg. She gets to know Meg because Meg was the sibling she spent the least amount of time with due to her years in America.

Sally's father is truly a rare gem. He is clearly a very intelligent and articulate man and he provides intelligent explanations for things. For example, when Sally, understandably fearful of starting out in public school asks why she was sent out of the country in the first place, her mother flares up. That was needless. Sally needed sympathy and a good explanation, which her father provided. He told her that at Meg's age, Sally could neither speak clearly nor feed herself; she could not walk; she could not dress herself. He summed it up nicely by saying that he thought she would want to do these things for herself. He was truly a delightful character.

Once enrolled in public school, Sally makes friends with classmates Jon and Elsje Jansen and another girl who immediately takes her under her wing. Sally learns that Elsje's brother Pieter had a heart condition that precluded him from attending school for a year. Nursed at home, Pieter nurses a grudge against his illness and insists on only speaking Dutch, thus further isolating himself. It is Sally, his sister and his friends who get Pieter to leave his self-imposed shell to help them with their dog training project.

This is a wonderful book that I have loved since I was a little girl. I even have a well loved copy. It is a real treasure.

I keep searching Amazon for updates of this book. I have a horrible sense of direction and my dog and I have traveled all around the U.S and Mexico with this atlas our only guide. I've been shocked and disappointed that there are no new editions since the year after I purchased it at a bookstore.

I've had this atlas and travel planner since it came out and I love it. We've toured across the United States several times and this book is always my companion. It has so much more to offer than just maps. The suggested scenic road trips and the national park information is helpful. The pictures are exceptionally good and the color finish on the maps is so much easier to look at and read in the front seat of the car with the sun glaring in. I, too, wish they'd publish an updated version. I highly recommend this for road travelers.

This is certainly the best road atlas I've ever come across. I've owned my own copy for about 7 years and absolutely love it. The binding is very durable, and I take it everywhere with me. In addition to accurate and clear road maps, it also contains a ton of additional useful information for people interested in pure vacationing. I've crossed at least 30 states with this atlas. I just hope NG continues to offer revised versions of this atlas in the future. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I've owned this atlas for five years. It is BY FAR the best I've ever had. I travel a lot of miles every year in some of the remotest drivable areas in the U.S. This collection has never let me down. When WILL they put out a new edition?!

We use this great road atlas all the time! We keep it in the car and refer to it as we travel quite often across the USA. One of the best we've seen...wish they would publish an updated version!

This book will have you laughing all the way through. although it is a fiction book, it has real life feelings and actions. It is about a kid who fell in a river, got unconshious, got a concushin, and is trying to remember what happend. The book tells all of the totaly halarious and outragious things that he did before the axcidend. o yea, he has an alein living in hes nose named norbert

My friend Candace Johnson is reading this book. I've been interested to read it, but she just is a slow reader. She says it's funny, but she hasn't even gotten half way! But it's supposed to be really funny!

If you like or love funny, fantasy, science fiction and unpredicable books, then I have the book for you. The book is called Nose From Jupiter by Richard Scrimger. It's about a boy named Alan that has an alien(or someting like that)that is from the plant Jupiter living in his nose. Yup, his nose. The alien's name is Norbert. This is a really funny book and is also good.The only bad thing about this book is that it is to long. You will have to keep reading to the next chapter to find out what will happen. On a scale of one to ten, I would give it an eigth.

I bought this book for my two sons aged 9 and 11. To get them started, I read the first chapter. Well, that was me hooked. I had to read the whole book aloud. For the next week, each night I had to read more than the usual length.
I found myself crying with laughter at the alien forcing the little boy Allen out of his usual routine and behaviour. There are some hilarious moments as Norbert the Alien gets Allen into tricky situations he would normally avoid.
The alien helped Allen sort out bullies and also to understand his mum and dad. All of these life lessons are given in such a positive way.
My sons were invited to a birthday party and they asked if they could buy the 'alien up the nose book' for their friend - this one is a winner for kids and parents.

Alan Dingwall is a real kid: he's worried about bullies, wonders if his parents care about him now that they're divorced, and envies his overweight friend's apparently happy family. Alan struggles at math, and dreads the school bell that means the school population has to find a way out of the school without running afoul of the "Cougars" - the school bullies.

Life is tough - and real - for Alan, and Scrimger pulls no punches.

Then an alien, Norbert, takes up residence in Alan's nose, and things go quickly awry in Alan's balanced (if somewhat sad) world. Norbert is quickly mistaken for "Squeaky" - Alan's new nickname as the school's suddenly gifted ventriloquist. As Squeaky starts tossing bon-mots aplenty around the school, Alan finds himself unwittingly insulting the bullies, telling girls how he really feels, and being - just this once - the life of the classroom.

What's heartening about this tale is not really the antics of the alien in Alan's nose - though certainly the humour is a blast and it's enjoyable to the extreme. What got my real vote was the true-to-life child frustration that Scrimger wove into the plot. Alan worries that his father doesn't care about him anymore, and that his mother is just too busy to really pay attention. He's a witty kid, and very smart (in non-math ways), and I doubt anyone would have any trouble empathising with Alan's world.

The balance of humour and real-life in this book is nothing short of artful, and kids will appreciate not being spoken down to in this tale. Snap it up, and be prepared for an eventually triumphant novel that will touch on some real emotionality.

'Nathan

"The Nuremberg Raid" is another of Martin Middlebrook's excellent, objective, and dispassionate documentaries on the airwar over Europe. Again, Middlebrook has spared no effort in identifying places, dates, and times, linking documents and personal accounts together in his mastery way. No glorification, no condemnation, just pure facts, given a personal face by eyewitness accounts. This, as well as great writing, are the key to Middlebrook's success.

Together with "The Battle of Hamburg," "The Schweinfurt-Regensburg Mission," "The Berlin Raids," and "The Peenemuende Mission" (some of which are out-of-print but worth every penny if you can get them), this book becomes another must in any serious library on the aerial bombing campaigns of World War II.

The Nuremberg Raid by Martin Middlebrook is an outstanding description of a British bombing raid against the city of Nuremberg. In telling this story, there are two major sections, the lead-up to the raid and the raid itself.

The section leading up to the raid tells the general history of British bombing in WWII, what drove the British to bombing at night, their track record bombing at night, and there recent targets. In addition, Mr. Middlebrook gives us a description of Bomber Command, it's men and their aircraft along with a similar description of the German forces.

The heart of the book deals with the actual raid itself. In these chapters, Mr. Middlebrook goes thru painstaking details about the bomber-stream and the events that occur to the bomber-streamer. In here, we learn about how this is the deepest penetration by the British, how the German night fighters responded to the raid, and how the raid was not compromised before hand. Mr. Middlebrook gives excellent details on the shoot down of most of the 96 bombers lost. Of particular interest was how British bomber pilots thought that the German had a gun that fired scarecrow shells (they exploded so as to look like a bomber being hit, in actuality, it was British bombers being hit by Schrage Musik). Also of interest was the British use of Serrate Mosquitoes to intercept the Germans.

This is an outstanding book. Once more, Mr. Middlebrook has hit a homerun. I'll give this one 5 out of 5!

On the night of March 30/31, 1944, Bomber Command sent every available bomber to Nuremberg in an effort to destroy it once and for all. So determined was Arthur "Butch" Harris to have one less target to worry about, that he sent his bombers out in less than ideal conditions. The night sky was largely devoid of clouds--that is, until the target was reached--and the moon was bright. The conditions were therefore very much to the German's advantage, and the defending night fighters took a grievous toll on the bomber force. In the end, the raid was a complete failure: Nuremberg was hardly touched and Bomber Command ended up losing over one hundred bombers. As Middlebrook points out, the choice of Nuremberg has been somewhat controversial, so much so, that some have contended that the raid was conducted with the Germans having known full well what the night's target was. I have little hesitation in saying that the Nuremberg Raid is a superb book. Meticulously researched and loaded with detail, it draws upon numerous sources, including many personal narratives, to construct aa complete an account of one of Bomber Command's raids as one can expect.

Mr Middlebrook has done more with this book than chronicle what was arguably the costliest raid the RAF staged during WW2. More importantly, it's a look at the daily operations of RAF and German aircrews late in the war. The RAF had standardized their tactics, and the Luftwaffe switched from a rigid to a fluid system of control for its nightfighters. Excellent first-person accounts illustrate the points the author makes throughout the work.

The original edition was published in the early '80s with a short update concerning rumors that Ultra revealed the raid was compromised; to protect this intelligence source the raid was allowed to proceed. This "conspiracy theory" is as untrue as the persistent myth that Coventry was destroyed for the same reason. In actuality there are a myriad of reasons why a mission might be cancelled; it's extremely unlikely that the Germans would have connected a cancellation of the Nuremberg Raid with intelligence concerning their defenses.

The only area where the book is wanting is the chapter(s) concerning "Butcher" Harris. Research since the book was written has shown that he was obsessively committed to bombing cities-to the point of insubordination on several occasions. Anyone else would have, and should have, been fired. The book doesn't address any of these issues. Contrary to what other reviewers have said, the Bombing Offensive was not "propaganda driven". Bomber advocates such as Harris, as an extreme example, felt that the sacrifice their crews were making would definitely shorten the war-maybe even end it without the need of invasion. Sadly, they held to these views even when events were showing that the offensive was not causing the damage expected, and a re-think of the entire bombing strategy was in order. Highly Recommended.

This is probably Martin Middlebrook's best-written account of an RAF Bomber Command Operation in the Second World War. Middlebrook wants the reader to believe that Air Marshal Harris, the commander of Bomber Command, was correcting in pursuing his night-time area bombing philosophy instead of trying to hit military or industrial targets with precision daylight strikes. Throughout, Middlebrook's sympathies and admiration for the brave RAF bomber crewmen that he knew from his youth are clear. Yet this book pushes a point of view that borders on religious or zealous faith, rather than a level-headed assessment of the facts. What pushes Middlebrook over the edge of reason here is the nature of his subject. While Middlebrook's other bomber books on Hamburg, Berlin and Peenemunde covered costly but successful operations (more or less), the raid on Nuremberg in March 1944 was an unmitigated disaster. RAF bomber command suffered its heaviest losses in one night of the war and inflicted negligible damage on the enemy.

Middlebrook begins with several very informative chapters that detail the bombing campaigns in Germany during 1939-1943, the composition of the bomber units that would take part in the raid and the German defenses. As usual, Middlebrook is very thorough and the order of battle is very detailed. However, shows a very profound bias toward area bombing throughout and it starts in assessing the three major raids just prior to the Nuremberg raid. Middlebrook makes a very important point when he states that, "even in non-cloud conditions the bombing results on Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Berlin had been poor ...bombing photographs indicated that not one aircraft released its load within the city's limits!" The point is that RAF Bomber Command did not have the capability to destroy cities because they couldn't hit them and that Air Marshal Harris knew this but continued on with an area bombing campaign that had degenerated into random killing. Wars are won by killing the right people at the right moment, not by killing randomly.

The pre-mission briefs to are covered in great detail and it appears that the intent was to deceive the crews about the nature of the mission, the strength of the enemy defenses and even the weather. The night chosen for the attack was poorly suited for infiltrating a 700+ stream of bombers across Germany due to the illumination from the moon and lack of cloud cover, but Harris ignored these facts and the crews were filled with overly-optimistic estimates. It is also significant that Harris chose an aim point in Nuremberg well away from the MAN tank plant (Middlebrook fails to mention that it was producing 100 Panther tanks per month at that time) and the SS barracks in the city and instead placed it in a residential area that he expected would burn well. The crews were told that the target was the tank plant and SS barracks.

Middlebrook follows the take-off of the massive bomber stream, all the supporting operations designed to help the raid and the massive German interception in great detail. Although the front of the stream made it past the German defenses, the Germans had perfected the "Tame Boar" method of intercepting streams before they reached their target and ripped apart the center of the stream. Visibility was excellent and the bombers were leaving contrails due to unusual conditions. About eighty British bombers were lost in a ninety minute period. The Germans had a very good night; Middlebrook notes that over thirty bombers were shot down by just eight night fighter crews. Two German lieutenants shot down seven and six bombers in one sortie! The flak gunners also had a good night - one battery shot down three bombers in five minutes with only twenty shells. All the while, the British crews watched in horror in the moonlight as bomber after bomber went down in flames. Nor were the British aware of the German "schrage musik" attacks from underneath with specially-modified cannon that fired into the bellies of the British bombers. It was one of the great aerial slaughters of all time. Nevertheless, the bravery of the British crews to press on to target in the mistaken belief that their actions would contribute to victory is sobering.

Compounding the heavy losses, the raid itself was a total failure. Nuremberg was heavily cloud-covered and most of the bombs fell well outside the city; only 60 German civilians were killed in the city, including 24 women and 8 children. Even worse however, was that 107 bombers missed the target by 55 miles and bombed Schweinfurt by mistake (and only succeeded in killing one woman and one child). A total of 110 German civilians and 19 Luftwaffe personnel were killed in the raid and about ten fighters were lost. Contrast this with British losses of 108 aircraft (96 bombers were shot down, the rest were crashed or damaged beyond repair) and of the aircrew, 545 of these brave men were killed and 152 captured. Middlebrook notes these cold-blooded facts but then concludes that the raid succeeded because it carried the war to the German people and "it was the German civilians who cowered for their lives in cellars and shelters while the English slept safely in their beds". Aside from this being an asinine "aim for the RAF", it ignores the German V-weapons campaign that was pounding England in 1944 without risking aircrews.

Finally, after all the excellent post-mortem analysis Middlebrook brings the reader to an emotionally biased watershed. Instead of realizing that the Nuremberg Raid clearly demonstrated that night area-bombing was not a cost-effective way to win a war, he launches into an impassioned defense of Harris' beloved area bombing. Middlebrook writes, "The morale of the German people never broke...but this does not mean that the theory was wrong: only that it had not been proved. What might have happened if Harris had been given the 4,000 heavy bombers [that he wanted]?" This completely ignores the fact that RAF Bomber Command could barely find major cities in the dark, except for the few targets in the Ruhr within range of OBOE. How would more bombers have changed this fact? More bombers missing the target still does not add up to victory. Even when RAF bombs hit cities, they tended to kill women, children and the elderly, not people likely to contribute much to Hitler's war effort. Middlebrook's assertion that the bomber raids caused the Germans to allocate thousands of anti-aircraft guns, searchlights and flak crews to home defense is also specious. First, anti-aircraft guns and searchlight cost a lot less to manufacture than four-engine bombers, and few of them were destroyed in battle unlike the 8,325 bombers the RAF lost. Second, the flak crews were often teenagers, women and Russian volunteers, all of whom required far less training than RAF bomber crews. Thirdly, Middlebrook ignores the huge investment that Britain had made into air defense of the UK and the fact that Britain did not have a free ride in this area even in 1944. Actually, it is apparent that RAF Bomber Command diverted far more resources from Britain's war effort than it did from Germany's.

This is a well-written and detailed account of one of the fiercer air battles of the Second World War. It should be on the bookshelf of anyone seriously interested in the air war in 1939-1945. However, the emotional bias of the author colors his assessment of the raid and serves to offer up a false conclusion. It is no disservice to the brave RAF crewmen who died on the raid, they did their best and they were heroes, but the raid was idiotic in intent and execution. Commanders like Air Marshall Harris would send brave men to their deaths for no reasonable purpose should not be excused for "having a bad day" or making a mistake. Unfortunately, the author cannot bring himself to this condemnation and it is up to the reader to make a less biased conclusion.

Having borrowed this book from our public library I wanted a copy of my own to use as a resource for children's programming at our local historical society. It gives so much information and the illustrations are wonderful.

There are times when history books written for the younger set are wonderful sources of information that most 'adult' (or mature) history books do not touch upon. And "A Pioneer Sampler" is one of those books.
It is written in storyform about the daily lives of the Robertson family, pioneers living on a backwoods farm in the 1840's. Throughout this 237 page book we learn, in a fun and interesting way, how this family dealt with the everyday living that a typical family of the time might have lived: their chores, crafts, eating habits, their spare time. Tools used, how to milk a cow, making maple sugar, harvest time, visiting a general store, building a house...so much interesting historical living written in a very simplistic manner.
Interspersed throughout are sidelines of information pertaining to the subject being written. For instance, there is a chapter about a peddler's visit to the family and the families reaction to this traveling salesman. But, at the end of the chapter, there are a few pages thrown in speaking of individual peddler's trades and how they do their crafts.
Most of the chapters are set up in this way, which adds greatly to understanding more fully the chapters.
I would love to see more books in this form for other era's in American history, as this style or history writing can entertain and teach all - kids as well as adults - who have an interest.
Highly recommended.

The Pioneer Sampler

The Pioneer Sampler is a fun and fascinating book. It tells about a pioneer family. Can Nekeek and Willy catch fish by hand? You'll find out. This is a fun book.
I'd give this book a five *...

I loved this book. I read it before I gave it to my daughter. It is a fictional family, but all the information is true to life. Interspersed with the story of the Robertsons, you can learn how to make your own cheese, dip a candle, or learn to tell the time from the sun.
This book will add to your library, and is a nice complement to Laura Ingalls Wilders books. Homeschooling familys will enjoy it, I know we did.

Barbara Greenwood has written a wonderful book that is as much fun for adults to read to children as it is for the children to read themselves. She doesn't just 'tell' about the Robertson's, she 'shows', drawing the reader into their lives...a pleasant place to be. I especially love Granny's story about how she came to America,on a ship, from Scotland.

The book is beautifully illustrated...all the way through...by Heather Collins. The pictures are so well done that, even as an adult, I would like to step into the scene!

There are instructions for simple, fun activities such as growing a potato plant, dyeing fabric using an onion, or making a cardboard jumping jack; pioneer games that will even entertain today's children for hours such as shadow shapes or knucklebones; and recipes that are easy for children.

Reading this book to a child is a great 'stress releaver'...it's like a little escape from the treadmill of life!!!

The text is technical and takes some work to understand but the effort pays off. The pictures are beautiful and flesh out the text. A wonderful aid to getting closer to some amazing creatures.

This guide is more like a textbook in its attention to detail, and I rate it the best raptor guide I have seen and read. The photos are great, showing various poses and the way the birds look as juveniles and as adults of both sexes, and the text covers all the traits, habitat, morphs, etc. to help I.D. and understand the birds.

This book is wonderfull. With dozens of photos for each bird, this REALLY helps an amateur identify a bird. The best in it's class!

This is the most comprehensive guide available. The species discussions include practically everything you need to know (molts, morphs, subspecies, habits, etc), and covers Western variants rarely covered in other works. The range maps by Economidy and Wheeler are the gold standard and will, it is to be hoped, encourage others to produce such extremely precise maps. It is a reference work, too large to fit in a pocket, but is indispensable. Keep this in your vehicle and Clark & Wheeler's Hawks of North America in your pocket, and you've got our western raptors covered.

Brian Wheeler has created what are likely to be THE standard guides to these taxa for the foreseeable future. Excellent photos, tremendous detail--a heroic effort with incredibly helpful results.
But what is wrong at Princeton UP? First they mess up Olsen's _Gulls_ to the point that the entire edition is pulped; and now Wheeler's text in both books is marred by what you would think would be embarrassing editorial errors. Wheeler's prose, for the most part serviceable, was obviously never read by an editor, and there are entire passages that make no sense (fortunately, they only rarely include identification matters). The very first page of the author's introduction has a shameful printing error, an entire half-line left blank.
This is a great book, I own it, I use it, I recommend it every chance I get; but the editorial and production slips make me wonder if Princeton has given up on its birding program--or whether it maybe ought to.