Youth Books

The Final Storm is the breath-taking conclusion of The Door Within Trilogy. Filled with tension, action, and excitement on every page, you don't want to miss this spectacular conclusion that you won't be able to put down!

Another book requested by my son who loves to read. He is a book collector and had requested the trilogy (in hardcover, of course) for Christmas. He loves them and I'm sure will read them again and again.

This is the last book in the Door Within series. It is just....wow!!! You will have to read it to find out what I mean. It is superb!!! I love this book and it is one of my favorites!!!! You have to read this book!
Lindsay W.

Have you ever been into the Christian bookstore recently? All you see is piles of the next Left Behind, some series about Amish women, a great amount of Dekker/Peretti wannabes, and a great amount of Christian romance. For some that suits their taste buds. But for the fantasy/scifi person I am, that stuff does not at all interest me. With the resurgence of fantasy thanks to Jk Rowling's awesome series about a boy wizard, fantasy books in the reign of Tolkien/Lewis; the master of yesteryears are here to stay. I picked up the series quite randomly, after reading Legends of the Guardian Kings (an amazing series I highly reccomend for mature christian fantasy readers), what I found was a series that was a bit similar to Narnia but much different in its presentation of the awesome Glimpse concept and such great creatures as the mortiwraiths. There are awesome characters such as Mallik influenced by Tolkien lore. Plus there are heroines for the female readers that even male readers like me absolutely love named Antionette, because who does not love a girl who can kick serious butt. The fight scenes are exciting and there are many surprises within the plot, nothing is as predictable as it sometimes may seem to be. Interwoven with all these great characters, locales, and battle sequences; are great spiritual messages that all Christians can relate to! I highly recommend this series to all ages; especially to those who are suffering from Post Potter Depression (like me) and who ever faced the dilemma of finding a fantasy book within a Christian bookstore. Any age can read them, as everyone who has read Harry Potter and Narnia learned, that any good story can be enjoyed by those of all ages.
Also reccomended:Dragons in Our Midst By:Bryan Davis, Dragonspell by:Donita K. Paul
For more mature readers:Legends of the Guardian King By:Karen Hancock,Restorer by:Sharon Hinck and The White Lion Chronicles by: Christopher Hopper,

I have just fininshed reading all three of the Door Within Trilogy books with my son. The first book was engaging, and the Christian message was delivered smoothly and without a heavy hand. The second book was ok, with the message becoming more heavy handed, which does much to destroy the quality of the writing - it becomes less intelligent as the book moves along. The third book is simply DREADFUL. The book still has some of the adventure characteristics that a 10 - 12 year old boy would like, but the quality of the writing is so poor that I would expect more from my 10th grade literature students. The Christian message is very heavy handed, so much so that it became a turn off and distracted from the flow of the story. This book is so poorly written that I actually looked to see who the publisher was, because I couldn't believe a mainstream publisher would have published the book.
I love that Mr. Batson wants to communicate a Christian message to youngsters and applaud his courage for writing the series; probably a fine book for homeschoolers, but not for public school or for any one who wants to model good writing.

This is such a positive book. If you are struggling with your teen you should learn their language. This book is very rewarding to parents and teens. Love it !!!!

Great resource for parents on how to help your children feel loved and appreciated. Helps to build their self confidence and show them that they are valuable and special. The book has many insights into the teens thoughts and needs at this stage in their lives. I will listen to it over and over.

WOW! Puts a twist on parenting! I love his insights to raising a teen.

Your relationship with your children changes as they grow, and this CD will help you figure out how to adapt your love to your growing child.

I am a probation officer that teaches a parenting class for parents of strong-willed or out-of-control teenagers. I personally believe in this book so much that I purchase them, out-of-pocket, to give to parents who have perfect attendance in my class. This book has helped them not only with their teenagers, but also with all their relationships.

scott fried came to my school this week and talked about his experience and had half of the auditurium in tears it was a truly amazing story and definately made me want to buy the book. although some found it sad, i thought it was more of an inspirational story about life and who you truly are.

This past weekend I attended a Jewish Social Action weekend with 100 others hoping to have a good time and try to change the world around me and bring smiles to peoples faces. I had no idea that in the course of this weekend I would get to hear a man named Scott Fried speak. Scott Fried is one of the most amazing people I have met in my life. This book doesn't just tell the story of Scott Fried, a Jewish Homosexual from New York, it tells the story of what we all feel inside. It explains the values of self-respect and knowing that you are sacred. It pushes you to look deep within your self, and find the person you are not the person you want others to see. I would highly recommend that all of you get a chance to hear Scott in person because it truly is a life changing experience. I borrowed this book from a family member, and though it was painful, I read every one of Scott's words. The bravery and courage it took to record so much pain should be looked upon as heroism. This book is a must read for anyone who feels as though they are hiding something (and that is all of us).

This book discussed the facts of life that the great majority of us would like to ignore. It is not only personal, but extremely factual as well. I had the extreme pleasure of watching Scott speak, and it was a life changing experience. Intrigued, I purchased the book not knowing what to expect. What I got was a soul searching book that not only educated me on a myriad of different subjects, but most importantly educated me about the will to survive. It taught me about how one man had overcome so much, and how willing he was to share his feelings for the benefits of others. This is written with excellent grace and bravery. It is recommended for anyone who is not afraid to look within themselves after read how one man did.

Scot is loving and caring. His book is very well written. Also his CD is great.

Scott Fried is one of the worlds truly amazing people. I was fortunate enough to be able to buy this book from him personally which you unfortunately cannot. It is the experiences of an amazing man put into words so eloquently and delicately that after reading it you will feel as though you have lived that life and been a part of everything he speaks of. If you have an interest in life, AIDS, friendship, or love... this book will speak to you. I hope you enjoy it as much as i did...

The stories in Cuba were amazing. I was transported to Cuba and was right there observing the island, the people, the food, the smells, the conversations, the textures, the pain, the joy, etc.

There were so many times that I had to put the book down because I could not go any further in my emotional state. I even experienced my spirit stronger than I ever have while reading a certain passage. Thank you. It would be nice to know where you are now with your spirituality. Maybe that will be the follow-up book!

The book was a smooth read. Ms. Fernandez-Barrios made me feel apart of her. Her memoir was so vivid. She connected herself to all the ancestrial roots of Cuba. She is an excellent writer. I would love to see more literature by this author.

Thank you, Flor, for sharing your story. You came through your experiences as a child with such grace and strength. Your descriptions of people and events made each come alive for me as a reader; I felt as though I was there with you at times. I gave copies of your book to all of my closest friends and my husband in the hopes that they too might take the journey through all of the stories told and emotions felt and shared.

As I read on, I felt as though it was MY OWN story! I, too came from Cuba at 15 and being the author's age went through most of the same experiences. It's about time that we put it out there for non Cuban-Americans to know. There is NOTHING fun, romantic or exotic about Cuba. Castro's is a bloody dictatorship that destroys human beings! I admire the author for her courage. She has inspired me to some day tell my own story.
Marina, Pembroke Pines, Florida

I thank God daily for the decision my parents made when sending me alone out of Cuba . Since my parents thought that they could say they were going on vacation, they had also packed to leave with me but the militia was too wise for that and held my mom's and dad's visa at the docks since they had not left everything to the government.At the precise moment they decided to send me alone (8-05-61)on the last cargo ferry that left Havana with sugar,under the care of Pedro Pan Operation. I was starting fourth grade that September of 1961 and I would have gone through the same ordeal Teresa went through. I admire Flor Teresa for the loyalty to her parents and family, for her courage of making the best of the moment and for her maturity at such young age. I believe that young as well as old will get teachings from this book. Teachingsof survival, of meeting with your goals, of distinguishing what is right from what is wrong and of giving a value to the simple things in life. As an adult Flor Teresa must be an extraordinary human being.

I'd never read any of Bobbie Ann Mason's work before reading Clear Springs for a book club. I believe I may be missing out if her other books are like this one. There is a warmth to her story that makes it a real pleasure to read. Mason's language, too, is comfortable and highly readable. Her rhythms, especially, give a real richness to her prose. I highly recommend this.

Indispensible to serious readers of Mason's fiction, this memoir is true to family and community life in Western Kentucky (despite what other reviewers might say).

Bobbie Ann Mason has done a wonderful job with "Clear Springs". I did not grow up in Kentucky in the baby boom generation, but I did grow up in rural southern Missouri just after it, and this story is so very like what I was familiar with. Ms. Mason is of my mother's generation and except for the disfunction there are many similarities between this story and stories my mother has told. My family reminded me of the older Masons and not the disfunctional Lees. The isolation of rural life, but the joy in many ways that come from it. The curiosity of the outside world, but the fear of it. She relates that Clear Springs hadn't changed much since the Civil War and she was correct in that. The world that slowly evolved for most Americans changed before this rural generation's eyes. A Great book!

I'm an appreciative fan of Bobbie Ann Mason's short stories, about rural people raised with traditional values now somewhat at sea in a world of consumerism, pop culture, and a new morality. Young adults, whose parents would have stuck with a marriage come hell or high water, now divorce and drift through relationships. Their parents tied to the land and other life-long occupations, Mason's post-war generation is less rooted, freed of conventional beliefs, but often at a loss about what to believe in. Most striking as America grows increasingly urban, Mason's people continue to inhabit a rural landscape -- more worldly than their forebears, but not more sophisticated.

While some readers of Mason's stories and novels may have been puzzled by the point of view in them (ironic? matter of fact? sentimental?), this wonderful memoir should do much to clear up that ambiguity. Here a reader is introduced to the world of day-to-day experience that these narratives have emerged from. And you can begin to see how the matter of fact, ironic, and sentimental blend into a perspective that is distinctly rural American. The strongest individual (who is surely the source of many of Mason's fictional characters) is without doubt her mother, a remarkable woman with a quizzical sense of humor, a colorful manner of speaking, and a long view that comes of witnessing much of the 20th century at first hand.

A list of highlights in this book would go on for pages; there's just so much to savor and enjoy. There's Mason's own unsophisticated childhood (barefoot summers, crushes on pop stars, rock and roll fandom), the making of the film "In Country," and the continuing transformation of the rural Kentucky environment from horse-and-buggy days to the invasion of agribusiness -- a huge processing plant has sprung up across the road from the family farm.

I recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed Mason's fiction. It is rich with thoughtful and well-observed detail reaching back across three generations of family history.

When writing a memoir, authors are advised to write the first draft as if everyone is dead - and then to prune the damaging parts in subsequent rewrites. Perhaps Mason pruned a bit too much. This otherwise lovely and affectionate memoir of how it was to grow up in a small, working-class town in Kentucky in the 40s and 50s is a bit long on respect and caution - and a bit short on grit.
Otherwise, I loved it. I grew up in Kansas in the 50s and can relate to the pace, small-town values, and lack of danger (except from the "evil Communists" and "the bomb") that Mason portrays as such inherent parts of her roots. Her language, esp in the first part of the book focusing on her own childhood memories, is rich and multi-layered and pulls readers into every scene right along with her. In the rest of the book, she uses the techniques of creative nonfiction to weave a background narrative that spans the lives of three generations of women within the community.
A worthwhile read; it won't change your life, but it might make you think, and it's certainly a pleasant trip to take with this accomplished author.

A great guide chock-full of need-to-know information, written simply.

i am a lesbian, and i loved this book! it's full of useful information (for guys at least), and everything is presented in a lighthearted, humorous manner. i read the whole thing! i recommend it to my gay male friends all the time.

This book is Amazing. I received last week and I have been passing it around to all my friends. Its really fantastic. Congratulations Benjie and XY. It's about time

I'm 16 years old and I live in a small city where the only time anything is said related to homosexuality is when the normal jock football player calls other guys 'gay'. I never knew much about homosexuality. I knew the basic stuff but I didn't know how to cope with things that you have to go through in life as a homosexual, and I needed to know, being that I was just finding myself. As I found the answers in this great book, which might I add, is PACKED with answers, I found new friends. I found that the creative minds behind this book were people just like me, who had been through what I was going through, and knew what they were talking about. Guys and girls, to bring my story to a complete halt, this book is a must have. Whether you're straight, and you want to know about homosexuality, or you're 'gay' and looking for answers, this book is for you. Hey, buy a couple and give them out to the jocks at your local high school. They need it too! Thank you Benjie and Michael. I love you both. -Austin.

I'm 16 years old and I live in a small city where the only time anything is said related to homosexuality is when the normal jock football player calls other guys 'gay'. I never knew much about homosexuality. I knew the basic stuff but I didn’t know how to cope with things that you have to go through in life as a homosexual, and I needed to know, being that I was just finding myself. As I found the answers in this great book, which might I add, is PACKED with answers, I found new friends. I found that the creative minds behind this book were people just like me, who had been through what I was going through, and knew what they were talking about. Guys and girls, to bring my story to a complete halt, this book is a must have. Whether you're straight, and you want to know about homosexuality, or you’re 'gay' and looking for answers, this book is for you. Hey, buy a couple and give them out to the jocks at your local high school. They need it too! Thank you Benjie and Michael. I love you both...

This book is excellent guidance on how to communcate effectively with your son, yet also applicable to other family members. John's brillantly grounded approach works. He provides tools to break the cycle of frustrating circular arguments and reoccuring confrontations, which quite frankly, works with anyone. I've circulated the book amongst friends here in England, France and the States and the feedback has been the same, "can I keep this copy for future reference?".

I was hooked right away reading John's descriptions of boys who were so similar to our son. I was so encouraged that someone could see our problems and provide a reasonable plan to help us reconnect.

John identifies 6 ways that we parents repel our sons - Reacting, Micromanaging, Lecturing, Moralizing, Reiterating and Threatening - and then outlines what to do instead.

He provides a couple of invaluable tools: 1. Speaking to your son in a 90 second window, and 2. Using shoulder-to-shoulder communication. Both of these tools maintain connection and avoid your son's withdrawal.

John says at the end of every chapter, "And then the chase is on." It's chokes me up each time I read it and realize that all of the time, effort and resources spent are all worth it for the sake of my son.

Miraculously John Davis came into our lives during our son's and our family's power struggles in high school.
We learned and grew because of John's strength, wisdom and love. We are forever grateful and recommend ANYONE who knows a teenage boy to read this book and follow it.
There you will find your heart and your son can be the man he strives to be...noble, tender, worthy.
Mandy Vogel
Baltimore, MD.

As a single mother of a teenage boy, I was deeply moved by the empowerment of this incredible book. Author John Davis reveals the struggles and adversity his young clients have faced and the victory each of them have worked so hard to achieve! His vision and dedication to working with young men is inspiring. This book provides essential tools for every parent dedicated to developing the character of their sons (even daughters!) as well as guiding you through the process of overcoming the "very real" challenges our sons face in today's society (drugs, alcohol, sex, anger, peer pressure). John Davis is an authentic writer ~ his book is poignant, emotional, uplifting, raw, and very direct in teaching parents what to look for when there is a breakdown, either physically, emotionally or in communicating with your son. After reading this book, I have a clearer understanding in knowing how to "reach" the heart of my son and the best way to respond when challenges arise! John Davis has given all of us an incredible resource!! I have no doubt "Extreme Pursuit: Winning the Race for the Heart of Your Son" will be the marker in which all other parenting / relational books will be compared!

I'm a 23 year old student at Seattle Pacific University, I'm healthy, active, emotionally intelligent, and I have a wonderful relationship with my parents. I'm not bragging, I promise, it's just that I didn't always have these skills. This is a sincere thanks to John Davis for being a key player in my life when I was at vulnerable ages and places. You see, I'm a graduate of John's 2Xtreme counseling program. What this means is that much of who I am and many of the skills I've acquired, came directly from my relationship with John Davis. When I was struggling with finding healthy ways to connect with my family as a teenager, John and I were hammering out concrete ways for me to talk with my mom and dad. When I started making bad decisions in high school, John and I went to work on those issues. I was blessed with a friend who walked through the pain with me, and mentored me back to a place where I could start making positive changes in my life. This is the most concise testimony I can make about John's work. There's so much more that is needed to do the man justice, so here's my email address: aldrin@spu.edu I feel so strongly about furthering the message of John's work that I will gladly return questions from parents.
While reading Extreme Pursuit I was taken back to the office where we used to do our sessions. I was taken back to the literal cliffs that we rappelled from together. I was taken back to the Andes that John and I actually climbed together in the summer of 2003. I was taken back to the times when John and I had nothing else to say, so we just cried instead. And I'm not ashamed to say it. I'm also not ashamed to say that when I saw my name in John's book, I was giddy like a school girl. I'm seriously passionate about this message because it's a manual full of tools and advice that literally changed my life, and in no small measure. Know that this book is not a quick fix for you and your son. It never is with kids like us. This is an opportunity for you parents to crawl down into the adventurous and sometimes painful adolescent years that are so poignant in a boy's life. Trust me, your son wants to be your friend. He wants to make you proud of the young man he's becoming. The wealth of knowledge I find in Extreme Pursuit can help foster the relationships that are most important to you, and to your son.

Great intro to the concept of home education with a heavy emphasis on the Charlotte Mason method. I re-read this little treasure regularly to keep myself on track. Loving books as much as I do tempts me to compile quite a list of Books We Must Have for School. The CM way of thinking ensures I stick only with the best, the essentials. I highly recommend it!

I first read this book because it was written by Susan, one of Francis and Edith Schaeffer's daughters. Little did I know that it would become the foundational book to becoming a homeschool parent when I decided to take my youngest child out of the public schools.

One doesn't need to be homeschooling their children to appreciate this book. Susan writes in the same warm and friendly way as her mother. However, if one is homeschooling and using the Charlotte Mason "method", this book is an essential volume to have in your library.

If you're a Charlotte Mason fan, you can't pass this one up. It is my favorite book on Charlotte Mason & is full of wonderful parenting advice. Really, all parents are teachers, not just homeschooling parents. This book offers great insight for all who spend time caring for children.

As one preparing to homeschool, this book was this kind of thing that has been spurring me on to ponder, philosophize and dream about both the general approach I will take, and the beginnings of many specific ideas.

For those who are disenchanted with the high pressure standardized-testing mentality prevalent in classrooms today, this book explains the educational philosphy of Charlotte Mason. It is God-focused (Susan is the daughter of Christian apologtic Francis Shaeffer), natural, and relaxed. It is a must-read for any classroom teacher, homeschool parent, or school administrator.

Here is one terrific writer who as a parent I would encourage you and your kids to select from some terrifically written books especially for kids who don't read enough or haven't grasp the value of well written books!

I read with both of your younger kids to keep them honest (i.e no shortcuts) and to insure they have comprehended the story well enough to have something meaningful discussion to talk about.

What I enjoyed most about this book was it brought back old memories of how low wages and pay was as a kid hustling for odd jobs in the 1950's and 60's just to have money in your pocket... not like today as Paulsen reflects how life was life when he was 16 in 1955 and hitchhiked 300 miles to get a job at the Birds Eye fresh-frozen vegetable plant at an astounding wage of one dollar and five cents per hour ($8.40 per day).

Also the other thought that crossed my mind reading this particular book was now I know how the famous celebrity "EVEL KNIEVEL" who was captured attention for performing similar stunts on his motorcycle in the 70's came about...

Mr. Paulsen - Thank you for the wonderful gift and legacy you have given readers of all ages!

Have you ever wanted to set a world record? Have you ever wanted to do something crazy? The characters in Gary Paulsen's How Angel Peterson got his Name do just that. At the age of 13, Paulsen and his friends break the world record on skis, wrestle with a bear, jump through a hoop of fire, and more.
The characters in the book have the same mind as young adult. It is a good choice for boys and some girls ages 11- 15 because they can relate to Gary Paulsen and his friends. This book is action packed and the fun never stops. Gary wants to tell his friends not to do the amazing stunts that they do because they might get hurt but he has the curiosity to keep his mouth shut. He wonders what will happen to Angel while breaking the record, what will happen to Orvis when he wrestles the bear?
Breaking the world record of 74 miles an hour on skis isn't easy, especially when you live where there aren't any hills. Another thing, there wasn't safety gear. The trouble starts when they pass the record at 82 miles an hour. They hit a place with out snow and Angel flies off his skies. Later he told his friends that he heard the Angels sing. They were singing "Your Cheatin' Heart" by Hank Williams."
Orvis Orvison wasn't very popular and was always being beaten up at school. He also couldn't talk to girls. So he got the girls' attention by showing off. Whenever there were girls around he would always be two feet higher or jump five feet farther then his friends. At the carnival he saw a sign that said wrestle with a bear for one minute win $25. Orvis saw some girls and got in the ring with the bear.
A New York Times Best Seller and a 2004 winner for the ALA Best Books for Young Adults, Paulsen's memoir about his childhood is not to be missed by middle school readers who want to read a book that will put a smile on their face. Teen readers will be able to find similarities between themselves and the characters in the book.

Book review of How Angel Peterson Got His Name

How Angel Peterson Got His Name is a book about a group of 12 year old boys doing crazy stunts and hilarious pranks. Each of these kids has a crazy and stupid dream or stunt that they want to accomplish. Even though they could end up dead if not very close to it, they still try. Gary Paulsen does a great gob describing all of these stunts and giving you a great picture of what is going on in the book.
Although this book is chopped up into little stories each with a stupider and crazier stunt than the last, it's still funny and a great book to read. But since there are just a bunch of little stories that fit into one which sort of makes it easier to read because you're not having to keep track of one big story. Rather than just a bunch of little stories so if you don't like one story you can just read the next one and see if you like it. That's why I would recommend this book to struggling readers that don't like to read big books because they are ether hard to understand or that if you miss a part then you may have skipped an important part in knowing the story.
Overall this is a great book with a crazy and outrageous changing plot full of surprising and funny twists along with all of the stupid stunts. In the end almost all the kids have gotten in trouble or hurt.

Pretty much all readers who have read this book say How Angel Peterson Got His Name by Gary Paulsen is a great quick read. It's a great book for reluctant and struggling readers. It's a good book for these people because number one it's a short book but long chapters which is good because it will make the reader read to the end of the chapter, number two it's a very funny book, and number three there's quite a bit of characters so there will be quite a bit of similarity between the reader and the characters.
There isn't really a main character in this story it's all about a group of kids and the things they do for fun or to get girls to like them. Some of the kids will do anything to get girls attention. For example, a memorable scene is when, this one kid tries to wrestle a bear at the carnival, but the first few times he doesn't do it, but then he tries one more time and succeeds by getting tortured by the bear, because the objective is to stay in the rink for 1 minute. And then there was when the kids were really bored they decided to skateboard in the street and hold on to the back of the cars to go really fast.
By the end of the book, readers are hung off with questions like what would happen if our world was just like this book, or what would happen if the people in our world were like the people in the book.

I thought that I could totally relate to this book because I am also his age and I thought it was awsome to compare each other. This book always kept you on the edge of what they would do next.It was a funny book and was a book with morals. If your the type that likes funny and true stories, this is the book for you.

I knew Shirley Wolf before the murder.

I witnessed some of the events written in the book and would state that the author got it at about 90% but not every assumption nor portrayal was correct.

For instance, Merriam wrote the accounts of Shirley's little brother having his head shaved was done as a punishment by Mr. Wolf was false. I recall the circumstances surrounding that and know for a fact that he wanted his head shaved and made up the story when he was teased at school. The reason he wanted his head buzzed was because another boy in the 4th grade, in fact the little brother of the girl named Cindy whom Shirley desperately wanted to imitate, had his hair buzzed first and that was why the other kids teased him.

While attending Sacramento State University myself, I even took the time one afternoon to go down into the lower level of the library to study the Merriam's Masters thesis that centered around Wolf. It was very well written and made a great suppliment to what I had read.

A year with Shirley in the 6th grade, where do I begin ? First of all while a lot of incidents did occur that centered around Shirley, it would be easy to imagine the past as her being the center of it. Well, she was not the center of everything that year nor the central focus of everything. Merriam did a wonderful job of portraying Shirley's personality. I recall Shirley as being a sweet and pleasant person but one who always seemed to be under attack for one reason or another. Our teacher was always moving our seating around and at one point I was directly next to shirley elbow to elbow and cannot say the experience even brings back a memory either pleasant or unpleasant.

But I do recall some things that occured during the year. I was new at Gold Trail and waiting for the teacher to arrive the very first day of school and there was this boy "T" arguing with Shirley. Actually, he started in on her right away for no reason. I don't really recall the entire dialogue but only at one point Shirley said, "F--k you !!" at which point "T" said, "I would but it is against my religion." That is my first memory of Shirley.

Near the end of the year, Shirley and a girl, "A" were really at each other, for what ? I didn't even know at the time. But one morning a storm of kids crowded into the classroom just before school was to begin and yelling erupted. What I recall was that something had happened at the bus stop and "A" was really upset and Shirley had threatened she ws going to bring a knife and stab "A" to death. The next day Sr. Wolf intercepted "A" in front of the school and threatened her with his cane. Sr. Wolf was scarry and all the kids who witnessed this were frightened to death. Sr. Wolf had been scheduled to come in that day to show our class a tiger skin he claimed to have killed in Africa. That was cancelled. I recall a boy in the class that crazy morning telling Shirley the tiger story was "b------t !". To this day I am convinced that while Shirley was murdering that lady emblazened in her mind was "A".

Another thing I recall I was little more personally involved with. Me and Shirley were supposed to trade desks one day- but on the day we were supposed to do it I was absent. When I came in before school I noticed that Shirley had left my stuff in the desk but had put her stuff in it and left mine in. I was taking my stuff out when I found Shirley's diary. It was nothing fancy, just one of those paper folders that you remember from school that kids do their writing assingments in and she had written on the cover, "My Diary". Well, I opened it and descovered a section entitled, "How to Have Sex". She drew a diagram with two figures with arrows pointing at them giving titles for herself and a boy I knew from the other sixth grade class. I won't go into detail on the diagram. I went out onto the playground and found the boy with some of his friends and told him what I had discovered. This boy had danced with Shirley at a dance and had gotten hell for it ever since and his annoyance at Shirley spilled into outrage as he stormed into the classroom and Shirley's desk to retrieve that diary whom he charged up to his own teacher with and demanded justice. The teacher, to his disbelief, discarded the diary and never brought it up again. By this time Shirley was on scene, silent and hunched. Yes, after all these years I really regret the whole thing. Things are perceived a bit differently as an adult in hindsight.

My last memory of Shirley was on the last day of school at the same exact spot where I had seen her for the first time. Shirley, a boy named Keven, and myself were sitting on the ground in front of the classroom just chatting about the upcoming summer and stuff. It is a really pleasant nostalgic memory. In no way at that moment of time could I have ever imagined that two years later I would wake up to see Shirley's face exploded on the front page of the Sacramento Bee.

The author does an excellent job of explaining what brought two girls to a point where they could commit an act of unspeakable evil, without apologizing for their actions or portraying them as victims.

These were two little girls that had been abandoned by their mothers, physically and sexually abused by their fathers, stepfathers and other male caretakers. Sadly, when these two became old enough and strong enough to fight back, it was an innocent old woman they chose as their victim.

The laws in California have since been changed, but in 1983, the only option available to law enforcement was to charge Collier and Wolf as juveniles. Little Girl Lost is a most appropriate title for this true crime story. By the time Cindy Collier and Shirley Wolf crossed paths with their elderly victim, the system had already failed and abandoned them. In one instant, they were moved from the column marked victim to the one marked criminal defendant, and one has to marvel not at the brutality of these two girls, but at the fact that it doesn't happen more often.

Had one adult stepped forward in time, perhaps a tragedy could have been averted. The best true stories of personal redemption and juveniles involve some adult stepping forward and doing something, anything to reach out to save a lost child's life. By the time a juvenile who has been an abused child commits a crime of violence against someone else, it's too late. They are indeed little girls and little boys lost.

i just want to say i know the book is a true story because shiley curdit formely shirley wolf is living in our basement

This is the most haunting book I've ever read. The author did an excellent job of humanizing these cold blooded killers and making the reader sympathetic to their plights. The abuse these two kids endured is unimaginable. Reading of what they lived through, what they suffered at the hands of those who should have loved and protected them, breaks my heart.
Although my heart goes out the family of the murdered victim, I am not untouched by the girls who carried out this crime. They haunt my dreams and my waking thoughts. Their stories are so tragic, so sad.

Joan Merriam's LITTLE GIRL LOST recounts the 1983 murder of 85 year old Anna Brackett by teenagers Cindy Collier, 15, and Shirley Wolfe, 14, for no other reason than that they wanted to kill someone. After a few unsuccessful attempts at finding a victim, they found and brutally killed Ms. Brackett.
This book has many positives. The research is outstanding with Merriam providing a continuing detailed account of the lives of the girls, both of whom were victims of mental and physical abuse and of incest, Cindy by her brother and Shirley, over a period of 10 or more years by her particularly sickening father. As a rare and totally interesting bonus which helps the reader to understand the degraded home lives led by the girls and ultimately the intense anger which led to the murder, Merriam even details in some depth the childhoods of the girls' parents, a wholly welcome and relatively rare occurence in the genre.

Merriam's writing is strange in that it improves markedly in part two which is titled "Pilgrimage to Hell" and which is the beginning of the aforementioned family histories. The writing in this section - and through the remainder of the book - is fast paced, literate, and intelligent, and from that point - page 77 to the end of this 370 page book - LITTLE GIRL LOST is hard to put down.
The writing in the first section is a different. In that section, Merriam seems to flounder about trying to "be a writer" rather than just writing straightforwardly as she does later on, and her attempts to re-create dialog are particularly weak. For example, when the EMTs respond to a 911 call reporting a dead or dying Ms. Brackett, Merriam has them knock on the door and say, "Open up please - it's the ambulance company." I can guarantee you that no EMTs arriving at an emergency call, ever said those words.
And she quotes a young girl, Donna, who witnessed the girls running from the scene as discussing "...those two girls we seen off the balcony..." though in the next paragraph she says "We saw them..." The witness is also quoted as reporting the girls as "bangin'" on doors, "hollerin'", and "runnin'" Merriam wasn't there and she has NO way of knowing how that girl talked. In that light her decision to have the witness talk as I have described is irritating and not believable. And does Donna say "saw" or "seen"? As a final bow to the nonsensical, Merriam quotes Donna as saying about Cindy and Shirley, "They looked real suspiciouslike." Yes. She really did. There is NO way a girl in California in the 1980s said this unless she was practicing for her audition in "The Stereotypical Hillbilly Follies".
I came close to quitting reading this book during this section, but I'm very glad I didn't, because the story is great and the writing - as noted - does a 180 degree turn.

The book continues with the arrest and trial of the girls. Merriam in an epilogue reports a jailhouse interview with Shirley. This is very welcome and quite good as far as it goes, but it reports almost exclusively how
she is dealing with her current situation and the changes she's gone through since her incarceration. I would have like to hear - in her own words - her thoughts on her upbringing, her horrible life as a child, and her incestuous love-hate relationship with her father. And there is no closing interview with Cindy at all. I feel that the expansion of the epilogue section would have helped create a considerably stronger book.

Taken as a whole, LITTLE GIRL LOST is a well done true crime effort. Merriam states in her introduction that she too was a victim of incest and a dysfunctional family; and that she is able to write in a "warm" and understanding style which she manages to prevent from becoming melodrama, is commendable. I strongly recommend this book to lovers of true crime, even if you have to fight through some of section one.