Clubs Books

My two older daughters and I have recently watched the first two Lord of the Rings movies. This was the first time for them. While watching "Two Towers" this last Saturday I commented a couple times how it was important to attack where an enemy is weak. It is best to aim for the Achilles' heel. After the movie we talked some more about how in battle you don't want to throw your strength at the enemy's strong defenses.

One of my favorite Science Fiction authors is Eric Frank Russell. He served in the RAF during World War II, and many of his stories have a military setting and with the clever hero destroying much larger opponents. The hero always finds the Achilles' Heel. "Wasp" is the first Eric Frank Russell story I ever read. I go back and reread it every couple years. I just reread it, probably for the fifteenth time.

The background for the story is Humanity is fighting for its life. We've expanded out to the stars and settled several colonies. We bumped into Sirian Empire. We got along with them for awhile, but they then decided to try and conquer us. Earth has more advanced technology, while the Sirian Empire has about ten times the number of people.

Our hero, James Mowry, is recruited to be a "Wasp." James is told a story of a small wasp that stung a driver. In trying to kill the wasp, the driver wreaked the car, killing three people, including himself. After months of training James Mowery is sent to a Sirian colony with the goal of destabilizing the colony, single handedly, to be a wasp!

This is a funny story. Eric Frank Russell does a great job of telling an interesting story while weaving in humor.

If you like classic Science Fiction from the 1950s, check out Wasp, or "Entities" which includes several of his novels. A couple dozen short stories by Eric Frank Russell's collected were put together in "Major Ingredients."

As a young girl, I borrowed this book from my father's paperback collection. With time, it disappeared from my life, and I have missed it. Every so often, I have tried to re-locate it, and imagine my joy at finding it again.

What can you say about a book that has haunted you for over 45 years? It is great. An entertaining and enjoyable combination of spy and sci fi.

This is a terrible book. It is the first science fiction book I ever read and I have been addicted ever since. It produced the typical symptoms of science fiction addiction: boundless enthusiasm for individual initiative, a ridiculous optimism for the future, starry eyed idealism, and weekend reading marathons. I should have never read this book. Now I'm going to get a copy for my son. Better that than those darn computer games!

Decades before the Pentagon coined "assymetric warfare", Russell literally wrote the book on it. This is thus a classic, kept in print I suspect by orders from young officers at our service academies. Oh, and it also happens to be a great read.

Eric Frank Russell has long been my favourite sci-fi author. He creates fascinating characters who win out through intellect and logic, rather than brawn, usually, and WASP is no exception.

The book is set in the future, with the Earth up against the Sirian Combine - a galactic conglomeration of planets intent on conquering the Earth. While the Terrans (read: Earthlings) have superior weapons and technology, the Sirians have vastly superior numbers. As the war drags on, the Terrans feel the best way to defeat the Sirians is through propaganda. The theory is that if a wasp can distract the driver of a car, destroying the vehicle and all 4 adults, causing havoc, death and destruction grossly disproportionate to the insect's size, that one man, armed with the right tools, can also cause havoc to a whole planet. So they recruit James Mowry to land on the Sirian planet of Jaimec, to effect such disruption. In theory, with enough distraction, more attention and resources will be concentrating on the internal strife, enabling the Terrans to launch a quick and successful attack on the planet.

To effect this goal, Mowry creates a fictitious underground rebellion called DAG, making the authorities believe that there's a whole group set against the overthrow of the government, when in reality it's just one man.

The book can be seen as a how-to in propaganda, playing into the fears of the enemy, forcing over-reaction and panic with minimal effort and maximum results. Some of the technology doesn't seem that advanced. Granted, there's space ships that can travel between planets, but there are also cars and telephones. However, considering that it was first published in 1957 - 50 years ago - it's hardly surprising. With the brilliance of the story, it is also unsurprising that the book is still in demand - the copy I have is out of print, but there are new anthologies of the author's works being brought out.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

The Wednesday Sisters is the compelling story of friendship between five women who first meet in a 1960s Palo Alto park as their children play. Clayton has developed strong characters in Kath the spoiled doctor's wife, Linda the athlete, Frankie from Chicago, scientist Brett, and secretive Ally. Four are college graduates; one is not. A fierce, enduring bond develops between these five very different women as they discover mutual loves--great literature, expressing themselves in writing, and the Miss America Pageant. Every Wednesday, they bring paper and pen to the picnic table in the park. They discuss their latest reads and then write and share their poems and stories, at first timidly, and then more boldly as their talent, confidence, and level of trust develop. When they begin to type their stories and articles, they make four carbons, so each member can read and critique before the next week's discussion.

As the years pass, the women become more proficient writers and venture into the daunting world of submitting their work for publication. They share leads and keep a joint file of possible agents. They share successes and disappointments. One becomes an editor. One succeeds beyond anyone's dream, landing herself a spot on Johnny Carson's late night show.

Their friendship matures along with their talent. Secrets are revealed and honored. They stand with one another through triumphs and tragedies--births, broken marriages, life-changing illness. Every year, the women gather to watch the Miss America Pageant. It becomes a metaphor of their own development, from youthful dreams and ambitions to a more informed, moderate feminism. They are witnesses to a changing world--the Vietnam conflict, man walking on the moon, and the women's movement. The author is faithful to the details of the changing decades of the 60s and 70s. The women transition from one stage of life to another, from one decade to another, sometimes grudgingly (as they switch from typewriters to computers, for instance) and sometimes with ease. The same determination that keeps them writing sustains them all, no matter what life brings. This is no fairy tale in which life is perfect and everyone is instantly successful.

Clayton develops strong individual characters and tells a powerful story that celebrates friendship, trust, and life. She shows the healing power of telling one's story and the importance of having a group of trusted sisters with whom to share those stories.

by Susan Ideus
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

If your memories of the 60's include bell-bottom pants, tie-dye shirts, women's lib and Vietnam protests, you'll want to read The Wednesday Sisters. Or if your mother was of that era, you'll want to read this book to get a glimpse into the times that shaped her.

Clayton has written an engaging story that deftly balances strong characters and a vibrant account of the socio-political context of the times. Five moms, Frankie (the narrator), Linda, Kath, Brett and Ally find themselves neighbors living in Palo Alto, California. Their shared passion for literature evolves into a writer's circle. As the author takes us to their weekly meetings at the local park, we watch their personalities, intimate secrets, and aspirations unfold. With humor and pathos, Clayton portrays the prevailing attitudes of that era towards racism, divorce, motherhood, infertility, infidelity, and breast cancer.

At one point in the book, Brett quotes Henry Adams: One friend in a lifetime is much; two are many; three are hardly possible. Then she questions, "What is it we've done so right in our lives that has made us five?" You'll find yourself laughing and crying with the sisters, wishing you were surrounded with an any-day-of-the-week group of your own.

A nicely written novel about 5 women who become friends in a local park in California in the late 60's. Their struggles with womens' roles just as the liberation movement is gaining momentum is handled lovingly by the author. All five of the characters ring genuine and interesting and their common desire to write and later their desire to get published left me inspired. I'm sure most readers deep inside have aspirations to write and these women act upon that and encourage and support each other.
Overall an easy-to-read and enlightening look at life back then and how "we've come a long way baby!".

This is an enjoyable story about 5 women who meet in the park and start sharing their love of books and Miss America Pagents :) Through some time, they begin to write and critique each other, along with helping each other through life's ups and downs. This book portrays women and friendship in such a beautiful way. A quick and very enjoyable read.

It is the Sixties in the Bay Area. Ah, this seems so familiar! As I read along about the five women who meet in the park every Wednesday, with their kiddies, the whole thing feels like it could have happened in my life.

That's what is wonderfully cozy about this book. The reader feels the connection between the women and gets a little peek into their lives.

The first-person narrator is one of the women, so the whole thing feels even more intimate.

But then it changes into something more, as the women begin writing. Then the whole purpose of the meetings is writing and critiquing and finding their own voice as women, as people, in a way that's different for those times. Yes, they do go to the occasional peaceful protest, but the crux of their time together is about the writing.

But the book veers off again, as each of the women faces some kind of crisis. First, the marriage that's torn asunder by the husband's cheating; then the cancer scare that turns into more than a scare. As they each bond together to support each other through the tough times,
you see the familiarity again...Women and Sisterhood.

This book felt so real that I couldn't put it down. I hoped to discover more about their lives, but alas, the final page came anyway. The writer makes us care about the characters, which is what good writing is all about.

When I was a little kid, I looked for this book every time I went to the library. Eventhough I didn't know the author's name at the time or how to look up books, I would scour the shelves for purple books (the hardcover version back then was purple). Several years ago, my mom surprised me by buying me the paperback version. I am so excited that now, at 36, with my first baby on the way, I will be able to share this beloved book with my children. The piggy is just so darn cute that I'm pretty sure it started my lifelong obsession with piggies!

My almost three year old friend Harrison just loves this book. He waits on the edge of his seat for the NOPE! from the littlest piggie. He fell asleep cuddling this book two naps in a row. This is a child that could not be torn away from books about trucks, especiallly trash trucks. The rhyming rythms of Charlotte Pomerantz saved Auntie Dawn from the rumble and roar of another front end loader!

This is a great book! I initially borrowed it from our local library. Our kids loved it. It's a great oratory book. I read it for a PreSchool class, in a Kindergarten Class, and for First Graders the book was loved by all who heard it. It has great rhythms, it's funny, it's cute, and the kids enjoy being a part of the story. When the smallest piggy mocks her parents and her brother by saying, "Nope!" in all of the circumstances there has been great participation by the children. It has quickly become one our favorite stories.

Crackling with lipsmackingly silly rhyme and hilarious James Marshall illustrations, this book is like read aloud popcorn -- I bet you can't stop after just one page.

This is my favorite book for storytime reading. Mainly preschool - but I've also had adults keep asking me to read one more page, too.

Charlotte Pomerantz has created a work of art - the ending and internal rhymes, the way she plays and puts words together, the right amount of repetition. This is why people think it's So Easy to write a children's book. This is a deceptively simple title, but if it were easy there would be more books out there like this one. This one of the few books I truly look forward to and love reading aloud - the words taste delicious!!

If you like this one check out "How many trucks can a tow truck tow" also by her.

WOW!!! I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! I STARTED READING THIS SERIES WHEN I WAS ABOUT TEN... I OWE A COUPLE OFF THEM AND I JUST WISHED I HAD THE WHOLE COLLECTION... I BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE SHOULD READ THESE BOOKS BECAUSE THEY TEACH YOU ABOUT A FRIENDSHIP THAT GROWS THROUGHOUT TIME... AND REMEMBER... BSC RULZ!!!!

I loved the babysitters club and i own every single one. It is creative and fun to read. The baby sitters club are good books for girls 3rd grade and up.

When I was younger, I loved these stories. They're cute little stories about 12 year olds who start a club to Babysit. They meet Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in Claudia's bedroom. You get to read about the main character of the book's big trouble in the book and you get to read about any other character who gets passed the notebook. These are definitely great books for kids 8 and up.

I began reading these books when I was in 5th grade and remember continuing to read them through Jr. High School. Now, I am 24 years old, pregnant with my first baby (a girl) and have pulled out those books to dust off and pass onto my daughter. These books are light-hearted, fun and still teach a good lesson about friendship, handling jobs, money, etc. I think these are fabulous books and recommend them to all!

I read these books when I was 7 and did not enjoy them very much. They were hard to get out of at the time but I found them extraordinarily boring. I am now 12 and live in Australia. I have the entire series because I got them ordered and they kept coming!They are alright stories but the language is unacceptable!The stories are set for older children but younger children are reading them because the language is so simple!

Celeste is about to undertake an intriguing adventure. I'm also curious about Margaret McCade. Who is she and why did she choose not to connect with Celeste while she was alive? Did she harbor some secret about Celeste's parents that she didn't want to explain? Very creative writing and an interesting plot full of suspense. This is going to be a good read.

The excerpt from Julia Weller's, THE LADIES HELL FIRE CLUB, grabbed my interest right away and the end of chapter two left me wishing for more.
The characters were "comfortable" without being boring and it was easy to care about what was going to happen to the main character, Celeste.
Celeste knows her own mind and although she is a small-town girl she seems neither naive nor retiring. We know that she does not mind asking other people for advice, as she does with her older friend, her employer Emily, but she is also independent. When she gets the mysterious letter in the mail telling her about an inheritance from a relative she never knew existed, we know that Celeste is in for a great adventure to New York and I for one am eager to go along for the ride.

Reading the first two chapters felt like eating potato chips, I couldn't stop and wanted more! I could hear, see, smell everything in Celeste's world. Not many writers can pull that off. Julia Weller is one of them. Celeste is a character I'm in step with, and I am eager to join her on her journey to the Big Apple where the mystery unfolds for both of us.

From page one, we love our protagonist, Celeste. She's been through hardships and heartbreak, and we're pulling for her to feel better. Yet, she's a thoughtful and caring young woman, not hardened by how life has treated her. Her stroke of luck -- an unexpected inheritance -- is cheering, and the mystery behind it draws on my protectiveness. Celeste seems like one of those exotic Japanese pears that cannot be displayed in the produce section without a cushioning basket of plastic. I don't want her to get hurt on this big adventure.

Julia Weller's supporting characters are well defined and all seem important to the story's progress. I lookd forward to the plot complexities that the author's synopsis and these two chapters promise. Somehow I'm sure Celeste will come out fine, and I look forward to seeing how she grows along the way. The book should be a satisfying read.

Celeste is just the greatest character - full of emotion but not silly or sentimental. She's courageous and smart, cautious and willing to take a chance. Julia Weller says so much about this character with short descriptive phrases. I am looking forward to reading the whole novel and passing it along to my adolescent grandchildren.

Writing The Right Word by writer, editor, and educator Dave Dowling (President of Write On Course, LLC, a company specializing in business and technical writing seminars...) is an excellent practical resource for writers of all skill and experience levels and backgrounds. Featuring entries in a lexicographic order, Writing The Right Word teaches aspiring writers the proper definitions of easily misused or confused words, such as levee versus levy, lightening versus lightning, spoor versus spore, and much, much more. A useful 235-page reference tool for avoiding common errors that computerized spelling-checkers will not detect, Writing The Right Word is a highly recommended and much appreciated addition to any personal or professional writing reference collection.

This is one reference book that won't languish on your shelf. Once one starts using it, it becomes second nature to double check your accuracy. My initial thought was that it was a bit slim (230+ pages), with largish type, but this is only a plus. Access becomes very quick and straightforward. The examples are clear and concise...it obviously de-fogs the memory banks (re proper word usage). ANY writer will use it and the book should be mandatory for any high school freshman (and your college student would thank you forever for the gift). Indeed, Dowling has presented us with a book that makes it much easier for writers--at the very least--to appear to be smarter...and that's a bargain. No regrets on this purchase. ((On second thought, it will help you with spoken english as well...ever use the wrong word at a meeting and feel like a schmuck?))

As a college-level instructor, I am often struck by how poorly most students use the English language. 'Writing the Right Word' is a unique and indispensible tool that can help anyone, from high school student to professional writer, learn how to write what he (or she) really means. In today's complex world, the importance of using the correct word cannot be overemphasized. This book explains the most common word confusions in a clear, concise, and 'user-friendly' format, complete with thought-provoking quotes at the beginning of each section. I found myself reading it for the sheer pleasure. Personally, I think this book should be required reading in the schools, and is definitely a 'must have' for anyone who makes his or her living as a writer. Dowling's descriptions are clear and understandable, his examples vivid and sometimes amusing. The sections on 'affect versus effect', 'that versus which' and 'who versus whom', words that rank among the most notorious for confounding the average writer, are themselves worth the price of the book.

The book is very useful and to the point. It is an excellent
resource for my business correspondence. Since people still
judge you on your ability to communicate in writing, it will
be very helpful. Will be using it frequently.

This concise guide is an excellent reference tool for any writer: published, aspiring to publish, business professional, or student. It contains most of the common word pairs that are likely to cause confusion, and provides clear definitions and examples for each. Equally importantly, this guide fills a gap that other reference texts fail to address. No writer should be without a copy!

I love this book, it has to be my favorite book of all time. Abby is the new girl in town and she moved her from Long Island with her mom and twin sis, Anna.

Anyways Abby is made to write a bio about her life for English. I seriously think this is the best one out of the Portrait Collection. Abby is so down to earth, humorous, and down right honest it's hard not to like her.

There are painful siturations in the book such as the details of her father's death, and the way she and her family handled it. It was with such honestly, you felt for Abby really bad espeically if you lost someone you truly and honestly love.

The hightlights of the book were whenever her family decided to go to Florida for Winter Break, and they althrough started out in seperate ways, but ended up retelling their favorite holiday stories, and creating new ways to celebrate the holidays together as a new family.

If you haven't read this book you should have. You will not be dissappointed. The way the book was written you find it hard not to like Abby especially after all the tragic situration her and her family had to endure, makes her a winner in all levels.

This book was so sad, it went into alot of detail about Abby's dad's death and how her mum never really gets over it (well, thats my impression) and how and how she went through everything. You really start to feel bad for Abby in the end! Read it if you like serious books, but not if you dont!

This book is the best, since Abby's the best baby-sitter! I really miss her in the new series, Friends Forever! I wish that there was a real person like Abby, so I could meet her! Please write some more regular BSC books, Ann, I really miss Abby!

Abby is, without question, my favorite member of the BSC series. (Yes, folks, the BSC has a following of ALL ages). Abby is smart, funny, wonderfully clever and gifted with natural expression. She's great! I like the way she tells her story in a tone of unflinching honesty and the part about the deep bond she and her dad have is classic. I also loved the way Abby's twin, Anna used musical terms to name the chapters of her version of their lives together. The sisters balance one another well. Abby is a very distinct personality and she is sorely missed in the new series. I wish Ann M. Martin would bring her back. Abby rocks!

The book has some parts which are funny and sad. Abby tells us how she was born and how she lived on Long Island.

bang BANG is a really hot little story about how women might use sex
to change the world. As the victim of a street crime, Paula Sherman
organizes a bunch of women to fight against the guns on the streets
of Philadelphia. You'll have to read the book to get her tactics, but
the whole thing is hilarious while it asks a very serious question.
The other thing that I liked about this story was the dead-pan spoof
of the media. In the beginning, Paula is worked over by the local
media. Later on, she works over the national media (Oprah. Clint.) big
time.
bang BANG is action-packed and funny and the writing's great---
entertaining, intelligent, and definitely worth a read.

I mostly read modern novels. I like writers who really care about the language and write beautiful stuff without getting so in love with their words that you can't understand them.
I like guys like Chuck Palahniuk, Peter Clenott Hunting the King, and Martin Amis and Richard Price, George Martin A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3), Milan Kundera and Derek Armstrong, especially for The Last Troubadour: Song of Montsegur and MADicine. Now I have a new favorite writer to love. Lynn Hoffman weaves a magic spell. You start this book and you're completely lost in from the beginning to the end. During the action scenes I didn't take a breath until they were over.
She is a very special writer and I look forward to her next book.

One of the most briliant novels in the last few years. A tragic story interspersed with lots of humor, frizzy copy and nimble dialogs. A must-read.

Edgy, sparse, witty, this novel grabbed me from the very first page. I read it overnight. Thoroughly recommend it if you're after something out of the ordinary. Five stars.

Everybody talks about guns, the right and the wrong about having them, but nobody does anything about it. (So to speak.) Nobody except this author. His ingenious novel tells how one woman deals with guns. And the way she deals with it carries you through the pages with the greatest of ease. I can imagine novelists saying, "Why didn't I think of that?" Five shots. I mean 5 stars.

I got really frustrated with this book because it did'nt say who had Stevie for secret santa! I liked it when they went caroling, but I wish Carol or Lisa would ride the Prancer rather than lead it. I think that would draw more attention. Over all. I would recomend all saddle Clubs to any one! There great!!!

this book is great it brings the special and giving side out of any person. what Caroles " secret santa " does for her is remarkably special! I love this book and I think you will too!

Another rare SADDLE CLUB great. When the girls draw names for Secret Santa's, Max tells them they have to DO something, not give something! Lisa and Carole are fine with who they draw, but Stevie draws...Veronica! Also, the girls are shocked when toys are stolen from Carole's dad's Marine Corps toy drive and they invent an exciting, equine way to raise money for more toys. But will they finish in time? And what will Stevie do for--not TO--Veronica? This is harder than anyone imagined. I loved this SUPER EDITION and I think everyone who loves horses and has friends should read it.

Hey everyone! I really liked this book, but I had a question for the people who've read it. What happened to the Starlight Ride this year? Why don't the Saddle Club girls go on it? That part really confused me. Thanx.

First of all I want to say that Bonnie Bryant is a really good author, I think the Saddle Club and Pine Hollow Books are brilliant! This book was very good, so much happened in it. At Pine Hollow Max held a secret santa but instead of buying something for the person you got you had to do something for them. Stevie got Veronica, Carole got Lisa and Lisa got Max. What Caroles secret santa does for her is really something special! Lisa's realatives, the Rosses from Scotland are over spending Christmas with the Atwoods, although she thinks there great she feels like shes no space to breath, this inspires what she is going to do for Max as his secret santa! Stevie is busy getting voice lessons to prepare for an audition for a solo part in her schools Christmas play..................While all this is happening Carole is busy helping her Dad and the marines collect toys as Christmas presents for needy children...Until!?! I would really recoment this book. It was very enjoyable to read!

this book was amazing.Because"claudia and the terrible truth"is about when claudia is baby-sitting Nate and Joey Nicholls and she found out that Mr.Nicholls has been abusing them.This book touched really my heart and I recommend it to all of you out there!

I really liked CLAUIDA AND THE TERRIBLE TRUTH. I felt really sorry for Nate and Joey because they get abused by their father. It is a very good book so defenetely read it! I gave it 5 stars because it dealt with a very big issue in the world and not many books do that.
Keep up the good work Ann and you will have even more readers in the UK!!!

Hi! My name is Sadira Jewelsten! Iýve read BSC books since I was eight until I was seventeen. I really enjoyed ýClaudia and the Terrible Truthý. It brought about a very sensitive subject in a way that kids and teens alike would be able to understand it.

It all begins when the BSC receives a new client who isnýt all he seems.
Claudia finds this out when she is assigned to baby-sit Joey and Nate and discovers a horrible secret about their home life-Nate and Joey are being abused by their father.
The boys first lie to Claudia about where theyýve gotten some of the bruises that Claudia is able to see, but later, Claudia-unseen by the father-witnesses it from a hiding place on the stairs. She doesnýtý know what to do at first, but then she does the right thing and tells her mother.
Ann m. Martin definitely has a way of bringing her readers into the story. I felt like I was right there with Claudia, feeling exactly as nervous and confused as she stood on the stairs and heard the loud slap of the boys being hit. Thatýs how powerful it was.
For anyone who is looking for a book that brings up a the subject of abusie in a way that really opens your eyes to it, I highly recommend ýClaudia and the Terrible Truthý.

When Claudia baby sits for the new clients, Nate and Joey are nice, well behaved boys but Mr. Nicholls yells at his two childrens and also yells at Mr. Nicholls. Then later, Mr. Nicholls will tell a story to why he's been like that it's so sad!

I enjoyed Claudia and the Terrible Truth. She starts sitting for new clients, the Nicholls. Nate and Joey are nice, well behaved boys, but they seem too jumpy and nervous. Claudia doesn't like the way Mr. Nicholls yell at the boys and his wife. He seems to have harsh rules like no talking at the dinnertable and no stuffed animals and bedtime stories. He says stuffed animals are childish and the boys are 8 and 5. Nate admitted to Claudia that their father threw away their stuffed animals given by their mother! He even threw a huge fit over a peanut butter jar left by Claudia on the counter. BIG DEAL! It's nothing to make war about, it's not like Claudia and the boys trashed the kitchen. Claudia notices that he verbally abuses Nate, Joey, and Mrs. Nicholls. The boys got all nervous about grass stains and paint stains at a parade meeting. I mean, they're kids and they deserve to play. Your childhood is short and that's what washing machines are for! The boys even got severly punished because Joey touched his father's briefcase! He didn't break it or mess up the stuff in it. Even though Nate didn't do anything, he was punished along with Joey and they had to scrub down the house while Claudia supervised and were banned from the parade meeting, tv, snack, and friends. Then Claudia heard Mr. Nicholls holler about his paper being in the recycle bin and smacked Joey hard. She decided to tell her mom about it and the boys and mother were removed from the house and went to live with relatives. At least they were safe from that evil jerk. I disagree with the reader from Maryland. Claudia never mentioned about never being smacked by her parents. She mentioned that she and her sister were never raised hell at by their parents like Mr. Nicholls did with his boys. It's okay to be firm with your kids and discipline them when they do something wrong, but abuse is not okay. Mr. Nicholls was very dominating and abusive. He reminded me of a Nazi. He took inventory of every crumb of food in the house and wanted everything obsessively neat and perfect in the house. Only robots could be perfectly neat.Anyways, I give this book a 10.