I like pirates a lot. I like this book because Pete and Grimey learn that they should not fight. I think it would be fun to be in Pirate School in real life. I think that kids of all ages should read this book. Even girls would like this book.

I am the mother of two boys ,ages 3 and 4 ,who both adore Pirates.This is a fun story with a great lesson. One of our favorites. A great buy.

It is one of the funniest childrens books I've ever read. My 6 year old son loves it. If you love a laugh and love Pirates then buy this book!! (good moral story too ; )

This book gives the answers to the questions that most authors forget to give. I enjoyed reading and using the ideals that where in the book.

I've looked through all the other books on knots (and/or fishing knots), and even own some of them. This book is the hands-down winner. First, it has ALL the knots. Second, it's very specific about how to tie them, including how many wraps for different situations, and which side the tag end should come through, etc. The only problem with the book is that it can be a little hard for a beginner to figure out what basic set of knots s/he needs for a particular type of fishing (e.g., fly fishing). Although the book makes an effort at this, their suggestions don't jibe with what I've learned in the field and are a bit too complicated.

This book is one of the best sources for fishing knots, and knot tying, that you can find. The organization is such that you can find quickly several knot options for the task in mind, clear text that explains strengths and weaknesses of each knot and its use, and excellent diagrams that, with a little practice, make the knot yours. I give this book a 9 only because there are a few knots, and short-cut methods of tying them, such as the Turrel (sometimes called Turtle) knot, which are not included. If they were, then this near-ten would be an eleven. This book not only belongs on your book shelf, it needs to be in your tackle box.

The title of the story Rattle Bang is the name of a old, beat-up, pick-up truck. Rattle Bang is a nice and has lots of friends. There is one car who no one likes, and his name is Rundle. Rundle is a shiny, bright red truck with blazing speed, and is also rude and a show-off. One day Rundle was speeding around a tight curve and ends up with his front end, smashed into a tree. Everyone is laughing at him, and no one decides to help besides good old Rang Bang, who Rundle most picks on. Rattle Bang helps him out and gets him back into shape. Rundle learned his lesson, and now has a different attitude towards life and others.
The story how Rattle Bang was very good. It shows the quality of Rattle Bang. Even though Rundle is mean and rude to Rattle Bang, Rattle Bang still helps him when he is in trouble. This story can easily be related to real life. I think we can all learn a lesson from this book.

Ryan J.

It's one of my son's very favorite books! He keeps wanting it read over and over. It's so nice to have books like this. This one is a fun story with very colorful pictures. But most importantly, it has an underlying moral Biblical lesson. Wow! I'm picky about books, and I'd loved this one! Can't wait to get his other books: RattleBang Helps and Clodrow's Adventure. Enjoy reading and leaving your little ones with beautiful lessons on character. :)

My parents checked this book out of their church library for my son when he was about 3, and he loved it - primarily because he is fascinated by cars and trucks. I loved it because of the wonderful lesson it taught. The illustrations are beautiful and overall, the book just did a real good job of holding a 3 year old's attention - which isn't the easiest thing to do. I'm thinking of buying a copy for home - my son is six now, but it would also be a great tool for use in teaching Sunday school.

Senter provides one of the few treatments of Youth Ministry that is can serve as an college/seminary textbook and still provides practical insights for practicing clergy. Unlike several other popular titles, Senter takes the time to develop a biblical, sociological, and historical framework for youth ministry. He also provides the best overview of the various models for youth ministry that have been popular among evangelicals for the past half-century. Some may find the depth of the book overwhelming in places. It also suffers from weaknesses typical of using a variety of authors to contribude individual chapters, in that not all chapters are equally valuable. Overall the book should serve as a standard text well beyond the turn of the century for those serious about understanding and practicing effective youth ministry.

Senter and Dunn have done a fabulous job compiling data from a number of key youth pastors. The insights I gained from this book were fantastic. Dunn's explanation of the millennial generation's needs, and how to reach them is fantastic. Great reading. This book is a must for youth pastor's everywhere.

I ran across this book in the campus bookstore when picking up some other books for class. After glancing through it I was intrigued. Practical advice, theory that was useful, models laid out so you could see how they worked out on a day to day basis. I found myself taking notes and getting ideas for things I could put into practice.

This book was pretty good, but I think the stories should have extended longer. The three stories, The Fairy's Mistake, The Princess Test, and Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep, tell about girls back in time when fairies were real. Since I like these sort of things, I loved this book pretty much. The Fairy's Mistake kind of reminded me of Ella Enchanted, which is an excellent book. The Princess Test is a different tale of the Princess and the Pea, with a twist to it. Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep also is like another story, Sleeping Beauty, but also has a twist to it. These three stories are some I would recommend to anyone who likes pretty much all of Gail Carson Levine's books!!

Gail Carson Levine is best known for "Ella Enchanted," a smart retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale. But she's also penned a series of short novellas, the Princess Tales. Now three of these cute stories are available in a three-for-one paperback, that fans of retold fairy tales will enjoy.

"The Princess Test" is tried on Lorelei when she stumbles onto a castle. There, all the girls who try out are tested as to whether they are "real" princesses, and the girl who is deemed most worthy will marry Prince Nicholas. But Nicholas wants a girl he loves!

"The Fairy's Mistake" is a definite problem. Two girls encounter the fairy Ethelinda, and she gives them what they deserve: Sweet Rosella has jewels and flowers fall from her mouth, while nasty Myrtle has snakes and toads. The mistake? Now Rosella is held captive by a greedy prince, and Myrtle is using her "gift" as blackmail.

"Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep" is a twist on a familiar tale -- spinning wheel, enchanted sleep, fairy gifts and curses. But there are a few elements that weren't there before -- balding sheep, a prince who doesn't work out, and fairies who are getting a little competitive.

These stories don't have the length to develop the depth of "Princesses of Bamarre" or "Ella Enchanted," but they're nice twists on the old fairy-tales. Her heroines are endearingly smart and independant, the love interests are likeable, and the twists on the stories are cute. (Such as the "Fairy's Mistake," where the blessing turns out to be more trouble than the curse)

If you like retold fables or smart heroines, then the three-pack "Princess Tales" are a good light read, especially for those who like a humorous ending.

Gail Carson Levine has taken some of the classic tales of princesses and endowed them with her own magical imagination.
These stories of many generations of princesses of Biddle are
enchanting and delightful. Even though you may recognize the
basic stories of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Frog Prince and other tales, you will still enjoy the new twists. The narrator of this audiobook does an aadmirable job with voices and sound effects which add to the listener's enjoyment. These

stories are funny and endearing and are recommended for princesses and fairy tale lovers of all ages.

If you're looking for in-depth detailed information on RDF, XML Schema, DAML + OIL etc., then don't buy this book.
If you're interested in DAML + OIL, and applications of it, then you don't want this book. (It covers DAML + OIL, but only touches its surface.)
If you want to read about new standars rising from the XML community, and you don't have any particular preference, then this might be a book you like.
If you can't cope with minimal cohesion, then you definitely should not buy this book. There's no single message in this book.

By now, I guess most of IT professionals have atleast heard about XML and know what problems XML can help solve, however it's challenging to keep up with fast evolving technologies around XML, like RDF, Topic Maps, Schemas, etc. I myself had heard about these technologies, but didn't quite understand them fully till I read Professional XML Meta Data from Wrox. As far as I know, this is the only book available in the market today that covers technologies useful for data description, discovery and exchange, in so much detail. The book covers XML Schemas, XML Linking and Querying, both the RDF specifications, Topic Maps and more. All the topics are explained in detail, the book is very well connected and the chapters flow nicely in sequence. I personally liked the final chapter "Advanced Meta Data Use Cases" that covers couple of areas where meta data can enhance the applications.

If you need to know about the latest XML metadata technologies or concepts like the Semantic Web and machine readable metadata, you need this book. I found it very useful in explaining RDF (there are three excellent chapters on RDF) and Topic Maps, which are potentially difficult subjects to understand. The book also suggests some interesting uses for metadata in the future, and has a useful chapter on extracting metadata from databases.

good book

Psychology in Action by Karen Huffman, et.a

A terrific general psych book for the beginning of my psychology study. Very general, good intro into basic study. Easy to study from.

This is a good book, an interesting book about how queen came to be. Not a complete biography this book focuses primarily on the music careers of the four members prior to the formation of the band and then in the early period leading up to the first album.

The first three chapters are brief individual scetches about john, roger and then brian. Were they were born, how they grew up, their education and most significantly their musical development from the first time they picked up an instrument to their first garage band. The author then moves smoothly from brians early development to the seminal formation of smile which encompasses chapter 4. Chapter 5 introduces you to the early years of freddie mercury. "A messenger of the gods". Then to the incidents that lead to the formation and name of the band "queen". How regal it sounded!

As i said this is a very interesting book and you'll learn how a great rock band came to be but the details will only interest the most serious die hard queen fans. Only a real fan will want to know that john deacon's first band "the opposition" had to fire their bass player named clive because he simply wasn't god enough and it was that firing that moved john from lead quitar to bass. And how many people care that freddie played with a band from liverpool called ibex and then a jazzrock outfit called sour milk sea? You get to read how roger became something of a musical legend in his home county in cornwall and how flyers adverising smile and later queen concerts in cornwall would mention that the band "featured roger taylor the legendary drummer from cornwall". Plenty of little facts are thrown about concerning early gigs in the teenage years and how much or rather how little money was made in those days. Of course you read about the creation of the red special and brian's adventures into astronomy.

A good book like i said but the question is whether this volume provides that much more than a more complete biography of the band does. At (its price) it is hardly a bargain for a 200 page paperback with just 12 pages of B&W photos. That's why i give it just 4 stars. Still a good book. For a more complete biography i recommend "Queen as it began" which contains many more photos(some color), 50 more pages of text and a complete discography.

......................socks

"Queen: The Early Years" details the lives of the four members of Queen before they were stars. It follows John Deacon, Roger Taylor, Brian May, and Freddie Mercury from their respective births and childhoods to the release that got them world-wide acclaim: Bohemian Rhapsody. Be warned though, if your not a die hard fan, I don't reccomend this book. It, at times, relies heavily on knowledge of the music business and English geography. Overall, it's a marvelous book which provides insight on what events formed Queen and it's four diverse personas. As the author says many times, "Your not going to see any of this in the authorized biography".

It goes through the Main Steps of the life of each member from the beginning to the end of the group of Queen. It is a very informative book!

In my last review, I made a mistake. "Tortilla Flats" is accually by Steinbeck. I'm very sorry for the mix-up.

I enjoyed this book tremendously!!!!!!!! It literaly took me to the Isle of Esmerelda. His discription of the isle brought me to paradise. His writing style is very much like F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was just like Fitzgerald's "Tortilla Flats." There were stories within stories that really captured my attention. The characters were outrageously interesting. In conclusion, I really enjoyed reading this book and would recomend for you to read it too.

A charming and whimsical escape to paradise! I thoroughly enjoyed the tropical setting, made me feel like I was really there . . . and the wild and crazy antics that happen on Esmeralda reminded me of some of Tom Robbins novels. A very fun read!

Apparently Hollywood has become a place where making a good deal matters more than making a good film. Mark Litwak, in REEL POWER, provides insightful commentary on the business of the film business and describes a town that is gradually losing its grip on the industry. The chapter on Creative Artists Agency (CAA) is a little outdated, but this book is a top-rate primer on what it takes to succeed in today's Hollywood.

George Lucas said, "From my point of view, the film industry died in 1965." After reading Mark Litwak's comprehensive overview of the New Hollywood system, I have to agree. Litwak painstakingly outlines the changes that have occurred following the break up of the studio system, both in terms of the rise of agents and agencies as power brokers and in terms of the emphasis placed on star packaging. REEL POWER gets much of its power from extensive interviews with those on the front lines of filmmaking as well as the powerful elite. Litwak does an excellent job of weaving quotes and anecdotes throughout his explanation of the system, a system which seems to run on fear and ego. One of the strongest elements of this text is its clear and savvy organization. Litwak breaks down his analysis by the trends that characterize New Hollywood -- the rise of CAA, the role of deal-making and the new power brokers -- and the major roles in the business -- writers, directors, actors, producers. He spends some time discussing other, less well-known aspects of the business, including independent filmmaking, marketing, distriubtion and exhibition. One of the purposes of REEL POWER is to debunk some of the lingering myths about Hollywood, particularly the notion of overnight success and the casting couch. Overall, this is a comprehensive, thoroughly-researched, well-written cautionary tale about the excesses of an industry that churns out flops as regularly as it dismisses substantive talent in favor of the flavor of the moment.

I bought this book mainly due to the fact that i have cleaned out the world of Hollywood Biogs and this was one of the few that i dont own. But i have to say that out of all the ones ive read, this has to be one of the most informative that ive EVER read. Ive been writing screenplays for a number of years and within three chapters of this book, it has caused me to realise that the direction ive been going in, is the wrong one. This book has put me on the correct path. It gives the best insight to the studios, the agents, and the politics of the movie capital of the world ( Hollywood, not Bollywood) Anyone wanting to learn how things work in the film world, should buy this book. Im glad i did, and i cant recomend it high enough. Mark Litwak knows what hes writing and talking about. And to Mark, thanks for showing me the way.

Stuart Bannerman Bannerman12@btinternet.com