This sentimental favorite children's book has the moral values of E. Nesbitt, who was a famous liberal activist in England. She creates a household utopian vision of a world where people are naturally good and where parents raise their children to be helpful and honest and brave.

This provides the background charm for a really lovely tale about a family in distress who sticks together bravely and provides a shining example to all around them, while being aided by equally high-minded and kind folks around them.

A knock on the door at the idyllic middle class town home of the children ends with a tragedy that they can scarcely understand. But Mother is brave and despite rumors of terrible things, they make their way to a more modest home in the country, next to a railway line. The children become friends with the trains and the regular commuters who wave at them. Their fascination with the train results in a heroic rescue. Meanwhile, their situation is sometimes difficult, and they develop some remarkable strategies for getting aid. There is a happy ending.

The morals taught to the children are particularly British (helpful, kind, brave) but certainly apply to us as well. The goodness that the children spread is really a lovely message and contributes to the charm and longevity of this great favorite. Good for reading aloud.

I like the Railway Children a lot,especially how the author told the story. I liked Bobbie because there is something different about her,she was helpful and sweet at the same time. I am wondering where the dog James went? Other than that, the story was great!

It is a story about three children who change a little town in England. The book is very adventurous in every chapter.It is a very well writen book.

I absolutely love Joan Lowery Nixon! I've only read two books by her so far, but they were both good! A couple days ago I read "The Name of the Game Was Murder," which is creepily suspenseful. That's where "The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore" comes in...
I personally loved this book; once again Nixon astounded me. Even though it was a book I'd put at the top of a mystery list, after reading "The Name of the Game...," it just wasn't very suspenseful. By suspense I mean "what's going to happen next?"
The storyline revolves around a girl named Christina. She is desperate to go on a trip to France with her class, but her father refuses, being that the trip is to study Roman Catholics and her father is a priest, not believing in the religion. She asks her weathly grandmother who owns an oil company if she could take some money out of her trust fund to pay for it by herself. But, she is turned down.
Later that night, coming back from her best friend Lorna's house, her mouth is covered and she is drugged.
She wakes up laying in a cot in a dank basement. She realizes she was kidnapped! The oddity of the situation is that her kidnapper brings her food and makes sure she is well taken care of. He tells her to sign a ransom note to her grandmother.
The next day she soon figures out who's kidnapped her, but doesn't reveal it to him, knowing she'd have to be killed. The kidnapper has her take a bath and change. Then he walks her around the house making her touch everything. She is left with a woman who makes her sit down and watch TV.
Later on, the kidnapper returns saying that they got the money. Suddenly, they hear, "Police!" and the woman gives the gun to Christina. The cops think that Christina was the one who asked for the money, trying to get money for the trip. Christina also finds out they dust for fingerprints and find Christina's all over the house (remember, the kidnapper made her touch things). She realizes she was framed, but no one believes her! Will Christina be able to prove her innocence, or will her snooping around kill her? Find out in "The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore!"

Also recommended: "Name of the Game Was Murder" By Joan Lowery Nixon

I LOVED this book! It's about a girl named Christina Lattimore (duh!) who gets kidnapped. The book gets off the ground kind of slow but then really picks up speed. After Christina is released she is accused of staging the whole thing so she could get enough of the ransom money to go to Paris on a class trip. She has to find out who masterminded the kidnapping to prove her innocence. By the way, don't listen to "A Reader From Wyoming, Illinois,USA" because she/he is talking about "A Candidate For Murder" By Joan Lowery Nixon.

"Why me? " is the question that Christina finds herself asking when she wakes up in a cold, dark, and damp basement. She has just signed a ransom note to her grandma against her will. The next day her kidnapper makes her go through the house and put her fingerprints on everything from a glass to a light switch. After her kidnappers get back with the ransom money they divide it to two piles on the table. Suddenly there is a noise at the door. They drop the gun into Christina's lap and put their hands in the air, it's the police and they blame Christina for setting up her own kidnapping! Can she prove her innocence?
I like this book because it is very interesting to see if Christina will prove her innocence. You will just want to read, read, and read some more. In fact I read the whole book in one day. You should read this book, too. It shows how strong one girl is to go to such great lengths to prove her innocence

Adults who think young adult literature is beneath them should try rotating their reading crop by including Squashed in their diet. Ellie's father produces and sells motivational audio tapes for a living and is certain that if his daughter would only follow his sage advice, she'd be more successful. To be fair, Ellie doesn't feel she needs to write down her goals, she has only two: To grow the largest pumpkin (squash) for the Iowa Harvest Festival, and to lose twenty pounds herself. Ellie laments the hardships of agriculture, particularly raising a specimen as demanding as a squash while fending off the foes who seek to defeat her. A wise grandmother, a baseball nut cousin, and a nasty grower/competitor round out a well-defined cast of characters who help Ellie deal with life, death, and coming full circle. Joan Bauer's use of humor is equally delightful in her other young adult books (Thwonk and Sticks), and should be a lesson to all of us to not take ourselves too seriously. And yet, Ellie's perserverence and fight for what she believes in is a lesson that will remain firmly planted in the reader's mind

In another of Joan Bauer's funny teen novels, sixteen-year-old Ellie Morgan is faced with 2 problems: getting her prize giant pumpkin, Max, to put on some major bulk, and losing some of her own in order to approach Wes, the cute new guy at school. Ellie, who learned everything she knows from her consuming love of growing pumpkins, is set to become the youngest winner of her town's festival's Pumpkin Weigh-In. In her way is her father, who definitely thinks farming is a waste of time, and Cyril Pool, a truly detestable being who wins the weigh-in every year despite his stupidity and odor. Ellie, armed only with her common sense and special secret pumpkin booster solution, must touch the inner strength in her roots in order to suceed against adversity, Cyril, and pumpkin thieves.

In classic Bauer style, the story is odd, but you never doubt a word. Ellie is very real to readers, and the story is interesting, funny, and thoughtful the whole way through. My only problem with the book is that Ellie seems shy and unable to defend herself at times, and relies on her friends to speak for her. Come on, Ellie! As she says, "To grow giant pumpkins, you've got to be tough."

Joan Bauer's books have a few things in common: a spirited, talented protagonist, an unusual quest, a family obstacle, and good triumphant. In Squashed, the first and, IMO, best of her books, this formula works to great effect - you'll laugh, you'll rejoice, and you'll never see pumpkins the same way again.

Ellie Morgan has just two goals: to lose 20 pounds, and to grow a pumpkin big enough to win the Annual Rock River Weigh-In, the pumpkin festival to end all pumpkin festivals. Unfortunately, a few things stand in her way: her motivation-obsessed father, who despises agriculture ("the Absolute Dead-End of Existence"), Cyril, the 35-year-old grower (with a heart of evil) who usually wins the competition, and her history teacher, who, strangely, thinks that school is more important. On Ellie's side she has her cousin Richard, baseball semi-star and pumpkin spy, her Grandmother, a pillar of growing wisdom and strength, and her friends.

From the beginning, the reader knows it's all going to come together in a major showdown at the Weigh-In. But the question is - how will Ellie make it that far? And the answer is purely hilarious. Sprinkled with humor and agriculture wisdom, Squashed is a highly appealing novel for young adults and adults alike.

This is an exciting bookby one of my favoritte autors. It's about a girl named Mary Elizabeth who has to solve a murder during a simulation at her hotel.You should read THE DARK AND DEADLY POOL with this because the characters are mentioned in it and the book can be a bit confusing. If you like this you'll also like THE NAME OF THE GAME WAS MURDER.

I really liked Joan Lowery Nixon's "The Weekend Was Murder!" This book is the sequel to her previous book, "The Dark and Deadly Pool," which is another hit! I felt that "The Weekend Was Murder" was better than the first, but was a bit confusing towards the beginning. There are so many names to remember and keep track of, that it takes away from the storyline...

"The Weekend Was Murder" is about a girl named Mary Elizabeth (Liz). She works at the Ridley Hotel as a summer job. One weekend, the hotel hosts a murder-mystery weekend in which a couple hundred people act as sleuths and try to uncover a pre-determined mystery. Liz is one of the actors and is supposed to "find a dead body in one of the hotel rooms." When she finds a real body, it starts to become all too real! Who's the murderer? Is it one of the mystery weekend guests? Could it be the famous mystery author who is running the mystery weekend? Did she get caught-up in her stories and decide to commit real murder? Liz finds herself intertwined in a real murder-mystery in "The Weekend Was Murder!"

I thought this book was really good. When you read it you feel like you are in the book. It is very well written. i would recmend this book to people who like mysterys and muder books.
This is a book about a girl who works a a hotel and is asked to play a part in a mystery murder weekend they are having there. She is supose to come out of the elevater screaming about how she finds a dead body in room 1927. but to her surprise she finds a real dead body.
The book is unbelivable and you wont want to put it down!!!

If you like mystery and suspence you should read the book called A Candidate for Murder by Joan Lowery Nixon. It is about a young 16 year old girl, Cary Amberson, who's father is running for governor of Texas. So, after she recieved some rather scary phone calls from a stranger she never heard of , the police say it is just from all the publicity their family is getting. She knows it is something more dangerous than just some prank phone calls, so she tries to figure out the whole story about the strange things that have been going on.
I think this was a really good book because you really didn't know what was going to happen next. There were a lot of twists and turns in the book, and I could really relate to the main character. She did most of the stuff that I would have done. But, some parts were kind of hard to understand, so you had to read it carefully. Read this book and see how Cary deals with her father running for governor, and the almost freaky phone calls she starts to get.

Another Joan Lowery Nixon book, they only seem to advance. Hate reading? Nixon makes sure you learn to love it! She's entertaining and at the same time thrilling. I've read two of her other books such as The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore and Secret, Silent Screams and found them both spectacular! A Candidate for Murder was very fast pace, never dragging. Every time I picked the book up it was like a thriller roller coaster ride that I couldn't get off till I make it to the end. Nixon makes it so that you almost feel like your one of the characters, which leaves your heart racing. I really enjoyed reading this book. No wonder she's a Four-Time Edgar Award Winner who is always at her best!

"I told them, she wouldn't know. So she caught a word or two by accident. She couldn't put them together, I said. Leave her be. She's just a kid. It's a terrible thing to want to take away those years she's got ahead of her." If you asked the average person if they've ever read a murder mystery, they would most likely say yes. For that matter, I had too, and I hated it! I only read this book because I grabbed it off the shelf quickly from my school library as I rushed to english class one morning. But, little did I know what great luck I had in randomness! The second I opened this book it was interesting! It has a female for a main character, and the usual masked murderer, but much spookier since she's a young girl. It has a type of romance and friendship that is dramatically real. Cary leads you through every moment of doubt, discouragement, and suspense as if you were there. Overall, I think this is a very brave book because it touches on certain issues that it doesn't expand on that are not part of the main idea of the story. The pace never slows, only speeds up. I would recommend this book to everyone because it is every type of book!

I really liked this book. The way Ms. Nixon wrote it kept me on the edge of my seat and I didn't know who the killer was until almost the end. I had a list of suspects that kept changing. Way to go, Joan Lowery Nixon!!! Secret Silent Screams was awesome!!!

THIS BOOK IS GREAT! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! After reading The Seance, which is a great book, I decided to read as many Joan Lowery Nixon books as I could. And Secret, Silent Screams was NO DISAPPOINTMENT! I strongly suggest that you read this book because I guarantee you will enjoy it!

Joan Lowery Nixon has written another keep-you-guessing murder mystery that'll have you guessing until the end. Once you start the book you won't be able to put it down. This is altimitely ine of her greatest mysteries!

I am a huge fan of Bobby Flay and of his restaurants -- Mesa Grill and the underrated Bolo. This book passes on the flavor and flair of those restaurants well. The recipes in this cookbook are fantastic, and every meal you make is guaranteed to be outstanding. But there are two BIG problems.

First, many of the ingredients can be difficult to find, particularly if you don't live in an urban area. And substituting doesn't do the trick. Second, many of the recipes are exceedingly complicated and time-consuming. More than once, I've spent 8 or 10 hours preparing a full meal (not including shopping time, which often involves several stores).

So as long as you have access to the relevant range of ingredients, and you have several hours to invest in making an amazing meal (or the expertise of a Bobby Flay in the kitchen!), this is a terrific cookbook. Otherwise, you might want to look for something a bit more basic.

The first cookbook by Chef Bobby Flay. Here is an wonderful book that shows what an excellent Southwestern-style chef he is.

This book contains explanations to some of his ingredients, as well as techniques to use, when using an ingredient, for example, using yellow tomatoes versus red tomatoes. He, also, adds resources where you can find some of his hard-to-find ingredients. This is a definite plus, as a lot of the chiles are hard-to-find in my area, but so worth the effort, because once you assemble the recipe, it is SO delicious! You just can't believe it.

I tried a few of these recipes on my husband, who has a distinct taste that is hard to please, to say the least, and he has loved each recipe I have made from this book. Favorites of ours are the Pan Seared New York Steak with Chipotle Butter, Caesar Salad with Red Chile Croutons and the Peach & Blueberry Cobbler!

In addition to writing cookbooks, Bobby Flay hosts three television shows on the Food Network: "Food Nation with Bobby Flay", "Hot Off the Grill with Bobby Flay" and "Grillin' and Chillin'".

"Food Nation" is a tour of the United States in the least likely spots, where Bobby Flay explores the cuisine of that area. Spots visited have been the Pennsylvania Dutch country, Kentucky, Nashville and Boston.

"Hot Off the Grill" shows Bobby Flay assemble meals with some volunteers that may be like the more average at-home cook, showing me, how easy these dishes really are to prepare.

"Grillin' and Chillin'" has only been on during barbecue season (that I have noticed), but shows Bobby Flay with Jack McDavid, a real southern cook. Together they barbecue huge spreads all on the grill!

Bobby Flay also has his own line of spice and condiments. A wide assortment from dry rubs, drink mixes, infused oils and spice blends. These are available to purchase at his "Mesa Grill" web site: www.mesagrill.com

Also, he owns and works at two restaurants in New York City: "Mesa Grill" (Southwestern cuisine) and "Bolo" (Contemporary Spanish cuisine).

I thoroughly enjoyed this cookbook and would highly recommend it!

I've been a fan of Bobby Flay's cooking shows on TV for a few years. He makes cooking a way to have fun and socialize while not taking away from the true art of cooking. So, after eyeing this book on the shelves for a few months, my sweet wife ordered it for me online.

This book is a winner! In it you'll find many fresh applications of the wonderful flavors of the southwest. For the most part, the recipes are straightforward and easy to follow. It's amazing how far you can go with just a few basic ingredients (Chile, corn, onion, garlic, etc.) In addition to learning lots of specific recipes, Bobby also gives you a great feeling for how to improvise and come up with your own bold creations. I just cooked my first few recipes from the book (New Mexico BBQ Salmon, chipotle buttered roasted corn), and they came out great!

P.S. As an extra bonus, the book is filled with lots of beautiful color photos of the dishes. It's all very artistic.

I was just starting my yoga practice when I bought this book. I got through chapters 1-8 waiting for the book to tell me something I didn't already know. The book picks up in chapters 13-16. Do yourself a favor, go to a book store or library, and read only "the least you need to know" at the end of every chapter in this book - after that you'll have all the info this book has to offer and you'll save the 2 weeks of reading time. I did like the Sanskrit terms. This book could of easily been edited down to 50 pages of real content - The rest is wordy fluff! If you want to get started in yoga spend the [money] on "The All-Day Yoga Workout - A.M., Stress Relief, and P.M. Yoga for Beginners" (avail on DVD & video), & sign up for a local class. Namaste.

I read the Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga over a year ago. I have found myself practicing yoga faithfully and referring to the book ever since. The book gives a wonderful overview of this centuries old practice. I particularly liked the book for the authors' humor and openmindedness. As can be found in their other book, Complete Idiot's Guide to Meditation. All the information needed to start practicing yoga today is provided without making the reader feel as though they must change religions or make other drastic changes in their lives. Facts and ideas are presented in such a way that the reader can take as little or as much from the book as he wants.

I found the explainations of postures, breathing exercises and other yoga aspects to be clear and detailed (enough for a beginner). I was particularly impressed with the instructions for the postures as modifications are included. A lot of books don't do that. The book is truly an introduction to yoga - there is so much more to be learned. In fact, it has lead me to read many other wonderful books about yoga. As well as research yoga on web sites listed in the book (including Joan Budilovsky's site - wonderful, & you actually get answers to your letters).

The CIGY offers an EXCELLENT place to begin. I have recommended this book to several friends who have asked me about my yoga practice. I would recommend it again and again.

This was my first Yoga book four years ago. It gave me wonderful insight on beginning my Yoga practice. It has things in there for the pregnant, children, moms, dads, partners, elderly,etc... Very simple, a wonderful introduction to Yoga. Introduces Sanksrit terms, and the pronounciations. Illustrations... Gave me enough info to start teacher training classes along with my weekly practice with an instructor. Great book!

The title "This Organic Life" is a misnomer. I was looking for a book about organic gardening, methods, real-life experience, practical tips. I saw the title of this book, read reviews and thought it sounded like the book for which I was looking.

However, the author states a few times througout the book that she gardens organically, but really doesn't go into detail about organic gardening at all.

The title misses the most important aspect of this book - growing food locally. It took several chapters for that idea to develop and I actually began to lose interest. The benefits of growing food locally and the real cost of eating from a global market should have been introduced earlier in the book. Ms. Gussow has done extensive study on this subject and the book is littered with little facts about the benefits of growing food locally. Much of the information on the real cost of eating from a global market is disturbing and this book makes me more committed than ever to garden, organically and to produce local food.

In the end, I enjoyed the book, but it was not what I had expected.

I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but they were a nice addition to the book.

Ms. Gussow's book is an important work that enlightens the reader to the meaning of eating and living locally. She tells us about the costly effects, both personal and global, of eating food that comes from half way around the world (if we know where it comes from at all). She paints a beautiful picture of the glories of growing and eating food produced locally, all from her own experience. Her gardens are astounding, something to aspire to! But so is her knowledge of nutrition, agricultural politics and organic gardening. Key points in her writing are puncuated with simple, delicious recipes. Her granola is great! I look forward to trying more of them when things come in to season. She reminds me of MFK Fisher, with a very clear and pointed social conscience. Reading this book has inspired me to be much more aware of where my food comes from and has given me good reason to always ask the supermarket to sell me local produce when possible.

I have read scores of books on organic gardening, permaculture, the environment, and food... This book tops my list of must-reads! Every living, breathing, eating adult needs this book! (while you're at it check out "The Organic Gardener's Home Reference" it's a wonderfully comprehensive and precise reference)

I read this book over a couple of days and I was thoroughly entertained. Martin Frankel was an ultimate sleazeball, basically a financial psychopath who was willing to rip off thousands of people while quoting St. Francis on "helping the poor."

It's a remarkable, horrifying story. Frankel's sexual perversions magnify to the point where his slutty entourage is actually plotting to have baby girls to groom for his pleasures. (Fortunately, that plot seems to have gone astray.)

Pollock tells a complex story that begins with the nerdy Frankel "trying" to trade stocks and bonds out of his parents' home. I say trying, because the one over-riding theme of the book is that while Frankel talks the talk, he can't actually pull the trigger on trades. In a rare actual trade early on, he accidentally makes $20,000 for a client, and his ego takes off. He compares himself to Warren Buffett, and while Frankel may have had a lofty IQ, his delusions and mental limitations keep him from ever really making money in the stock and bond markets.

Instead, he meticiously plots to take over small insurance companies and raids their funds -- deceiving a host of employees and regulators.

As the scam grows, so does his preverted and bizarre lifestyle.

As I told a friend, "You feel like you need a shower after every chapter."

And of course ... I loved it!

I highly recommend this book to those who like financial literature with a kinky twist.

This is a great book. Its a page turner, with everything from audcious greed to stomach-turning S&M details. The author does a great job not bogging down in arcane financial minutiae, and keeps the story moving along. I read it in two sittings. For NW Ohio readers, the first 1/3 of the book has a lot of familiar settings and many recognizable names. I would recommend this book to anyone--it would also make a great move. Billy Bob Thornton should play Frankel.

Here's a fast moving book that I read before the Enron story broke. It was hard to put down as it is truly amazing that Frankel got away with so much, for so long. In the vein of truth is stranger than fiction, here's the story of a white collar crime that was much too easy. This book shows that the ways in which small town prejudice, day to day Jewish stereotyping and the acceptance that weird equals smart is ultimately more perverse that Frankel's own interest in S&M. Certainly, these all too human blind spots allowed him to carry on for a very long time. The book carefully traces the idiosyncratic and twisted path of a guy who scammed everyone, while building his own personal money-for-nothing empire. Now, re-reading this book, post Enron, his bogus financial statements seem to be just another product of the 'new math.'