This is another in the American Girls series about Samantha Parkington, a nine-year-old orphan girl living in the America of 1904. In this book, Samantha is pleased to learn that her good friend Nellie and her family have been hired by a lady who lives a mere two doors away. Even better, Nellie and her two younger sisters are to start attending the local school. But Nellie is behind in her learning, and is relegated to the second grade, where she is teased as being stupid. With a quick thought, Samantha realizes that she can help.

The final chapter of this book contains a highly informative chapter on education in 1904 America. Also, I must say that I did enjoy the wonderful illustrations provided by Nancy Niles and R. Grace.

This is another excellent American Girls book. As with the other Samantha stories, this one shows the seamier side of the "good old days," but presents the story in a lighthearted and uplifting way. My daughter and I both enjoyed the story, and the lessons that it taught. We both recommend this book to you.

When I was younger, this was the first book in the American Girls Collection that I read. I decided to read it again at later time and still liked it. In the book, Samantha Parkington is a third grader at Miss Crampton's Academy. She meets up with her friend Nellie O'Malley, and learns that Nellie's employer, Mrs. Van Sicklen, is letting Nellie and her sisters, Bridget and Jenny, go to the public school. But on the first day, Nellie has problems in school. Because she couldn't go to shool while working in the factory, Nellie has never gone to shool before--she's nine years old and in the second grade. Samantha talks to her teacher at Miss Crampton's, and the teacher decides to help Samantha and Nellie out. Every day, after she finishes her chores, Nellie goes to Samantha's house for a tutoring session. Meanwhile, Samantha has to come up with a speech about Progress in America. Samantha prepares a speech on Factories in America--about how they have helped American society. After winning an award at Miss Crampton's, and being told to give her speech at the Mount Bedford Ladies Club, Samantha read her speech to Nellie. It's then that the book really starts to pick up--when Nellie explains that facotries AREN'T the improvement Samantha thought them to be. When the contest finally comes, Samantha changes her speech, and impresses both her friend and her grandmother. This book also takes a good look at the class system during that period in time, by showing the fact that Samantha would not be allowed near Nellie if she weren't helping her. An overall good book in the series, not to mention one of the first.

Candace

Samantha helps Nellie to improve her reading, math and science to help her move up to third grade. Samantha learns about Nellie's life before she moved next door. A great story to read

Beautifully photographed, this calendar is a winner for 2004. Not resorting to the industry standards, Seasons of Grace has selected twelve outstanding women to grace the year. I'll look forward to the 2005 version!

This calendar has challenged my prejudices in how I view women. I would want my kids to have something like this to provide role models.

This calendar has challenged me to look past my usual prejudices and value women as more than objects. I would recommend this to anyone.

Spretnak does perhaps the best job I have seen in explaining where the intellectual currents of the West have brought us in this small book. What a shame it is out of print! Maybe my only complaint is the way that she lumps all of deconstructionist philosophy together, drawing conclusions from the project that not even Derrida would recognize. Nevertheless, the beauty of the book lies in the way that she argues for a CONstructive theology and philosophy, using the category of creativity and and feminine aspects of God(dess) to explain how to heal our hurts. Do yourself a favor and read this book.

Although I can't totally get behind the author's Goddess philosophy, her point is well-argued. This is a very valuable book for anyone who wants a fresh look at modern ills.

Her recognition of our society's destructive "savvy detachment" is pure genius.

This book will be hated by deconstructionists, half my college professors, capitalists, communists, people who fear religion, and other sundry materialists who feed on apathy and who promote the destruction of the spiritual and the true. That should be enough reason to read this book!

As a Christian, a process theologian, a Green party member, and an all-round concerned guy, I ache to see what the faith has become in the hands of rampant modernity. Spretnak outlines modernity (where we are), deconstructive postmodernity (where we are told we have to go), and the third option that no one seems to have thought of, a constructive postmodernity that denies the disconnect that both Descartes and Derrida would have us embrace as best (or inevitable). This is one of those books that makes you immediately think of all the people you WANT to read this book (you know the kind of book I mean).

This little book has been around ten years now, and I wonder that is has not been lauded as THE manifesto of what we hope to become as a church, a faith community, as a world. I wish I had written every single word in it.

I had the honor to have access to the contents of this book before it was ever published. Its teachings, together with the infinite compassion, patience, generosity, and wisdom of the author changed my life forever. Marta Monahan's gift to you is comparable to what a perfect set of parents and guides would teach you in an ideal world; comprehensive, practical yet spiritual, tools for a life of high standards. If I had only one self-help book in my shelves it'd be this one.

This book is now required reading in both my home and office! Monahan's thesis is simple: Most of us spend a great deal of our time living in mediocrity and THAT is what causes the pain and dullness that many of us privately suffer. There is a very powerful exercise in the first chapter that makes it easy (and painful) to find the source of our own mediocrity -- and the rest of the book is about how to move out of it. Some may find this too tough and controversial because the focus is on personal responsibility and character, but Monahan is a gentle teacher who clearly is teaching from experience. Overall this book is tough yet charming, simple yet profound. The writing style is refreshing and smart for a self-help book -- this one is a gem and I am grateful for the message. After a few days of using the "Five Acts of Improvement" that Monahan writes about, I became addicted to improvement and everybody who knows me can see the difference.

It is easy reading and you discover things that are right there in front of you when Ms. Monahan graciously calls your attention to them and shines a new light. I am a better person for reading this book. I know that I have handled situations far better than I had before with some of the points that I have learned through reading this book. I have started making notes in the margins, it is a welcomed gift to whomever I have given it to. Do yourself a favor and get this for you and anyone you care about. Great book club book!

While much has been written about the engineering and management decisions that lead up to Challenger explosion, the mission, the Challenger crew and the whole Teacher in Space Program have received much less attention. In this book, the author, Colin Burgess, only devotes a few pages to the accident and focuses primarily on the teacher in space program, Christa McAuliffe, her teaching and NASA experiences and of course the aftermath of the accident. Since the book was written well close to fifteen years after the accident, it avoids much of the sadness, anger and the like which dominated many of the early works on this subject. As a result, the author gives us a wonderful book about the life and times of Christa McAuliffe and the Teacher in Space Program. There is also closing chapter on the next Teacher in Space Candidate, Barbara Morgan, who should fly sometime this decade.

As someone who lives across the street from the Johnson Space Center (JSC), it is quite obvious to me that the author spent a considerable amount of time researching her life and experiences at JSC, since all of the places, buildings, etc., are named correctly (using the names in 1986), located in their proper places and the astronaut training she received is as it should be. In other words, not only are you getting a wonderful well written book, it is also well researched.

One final thing to add, the book contains 32 pages of color pictures and all royalties from the book go to the Christa McAuliffe Fund.

This is not the first book written about Christa McAuliffe- but it may well be considered the last word on her. Many previous books have concentrated on the technical aspects of the Challenger explosion that took her life. Others were written about her as a person, but were written so close to the time of the disaster that it was hard for them to be objective and see her life and achievements in their entirety. With the passage of time, it has been possible to set the Teacher In Space Program and Christa's life in their true historical context, and Colin Burgess has here done an admirable job of doing so. The politically-inspired events that led to a teacher being offered a seat on a spacecraft formerly reserved for those with piloting or science tasks to undertake are outlined by Burgess with objectivity and clarity. But what comes through more than anything from this book is the remarkable strength of personality that McAuliffe had, making her the perfect person for a space flight, and how that strength has meant that, even after her death, her plans for space education have gone ahead. It seems that her mission to educate and inspire people to dream about spaceflight and act on those dreams was fulfilled even though she never made it into space. Burgess, having already authored an important body of spaceflight books, has added a work guaranteed to inspire and motivate anyone.

As a friend of Colin's, I normally would disqualify myself from reviewing one of his books but I feel that I had to comment on this book.

Colin has done a great job of cutting through the usual American sentimentality whenever the Challenger crew are mentioned and has done a great job in telling us about Christa. However, the book is not just about Christa. The ill fated Teacher in Space program is described in detail as is the launch and the short flight of the Challenger shuttle.

A worthy addition to any space library. Teenagers in particular will like this book.

Kate

A pig, two pigs, three... We all know about this story.
Here we are not only a wolf but also a tangram!
A wonderful idea!
The tangram is here to help the pigs.
The pig that success the best to use this tangram
will be the winner and will have many children!
The addition of the tangram made more attractive
this beautiful story. My children (4 and 7) are delighted:
they help me very well. The figures (duck, cat, rabbit,
candle,swan, house and boat) are relatively easy to make.

Un cochon, deux cochons, trois.... Nous connaissons tous cette histoire. Ici nous avons en plus du loup, aussi un tangram! Très bonne idée! Le tangram est là pour aider les cochons. Le cochon qui réussira le mieux à utiliser le tangram sortira gagnant et aura beaucoup d'enfants! L'AJOUT DU TANGRAM N'A FAIT QU'EMBELLIR CETTE BELLE HISTOIRE. Mes enfants sont ravis et ont pu activement participer à l'histoire. Les figures (canard, chat, lapin, bougie, cygne, maison et bateau) sont relativement faciles à réaliser.

This book is an excellent introduction to tangrams and geometric shapes for young children. The reader learns the names of the geometric shapes as well as seeing several pictures made from tangrams as part of the story. The book includes a set of cardboard tangrams so the reader can replicate the shapes in the book (such as a boat, bunny, cat) and also make up new ones. Good suggestions are included for parents and teachers on how to use the materials for students at different ability levels.

What I like the most about this book is that Mary Thunder tells us all about her mistakes that she made walking this path. It is a very honnest book and the writer shows us what it means to be a Human Being.Even when we are a Spiritual Person, she shows us we are not perfect. A very personal book, I could not stop reading so I finished it at once. There is a lot of funny stories in there.

It is highly uncommon to find an humble visionary, but that is exactly what you will find in this book, coupled with a witty and sharp perspective that strikes home to us all. A real Native American Medicine Woman's life adventure, coupled with a good dash of her own teaching for those of you who are wanting to learn. A New-Age must for all who are seeking a way to reach beyond what you can see, into what you know is really there!!!

With this book ,Mary Thunder reawakens the heart. Her life is a model of endurance and faith ,in addition,her training as a Lakota warrior is the kee that opens the doors of awareness.

This book opened my eyes to what Jesus Christ actually went through to give us grace. Michael Card is an inspired song writer, and he is just as talented an author

This book will not only take you to the cross, but will take you through the agony that led to that horrible place. Michael Card brings the story of Christ's torture and crucifixion to life in this wonderful book. You cannot go away from this book without having your love for Christ, and the work he did for us on the cross, renewed. If you truly love Christ, this book will bring you to your knees in adoration for what He did to save His people from their sins.

I was moved as I read Michael Card's reflections on the crucifixion of Christ. He makes the crucifixion not only a theologically necessary event, but a personal action taken by the Father and the Son to restore us to a relationshiop with them and to demonstrate the amazing love they have for us. As I read, I felt like I was a witness to the events surrounding the trial and crucifixion of the Lord. Michael describes in detail the events leading up to the crucifixion, the suffering that Jesus endured, and the victory that was won. An amazing book! I would highly recommed it. What an awesome book to read as we approach the Passover and Easter season.

This book by Dr. Boice (Ph.D., Basel, Switzerland) was a rich, fresh read for those suffocated by pluralism and relativism. When looking at the decay at the world, one is excited to read that the same decay was present before the Reformation. Dr. Boice expouses the same hope for today.

Dr. Boice expounds the five reformational creeds (Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, and Soli Deo GLoria), the impact that they had on their world, and the possible impact that they can have on our world. Boice notes the dangers that plague our churches and our homes, relativism and pragmatism, and how each of these creeds, immersed in Scripture, provide the elixir for our dying land. Also with these Scripture Creeds, he shows the impact that Reformation minded saints can transform society.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is not as deep as many of these type of works (as scholarly as he is, Boice is a pastor and communicates as one), making it a readable work that can be read in a busy schedule.

Anyone wanting a good introduction to the doctrines of grace from a Reformed and Calvinistic perspective must look here. It is reliable and easy to read. It is geared towards the laity so anyone can pick it up and read it. The section on the 5 solas of the Reformation is very well-written.

The late James Boice was a great asset to the Kingdom of God. His books communicated great truths in an understandable manner. His last book, released almost a year after his death is no exception. With grace and gentleness, yet with a passion for the truth of Scripture, he examines evangelicalism today. His conclusion is that we have lost much of the Gospel in our churches. The lives of many Christians differ very little from the world around us! He looks back to the truths of Scripture that transformed the church during the Reformation, and says that we must return to them if we hope and truly long for revival today. We need to recover the great Reformation and Biblical doctrines of Scripture Alone, Grace Alone, Faith Alone and Glory to God Alone.

Here's a sample:

"No people ever rise higher than their idea of God. Conversely, the loss of the sense of God's high and awesome character always leads to the loss of a people's highest ideals, moral values, and even what we commonly call humanity, not to mention the loss of understanding and appreciation for the most essential Bible doctrines...We deplore the breakdown of moral standards in the church, even among its most visible leaders. But what do we think should happen when we have focused on ourselves and our own, often trivial needs rather than on God, ignoring his holiness and excusing our most blatant sins? To listen to many contemporary sermons one would think man's chief end is to glorify himself and cruise the malls." (pp. 151-152).

Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace? is a much-needed reminder of what we should again believe, and why it matters.

a delightfully simple book with a multi-cultural theme (korea and the usa)...about a little boy in korea wishing for a bagel (which he had never seen nor tasted) and how his community helped to create one and to share in its eating! very well-illustrated and written to be read over and over again.

Lots of vibrant colours and a variety of interesting things on each page that hold my 2 year old's interest as I read her the simple,whimsical, and fun story that lends itself to the expansion of the child's mind and imagination. One of the better children's books out there.

Dear New York,
I would like to order one bagel to go.
Please send it to me as soon as possible.
Respectfully yours,
Yum Yung in Korea

Did Yum Yung dream of cream cheese and a bagel? Did he hear Central Park sparrows twitter about bagel crumbs? Why would he desire a NY bagel? Yum Yung lives in a part of Korea where there are many things, lilacs and waterfalls, streams of daring fish, but no New York bagels. But he knows he must have one. Yum Yung is obsessed with the idea of a bagel. He declares, "I want a bagel!" He sends a message from his Korean village via pigeon to New York City for someone to send him one. As he waits, he asks some locals for help: a farmer, fisherman, and a honeybee keeper. They know their trades and crafts well, but none of them have ever heard of the elusive, holed bagel. A bagel is not a round plow wheel, a salty round life saving ring, or a circle of honey bees. Hmmm, Yum Yung knows just where to get flour, sea salt, and honey. He runs for the Heavenly Bakery, and the pigeon returns from across the ocean, sans bagel, but with a recipe. The baker gets the required ingredients from the boy's new friends and they all make one huge bagel. Bagel shapes abound, including a full moon with a the hole in the middle.