This book is a great read for all ages. While young readers can get a view of life in the past, oldsters can enjoy the vivid portrayal of simpler but harder times. The main character Thad deals with honesty, loyalty, work ethic, meaning of truth and growing up.

Set in the hills and hollers of Missouri, the book shows a poor but hardy people trying to make a meaningful life while facing hardships. While the main thread of the story is about revenuers finding stills and stamping out "moonshine", the real story is about what is takes to be a father, what it takes to be a freind. An added bonus in the book is a view of Ozark landscapes, superstitions, and culture of hill folks.

Despite some sorrows and heartaches necessary for a good story, the books ends on a lovely note of hope. This is a feel good story woven around a boy and his dog.

I was drawn in by the charm but hardships of life in Thad McCune's backward Ozark town. This book made me feel differently about historical fiction and I now give it more respect. I had not realized what could be done with this sort of book.

Wonderful facts, expertly put together in a collage of spooky (or even frightening) but fascinating information. A great read for people of any age. Even if you don't usually like this type of book, you will after reading this portion of the Secrets of the Unexplained series!

This book is about a kind of nerdy boy named Scott, who passes most of his time at the library. But everything changes when he sees a man with a red tunic, he follows him, and enters a whole new and wonderful world call Gale'tin. The rest is history that you should definately read.

This book is excellent for either children of about 10 years, teenagers, and adults as it is very light to read but it has some wonderful things that really make you think about today's world. It shows the difference between a technological world like today's and a peaceful, beautiful, and kind of primitive world like Gale'tin; but it teaches you that even if primitive, it is comfortable and nice to live in.

you also see Scott's counterpart which is a girl who likes him called Tully, and how they learn from each other thoughts and personalities and how "Logic" is not always so logical.

So in summary I really recommend this for you to read (specially for 2 bucks) as it will make you have a wonderful and enjoyable time.

Gary Blackwood does a great job decribing total fantasy. In the book The Dying Sun, a boy and his friend live in Texas where the Gorillas live. Gorillas are Mexcians who moved north. One of the boys are hurt badly and lose one of their feet. After this tradgey they move up north to where their parents live. Will they make it to their parent's home? Will they survive the winter? Read this book to find out what it is all about!

I think this book is one of the best I have read. It tells about the paranormal powers in a easy to understand format.

I personally found this book compelling and hard to put down. The idea of the British winning the Revolutionary war puts a chill down my spine. Very well written, but the storyline is hard to belive. The action and suspence are first rate. Gary Blackwood is very imaginative and is a good story teller. It shows in this book.

Bursting with action and suspense, The Year of the Hangman, by Gary Blackwood, is a teen must-read. In post-revolution America, the year is 1777, and the uprising has been stomped out. The victorious British send legion of troops to smoke out the subversive revolutionaries and keep a tight rein on the newly subdued colonies. Enter Creighton Brown, the main character, an uncontrollable ruffian of a British boy who, since his father's death in the Army has run amock and driven his mother close to distraction. That is, until he is kidnapped and taken to the colonies. From that point, he becomes, among other things, a servant, a spy, a printer's apprentice, and a hero. Throughout his misadventures, Creighton's character changes for the better, while principles that were once plainly black and white dissolve slowly into a shadowy gray.
This book is not only for the history minded, but for anyone who sometimes contemplates what could have happened. With colorful characters and an artfully woven plot, The Year of the Hangman will be a delightful read.

What better way to consider how things turned out than to think about how they MIGHT have turned out? The very idea of alternate history makes my brain sputter, but the author does a great job of creating a believable country of "Might Have Been." The action seldom slows as spoiled kid Creighton Brown unwillingly ships out to the colonies and stumbles into a rebellion on the skids, an experience that contrasts sharply with his previous aimless existence and forces him to grow up.

The more one knows about the American Revolution, the more surprises will be in store: George Washington in prison?! Ben Franklin in hiding?! (well, why not?) Blackwood makes Benedict Arnold an especially compelling and complex character, which (speaking as a student of REAL history) he seems to have been. But nobody needs a score card to enjoy the story. The history, though imagined, is crisply brought to life in sights and smells of the past. My only quibble is that the ending could have been stronger, but it's fun getting there. I can't think of a better way to open up discussion of what really happened than considering how things might have turned out instead!

The Shakespeare Stealer is one of the best books i've ever read in my life. I think every 12 year old should red this book, because it tells you what the culture of the 1500's was like for a young adult. I thought it was interesting how girls didn't play parts in plays. I hope you read this book, and enjoy it.

Wow wow wow! This book is terrific! This book has an interesting main character, interesting plot, and interesting dialouge. You can learn alot (while having a good time) when you read The Shakespeare Stealer!

I'm Bari Ann and an intermediate reader. I thought 'The Shakespeare Stealer' was truly fabulous! It's about an orphan named Widge, living in England in Shakespeare's time. He unwillingly is swept up into adventure and choices. No one is who they seem to be, and the plot is deep and twisting. I couldn't put this book down! It's a wonderful read.

My friend ... had read this book for the monthly book report. She reccomended to everyone! So I checked it out and started to read. Like 2 hours past and nothing really was going on...i was only on page 109 but still! I dont like it at all because it was so s l o w (slow). I reccomend it only to the people who have a lot of time and like books with alot of acting.

This clever novel was one that I couldn't put down! It was
exciting and fun to read. I read it in about 4 days, and
I totally enjoyed it. This book covers tough topics, while
being an enjoyable read. I would reccomend it to both boys
and girls ages 11 and up because of some material in it that
may be tough to understand. Read and Enjoy!

This is an absolutely fantastic sequal! It leaves a lot of room for a third book though, and we can only hope that we won't have to wait too long.

"Life on the Oregon Trail" is one of the series "The Way People Live", telling events of historical significance written in prose format. Readers will identify with the families as they begin to make decisions of right and wrong in preparation for the trip from East to West in the 1840s-1850s. Details of required items are given in a format of actual reports to allow the reader to feel involved rather than to be reading "just a history" book. Pen and ink drawings throughout help give a visual image to the facts presented for those who chose to move to Oregon Country. Actual traveler accounts are included with background supporting information to help the reader feel the excitement, fear, expense, and futility of these brave souls. Written in a chapter format, with footnotes, bibliography and index, this book would be of great help to classroom teachers either as a resource for information or to be read to children. Young adults studying the Oregon Trail history will find this a useful book to support their studies.