Lesbian, bi or straight, a woman is bound to find SOMETHING here that will amuse, enlighten, or, yes, turn her on. The lead story, Towson University grad Teresa Palomar's hilarious take-off on Thurber's famous "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," is worth the price of the book all by itself.

Once I started this book (which I bought to give as a gift to my sister) it haunted me--and over a period of three days I stole away from other tasks to devour it. Beautifully written and so thought-provoking...the layers that are peeled away, to a core of honesty, made me think a lot about my own life with my family. As a writer myself I was humbled by this excellent portrayal of a family in crisis--and stirred by the resiliance displayed. Strongly recommend.

Tracks in the Snow is about a ten-year-old girl named Erin. It starts when her babysitter, Amy, doesn't come to babysit one night. Erin knows that something is wrong but no one believes her. Not her parents, not the police, not her teacher . . . However the oppurtunity to find Amy (Erin is determined she went to live in the old miner's cabin in the woods) comes up when she and Tiffany decide to do a project on animal tracks. Erin decides they should go into the woods to look for the tracks (and also Amy). However if she wants to keep looking she has to tell Tiffany the truth about why they're here. Tiffany believes Erin, unlike everyone else, and they keep looking for where Amy could be. But then a blizzard comes unexpectedly and Erin and Tiffany are stuck in the woods. Will they ever find Amy? And - more importantly - will they ever be able to get out of the woods?

Tracks in the Snow was a really enjoyable book. It is about two regular girls who go off into the woods by themselves. They are supposed to be tracking animals for a science project. However, one of the girls is also secretly looking for her lost babysitter who is supposedly hiding out in an old cabin in the woods. The two totally different girls survive in the woods for two days after they got caught in a snow storm. The girls help each other and find a fort to sleep in. They also go ice fishing and survive on fish. At the end of the story, both girls become friends.
I really liked this book because it has a lot of suspense and mystery. The book is very well written with a lot of very descriptive words. I really could picture the scenes so well in my mind that I felt like I was there! I highly recommend this book for all nine and ten year old girls and boys who like adventure and survival books.

I just read this book out loud to my 11-year-old niece for the fun of it (though she could have read it herself). She squealed with delight with the adventure and suspense at every turn. "I LOVE this book!" she kept saying over and over. "This book is SOOOOOO good!" I couldn't put it down either and we stayed up late that night gripped by the book and finished it the next day. Its discussions of tracks, snow and weather conditions, and how to be responsible in the outdoors are credibly accurate yet seamlessly woven into the story. And the messages that we are capable of caring for others, believing in ourselves, thinking our way through difficulties, and fully meeting life's challenges are invaluable for children, especially girls.

Lori is a likeable protagonist who uses sarcasm, charm and wit to try to woo people over and distract them from the fact that she can't read. When her friend Mickey, who works with her in a bike shop, wants to open his own shop with her, she decides it's time to learn to read. Along the way, she meets Pam, a sexy librarian, Deidre Felix, the 60-something tutor who's getting a divorce, and Whitney, the professional lesbian whom Lori starts a relationship with. Though the novel drags its feet a little bit in the middle, overall it's an enjoyable, insightful read that explores relationships, friendships and class issues. It's also an interesting concept for a writer to write a novel about someone who has trouble reading.

Lucy Jane Bledsoe reviewed my first novel which made me take notice when Working Parts was published. I'm not a bike freak or a sports nut, but I [am] dyslexic and what I found between her pages was powerful stuff. The emotions surrounding her charachter's inability to read were wonderfully portrayed. Her teacher caring enough to find the key was very moving. This is an excellent novel. I look forward to her next.

I read this book because I knew Lucy's name from a group bike trip we took during our high school years and was curious, but I was not disappointed in it's content. If you pass on this book because it is a "lesbian" novel, you are missing out. This is the story of a strong woman who is improving her life. Funny also - an excellent, entertaining story!

The Big Bike Race by Lucy Jane Bledsoe

In The Big Bike Race the main characters are Sonny, Ernest, Melissa and Grandma. His Grandma has raised Ernest and his sister, Melissa since the death of their parents. Ernest wanted a sleek bike for his tenth birthday. Instead he gets a chunky yellow one with streamers and baskets hanging off. Since his family is poor he wasn't too sad when he got a bad bike.

He thought if he won the junior division of the Citywide Cup he would win the new sleek bike. Then he met a professional racer named Sonny. Sonny, his coach, taught Ernest to be a good bike racer. Sonny said that it's better to have a great body and a bad bike instead of the other way around.

The Citywide Cup took place in Washington D.C. Ernest was really good but his bike was too heavy so he finished in thirteenth place. This is amazing because he only got about a month to train. Ernest got lucky because he was friends with Sonny , who won the race and got the new bike. He gets Sonny's old bike which is better than his yellow clunker.

I think Ernest will win his next race because he has a good body and a good bike now.

I liked this book because it shows you don't have to do everything without help.Ernest didn't give up when he lost the bike race. His friendship with Sonny taught him how to be a good bike racer and helped him earn a new bike.This book is good because it presents a believable story. So bike on down to your closest library and get this book!

Reviewed by Eli (8 years old)

This instructional series is a teacher's dream come true. Short, concise lessons geared for the older child who has difficutly with reading. "Memory chips" serve as flash cards for this controlled vocabulary reading series. Supplemental softcover a plus. Check out ..first time....second time...etc. They're great for LD kids!

The editorial review called it contrived and I guess that's right but my 12 year old hoop playing daughter enjoyed it nevertheless. It was a fun read and did show the hard work involved in getting good. I didn't like the weak, clueless parents but did appreciate that unlike so many other sports stories, the underdog did not win in the end. Basketball girls, ages 9-12 will probably like this book.