the book was so fantastic!

Although written over 15 years ago, Carol Burnett's
autobio is an amazing one. It covers just about all
(or seemingly so) of her early years in Texas,
her move to California, and at age 21, her move
to New York where she hit the 'big time'.

Carol obviously didn't have it easy. Her family
was impoverished and her mother and father were
absentee parents. Only because of her grandmother,
Nanny, did Carol pull through. Although neither
of Carol's parents survived to see her success,
Nanny did...and for that I'm sure she'll eternally
be grateful.

Unbeknownst to me before reading the book, her mother had
an illegitimate baby girl, Chrissy, which she kept...and this
was back in the 40's when such things were
scorned mercilessly. Luckily, just before
her mother died prematurely, Carol was able to take Chrissy
back to New York where she finished her formative years.

The coverage stops all too soon...Carol's narrative
is especially inviting. I was hoping that a few
bits about "The Carol Burnett Show" and Harvey, Tim,
Vicki, and Lyle would be included, but it's easy
to see why that element was left out.
Although the structure doesn't really take the
form of a letter, the book claims to be a letter
written for her three daughters. A unique format.
My only complaint is that the book contains tens of
pages of Carol's handwritten letters to a guy
named DeNootie (an old friend of hers). In the paperback
version, they are impossible to read because the
print is overpixelated. Ditto for the section of
photographs...the photos are all way underexposed.

A must-read for any Carol fan. Definitely among
the best bios I've ever read or will read.

One of the best celebrity memoirs ever. If anyone ever deserved the success in life that Carol Burnett received, it is she. This little girl, raised in poverty, in a one room apartment, literally steps away from the then- at- its- peak Hollywood Boulevard, a muckle mouthed little dreamer, tended by her cuckoo "Nanny", both parents tragic alcoholics, both of whom did not have a happy ending...This is a fabulous, humble, true success story, about one of the most talented, respected, classy ladies in the history of show-biz. Her telling of her ambition to achieve her dream, in the face of what would have been overwhelming odds to most, is not only incredibly touching, but a lesson in perseverence, and believing in yourself. I tend to write about movies, books, etc.., that are not necessarily "current", and I guess that's because the quality of the originals can't be duplicated, and Carol Burnett is truly one of the "originals." She had and has "the goods." A must read (and read again) about one teriffic lady.

I used this as a textbook for a film class I taught last year and the class loved it. The book contains solid biographical information and it's really fun to read. Plus, author Horowitz offers some very perceptive insights into women's comedy. My only criticism is that footnotes would have been really helpful because the students wanted to follow up on some of the sources -- but overall I highly recommend it.

Don't be fooled by the release date of December 1990. The actual date of the book is 1982. He talks about Happy Days and MASH and comedians we don't here of any more such as Phillis Diller. If you can handle comedic examples from past TV shows etc. then the book is good. The actual exercises are first class and he does have good advice for the beginner. May you be funny! (or June)

This book generates good ideas...but you have to do the exercise to be creative. Published in 1982 but it still provides basic principles of comedy writing in year 2002 and beyond.

Mr. Perret teaches traditional comedy writing through word association exercises. Reading this book won't make you funny, but doing the excercises might. The best beginner book I've seen.

This book was a favorite of mine in my childhood, and, when I returned as an adult to re-read it to my own daughter, I discovered it all over again.

This is a story about a different kind of princess than one might imagine; a princess that is an orphan - lonely, cold, hungry and abused. Sara Crewe begins life as the beloved, pampered daughter of a rich man. When he dies a pauper, she is thrown on the non-existent mercy of her small-minded, mercenary boarding school mistress. Stripped of all her belongings but for one set of clothes and a doll, Sara becomes a servant of the household. Hated by the schoolmistress for her independent spirit, Sara becomes a pariah in the household, with only a few secretly loyal friends. But through her inner integrity and strength of will, Sara Crewe maintains the deportment, inner nobility and generous spirit of a "real" princess.

It is a fabulous story of the triumph of human will, and good over evil.

This story is a real classic, and needs no re-writing to be as enjoyable and readable today as it ever was. Ask my 8-year-old daughter, who has already re-read it twice. Accept no substitutes, re-writes, abridgements or copies! This is a work of art, and should not be tampered with.

I first read this book when I was ten years old. I still remember being transported from my Boise, Idaho sunroom, circa summer vacation 1976, back to the foggy gaslit streets of Victorian London. I don't believe that I moved off that sunroom couch until I had devoured this entire book. I loved the whole idea of A Little Princess -- the beautiful clothes (watered silk and petticoats!), the food (gruel!), and Sara's suffering in the garrett. Sara's life was so different from mine. Reading this book was like travelling to a different continent.

In some ways, this is a formula book for girls -- although it might be fair to say that this book invented the formula: plucky, mistreated orphan (mysteriously stripped of her fortune), who never loses hope and remains truly good transformed through a mysterious benefactor into a girl rich beyond her wildest dreams (see also: the Boxcar Children; Little Orphan Annie, etc).

Sara is an extremely engaging character. She is almost too good to be true -- kind to the servants, smarter than the headmistress, and able to tell stories that ensnare her listeners. Sara's stories enable her, first to make friends, and then later, to cope with the rather significant blows that life (and the author) deal her.

And, in the best of tradition of this type of story, Sara is rescued, her wealth is restored, she remains a perfectly lovely little girl, and the horrible headmistress who mistreated her gets her comeuppance. All is right with the world once again.

Title: A Little Princess
By: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Reviewed By: ...
Period: 4

There is a young girl named Sara. She is a very smart, kind and clever girl. Sara likes to read books and imagine things. Her father had to go off in India for a job so he left Sara at a school. They were a very rich family. Sara always wore the fancy clothes and she got everything she desired. At the school, everyone always looked at her. She made some friends but very few. A few Years later, her father dies. She becomes a poor, dirty maid who cleans at the school. She still has contact with her friends but very few. She met a neighbor that just moved in. It turns out that he is looking for her because he was a close friend of her dad. The neighbor doesn't know that Sara is the girl at the school next door.
Later on they meet, and Sara's life becomes a lot better.
I liked this book because it kept making me want to read on. I didn't want to stop. It was such a interesting book. I've never read a book like this one. It's so fun how she is very happy at first and then sad later on. " Nobody but Sara herself ever knew what had happened in her room after she had ran upstairs and locked the door. In fact, she herself scarcely remembered anything but that she walked up and down, saying over and over again to herself in a voice which did not seem her own: 'My Papa is dead! My papa is dead!'" That was the sad part.
This book always made me think about how nice of a girl Sara was and what a kind heart she had. I was crying when she had become a poor, maid after her father died and left no money. She always cared for others and was an excellent student at school. "'Ah, Madam, ' he said, ' there is not much I can teach her. She has not learned french; she IS french. He accent is exquisite." That is what her french teacher told The head mistress.(She is very smart)
My favorite part of the book is when she meets friends. Although she had kind ways to talk to people, she always met people in a strange way. For instance, when she met one of her friends, Lottie,it was when Lottie was crying. Lottie was screaming out that she had no mother. Sara never really met her mother. Then, Sara offered to be her adopted mother.I thought that was strange but nice of her. It stopped Lottie from crying so hard and she became very close friends with her. That is what I liked about the book.

The appeal in this Julie Andrews biography is the amount and quality of the pictures it includes. The book covers her childhood and then divides her career into Broadway, Movie and Television sections. The text is somewhat basic; informative but not very in-depth. Robert Windler's book is much more informative as to Julie's career and an older book that only goes through 'The Sound of Music' concentrates much more on her childhood and Broadway career. The Arnzt/Wilson book is a good overview of her life and career and the pictures are truly superb!

If my house was on fire, this is the one book I would grab. The pictures are outstanding, the book features much information about her early career and lots of memorabilia from her childhood years. These are not the overused pics of Julie that we all see over and over again. Not sure why Julie had it pulled from the shelves, but I would certainly describe this book as a love story to Julie from Arntz and Wilson. This book just warms my heart.

Julie Andrews. The world's most beloved singer and actress. The darling of entertainment closest to our hearts. But, there is just one problem. When the world thinks of Julie, they immediatly think of Mary Poppins (for which she won an Oscar) or Maria von Trapp. Nothing annoys me more than that. People can't seem to undertsnad that hse is NOTHING like Mary Poppins! The only thing I think they may have in common in they are both good with children.
I encourage all of you out there to read a Julie biography book! Heck, maybe I'll write one! But do yourselves a favor and get this book! Learning about the fascinating life of Julz Andrews will be something that will both surprise and capture you- you will NOT regret it!