Mosley couldn't write a bad book -- even at gunpoint. His characters are always very real, very rounded and three-dimensional. But the focus of the Easy Rawlins series is always on Easy: his ruminations, his regrets, his recollections. In this instance, it is his self-recrimination for his perceived part in the death of his lifelong friend Mouse. And it is with great relief, even joy, that he takes on the job of finding young Brawly Brown. The search is everything: it validates Easy's sense of self-worth; it allows him to draw upon a lifetime's hard-learned knowledge of how to navigate the byways in the white world. And since the year is 1964 and the world is on the cusp of improved racial parity, Easy is able to draw respect and fear, in equal measures, from both sides of the equation.

As is appropriate to a man of Easy's advancing years, the plot moves at a fairly leisurely pace. Easy has become a man of a certain wisdom, and he tracks Brawly and his associates with dogged, yet pleasurable, determination. It is a slow, steady journey with a satisfactory conclusion.

What matters in this book, almost as much as unearthing the truth about what Brawly is involved in, is the family that Easy has created, the children for whom he is responsible, and the woman of worldly wisdom he has come to love. It is wonderful to read about a man determined to see his children educated -- in whatever way is possible or viable -- so that their lives will be better than his own.

There remains the question: Is Mouse really dead?

A Mosley book is always worth reading; this one is no exception.
Recommended.

Finally, after a long wait, Walter Mosley has given us the next installment in the Easy Rawlins mystery series. And, no surprise, Bad Boy Brawly Brown does not disappoint.

Set among the gang wars and internal race politics of Compton, California, Bad Boy Brawly Brown is the story of a young man caught up in a political movement that becomes something too big for him to handle. The boy, however, happens to be the stepson of Easy's close friend, John.

When Brawly runs off to join the Urban Revolutionary Party (kind of like the Black Panthers), John gets worried and asks Easy to help him out. What follows is a tense, urban thriller where Easy (haunted by the voice of his maybe dead friend Mouse) is trying to save Brawly before he sinks too deeply into the shady underworld of Compton.

Mosley has, yet again, created soem incredibly real characters with complicated, yet believable, problems. One of the best elements of Bad Boy Brawly Brown is the exploration of the father-son relationship between Easy and his son Juice in parallel with John and Brawly. This added character development elevtaes BBBB above the genre mysteries and keeps Mosley at the top of his field.

For anyone who likes some brains with their mysteries, Walter Mosley is the man.

In 1964 Compton, California, former fixer Easy Rawlins struggles with the death of his pal Mouse. Though he knows Mouse lived a dangerous life, Easy blames himself for his buddy being fatally shot, but he wonders if the medicos were wrong and his old Houston friend somehow survived, as there was no closure. In spite of his deep feelings of guilt, with two youngsters to nurture and a girlfriend to love, Easy goes straight.

Another Houston friend John asks Easy for a favor. His live in girl friend Alva Torres worries about her twenty-three year old son (from a previous marriage) hanging with the Urban Revolutionary Party. She wants Easy to find and talk to Brawly before he gets in too deep with these radicals. Unable to say no, Easy begins a search with Mouse in his subconscious guiding him through the urban jungle where even the law is an enemy to a black man.

The return of Easy, cleverly accompanied by Mouse at least in the hero's mind, is time for rejoicing for those who enjoy an entertaining yet insightful "professional" amateur sleuth historical mysteries. Easy remains an interesting character struggling with his loss and the need to take care of his two charges while helping a friend within a strong entry that shines a light on Los Angeles during the Civil Rights era. New readers will want to obtain Easy's previous appearances (DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS and A LITTLE YELLOW DOG) as Walter Mosley shows why he is one of the best.

Harriet Klausner

Activities are not organized in a developmentally appropriate manner. Does not cover some of the most basic activities to develop awareness of speech sounds (e.g. listening, discriminating) and includes an abundance of activities that would be difficult for children at the pre-reading/early reading level.

I tutor kindergarten students in phonemic awareness and found this book to be an invaluable resource in preparing lessons for the children. While many books tend to emphasize phonics, the children that I tutor cannot yet recognize sounds within words, a necessary pre-requisite to phonics instruction. This book is one of a few that gives specific sound - related activities. One tool that I found to be very helpful is a scope and sequence chart that gives a suggestion as to when to introduce new concepts in phonemic awareness. The book also includes a variety of activities including songs, worksheets, and games that help keep kids actively involved in learning to hear sounds within words. The author also included extra picture cards which can be used to personalize and revise the worksheets and games to keep them fresh and interesting. I recommend this book along with Janiel Wagstaff's Irresistible Sound-Matching Sheets and Lessons that Build Phonemic Awareness, and Jo Fitzpatrick's Phonemic Awareness: Playing with Sounds to Strengthen Beginning Reading Skills to anyone who works with children that need to focus on phonemic awareness, whether tutoring in small groups or in a classroom setting.

This book has been so useful with my inner city first graders. I love it!