A great book that mixes the story of a legendary folk hero and a supernatural battle between heaven and hell. Nancy Farmer is a great writer and the oil paintings bring the story to life.

I came upon this book just browsing in a childrens book store. I love how the story hints at a supernatural struggle in the midst of a folk story about the early days of railroad. Beautifully written and the pictures are gorgeous.

Enjoyed the development of the characters and their 'real' lives. As with all good mysteries, it kept me guessing, picking one then another as the doer of the 'vile deed.' With such down-to-earth characters I was expecting a 'simple' ending, so I was quite unprepared for the expertly woven finale! WOW! I never thought a murder mystery could be so amusing. Looking forward to more by this author.

In HARVEST OF BONES, Wright brings us back to the village, farms and fields of Branbury, Vermont to renew our acquaintance with farmer Ruth Willmarth, Colm Hanna, and the other well characterized people who made MAD SEASON such a rewarding read. We now meet feisty old Glenna Flint, fleeing the nursing home, LANDS END, in which her son and daughter-in-law plan to warehouse her. Also new to Wright's world is Fay Hubbard, whose post-divorce therapy involves at attempt to run a B & B, replete with a recalcitrant cow, whom Fay doesn't even know how to milk! Then after Fay's adopted greyhound digs up a ringed finger and its once attached body , the vividly interactive plot is off and running. Even more of a page turner than MAD SEASON, and wonderfully written, HARVEST OF BONES will keep you sitting by your imaginary woodstove on a subzero evening in Branbury, Vermont, until you reluctantly turn the last page.

The book is a finally written, well reserched study of Washington's agricultural endeavors. As a careful examiner of Washington's life, I can tell you that the Fusonies' rpovided a much needed study of an aspect of Washington's life that was important not only to himself, but to the planter society he lived in. This book's careful study of Washington provides a better synopsis of the role of agriculture in molding the Virginia society that produces many of the leaders of the Revolution than more well-known books such as, Tobacco Culture by T.H. Breen

We initially chose this book at the library because it had wonderful drawings of farm animals, especially dogs and cats, and a nice rhythm. But my 16-month-old daughter wouldn't let us put the book back on the shelf after reading it so we checked it out. We've since returned the book to the library, but she loved it so much - endlessly turning the pages and babbling to the animals pictured on them - that I had to buy her her own copy!

Hopkinson has written a clever picture book incorporating tasty recipes, but take the details of Fannie Farmer's life with a grain of salt. Hopkinson has altered the facts to serve her story.

Farmer's first cookbook was an update of a cookbook, written by one of her predecessors at the Boston Cooking School, which already incorporated precise measurement using standard measuring cups and spoons. Farmer's contribution was "level" measurement (as suggested by Marcia) and kitchen-testing of all the recipes by the school's students and faculty.

Read "Fannie in the Kitchen" to your child as an introduction to Fannie Farmer. Then read "Perfection Salad" by Laura Shapiro to learn the true story.

I am an educator who likes to use historical fiction with elementary students. Students love the story of FANNIE IN THE KITCHEN, and we have also used the book to talk about how cooking has changed over the years. I bring in old kitchen utensils from antique stores to show them. (Many kids can't identify a sifter, to say nothing of a butter mold! And when was the last time you saw a doughnut cutter??) We also use the book as a jumping off point to talk about math and measurements.

Although this is clearly a humourous, fictionalized take-off on a footnote to history, students and I also enjoy talking about how young Marcia must adjust to change, as her mother has a new baby. The way the illustrator depicts the developing relationship between Marcia and Fannie is delightful.

As the author note states, Fannie Farmer was one of the first to recommend precise measurements in cooking. What a fun way for kids to be introduced to this 19th century figure

Kids might have seen the Fannie Farmer Cookbook in the kitchen but never known that Fannie Farmer was a real person. This is an obviously fictionalized story, but it does include some actual quotes from Farmer's early cookbook. Nancy Carpenter's illustrations combine Victorian clip art with her own drawings. Not a biography, but a fun introduction to the name of Fannie Farmer and a story about how a young girl gains confidence in the kitchen.

I agree wholeheartedly with Ursula K. Le Guin's comments on the back cover, and with the published reviews; along with an exciting plot, Ms. Farmer gives readers a thoroughly imagined future setting, moral passion, and characters we can relate to on a human level. Little Matt has lived all his life (until age 6) in a shack in the fields with his loving guardian, the cook Celia. When other children discover him, Matt is both scared and excited. He longs to make contact with the other kids, but, when he tries, both wonderful and terrible things start to happen to him. Gradually Matt begins to understand that he is a clone, born specifically to provide body parts for El Patron. Although most people despise clones as less than animal, Matt is lucky to have a few people who love him - and he also has a sharp intelligence and determination. Will these things be enough to help him avoid his preordained fate? Published as a children's book (for ages 12 and up), "House of the Scorpion" should also be read by all adults with any taste for science fiction. I'd love to see it get the Nebula as well as the Printz award! It's a challenging book, for teens and adults alike, but also engaging, stimulating and rewarding.

The House of the Scorpion is what you would call a book 'beyond its time'. Not only is the setting a century from now, but the sensation of feeling as if you were in a time warp flying through the future (well not quite as expressive as the Jetsons') is accompanied with reading the book itself. Nancy Farmer gives the life story of a young 'boy' who is actually a clone of a 140+ year old drug lord named Matteo Alacran, (or El Patron as he is more locally called throughout the book) ruler of the country of Opium (an area within 'former' Mexico and the US). Of course, the clone is also given the same name as well (Matt). In the beginning, Matt was grown within a cow (yes cow) from DNA given from El Patron. Despite his old age, El Patron creates his clones as a way to help him live on through the use of a clone's organs once his own grow bad. However, clones usually have their brains destroyed so any form of rebellion would be prevented. As for El Patron, he does exactly the opposite. Instead, he gives his clones the lap of luxury to give them confidence until it's too late.
As a young boy, Matt is shielded from the outside world from his caretaker Celia, cook of El Patron's mansion. As time progresses, Matt is later discovered and winds up in the Big House (El Patron's house). From here on Matt begins his long journey of self discovery to find out who and what he really is. However, no journey goes without obstacles. Tom, a son of a US senator's wife (ok the wife cheated a little), terrorizes Matt's life by doing whatever possible to make his life a nighmare. Likewise, the entire estate of the Alacran's segregate Matt from itself for what Matt is. On the other hand, Maria, daughter of the US senator (no cheating this time) ends up being Matt's secret crush, that is despite some difficulties in the beginning. Tam Lin is another of Matt's favorites. Originally being a 'terrorist', he is one of El Patron's top bodyguards and becomes Matt's as well. Tam Lin teaches Matt of nature and survival as he (Matt) soon learns these techniques and lessons would come to great use in the near future (You'll have to read why...hey I can't tell everything :)]. Secret passages, hospitals, exploration, captivity, love, self-discovery, and an all out war of mind over body plus much more is what one would find in this guaranteed Farmer classic: The House of the Scorpion.

Other info:
Reading Level: Middle School +
Recommendations: Great for school reports and projects or just for fun!
Overall: Guaranteed to send shivers down the spine and tears in the end! Will keep you begging for more!

It all started in a little house in the poppy fields of Opium. A little boy named Matteo Allacran lived in this little house. He lives with a woman named Celia, but she is not his mom. One day two people visited the house when Celia was at work. Their names were Maria and Tom. They visited the house a couple days later and tried to get Matt to come out of the house. He had to break open the window and jump out. When he landed he landed on all the glass. The visitors had to carry him all of the way to their house. When they got there, a maid come out and carried him into the house. That?s when Matt found out his very deep secret that would haunt him for the rest of his life. He wasn't a human. He was a clone. A clone of the most powerful man in the world. El Patron. He was then put in a prison like place for a very long time. He was then rescued by Celia and was sent to El Patron. He was extremely old. He was about 140 years old!
Fourteen years later, he finds out a very deep secret about what clones are used for. He was then about to be used for it, but he escapes to the border and is then caught by a keeper. He owned an orphanage. He was then sent to another orphanage with two other people. Their names were Fidelito and Chacho. He also made another friend named Ton-Ton in the other orphanage. The keepers treated the ophans very bad. If they did anything wrong, then they got beaten. They decided to run. They made it, but there were many obstacles ahead. Find out what happens next in: The House of the Scorpion!

Have you ever read a book where animals talk and they can disappear? If not, then you should read this book.

I liked this book because it helped me understand what people have been doing to the wildlife. I also liked all of the cliffhangers in the book, too. The genre of the book is adventure/fiction because the animals do something out of the ordinary. It's an adventure book because the animals and a boy go on an adventure to get home.

Ruva is a baby giraffe that was taken from her home in Africa by the Slopes, a clan of people poaching animals and then selling them to a zoo. Ruva's attributes include being scared easier than most animals. Jubila is a boy who lived in San Francisco. Suddenly, he finds himself as a slave of the Slopes.

The author uses a lot of weird sound effects. Some words that I can't even pronounce. She writes like no author I have known. If you ever read this book, you will see what I mean. Most people might not know about Nancy Farmer yet, but if they read this book, they will probably remember her name.

Will Ruva and her friends find their way home, or will the Slopes keep them forever? To find out, read The Warm Place by Nancy Farmer.

Have you ever wondered what being a giraffe is like? Have you ever wondered about what you would do if you were taken from your family? I did, and so did some of the characters in this book.

In the book, The Warm Place, a baby giraffe was taken from her mother to be put in a zoo. On the way she meets a friend named Rodentus who teaches Ruva many things. Ruva left her friend Rodentus and was put in the zoo. While Ruva was resting, she saw some kids throw something into her cage. It was a chameleon named Nelson. Ruva and Nelson picked the lock to her cage, but it still failed to work. Nelson found a rat named Troll and at night, Troll picks the lock and Ruva manages to escape (with Nelson and Troll).

I like this book because it is a very well written book and I think the author (Nancy Farmer) did a great job describing it. I also like it because it isn't just an adventure book, but it's also a fantasy book and I really like the way the author wrote it. My favorite character is Troll because if Troll wasn't there to pick the lock Ruva would still be locked up in the cage. It's a great book for kids ten and over.

Will Ruva get caught? Will she escape from the zoo? If Ruva escapes how will she get home? Read The Warm Place to find out!

" We caught the giraffe!!!!!!!" said the slopes as they caught their aim. They had caught a little baby giraffe. How would that feel to you? Well, I know because I just read The Warm Place by Nancy Farmer.

This book is about a little giraffe named Ruva who gets captured by the slopes and brought to an American zoo. She is terrified at the crowd that comes to look at her, and being put in the cage right next to the lion's den scares her even more. She makes some great friends, which include two rats, a magic chameleon and a boy. She wishes she could go home and be with her mother again. All of a sudden she remembers her mother telling her about giraffe magic. How will giraffe magic help Ruva?
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My favorite character in this book is Ruva because she's a little giraffe that does not know a lot about the world. My favorite part is when Nelson (the chameleon) shows Ruva how the lions won't bother him by walking into their cage and taking some of their meat.

Will Ruva ever be with her mother again and live in happiness? What will Ruva do with her amazing giraffe magic? Read the book to find out.

Though she dislikes frats, Donna Woodleaf accompanies her friend Emily Willmarth to a final fling as Branbury College is shutting down any fraternity that refuses to go coed. That night baseball star Shep Noble takes Donna home, but tries to rape her. However, the Donna's "experience" turns even uglier by the next morning when Shep is found dead on the Woodleaf grounds. The police make inquiries into the death.

Though no charges have been filed, many neighbors convict the Woodleaf family because Donna's father is part Abenaki Native American and her mother Gwen grows marijuana and belladonna for medical purposes. As the official investigation begins to look closer at whether a homicide occurred, harassment of the Woodleafs commences. Donna asks Emily's mother Ruth to help her and her family. Though she has her own trouble with little income and raising three children by herself, Ruth coaxes her beau, part-time police officer Colm Hanna, to dig deeper into Shep's death even as she wonders if the murder of a professor is tied to the Noble homicide.

STOLEN HONEY is an exciting amateur sleuth - police procedural that never slows down for a paragraph. The story line is fast-paced and filled with a delightful ensemble cast. In her fourth mystery novel, Ruth remains a dynamic heroine. Though there is so much going on the audience will need a scorecard to keep track of what happens with the players, Nancy Means Wright knows the right means of providing an exhilarating tale that will satiate her growing legion of fans.

Harriet Klausner

This is a wonderful addition to Nancy Means Wright's series of mysteries set in Vermont. She captures the flavor and the politics of the state so well, and it is always difficult to figure out "who dun it." Stolen Honey illuminates many aspects of the state: the Abenaki population; the old hippy population; the agricultural population; the tight communities among its citizens. This novel provides captivating reading -- because of its mystery and also because of its insight into the rural, complex state.

THE EAR, THE EYE, AND THE ARM takes place i futurisic Zambabwe, 2194 to be exact. The story is about Tendai, Rita, and Kuda, the children of General Matiska. The children are not allowed to leave their prison-like home, due to te fact that their father is afraid of their kidnapping. The children sneak out, and, as expected, ARE kidnapped. Mrs. and General Matiska hire Africa's most unusual detectives to find their children, The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm. Ear has excellent hearing "he can hear a bat burb in the basement", Eye has incredible sight "he can see a flea cling to a hawks feathers in the sky", and Arm can feel others feelings, kinda scary, eh?? The children go from slaves in a plastic mine, to an old Shona village from the ancient past, to a seemingly ally's house, to the top of a mile high building. Although this story takes place in the future, it brings up ancient conflicts and uncovers the most dangerous gang in Zambabwe...........

Nancy Farmer has developed very srong characters and some of the things that happen are a BIG suprise. In this book, you kind of have to expect the unexpected, and keep an open mind. Even if you usually read science fiction books, this story will grip you and make you want to read it over and over again!!!

I really liked The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer. Although it is intended to be for older kids(grades 7-10) you can still appreciate the book if you are younger. The plot is interesting: set in Zimbabwe in 2194, 3 children, who happen to be the children of an important general, leave the safety of their mansion to go into the city alone. There they find mystery, action, and suspense. They are kidnapped, and the general hires a detective agency called The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm to find his children. This detective agency is made up of 3 men who all have special powers. Some of the characters are also very different: "The Mellower" , a man that is hired by the general's family to, uh..well... "mellow" them. There is the blue monkey, a genetically engineered monkey that can talk, and there is the "Elephant woman" , a lady that lives in a junkyard that contains toxic waste. With all the different characters and happenings, the story can get a bit confusing, but it's still a really good book. Read it!

"The Ear the Eye and the Arm" is an exciting book,and I would recommend it to people of all ages and tastes. It's a mixture of adventure and mystery.

It takes place in a Zimbabwe of the future (2194 to be exact). It is about 3 siblings named Tendai, Rita, and Kuda who have spent their whole lives stuck in their house, without ever seeing the outside world. General Matsika,their own father has never showed any affection towards them, but only treated them as if they were his soldiers.

One day Tendai, Rita, and Kuda run away from home in order to see the "outside world" but end up having an adventure they would never had expected to experience in a thousand years!
They go from living in a place where you don't have to lift a finger, to working in dead man's Vlei to stay alive. Many more frightful experiences follow this. During these adventures, Tendai also learns about the culture and heritage of Zimbabwe

While this is all happening, the Ear, the Eye, and the Arm (3 out of work detectives, each with a special gift) are hired to help find the children.

A Girl Named Disaster is about a girl named Nhamo who lived in a remote village in Mozambique. In the village she lived with her mother's sisters and their children and her mother's mother. She lived with them because a leopard had killed her mom. Her mom's side of the family doesn't think they can trust the father's family. Nhamo's father also killed a man named Gorè Mtoko and then ran away. Soon, Nhamo found out that she had to marry Gorè's brother. She then runs away.
On her journey, Nhamo survived in the wilds. She learned how to take care of herself and she matured. During her journey Nhamo became a woman. Eventually she came to a town called Effifi where she met scientists.
This book was way to long. The author could have easily have deleted about half of the description that was given and made the book much shorter. Also, this book was way too feminine for me so if you are a guy and want to read this book, don't. Also, since the book was so feminine I could barely relate to the story line. And, the chapters ended on cliffhangers, and I hate cliffhangers.
There were only two good parts about this book and they were the author's writing style and the vocabulary. The writing style kept me interested for the most part because this book seemed to be aimed at kids my age. The vocabulary words were new and interesting. The basic writing style made you feel like you were a part of the book. Finally, I have a new favorite word thank to this book. The word is pariah. Other favorite words of mine are furtive a morosely. You'll just have to find out what it means.

Nhamo is a strong, brave, and determined young woman who livesin a tribe in Africa. Forced to marry an older man to save her relatives, Nhamo flees from her village. Her journey is very dangerous, as she tries to survive the rivers, animals, and great spirits. Without anyone to talk to Nhamo talks to a sacred picture from an old magazine, pretending that it is her mother, who was killed by a lepoard many years ago. It keeps her company,along with the spirits of the water and the spirit an old man who used to live in her village named Crocodile Guts. Nhamo travels down many rivers encountering many obstacles, as she tries to reach her only hope, her father in Zimbabwae. When Nhamo becomes lost in a storm, she is washed upon an island shore, with her boat severly damaged, where she must learn how to survive for many months while sharing the island with wild baboons. Still she is in search of her father in Zimbabwae, but struggles to reach him ,fearing that she'll never make it to Zimbabwae alive. As you read about Nhamo's struggles and triumphs in this wonderful story, you begin to feel for her and begin to realize how hard she works and how african women were treated. She becomes a real woman, realizing that life isn't always easy and isn't always what you plan. The african tales told in this book by Nhamo and her Grandmother are very interesting and have many morals intertwined in them. Nhamo shows strength and courage, and demonstrates that you must never give up no matter what the circumstances may be. There are a number of surprises and twists in this book. Although the story is very interesting, it did slow down throughout the middle, but gave a ton of descriptive detail. Nancy Farmer includes African words in the text to provide a learning experience and discovery for all ages. An African dictionary and brief history of African life is included in the back, which is extremely interesting and makes the book seem very real. It is researched very well, and is truely an African American story, that one should read. I suggest that you try reading at least 20-30 pgs of the book and decide if you like it. It is quite confusing in the begining, however the pace speeds up and leads into an adventure that all will enjoy!

A Girl Named Disaster is a highly good tremendously recommended book. It has adventure,sadness,joyfullness,spirituality,and almost everything you would want to read about! If you are intrested in hearing about some of the plot,listen up! The main character in this book is Nhamo.She lives in a small village.She works every day in her village doing chores and working almost non stop.When Nhamo sees everyone has been getting sick in her village she and some other villagers go to a Muvoki. Nhamo's aunt hates her. Nhamo's aunt,in a horrible dishonest way, makes Nhamo go live with her own drug and alcohol addicted uncle with about three wives! Nhamo does not want to go off and marry him.So she bravely and couragously sets out on an adventure to find Zimbabwe. Nhamo faces starvation, wild and untamed animals,spirits,and killing animals and having to eat them.Nhamo is an amazing young gal. I highly recommend this book to you!