Orphan Boy combines the values of character and responsibility. The Orphan Boy must make several critical decisions throughout the story.The pictures are absolutely stunning. The ending is a complete surprise but still plausible. A great book for grades three and up.

Dear Five Star:

I was a frustrated director until I met "The Sixty-Minute Shakespeare." Here was everything I needed: the plot of Romeo and Juliet cut down to a manageable size, production suggestions, blocking notes, set of sound requirements, property lists, detailed stage directions and even the definitions of some of Shakespeare's more obscure words and phrases. I never would have attempted directing a group of homeschoolers, ages 7-14, a Shakespearean production without this marvelous book. And I would have deprived them of an extremely rewarding experience: they worked very hard and the production was highly praised by the community. Not only that, but I am certain that most harbor a distinct affection for the works of Mr. Shakespeare. What more could a homeschool mother and Shakespearian enthusiast desire? Thank you Five Star Publications for providing my children with a never-to-be-forgotten educational memory that was a whole lot of fun!

Sincerely, Susan Zelie Homeschool Educator

The Sixty-Minute Shakespeare series is an ideal alternative for those who lack the time or resources to tackle the unabridged versions of the world's most widely read playwright. This smooth-flowing and carefully edited series works well for fully mounted productions, scene work in the classroom, and the study of Shakespeare's plays in general. While the language is condensed, the integrity of Shakespeare's writing is kept intact so students of the Bard can experience the thrill of the story as well as the beauty of the verse and prose.

This is an excellent study of John Paul II's difficult encyclical on faith and reason. Most of the contributions deal with the vexed issue of "Christian philosophy," a much disputed topic in the 1930s which has been given new life by our reigning philosopher-pope. Highlights are the fine essays by Avery Cardinal Dulles, placing the current issues in historical context, and the remrkable essay by David Meconi on the Marian dimension of philosophy.

This is a good book of inspirations and instructions for mosaic vases, tables, mirrors, and pots. There are lots of illustrations and patterns. However,the title is misleading; there are only a few sources listed, none of which have web site info, toll-free numbers, or a description of what they supply.

Any one with an eye for detail & a creative bone in their body will love this. Much more contempory & fun than the more 'crafty' selection of mosaic making books on the market. Whilst retaining the traditonal format of 'introduction - gallery - techniques - projects - useful addresses, etc' the projects are far from traditional in style if not in technique. This will probably appeal to the more style conscious person because the ideas in the book are more fitting in a modern setting but the principles in making decorative mosaic objects for the home are obviously traditional & well presented. The book has a 'clean' feel to it but I hope that anyone buying it will not stay clean for long as they cover themselves in glue, grout & bits of glass & ceramic (not literally, of course!) This will appeal to anyone who wants to try out a new & rewarding craft but is afraid of that word -"CRAFT" aghhh! This is so stylish you'll be staying in on Saturday night to make a mirror ! I might buy another copy to keep one clean ! Mosaic doesn't have to be folky, religious or in the swimming pool... It is THE up & coming decorative art & these boys have made it their own. Why not have a go ?

Read all the other reviews for the story context. It is a good story HOWEVER it is all black and white. This book could of been so much better with a little imagination and color. I was extremely disappointed to find the pictures gray, dull and lifeless. This book would be so much better with colorful pictures and text.

The story of the little kitten, who's daddy disappears, and Mummy is bad to him, is well written and non judgemental. The kitten is taken away from his birth mother and fostered, then adopted into a family of Swans, who love him. The book tells about the kitten's confusion and feelings of loss, and has a happy ending when the adoptive parents re-state their love for him.

This book is relevant for children who have been removed from a birth parent's home, not for children adopted after being orphaned or abandoned, and the picture of the scary Mum will probably introduce the wrong message about their birth parents.

This book clearly explains the child coming into foster care and then being adopted. Great for children who were adopted though the foster care system.

Readers should note that this site does not distinguish between the various editions of Shakespeare, so the reviews you read may be for audiotapes, modern translations, etc. I am reviewing the Kenneth Branaugh BBC Radio recording of Hamlet. It is adequate, which I consider high praise for this challenging play. Like Branaugh's movie a few years later, it includes the entire text of the play, which is a nice way to remind yourself of some issues you may have forgotten.

The performances are pretty good, and include Branaugh (of course) as Hamlet and Derek Jacobi as Claudius, giving us a hint of the performances they would later give in the movie. No one's performance really blew me away, although Jacobi was excellent.

Ultimately, the play loses quite a bit when transferred to audio only. There's a lot to be conveyed with stage placement, physican action, expression, etc. Somehow, listening to the play limited my imagination on those issues, preventing my from using my "mind's eye" to the fullest.

If you could read only one thing in your lifetime Hamlet should be that one thing. It is Shakespeare's best work by far, and within its pages is more meaning than you could find within the pages of an entire library full of books, or plays as the case may be. A mere review, a couple words, cannot do Hamlet justice. At times I realize that the language of Shakespeare can be difficult that is why I recommend the Folger version because it helps to make the images expressed by Shakespeare's characters clear to the reader, and allows them to get their own deep personal meaning from Hamlet, Shakespeare's greatest work, with out being bogged down in trying to decipher and interpret his antiquarian English. Don't just listen to what I say, or read what I write, read the play on your own outside the cumbersome restraints of a classroom and see for yourself what I mean.

If you're not familiar with Hamlet, a pox on you! Hamlet is the most famous failed law student in Western culture. Go see a live production. Read the play. Or get a video, or listen to an audio version. Do all four. Versions of Hamlet have been done by Laurence Olivier, Nicol Williamson, Mel Gibson, Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, or the unattainable version done by Baylor University Theater in the 1950s - the film version won a world film festival in Brussels in 1957. (Yes, I know Jacobi plays the King in Branagh's version, but Jacobi himself played Hamlet - - about the time when Branagh was 15 years old. It's better than his I, Claudius.)

Hamlet, like Shakespeare's other plays, has created a huge cottage industry of scholars, actors, theaters and books. The force of Hamlet's personality dwarfs all others, however. To see a man driven mad, and while mad, feign madness, is one of the most clever story twists of world literature. The mind and heart of Hamlet has been thrown into great, tortured pain by several levers -- the death of his father, the overhasty marriage of his mother to his uncle, the usurpation of his throne by his uncle, the threat to the entire kingdom from Fortinbras, the horrifying appearance of the ghost of his father in purgatory torments, the news of the murder of his father from a supernatural phenomenon. The rejection by his lover, Orphelia, and his ensuing mistrust of her, adds nuclear fission to the fire.

You must experience Hamlet. Oh, for a true friend like Horatio!

I saw the other reviews of this book,and I have to wonder if the reviewers really read this abridged version of the play. This is one of our family's favorite plays, and I bought this book to allow us to do a living room performance of it in one evening. I was disappointed. First, the copy has many errors in it that make performing it confusing. For instance, in Act I, Scene 1, when Egeus brings Hermia and Demetrius and Lysander before Theseus, there is a stage direction that says "Demetrius exit and Helena follow." although Helena has not appeared (in this or any other version of the play) until later in the scene. Second, every person who has to make cuts in this play does it differently, but Cass Foster has cut some parts that I really miss, especially Bottom's playing the "tyrant" in Act I, Scene 2, and the rest of Thisby's death speech in Act V. Those scenes seem wooden and hurried without those lines. If I had known what this book was like, I would have ordered a different book with the full text and cut out lines myself. It would be easier than going through this text and correcting typos and adding lines that I feel need to be there.

March 5, 1999

Dear friends at Five Star Pub.,

We have a small school on the other side of the planet from you in a country called Azerbaijan. It's kind of a home school coop. Two years ago we performed your version of Romeo and Juliet and last year, A Midsummer Night's Dream. We really enjoy your versions because of the suggestions for staging (we're all rookies) and your notes of explanation on difficult phrases. I have to admit that the kids liked the Romeo and Juliet notes the best because there were more of them but we also like the new layout of Midsummer. It's easier to use.

Thanks for your help,

Cindi Wagner Baku, Azerbaijan

Gilbert White lived the quietest life, but he succeeded in gaining the attention of all the prominent naturalists of the 18th century. His only book was the result of years of observations of his gardens and surrounding countryside of southern England. Written in the form of letters to interested fellow naturalists, White comments on birds, geology, insects, and even a visit to a North American moose that has been imported by a neighbor. As a writer, Gilbert White is astute in combining his observations with a charming delight in everything he sees that makes the reader want to follow him wherever he goes.

The book focuses on a man whos life plays as much a part of the world in which we live as does the ant I stepped on while walking to class. The book is 900+ pages that could have been condensed into 250. The author is very long winded and at many times extremely boring. The story is about as clear as a VCR user's manual. I would only recomend this book to the insonmiac and to those who hold an incrediblely overwhelming knowledge of Germany during WWII, and would like to know about each and every prisoner in German concentration camps.

I am dumbfounded at the negative review--"The book focuses on a man whos (sic) life plays as much a part of the world in which we live as does the ant I stepped on while walking to class." Paul Schneider as Bonhoeffer said must never be forgotten. This book is an admirable attempt to rescue him from his undeserved obscurity--he should be on the calander of all Christian Confessions. It is true the book is ungainly and should be reprinted in a smaller size perhaps like Bethke's biography of Bonhoeffer. What was it the negative review said--"I would only recomend (sic) this book to the insonmiac and to those who hold an incrediblely overwhelming knowledge of Germany during WWII, and would like to know about each and every prisoner in German concentration camps." Well exactly! we need to thoroughly understand Germany in the 1930's and the saints God raised up to combat its murderous idolatry ("incredibly overwhelmingly"--is that how you say "thorough" these days? We also seem to require the school at which the unfortunate ant was crushed to make this reviewer take an intensive course in expository writing) Paul Schneider died in obedience to his risen Lord--he died in and with Christ. He was not an ant--though I agree that seen through the lenses of the culture of death he may seem one. More glory to him. Remember Paul Schneider.

The Buchenwald Apostle is a highly-readable, well-researched, important work. Pastor Paul Schneider, a husband and ultimately a father of 6 children, put his life on the line to oppose Hitler's Third Reich. Schneider was a true hero supported by a faithful wife. Both were faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Foster wrote this book in chronological fashion and included not only the story of Schneider's life, but the history of the period. It is a relatively long book due to the presentation of many letters and Schneider's sermons. However, I found that these gave a greater insight into the man and the time. This is a 5-star book!