But a worthwhile read. The harassment the girls experience because of their suspected relationship is realistic and heartbreaking. The bravery required to come out is heartening. This is a fine novel for both gay and straight teens to read to gain better understanding of the difficulties of being gay in America. We need more books like this!

Having heard so much about Nancy Garden, I ran right to the library and got Annie On My Mind. The book was wonderful and very educational about the emotional aspects of a young lesbian partnership. So naturally, when I heard about Good Moon Rising, I went to the library to get that as well. I finished it in a period of three hours, never putting it down once. This has to be one of the most well-written, true-to-life, amazing books I have ever read. It comes straight from the heart and, at some points, made me cry. As a fifteen-year-old lesbian, I can't even begin to say how much I relate to this story. Many thank-yous to Nancy Garden for her fine writing. I would recommend this book to anyone, gay or straight, to remind them of the powers of homophobia and how it affects the people on the receiving end of it.

I shouldn't read other people's reviews. As soon as I read one that disagrees with my opinion of that product it makes me mad. I am strange like that. But here I am writing my own review so I can shout to the world what I think, as if you all want to hear in the first place.. Anyway getting onto the actual review part of this. 'Good Moon Rising' is an excellent book. I read it twice in a time period of maybe five days. I checked it out from my local library and the first time I read it, I was through it in less than 5 hours, which may or may not be impressive. But I'm saying it's an incredibly wonderful book for anyone, even though I especially liked it since it was for the 'lesbian youth' crowd, which I'm in. Nancy Garden is such a great author, her style of fiction writing is perfect. Easily read, easily enjoyed. I know I should probably give some insight into the story line of the book in general but I think you should read it for yourself. Of course right after you read 'Good Moon Rising' you MUST go and read 'Annie On My Mind' another Garden classic, and one of the greatest books of all time (in my humble opinion). This is literature how it should be, and Garden at her finest (though she always is). Pick up this book and read! Oh and this book gets 12 out of 5 stars.

Including information from real-life hummingbird gardeners around the U.S., this book will be useful to virtually anyone in North America who's trying to create backyard habitat for these fascinating birds. The main shortcoming of this book is in the depth of coverage of the plants, particularly photos. There were not enough showing an entire plant (though more than enough of the birds themselves), and the one feeder illustrated contained dyed sugar water (a no-no and contradictory to the text). Novice hummingbird gardeners should cross-reference the plant names with national and regional gardening guides for photos and cultural information such as size and temperature tolerance.

Long, long ago - experience taught me the smoothest way through life is to "never make recommendations to anybody about anything." Sam and I have learned to qualify those don't-miss-it things encompassing: great places to eat, visit, read, watch, etc. For example, we now say, "The food was great the night we were there," or "You would love the movie if you enjoy such-and-such."

With all of those lessons in mind, I'm unequivocally saying, "Get your hands on Hummingbird Gardens as soon as possible." I don't think the co-authors, Nancy Newfield and Barbara Nielsen, have yet realized the true scope of what they have accomplished.

I knew Nancy was working on a book with somebody, but thought it was strictly for the southern Louisiana area. When Sam brought home my unexpected copy, it took only a few minutes of browsing for me to tell him something like, "Good lord, this thing is really, really good - and I mean good!" That's saying a lot for a person who is not easily impressed, and the more I read, the better it got.

Somehow, Nancy and Barbara truly did it all in Hummingbird Gardens by combining a wealth of well written, informative text with spectacular photographs of both the hummingbirds and the flowering plants so loved by these creatures. The beautiful birds and blossoming plants are well covered in their own separate chapters.

At the same time though, the content flows smoothly into pertinent regional information for those in: California, The Pacific Northwest, The Southwest, The Western Mountains, The Southeast and The East and Midwest. They so skillfully blend bird and bloom with helpful tips and enthusiasts' experiences that you will want to read on and on about other hummers in other gardens!

As far as I can determine, they left no stone unturned. All who open its covers will soon learn to appreciate the inclusion of subjects often left out of other publications. This one did not forget such things as: References and Further Reading (great bibliography), Resources (supermarkets for the hummers' favorite natural foods), and an excellent Index.

One last thing. Although Hummingbird Gardens was primarily done for the millions of us who simply love and enjoy these particular bounties of nature - I sincerely believe ornithology, as a whole, will gain as well. The professionals cannot be out in the field all of the time, thus what we see "our" hummers doing in our yards can contribute a great deal to the science. Meanwhile, we are very lucky, indeed, that Barbara and Nancy decided to share their knowledge and discoveries with the rest of us!

This book has incredible photographs and gobs of information about these amazing creatures. It's an unabashed sales-job to get you to become a hummingbird gardener. (That's not a bad idea!)

"The Southern Heirloom Garden" is a rich and instructive work.

At the start of the book, William C. Welch and Greg Grant tell us that "gardening is one of the oldest, and richest, of our Southern folk arts."

The authors divide the book into two sections. The first section refreshingly explores French, German, Spanish, Native American, and African-American contributions to Southern gardening.

The Spanish, for instance, intensely developed and utilized small garden spaces, while African-Americans used brightly-colored flowers in the front yard as a sign of welcome.

This section also has a commendable essay on historic garden restoration in the South.

The second section addresses the plants "our ancestors used to build and enrich their gardens."

There are nearly 200 full-color photographs here, along with dozens of rare vintage engravings. While some of the pictures are a bit small, they are still informative.

Southern gardeners and historians will particularly enjoy this fine volume.

This is a really great book. I loved the essays on each plant. Greg Grant is very humorous. This is not just a coffee table book, although the pictures are beautiful. It offers advise and inspiration to those of us who will never have the "Southern Living Landscape" look.

In these days of trying the "Western grass garden" or the "English perennial border" it's particularly refreshing to study a book devoted to plants that happily grow in the Southern humidity and heat. While the opening chapters on historical gardens in the new world (French, Spanish, etc.) were interesting, the later chapters on plants were the most informative. When reading I could hear my Grandmother using the same commonplace names, like "paw-paw" and how to make jelly from the fruit. The challenge will now be to find some of these plants. (The authors admit some plants are only available from old gardens in the South). It remains one of my favorite garden books for its affectionate commentary on one of the oldest southern pastimes - our gardens and the talking and sharing of plants with loved ones.

oh my gosh this book was sooo good everyone should read it it has a great plot and great characters the ending is umm hmm well i wont ruin the surprise!

I thought this book was very good the author gives you a good idea of what the characters are like. Nancy is a very good author for teens.

I actually haven't read this book in...I guess about twelve, thirteen years. I'm twenty-three now and I still remember this book -- I couldn't remember the title, or the author, but I finally found it after a few months of idle searching. There are very few books I read between the ages of 9 and 12 that left as great an impression on me. Ruthven savouring raw meat, the creeping horrors of the librarian Renfield, the dark underground passage between the library and the mortuary, all the affable darkness of mysterious Cimralla... Great story.

This amazing story, which was well written and has a fabulous cover page,gaveme the opportunity to read it and enjoy it. This is a story about three siblings: Sarah, who is twelve,Tim, who is one year younger than her, and, of course,th little one, who is Jenny , with their dog Tink. They usually go with their parents to their cabin in Boston adn spend the summer there. But there is a change of plans for them this year. Thier grandfather is very sick and and their parents have to go up to Maine and give him some company since he is in the hospital. So when you think about it, you say"They cant be left alone , or could they?" They were supposed to be watched by thier aunt Clara ,but unfortunately she couldn't make it. You know what that means: total freedom to do whatever they want, but what you didn't know is that they aren't alone. They have one problem that will make their lives miserable and that was "bats",lots of them. Where did they come from? Why did they come? nobody knows. All they know is that they are there. So they decide to get an exterminator, but when they do they are all out on vacation. Out of nowhere, they get a weid looking card saying "exterminators". They call and have them come over, but what they didn't know was that these exterminators werent ordinary ones. They were someting else. This is what occurs in the story My Sister, the Vampire.

The book is really good and really interesting. Once you start reading you can't stop. It's too good to be true, but it is scary, and when you find out who is the bad person, or maybe not even a person, you know what's going on. So go out and grab this book because you will love it.

Sarah, Tim, and Jenny don't know what they got
theirselfs into refusing a babysiter. Everythings
fine till they find out about the new owners of
Spool Island

...the friendly professer, then the next victum!

The Year They Burned the Books is about a group of high school students who run the school newspaper. When the paper's editor, Jamie Crawford, writes an editorial supporting the new Health Ed curriculum, which includes condom distribution, a controversy erupts. Jamie and her friends' views are opposed by fellow students, the new school board member, and even Jamie's good friend, Nomi. Can Jamie still keep her friendship with Nomi while coming to terms with her own beliefs and sexuality? I liked this book because most of the characters and situations were realistic and believable.
The only things I didn't like were Lisa Buel's comments; they really made me mad. In this case for me, being fair to everyone was difficult. Something that confused me was why some of the kids were so Bible-obsessed. I have never seen kids like that in my life. Also, I don't remember any passage in the Bible saying homosexuality was evil. What Bible were they reading?

Could there be anything else in this book? Censorship, homophobia, the religious right, sexuality, suicide--I can't think of a book that attempts to tackle so many issues at once. Not that Garden doesn't handle all of the issues well. I am particularly impressed with how she works in a minor physical altercation--a level of homophobia not seen in her earlier novels, and, I suspect, a reaction to the homocide of Matthew Shepard the same year. This novel raises many questions and is a must read for gay and straight teenagers.

I literally just finished reading this book,and i thought it was amazing.As a teenager in a small town, I could relate to the characters,especially Jamie. This book was so interesting I couldn't even put it down!I recommend this book to absolutley anyone, and especially to teenagers.It's by far my favorite book ever!

After reading all the positive reviews here, I waited in anticipation for this book's arrival. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. Gardeners in the West or Southwest will find little-to-nothing about their area in this book, since it concentrates mainly on the North and South. Try Sunset's "Western Garden Book" instead. Looking for in-depth lawn care information? You won't find it here! Get Stuart Franklin's "Building A Healthy Lawn" instead, which has no glossy pictures, but provides more information on lawns. This book misses the mark on garden design inspiration, too. There are so many other, better books on this topic as well. Mainly geared to the neophyte gardener who has just moved or inherited a garden, "The Lawn and Garden Owner's Manual" lacks detailed coverage on subjects that serious gardeners crave.

As an avid gardener, this book was great! Step by step, season by season guide to gardening and things that should be done and how to do them. Very straight forward and great pictures! I have quite a number of gardening books, but this one is one of the best.

Let me help you decide - this book is a Must Have. Easy to understand, well organized, straight forward and virtually indespensable.

The book was used as a guide for a cross-cultural communications class. It was useful and informative.

This brief work gives a great overview of all of the elements that compose a zen garden. Beginning with a simple history of Japanese gardening, the author then procedes to elborate on each component of a garden and the various ways that they may be employed. The book is filled with useful drawings to help the aspiring gardener, however the all-too-few photographs in the book are less then great. A nice section of color photos showing completed gardens would have improved what is already a good work.

This novel was frustrating because the premise doesn't seem very realistic. The protagonist is old enough to know that she is in way over her head with the runaways she finds in the woods. I think most 18-year-olds would have just turned the kids in. Plus, don't be fooled by descriptions that say the protagonist and her girlfriend handle the situation together--the love interest is in the novel for only a short period!

I liked this book. I wasn't particularly impressed with the writing, but I found the story sticking with me for a long time after I read it. I thought it did a good job of integrating the everyday events and family life with the more unusual events with the two runaways. I could identify with Gillian, and Lark was very realistic. The other characters could have been less flat, though. And even though Gillian's fear about helping the two kids was understandable, and anyone in that situation would be terrified, I found myself wondering what the big deal was. Maybe the book's target audience, about age 13-18 I assume, would be more impressed by the events than I was. The one other thing that bothered me was the writing itself. I've read other books by Nancy Garden, and dialogue is obviously not her strong point. The characters all speak the same way, in complete sentences, and express themselves way too easily for teenagers, which cuts down on the tension a little. On the other hand, this book is a good start on filling a much-needed gap in young-adult literature. The fact that it has a gay protagonist in a loving relationship without putting a lot of emphasis on it is good in two ways: it shows that being gay or straight isn't the most important thing about a person, and it makes the book relevant to gay and straight kids alike. And the more straight kids read this book, and any other books that portray gays as human beings, the better.

The first thing to strike the eye when taking this book to hand is the full color and the beautiful glossy paper (no expense spared at the printer's!). The second thing to be noticed is the lay-out which is only just short of crummy (looks as if this was farmed out to India or the like). It looks pretty silly to have beautiful color pictures printed on expensive glossy paper and then having to look hard to make out the details. Without extra expense or effort the pictures could have been printed 25 to 50% bigger and this would have made the book twice as valuable. The quality of these pictures varies. There are some really great pictures here while others are ... mediocre.

The text was written by a committee and it looks it. This makes for easy comparison and reference, but for an uninspiring read. This fact distinctly decreases its value as a coffee-table book or as an object for delicious browsing. I am hoping the contents of the text are allright (I only browsed through it, but did spot some errors)

The botanical names appear mostly in order (I noticed only a few slips), which is not always so in horticultural books. Still these look a little silly because of the lay-out. Pity. Also the age of the book means that recent name changes have not been incorporated (I assume the reader will compensate for this).

I guess this is an OK book, that will look decent on the bookshelf, but that falls well short of what it could be.

I am very impressed with this unique book of rarely seen trees that will add interest to any garden. The book starts with a glossary of botanical terms with b/w illustrations of the anatomy of leaves, flowers, fruits & conifers.

Information includes botanical name, common name, zone, native habitat & date introduced. There is a general description of size, spread, & shape as well as descriptions of leaves, flowers, & fruit.

Culture, including soil quality, ideal sunlight, & disease tolerance, as well as transplanting & propagation advice are included also. Three clear photos include the full-size tree & two others show close-ups of leaves, flowers or trunk.

It also gives information on winter appearance & landscaping value. Even gardens where the trees can be seen are listed. I really appreciated this type of information. It is so rarely seen in most reference book.

The appendices are extremely helpful they list botanical gardens & nurseries. A source for each species can easily be found. Trees are also listed by characteristics. Some include zone, light requirements, soil conditions, resistance, color of bloom & fragrance.