this book is very interting i couldn't stop reading it until i finish the whole book its a good book you guys should get it of you don't have it

This book rules! In fact, this series rules! It's about two girls named Stephanie and Michelle, who enter a modeling contest. Michelle is also in a job in a taco place (so she can buy a bracelet Stephanie wants for her birthday)so, she has to rush from her job ( which is also in the mall) to all the practice photo shoots, the actual photo shoot, ect. and Michelle is driving her sister crazy by always being late! Then by being for the real photo shoot the shoot turns into a total disaster! And the winner is...

its really a great book!!!!- try reading it and u will really love it!!! i cant really say nethin but it really is awesome!!!

I definitely recommend this book! It is very encouraging. Susan strikes a good balance - she is real about the struggles and frustrations but she also presents encouragement through perspective, God's nature and perspective, and practical ideas. You feel like there is someone who knows exactly what you're going through as you read the book.

I highly recommend this book to all my friends and have given it as a special "mommy" present. It is so easy to think you are alone in the highs and lows of mommyhood. This book didn't make me feel like a failure as a parent, like so many other parenting books do. Two thumbs up!

Whether you're a stay at home mom or a mom who works outside the home, you will see yourself in this book. Right away in chapter two I practically said out loud "Hey, that's _me_ she's writing about!" Then Susan offers practical advice, encouragement, and best of all -- empathy! This book would make a great gift for someone who has kids ages 7 and under! Susan is also sensitive and doesn't make any judgments about moms who choose to stay home and moms who choose to have a career while their kids are little. How refreshing!!

This book elucidates the greatest and most inspiring teachings of Hinduism, and yet does so in a way which is full of humor and wit and shows the universality of the teachings and their immediate relevance for daily life. Special technical terms and other boring academic BS are virtually nonexistent, and the book's filled with lots of clever little stories and fables to illustrate the teachings. Swami Satchidananda is a true master of the pun; he alerts us to the dangers of egoism, for example, by reminding us how the word 'mine' -- meaning 'belonging to me' -- can also mean something treacherous that's just waiting to explode on us when we step on it!

Fun and light-hearted, yet also enlightening, heartening, uplifting and utterly profound. Can't recommend it too highly.

As dramatic as that claim sounds, this book entered my life when I desperately needed help. It became a "bible" for me that got me though some very troubled waters...the simplicity of the language and the depth of Swami Satchidananda's sincerity has had a profound effect on me. I read it at least once a year...and I give it as a gift to very special friends who are ready for the message, which changes with each new reading! All that, plus Peter Max's artwork! A great library addition.

I bought this little book as a Peter Max fan and was delightfully surprised by the simply written, pointed pearls of the Swami's wisdom. It is the kind of book that you can just randomly read when you want to be uplifted, or a lovely gift appropriate for art lovers as well as anyone at the beginning...or in the middle of...life's journey.

This is an essential read for anyone interested in basketball history and all those, such as myself, who are excited by the increasingly international dimensions of the game. Wolff starts his journey in Princeton, the home of pure, fundamentals-driven b-ball, and visits many disparate corners of the globe, examining the local idiosyncrasies of the game through colorful anecdotes, a bit of philosophizing, and a great sense of humor. One of the things that caught my interest was hearing the names of former American hoopsters now playing overseas. Ever wonder what happened to Richard Dumas, the former Phoenix Sun who looked like a budding superstar in the 1993 NBA finals against the Chicago Bulls? You'll find out in this book. Another fascinating thing that caught my attention is the way in which hoops is so affected by politics in many countries. Wolff looks at how hoopsters had to literally dodge landmines to make it to their games in the former Yugoslavia and in present day Angola. His chapter on Africa is outstanding; it left me convinced that Africa is the real untapped reservoir of future NBA superstars. Another place in which b-ball and politics are inextricably entwined is China, where the state is finally loosening its hold over sports. In Bhutan, the monarch is literally the hoopster in chief. Wolff relates the interesting story of how hoops came to this tiny, Himalayan kingdom. These are just a few of the great stories contained within this book. Besides numerous international sojourns, Wolff also writes on the game closer to home, with some great chapters set in Philly, Peoria, Kansas City, and Washington D.C. I can't say much more other than to give this book my highest recommendations!

This may be the most far-reaching basketball book I have ever read. Wolff chronicles the game's impact and value in such disparate locations such as a modernizing China, the backwaters of Eastern Europe, and even within Bill Bradley's aborted 2000 presidential campaign!
Since the author visits such a long list of out-of-the-way places, you would expect his prose or reporting to suffer as the book progresses. Rather, Wolff keeps the story light and full of offbeat humor, while using his sharp skills to sniff out a story. For example, the author learns much about the Phillippines' national league and even meets the country's greatest player. Yet he is not satisfied with basketball's role in the country until he wanders the streets and unearths the tale of a local's fight to build a community court.
The story is broken down into epsiodes, as Wolff devotes each chapter to one of his stops. This makes it easy, should a particular subject or country interest you, to read the book slightly out of order. Yet the author does tie together many of his threads, and makes Big Game, Small World an informative look at the ways the game of basketball is shaping (and being shaped by) the world, as well as doubling as a minor commentary on many countries' natures and traditions.

'Big Game, Small World' is a modern bible of basketball. The NBA has never been more popular, and just one look at any team's roster will tell you how global the game has become. At the World Championships this summer, more than thirty players on international teams will have NBA experience on their resumes.

'Big Game, Small World' documents the intercontinental journey of Alex Wolff, in pursuit of his self-stated goal: rediscovering the game of basketball. From Ireland to Angola, Wolff provides us with unique and often amusing anecdotes showcasing how universal basketball has become.

Alex Wolff only further establishes his already unquestioned position as the premier sportswriter in America. His prose is always clear and concise, and he never fails to get the story everyone can appreciate. His mastery of the craft is as evident in this book as anywhere.

For all fans of modern basketball, young and old alike, 'Big Game, Small World' is the one piece of basketball literature you must own.

I pulled so many ideas I could use out of this one! General books on training often aren't that applicable on my topics, but this was fabulous. It has a ton of activities that very directly apply to the content of early childhood education workshops. It wasn't gimmicky or forced or childish, but applicable and professional. This was a gold mine for me.

One must always focus on the positives that occur..whenever they occur..the plusses should always ...read the book and then teach! Let the nobility of teaching be it's own reward!

Though I have been training for many years, this book provided new ideas, and in an excellent format. From Ice Breakers, to activities, I have been able to enhance my CDA classes more than I expected! Thanks to Nancy for providing a must needed book for our field!

....about enchanted places and enchanted childhood favorites.

Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and all their friends have been family friends of us for a long time, and it was a treat to find this book about Christopher Robin, and be able to read about what it was like to be him. Did he really have a bear named Winniw the Pooh, did the Hundred Acre Wood excist, did he and Pooh play on Poohstick Bridge? What a fantastic childhood he must have had?

Of course the imagination in my mind was not all correct, at least not the fantastic childhood part. In this book Christopher Milne tells us from his heart how it was to be the son of A.A.Milne, the creator of all our childhood friends. The book is written with alot of charm, but we can also read between the lines about the negative effects of being a "famous" child, a boy with a childhood who belonged to, and still belong to the whole world.

If you know Winnie the Pooh, and who doesn't, this book is a little diamond, a book full of great details, a book which gives a unique view of the Christopher Robin myth.

Britt Arnhild Lindland

...as was reading the rest of the trilogy when it was in print. (I got the whole trilogy through a friend in England, but I'd never heard that Mr. Milne had written a fourth volume.) I'm glad to see that excerpts of all his memoirs are available in one volume, BEYOND THE WORLD OF POOH, because Mr. Milne was indeed a gifted and sensitive man.

I have a special interest in this book because Christopher Robin, of all the characters, was my favorite -- indeed, my alter ego. I knew from an early age that there was a real boy behind the fictional character, and I sensed the three of us were a lot alike. It was a delight to find out just how right my intuition was.

Despite tales of Christopher Milne's bitterness over being forced into the spotlight by his father's tales of Pooh, this comming-to-terms-with-it-all autobiography is filled with wonderful memories of Christopher's childhood and his relationship with his father, his nanny and his mother. He addresses with much warmth and humor the question "What was it like to be Christopher Robin," and, as it goes into much detail about the real enchanted places in Ashdown Forest in England, it's a must read for anyone making an "expotition" to the real-life haunts of Pooh and friends

Help! This book made me into the class "know it all". I'm in school starting my second career and I need to know anatomy. I was suppose to learn it for my first career but it never stuck. After reading Dr. Dimon's book I'm finding I know more than I thought I could know and it has been so easy. I'm begining to understand the intelligence of our design and the names of all the bones and muscles just flow out or me, (and I haven't even made an effort to memorized them).

In "Anatomy of the Moving Body," Theodore Dimon, Jr. approaches his subject from a unique and focused perspective. By presenting anatomy in terms of function and evolutionary development and limiting his exploration to the neuromuscular system, Dimon has produced a book that is both user-friendly and fascinating. He manages the neat trick of lending clarity to this majestic subject while avoiding the pitfall of oversimplification. Of special interest in this regard is the light beam he shines into the murky shadows of intimidating anatomical terminology, showing the reader that there's nothing there to fear.

The subtitle of the book is "A Basic Course For Movement Educators. This provides the book with an organizing principle, but fails to convey the book's potentially broad appeal. It could be read with pleasure by all homo sapiens who wish to gain an enhanced understanding and appreciation of their evolutionary inheritance.

Dr. Dimon has written a clear and concise book demystifying anatomy--I especially enjoyed learning the meanings of the Latin terms. A must for anyone interested in how we are designed for moving.

As with all anthologies, the stories here vary in quality. I particularly liked Tanya Huff's story of the brother and sister assassin team that she later featured in her novel _Fifth Quarter,_ and Fiona Patton's tale of a slightly-alternate magical Italy where "death mages" and the Church wage an underground war. The nice thing about anthologies in general is that they can make one aware of writers, and works, that one might miss otherwise. The bad thing is that the quality of stories can be very uneven, but that's not much in evidence here---Greenberg's an experienced editor working with pros.

My favorite stories are those that remind me of Looking Glass Studios' _Thief_ games; a *real* sneaker leaves no traces, other than the job having been done.

Arntzen, Bernie: "On My Honor" Nicholas, the narrator, is and isn't the Oranian Royal Assassin; he's also Roarke's most secret agent in the Oranian court. Now he's been ordered to bite off the hand that feeds him: the queen has ordered him to kill her despicable brother-in-law, the King of Roarke. (Nicholas' humor isn't quenched by his dilemma. "Assassin sarcasm. Another occupational hazard.")

Edgerton, Teresa: "Dying By Inches" Set in the same world as _The Queen's Necklace_. Few of the Rowans survived the two years of imprisonment in barbarous conditions before their names were cleared. When Odilia hears a rumour that the Marquis committed the crime that sent her family into limbo, she plans to exact revenge, with or without proof.

Edghill, Rosemary: "War of the Roses" In the Argestian States, assassins have replaced war as the last resort of diplomacy. But checks and balances are necessary: the Flower Guild exists to hunt down assassins who have become too dangerous. Redlorn, who styles himself the Red Rose, is their next target; the Guild's agent is the legendary White Rose. The feel is _Thief_-like, as Redlorn makes a point of getting into and out of his target's home without touching the guards, and *his* pursuer likewise toys with *him*.

Elrod, P.N. "Myhr's Adventure in Hell" Terrin and Myhr *really* want to earn enough gemstones to let them escape to a more civilized world, broadly defining 'civilized' in terms of plumbing. Their client's husband - this world's Hitler-equivalent - is already dead; she wants to make sure his soul can never reincarnate. Myhr, the narrator, is nominated by his wizard-partner to make the hit. (Myhr trusts him on magic, if not on splitting red velvet cake equally.)

Flewelling, Lynn: "Raven's Cut" The young foreign assassin, when it's his turn to tell the evening's tale, remembers the best assassin he ever knew.

Huff, Tanya: "Death Rites" Very Thiefy feel: the two young assassins attached to 7th Army are the best hope of prying the rebel commander out of her captured stronghold - the secret entrance can't be blocked without cutting off her water supply.

Jefferson, Leyte: "He" Moonback is an assassin whose master remade him into a werewolf. His canine instincts predominate as the moon waxes; at that point, even in human form he reacts like a dog, approaching his master on his belly, licking his hands - losing some of his vocabulary, but remembering some of his professional skills even when he can't remember the word 'army'. Disturbing.

Leigh, Stephen: "Green Stones" The scarred man is only the latest in a long series of fools seeking to learn at the feet of the Green Stone. The trademark green stones left on the victims were always from the flanks of Goat Fell, so the would-be assassin's apprentice has come to Maire's lonely tavern. (Scar doesn't have the sense he was born with, but the reader shouldn't be *too* smug.)

Lindskold, Jane: "A Touch of Poison" Set in the same world as _Through Wolf's Eyes_. The assassins' tool of choice to reach the Supreme Affluent is Adalia, his chief baker; they've taken her infant son as surety. But Adalia knows she has no guarantee they'll return the baby, or that they won't reveal whose hand poisoned her master's pastry. (The culture of Waterland, where administration - there is no 'government' as such - and status are tied directly to money, is interesting in itself.)

Oster, Anna: Mallon is being stalked by a young fool who believes she killed his sister; Mallon, in exasperation, tells him he should have studied "History and Economics" instead of (obviously) poetry at university. (The Silent Guild is quite legal - and it's the client, not the assassin, the boy should be concerned with.)

Patton, Fiona: "The Svedali Foundlings" 'In Cercicava, the dead were revered far more than the living.' Coll can testify to this on several counts; he survived the burning of the Svedali Innocenti Foundling Home fourteen years ago during the duc's little expansion project for the necropolis, only to be picked up as an organ collector by the death mages. But someone else survived the burning: Drey, an assassin now stalking the corridors of power.

Reichert, Mickey Zucker: "Darkness Comes Together" Josafah envies the fame of the assassin known as Nightfall; no hire would dare waste Nightfall's time, as he'd just as soon destroy an unworthy hire as destroy his target. When Josafah encounters Nightfall outside his target's home, he suggests that they cooperate - who's to know? (Josafah's gratuitous violence contrasts with Nightfall's minimalist approach.)

Rusch, Kristine Kathryn: "Coin of the Realm" Orsem's assassins are competing for the public executioner's job - most of whose work is outside the kingdom - and the winner will be he who kills the most important victim, increasing the king's holdings in the process. *Not* the safest time to bring foreign dignitaries to court, as the king's daughter Rosalind is being sold into marriage to a neighbouring kingdom's heir.

Sherman, Josepha: "Never Say...Uh...Die?" Rather than ordinary humans, the narrator assassinates rampaging ogres, sorcerers plotting to usurp kingdoms - like that. His current target, a Koshchei, has learned subtlety in the art of hiding his heart outside his body. (*Not* a retelling of the Firebird legend.)

West, Michelle: "Echoes" Kallandras' family was murdered because someone learned they had a child with demonic powers - command-voice, among other things - and sought to take him. Kallandras survived as a beggar until the day the Kovaschii, the brotherhood serving the Lady's darkest face, took him for testing. The story is told in flashback, as the adult Kallandras remembers the tests of his training in a land far away.

Assassin's are extremely difficult characters to write. If you do it wrong, the assassin becomes a monster that no one can relate to. Or becomes self-rightous and hypocritical.
In this book there are 15 stories of assassins who are unique characters unto themselves, and no where near typical.
My favorites were Death Rites, about the brother sister team of Vree and Bannon, assassins for the empire. Also Coin of the Realm, which gave a very interesting twist, and Darkness Comes Together, about an assassin who is nearly as dangerous to his employer as his mark.
Echos was a good story to me, but then I have read the other books featuring Kallandras. For thoses who haven't, it may just be a little confusing.
I didn't care much for He, or for History and Economics or Dying By Inches. They seemed a little stilted, and not quite as smoothly flowing as some of the others.
But all in all, this was a good book, especially if you enjoy tales of darkness and deception, and of the ever mysterous assassin.
All assassin lovers should give this book a try.

Way back in elementary school, I absolutely *adored* Alexander Key's books. His recurring themes of lost children or intelligent animals (all of whom are very unique and special in one way or another) must resonate in just about every child lucky enough to read his books. He weaves compelling adventures every time, as his characters work through their loneliness and fear. There's an amazing otter, a boy genius, and handicapped children confined to a hospital wing, just to name a few.

One at a time I checked out his books from the local library. Unfortunately, The Case of The Vanishing Boy was not in their collection. I wish I had experienced it back then.

I read it a couple of weeks ago, and it was very hard to put down. I'd force myself not to stay up too late reading it. Big mistake. As an adult, I found myself analyzing and anticipating plot developments. Very unfortunate, as I was accurate quite a few times. I highly recommend that you read it all in one sitting (it's short enough to allow for that). You can be swept up in the plot without thinking much about it.

Does anyone know why The Forgotten Door seems to be the only book still published? All of Alexander Key's stories merit immediate reprinting!

I'd give the vanishing boy 5 stars except ... don't worry, I won't give anything away. But if you're like me and don't want to know any little thing in advance, stop reading right here.
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The only disappointment I had was the sudden ending. Drawing closer to the end of the story, the action was building and driving along full force. All of a sudden, it was over. Just a few more pages would have been nice; The Forgotten Door has a beautiful epilogue that greatly enhances your reading experience. Again, this is just a grown-up's point of view. It'd be great to hear from some kids!

Despite the current abundance of mindcrime and psionics on the market today, I keep finding myself drawn back to this one, now dogeared smudged from rereading. Intelligent science fiction in a kid's book is not something I'm used to turning up - and this book got me through grade school when the only alternatives on my budget were my father's Jung and Kipling.

There's no comparison here to Kipling or his ilk - the language is comfortable but not flowery - but in terms of story, as well as a place to come back to, this book remains a good friend. Besieged as we are these days with family values and violence on the telly, my daughter will find this book on her shelf when she begins reading - coffee stains and all.

Should I happen to find it at a yard sale or somewhere online, a second copy will join (but not replace) the one I keep under my bed with the family photos and computer manuals.

This is an excellent book, full of psychic powers and thrilling adventure. I wore out the copy at my local library when I was a child, I have been searching for another copy for years. Highly recommended.

The Alexander Technique is well-known for improving posture, breathing and bringing about a general release and freedom of movement. Ordinary introductory books to the Technique explain the general principles, but generalities often leave out the individual. The Alexander Technique teaches a better use (muscular use, for example) of the self. The Technique is applied by the self, the individual, and no other modern book better brings out the variety of application possible than Curiosity Recaptured ­ Exploring Ways We Think and Move.This beautifully produced book contains 14 essays which have been written by experienced teachers of the Technique. Some of the subjects are dance, acting, playing the flute, childbirth, cycling, overcoming the fear of falling while walking, and meeting the unexpected. Many well-known teachers have contributed, including Edward Avak, Deborah Caplan, Walter Carrington, Mary Holland, Ron Murdock and Alex Murray.The beauty of the essays consists in showing not only how the Technique is applied by the individual, for the individual, but also how the Technique has helped people to observe and learn, discover and rediscover interests, skills, capacities and, above all, one¹s self (one¹s true nature in popular jargon). As Robertson Davies writes in the foreword: It [The Technique] is an enlargement of whatever life may be yours.As the Technique unlocks tension patterns, it brings out our sense of wonder and our delight in wondering. This particular characteristic of the Technique may be well-known among its practitioners but is not known generally, and it has certainly not been written about so extensively until now. Curiosity Recaptured allows you to share the authors¹ experiences of joy in learning and in being curious. Be curious about this book. It deserves your curiosity.Jean M. O. Fischer

These personal stories are so interesting and varied that the book almost reads as a short story anthology. Everyone's story is different and the changes and experiences quite unique in every chapter. This Alexander Technique book is unlike others I've read which describe and explain the Technique. The reader learns through others' personal histories what one might encounter in the course of learning more about oneself.

Curiosity Recaptured is a practical introduction to the Alexander Technique, an educational method that uncovers the ways specific tension patterns cause chronic pain and interfere with our balance and breathing. These tension patterns also affect what are thought of as our "mental" faculties: our ability to make a decision and then follow through on it, our level of confidence in learning something new, and our overall awareness of our surroundings. When we learn to stop these tension patterns, the resulting change can be dramatic. The essays chronicle this process of self-discovery in subjects ranging from dance, acting, and the pleasures of playing a flute to childbirth, cycling, and overcoming the fear of falling while walking. No matter what the activity, these essays demonstrate our ability to change ingrained patterns of movement and thought. A greater sense of freedom and curiosity in the world awaits the reader! Curiosity Recaptured is fascinating, insightful, challenging reading!