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The soldier heaved me over his shoulder as if i were a spring lamb - I screamed - I beat his back, hurting my hands. "Let me go."

Adara was in the wrong place at the wrong time and before she knew it she was a slave. Brought up in the weathest family in her village she was now lower than the sevants that had looked after her all her life. This is the story of how she was brought thousands of kilometers from her home and family as a slave to a new and unknown world. It is a story of faith and trust in God and in what her can do.
The book is aimed at teens and relates to the bible passage 2 Kings chapter 5 and the healing of Naaman in the Jordan river.
This is a great book and certainly a worth-while read!

Adara, is a mistreated slave girl. In this story, she convinces her master, the mighty Syrian general, Naaman,who captured her from her homeland, to seek a cure from his leprosy from the prophet Elisha.
I like this story because it's about a young girl, who finds herself special, in this retelling of the origonal story.

Fifth Grade magic was a fabulous modern version of a fairy tale. The concept is simple enough: fifth-grade drama enthusiast Gretchen doesn't get an acting part for the school melodrama, and she invokes a fairy, who she is surprised to see appear. But the fairy godmother's magic doesn't turn out the way anyone thought it would, and leads to more problems. At the end, we find out the secret of the fairy godmother, and Gretchen gets what she wants.

This book is written very well, and has lots of little treats for you to find. I feel that this is more literary than Mail-Order Wings; the beginning almost invokes Ramona's distinct voice and strong opinions, and the author completely takes you into Gretchen's little mind. Gretchen's growth throughout the book is done in a very believable and complete way.

One of the fun aspects of this book is the fairy godmother's tool of choice; instead of an old-fashioned magic wand, she uses and Enchantulator, which helps her find out things she can do to help Gretchen, and sends out colored sparks when casting magic. There's also the school play, a melodrama, Polly's Pies in Peril. (Polly Winsum needs to save her pie business from the evil banker Blakheart.) The snippets of this were delightfully over-the-top!

Other reviewers didn't mention Amy, who was the golden-haired newcomer initially chosen for the part of Polly Winsum. (Amy looks the part of a traditional, naive heroine, but has the acting skills of a cardboard cutout.) Throughout most of the book, there's intense rivalry between Amy and Gretchen, at least on Gretchen's part, and most of the enchantments are directed at Amy. But the consequences of the tricky enchantments are done very realistically, and in one of the delightful last scenes, Gretchen actually helps Amy's acting ability. I look forward to seeing Amy's character developed more in More Fifth Grade Magic.

Also, in many books where someone has a special talent, interest, or ability, it's very hard for the author to show us that. (I've yet to read a book that makes me understand how much the protagonist loves dancing, or drawing, or something, and let us visualize very distinctive and precise drawings, or dancing, or whatever.) But in Fifth Grade Magic, we can totally see Gretchen's love of acting, with her trying to get other people to act with her at recess, or memorizing all of the lines in the play, or what she does in the fabulous last scene. This is a very good book.

I disagree with the previous reviewer that the ending doesn't tie things up; everything that needs to be told to end the story is told, and there's one of the happiest endings I've ever seen. There may have been one page or so more, to help us feel more satisfied, but otherwise it was a very good ending.

So what are you waiting for?? Read this book already!

I read this in fifth grade and it really helped me. I remember wishing at that time that I had a fairy godmother. I was going through a lot of turmoil in school myself. It's about a girl named Gretchen who wants the lead role in the play her class is putting on. However, Amy, the new girl, gets the part instead. Gretchen is desperate, and even willing to believe in magic. Then a "fairy godmother" named Errora shows up in her bedroom one night and agrees to help her...which led to a lot of trouble. I won't tell anymore. It is full of a lot of laughs while being a touching story. I didn't particularly care for the ending much, though, I felt like it wasn't really wrapped up.

Miriam is a Bible character who has always appealed to me. I've always wondered what happened in her life between watching the Egyptian princess discover baby Moses' basket and helping the adult Moses lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Beatrice Gormely has attempted to fill in some of these gaps in the Biblical story with an imaginative but believable story. This story, which is told not only from Miriam's point of view, but also from the point of view of the lady-in-waiting of the Egyptian princess, is overflowing with descriptions of both Hebrew and Egyptian beliefs and customs. The characterization of both characters is superb. Miriam is an intelligent, and resourceful young lady who learns quite a bit about herself throughout the course of the book. Lady Nebet, the lady-in-waiting of princess Bint-Anath, is a crafty and scheming woman, who despite her initial dislike for Hebrews, begins to really like Miriam. Just when the two characters are becoming close, unforseeable events threaten to disrupt the peaceful life Miriam has grown used to in the palace. In the chaos that follows, Miriam has to make a tough choice. Will she stay at the palace, learn from Lady Nebet, and watch over her baby brother Moses, or will she turn her back on the easy life at the palace and return to her family? I will not spoil the book, but I will reccommend it to anyone young or old who enjoys historical fiction or Biblical fiction. This well-written book brings the past to life.

This is an amazing book! I enjoyed it so very much. You are really drawn into the book and can easily relate to Miriam's thoughts. Lady Nebet is also very interesting. It was also very interesting to learn about the Egyptian and Hebrew culture, during that time period. Miriam is really amazing and makes some hard decisions. It is a fun story to read, especially if you are familiar with the story of Moses, for Miriam is his sister. I would definetly reccomend this captivating novel for anyone!

Amelia Earhart was a very courageous young pilot, and she helped inspire young women to fly. In the book, Amelia Earhart: Young Aviator, by Beatrice Gormley, in the Childhood of Famous Americans series, the author describes Amelia Earhart as extraordinarily brave. This book tells almost everything a person would want to know about Amelia Earhart.

Amelia flew her plane until she wanted to retire. Before she retired, though, she wanted to make one last record-breaking flight. She planned to fly around the entire world, making stops only to refuel her plane. Near one of the islands she was supposed to land at, she mysteriously disappeared into the fog. No one knows what happened to her. We don't even know where she lies. We just know of her great achievements.

This book was relly great. I can't wait to read #1

My nine year old daughter virtually consumed this biography. This is the 3rd book she has read in this series, and she has asked for more. I have read them along with her--they are appropriate for 8-10 year olds, interesting, accessible, but never condescending or preachy. Based on my knowledge of the subjects, they are only marginally fictionalized. In a world of pop singers and barely literate actresses, it is a pleaseure to be able to provide real heroes and heroines that modern kids will enjoy and be inspired by.

I first read this book when I was 8 years old. 10 years later...I still love reading it. It is a good story, excellent authoring, and wonderful plotline

This book showed me a whole different side to our president. I was very shocked to hear some of the stories of his college days and some of his outrageous acts even after he graduated. His entrance into politics was not always an assured one, as he seemed to have more interests in enjoying his youth. The author seems to gloss over some things that have a potential to be more damaging to his image than they already are. The story of how he crashed his car into the garage after his wife criticized one of his speeches was one such example. I had also expected him to be more successful at business than he is said to be. Surprisingly, the Bush family has had their share of persecution while living in Texas. In Texas they were not seen as true "Texans" and in the schools George W. attended his views were opposite of a majority of the student population. Given his private school training and Ivy League preparation, it really makes the office of president seem only attainable by those with money. I was disappointed that there wasn't more information on his accomplishments as a Texas governor but I was pleasantly surprised to find his State of the Union address in entirety at the back of the book. The litigation details of the 2000 election were helpful in understanding why the selection for our new president had taken so long. Overall, I would recommend this book to any young reader looking for a biography to read, however, I would warn them that they may have a less respectful opinion of our president after their reading.

Beatrice Gromley's biography of George W. Bush was supposedly the first children's biography to be published about the forty-third president. This is probably because the book ends on December 13, 2001, the day after the U.S. Supreme Court ended the Florida recount and the president-elect spoke from the Texas State Capitol; other juvenile biographies get as far as the inaugural. Gromley focuses on a quote from the new president, who once said: "I never dreamed about being president. When I was growing up, I wanted to be Willie Mays." This gets to the heart of the problems Bush presents for a political biography, since he never held political office until elected Governor of Texas in 1994. Compare Bush's life to that of either his predecessor, Bill Clinton, a hardcore political junkie, or his father, George H. W. Bush, with his most impressive political resume, and you will see incredible differences.

That being said Gormley certainly provides a more than adequate juvenile biography of George W. Bush. Yes, you will find out more about the man's life than his politics, but that is indeed a reflection of his life. Gormley does a particularly nice job of boiling down the legal arguments regarding the recount to the legal issues and developments, without including the hot rhetoric that characterized the news coverage. However, I must admit I found a couple of things in this book that could be taken the wrong way (e.g., Bush is proud he can still remember the starting lineup of the 1954 New York Giants baseball team; well, I can do the New York Yankees for a couple of decades, so, should I be President?). But maybe I am just being overly sensitive since, as I said on top, this is not the story of a man driven to be in politics or to become President from early in life. The book is illustrated with photographs and quotes, and also has a list of books, magazines, newspapers and a videotape young readers can turn to for further information. Certainly by this point, students will have a better appreciation for Bush as president and will be able to see for themselves connections between the things he has done throughout his life and his presidency.

If you are looking for a book that you can use for your kids' social studies extra credit and your own cocktail party banter, this is the easy read you need. Want to be current on all the little Presidential family tidbits without spending a lot of time plowing through the family history and heavy details? I read A Charge to Keep and some of the other Bush Family tomes, but I really enjoyed this one and my 7th grader grabbed some quick end of quarter extra points toward her "A" by learning about our current Prez.

9-year-old Andrea is a bird lover who wants to fly, so when she sees an ad in the back of her comic book promising working wings, she orders them. She assembles the wings and glues them on her back, and can't get them off. She only tells her brother Jim, her parents are gone and she doesn't trust her Aunt Bets. After drinking some "Areo-Joy Juice, her wings become more powerful and she can actually fly with them. She practices flying for about a week in secret, when she begins to notice some strange things about her body. She calls the man who makes the wings for help, and decides to see him in his office. But things don't turn out quite the way she expects, and she realizes how she has been trapped...
This was a pretty good book. I liked it when I was much younger, though. I think that it is a book for young children, but is still pretty interesting in one afternoon.

This is my favorite book because I love birds and I wish I could fly. Andrea is a lot like me. I think she is a very intelligent and enthusiastic kid. Just like me. Her brother is the only one who knows her secret. I think you should read it if you like birds or flying or if you like fun.The author, Beatrice Gormley, is a very good author and I love her books. I hope this helps you figure out what book to get when you are at the library.

When I first read this book, I was surprised, because it isn't the same sort of fluff that children's, especially girls books usually are. Imagine my surprise when, much later, I read Kafka's Metamorphosis, and found that the comic book that the girl found the advertisment in was the same story! Then, when I began to think about it more, I saw that the whole story is based on Metamorphosis, sort of. Especially towards the end, when the main character begins to find herself becomming more and more bird-like, and is less and less in control. If you have ever read Metamorphosis, read this book to see what I mean. If you have ever read this book, and you are over age 15, try reading Kafka's Metamorphosis and you'll see what I mean. Enjoy.

I think this book is great for children from the ages 8-11. I found this book very interesting and very idea-giving. This is a great way to build ones imagination!!

We use BTTDLWS in 5th grade during our Civil War era discussions. Works better for 5th grade as a read-aloud rather than as independent reading because of the sometimes more advanced vocabulary for 10/11 year-olds. The characters are 12 years old, so 6th or 7th graders may find it easier reading. Opportunities for discussion on time-travel, the chance to change history, and the Lincoln assassination are endless. Check it out before it goes out of print like Book #2 in the series "Back to Paul Revere".