The Movie Monsters Series adapts the screenplays of classic black & white horror movies as books for young readers (the series was edited by Dr. Howard Schroeder in the Department of Elementary Education at Mankato State). In the case of "Bride of Frankenstein" Carl R. Green and William R. Sanford work from the screenplay of Garrett Fort. However, the prologue makes a rather interesting error in that it passes off the 1931 Universal Studios classic film version of "Frankenstein" as the plot for Mary Shelley's novel, with the creature dying in the flames of the old mill rather than disappearing into the frozen wasteland of the Artic. While it is true that Universal had to find a way to rescue the monster from his fiery death, the idea of creating a bride for the creature is still part of Shelley's novel.

"Bride of Frankenstein" tells a even greater horror story that the original, because with all that went wrong the first time, such as the creature killing a young girl and almost killing his fiance Elizabeth, Dr. Henry Frankenstein wants to try to create life in his laboratory a second time. He is prodded on in this effort by Dr. Septimus Pretorius, who actually puts the "mad" in mad scientist more than Henry. Meanwhile, the creature is out in the world roaming about and manages to make a friend of a blind hermit living alone in the woods. Here is where the screenplay, as well as this novelization, captures the essence of Shelley's argument in her novel. Frankenstein's great sin was not in creating life, but in abandoning his creature after it was born. From the hermit the creature gets a sense of what it is missing and returns to its creator to demand it make a bride for the monster--or suffer the loss of his own beloved.

As an adaptation this little volume is both concise and accurate, sticking to the essence of the film. Both the comic elements involving some of the locals and the monster's love of things dead are eliminated, and I would agree with the reasons for doing so. The reading level is certainly appropriate for the intended age group of elementary school students. The book is also illustrated with black & white photographs of the film, although, ironically, the title creature is seen only under wraps before her reanimation. Most people consider "Bride of Frankenstein" to be superior to "Frankenstein" as a film, but I believe it is important to see them both. Furthermore, if you truly love works of horror, you have to read the original novel sooner or later. I have taught not only the novel but the two films, because they set up interesting discussions and papers dealing with what Hollywood has done to Shelley's original vision of "the Modern Prometheus" (the novel's subtitle).

This book represents an excellent guide to learning more about the dodo bird, and its history. The authors cover historical observations and debates by scientists about the dodo, eventually coming to a consensus on what the dodo was and how it behaved. Full of beautiful pictures as well.

The 1936 film "Dracula's Daughter" was always an interesting sequel to Lugosi's classic film since he is not in the low-budget film. The story focuses on the title character, Countess Marya Zeleska, who travels to London and meets a handsome young Lord. Where Professor Van Helsing discovers the young man has become a victim of a female vampire he sets off in pursuit, stake in hand. Actually, freed from the slow and tedious pace of the film, "Dracula's Daughter" is a decent horror story.

This small volume is part of the Movie Monsters series and the novelization by Carl R. Green and William R. Sanford purports to be adapted from a screenplay by Garrett Fort. In fact, all of these books that I have come across say that. Ironically, "Dracula's Daughter" is the first film in this series where the IMDB backs up the claim. Go figure. All of these books are based on classic (and semi-classic) black & white horror films from the Thirties, Forties and Fifties. So far, "Dracula's Daughter" is the best of the bunch.

Being already published in 1959, and again in 1960 and 1975, this book was for years one of the standard references about WW2 bomber aircraft and a companion volume to "Famous Fighters of the Second World War". Since 1975 however, there has also substantially more been published about WW2 bombers than between 1945 and 1975. These two books however still give an excellent overview of the main types that flew with all sides during the last World War and were among the first to do so. The mere fact that you can still buy them shows how good the concept -and content!- still is. Modern readers might be dissapointed by the lack of colour though.

This is the tenth book in the Georgian saga series of books by Jean Plaidy, also known to her legion of fans as Victoria Holt. This is an entertaining work of historical fiction replete with many period details. Well written, it is a look into the life of stage actress, musical star, and comedienne Dorothy Jordan. A shining star of Richard Sheridan's Drury Lane Theatre, Ms. Jordan was to capture the hearts of theatre lovers, as well as the heart of the third son of King George III, William, the seafaring Duke of Clarence.

From poverty in Ireland to fame and notoriety in London, England, the multi-talented Dorothy Jordan would have many admirers. A one man woman, however, she was devoted to hearth and family. Her intimate relationship with the Duke of Clarence would span twenty years and ten children. They would live in connubial bliss as a family, though he could not, for reasons of state, marry her, being third in the line of succession to the throne of England. With William, Ms. Jordan was to know great joy and great sorrow.

William's penchant for living beyond his means, however, ensured that Ms. Jordan would continue working in the footlights of the theatre, as her income was a necessity to maintain their high standard of living. This would prove to be a sore point between them, as Dorothy wanted nothing more than to leave the paintpots of the theatre and live the life of full-time wife and mother. William's profligate spending would ensure that her dream would never come to fruition.

Eventually, William would have a mid-life crisis and their twenty years of family life would come to an abrupt end, as William would ostensibly seek to meet his obligation to the state. Dorothy Jordan, now an ill woman in her fifties, abandoned by her long time lover and husband in all but name, ignored by the very children to whom she had been so devoted, would live the lonely life of an expatriate in France, living out her remaining years virtually alone and friendless.

This is an engaging work of historical fiction, providing many glimspes into the lives of members of the royal family and all their contretemps. It provides a peek into the madness of King George III, the various relationships of George, the Prince of Wales, including that with his long time mistress, Maria Fitzherbert, and that with his much disdained wife, Caroline. All these personages and their lives provide a backdrop for William's and Dorothy's relationship, making for a three dimensional, well told tale that all those who love historical fiction will enjoy.

I bought this book to tutor one of my kids with. I was there to help explain the concepts, but the book did most of that. We needed a lot of problems to work out and they were right in the book too. This is a great book to teach high school students with.

Not everyone seeking certification is new to Java and object oriented programming. For more experienced developers, it can often be tedious to wade through a certification guide suitable for the Java beginner. It is this audience that is particularly well served by Brogden and Green's book.

This book is concise. There is little effort wasted in going into more detail than necessary in the explanation of concepts the reader should already be familiar with. What you get is the information needed to pass the exam, and little else.

Among the highlights are test taking tips, handy alerts which stress material likely to be covered by exam questions, where to go to find additional resources, and a tear-out "Cram Sheet" presenting a condensed collection of relevant facts. The book comes with a CD containing practice tests and an electronic version of the text.

Each chapter concludes with a set of sample questions testing the material taught in that chapter. Two comprehensive example tests round out the book. This brings up my only real complaint, which is that the end-of-chapter questions have the answer immediately following each question, instead of in a separate section away from the questions.

If you are an experienced OO or Java developer planning to take the exam, or if you are seeking a companion for another exam guide, this is the book for you. The included electronic version of the book is very much appreciated and something more publishers should take note of.

Written concisely, this is the interesting story of John C. Fremont, an amazing explorer, controversial soldier, and a failure as a Civil War general and a businessman. Black and white illustrations, photographs, and maps add to the book's visual appeal. My fourth grade son really enjoyed reading about Fremont's adventures.

This book is a great illustration of where heart and determination will get you in life. Blaise Winter, from day one, had to overcome many problems. From his cleft palate to his stubborn high school principle and coach, Blaise battled against all who didn't believe and reached his life-long dream....playing in the NFL. If you are feeling down on yourself or have little confidence, read this book and allow Blaise Winter to inspire you.

The Movie Monsters Series adapts the screenplays of classic black & white horror movies as books for young readers (the series was edited by Dr. Howard Schroeder in the Department of Elementary Education at Mankato State). In the case of "Tarantula" Carl R. Green and William R. Sanford work from the screenplay of Garrett Fort. "Tarantula" is presented as an example of a "What if...?" movie that finds a giant spider loose in the Arizona desert. It is also another take on the old maxim, which dates from the Tower of Babel to Frankenstein, that there are some things man was not meant to tamper with.

The mad scientist in question is Professor Deemer, who has the noble goal of providing more food for the world. Towards that end he has using his own atomic pile to change nutrients into "super food," which has produced a giant prairie dog, rooster and tarantula (the movie did pick the best of the three to be the monster). However, Deemer has also been experimenting on human with deadly results having to do with acromegaly, where a gland goes haywire and your face, chest and hands start growing out of control. The professor falls victim to his own evil designs, but that is nothing compared to the fact that his tarantula has escaped from the laboratory and is roaming the countryside undetected and eating cattle.

On the one hand, this book reduces the thrill of a giant spider terrorizing the countryside to a few black and white photographs from the film, but it does capture the "scientific" intrigue that makes it all fun. Certainly this is not a substitute for the film itself, which was arguably the best of the giant monster insect/spider movies of the 1950s, but it does a nice job of adapting the script into juvenile novel form. Despite the fact there are a lot of photographs in this book, it is not a photo novel, but a legitimate novelization of the script. To quote the opening of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show": "I knew Leo G. Carroll was over a barrel when tarantula took to the hills."