From the beginning to the end, A Smile As Big As the Moon pulls you into the emotional triumphs and tragedies of a group of special needs kids who really just wanted to be like everyone else.Visiting Space Camp is a pretty straighforward thing for most kids, but for these special needs kids it was like reaching for the moon. You really feel like you are a part of the story. Mike Kersjes's book is very easy to read and well worth the time.

After reading "A Smile As Big As The Moon" by Micheal Kersjes, I can only say bravo! Mr. Kersjes has written a wonderful story about the power of the human spirit. I have found a new respect for all special education teachers. He shows in this book that faith and hard work can accomplish anything. This is a must read for anyone who enjoys stories of triumph over adversity.

I am a college senior at Michigan State University and soon to be a middle school science teacher. I thought this was a wonderful book for all ages. It is a great story that depicts a caring teacher and his students on an unforgettable trip to Space Camp. This book shows the trouble this teacher and his kids went through just for the opportunity to go to Space Camp. As well as the wonderful success they experience during their week at Space Camp. Growing up as a special ed student myself I can relate to many of these children and the struggles they went through just to be recognized for their gifts and talents. I would highly recommend this book to everyone I know. The book is easy to read and one you will have a hard time putting down (at least I did). One of the best books I have read in a long time. A wonderful book that I would give 5 stars.

Wow, what an awesome book. At first I thought it would be just another Coral ID book, but it is A LOT MORE! It's an easy reading text, while providing some good in depth technical meat. The pictures are top notch, and He actually has corals in there that I feel are common or have seen for sale in stores, yet no other book I have ever seen covers them, until now. Eric's experience and knowlegdge is top notch. He provides some really good information based on radical new discoveries as well as more current accepted practices etc.

My advice: this is a must buy for any reef aquarist, both novice and expert. The information is modern and up-to-date. If you don't have time to read all the current information on reef aquariums and coral husbandry online on the Internet, you might want to get this book, as it will give you a nice summary of current information.

This is one of the most informative publication on the coverage of corals for reef keeping in a single volume. The pictures may be a bit oversaturated but the information it contains is highly informative and is well researched.

In the tradition of Delbeek & Sprung 2 volume series and Fossa and Nilsens MCRA 4 volume series this stands in league with their books for its extensive coverage!

If you like coral reef tanks then this book is for you!!

I highly recommend this book for the reef hobbiest of all levels! It's packed with lots of information on coral lighting, care, and best of all coral diseases and treatment. Unlike my other reference books that are packed with more information about fish than they are with coral care, this book is ALL ABOUT CORALS. You won't be disappointed!

It is a pity that this book is so inexplicably obscure and out of print. Michael Talbot is an author who can write with authority and imagination. It certainly makes me want to read other material he has written which, at a glance, seems to be of unusual variety. My guess is that he is a true renaissance man with an extensive working knowledge of a great many subjects. Contained in this tale is a "whodunit" of truly page-turning proportions and a morality play that sets this head and shoulders above any other story in its realm that I've ever read. I just wish I could get my hands on one copy (or a half dozen!) It seems to be one of those books that has a way of disappearing - (I've owned three copies) - If you're reading, Michael Talbot, let me know where I can find this - and thanks for a great read!

I like others have read and re-read this book many a time. It's truly a literary piece of genious. Not just a novel about biting necks and drinking blood, but a brilliant story written with great images (no, not pictures...) and the most descriptive words/phrases of any of the vampire novels. Way more accessible, and far better written than the more popular Rice novels. If you can get your hands on this,do not let it out to anyone. This book has a tendency to disappear like a sock in a clothes dryer. Yes, I was foolish enough to let a few of my copies out only to have them never returned. My one copy now is stapled to my forehead...

I read this book over 20 years ago and like most of the people reviewing it I loaned it out and it was never returned. This is one of the very few books I have read that has stayed in my mind over the years. When I recommended it I say that it is the best vampire and more book ever written. I have asked the library to purchase it and I'm looking forward to reading it again. I believe that the book has some sort of metaphysical force in that it is passed around and not returned to the owner.

This book deserves more than 5 stars for making the Internet fully accessible to anyone for a minimum of cost in time and money.

If you have enough skill to turn on your computer and get onto the Internet, this book will take you where you want to go in the fastest, least frustrating way. Within hours, you will be more efficient and effective than people who have done online research for years, but have not yet read this book.

Although Web addresses and sites will change, the best basic methods of how to do research online will shift much less often. You should be able to apply what you learn from this book for some time to come.

Some of the many helpful things you will learn include:

(1) which search engines work best for which kinds of questions

(2) how to get the fewest possible sites from a search with the greatest likelihood that they will be helpful to you

(3) which sources of information to go to directly without a search first

(4) how to assess the credibility of a source

(5) how to get things for free that most people pay for

(6) when to spend money to save time

(7) how to manage your e-mail to spend less time on it.

You will also benefit from three sample search models in chapter 12, one for finding a person, another for doing a business profile, and a third for problem solving. Most of your searches will involve one of these three search types.

An area you may not think about now is what people can learn about you while you do your research. The sections on privacy issues and how you can protect yourself are outstanding.

About a third of the book is devoted to indexes to make it easier for you to find government public records and the right Web site for your research needs.

Even though I have been doing online research for many years, I plan to keep this book next to my computer from now on. If you read many of my reviews, you will notice that that is something I rarely say about a book.

After you have finished learning how to do better and faster online research with this wonderful resource, I suggest that you step back and think about new questions that you should be asking now that you have improved access to good and timely information. For example, should you be doing more to check out investments? Or should you be learning more about becoming a better parent? Or spouse? Asking and answering those questions will probably be the biggest payoff you can get from this very helpful guide.

Be rich in knowledge and turn it into wisdom!

I do online marketing and because of my knowledge of the internet, am often asked to do research projects, as well.

Schlein's book is a wonderful resource and is proving to be a great time-saver for me in my work. I highly recommend it to anyone who uses the internet as a research tool, or simply wants to find information quickly and easily.

Collaboratively edited by Peter Weber and J. J. Newby, and now in a fully revised third edition, Find It Online: The Complete Guide To Online Research by journalist and online trainer Alan M. Schlein is the all-purpose single resource and reference book to looking up the latest and most useful information on anything, anywhere, using the resources of the Internet. Individual chapters address the basics of the Internet, framing one's search strategy, the best tools and search engines available, government resources, evaluating the credibility of information found on the net, and a great deal more. Find It Online is a very highly recommended addition to any personal, professional, school or community library Internet Information Resources reference collection.

Congratulations to Michael-Anne Johns! He has written a fantastic fun and fact-filled book on the life of Jonathan Taylor Thomas on and off-screen. Unlike some biographies, Johns uses more words than pictures, so you learn a lot more about what they're like, rather than what they look like. He has done a lot of research and included a nice review at the back of Thomas's favorites and quick facts. Every Jonathan Taylor Thomas lover should read this great book. Hopefully Johns will come up with a new JTT book to talk about Wild America and his new roles. Congrats again Johns

For anybody considering to buy "Totally JTT", this book is excellent. It goes through with you everything in great detail, including how his work got started, up until Tom and huck. The book was published in 1996, so obviously you will not get all of his credits, because he has done such a lot more since then, but it does have a fabulous chapter on "girls". You can compare how matchable you are with him, and also a very interesting chapter on his character, Simba in the Lion King. The best part about this book is the eight pages of exclusive pictures included, and pages and pages about his T.V. series Home Improvemnt, which began in 1991, and ended in 1999. All in all, you get a great package of his achievements, and a fact file at the end to finish it off. There is a second book to this one after you have read this, but I cannot find it anywhere. It is called "Just when you knew everything about JTT". Anway, i've rambled on way too long, Happy Reading!

this book includes gobs of intresting information that can catch any readers attention even if you hate jtt it has articles on other stars such as tim allen and pitricha richerdson

This book will entertain as well as inform you of all Barbies on the market from the past until 1996. The author is remarkable with pictures and price values. As a novice collector, I refer to this book several times a day. It has helped me to realize that Barbie collecting is a real science. Before purchasing a new doll, I check Augusyniak's encyclopedia. No Barbie collector should be without this valuable tool. HIGHLY recommended by me, an English teacher. I value this book tremendously. I happily look forward to book 2, if there is to be one. I thank the author for his excellent research skills.

This book is the most wonderful Encyclopedia about Barbie dolls. It has so many dolls listed with descriptions, prices and pics of the dolls in their boxes. Many pink boxes, OOAK Mattel dolls and collectibles. Pictures are nice, they are from the doll in box, and there are closes on some dolls.

If you need information on Pink Boxes, this book is the best!!! There are a new version 'cos this is not updated, the dolls showed ends on 1999. There are no 2000 dolls or 2001. But there are a second edition, so search for the new edition!

Simply stated, The Collector's Encyclopedia of Barbie Doll Exclusives and More is the best Barbie guide on the market and no collector should be without this in his or her library. With almost 400 pages of photos and information on the newest Barbies including rarities, the unbelievable price of $19.95 is a bargain. Frankly, it is underpriced -- I would have paid $40 for this guide, but hey, who am I to turn down a lower price?? Barbie collectors, if you haven't bought this book yet, do so now!

Most people are probably familair with the Disney adaption of this book. However, even I was surprised at how much Disney cut out of the film version.

In Dodie Smith's book, Pongo, Missis, Perdita, and the 15 puppies take on dimensions only hinted at on the silver screen. We can feel Pongo's and Missis's agony as their children are stolen. We are with them as they cross England as they trek to Hell Hall to attempt a rescue before Cruella has the puppies skinned for fur coats. And everyone will shed a tear as, after days of trudging through the snow, avoiding the De Vil woman and local dog catchers, make it home in time for Christmas with the kindly help of a boxer and a removal van.

This is a wonderful, charming book that you won't be able to put down and that you will find yourself coming back to again and again.

I am well on my way to reading this 101 times!! I started at age 11 and still enjoy it at age 33. Dodie Smith really makes you believe in the dogs and the world she has created. I often use 101 Dalmations as my "de-stress" book during stressful times in my life or if I have just finished an intense, or emotionoally charged book. This can be read alone or to your children. Don't let your children grow up with only the Disney version, introduce them to the REAL 101 Dalmations.

This book, though much different than the Disney movies, is a must read for kids who love action and fantasy books. The story gives ideas that we don't own our pets, they own us (Which may be true in some cases). I love this book and enjoyed reading it alone and to my kids.

The events recounted in The Revenant would make a compelling plot on their own. What makes this book incredible is the rare ability of the author to develop historical characters without sacrificing the flow of an amazing story. By the end of this book, you will be standing and cheering for Hugh Glass. All of these things make this a very fun book to read!

Rarely do I finish a book and immediately want to read it again. This, however, was the case with The Revenant. It is a novel of revenge yet includes so much more. The usual predictablity of this genre was lost on Punke as he relives life in the early mountain west. The story is vivid and captivating; written in such a way that you feel personally involoved. Furhtermore, the ending will leave you pondering your own resolve...
Truly a great read and a debut that suggests great things for Punke's future as a writer.

Reading stories about the American West, especially in the early 19th century when frontiersmen travelled into the largely unexplored wilderness of the Rocky Mountains, has a way of calming the spirit while spurring the imagination. This is especially true for stories written by skillful wordsmiths who weave fact and fiction with threads of adventure and human emotion.

From the talented Michael Punke comes such a story. Mountain man Hugh Glass, scouting for the Rocky Mountain Fur Co. is attacked by a grizzly bear and left with two men while he either heals or dies. Instead, they choose to leave him, expecting he can't recover from the savage attack. They take his gun and knife and away they go, convinced it is the last they'll see or hear of Hugh Glass. WRONG!

THE REVENANT is subtitled A Novel of Revenge. Certainly revenge is the powerful motive driving Glass to overcome unimaginable pain endured in an unforgiving environment so he can catch up to the men and mete out his own form of justice. However, it is also a story of survival and enlightenment. The encounters Glass has with a wide and varied cast of colorful characters throughout his journey drives the story and measures change and personal growth. When he meets his antagonists in a surprising climax, the reader has had time to reflect upon what s/he would do in a similar situation.

THE REVENANT is a powerful adventure and is fertile ground for empathic imagination. It is an excellent story, well-written and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

What a treat to find this great new book! This is a memoir by the most interesting character you could imagine. Michael Perry is a poet, a registered nurse, a trained EMT and a volunteer fire fighter. After years away from his small home town in rural Wisconsin, he returns and writes about the things that happen to him there. The result is a funny and often moving account of the things that are really important in life - with insights that can be gained only from a man faced daily with life and death situations. Perry has a beautiful cadence to his storytelling and makes the transition from laugh out loud storytelling to heart-wrenching tragedies seamlessly. I swallowed the book whole and marked up my copy with underlined quotations and margins full of stars of agreement. A definite must-read.

Population: 485 is a book that makes me want to laugh and cry, generally on the same page. I grew up in a small town, worked the VFD then moved away to return some years later. I can readily identify with what Mr. Perry has written in his book. It hits close to home.

If you have ever lived in a small town, served on a small fire department/EMS service, or ever wanted to, this is a book you should read.

The story involves characters that are unique to small towns and they will make you smile and chuckle. The coming together of people to help one another will make you beam with pride. And the tragedies involved with his work will make you cry with a hurt that is all too familiar.

Well written with enough detail to make the experience real Mike Perry has written a book that will reside forever in the dens and family rooms of small town firefighters and EMS workers. Its humanity and inside along with the characters and stories will make it an enjoyable read for anyone.

You cannot go wrong with this book.

Though many who have never lived in small towns view them as coming up short on the diversity measure; I would soundly disagree. Michael Perry captures the depth and the tapestry of relationships fostered in a place where fellow inhabitants know their neighbors on many different levels. And diverse they are!
I enjoyed all aspects of this book, from the philosophical observations on the human condition, to the human- connectedness amid joy and tragedy. More than being just a "people-watcher", Author Michael Perry is a "people-appreciater". His words impeccably paint the personality pictures of those he has known, appreciated, smiled over, laughed with, and or course, sorrowed with. A very recommendable book.

A Cool Billion by Michael Perkins (co-author of Internet Bubble and a founder of The Red Herring) with Celia Nunez have conspired to write a Silicon Valley based thriller with fast cars, fire power and fine dining (I'm thinking about the scene in the book at Buck's) If you are tired of reading all the dry tell all business books, take a vacation for a little while with an inside out view of the up down world of startup mania featuring real maniacs.

There is so much going on in The Valley that it's unrealistic to try to capture it all but the authors have taken the most important element (that being the fact that one can come up with a billion dollar idea and bring it at blistering speed to the market) and shown what can happen when competitors grab for it and start to rip it off in several directions at once.

As a local, it was fun to travel through the culture and the real streets of the Valley and Santa Cruz. Unfortunately, the really cool undiscovered Chinese restaurant which sounded so perfect turned out to be one of the few fictional locations which I discovered when I when to look for it.

The authors have the insider dope of a Puzo, the rapid fire scene shifting of Crichton and the money making potential of a King (even though in the Valley we aren't supposed to mention the money, but in this case....)

Buck's of Woodside

When I picked up A Cool Billion I only had time to read the first couple of chapters...or so I thought. I couldn't put it down! In the first pages as the story unfolds it pulls the reader in immediately. It's fast-paced and well written and contains interesting details about life in Silicon Valley. Having worked and lived in Silicon Valley for years, I really enjoyed stepping into the high tech world the authors have created. For those unfamiliar to the valley, one would still find it an intriguing and edifying book. So grab a latte, turn off your cell phone, hunker down and enjoy this fantastic story. It's a thrilling ride!

A Cool Billion by Michael Perkins ( co-author of Internet Bubble and a founder of The Red Herring) with Celia Nunez have conspired to write a Silicon Valley based thriller with fast cars, fire power and fine dining (I'm thinking about the scene in the book at Buck's) If you are tired of reading all the dry tell all business books, take a vacation for a little while with an inside out view of the up down world of startup mania featuring real maniacs.

There is so much going on in The Valley that it's unrealistic to try to capture it all but the authors have taken the most important element (that being the fact that one can come up with a billion dollar idea and bring it at blistering speed to the market) and shown what can happen when competitors grab for it and start to rip it off in several directions at once.

As a local, it was fun to travel through the culture and the real streets of the Valley and Santa Cruz. Unfortunately, the really cool undiscovered Chinese restaurant which sounded so perfect turned out to be one of the few fictional locations which I discovered when I when to look for it.

The authors have the insider dope of a Puzo, the rapid fire scene shifting of Crichton and the money making potential of a King (even though in the Valley we aren't supposed to mention the money, but in this case....)