THIS INSPIRED STORY IS GREAT FOR CHILDREN OF THE AGES 8 AND YOUNGER. THE STORY OF LAVENDER IS ONE OF A SMALL GIRL WHOSE AUNT (MY REAL-LIFE AUNT) IS PREGNANT (WITH MY REAL-LIFE COUSIN). THE GIRL IS HAPPY FOR HER AUNT BUT IS AFRAID THAT WHEN THE BABY COMES THERE WILL BE NO TIME LEFT FOR HER AND HER AUNT TO BE TOGETHER. THIS STORY IS ONE TO BE SHARED WITH ANY SMALL CHILD WHOSE MOM IS PREGNANT AND SEEMS UNSURE OF WHAT A NEW BABY WILL MEAN FOR THEM. IT IS HEARTWARMIMG AND ALLOWS THE READER TO GO INSIDE THE CHARACTER'S MIND TO HER PRIVATE THOUGHTS.

This is a beautifully written story of a young girl and her mother waiting for rain. It's magical and lyrical and a must read! The illustrations match the text brilliantly and are stunning in their own right. Karen Hesse is not only a wonderful writer of novels for middle-grade readers, she shines as a picture book author as well. Bravo!!

The art work which accompanies this magnificently written, poetic tale is just as remarkable as the carefully chosen delightful words. If you live in the desert, as we do,this is a must-have-book. Over the stifling summer months I read the book time and again with my two year old daughter as we eagerly awaited the arrival of the monsoon rains and each time the simple joy of summer rain leapt out at us from both the pictures and the words. I'm not a writer, so it would take me an eternity to express how very special this book is. Simply put, you will have missed something very special if you never allow yourself the pleaure of soaking up the atmosphere created by this small masterpiece. Invest in a real treasure. If I could give it 10 out of 5 I would. BUY IT.

I found the book "Come On, Rain!" at our local library and immediately picked it up. The first thing you will notice about this beautiful book are the gorgeous ilustrations! The pictures in this book are lovely and the prose is so happy and full of the anticipation everyone feels on a hot summer day while waiting for a cooling rain. You and you children will love this book!

I read the book called A Time Of Angels by Karen Hesse. This is a historical fiction book.
This book is about this girl named Hannah that gets separated from her parents and has to move to her Aunts house in West Boston. After she got there she started working in a store to help her Aunt with food & clothes.
Weeks later she got the flu and got real sick. The flu had killed ten thousand people so far. After she gets her energy back. Tanta Rose and her went to try to get her family together. After month of hard work she got her family together.
I didn't like this book because it was boring. It barley had any action. If you are boring and like boring things you should you should read this book.

I truly enjoyed this book by Karen Hesse. As a future teacher I will add this to my list of historical fiction in teaching social studies and language arts. I had no idea so many people died of the flu in 1918 - nearl two and one half times the number that died during WWI! Karen Hesse does an excellent job of placing ourselves into the life of a young Jewish girl named Hannah. She and her two sisters must live with her two aunts in a crowded Boston apartment because their father is fighting in the war, and their mother is trapped in Russia. She must eventually leave Boston alone because the flu is ravishing the city and her loved ones. She gets lost and is also stricken with the deadly flu. She is nursed back to health by a German farmer and a beautiful friendship develops. She eventually returns to Boston with the help of an angel to find the fate of her family. This is a must read book!

I got this book at a school event where we could choose one book (for free) to take home. I chose this one because I thought it sounded interesting, and although that was over a year ago I still read it. The author has a beautiful way of writing the story so that you can imagine what you would feel like in Hannah's shoes.

Karen Heese followes in the footsteps of Phillis Renolds Naylor with this girl-and-her-dog tale showing us just what friendship means when a girl and a dog unite and would do almost anything to keep that friendship. The only downgrade was the pictures. It would have been much better to let the reader invison it themself.

I would like to recomend the book Sable to anyone who beleives in faith. A young girl named Tate Marshal gave up all hope of ever getting a dog. Tate's mother was terifyed of dogs since she had been tor up by a dog when she was young. One day a raggety old dog came to Tate.Tate named her Sable. If you want to figure out what happens you will have to read the rest of the book.

The girl has a friend that she cannot keep because it is getting into trouble. Karen Hesse writes about a girl who has a problem with love.

I chose this book because the cover looked interesting. also because I read what the story was about, and thought it was a good book.This book is about a young,jewish girl who lived arond World War II. she once lived in russia but had to leave because of the hatred of the jews. she was going to america with her parents and two brothers, Nathan and Saul. what the sad part of the book was, when she was on her way to america, she developed two diseases, typhus and ringworms.the government wouldnt allow rifka to go to america. she was seperated from her family until her diseases were cured. the reason that the book is called "letters from rifka" is because she writes fake letters like a diary in the the one possesion she owns, a small book of poetry by a poet named "pushkin". when she runs out of room to write in the book, she will send it to her cousin, tovah, who still lives in russia. i really enjoyed this book because of the events that happened in this book.

I absolutely loved this book so much that I had to read the entire thing all at once. This is a (partially) true story about a 12-13 year-old Jewish Russian girl who immigrates to America with her family during WWI. The author was very descriptive of immigrants' hardships on their voyages to America, which is part of why I loved the story so much. The other reason I enjoyed the book was because Rifka had a great personality and she wrote not only about the world around her, but her own life in letters to her cousin Tovah. She didn't actually send the letters, she just kept a diary in a poetry book by Pushkin which Tovah had given her as a gift. I enjoyed this book thoroughly, and I recommend it to anyone who loves history or loves a great story.

Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse is an amazing epic of a young girl's journey form Russia during the First World War. Rifka is a young Jewish girl whose family is forced to flee to America. Because Rifka does not look Jewish, she is the decoy of her family. Rifka shows amazing courage throughout everything and comes through for her family but her family does not come through for her. Complications arise and Rifka is forced to face a new land. She puts on a brave face to the world but confides her secrets and fears to you through letters to her cousin, Tovah. I recommend this book to you because it was well written as well as exciting. The author paints vivid pictures in your mind. You really feel as if you have gotten to know the compassionate and brave person that Rifka is. Rifka's story is really one to remember and Karen Hesse tells the story wonderfully. In the beginning, when Rifka must distract the anti-Semitic soldiers while her family boards the train to Poland, The guards become suspicious and Rifka becomes frantic. You really feel the tenseness in the air. The author makes you relive the adventures that Rifka writes of. There are many more exciting adventures such as this one. I could not put the book down when complications arose at Ellis Island. This is an exciting and compelling story of the courage of a young girl and the faith she had in herself and Hesse tells the story beautifully. People of a religion other than Judaism may not be interested in a book about a Jewish family, but the book is well written portrait of anti-Semitism in the early 1920's. It is an important topic for people of all faiths to learn about. The hate expressed towards Jews at that time was nothing to ignore. If people are educated on this subject, then history will not repeat itself. In a way you are learning, but you are learning in a fun way. And anyway, the story is not about Rifka's religion; it's about the risks he must take because of it. The book is wonderful and I loved it.

Phoenix Rising was a pretty good book. It's about a girl who lives in North Haversham. There was a nuclear explosion in the nearby town of Cookshire. It causes the whole town to wear gauze masks. After the radiation clears up, an evacuee and his mother come and stay at Nyle's house. The evacuee's name is Ezra. He is really sick with radiation poisoning, and a little more will kill him. At first, Nyle is afraid to go and see him. Then she starts to go every night to read to him. She starts to like him as he gets better and better. She becomes attached, and she thinks she'll never have to let go and doesn't know what to do if she does.
This was a pretty good book. It got a little boring in the middle because it was mostly Nyle's emotions. That's the only thing I didn't like. Phoenix Rising is great for those who don't like a ton of action, but like a little bit. Phoenix Rising was different because all the action was at the beginning (the nuclear explosion) and the end (the fight with Ripley Powers).
Phoenix Rising will break your heart! I could have cried a river reading about a boy so sick with so much will and heart! He couldn't have done it without Nyle. She truly was a hero On a scale of 1-5, I rate this book a 4 because of the emotional effect. You'll rate it the same. Maybe even higher! :)

This book is about a 13 year old girl named Nyle who lives on a sheep farm with her grandmother. One day there was a nuclear power plant explosion and millions of people died. Just when she thought nothing could get worse, two evacuees move in with her. They were a mother and her 15 year old son-Ezra. Ezra was dying and had no hope, but with Nyle's help he gets back on his feet. At the end of this book, you'll never believe what happens. It is sad and you would have never guessed it would happen. I think this was one of the best books I've ever read and I will read it again soon.

This book Pheonix Rising gave me the touch of friendship. I thought in the beggining I would never want to read this book. When I did I noticed it was a book that helps me understant the sick. When Ezra showed that she wasn't sick anymore and told Nyle it was because she learned how to love again it touched my heart greatly. I understood then that you shouldn't like people for how they act because they change. Now I want to read a second version of Pheonix Rising. But there isn't one. Once you read the book you really understand what Pheonix means, and why its called Pheonix Rising. It touched me greatly. I loved the book and so should you. This book showed me what loving really means. A third grade class helped me through out reading this book. They told me what Pheonix means and it helped me a lot to understand the book. Thank you third graders! Now I went to library and found all the books by Karen Hesse I love all of them! Thank you for a adventure of a life time through a book that touched me so. Pheonix Rising.

Karen Hesse tells many storys.But the one I read is the best.The title is Stowaway.It's about a boy named Nicholas Young who was sent to a butcher so Nick could get over his soft heartedness for animals.So he stows away on a ship that is boltnizing(study of plants and animals).When he gets on a ship he's 11 and when he gets back to his home he's 14.
Mr.Bootie doesn't like Nick because he has a soft heart(Mr.Bootie doesn't).Nck throws over there food that is meat.
Captain James Cook's ship was named The Endeavour but it was fist named The Prembroke.
Ihope you will enjoy this book.

My grandson is going to be 11 this month. I've decided that he's getting this book as his birthday book. Nicholas, the boy in the book, is 11 when he stows away on the HMS Endeavor, which is captained by Captain JamesCook. What better way to show an 11 year old what the future can be than to follow the exploits of another 11 year old in his trek around the world. I picked this book up to read because of the author. I loved OUT OF THE DUST by Karen Hesse. I figured that this one would be as good. It is, but in a different way. I loved how much it taught me about history and how it's sent me hunting for answers to questions it raised. The map on the inside of the front and back covers was invaluable in tracking the trip. And what a nice surprise at the end of the book to find out there was a real Nicholas.

I think Stowaway by Karen Hesse was the best book I have ever read. Stowaway is about a boy named Nicholas Young who stows
-away on a ship called Endeavour.The crew on this ship go to islands botanizing.(study of plants and animals.) Nicholas and the crew are on this ship for two years ,and a lot of adventures and surprises.I hope you read this book because it is the most exciting,adventurousand surpising book I have ever read!!!!

In the small town of Vermont lives 6-year-old Esther Hirsh, who is Jewish and 12-year-old Leonora Sutter, the only African American family in the town. These children are put at risk the most when the Ku Klux Klan comes. Will the town ever realize the harm and anger it is causing? Will the prejudice in the town ever go away?
Karen Hesse is a wonderful author and uses a lot of great detail in her writing. This book makes you think and it makes you want to read more and more of it. This book is also very interesting and fun to read. People of all ages will enjoy this book.

Witness Anonymous
I Absolutely Love This Book And It Is A Book That Makes You Wants To Turn The Page. This Book Is Also Filled With Free Verse Poetry. The 11 Characters Have Extreme Emotions Like When They Are Happy They Are Happy And When They Are Mad They Are Mad. The Book Takes Place In 1924 Also Is About The Ku Klux Klan Taking Over Their Small Town In Virginia, Which Is Almost A Tragedy With A Small Klan. The Klan Is Against A Few People In This Book Like 12-Year-Old Lenora Sutter Who Is Black And 6 Year Old Esther Hirsh And Her Father Ira Hirsh Who Are Jewish. Sara Checkering Is Like Esther's Mother And Is A Farmer. Merlin Van Tornhout Is 18 And Is A Prejudice. Percille Johnson Is A Town Constable And Is A Prejudice Too. Johnny Reeves Is The Preacher And Is A Prejudice As Well. Iris Weaver Is A Restaurant Owner And A Rumrunner That Was Prohibited In 1924. Then There Is Fitzgerald Flit Is A Dr., And Reynard Alexander Who Is A Newspaper Editor. But Nobody Can Forget Harvey And Viola Pettabone Who Provide Comic Relief. I'd Rate This Book Five Out Of Five Because Of All The Things I Just Wrote.

The characters of Hesse's novel inhabit a small 1924 Vermont village that seems idyllic, at least on the surface. The highlights of the villager's lives include a community dance recital, a broom sale at the general store and the occasional run-in between the local rum-runner and the sheriff. But beneath the surface, tensions are stirring; the Ku Klux Klan is on the rise and the winds of intolerance reach even to rural Vermont. Will Leonora Sutter and her father, the only African-Americans in town, be able to survive in the face of hatred? Will six-year-old Esther Hirsh be destroyed by the prejudice against her Jewish heritage, a prejudice she is too young to comprehend? Will preacher Johnny Reeves serve his God or the Klan--or are they the same? And will the people of this town stand together or be torn apart by the powerful emotions swirling about them? Using a journal-like style, Hesse provides each of her characters with a distinct and genuine voice with which to tell his or her story--to "witness". Soon, we come to feel that we know each of them-- we see into their hearts and minds, and care deeply about what becomes of them. Hesse does a remarkable job of bringing this episode of history to life and helps us to understand how individual decisions do shape history.

For one point, Dolphins have always been a favorite topic of mine, so in reading that this girl--Mila, was raised by Dolphins untill her "rescue" was of course a book I just had to read. I was a bit surprised that the lettering was a bit large in the early parts of the book, but I understood that it was because this story was mostly in Mila's (the main character) perspective--in which, she hardly spoke English that well. "The Music of Dolphins" is a great book, it told of Mila's experience being in society and with her own kind. She compares life as a human to that of when she was with the Dolphins from her earlier life and knows that she longs to be back with her ocean family. The book pulled me in and I ended up finishing the book the day I got it. This was an excellent story of a 'wild' girl who learned what being human (again) was like, but better longed for her earlier 'second' family.

In the poignant story The Music of Dolphins a young girl named Mila survives a plane crash and lives with dolphins for about nine years. Then the coast guard finds her and takes her to a facility for study. Although she enjoys experiencing life as a human, she cannot deny her longing to return to the sea and her dolphin family. Eventually, she must return.

In this book, Hesse uses the first person point of view as a tool to show Mila's degree of human socialization. At the beginning of the book, the sentences and chapters are short; there are no paragraphs. These characteristics illustrate Mila's limited ability to vocalize because she has not acquired the language skills necessary to organize her dolphin-like thoughts. As she learns English, Mila uses elementary, disjointed speech. In addition to using simplistic words to convey this message, Hesse uses font size to further illustrate her point. The large font size in the first part of the book symbolizes Mila's degree of socialization. Also in the first few chapters, Mila uses observations with few expressions of feelings. For example, she says, "I like good" (8); "I like Sandy happy" (9); "I like to see the picture of dolphin" (11). These examples also illustrate her rudimentary language skills.

As the book continues, the sentences get longer, and paragraphs begin to form. By Chapter 23, Mila speaks in paragraphs. This shows how much Mila has learned. Also it denotes that she has reached a level that is more socially acceptable. Hesse now decreases the font size to what one would consider average. She also employs more complex expressions of feelings and ideas to indicate Mila's increased knowledge and language. For example, she says, "I love to use my hands. To play games, to make music . . . I like every little thing I am learning with my fingers and my toes" (83).

The turning point of the story is Chapter 29. Until this point, Mila has been content to live in a house with Doctor Beck and the others and learn human things like, playing games, sleeping in a bed, and wearing clothes. In this chapter, Mila decides she no longer wants to be human. She would rather return to the sea and the dolphins. At first, she just tries to be good and follow the rules, hoping that one day they'll let her leave. In Chapter 36, Mila has a talk with Justin in which he tells her that no matter how good she is Dr. Beck will not release her. She realizes then that she doesn't have to let Dr. Beck control her and that she can stand up for herself. After this point, Mila begins her journey back to her former life. Hesse reverses the changes made in font size, sentence length, paragraph length, and word complexity. This reversal symbolizes Mila's reversal to dolphin life.

Hesse uses font size and other structural methods effectively. She has transformed these overlooked aspects of writing into tools that convey her intended message with clarity and skill. I have never read a book with this type of strategy, and I found it to be quite rewarding. It speaks in a way that plain words cannot.

Music Of The Dolphins by Karen Hesse just may be my favorite book. It is about Mila, a 'wild child' who has lived with dolphins her whole life. At the beggining of the book, the writing is big, and the language simple, but as she becomes more accustomed to living with humans, and better at speaking, the language becomes more complex, and the writing smaller. But when she wants to return to the sea and the life that she knows, the style of writing returns to it's original style and language. This book outlines the struggle of learning to speak, living with new people, and discovering who you really are. Buy it and Read it!

This book is one of the best dear america books that i have read. It's a excellent book that is well written. Amelia is a girl growing up during the Civil War. She is dealing with the lose of a friend and the fueding parents. Will she make it through this horrible time? If you read you can find out. This book puts you in the character it makes you feel like you are in her position like you are her. I guarntee you will like this book but dont read it if you dont like historical books because this is what it was like in Delaware during the war.

I loved this book! I have read all of the Dear America books but one, and this is one of my favorites. I liked how, the story was about the Civil War but it wasn't the main deal of discussion, I also like how they talked about the war through a different view. I learned alot about how life was on the east coast, working the lighthousesin 1861. I hope you all can get the chance to read this book.

I found this book to be one of the better of the Dear America series. All of them are well written, but very few manage to capture that, "this is a real person" feel. Some of the books read more like a "this is what is happening in the world" rather than a real diary. However, this book has an engaging character, and a real plot of her parent's seperation. Another interesting thing to note is the way that this book has many layers that were written that the main heroine doesn't neccessarily understand, such as the relationship of her uncle and the freed slave, or her grandmother and her mothers. I also enjoyed watching the relationship between her and a friend's brother grow from a friendship to something more. Overall, I would highly reccomend this book.