This is one of those books we found at the library and had to have for our home collection. The lilting text and beautiful illustrations won over both my 2 year old son and me. It's just a lovely, quietly educational book.

This is a beautiful book for children both for its illustration and for its writing. I wish it could reach young readers whose mother tongue is not English. I am thinking of translating it into Chinese language. I wish I could find a way to contact the illustrator or publisher of this book directly.

In contrasting Homer's complex tragic hero to the simplifications of later writers who invoked him, King devotes about a third of the book to Achilles the soldier of love. She notes classical traditions in which Achilles's bond to Patroklos was erotic, and also a murderous unrequited passion for Troilos, but does not elaborate on these (nor on the Amazon queen Penthesileia), focusing primarily on the accretion of later romantic entanglements with Polyxena, the last virgin of the Trojan royal family.

The book is primarily a passionate recovery of the tragedy of Achilles from later allegorizing simplifications. Besides providing a fascinating demonstration of the tangle of traditions growing out of one character in a nearly lost text, the book is of special value for those trying to understand cultural constructions of gender and sexuality for showing the assumption that enthusiastic heterosexuality effeminized a man. Traditions of Achilles as an ardent heterosexual suitor have him undertaking women's work (like Herakles) and even cross-dressing. While love with Patroklos was masculinizing for the young warrior, falling in love with Deidameia "is not merely the result of assumed effeminacy that allows him to move freely among beautiful maidens but is the cause of that effeminacy" (p. 182). The opposition between effeminate lover and masculine warrior is often a contrast between Paris and Achilles, but by the 2nd century A. D., the contrast was made in phases of Achilles's career. In the Illiad itself "only in Achilles does kállos [a stunning and sexually enticing beauty attributed by Homer also to Paris and to Ganymede] coexist with all the other excellences that a man and a warrior are expected to have if he is to be called áristos" (p. 4).

The book's 23 illustrations are also fascinating, but, unfortunately, not discussed. The classical Greek ones support the contention that Achilles was an eromenos. Only long after it stopped being a criterial feature did he begin to be represented as bearded.

As an new wife buying and thrifty spender this book is an indispensible reference guide for everything I need and want. I have saved a ton of money!

This hiking guide was the best we've seen. We were hiking with a 6 yr. old and a 70 yr. old and found the distances and difficulty rating to be VERY accurate and helpful in choosing which hikes to go on. The maps and directions to the trailheads were also VERY accurate.

Hey daddio, this is one wackio book, dude. Be careful surfin' the net because the man may zap you into a farout world of fromer military black ops types. ouch!

Ever heard it said the way to hell is paved with good intentions? Sometimes the way to prison is paved the same way. STONE JUSTICE written by Deborah McMartin & Evelyn Morgan w/a Lawrence King is the story of the abuse, the life, the struggles, the redemption and the execution of Toni Jo Henry. Abused by her father, she left home at the age of thirteen. Though intelligent, the highest grade in school she attained was the sixth and she repeated it three times because she had to work instead of attending class. Nevertheless she tried to make something of herself, but she was thwarted by the great depression and prejudice. That she found true, honest, deep, consuming love and eventually salvation are the only bright spots in the life of this humble, kind, loyal, sweet and charitable woman. Toni Jo Henry never had a chance. Circumstances or people always intervened to crush her every opportunity, her every hope.

This glimpse into the scandalous abuses that abounded in early twentieth century American society is so harsh, so raw, so unforgiving as to be unbelievable. Surely this couldn't happen in America.

This incredible story will make you laugh, it will make you appreciate the progress of the past fifty years in social programs and criminal justice, and it will make you cry.

As a descendant of Conversos, and researcher of their history, I am REALLY glad to see a young adult book of this kind. However, I was very unhappy to see mistakes. They are minor, and I hope that a second edition will be better edited. For example, the mother, at one point, says, "Uno momento." This is horrible Spanish and only non-speakers would say this. The correct way is, "UN momento." Still, I'm glad that the subject is being written by and for non-scholars. Isabel/Ruth's experiences are true to the time she lived in, and this period in history is widely ignored by many. Secret Jews (Anusim) and their descendants deserve more attention!

This is touching story of a family courageously dealing with cultural and religious genocide. There is, perhaps, no better way to fight intolerance than to journey with a victin, fictional or otherwise, through the nightmare of persecution. This story needs to be told. As a Catholic, I welcome the opportunity to come to terms with a dark time in our past when Christ's message of love was unrecognizable in Christianity. We don't have to look far to see parallels in the ethnic cleansing taking place today, to realize vigilance is necessary if history is not to repeat itself. I would very much recommend this book and hope it will be read by Christian and Islamic, as well as Jewish, young people.

This is an excellent book for both adults and mature junior high and high school age. The information was obviously researched well as I am of this heritage and have read much on the subject. Isabel is a believable young woman who has to grow up way too soon in the face of the Spanish Inquisition. I found the story to be both exciting and educational. Many of the situations Isabel finds herself in are well documented as fact. Parents should read this book first before giving it to their children because the information may be difficult to digest. Treat it as you would a Shoah (Holocaust) book.

I had high hopes for this book, as the reviews present it as a nail-biting page turner. While it was educational, illuminating, and sporadically engaging, in general I found it to be overly detailed and quite slow. It was also very painful to read in such detail about the torture and humiliation of the royal family, and particularly of the young prince. I realize there is no way around historical truth, but reader be warned: there are many painful pages in this book. At times, it's like reading a book about the worst child abuse imaginable. I also became tired of the endless details that seemed to drag this book down. It would have been better if it had been edited more liberally.

I love historical biography but didn't know much about this Royal Family. I was fascinated with both parts of this book - the fate of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and their children and the never ending list of imposters pretending to be Louis XVII.
The French Revolution is a perfect example of absolute power in the wrong hands and it was a frightening time. Miss Cadbury kept my interest the entire book and the research that went into this book cannot go unnoticed. Hope she has written some other historical work because I plan to read them.

As my title states, I found this book very 'readable'. I read a great number of historical non-fiction books, & find some authors don't have a clue for holding the readers attention. This is not so of this author.
Having a keen interest in the royal family at the time of the French Revolution I was eager to read this book, & was not disappointed, although parts are heart-wrenching to read i.e. the details of how the little dauphin was treated after being separated from his mother & sister, & even moreso after the execution of his mother (Marie Antoinette).
Having read a great number of books set at this time I fully understand that the royal family were not blameless, however it must be remembered that this was just a little boy. He should not have been held responsible for the actions of his parents, nor treated so barbarically because of his birthright. The book made it abundantly clear just how desperate some were to completely irradicate the old regime in France, & in particular the royal family, & even moreso the (male) off-spring of (the hated) Marie Antoinette.
The book unfortunately does not give much insight into the personality of the little dauphin, but this would probably prove almost impossible for any author to research & re-construct, due to the shortness of his life & the actions of the revolutionists (i.e. during the revolution a debate began over whether to keep the nations heritage intact or begin history anew & radicals began a movement that attempted to purge France of anything that harkened back to the rot that was the monarchy. Archives & family records of nobles were burned)
The first part of the book details activity leading up to the French Revolution, & this may tend to put some readers off, however I urge readers to continue with the book as it does settle into details, sometimes quite grim, of the little dauphin's life & demise.
The book also gives the reader an insight into the torment, which must have been suffered by the dauphin's sister, after the revolution, when several 'impostors' came forward claiming to be her brother.
The DNA facts are quite fascinating.
In summary, I found the book highly readable, shocking, compelling, fascinating but above all heart-wrenching to read, & I recommend it highly to anyone interested in this fascinating period of history.

So, as usual, Stephen King weaves a tale of human nature. What would you do to get anything you wanted, and what price are you willing to pay to keep it. I absolutely loved this book. I must have read it five or six times. Stephen King creates a masterpiece that combines every element of writing in this book. The characters are believable and the story is also believable. I love the way he uses smaller chapters in his books to give it a sense of anticipation.

I don't want to ruin the book for you but i'll tell you a little bit. A small town gets a new shopkeeper who is a little out of the ordinary. He sells items that everyone wants, the little boy is able to procure a baseball item that is more than just a card, it talks. Eveyone gets a special item, but is required to do something in return for it. mayhem ensues.

I'm not going to tell you anymore, but i will say this, the movie of this story was excellent and I'm suprised it didn't do as well as it should have. All in all and excellent read.

To me this is one of Stephen Kin's best novels ever. He develops the characters even better than in his usual stories. I love the way that the town goes from completely normal to reverting into chaos. The plot is this. The town of Castle Rock is like any other town, until a new store, Needful Things opens up. As people go into the store, they begin to realize that the owner, a weird man named Leland Gaunt, has possessions that they have always wanted. In exchange for selling them these items, Mr. Gaunt has them play a prank on another town resident. Eventually these pranks end up turning the town into an insane war zone, and I won't give away the ending. One of the best things about this novel is that even though the plot is a tad unbelievable, King makes it believable with his fantastic writing style. I only wish that I could give this book six stars.

Even if you are not a fan of Stephen King, I strongly urge you to go out and buy this book. Believe me, it is a chioce that you won't regret.

With the ``Last Castle Rock Story'' King bids a magnificent farewell to the fictional Maine town where much of his previous work has been set. Of grand proportion, the novel ranks with King's best, in both plot and characterization. A new store, Needful Things, opens in town, and its proprietor, Leland Gaunt, offers seemingly unbeatable (read: Faustian) bargains to Castle Rock's troubled citizens. Among them are Polly Chalmers, lonely seamstress whose arthritis is only one of the physical and psychic pains she must bear; Brian Rusk, the 11-year-old boy whose mother is not precisely attentive; and Alan Pangborn, the new sheriff whose wife and son have recently died. These are only three of the half-dozen or so brilliantly drawn people met in the novel's one-month time span. As the dreams of each strikingly memorable character, major and minor, inexorably turn to nightmare, individuals and soon the community are overwhelmed, while the precise nature of Gaunt's evil thrillingly stays just out of focus. King, like Leland Gaunt, knows just what his customers want. 1.5 million first printing; BOMC main selection.

This book was about a young boy named Edmund. His master was a counterfiter and had to take his masters punishment. He then joined with a crusade to help his master. He then joined the crusade and fought King Richards and his army. Finally the crusaders beat King Richard and won the victory.
They should of had a little more action in the authors story. The book I read was average. Also, it was still good to read because it was interting.

This book is about an apprentice named Edmund. His master, Otto of Clifton was a moneymaker. One night a few men barged in the house. The Exchequer's men came in the house. They seized Otto and severed his hand. Then Edmund ran and tried to evade the men, but they caught him too with their horses. They were about to cut his hand off too, but the sheriff came in and put him in chains. The sheriff noticed that he was very strong and looked fit for battle. There was a knight named Sir Nigel who needed a squire for he had lost one. He was going to choose from another youth named Hubert who could fight with a battle-axe and with a two-handed sword. Sir Nigel decided them to fight and choose the winner. They both became squires for Sir Nigel. Edmund became a hammer man. They trained under Sir Nigel for the crusade they were going to go on. Finally the crusade started. The crusaders started a siege on the city of Acre. After a while, they took it over. They had many prisoners. King Richard ordered for them to all be executed. This was the third crusade. Many people died. There was more, but you will have to read it to find out.

This book was very realistic. Although I like fiction, I enjoyed this historical fiction. The story was mixed with the occurrence of the Third Crusade and an apprentice of a moneymaker becoming a squire.

My favorite part was the siege of Acre. It was very descriptive and well written.

The Book of the Lion is a pretty good book, which tells of a young boy named Edmund. The book was good but it could have been better. The story is about Edmund going off with Sir Nigel to fight in the crusades, after he is arrested and Sir Nigel sets him free. You see, Sir Nigel is in need of a squire and Edmund immediatly agrees to join up with him, so that he can save his own skin. So after some begining adventures, which you'll find out about when you read the book, the two set off with the help of Sir Rannulf, another knight and a friend of Sir Nigel's, and Hubert, Sir nigel's other squire, as well as a whole batch of other characters that I again won't mention. The journy consists of them going to Italy and then sailing of to the Holy Lands. The next part of the story describes the battles of the Crusades, although the battles could have been a bit more exiting, and the whole book could have been a bit longer. I felt like the book centered to much on the time in between battles, and exiting parts, over just describing a lot while having something exiting happen. Although the book kept my intrest, I couldn't really get into it. If you like quick books, that are pretty exiting, not to bloody, and that have a dramatic side to them, than this book is for you.