Lloyd Alexander is great at putting emotions into his books. I've never laughed out loud because a book was funny until I read his books. I loved how smart the cats were.

This is a great book about many cats who have saved the day! One of the cats saved a town from a being ruled by a king. Another cat painted a picture and reminded people better to be cats than fools. One cat even let a princess marry who she wanted. This story has many different, wonderful stories about cats that can do remarkable things. I would reccomend this book to anyone even if they dislike cats!

Lloyd Alexander is one pro-feline author, since he has written other books starring cats: THE TIME CAT and THE CAT WHO WANTED TO BE A MAN. This is a delightful little book--featuring a bold tom garbed in a cloak, who reminds me of that clever, fabled Puss in Boots. The premise of these 8 tales is simple: the cats, talk, dress and interact with humans quite naturally, although certain feline characteristics remain.

While the cats featured in each tale exhibit wit and wisdom, the merely human characters prove absurdly lacking in these desirable qualities; it takes a cat to get many of them out of their scrapes. The people prove vain, gullible, mean or greedy. However most cats are smart enough to be content with themselves just as they are. One tale provides us with an underlying theme: no cat worth his whiskers wants to be what he is not; better a cat than a (human) jackass!

The settings for these tales are not specififed, but there is a definite European flavor; the names of the characters give hints: Italy, France, Poland, Holland, England, the Middle East, and some place out of Grimm. Alexander's style is light and lively; with wry humor he pokes fun at human foibles as viewed through the intelligent eyes of cats. This is a quick and enjoyable read--a must for all cat lovers. When it comes to the short story genre, Kitka rates this a full Nine Lives!

this 56 page book is filled with lots of info. it is great for all ages. it is filled with great illustrated pictures by Laszlo Kubinyi. it's one of the best books i'v ever bought.

This is a good book because it provides a different side to mummies. It has beautiful color drawings of some mummies. It can be helpful when doing a report ,or making a model of one as I did. This book also provides other sources to look at. If you are interested look in your local library or bookstore. (Great for young readers and Egypt book worms)

I was so glad to find that this book is still in print. It was wonderful and challenging and great fun to figure out some of the problems, learn a different way of looking at things, stretching your imagination... It taught me that things aren't always the way they appear to be. It taught me to think for myself and I used it over and over again, exercising the mind muscle. I lost mine from 25 years ago, and its one of the books that has stood out from my childhood. Now I'm thrilled to find I can still get a copy for my son and a few copies as unique gifts. Its not like any other childrens book I've seen.

Perplexing Puzzles and Tantalizing Teasers will definitely test your wits and best of all, it'll test your common sense. You'll realize common sense is not so common after all! The book is also full of word games, visual games, conundrums, jokes, palindromes, and some real stumpers. I was given my first copy 18 years ago, and I've been hooked ever since. The illustrations are great; and if you can't figure something out, the answer is always in the back.

"Josefina's World" is an excellent supplement to the Josefina chapter books and short stories. Although each chapter book and short story has a section in the back with historical information that is relevant to the story in the book, "Josefina's World" is a colorful, informative historical overview with the kinds of information that readers will most want to know. There are wonderful cut-away pictures of Josefina's rancho and of a pueblo, which many children will find appealing. The experiences of birth, childhood, and marriage are covered along with fashion, cleanliness, faith, health and medicine, and the importance of the role of the community. Stories of real people of the time and the retelling of the folk tale of "La Llorona" supplement the text. Historical information slips in with the coming of the Spanish, the blending of Pueblo and Spanish cultures, the significance of trade from Mexico City and the Santa Fe Trail, and the coming of the Americans in the mid-nineteenth century. The text is divided into short sections that are easy to read and full of accurate, important historical information. The pictures show delightful representations of colonial New Mexico and even someone who does not read the text will get a comprehensive view of Josefina's World.

Great book full of wonderful pictures and great historic information. My daughter can spend hours exploring the book time and time again.

I actually happened upon this book by accident one day in the children's section of a library. But in my opinion adults will probably enjoy this book more than children.

The authors have collected and compiled many strange local tales from the mysterious envirions which inspired Bram Stoker to create the most famous vampire figure of all.

But in reading these tales, one comes to realize just how much our present-day concept of the vampire has been influenced and shaped by Stoker and Hollywood.

These stories seem both intruigingly strange and disorienting (eg. --what? Vampires walking around in daylight?) and at the same time unsettlingly unsatisfying to those of us raised on action-packed plots and clearly delineated good guys and bad guys.

If you are a fan of the angst-ridden vampires of Anne Rice or the rock'n'roll vampires of Poppy Z. Brite, you won't like this book. But if you are curious about getting a first-hand view of some of the traditional beliefs behind our modern-day vampire and werewolf figures, this work makes a great primary source.

The compilers/translators have also included a valuable explanatory section which helps us to understand and come to grips with the great gap between the supernatural beliefs common in the West today and those presented here.

Mollie Hunter combines elements of Celtic mythology and children's dreams of heroism in this beautifully written fantasy. McAllistair's vow not to give the fairies their traditional share of his land is followed by several attempts on his life. When at last they kidnap him and make him their slave, his twelve-year-old son Fergus and his aged hunting dog Colm set out to rescue him from the mountain where he is held prisoner under the all-hearing great gray stone giant An Ferla Mor. This is a marvelous read-aloud for children in grades 4-5. It can lead to an interest in Celtic folklore as well as to Ms. Hunter's other books.

Hillerman brings to life this story from the Zuni, a Pueblo People of New Mexico. As the cover jacket says, this is "intended to teach both history and morality of a people", like an Old Testament story. The strength of the young boy who constructs a toy insect out of corn, is both touching and has lessons for us now in how we treat others and our resources. The drawings by Janet Grado, add nicely to the story, particularly the portraits of the corn maidens and the old woman. Although suitable for children, fans of Toni Hillerman will also enjoy this.

This retelling of a Zuni tale is very refreshing....an excellent book to share with your children. The story is strong in its content, and the life examples of cause and effect, how one behavior causes negative results, and how a positive behavior can cause a positive result.

This legend brings the reader into the lives of an ancient people, and one young boy. You share the journey, and rejoice in the conclusion.

I have shared this book with many friends, all of whom enjoyed the book.

I would compare this book, in quality of writing and content, to Mary Stewart's "A Walk In Wolf Wood".

This book is all about Ida Kate. When her Mother dies, she is left all he chores, and can't attend school. A friend of Ida Kate's mother dies also. Her father sent away for a mail bride (that is where two people send lots of letters, and then the lady comes and they get married). Her friend's step-mother was very nice, so Ida Kates father decided to try. When Caroline (his mail bride) gets there she brings a big surprise with her. This is a very good story!

It's 1878. Ida Kate Deming and her father live on a farm on the Kansas prairie, several miles from the nearest town. Since the death of Ida Kate's mother, she has had to take on the household chores: cleaning, mending, cooking, etc. It's a big job for a young girl, and it doesn't leave enough time for Ida Kate to attend school or see her friends much. Small wonder, then, that Ida Kate is excitedly looking forward to the arrival of the mail-order bride that is coming from back east to marry her father. Trouble arrives with the new member of the family, however. Her hair is the wrong color, she's too short, she cooks too well and sings too well, she isn't allergic to the cat, and her handwriting is different from the handwriting in the letters they received. Who is this woman, really? What happened to the woman Ida Kate and her father were expecting?

While portraying the hardships of life on the frontier in the late 1800's, "Riddle Of The Prairie Bride" also gives kids an intriguing mystery to sink their teeth into. "Formulaic" it may be, but this is fine for kids. A plot with too many complications could be overwhelm a young reader. My ten-year-old daughter got quite caught up in this tale, and wanted to "keep reading" each evening until we finished it. Readers of other "history mysteries" will not be disappointed with this one. If you have never read one, give one a try.

Ever since her mother's death two years ago, twelve-year-old Ida Kate Deming has done all the housework for herself and her father on their Kansas homestead. The year is 1878, and life on the prairie is difficult, dangerous, and lonely. Ida Kate's father has decided the time has come for him to remarry. He puts an advertisement for a wife in an eastern newspaper, and a young widow, Caroline Fairchild, who has a one-year-old son, responds. Ida Kate is eager to have a mother and a brother, and her father is eager to once again have a wife. But all is not right with Caroline. Soon, Ida Kate begins to suspect that Caroline may not be Caroline at all, but someone else entirely different. But if "Caroline" is an impostor, what happened to the real Caroline? And are Ida Kate and her father in danger? This was a wonderful addition to the History Mysteries series that brought alive life on the prairie in the 1870s. Ida Kate was a spirited, adventurous heroine. I reccomend this book to all those who enjoyed the other History Mysteries books.

Mendy Thompson, a very brave 12 year old girl, who has two sisters and four brothers, is forced to stay home by her mother over the summer of 1958 with her little brother. She amuses herself by going to visit her favorite place; her Taj Majal, which is a clearing in the woods she is not allowed to go to. Because she is black, and her best friend Jeffrey is white they are no longer allowed to see each other. When Mendy realizes tesspassers are coming to the Taj Mahal, she sets a trap to try to stop them. She and Jeffrey meet each other secretly, and she tells him about the tresspassers. Jeffrey says it is the Klu Klux Klan, a group who does not like people who are different from them, anyone who is not white or Christian, which makes Mendy very scared. Together, they must figure out who is in the KKK before the group destroys an event Mendy has really been looking forward to.
I liked Aunt Sis, an elderly black woman, because she was so loving towards Mendy like when she would welcome her into her house and listen to her problems.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes exciting books. It was suspensful like when Mendy and Jeffrey saw the KKK meeting in her Taj Mahal.

Mendy is a twelve-year-old African American girl living in rural Tennessee in the late 1950's. She is an admirer of Eleanor Roosevelt and is thrilled when her father tells her that Mrs. Roosevelt is coming to visit the Highlander School, which is located only a few miles away. Soon, however, she discovers that the men that have been meeting in her favorite clearing in the nearby woods belong to the Ku Klux Klan and are planning an attack on Mrs. Roosevelt when she appears at Highlander. Mendy feels she must do something to prevent the attack, but what can she do? Will she get herself in danger?

This story is based on a real incident and conveys a small taste of the violence, hatred and fear inspired by the KKK. As a piece of literature, it is not quite up to the standard set by such things as the Harry Potter books. Nevertheless, this book gives young readers experience of a genuine American historical setting while also providing a positive role model and some insight into the evils of bigotry and racial discrimination. It is another solid entry in the "History Mystery" series and my daughter and I both enjoyed it together. We recommend it.

The History Mystery Circle of Fire, takes place in 1950?s Tennessee, during the times of segregation when great changes for African Americans. The central character in the story is a twelve-year-old African American girl named Mendy, who has discovered a secret clearing she had named, the Tahj Mahal after a beautiful place in India. But one day, she discovers her secret clearing, littered with beer bottle, cigars and cigarette butts. She is convinced that they are trespassers. Mendy is determined to find out who the trespassers are and how to scare them off, so she sets a trap and uses her bowie knife lure them into her trap. Unfortunate the trespassers knew it was a trap and they killed her tamed rabbit, Mr. Hare. Strangely, the trespassers left her rabbit in a bundle with a strange red symbol on it. She asks her Aunt Sis is she had seen anything strange occurring in the woods. Fortunately, Aunt Sis informs Mendy that a group of hateful men called the KKK (Ku Klux Klan) are planning to bomb the Highlander School where Eleanor Roosevelt, Mendy?s role model, will be reciting a speech. Mendy?s mother forbids her to ever go to the Highlander school because she feels that some dangerous and racist events take place, which is true, but Mendy is looking forward to hearing Mrs. Roosevelt?s speech, and does everything she can to stop the Klan.

The reason why the KKK is planning on bombing the Highlander School is because a friend of Mendy?s father who is white owns it. He allows blacks and whites to swim together, eat together, and do other things in the same place. Mendy is determined to find out that is in the KKK, with the help of her best friend Jeffery. Mendy?s mother forbids her to spend time with Jeffery, but they secretly spy on the Klan and try to find out what their plan is. She is strong-minded to warn Mrs. Roosevelt. When the police found out about the Klan?s horrendous plot, they foiled the plot and disrupted Mrs. Roosevelt?s visit. I liked this story very much. I liked how most of the events were based on true incidents. I learned a lot about the racist and prejudice activity that occurred for African Americans during the 1950?s. This book was exciting, historical, thrilling, and adventurous. As I read, this story gave me some information about what the times were like for African Americans in the 1950?s.

Culled from the diaries, letters, advertisements, newsreels & newspapers of those years, you will read what it was like growing up in the 1940s in a world at war & what the family & the nation did to ensure there was enough to eat & enough to fight with.

I was a little girl "over there" during these years, so I picked up this bright history book with a certain degree of remembrances of things past.

This is an interesting way of looking at history - from a girl's point of view of how a world war affected her childhood. While Molly is a fictional character, there are enough women still alive who can attest to the veracity of Molly's experiences because the places & the times of her story are real.

One glaring omission is any reference to the daughters of Japanese-American families incarcerated in camps in the wilds of the American West for the duration.

Molly's World of 1944 is filled with nostalgic icons & while it contains magazine-like sidebars, photos & articles on everything from clothes to factory work to dogs to changing from war time to peace, it is couched in bland, politically correct language.

Notwithstanding the squeaky-cleanliness & disturbingly superficial information, this is a worthy bridge to a time that was. A way to connect today's girls with their grandmothers' girlhood.

I found this book to be a great read about the 1940's, as did my grandparents, who were teenagers back then. However, I felt that it muted things a little...such as the war, the nazis, and what was really going on. The actual Molly books do a better job of bluntly protraying Molly's world by pointing out the hardships faced during the war. Out of all the books I read about the second world war, this one only skims the surface. But it is perfect for the person who is just learning about the war. And it did bring back many a memory to my grandparents, who remember many of the things described in the book.

This book is simply a marvel.It talks about how life was in 1944 using first hand sources, like real snapshots, posters, helmets. It's the must have book for any girl studying WW2 and, of course, for any Molly's fan. I would recommend it for girls age 10 and above, but even a younger child might appreciate it with the help of a parent, or, better, of a grandmother that can add information on how her life was in those days.