I enjoyed Shadows in the Water because it is such an imaginative novel but yet seems so real. The Starbuck Family is full of unusual features. Including two sets of twins, Liberty and July (feternal),Molly and Charly (identical), the Starbuck Family goes on many wild adventures.To make the story even more exciting, both sets of twins are telipathic. On this expidition,the twins are sent to the Florida Keys. Meeting up with some toxic waste dumpers, the children find that a beautiful dolphin's life is at risk. Being able to communicate with the dolphins using their telepathy, the children do the best they can to save this beautiful dolphin.
This book is very thrilling. If you decide to get it, I hope you enjoy it.

This book might be one of my all time favorites, I've read it about 8 times now and it never gets old. I recently bought the book before it because I was so impressed with Shadows in the water. The writing is incredible and the story untouchable. The twins are so life like and you can almost hear the dolphin's voices in your own head. This book can be enjoyed by all ages

Shadows in the Water is an awesome book. I thought it was neat how July and Liberty could communicate with the dolphins, and i really liked the ending. I think it would be neat to live on a house boat, with a water slide right out my window.

My 8 year old daughter and I read it every night. She would read a chapter out loud then I'd read one. We had a great time with this book and were sorry to see it end. We can't wait for book two to see what Soren and friends do next.

If your looking for a great book for kids to read I would tell you to get this book. From the first page to the last you will be totally hooked, and will not be able to put it down. Can't wait till book 2 comes out.

Loved the book. An imaginative plot filled with great characters -owls of all types. It's the kind of book, like the Narnia series, that is written for kids, but is absorbing to adults as well. Can't wait to find out what happens in the next book. May there be many more.

I loved the main character, Alice Rose. Her adventures with Sam Clemens were both fun and educational. I learned quite a bit about the time period -- Lasky should be commended for her thorough research!

A while ago, I was faced with a decision: to read Alice Rose and Sam or another book for a book review. I decided, not really caring, to read Alice Rose and Sam. Now I am so happy that I did so I could tell other people about this great book. You just can't put it down! You learn about Alice Rose's time, too, so this is a simply marvelous book to read.

This novel is great fun. Alice Rose - never simply Alice - is a dynamic lead character who treads a narrow path between defying her era's gender roles and wanting nothing more than to go to Boston and be like her refined, petticoated cousins. Sam Clemens plays a supporting part, but does so memorably; his outrageous stories first land him a job on the paper, and then drive him out of town. Through the character of a Chinese immigrant, Lasky shows the reader the virulent racism of the time. Some readers may be put off by the novel's attitudes toward religion. Both Alice Rose and Sam rail against quotation-mark Christians, the sort who wear the name but do not live by the principles they espouse. However, both, also speak favorably of people they have known who have lived up to the name. The books only real flaw is a climax that may leave readers wondering for a moment just what has happened. The confusion is cleared up quickly, however. An author's note at the end describes the historical elements of the book and explains which are fact-based and which are totally fictional. All in all, an appealling heroine, the irrepressible Sam Clemens, and an exciting plot make this an excellent choice.

This book quickly became a favorite in our house, my four girls love to have it read over and over, and they love to read it themselves and look at the pictures. They story is so sweet, and the illustrations are beautiful. I recommend this book for everyone, but especially for adults who have had that one special doll in their past, and for children who have that special doll now.

A truly touching story, brought to life with delightful illustrations from Wendy Anderson Halperin, about the special bond between a child and a treasured toy. As a collector of children's books, this one is a winner and will be treasured for years to come.

My seven year old and I sat down to read this book. It brought back memories of the little dolls that I had loved. The wear and tear on the little doll did not matter to Sophie. No matter what happen to Rose, Sophie loved her. The illustrations were wonderful. My little girl loved to follow the boxes around the edge. Everytime we read it, she discovers something new. I bought this book for her to keep and share with her children someday.

I received this book for Mother's Day from a dear friend who supported me through a long struggle with infertility. I was blessed to give birth to my daughter Caitlin in September, 2000. This book is wonderfully touching as a mother tells her daughter about what she was like before she became a mother, and how much she longed to someday be a mom. She tells her daughter, Katie, how she named all of her stuffed animals and toys "Katie" ... and how "she dreamed of having her own little girl to love."
"Now, I am your mother, and you are my only Katie. I tuck you in and tell you stories about the time before your time, when I was a little girl who ...slept in her firefighter boots...and who dreamed of having her own little girl to love."

For any woman who has longed for a child and has had her dream come true, this book will tug at her heartstrings for sure. And what a wonderful way for us to remind our children of how much they were wanted and how deeply they are loved.

I can't say enough about this book, as you can see. :)

Vicki (Who also named her dog Katie when she was a kid)
Mama to Caitlin

Engagingly written by Kathryn Lasky, Before I Was Your Mother is a thoughtful tribute to mothers and daughters everywhere, reminiscing about how every beloved mother was once a precocious little girl herself. Charming color illustrations by LeUyen Pham fill the pages of this tender picture book for young readers ages 3 to 7. Very highly recommended for family, school, and community library picture book collections, Before I Was Your Mother would make an especially nice gift for Mother's Day!

As War rages on in Europe in 1917 Kathleen "Cat" Bowen knows there is another big fight to finish at home. Her mother, sister, aunt, and many other women around her have all become suffragists to the disapproval of many men including Cat's uncle and her father. Cat and her cousin Alma want to join the picket lines but they are too young. The excitement builds as the picket lines have lasted more than a week and it seems there might be hope in the horizon! News reaches far out of the picket lines in Washington D.C. and many women from all over the United States have come to participate in the fight for the right to vote. On the homefront as the United States gets ready for war Cat sees the changes at home too as women take a much more active role in the society such as her cousin Alma who helps with the Red Cross over in Europe after running away from home and her problems . However Cat suffers a blow with the unexpected arrest of her mother. Can Cat survive more things to come?

This Adobe Reader was great! It greatly enhances the experice of reading this book with specials here and there! There were so many things to do!! Photos, videos, exerts!!! Great price for such a big package!!

It's 1917 in Washington, D.C, and as the Great War rages in Europe, thirteen-year-old Kathleen Bowen is caught up in a fight closer to home. Her mother, sister Nell, and Auntie Claire are suffragists, fighting for voting rights for women, to the disapproval of her Uncle Bayard and the worry of her father. Kat and her cousin Alma, who are the exact same age, want to help, but they are too young to join the picket line. As it begins to seem more and more likely that the United States will enter the war, life begins to change in other ways. Nell leaves to join the Women's Ambulance Corps in France, and Alma, desperate to escape after her parents' bitter divorce, runs away to England and becomes a Red Cross volunteer. But the worst hardship of all is still to come. Kat's mother is arrested, and Kat wonders how she will ever make it through this unbearable loneliness. I highly recommend this book to all fans of the Dear America series.

Dreams in the Golden Country was another great Dear America book. It is the diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish immigrant girl from Russia, in which she describes her family's first year and a half living on New York City's Lower East Side. Zipporah, or Zippy as she is called, dreams of being an actress in New York's Yiddish theater, and is overjoyed when she is given a job as a prop gir. But her newfound joy is overshadowed by the death of her baby brother when he is just a few days old. To make matters worse for her mother, Zippy's older sister, Miriam, recently ran off to marry a non-Jewish Irish boy, and her sister, Tovah, believes in women's rights and has organized a union, both of which Mrs. Feldman dissaproves of. Plus, one of Zippy's friends dies in a factory fire. Can Zippy really make a new life for herself in this so-called "golden country" that isn't so golden after all?

I have read all the Dear America books and Dreams in the Golden Country was one of the ones I enjoyed the most. Zippy Feldman and her family are immigrating to America. They arrive in New York and Zippy is feeling quite homesick. She wishes to learn to read and speak English, and starts school and soon is at the top of her class. She also takes quite an intrest in the Jewish theatre in New York. When her sister elopes with a Catholic boy Zippy's family doesn't approve of, Zippy finds herself torn. Will she ever see her sister again? Will she ever get a part in a play? And can she find her place in America? Read this good book to find out.

It's 1903, and Zipporah Feldman, her older sisters Miriam and Tovah, and their mother have come to join Papa in New York City, fleeing the persecution of Jews in their small Russian village. As she struggles to adjust to the American way of life, fit in at her new school, and learn English, Zippy, as she is calld, writes in her diary of how her father is becoming more American every day, Miriam is in love with a Catholic boy, Tovah is obsessed with fighting for better labor condition, and Mama attempts to keep traditional Jewish ways. Over one and a half years, we see how Zippy grows and matures. She experiances tragedies and losses, makes new friends, learns English, adapts many American ways, and persues her dreams of becoming an actress. I highly reccomend this wonderful book.

Double Trouble Squared is a great mystery about the Starbuck twins, their ability to use telepathy with each other and their interest in Sherlock Holmes. Liberty and July, twins, a boy and girl, born on the Fourth of July, hence the names, and their little sisters, the twins Charley and Molly, have long been able to telepath, communicate with thought, instead of words. In the recent weeks surrounding their move to London, mysterious things are happening with their telepathy. Echoes, sad, but not frightening, and static are begining to interupt their communication.The children must unravel the mystery, leadin them into fooggy London, wodded Sussex, the Tower of London, Stratford upon Frustration and finally back to their house at Devonshire Mews. It is a wonderful, engrossing, but not at all scary mystery mixing twins, Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle, and London in a splendid mix.This book about the Starbuck family will make you want more.

With the first book in her Starbuck Family Adventure Series, Kathryn Lasky will enchant you with chilling mystery, laugh-out-loud humor,and a setting of anyone's dreams.Zany characters, an unpublished work, a crack in the cieling, and many more small aspects make up this story of courage,mystery,and even some Sherlock....

I am into Double Trouble Squared for the 3rd time and still love it. I recommend this book for anyone interested in Sherlock Holmes, twins (twinology) or if you just want to read a great book. Liberty and July are so life-like, and if you know twins, like me, you will notice the similarities! READ THIS BOOK--interesting for all ages.

Written about the "headstrong" Austrian archduchess Maria Antonia (as the future Queen of France was called as a child), this book portrays her as a girl who wants to be herself. Tired of her mother's incessant attempts to mold her into a beautiful, ladylike Queen, Maria Antonia just wants a chance to develop her own character and make decisions for herself. This book also deals with Maria Antonia's marriage to Louis XVI, the Dauphin (or Crown Prince) of France. Maria Antonia has been meticulously prepped so that she will make a good impression on the Dauphin and his grandfather, the incumbent French monarch. However, when she actually meets her fiance, Maria Antonia discovers to her shock (and horror) that he is not at all handsome and that he is overweight--which is completely the opposite of what she was expecting him to look like. But Maria Antonia and her husband grow closer throughout the final third of the book and become good friends at last. They are on the verge of falling in love when the book ends. Maria Antonia also has to deal with Countess du Barry, the King's mistress. Du Barry is unfriendly to Maria Antonia and goes out of her way to insult the young Dauphine. In spite of this, Maria Antonia is expected to talk to du Barry and be courteous to her--which the Dauphine refuses to do. The book also talks about Maria Antonia's bond with her older sister Elizabeth, who was once a great beauty but whose skin is now scarred as a result of smallpox. Titi, or Theresa, who is Maria Antonia's seven-year-old niece (the daughter of her older brother Joseph and his late wife Isabella of Parma), is also a close friend of the Archduchess. A principal character in this book is Queen Maria Theresa (Maria Antonia's mother), who is controlling and strict (but not cruel). This book interested me in the history of the Habsburg family (of which Maria Antonia was a member). The author aptly describes the scenery of Maria Antonia's home(s) in Austria--expertly enough so that I could recognize every single landmark mentioned in the book when I visited Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, coincidentally a few days after I finished the book. An excellent read!

The year is 1769; the place, Austria. The pressure is on thirteen-year-old Maria Antonia, youngest daughter of the Empress Maria Theresa, to excell so that she will be chosen to marry the future king of France. Antonia, as she is called, must learn French language, fashions, customs, and etiquette so that she can impress the king's messengers. She is given no time to act her age; when she does attempt to enjoy life as a girl should, she is severely punished. When she is sent away to France, her life is little better - she makes enemies of the mistress of the current king, who is the grandfather of her husband-to-be. She is forced to observe customs she can barely keep straight. And she is having a hard time getting along with her fiance. I viewed Marie Antoinette differently after reading this book. It was obvious from the book and the afterword that Marie and her husband were not trained well by their parents and teachers on how to become good rulers, and Marie had been taught from the time she was young that the most important thing was to look good. This is most likely why they became such bad rulers and ended up losing their lives.

This book, Marie Antoinette, was written by Kathryn Lansky. It was set in the years 1769-1770,when Marie Antoinette was a young teenage girl, growing up in the palace of her mother, Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria.

In the first part of the book, Marie Antoinette's mother is trying to make a match between her and the Dauphin, Prince Louis 16th of France. Marie must have her portrait done and learn French etiquette (which she thinks is very boring) if she is to become the Queen of France. Thankfully, she has her riding lessons, which she loves. After the plans for the wedding are set, she must prepare to go to France, to marry Louis and join the French court as his wife. She tells in her diary of all the endless preparations to be made for the journey, like being fitted for fancy new French dresses. Then when Marie goes to France, she must adapt to the ways of the French court. For example, when she eats meals with her husband, she is watched by thousands of courtiers. She really hates being displayed in front of everyone like an animal in a cage! But she does enjoy horseback riding with Louis.

There are some really neat things about this book. First, the author wrote this book in diary form, with the date and year at the top of each quote just like a real diary. Second, when you read Marie's diary it is just like she is talking to you about her innermost thoughts and feelings. She tells you the sad, lonely, angry and the happy times that happened in her life. Third, the author did a great job explaining the book in great detail. For example, when Marie had to have her hair done for a fancy ball, afterwards she had to sleep with her hair on a board, to preserve the hairstyle! Another example is when she taught her young prince husband how to throw a snowball for the very first time. I love the way the author wrote this book in such a fun way to read!

This diary book has a blue and gold cover just like the one in the story. The edges of the pages are a beautiful gold color. On the front of the book, there is a beautiful picture of Marie Antoinette all dressed up for a ball. There is a section in the back of the book that has historical facts, plus pictures of Marie Antoinette and her family, where you can see how big their fancy ball dresses really were!

This diary tells of the events of Marie's life as a teenager, as well as her thoughts and feelings as an 18th century princess. Marie Antoinette was a very pretty, fun-loving girl who is really interesting to read about. This book shows how girls today are the same and different from girls back then, in an exciting, fun-to-read way.