Angel-In-Training Joe Bill and Sister Betty are at it again as they try to save Sister Connie Fuse from Mother Pray Onn's wrath! In "Sister Connie Fuse Makes A Grave Mistake" we meet Sister Connie Fuse, a woman who has tried all her life to find and serve God, and having reached the AIN'T NOBODY ELSE RIGHT BUT US church, she feels that she has finally found her place to worship. In trying to do right, Connie Fuse runs an errand for the cranky Mother Pray Onn. The errand? To take Mother Pray Onn's grave layaway payment over to the cemetery. Connie mistakenly drops the payment off at the crematorium, and when Mother Pray Onn finds out she is fit to be tied, vowing to set Connie Fuse straight at the next prayer and testimony meeting...will Joe Bill and Sister Betty right this wrong in time?

I laughed OUT LOUD as I read this story. Everything you expect to see at a church; Walker provides the EXACT opposite in such a comical manner you can't help but to join in on the zaniness of the story. Walker's story reads like a conversation you might actually hear, and the characters (and their names) you won't forget any time soon. For readers who love witty humor and outrageous, jump-off-the-page characters, you'll want to pick up CONNIE FUSE...and other Walker stories.

Reviewed by Shonie

I read the first book about Sister Betty and thought I would cry from laughing so hard. But Sister Connie Fuse had me doubling over. What a great way to give a message about forgiveness. First of all I'd like to know how the author came up with the idea of someone accidentally taking a grave layaway payment to a crematorium instead of a cemetery and then have a story where the church members got together like they were going to a boxing match between Mother Pray Onn and poor Sister Connie Fuse.

I love the way the author took the innocence of children and made the adults re-examine their behaviour of bickering and unforgiveness.

I must see this on the screen. Miss Walker's writing is so vivid and her dialogue unforgettable. I particularly loved the character of Ma Cile who's favorite food is a pigfoot fajita and only has one eye. All the characters from Rev. Knott Enuff Money to Deacon Laid Handz were written with such individuality that the author never had to say who was saying what. That kind of writing takes skills and this author has them.

I thought I was a fan when I saw her perform, I'm definitely one after reading these two books.

If you are looking for side-splitting humor, Sister Connie Fuse Makes A Grave Mistake, is a short stress-relieving read. Not only are the characters memorable, you may know the real-life versions in your local church. Pat G'Orge Walker does a wonderful job of tickling the funny bone and revealing the true essence of what it means to be a Christian.

Don't miss, Sister Betty! God is Calling You, the first short story in this collection of adventures of the "Ain't Nobody Else Right But Us - All Others Goin to Hell" congregation. Sister Betty makes an appearance in this story along with some others.

Sunny Meets Her Baby Sister is a picture book in Susie Neimark's "Sunny & the Chocolate Dog" series. Sunny is a frisky yellow Labrador who has to adjust to the antics of a playful puppy that her loving parents choose to be her new sibling. It takes time for the two canines to get to know one another, yet the rewards of forging a relationship are beyond measure in this charming story which is enhanced with Kent Hammerstrom's cheerful illustrations. Also very highly recommended is the Neimark and Hammerstrom companion title: Sunny & The Chocolate Dog Go To The Beach...

I thought the book was excellent. I can see how this book can be used to educate children on dogs or any animal in the house and also provide a lesson to the reader to pass to a child. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will now read the others. I highly recommend it.

I am so impressed with the care and understanding that the author put into this book. Just about everyone I know can relate to the subject matter (especially the part pertaining to sharing). I am always looking for books for my grandchildren and I couldn't have made a better selection. The large print is a plus and encourages an older sibling to read to their younger brother or sister.

My First Chicken Soup book that I have read, and this was simply excellent. I laughed, cried, and it brought back all my childhood memories.

I purchased this book as a gift for each of my four sisters, as well as one for myself. The stories are so perfectly suited to the relationship between sisters -- good, bad, and ugly! In many stories we found ourselves.

Laugh, cry, get mad, enjoy! You'll do all of these when you read this book. It's a wonderful gift for yourself as well as your sister!!

these book is really one of my favourite , i really recommend it for sisters it show me how special and lucky a person is to have a sis ,and i specially recommend it to busy people because it will let them think again about the time they spend with there sis .

Sometimes when shopping for childrens' books online, it's hard to know what a book will really be like (though reviews help). This book I saw in a bookstore and I was captivated by it -- it's not sentimental or sappy but by the time I finished reading it I was extremely moved, even a bit teary. As other reviewers have noted it covers different aspects of prenatal preparations, baby growth, baby care, etc., but it also manages very subtly to encompass some of the emotions (in parents as well as siblings) around the arrival of a new baby. It has a somewhat larger format and wonderfully simple yet expressive illustrations. My son (who just turned four) loves it, and I think it makes him feel good about the prospect of being a big brother (the sibling in the story is a boy, but the book is written in such a way that girls would be able to relate to it, too). After all, it is the big brother who plays a pivotal role in helping to soothe the baby at the end of the story!

My daughter will be 26 months older than her new sibling. We've been reading this book to her 3-4 times/week for the past 5 months, at her request. She loves the simple pictures. The illustrated story is easy for her to relate to her own experiences: in the OB's office, visiting the baby at the hospital, sorting through baby clothes in preparation of the layette, sponge bathing the baby, etc. It's easy for a parent to pick and choose the aspects of each picture that she wants to highlight for her child: breastfeeding, a newborn's umbilical cord stump, etc. Have been very happy with this book choice.

Our son loves this book and wants to read it everyday! we are expecting #2 is a month or so and I really think this book has prepared him and i think (hope) that he is looking forward to having his own baby. The pictures are so realistic and he just gets enthrauled by them.

Diana Dell has a talent for transporting the mind back in time and place - to the times that us baby boomers still remember with fondness. Her look backwards is also her way of dealing with the loss of her brother - without reminding us of that fact all the time. She has loving respect for her roots - her family and her neighborhood. She has captured those times and people and given us a snap shot of her heart as she grew up. The reader will find that they will get involved in all these people's lives that she introduces in the book. It is a book for both men and women to read. It makes a nice weekend reading journey as I have done this weekend.

Memories Are Like Clouds is a beautiful, evocative memory of the bucolic and misty 1950s in a small town in Pennsylvania. Diana Dell's love of Kenny, her younger brother, her family and her 'place' screams off the page. I found myself chuckling often and when not chuckling, a twinkle nestled in my eye side-to-side to a stray tear or a chill.
This is a story about a boy, a family, a town, and a time that comes alive in the present and says something meaningful to us.
Memories Are Like Clouds is a celebration of Kenny Dell, an All-American boy, a poignant toast to Kenny, the soldier and hero, and a song to the sacrifices of American soldiers heeding their country's call. We can pray their country exercises their love with wisdom.
Memories, like clouds, stir and churn. This book is a must-read that places history in context to the present. Bob Lupo, author, A Buffalo's Revenge; Extremities-4.

I enjoyed this book. The title is perfect for a work that snapshots growing up in a Polish community. My grandparents were Russian Jews (both sets) who came to America about 1912. Both my parents were born here. So much of the anecdotal tales of local characters, mom and pop shops, numbers running, close communities, mirrored so much of what I remember as a child. Overlaying the story and presented initially is the loss of a loved one in Viet Nam. This book relates how immigrant families sacrificed for their children encouraging their education that resulted in 2nd generation Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants etc. Its a wonderful book to read and struck many chords for me.

My son is 16 months old and he loves this book! It has been so helpful in trying to prepare him for becoming a big brother. Even though he is young, we are able to tell him about what babies can and cannot do so he will be ready when his brother arrives. I think out of all the books we bought, we will be able to reinforce more about babies with this book than any of the others. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who needs to prepare a child for a new siblings arrival!

This is such a cute book...I found it when looking for some book to get for my son to help him get ready for the arrival of his little sister...what I really liked was how it explained how the baby wouldn't be able to really do anything right away...that was very helpful because of course my son who is 2 thought that his sister would be able to play with him and everything right away...but after reading his books he realized she was going to be a little baby and wouldn't be able to do everything he wanted...he is now very excited for his sister to get here and he loves reading it...he now likes to read it to us...definatly a perfect book for either the Big Brother or the Bid Sister.

When I was pregnant with my second child, I looked long and hard for good books to introduce to our 2 yr. old son the idea of a new baby arriving. I was surprised that, of all the ones I saw, this is far and away the best -- at least for the 2-4 yr. old crowd. This book helps them understand what to expect from a baby (for instance, not an instant playmate, and lots of crying) and what they can do with a baby (snuggle, give her a finger to grab, take her for a walk in the stroller). For an excellent book on reassuring your child that he or she won't be losing out on Mommy's love, try "On Mother's Lap," by Ann Herbert Scott (wonderful illustrations, too). My son still enjoys these books, a year-and-a-half later.

ok...for the author to be a journalist i thought this book would be an easy read. while i enjoyed the nostalgia of remembering what life was like in the 80's, Pinch and Paige's story moved very slowly. the constant back and forth between past and present along with the friction between the characters private and public lives made me grow weary early in the novel.

the title's symbolism will not be lost on the reader. the life these young girls led was truly like being wrestled from one situation to the next with no time to recuperate from the last sucker-punch life dealt them.

Danyel uses beautiful metaphors and adjectives to make real the pain the sisters endured from the people who supposedly loved them the most. Pinch has to watch those she cares about make poor life choices while she struggles to break free and live the life she knows she is entitled to.

everyone except their mother could see that her abusive relationship was taking a toll on her children. Paige needed counseling at an early age, but most families back then did not even consider emotional health issues. Pinch, although being the younger sister managed to be more mature than Paige.

how they rallied together to overcome the obstacles that threatened to swallow them is to be commended. a dysfunctional childhood will lead to a dysfunctional adult life unless the issues are addressed...that's the book's message, but it sure took the scenic route to get there.

Ms. Smith, you have true talent, hopefully your sophmore attempt will be less laboring for the reader.

This brought back good (and not so good) memories of living in Oakland. Even though I'm white. Love the ending!

This book is about a lot of things: Oakland in the 80s, young men and women trying to make their way in a harsh world, the fall-out for children of a mother's bad choices. But mostly, it's about sisterhood. Paige and Pinch know each other better than anyone else knows either. And they care for each other as no one else can or will. For both, this relationship is a source of strength, but it is also in part what keeps each sister from venturing into the world. My heart ached as I read this book. But when I turned the last page, it ached with more hope than despair.

If I could I'd give this book a 11! Now I have said before that other books were the best, but this one was really the best. I started reading it the night I got it and I told myself I was going to bed after chapter 5, but after that chapter I was hooked, I just couldn't put it down. After every chapter I told myself I was going to bed, but I would always tell myself, "just one more chapter", until the whole book was read . That was the fastest time I've ever read a book. It only took me 2 hours, then I finally went to bed! You must read this book, cause it really is the best!!

Have you ever heard of a girl with telekinetic powers? Well in the book Runaway a girl named Felicia has powers to move things with her mind. One problem, she couldn't control her powers. So she became a runaway. After he escaped all the tests people were doing on her she went to a town called Shadyside. There she met a boy called Nick and his girlfriend Zan, short for Alexandria. Felicia became runaway because at her old town she killed two people. Zan found out about her secret and tried to kill her. Next her friend Debbie tried to kill her. Do you think she think survived?
While I was reading the book, I was on the edge of my seat. Everyday I read two to four chapters. When I was reading the book I pictured I was in the book watching everything. Everyday when I was in school I couldn't wait until my study hall so I could read the book. One weekend I stayed up from 9:00pm to 1:00am finishing the book. I absolutely could not put the book down. The book had so much action and excitement. That is what I look for in a book.
Felicia, the protagonist, is tall, slender, brown eyes, and long brown hair. Her personality traits are nice, caring, helpful, concerned, generous and courageous. She showed she was helpful by helping out at the Burger Basket. She showed she was courageous when the Burger Basket started on fire and people were still trapped inside the building. She went inside and cleared the fire with her telekinetic powers. She has a couple of strengths and weaknesses. Her strengths are that she has telekinetic powers. Her weaknesses are that she cannot control them. They just go off when ever they feel like it. An example is when she was in school, she felt the powers swell inside of her, then they just burst out and a row of lockers began to tremble and books began to slam against the lockers.
Felicia seems like a nice girl. She seems she would help out no matter what the situation. She acted strange a few times but people got used to it, except for Zan. It seems like she had a lot of adventures. This was a good book, I hope you read it.

Have you ever had telekinetic powers and want to get rid of them? Well, a girl named, Felicia, in Runaway by R.L.Stine did. Before her telekinetic powers start up again, she wanted to run away. However, everyone knew she had these powers and that her two best friends were dead as a door nail because of them. Rather than staying where she was, Felicia ran away from her family and friends to a small town called Shadeyside. There she meet two new wonderful friends. Their names were Zan and Nick. They got her a job cooking hamburgers at a local resturant, and seemed pretty nice. Zan Nick and Felicia stayed friends for quite a long time. One day, Felicia, overheard two boys talking about how they can't watch a man's cat while he was on a vacation anymore. She needed the money and a place to sleep at night, so she asked them if she could watch the cat. They said sure,why not. The next day at work, Zan told her to change the light bulb in the storage room. When she got there, the room was flooded with water like an indoor pool. When she took the light bulb out of it's socket, it started a fire. No one was hurt and everyone got out safly. That night, when Felicia entered the den area of the man's home, it looked like a hurricane had hit. There were papers off the desk and on the floor. Just a she was about to clean up the papers, she noticed there was blood on the walls, too. When Felicia went to wipe the blood off the walls, she realized it was only red paint. The thought that someone knows who I really am scared her silly. When Felicia is about to runaway agian, someone finds out who she really is. Who could it be? Ladies and gentlemen, I invite and encourage you to read this fabulous book, Runaway, by R.L. Stine.

Judy Valentine always hid from life behind her drums. It was always her dream to be part of a rock band, as well as her older brother's dying wish for her. Three years after her brother's suicide, Judy finds her band, Wedding Night. Opening for Nick Praetorious, the hottest act in the country, brings the band national attention and forces Judy at sixteen years old to deal with success, attention, and being idolized while still developing her own identity.

Chinese Handcuffs by Chris Crutcher tells the similar story of a teenage boy named Dillon who also loses his older brother to suicide. Dillon escapes his pain through triathalons, an extreme contrast to Judy's music writing and playing. Crutcher tends to write novels centered around sports because more young people can relate to sports analagies than they can to introspecitve song lyrics. For me, it was nice to read a young adult novel with a storyline that I could relate to rather than merely understand.

"You can give her all your money, till you're totally broke./ You can christen her with diamonds, You can sprinkle her with coke./ But you'll never have her and you'll never know her/ 'cause she's the girl, she's the girl inside the girl."(Pg. 36) Judy "wrote" this song,"The Girl Inside the Girl". Many other full song lyrics are included throughout the book so that one can truly hear the sounds of a Wedding Night concert as well as visualize it. One even begins to understand the rock and roll lifestlye through a teenager's eyes. Once seen from behind closed doors, a rock star's life loses it's luster and glamourous image. Yet, the passion never dies for the music, not for Judy Valentine.

This book was written for "young adults", so it might be a little below an older teen's reading level. However, the storyline is just so unique, I would still recommend it to any music lover.

A magnificient book, although tad childish and naive. The author weaves a beautiful tale of the protagonist Judy, a drummer who recovering fromt eh death ofher brother, is yearning to discover herself through her 'band'. SHe finds this band when she answers mysterious want ad. and meets Strobe, together they assemble this band...Irwin. Maddox and Mark the Music. The descirpitions that the author uses when describing music being made is painfully beautiful. His descriptions of Mark the Music playing the guitar are exceptionally beautiful....leads you to believe the author is a guitarist...The story is very tight and Judy's voyage of discovery, in the company of 'Wedding Night', the band, is told very well. The ending is beautiful...ANyone with music in their hearts will fall in love with this book.

This is one of the most wonderful books from my early adolescence I ever read...it can to me at just the time I needed it and that I will never forget. I felt just like the heroine of the book the whole time... her against the world in a desperate desire to simply make music and find out who she is. Read it...and give it to your teens...

This is a wonderful book about friendship. A girl named Katie goes with her family to live in Paris for a year, but was going to return to Canada to graduate grade 12 with her friends. Katie and her friends; Ashley(who was her best friend), Maude and Heather kept in touch often through letters, e-mail or sometimes the phone. Katie always ended her letters with Ilove you, or Love you like a sister.(LYLAS) Ashley and Katie had just arranged for Ashley to visit w/ Katie, but then ... THIS BOOK ROCKED!!!

AFter I read this book I relized how much you need to savor your life and what friendship really means!Its really touching and will keep you reading until you finish this book!

From page one I became enthralled with the charactors of this book. Amazingly enough is the fact that these are not charactors but real people. It is the true story of a girl's last moments dialogued in her emails and letters to her friends. It reminded me alot of myself and my friends. I feel that many will identify with Katie. This book is a reminder to all that life can change in an instant and we must cherish those that are placed in our lives!