The Fall of Freddie the Leaf is the best that I have found to not only help children understand the death of friends and loved ones, but to also help a terminal child understand what is happening to her. I have used it as a stepping stone for conversation on death. This book touches on all aspects of life. My husband and I have given out better than 50 copies! Three cheers for this book!

I believe that The Fall of Freddie the Leaf is an excellent book for children dealing with the death of a loved one. Honestly I haven't read the book in 9 years but I remember it well. When I was 10 years old my father was dying of colon cancer. The day my mother told my siblings and I (aged at the time 5, 8, 10, and 12) that my father wouldn't make it she read us the book. I still remember the book and how it helped us to understand why our daddy had to leave us. I would recommend this book to anyone with children who are facing the death of someone close to them. It was very memorable obviously because I still remember it to this day and give it a lot of credit in helping us to understand death.

I read this book to my 6 year old daughter and 5 year old son the night their father died. As I returned from the hospital, a neighbor gave me this book and it helped tremendously that evening. I read it often to my children that first year after our loss. I am now a teacher researching children's books on death for a Master's degree and I rediscovered this book. The Fall of Freddie the Leaf should be a part of every primary classroom library.

Wise Child is a beautifully written book for younger readers. It contains colourful historical detail and paints a vivid picture of the magical, mystical story of a childs life with a solitary witch or 'Doran'. Wise Child becomes orphaned and in the village auction it is decided that she should live with the local wise woman, Juniper, whom the villagers rely on in times of sickness. However the local Priest, Fillan, has the power to turn the villagers against Juniper in a time when suspected witches were often tortured and killed... It is obvious that the beliefs/cultures included in this book have been well researched, understood and brought to life by Furlong. Of all the books I have ever read, I can truly say that Wise Child is my favourite. I have read this book four times and am now 16 - too old for it really but the story and setting is so rare that I can only hope Furlong will write an adult version for me. Five Stars for a book which has provided much enjoyment as well as influencing my own views and interests through the years.

I really regret not being in the age group this book was written for when it first came out. Think of all the extra years of dreams and imaginations it could have inspired! I'm sure _Wise Child_ would have become one of those very few books that I read until the bindings fell apart, then had to buy a fresh copy as an adult. As it was, I didn't run across the book until I was "all grown up", but that didn't stop me from loving it immediately, nor from buying a copy for my best friend. When Wise Child's grandmother dies, she is taken in by Juniper, a very wise and gentle woman who is rumored to be a witch. In truth, Juniper is a *doran*, a person who takes her power from the natural world and works magic only for the good of all. With Juniper, Wise Child learns the ways of such magic, and begins to understand her own inner powers. Then the black sorceress Maeve appears... Magic and adventure is written into _Wise Child_'s every line. But there's a lot of wisdom too. Tolerance for diversity is a big theme, as well as respect for nature. And Juniper is about as good a role model as a young woman can ask for. If you're a parent, buy this book for your child and borrow it when they're not looking-- there's a lot in it; you won't regret it. If you're a kid, trust me, this book really is worth spending your allowance on. (You'll want to make sure your flashlight has extra batteries.) And for everyone else who loves a good fantasy, _Wise Child_ is as good as it gets. I hope you'll give it a try.

Wise Child is one of the best books I have ever read. It is the story of a young girl, who lives with Juniper after the death of her Grandmother. Juniper is called a witch by the villagers and at first Wise Child fears her. Juniper soon becomes the mother that Wise Child never had. She soon learns that Juniper does in fact use magic, although her magic is not evil. Juniper heals the sickness in the village. I like this book because it does not show the witches as evil people, rather as some-one who helps others in need. Wise Child shows the courage of someone who knows what they belive in, and will go to any effort to save those who they love.

Now don't get me wrong--I enjoy Leo Laporte, and love "The Screen Savers," his nightly TechTV show. His shameless yet forgivable shilling of this book on his show made me rush out and buy it. Unfortunately, I probably should have glanced through it first.

There's a wealth of interesting tips in here (from beginning to geek), but as with all tips, there's only a handful I'll use (granted, those were pretty good). The "day by day" almanac format gives you a hint, tip, troubleshooting technique, problem-solver, or fun fact for every day of the year. There's tips for both PC and Mac users (I'm a Mac user), but there isn't one for *each* format every day, so some days I'm left high-and-dry...that's no matter, I can skim ahead; I'm not going to wait *all year* to read the book. But I do have the feeling that I've paid for a whole book and only getting half the use out of it.

Less useful are the "This day in computer history" tidbits that pad out each day. Interesting, maybe, but not what I buy a computer help book for. These smacked of padding the book and would have been more fun in a different format ("Leo's Page-a-Day Computer History Calendar"?).

My biggest complaint is that the tips are arranged rather randomly. Although some build on previous tips, there's no sense of continuity. Although the book is well-indexed to find subjects, this is *not* a general help manual--such a book would have been divided into different sections on specific topics. Leo *might* have overcome this by indicating "theme weeks"--this whole week, PC users will learn about such-and-such, Mac users will learn another things...etc.

Okay, to be fair: this is a fun to read book, and Leo's friendly and matter-of-fact style is most welcome in today's tech book world. I'm definitely on board for his next book, but I'm going to be grading him for format next time. This one gets five stars for Leo's writing style and range, but three stars for the hard-for-practical-use and seemingly random day-by-day format of the book: I'll average those out to four stars.

Leo Laporte does a great job each night hosting a show called the Screen Savers, on Tech TV. Now he has also done a great job writing a book. Poor Leo's Almanac is basically a calendar, with something useful written for each day. There could be a windows tip, a technology quiz, a mac tip, or just about everything. There is also handy reminders on backing up your data (something I need to do a lot more of). Leo writes in a very understandable way. Even though I think this book would be best for the newbie/novice computer user, anybody could really benefit from the information. I've ordered a copy to give to a family member that is just getting started in computers, with this book anybody can become a "geek."

"Poor Leo's 2002 Computer Almanac" is filled with tips and useful information in an easy to read almanac. Not only for beginners, this book written by the popular host of "The Screen Savers" on Tech TV, contains daily tips and brief essays about some of the most frequently asked topics concerning "Personal Confusers," as Leo likes to call them!

Having hosted TV shows like "Call for Help," an hour long TV program devoted to "newbies" and computers, and "The Screen Savers," a daily 90 minute live TV show for the more advanced computer and technology enthusiast, Leo has condensed his vast knowledge and expertise into an easy to read format of daily advice and tips.

Mac and Linux are covered, but mostly this book is for someone who has a PC and wants to demystify the computer experience and become more confident in using it. Leo covers a lot of ground in this book, and even delves into more "geeky" topics from time to time, like installing Linux; but if your Mom or GrandMOM just got a computer, this book will certainly help them become more adept at mastering the computer.

From a series of new offerings by Tech Tv and Cue Publishing, this is the book to get! For the more advanced user, the How-To videos are a more in-depth guide to building your own computer etc., but of the many books just published, this one is, by far, the most entertaining and useful.

Yeager personafied the WWII generation, the finest ever produced by America. His humble description of his amazing life is inspiring to all and incredible to those with a love of aviation. Besides his own history, he chronicles the life of several other people, such as lady pilots Pancho Barnes and Jackie Cochran, who also lived lives that read like movie scripts. A book that has to be read several times to be fully appreciated. Also check out "The First and the Last", by Adolf Galland, for an equally unusual true account by a great aviator and leader. Farron Dacus, Irving, Texas.

Yeager is an amazing man, and this is an amazing book. It opens with a 'hook', an exciting passage from flying the X-1 that leaves you hanging and entices you to read the book. But once you get into it, no literary techniques are needed to keep you reading. He is just an amazing man, ergo, so is this autobiography.

The sections on his childhood are mercifully short; no one is reading the book to know what he did as a child. The WWII fighter pilot sections were a very pleasant suprise. I knew he was an ace, but I didn't know about his escape through France when he was downed, or about how he became an ace-in-a-day.

The sections on the breaking the sound barrier are just filled with details, insight, and excitement. This is the best part of the book.

The latter sections of the book continue with his exploits in Germany, Korea, Vietnam, and space school are interesting. The book tales off a little at the end with his description of Pakistan, but even this boring chapter is more exciting than most people's lives (so who am I to criticize!)

You won't be sorry...this is a great read.

The word around the campfire is that Chuck Yeager is real SOB. Fortunately, I heard this long after I'd read this book and decided he was anything but. I still question this "SOB" assessment. General Yeager signs books, answers fan mail and cracks great jokes. This is the Chuck Yeager that comes across in the pages of this book, which is undoubtedly one of the best aviation yarns ever written.

Yeager had a way of being at the right place at the right time. Those places and times form the heart of this book, and the heart of the golden age of aviation itself. If there is a person most qualified to tell the story of how America transitioned from piston-fired aircraft into the supersonic jet age, Chuck is that person. Told in a loose, casual manner, the story whizzes along at mach speed, slowing only to allow "other voices" (friends, family, comrades) to further illustrate Chuck's highly adventurous life.

The book can be very funny, as when Yeager describes "topping" a tree with his WWII trainer's wingtip; it can be suspenseful, as when Yeager and others describe his nearly fatal flight beyond Mach 2. And the book can be sad, as when he illustrates the dangers of flight testing by revealing that streets at Edwards Air Force Base were named after fallen test pilots. Of course, it's all old news now - some of the lore has even decayed into clichés. But the magic of this book is that the moment you pick it up and start reading, it all seems new again.

Yeager bashers always seem to miss what this book hits on so well; it's not the things he did, it's the way he did them. This isn't the story of a war ace turned arrogant test pilot; this is the story of a country boy who inadvertently made a name for himself merely by doing what came naturally to him. We should all be so lucky.

A fantastic story told by the man for whom it was a reality Leo Bretholz set out to write a book, not because he is a bookwriter, but because he has a story to tell. His childhood in Vienna, living the holocaust as a life event, loss, danger and the exhileration of escape and survival unfold with the suspense one usually expects from a fictional thriller. The thing that makes this book important it that it is the truth. Highly recommended for those interested in this period of history, and equally as a good read for for everybody.

I came across this book at a Baltimore bookstore on the day the authors were doing a signing, and was very pleased. This is the story of a young Jewish man and his flight for life across Europe during the Nazi invasion. The book is gripping as Mr. Bretholz is dealt one fate after another during his many attempts to outrun the Nazis. The tension mounts as you follow Mr. Bretholz through the horrifying adventure of Nazi Germany and run in his footsteps. I've read numerous books about World War II, but this is the first that to give me a true sense of seeing the horror first hand as it unfolded. It is a tragic personal adventure that will bring you to tears as you experience the inhumanities and tragedies of the war and then share in the author's final triumph of coming to America. I've read two memoirs this year, this one and Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes. While they are two very different tragic stories, they are among the better books I have read in quite some time.

This is one of the best written stories from the Holocaust. It details one young mans experience in running from the Nazis. The moral courage, love of life and family shows throughout this book.Bretholzs' detail in recall is outstanding. Everyone with a Holocaust interest must read this book.

Leo Buscaglia is my new "best author" and for a good reason.His phylosophy on life-embracing love,learning and living-has changed my entire perspective on my life and the way I see myself and others.It is amazing to me how he focuses on the "small things" like hugs and smiles to brighten up ones life as opposed to the more complicated suggestions of others. I know his "teachings" work first hand,having experienced them at my work place where everone read the book.His advice created a little heaven for me at that time of my life and I still continue to live what I learned and "teach" it to others. My most valuable lesson was to learn to forgive my (and other's) imperfections.

What a wonderful teacher Mr. Buscaglia was! This book should be read by every human on earth -- maybe then we would all have more humanity and love and peace. Not to mention the fact that it teaches us to love ourselves because of who we are and he teaches us to learn about US and each other! WONDERFUL WONDERFUL WONDERFUL! GO HUG SOMEONE TODAY! Thank you for keeping this magnificent man's books in publish!

I have bought so many copies of this book! I have been reading it about once a year since 1981. Dr. Buscaglia is a wonderful man, and it is a book I will cherish through my entire lifetime. Everytime I go buy a new copy, I read it, and then pass it on to a friend. It is something I love to give out! I can not even tell you how many people have thanked ME for something so inspiring. I think it should be recommended for all teachers, and students.. and parents, and friends, and siblings, and your spouse.. you get my point! A terrific gem! :)

Allergy-Free Gardening really did change the way I look at plants. I have a background in both horticulture and botany and yet there was so much new material that I learned from this book that I was frankly, amazed. I knew a bit about plant sex, but in retrospect, very little.
In Thomas Ogren's eyes all plants are not created equally--or at least they certainly are not equally of value to us. In the past I planted and never gave much thought to whether or not something would be causing me rashes, allergies or other plant-triggered illnesses. I look at trees, shrubs, vines, flowers, lawns different now though. I use this book to find the best plants, the ones that will be attractive and useful in my garden and that will be healthy choices for me and my family.
I like the way Allergy-Free Gardening is set up. Everything is easy to find, easy to understand, easy to use. This author has a real talent for taking the very complicated and putting it all into easily understood layperson terms. His writing is fluent, personal, interesting. You have the feeling he cares deeply about what he does. I haven't read his newest book yet, Safe Sex in the Garden, but I have two friends who have and they thought it was excellent. I've ordered a copy of it also. But, if you garden or you are concerned about your health, I expect you will enjoy this book. I also find that I use it over and over as a general gardening reference book, since it is full of good, solid, down to earth horticultural advice. This is one of the best gardening books I own, and certainly the best thing written on allergies, asthma, and avoiding pollen.

I have read all the books on this subject and this one is the best by far. None of the others have an allergy scale, and the scale makes finding the best plants much easier.
This book is also interesting and is full of good tips about gardening in general. The author spent many years working on this book and it is indeed useful and easy to understand.
I've had this book about a year now and have made many changes in my own landscapes, front and back yards both. Some of the shrubs we had were rated the very worst and getting them replaced was a big plus for me and my family, all of whom have allergies.
The photos in the book are quite good, as are the many drawings. Everything in it is cross-referenced and this makes it quick to find what you're looking for.
I got Allergy Free Gardening on the advice of my allergist and I have been recommending it to almost everyone I know. I wish I had had this book before we first landscaped, but still, better late than never.
I've been giving copies of this book as presents to my relatives who have allergies and so far everyone has enjoyed it. I think it is probably one of the most useful books I own, and I own quite a few.
Shelby Stover

Finally, an alternative to massive drug-therapy for folks with pollen allergies! Allergy-Free Gardening is a radical book, full of the valuable information allergy-sufferers need to excercise control over their immediate environment, the most likely cause of pollen allergies (unless you live in Tucson, where the city planted fruitless mulberry trees whose highly-allergenic pollen makes it impossible for some to go outside).

Ogren includes a comprehensive listing of plants and gives each an OPALS (Ogren Plant Allergy Scale) rating, so the informed gardener can now plant wisely and avoid plants that make people sick. OPALS is being used by the US Dept. of Agriculture in cities throughout the country-we can hope that with this new information, Recreation and Parks departments can begin making informed choices about what to plant in public areas so the likes of the Tucson fiasco is never repeated.

It's an indespensible guide for any allergy-sufferer who loves to garden, any gardener whose children or family suffer from pollen allergies, and should be required reading for all landscape architects. A real find!

Only a very few people are capable of combining science fiction and fantasy, and even fewer can make it something that captures you as this book does.

The book starts off with a young woman on a planetary anthropological mission, on a world called Andrecia. Andrecia is medieval and primitive, and in no way capable of handling the knowledge that advanced, spacefaring societies exist beyond their world.

But the heroine, Elana, soon becomes involved in a plot concerning the potential invasion of Andrecia. But it is near-impossible for her to save the Andrecians, superstitious and magic-believers, from an invasion.

Nearby is also a medical guy, Jarel, who feels remorse at the intentions of the Exploration Corps. They do not consider the population of Andrecia to be sentient and worthy of their notice, and promise to bring destruction down on Andrecia. There is also the son of an Andrecian woodcutter named Georyn, who identifies Elana as the Enchantress of the Stars. He believes that she has come for the purpose of testing him, if he can defeat a fearsome dragon in the forests.

This clash of the sophisticated and the simple is well-drawn and almost saddening at times. Georyn's faith in Elana's "magic" is truly touching, without making him appear ignorant or dumb. Elana is an excellent, intelligent heroine who captures your sympathy and does not let go. Her struggles with integrity and truth do not transcend the reader, but are ones that you feel as much as she does.

Too often in books there is a clash between magic and science, but in this particular book there is no clash. Perhaps that is partly due to the writing style -- half the magic seems to be in the otherworldly descriptions, interspersed with more grounded prose in the right places. (And Engdahl definitely knows how to write a beginning that will suck you in) Though some things like "Imperial Corps" and "Federation" imply a pseudo-Star-Trekkian space opera, this is none of the kind. This is a thoughtful work, filled with intelligent questions that will stimulate as it entertains.

This goes on the shelf beside Tolkien and the Riddlemaster trilogy.

I have always been an avid reader. When I was a young teenager I discovered an old copy of "Enchantress From the Stars" on a bookshelf in our house and devoured it within a few hours. I have since read it several times and just finished it again last week. I find it one of the finest, most well crafted, intriguing books I have read, and it occupies a place of honor on the shelves that house "my favorite books." I love Science Fiction as well as Fantasy, and this book combines both of them in a fascinating, compelling way that makes the reader not want to put it down till it is done, and come back to it again later like an old friend. Ms. Engdahl intertwined the three viewpoints/cultures of Elana, Georyn, and Jarel in a highly talented, fascinating way that I have never come across in any other book. The plot is very original, exciting, and thought-provoking.

Now that I am married and have a baby of my own, I am very excited to share this book with my own children and husband. I wish I knew why it isn't more widely circulated/well-known, and I think it should still be in print. Hats off to Ms. Engdahl. I hope she has great success with her work and I think it would be wonderful to see another book about Elana (the only other one I know about is "The Far Side of Evil").

In her novel Enchantress from the Stars, Sylvia Louise Engdahl combines science fiction and fantasy to weave together an intricate plot and tell an entertaining and interesting story. The time in which this story takes place is not clear. When the book begins, it seems as if Engdahl is writing of the future. As the story progresses, it seems as if she is writing of the past. In the end of the book, the two times intertwine so that it seems as if time does not exist at all.

The plot is set on the planet of Andrecia, home to a poverty-stricken, primitive society in which the people live in small rural villages and are governed by a monarchy. In one of the poor Andrecian villages, at the edge of the dreaded Enchanted Forest, lives a woodcutter with his four sons, all of whom dream of better, brighter futures. While the three eldest brothers wish for power, gold, and treasure, the youngest, Georyn, wants only wisdom equal to that of his King. Thus, when word travels to them that the person who slays the dragon inhabiting the Enchanted Forest will receive from the King whatever reward he desires, all four brothers are eager to set out at once. However, the dragon is actually a giant machine, or rockchewer, built by a far more technologically-advanced society, the Imperials. The Imperials, who are planning to take over the planet, have created the rockchewer to clear the land so they can build a colony. As the Andrecians appear one by one to Òslay the dragon,Ó they are paralyzed by the ImperialÕs stun-guns, making them defenseless captives.

Another society of people, even more advanced than the Imperials, is determined to stop them from taking over the planet. Elana and Evrek, two teenagers, and ElanaÕs father journey to Andrecia to help the native Andrecians revolt against the Imperials and scare them off the planet. ElanaÕs people have the unique ability to move objects with their minds and to communicate telepathically. As a result, Georyn and his brothers believe Elana to be an Enchantress. Through many tests and a developing friendship, she teaches Georyn how to control the movement of objects and prepares him for his face-off with the dragon.

"Enchantress From the Stars" is an engrossing book that keeps the reader on their toes from the very first chapter. Weaving together two different genres allows Engdahl to interest readers of all kinds. "Enchantress" is not only a story about dragons and spaceships, it is also about testing the true strength of love. A definite must read!

As most reviewers may have already said, this book is amazing. It is chock-full of action and adventure with a surprising yet satisfying ending. Sabriel is the main charcter of the book. She is 18 years old and goes to school at Wyverley College, which is in another world. In this other world, the landscape is divided by a gigantic wall, known as (none other than) the Wall. The modern world, where Sabriel is growing up is called Ancelstierre. Ancelstierre is much like our own world. Meanwhile, beyond the wall, is the Old Kingdom, the place full of magic and unfortunately, the dead who crossed over. When Sabriel's father, who happens to be an Abhorsen (one who puts the dead to rest), the opposite of a necromancer (one who raises the dead)doesn't visit Sabriel at his usual time, things start to get fishy. Throughout the book, there are twists and turns in the plot and you get to meet fascinating characters called Mogget and Touchstone. I deeply recommend this book. Also read Lirael, the sequel to Sabriel!

Sabriel by Garth Nix is a fantastic fantasy novel for young adult readers and older. It is possible that this novel could be around for a while. The novel follows in the tradition of Robin McKinley's The Hero and the Crown in that it is a great fantasy novel with a female hero. The plot sounds like a pretty-regular fantasy as Sabriel has to fight the dead, but the story is totally original. Nix fabricates a new and interesting world in the Old Kingdom. The hero who fights with bells is brilliant, too. Nix has a wonderful imagination to have thought up his concepts of free magic and the world of the dead. I loved the characters, too. Moggett was fascinating to me. I also liked Touchstone and Abhorsen. Sabriel, of course, is the best character. Nix carries off her devopment into the Abhorsen well. Overall, this is a great book for fantasy lovers. People who liked "The Golden Compass" should read this (I liked Sabriel better). Lovers of this novel should also go back and read all of the Lloyd Alexander novels (which are better that Sabriel).

I took an extended leave from the fantasy genre; yesterday afternoon, I decided to come back to the world of witchcraft and sorcery. Highly recommended by fellow peers, I chose Garth Nix's well-known 'Sabriel'. Frankly, I was so impressed and drawn into the story that I finished it in two days and rushed to write an amazingly complementary review. So - I won't waste any time with summeries and the like, since I believe that has already been covered by other reviewers and the helpful staff of amazon.com.

The plot was fantastic and fast-paced; there wasn't a moment I wasn't on the edge of my seat. Exhausting chapters of worthless garble is a common trait in many 'classic' fantasies. Nix has created an extremely believable and well-versed world, without the fluff. Poetic, dark, and forbidding, the heroine and companions are worthy of the world they are placed in. I could simply close my eyes and fly across the borders of what is called the Old Kingdom, in all its dangerous beauty. We are foreign visitors, as is the daring Sabriel. The plot was clear, consise, yet not overly simplictic. It begins as a search and rescue mission, and ends in a rich battle to save both the old and new aspects of this odd world.

Characters - wonderful. As rich as the world they reside in, Sabriel, Touchstone, and Mogget fully impressed me. They all read amazingly like living people, rather than a work of fantasy. Mogget, especially - his duel personalities clash wickedly, and he is not always what he appears to be; a cat? free magic?

To end this tiring review of a not-so-tiring story, I will add that this work is new, creative, and bold. There is a striking combination of modern technology and medieval swords and bows; a wall devides the two areas of the world. Many embrace magic, and others fear it - rightly so, for the wall does little to hold back the Greater Dead, a fearful object of the Old Kingdom.

Following in her father's footsteps, Sabriel will not fail the reader in a quest for a good read. SABRIEL is a tale of necromancy, fantastical lands, Death, and much more. I have not read a good book in a long time, yet this has broken my stream of bad luck.

Alex "Skinnybones" Frankovitch is a memerable character from one of my favorite books as a young adult. Barbra Park delivers a story about a young boy who feels out of place and uses humor as a defense. This book still makes me laugh out loud, and I think children of all ages can relate to Alex because he is the underdog that always see to get himself into some kind of trouble. I am studying to be an elementary teacher and I planning on reading this book to my class because I know I will enjoy it as much as they will!

My 7 yr old son and I started reading this book as a bedtime story and couldn't stop. We went through half the book the first night. Alex Frankovitch is hilarious. We laughed so hard, we cried - especially at the kitty fritters story and just wait until you read the story about the leprechaun. Lucky Charms is our new favorite cereal thanks to this book. We can't see a box without laughing. This is one of those stories you want to keep reading. It's all I can do not to read it without him but I know it will ruin the laughter it brings from both of us.

Skinnybones was a very good book. If you like comedy then you should read this book. When Alex gets challenged to a pitching contest he loses and doesn't like it. Then Alex wins a kitty fritters contest and gets put on t.v. Then the kid he played in the contest gets put in the world record book. Read this book when you get the chance to you'll love it.