I discovered Greensleeves when I was twelve, and it became my favorite book of all time. I read it at least once a year for several years thereafter and revisit it every few years even now. I'm amazed at its influence--a friend who read it recently said she might not have become a lawyer (which she did for the money) if she had read this book when she was a teenager. As for me, I learned more each time I read it, and saw so much of myself in it, from a multicultural background to an uncertain sense of self. I also learned about a great many aspects of life that are just woven into the background of the story, everything from cuckoo clocks to international travel to waitressing to early music, which I now perform. Most of all, the book made me feel that it was okay--better than okay--for me to be who I was. Now I am (among other things) the director of a conference on children's literature and reading Greensleeves once again--thank goodness I finally found it at a Friends of the Library booksale! If anyone would like to form a Greensleeves e-mail discussion group, fan club, whatever...please e-mail me at communicESHAn@prodigy.net.

I first read this book when I was quite young; probably 10 or so. I remembered loving it to death and in high school I found it in the school library and subsequently stole it. I know this makes me a horrible person, but it should be a testament as to how good this book is. There's something about the red hair and blue eyeshadow of Shannon's alter-ego that is so touching and unique. The book has such a very strong sense of place, the small, Oregon college town in the late '60s, that re-reading it now is like revisiting scenes from my own past. All the characters that Shannon meets are very vivid, and the love triangle between her and Dave and Sherry is full of realistic tension; it still involves me when I read it today, at 29. Strange how an unknown author can write just one book and evoke such a strong response that lasts throughout a lifetime, like an old friend. That, to me, is the real measure of a "good writer." By the way, I don't really feel that bad about stealing the book, especially in light of the fact that the book is out of print!

When I first read Greensleeves, I was only about 12 years old and could only vaguely identify with Shannon Lightley. Now years have past, and I am reading it for a fourth time. As I read it I realize that Shannon is me. Compleate a dysfunctional but well meaning family, and no real feel for who I am or was. With a family who was scatterd all over, and so much traveling done at such a young age , I have found a part of myself through this wonderful book. I wish it was still in print so that more people could read it and have an experiance like my own. I highly recommend this book and all of its little tapped wisdom.

I can't count how many times I read this book as a child and teenager. It is my all time favorite. I considered checking it out, "losing it", and paying for it when I was first teaching in the late 70's but decided I would feel too guilty. I wish I had a copy to read to my classes. This is one book that should be reprinted and made available to today's children.

I read this book as a teenager, as did several members of my family. I would love to have a copy of this book again. I've read most of Eloise Jarvis McGraw's books and loved everyone of them. I wish I could afford the copy of "Sawdust In His Shoes" which is currently advertised. Please reprint all her books. They can really reach a teenager in these times also. Definitely something I would recommend to everyone who likes a good story.

Once a long time ago I read this book and the memory of that experience has remained with me to this day. I now have grandchildren who are older than I was when I read this book.I would love to purchase a copy if it is ever in reprint.

This book talks about England after the dreadful Black plague. There is a boy who was seperated from his foster parents by the plague and how he survives.

I think this is a wonderful book. I've read it at least seven times. At the beginning, Scott and his sister move in their mother's uncle's house. They hear about a "money room" and decide to search for it. They meet a few friends along the way, and solve the mystery of who's been messing around on their property. They find a tin box in the attic full of money, but later their parrot "accidently" finds the real money room...

This book is amazing!! the first 3 chapters give or take are a little boring but as you read more you literally can't put the book down.

Mara a 17 year-old beautilful slave girl who's only goal in life is to be free. When a mysterious man walks into the courtyard of her present master and buys her she overjoyed to be away from him. Her new master then gives her the option of freedom and gold for a price. She is to become a spy to end the plot against her Most-Glorious Hasheput. She will disguise her self as an interpreter for the princess that is to be Thutmose's wife. Of course Mara excepts but her masters warns her that she a slave. On her way the the royal city she meets a man named Sheftu. While on the boat Shuftu forces Mara to be a spy for Thutmose. Mara is now a double spy for two arch-enemies. Against Mara's will she finds he self falling in love with Sheftu. When she is about ready to give her heart and devotion to him her duplicity is found out! Both sides are angry and both want to kill Mara! But this time she didn't mess up! Now her life and all off Egypt is in mortal danger!

When I was in junior high school, I read this book and loved it. In fact, I read it over and over, and recently sent a copy to my niece as a 12th birthday gift. Mara, the spunky 17-year-old slave girl, is a wonderful role model for adolescent girls: far from perfect (in fact, rather devious), but brave and eventually quite heroic as she risks death rather than betray the people and ideals that she loves. I'm not entirely happy with the fact that Queen Hatshepsut, another feminist heroine of mine, was the villain of this novel. For the record, the real Hatshepsut ruled Egypt for many years of peace and prosperity, and as far as we know, died peacefully of old age. Her stepson (NOT her brother) Thutmose then destroyed her statues and inscriptions in a fit of petulant pique, but did not overthrow her.

Still, who cares? This version makes a wonderful, swashbuckling story, and also provides an excellent introduction to the culture of ancient Egypt for kids who are curious about its history.

This book is the ultimate Egypt book. It is about a fictional girl named Mara who helps overthrow the Queen of Egypt, Hatshepsut. Along the way you are thrown into a world of secrecy and danger, where anything can happen at any moment. You'll be transfixed with an unsual love story, and amazed with Mara's cunning when she plays a double spy. I promise you . . . you will NOT want to put this book down!!!!!!! And your life is not complete if you don't read it! When I picked up this book in my school library, I was really interested, because I think McGraw is an awesome author. I had read her book, The Golden Goblet, in class, and loved it. So when I read this book, it was as though I knew Mara herself. McGraw paints a picture so life like, so real, that you too, like I was, will be a witness to Mara's extrordinary adventure. If your a coward, well then . . . don't read this book. If you're not, then sit back, and dare to dream.

The Moorchild is a great book for young people who have been teased or have teased someone, but only if you have a little amagination.This book is about A girl named Moql'nkkn who is a little cangeling girl who one day discover she doesnt have the ability to disappear when humans are .looking for the moorfolk. she never seems to fit even as a baby this poor young child was to differant for any one to understand and as a consiquicne She is traded to the humans in exchange for a human baby but still deos'nt quiet fit in with the rest of the world .But the author does a great job of making you think this fasinating fairytail is real the begining of the the story is a little slow but after you get to the plot the story never stops to amaze you. This fantastic story of a young changeling girl I'm sure is a one of a kind and is worth reading. but don't take my word for it read it yourself.

The Moorchild," by Eloise McGraw is a very sad and touching fantasy. The book tells the story of Saaski who lives in a human family but actually is half human and half Folk. Saaski was always being treated badly because she was different from everybody else in the village. All Saaski wanted was to feel at home somewhere, but she could not feel at home anywhere because she was a "changeling." Even though this book is a fantasy, it still makes your mind care about what happens to Saaski. The village people blame her for everything that goes wrong just because she looks different and acts different from them. But the author lets us know that Saaski is loving, kind and generous and makes a point that it is not the outside that matters, but what is in the inside that makes you a good person.
Younger readers are going to need help with this book because of the characters' accents and how the story switches from the moor to the village. But this book is worthwhile to read because it touches you in many ways.

This was one the best books I ever read. From the dedication: To all children who have felt different, to the very end it seemed as if this beautiful story had been written solely for my benefit. In it, Saaski begins life as a happy elf child, untill the other elves discover that she is half human, and thus cannot perform many of the essential elf magic spells. They then change her for a human child and put her in it's place. At first she is confused and angry, but gradually her memories begin to fade and she believes herself a human. All her young life she has to deal with the cruel prejudices of the simple village folk, as she also deals with confusion of her own strangeness. Untill that fatefull time when she is eleven years old.... Any way, this was an excellent book with some of the best writing and characterizations I have ever seen in a book, and I would reccamend it to anyone, but most especially, as the auther herself put it, To all children who have felt different.

1963's Merry Go Round In Oz, written by the mother-daughter team of Eloise and Lauren McGraw, was, as Katherine M. Rogers notes in L. Frank Baum: Creator of Oz (2002), the last Oz title commissioned by a major publisher. Neither good nor bad, Merry Go Round In Oz was also the first major Oz novel to almost completely remove itself in tone from the spirit of the classic Oz titles. The book is not only not a romance, but, despite the prominent appearance of the Easter Bunny, hardly an Oz novel at all. Its very light, crisp manner owes more to Mary Poppins author P. L. Travers than it does to Baum or any of his successors.

The book's excellent first chapter finds young foster child Robin Brown accompanying his multiple stepbrothers to an evening carnival in Cherryburg, Oregon. Continuously overlooked by his well-meaning but rambunctious foster family, Robin enters the carnival with a single coin; the others have all run off with pockets full of money towards their favorite amusements. The McGraws perfectly capture the essence of Robin's physical and emotional isolation from not only his new family, but from the balance of humanity as well. Robin, who is aware of his mistreatment, is thus an archetypal fairytale child protagonist, not unlike fellow orphan Cinderella, bearing up silently and bravely making the best of his predicament. When Robin, who has modestly hoped for but a single ride on the merry-go-round, meets a strange, ticket-bearing older man dressed in tatters, his fairytale outsider status is confirmed: Robin sees things and meets people that no one else does. The McGraws cleverly portray the fair grounds in somewhat Bradbury-esque terms: the night carnival is both an all-American, fifties-style entertainment venue of roller coasters, popcorn, and hot dogs as well as Pinocchio's midway of shadowy seduction. Transgressing the rules of order, Robin uses the illicit ticket provided by the stranger to gain access to the merry-go-round, seats himself atop a beautiful red mare, and momentarily finds himself hurled through the air towards Oz.

Unfortunately, Robin, who gleefully discovers that his mount has sprung to life, lands in the comparatively dull Quadling Kingdom of the Fox Hunters, a place he quickly finds tedious in the extreme. As readers will be able to attest, Robin is absolutely right: his prolonged captivity among the endlessly talkative, single-minded, faux-British inhabitants represents one of the most overwritten, slowly moving, and irritating misadventures in the entire Oz chronicle. The authors clearly intend the obsessive, fully adult foxhunters to be amusing, but the writing, while technically crisp, drones on at exactly the same bantering pitch for dozens and dozens of pages. Robin and the reader thus face the same exhausting dilemma.

Meanwhile, in the ostensibly blue Munchkin kingdom of Halidom, a curse of sorts lays over the land: two of the kingdom's magic rings of power have been stolen, and the third, which gives great physical strength to Halidom's people, now mysteriously vanishes. In Sleeping Beauty fashion, the kingdom falls into lassitude and drowse: only Fess, a young man born in a neighboring land, and an immortal fairy unicorn are immune. Brainless Prince Gules, still half asleep, decides the power rings must be returned to the kingdom, and a quest is born. In the Emerald City, Ozma and Dorothy decide to hold an Easter party, which necessitates Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion journeying to the realm of the Easter Bunny ("it's down a rabbit hole," says Dorothy) to gather magical eggs. In traditional Oz fashion, the three groups eventually cross paths and unite to solve their various troubles.

Though the later chapters are more imaginative, the book's largest drawback is that too much of it seems to take place in a dry, mundane world that barely resembles Oz. In fact, the foxhunting chapters seem like sections of another book awkwardly grafted onto a stale facsimile of a traditional Oz title. While the best of the earlier books have a dreamlike, otherworldly quality, Oz here, in keeping with the trend in children's literature at the time of its publication and since, has few numinous characteristics. In place of romantic, playful, or absurd names like Woot the Wanderer, Ojo the Unlucky, Polychrome the Rainbow's Daughter, Kabumpo, Alexample, and Jenny Jump, the reader is confronted with next-door neighbor monikers like Barry, Richard, and Fred. The Quadling land is no longer profusely red in color as in the Neill books, where the sky, water, and even in the shade and shadows were scarlet-hued. Oddly, though red is mentioned, the dominant Quadling color inexplicably appears to be pink.

Though ninety-nine percent of previous Oz history goes unmentioned, the McGraws curiously recap the earthly existence / afterlife facet of the Oz chronicle, relaying to readers that Dorothy, among others, has cheated death and reached Oz via otherwise fatal catastrophes (cyclone, earthquake, shipwreck). Is the tattered stranger Robin meets at the carnival the angel of death, a kind of fairy godfather, or the ghost of his human father? Does the "free ticket" symbolize Robin's passage into death and the heavenly paradise of Oz? Is the somewhat odd inclusion of the Easter Bunny a further metaphor for Robin's death and rebirth? The authors also let drop another historical Oz bombshell when a Quadling ferryman explains to the gender-neutral named Robin that little girl fairy ruler Ozma was at one time little Munchkin boy Tip. Though Robin "bursts out, delighted," at the news, the McGraws quickly add that this makes Ozma seem "more approachable" in dungaree-wearing Robin's eyes.

Merry Go Round In Oz was very likely an attempt by its authors and publisher to reinvent the Oz series for Camelot and Leave It To Beaver - era America. Robin and Fess are likable, sturdy boy heroes, and the characterizations of the Oz royal family are fairly good. If the foxhunters had been removed and the first third of the story reimagined, the book might have left a lasting impac

This was my favorite Oz book as a child. I checked it out numerous times from the base library and I was the only one to check it out. I bought it as soon as I heard it was in print. It was just as good reading it as an adult.

Robin Brown, from Cherryville, Oregon, takes a ride on the merry-go-round via a ticket from a weird old man. He jumps on a scarlet horse with a white tail and mane, then grabs a ring that will give him a "free ride". With that, he is flying throuhg the air for one whole night. When he wakes up, he finds the horse, Merry-Go-Round, is alive. They are both captured by fox hunters and are put to work. Meanwhile, the the country of Halidom, the last of three magic rings is stolen, the middle one, that makes the people strong and hard working. He goes on a quest with his page, his horse Fred, a fliter-mouse, and a unicorn to find all three, the largest to make the people smart, and the smallest to make the people good a calligraphy, weaving, and other fine arts. In the Emerald City, Dorothy wants a huge Easter party, and she and the Cowardly Lion go to the Easter Bunny's workshop, right in Oz. How will these traveling groups meet? Where are those rings? How will Robin and Merry escape? REad the book, and find out emore.

The book I read is titled Moccasin Trail; it was written by Eloise Jarvis Mcgraw. It is a book about a young man Jim Keath who was impressed by his uncle who was a trapper. He was so influenced by the ways of his uncle that he runs away from home to follow his uncle. Not only did he not let his parents know that he was following his uncle, but he failed to let his uncle know as well. He finally made himself known to his uncle and shortly afterward a bear attacked their camp. The bear mauled Jim. A group of Crow Indians found him, took him to their camp and proceeded to treat him as one of their own. He ran away from them too, to begin trapping; this is where the story begins. This book is a very good book; it has a good story. It has its happy, sad, funny, frustrating, and suspenseful moments. It is a book about the old west before large amounts of settling actually took place. Almost the entire book is an adventure, from surviving the harsh winter up on the Rocky Mountains pass to running for his life from a group of Indians. It was a very good book-the kind that you don¹t want to put down until you have finished reading it. I really enjoyed reading this book I found it to be extremely interesting and exciting. I have always been interested in adventure reading, especially when it seems as it could be true. That is what was so great about this book; it could very easily have been a true story not like one of those science fiction adventures. I thought it was an excellent book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading a good adventure book.

The book I read is titled Moccasin Trail, it was written by Eloise Jarvis Mcgraw. It is a book about a young man Jim Keath who was impressed by his uncle who a trapper. He is so interested by the ways of his uncle that he runs away from home to follow his uncle. Not only did he not let his parents know that he was following his uncle but he failed to let his uncle know as well. He finally makes himself known to his uncle and shortly after a bear attacks their camp. The bear pretty much mauls Jim. A group of Crow Indians finds him, takes him to their camp and proceed to treat him as one of their own. He runs away from them too to begin trapping, this is where the story begins. This book is a very good book it has a good story it has its happy, sad, funny, frustrating, and suspenseful moments. It is a book about the old west before the large amounts of settling actually took place. Almost the entire book is an adventure. From surrviving the harsh winter up on the Rocky Mountains pass to running for his life from a group of indians. It was a very good book the kind that you don¹t want to put down until you have finished reading it. I really enjoyed reading this book I found it to be extermely interesting and exciting. I have always been interested in adventure reading especially when it seem like it could be true. That is what was so great about this book, it could very easily have been a true story not like one of those science fiction adventures. I thought it was an excellent book and would recomend it to anyone who enjoys reading a good adventure book.

My younger sister bought this book from her school's book fair, and she kept bugging me to read it. At first, I thought it was just a stupid kid's book, but that all changed once I read it. The descriptions are so vivid, it makes me feel as if I am really there.

We read and reread my sister's copy so many times that the cover fell off. I wanted to buy my own copy, but when I went to a bookstore, they told me it was out of print. Luckily, my sister thought of Amazon.com, and I had a wonderful surprise that Christmas when I received the book I had given up on!

True, the book is a bit down on the Indian culture, but only slightly. I got the impression that although his family pressures Jim to renounce his Crow ways, Jim's life is benefitted by the skills that he learned with the Crows.

Whenever my family drives through Oregon, my sister and I look forward to seeing the signs that say "Tualatin River," "Multnomah Falls," and "Umpquah River." I think there's a river or a mountain range or something in Washington called "Cayuse," too.

Kudos to Ms. McGraw!

The book THE GOLDEN GOBLET is an great book for kids. It is about an orphan boy named Ranofer. After his mother and father die, Ranofer is forced to live with his half-brother, Gebu. Ranofer labors at the gold smiths shop and comes home every day to find a half-loaf of bread. Ranofer finds out Gebu is stealing gold, and with the help of his two friends, Heqet and the "Ancient," they try to stopped him. The big theme in the story is family. Throughout the whole book, Heqet and Ancient are becoming Ranofer's family. Ranofer learns to trust in them for help and encoraging. I would give this book 3 stars. It's fun, but a little boring in the beginning. Read the book, and you will see what I mean.

The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw is about a boy named Ranofer who is forced by his half-brother, Gebu, to work as a lowly porter in a goldsmith's shopin Ancient Egypt. His life's goal is to be an apprentice to Zao, the best goldsmith in ancient Thebes. Ranofer learns about a crime operation Gebu is involved in, and tries to stop him and his accomplice. Along the way Ranofer makes two friends, Heqet and the "Ancient One." They keep his secrets, encourage him and help him in his crusade to prove Gebu of his heinous crimes.
I liked this book because it was very well written. The author did a very good job in bringing the characters to life. She does this by making their feelings apparent. For example, when the chief goldsmith called Ranofer "shari" meaning "small one," this little bit of kindness "brought sudden tears to Ranofers eyes, so vividly did he recall his father's voice using that very endearment."
There are many times in this book where the author describes Ranofer's inward thoughts and speculations. These often include plans to defy Gebu and escape from his evil clutches. Other times he chastises himself for being rude to his friends. The author also describes the pain and suffering when Ranofers half-brother beats him. When Ranofer is apprenticed to Gebu in a stone cutting shop, he earnestly tries to learn this trade by asking Gebu a simple question. Gebu strikes him for no apparent reason other than asking this simple question. For the most part the plot of the book moves a bit slowly, but towards the end it becomes very exciting. I earnestly recommend this book to children 8 years old and up.

The Golden Goblet is a book about a boy named Ranofer who lives with his older brother Gebu who has a secret that will change Ranofer's whole life. Ranofer has an okay life except for Gebu. Ranofer works at Rekh's goldhouse there he meets a boy named Heqet; they become very good friends. Gebu is a stonecutter and makes Ranofer work for him in the stonecutter's shop and that is where Ranofer learns about Gebu's secret. In my opinion, the theme is that your friends are like family and that you should always trust them no matter what happens in your life, just like Ranofer, Heqet and the Ancient. This book is good historical fiction because it is a good source and explanation of what Ancient Egypt was like and how the people were treated in that time period. I like it because it has good action and an extremely good plot line. This is also a good book because it helps you understand what ancient Egyptians had to deal with and felt. I think you should read it because you will also get involved in the life of the characters and ancient Egypt.. If you do read it I know you will enjoy it and want to read it over and over again. Once again you should read The Golden Goblet.

Eric Greene needs $17.99 fast. He whants to buy his young crippled friend Jimmy a pair of outrageus red cowboy boots that are on sale for one week.

But how can Eric get the cash that quickly? He has no money, but he does have a plan. He can swap for the boots. So he begins a series of wheelings and dealings with some fascinating people.

And along the way, Eric learns some very suprising things about himself - and that makes the seventeenth swap the best of all.