Greetings! I have recently read this book and was pleased to find that it was just what I was hoping for. I am a huge fan of the Disney Princesses, and I was long awaiting for a book that would bring out their unique personalities and their heroienism. This is a darling book for Princesses and Disney fans of all ages who enjoy little tid-bits of wisdom. The only reason why I did not give it 5 stars is because it is so short. Not that it is a bad thing, and the Disney authors could always write a sequal, it just seemed to come to a close too soon. There is a beautiful illustration that goes along with the quote on every other page, making this book very bright and colorful. A joyful addition to any collection!

Troy has fallen and its queen, Hecuba, has become the slave of Odysseus, who takes away her daughter Polyxena to be slain on the grave of Achilles. However, in this drama it is the earlier death of another child, Polydorus that provides the motivation for what comes to pass. This was a child who had been sent (according to Homer, there are various versions of this tale) for safety to the Thracian Chersonese. But now, after Hecuba hears of the death of Polyxena, the body of Polydorus washes up on shore. Apparently Hecuba's son-in-law Polymnester murdered the boy for the gold, which King Priam had sent to pay for his education. Agamemnon hears Hecuba's pleas, and Polymnester is allowed to visit the queen before she is taken away into captivity.

The most fascinating aspect of "Hecuba" is that it gives us an opportunity to contrast the character of the queen of fallen Troy in this play by Euripides with that in his more famous work, "The Trojan Women." This play was performed ten years before the other and its events take place right before the other play as well, although there is some overlap when Talthybius informs Hecuba of the death of Polyxena. In both dramas Hecuba is a woman driven by a brutal and remorseless desire for vengeance; however she proves much more successful in this drama than she does in "The Trojan Women."

This is an unusual play for Euripides is that the gods do not appear; the prologue is given by the ghost of Polydorus and the exodos are the slave women heading off to the ships (again, contrast this with "The Trojan Women"). Hecuba has harsh words for Helen, as in the other play, but her son Paris receives his fair share of approbation as well. This play also makes reference to the myth that Hecuba would meet her own hideous death, which reinforces the idea that there is much more of a moral degradation of her character in this play (set up by much more humiliation and degradation in the first half). On an entirely different level, "Hecuba" is comparable to Aeschylus' "Orestia," since he addresses the question of the difference between revenge and justice, so while the "Hecuba"/"Trojan Woman" analog is the most obvious and the most fruitful, it is not the only possibility.

It's about time we got a view of the whole Jackie/Aristo (not Ari, it turns out) thing from the other side of the Atlantic. This book is breezy and gossipy and so sycophantic I have to wonder how much of it it true. Kiki justifies and sugar-coats as much as she can (is she still getting Onassis money???? One has to wonder...), yet you can't help but see that the Onassis clan were an abusive, debauched, and addictive bunch. She rationalize EVERYTHING--physical and emotional abuse, drunkeness, profligate spending, ruthlessness, cheating...but after all, Aristio was really a very CHARISMATIC and RICH man who'd made it up from poverty. Other sources dispute many of Kiki's facts. If she gets even the most basic details wrong, what else is suspect (i.e., Jackie's governess/cook Marta Sgubin is ITALIAN, not Spanish, and her name is Marta, not Martha)? Everything. Does that make Onassis behavior any less reprehensible? It shouldn't. I have to say that this book makes me think the Onassis family did themselves in, no matter how much Kiki spins it.

I'm almost finished with the book and must say I'm disappointed. I expected a real account of the Onassis family, but instead got a world where everyone is wonderful. The book is written in mushy prose and never seems to say a bad word about any of the Onassis family, no matter what they did. Everything is "delicious", "of the finest quality", etc., as if Kiki were describing her ideal world. I never felt that I really learned much about this family. If Kiki were not so obviously infatuated with the entire Onassis family it would have made for a more interesting read.

Usually, when reading biographies, you get an author's version, romanticized or warped, raving or critical. But this author has an innocent voice, one of a young person who simply allowed each of the Onassis family their own role, without analyzing, criticizing, or eulogizing. I could sense the real life of each person, the heart life, as Kiki describes their words and manners, the tones of voice when speaking to each other. The book implies much more than it puts into words, with its honesty and open-heartedness. The tears and tragedies were real,too. The Greeks live life fully, and draw the spirit of each scene in. Jackie O. was given a true portrait. Kiki didn't miss much as she escorts the reader through many encounters and shares what no one was ever allowed to know. From inside the walls around wealthy, powerful people, we see their vulnerability in love and in death. My heart was greatly moved. Makes me glad my life is simple!

Poor Little Mike Is Harmed By Boo. I Personally Didin't Like The "Mr. Bill-Like" Incident When Boo Hurts Poor Mikey! It Wasn't Like We Expected. We Wanted A Quiet Book & Guess What?? It Went, "Reeek!!!" "BWAAAH!!" And Finally, When I Read It, Mike Was Hurt By Evil Boo!! :-..( Poor Monsters! If You Want Something Else, Buy Popeye From (...)!! (It's In Highland)

My pet peeve among children's books is when they are too darn LONG. It takes forever to read this one aloud as it is written, and my 4-year-old gets pretty bored. (Of course, your four-year-old's mileage may vary.) I usually make up a short, one or two sentence synopsis for each page, and "read" that instead of the long paragraph.

Also the illustrations are just, well, funky-looking. They've got a strange, hard-edge, shadowy look that's nothing like the movie. The writers would have done a lot better to stick to movie cels, or else lighter, brighter caricatures.

This one ended up in the "hardly ever read it" pile.

Monsters Inc. is about monsters trying to scare every child in the human world. The monsters go through doors to each child's closet door. They scare the children and collect the children's screams for energy to run the monster world. All the monsters are afraid of the children because they think they are toxic. Everything goes wrong when a little girl named Boo gets out of the human world. Sulley and Mike are best friends. At first they are afraid of Boo, but Sulley becomes like a kitty to Boo. Sulley and Mike help each other to get Boo out of the monster world. I liked the book when Boo sneezed on Mike. Then Mike sprayed disinfectant spray in his eye when was going spray it on his arm. After he sprayed his eye he covered his eye, stomped his foot and he screamed "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" I also liked it when Mike and Sulley went through the door and wound up in the long corridor passageway. They wound up on a mountain where it was snowing up above were they live. The book was so good that I want to see the movie right away. I want my family to be the first three people in the theater

If you a doing a series of Character Building Books based on the lives of famous people, then obviously you would decide to learn about "honesty" from the life of Abraham Lincoln. Just off the top of my head I can think of six stories about "Honest Abe" that would be well worth sharing with young children. But ironically, only two of those stories make it into this book by Kiki Mosher and they are the only two stories that focus on his honest character. Obviously Lincoln's life has to be greatly reduced for this small volume, but since he is one of the most famous Americans, I have to think that most kids already know the basics of his life regarding the Civil War and his assassination. This should have allowed Mosher to work in a couple of more choice examples of Lincoln's honesty. Consequently, this book, which is illustrated with historic paintings and photographs opposite paragraphs of simple texts, is less than satisfactory as an introduction to Lincoln's life or as a lesson in his honesty. Most of the book is devoted to Lincoln's life. Some of the other titles in this first set of Character Building Books look at dedication I the life of Frederick Douglass, compassion with Florence Nightingale, and leadership with George Washington.

This book is teen poems.I thought I would like it ,for I love all Poetry (usally).Robert Frost is my favorite.Yet this poetry
is bad & poorly written.Sometimes I thought it did'nt make any sense.

Some of the poems in this book are okay,Yet the majority of them
are badly written and sometimes make no sense at all.I thought
since I'm a teen who likes writing poetry.That I would like this book yet I was disappionted.

ANGST! is my new favorite book!!!!!! Those girls are my kind of people--trash-talking and saying exactly how they feel. I wish we could read stuff like this at school, because the "literature" they make us read is outdated. This book is written in a language that I can understand, and feel. I get poetry now, because girls out there like me are writing it! This book rocks the house!

This was one of the worst purchases I have ever made. If I had looked at it in a bookstore, I never would have bought it. It is nothing more than a list, with a few scarce details of each campground. Granted, it lists every campground. But there is no way to distinguish betwen the very good and the very terrible, the details are so minimal. I am not always a fan of the review systems other books use, but at least most of them tell you why they like or dislike a location, and you can weigh those opinions in your decision of where to camp. This book tells you virtually nothing. I have looked up campgrounds I know very well. Not only do I not recognize them based on the descriptions, I can not find any reasons that I would choose them over any other campground. Save your money! Buy something else, ANYTHING else.

Don't buy this if you are looking for a tour book. This is a campground guide. The guide includes 471 Free Campgrounds. If you want to know where to see the sights...Don't buy this. But if you want to know where you can park your R.V. or put up a tent...then this is the book for you. Simple maps, easy to read.

I found this book at the nursing home where I work. I don't know who dropped it off as there is no one there who would be interested in reading it. It has no relevance to most of us regular folks. We have no interest in Onassis or his family. Their problems aren't/weren't ours. We don't care about them!

I found this book provided a compassionate and insightful view about the lives of the Onassis family. Kiki, the author, was closely involved in the family's affairs and business matters, so her perception is close enough to dispell some of the gossip and rumors often associated with their tragedies. The descriptions of the Greek lifestyle and traditions are beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book while on vacation in the Greek isles portrayed by the author.