The narrator, 12-year-old Honey DeLoach, lives with her parents and 14-year-old brother in Heaven, Florida, (pop. 6) where nothing ever happens. Things do begin to happen when Miriam Season and her two daughters, Christmas and Easter, move into the huge home they have built down the road. Honey and Christmas become best friends, and Honey learns the value of strong family bonds. Honey's brother, Willie-Boy, learns some lessons too from the rebellious 17-year-old Easter. I'm not sure where this book is best suited. The odd-ball characters will not appeal to readers beyond 8th or 9th grade, but some of the salacious plot lines make it inappropriate for younger readers (Easter invites Willie-Boy to go skinny-dipping and later they sneak off together overnight: she's 17; he's 14).

I think the author has tried to cover too much ground and missed the mark all around.

A highly dramatic, intimate, and unforgettable story unfolds in the novel Christmas in Heaven, by Carol Lynch Williams. A young girl, Honey DeLoach, dreams of one day meeting a special friend who will visit her deserted hometown of Heaven, Florida. Life gets pretty lonely for Honey while living with her parents, Mandy and Joe, and older brother, Willy-Bill, especially since the only other people in town are annoying, Taylor Hiatt and his father. Soon, after the unexpected arrival of movie star, Miriam Season and her two daughters, Christmas and Easter, everything would change for the DeLoachs. Honey's grandfather and preacher, Pop-Pop, encourages Christmas to be saved after she realizes that her life is depressing and empty. Now, Honey's long-lasting, close friendship with Christmas, causes chaos and trauma for Willy-Bill and the rest of his family. His crush on troublemaker, Easter Season, disrupts his family's morals and creates hostility amongst one another. Author, Carol Williams, did an exceptional job depicting life in a small American town where the general mentality of people can be narrow-minded. I found the setting, characters, and conflict to fit well within the framework of what the author wanted to convey.
Mandy DeLoach painted a great big sign that said, "You're entering and leaving Heaven- right this very second (population: 6)." Heaven, Florida is a tiny place a billion miles from anywhere! It is so small that it is not even a town. However, the setting of this story played a major role in the development of the characters and their lives. The DeLoach family owns the local diner, and Willy-Bill resents his family for bringing him to what he considered an awful place. He refuses to work for that reason. So, when Easter moved there, it was no wonder that Willy-Bill took off, because he was very bored with his life. Also, having lived in Heaven for so long, it was a handicap to Willy-Bill and Honey's social and academic development. They were speaking with a colloquial dialect, indigenous to their area, but again, still a detriment and stifling to their growth. For example, they speak in incomplete sentences, "Used to be only three families lived here," said Honey. Willy-Bill lived in an encapsulated world, unlike myself, who is exposed to good and bad daily. He did not have the opportunity to make decisions on right and wrong, which is crucial in the maturing process.
The characters in this novel are unique and distinct. For instance, Christmas grew up in a dysfunctional family, leaving her extremely sad and depressed. Christmas witnessed the love and compassion that Honey received from her parents, and suddenly realized she was truly in Heaven. Ironically though, when Christmas met Honey, she was able to gain inner strength while nurturing her new friend through difficult times. She was positive and encouraging toward Honey in helping to build her self-esteem. On the other hand, Easter, Christmas's sister, portrayed the extreme opposite. She was busy bucking the system, drinking in excess, and a bit too friendly with men. Easter's influence on Willy-Bill was upsetting to the DeLoach family. Finally, Pop-Pop was the preacher who brought peace and harmony to a town that was perhaps a sunken ship. He was the steady hand that represented friendship, comfort, and warm-heartedness.
The tension, anger, and resentment portrayed in the story created conflict among the characters. When the Seasons moved to town and visited the diner, Miriam Season's first impression had disturbed Mandy DeLoach. Mandy disapproved of Miriam's principles and in the upbringing of her children. When she first discovered that Willy-Bill had been seeing Easter Season, she emphatically discouraged the relationship. Since Easter was the only girl that Willy-Bill thought he loved, the relationship continued in spite of his parents' disapproval. The constant conflict among the characters never ended, until tragedy struck.
The setting, characters, and conflict that painted this small American town, with its small-minded mentality, was explicitly outlined by Carol Williams. This would be a great book to share with my friends because it points out differences between people and lifestyles, and only through understanding these differences are we able to grow and become tolerant of one another. I was especially drawn to Pop-Pop, whose character centered around the idea that only love can conquer hate. Furthermore, this book helped me realize that growing up in a well-rounded society has left me somewhat naive of small town attitudes. It also made me aware of the vast differences among people and the complexities they face each day.

Williams' voice is authentic and unique. This story of friendship is filled with moments of fear, moments of triumph and moments of laughter. The bitter-sweet ending is one that readers will find surprising, but believable. The rich descriptions and use of language will keep readers involved in the story of the unlikely friendship that is the central theme.

Not at all what was expected. Over half of this work is spent convincing the reader that for a community to successfully raise its children, it should have a youth charter. This could have been accomplished on the book jacket, as chances are Damon's audience here is already convinced of this from other reading, and looking for the _how_, not the _why_ of having a youth charter.

Unfortunately, only a few thousand words enlighten the reader as to how to effect this change in his own community. The first few chapters, an overexaggerated collection of _fictional_ before and after vignettes, are presented with excruciating, nearly condescending simple-mindedness.

The chapters of interest are toward the end, (past 9) advising community leaders how to improve their town. If only the whole work could do the same. This one's a library reader.

I can honestly say that upon finishing this book I had no questions about the how's or the why's of implementing a community Youth Charter. In fact, I have begun to do exactly that. I started last week and have now had meetings with police, local government, religious, youth workers, teachers, youth, parents, etc. Everyone has been very receptive and many have gone out to buy their own copy of this valuable book.

I appreciated the in-depth theoretical sections. I believe that I can now effectively answer questions as they are posed to me. The book seems to speak to people who are interested in spearheading this process in a community.

The examples were very helpful as well and the journal format at the beginning was well-received.

I feel this book is extremely well-written and it gave me much hope. I am in the process of getting the word out to key individuals and from there I will develop a task force leading to a series of community forums. I am very excited about this project.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is tired of feeling disempowered by the negativity of the youth culture. I believe in our youth and I know that people like William Damon are giving youth a chance by empowering the adults in their lives to work cooperatively to solve problems.

If you want to learn how to help children, improve your community, and most of all, provide a place where children thrive in their moral and intellectual development, this is the book. Dr. Damon is one of the world's leading child psychologists and experts in adolescent development.

First off, I'd like to respond to the "reader" in Ann Arbor, who definitely did not read the book. How can anyone write a review based solely on the title of the book? If that person had looked inside, he or she would surely have understood the tongue-in-cheek use of the subtitle. The Lauts seem incredibly blessed and thankful for their triplets. The book offers tons of great advice regarding what to expect, how to stock up on supplies without going broke, and how to find the humor when patience are running thin. I also found some great tips on finding bargains and saving money for my own single child. The book is written with a warmth and humor that endears the reader. In no way does it imply that multiples are a burden or something to survive. There are college survival guides -- why not parenting survival guides? We all have our share of stress in this world--no matter what kind of super-parent you are, you've endured it. The key here is dealing with stress through humor-- the Lauts definitely have lots of that. I loved the book, and I hope that others will pick it up and find out what fun comes from occasional chaos!

As the first time mother of twin boys, I actually derive alot of comfort and humor from this book. The reading is simple, and the actual quotes from parents of multiples are excellent to read. Before I collapse into bed at night, I browse through for a few good tips. Thank you to the authors who have helped me and my husband realize that we can do this, and our family will thrive.

i think the ann arbor woman missed the point about having multiple birth children. i am a mom of twins and while i do feel extremely blessed to have them, the reality is that they are a lot of work. parents who have multiple birth children do need survival tips and a guide on how to manage the stress of taking care of them and dealing with the drastic changes in their life (does the ann arbor woman know about the high divorce rates among multiple birth parents?). i wouldn't trade my children for anything (well, maybe on some days!), but i also know that the things i've learned from other parents with multiples have been invaluable to me. why not share it with others? i'm appreciative and in awe that parents of triplets found the time to write a book. i can barely find the time to read one!

This is such a fabulous book. I have four children (ages 3-9) and I have found more valuable information, guidance, and great ideas in this book than in all the other education related books I have read -- combined. I particularly liked the grade specific study topics (core curriculum), reading lists, helpful tips to improve reading and other ways to help your child succeed in school, questions to ask the teacher, info. on gifted and special needs children, and kindergarten readiness list. Even though I consider myself somewhat experienced in the first three to four years of school (due to the volume of children I have), I found that this book provided me with new insight and reinforced my desire to help my children develop a love for learning. I know I will use this as a reference for many years to come. My only regret is that I did not have this book when my oldest child started preschool! Well worth the price!

From Publisher's Weekly - Publishers Weekly Former U.S. Secretary of Education Bennett (The Book of Virtues) and his colleagues (Finn, author of We Must Take Charge; Cribb, formerly of the U.S. Department of Education) offer American parents an impassioned and straight-shooting reference for educating their children. In prose free of academic rhetoric, the authors state: "[I]f your school is inflicting a mediocre education on your child, the sooner you know about it the better." They then present a "yardstick" by which to judge the academic quality of any school (public or private). A model core curriculum organized by grade level--primary (K-3), intermediate (4-6), and junior high (7 and 8)--presents the material clearly and logically, and helps readers assess whether a child is getting a thorough dose of English, history and geography, the arts, math and science. While blunt in their criticism of decaying academic standards (evident in grade inflation, lowered expectations for students and terrible international rankings), the authors are unequivocal in their support of dedicated educators and all those willing to hold children to the highest possible standard. Parents may question some of the model curriculum's expectations (e.g., that second graders dramatize the death of Socrates), but the authors are quick to reassure readers that the book's purpose is not to serve as a list of must-haves but rather as "inspiration and general guidance" in gaining a sense of "the knowledge and skills that should lie at the heart of a solid elementary education." Bennett is a controversial figure because of his passionate cultural conservatism. But this book, despite a brief word in favor of school vouchers, is about padagogy, not politics. It's an ambitious and commonsensical guide that will inspire both parents and educators. 100,000 first printing; 25-city radio satellite tour. (Nov.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Bennett, Finn & Cribb provide for all parents what parents of special needs children have had for a long time - an individualized education plan, a guide for what their children need to learn and a yardstick to measure the school's performance. Since my children are in 3rd and 5th grade, I immediately went to those sections to see how we were doing in our tiny four school district, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that we do well here, but could do better. I found their treatment of issues such as learning disabilty, ADHD and giftedness to be even handed and practical. By using this text as a guide parents (and hopefully school boards and principals) will be less inclined to jump on the latest educational bandwagon, and will instead stay focused on what needs to be done. The chapter on "Temptation and Troubles", dealing with the influences of TV, internet and sexual education is excellent, and the advice here will certainly be distributed in my practice as a child Psychologist. This is a must buy book for any parent who cares about what their children learn during these critical years.

During the first few weeks of my son's life, I would have gone utterly out of my mind without this book! Before he was born, I thought fussy babies happened only to other people -- those who didn't see a midwife, have a homebirth, live simply, plan to attachment parent... you get the idea :) I have been humbled completely by his personality... and this book sooo helped me to realize that his fussiness wan't anyone's fault; he was just born wired that way. And it has been an excellent reference for us to work with his needs instead of against them, and realize that his traits, so annoying at times when he was littler (he's now four months old), will help him out as an adult. [It's funny now, watching video of us when he was a newborn; we speak as though we're in the midst of a hostage crisis, counting the days since his birth. We didn't think we'd have another, but are now already considering it in a couple of years. It started out tough, but he's now a very energetic, serious, hyper-interested baby, and we love him dearly.]

The Sears' have written a lovely book. If you're baby has colic and you don't know what to do, this book can help you! I bought this book when my daughter was 4 months, and her colic was already subsiding. I really wished that I had seen this book during the first 3 months of my daughter's life. I had discovered a lot of the techniques that the Sears' discuss by trial and error. It would have been nice to have this book in the beginning of our troubles, when our baby was a newborn.

The Sears' book gives a lot of good, practical advice for dealing with colic. There are countless tips to help ease the pain of gas and colic, which are essential to know when you have an uncomfortable, screaming baby.

(A note of caution: If you are nursing, this book will give you lots of reasons to continue. However, if you are not breastfeeding, this book may not be for you because breastfeeding is mentioned and encouraged often and it may make you feel badly about your decision to stop.)

This book is for you if you're at the end of rope comforting a baby who cries inconsolably because of colic and not getting any positive results. If anything, the book gives you a little pat on the back for following your instincts and comforting your baby, even when meddling passerbys suggest that you are spoiling your baby and need to put him or her down for hours to cry so that s/he can learn self-soothing techniques.

I no longer need the Sears' book, thank goodness. My baby is now 9 months and the colic has subsided. THE FUSSY BABY BOOK served me well. Now I have a different set of problems, though, and I've had to move onto other books, like Elizabeth's Pantly's NO CRY SLEEP METHOD.

Our daughter was THE "poster child" for colicky, fussy babies. She had colic so severe [crying 10-12 hours a DAY for first 12 weeks!] that our Pediatrician told us "This isn't colic, she just has a bad disposition." [UGH - we don't use him any more needless to say - and the crying stopped abruptly at 12 weeks]. After the colic passed, she continued to be a VERY "hands on, high need" baby. She was quite a challenge to parent that first year.

Thank goodness I found this book! I can still remember the first time I read it - the sigh of relief that I wasn't alone and the wonder at all the great ideas and suggestions in the book. We put these suggestions to work in our parenting and followed Dr. Sears' advice to the letter. Now we have an angelic two year old - she's a joy to be around. She is now the easiest kid in the world to parent - the most easy going, friendly, and sweet kid you could imagine. Now my friends all say how lucky I am to have such an easy toddler! I think it is due in great part to Dr. William and Martha Sears and their wonderful insight and advice - their suggestions certainly worked for us!

These days the Sears has been popular among Japanese parents since the Japanese version of "The Baby Book" was released in last October. Also was I caught with Dr.Bill's magic words, and have collected every publication they (Bill/Martha) wrote.

However, the most impressive thing in this book was its cover, a beautiful baby stares at you...you will find nothing brand-news if you are the person who read their other books before.

My opinion is that "Christian Parenting""The Baby Book""The Fussy Baby Book" are worth reading. As for breastfeeding, I found other books like "Bestfeeding" more helpful than their book.

Every parent has been told "don't hold the baby too much, you'll spoil her". This book confirms that the instinct of most parents-- to hold a baby who wants to be held-- isn't going to "spoil" or in any other way hurt your child's development. Dr Sears' common-sense approach to parenting is reassuring to new parents (like me) who want to go with their gut feelings and ignore the well-meaning advice of those around them.

I am so glad I read this book while pregnant...It has been the backbone of mine and my husband's parenting styles. Attachment parenting works! My own 5 month old is proof. She is happy, thriving, and so much fun. This book really helped me to know to follow my instincts and gave me the confidence to ingore people who said I was spoiling my child because I picked her up when she cried and attended to her needs. My daughter is not at all spoiled...she doesn't cry much and isn't clingy at all. Because I read this book and decided to Attachment Parent her, she trusts me and doesn't have to cry and cry to test me. She knows if she needs me I'll be there. Dr. Sears is wonderful. I have never met him but this book had been so wonderful for family. I know that my reading this book will surely benefit my daughter during her entire life!

There is no issue of more importance to more Americans than the state of education, where it is going, and how it might be redirected. Obviously, historical perspective is one part of our grapplings with that issue.

Unfortunately, this book has a very narrow scope. The author usually uses the word "school" to mean "public school," so he has very little to say about private or parochial education, or the home-schooling movement.

Still, he makes an important point. The public school establishment, administrators and teachers alike, constitutes in many ways a distinct social class, with its own view of the world, and a view that is at odds with the views of many parents. Thus, conflicts between parents and teachers, even on some seemingly trivial points (how much homework? what kind of Christmas decorations should be allowed) is necessarily a political struggle.

The public-schooling establishment sees itself as the bearer of some high altruistic apolitical virtue. But that attitude is just one political fact among others.

This book is extremely well-researched and well-written. It is of particular importance today with the public schools being attacked from every angle. By looking at today's issues with the historical perspective presented by Dr. Cutler, one gains deep insights into the purpose of public schools and their importance in American society. Dr. Cutler's ability to take a vast amount of research and to present it in a very readable format is a credit to his writing skills and scholarship. It should be read by all teachers, administrators and anyone researching issues in public education.

Boys and Girls together is the story of raising two small children while writing plays and trying to hold a once sexy marriage together. Saroyan's best writing are found in his plays and short stories -- My Name is Aram is the best -- but this novel, long out of print, can make anyone who is strugleing with child raising, writing and love smile: Saroyan makes us laugh because raising children and staying married are difficult things and the way saroyan gets through difficult things is by never taking anything too seriously. There is a wonderful part in this book where he explains the reasons for NOT having children with any of his girlfriends that were around before his wife. And this coming from the man who married and divorced the same woman twice...

The actions starts right away. Peter, who's 11, has just been hit by a car and killed. He's taken up to heaven, and the "Bright LIght" tells him he has 12 hours to go back and try to change the events leading up to his death. If he can make significant changes, he'll live. Peter makes one attempt (that only takes up an hour), but he had the same result. He's then told he can make multiple attempts, but he only has the original 12 hours. He makes a 2nd attempt, but no luck. Time is running out, and he has one more chance. I liked the basic plot--I've never seen this story line before. I just didn't care for the way Peter's adoptive parents treat him. I didn't think it was realistic at all. Then again, this is FICTION, and SCIENCE FICTION to boot! If you've read any other Sleator books (The Duplicate, Singularity, The Boy Who Reversed Himself, Interstellar Pig, Others See Us, The Beasties, The Boxes, etc.), I'd give it a try. The book is really short--120 pages--it only took me a couple of hours to read it. If you haven't read any of his books yet, DO IT! They're great! However, I'd start with one of the other ones I mentioned before picking up this one.

Rewind was a pretty good book, in most ways. The author is William Sleator. Rewind is mostly about a boy named Peter who is given a chance to relive his life. I liked the way Peter had to do certain things with his parents to keep himself from dying. This story makes you wonder do you only get one life to live? Rewind is a type of scientific story. So if you like scientific stories this one is a pretty good one to read. There were only a few things that I didn't really like about the book. I didn't like how Peter's parents talked to him. To me the story isn't as long as most books I have read. I read the hardcopy and it only had 120 pages. The book's ending also had me hanging. I learned to respect and treat your parents the way you would want to be treated, from this book. This book also shows you not the be so lazy at times. I recommend it if you really like scientific stories or if you just like stories that are about a kid, his life, and his family. The book is good if you read it all!

Rewind by William Sleator, is a thrill a minute book. Peter, an adopted middle school boy, is killed in a car accident, but this isn't any normal car wreck. Peter is extremely mad at his parents because he doesn't think they love him. He gets mad enough to where he runs out into a street. Now, though, he has three chances to go back in time and change his life forever, but many obstcles lie in his path. One of them is a bully and star athlete called Kurt Meyer. Peter does have a best friend called Eloise. Will Peter ever change his life so he can live it?Read this book to find out!

I'm torn between what I think of the book and what my daughter thinks. She's 17 months old and wants to read this book daily. I, like other reviewers, found the text a bit awkward at first. Now that I've read it aloud about a million times and added my own twists and actions to accompany the story (kisses on the tummy, toes, eyes) I'm getting lulled into liking the book too. I LOVE that the white grandmother has a black grandbaby and that the daddy is a super dad and that there is an asian mother and daughter. The illustrations don't grab me because they have kind of a messy look, but they obviously grab my girl, because she just stares and stares at each page. So...take what you will from this review. For the amount of fun it's given us, despite my initial misgivings, I think it's worth a try. In fact, I'm buying it for a friend's baby for xmas.

I bought this book for my daughter, who is 18 months old. It took all of one reading to be added to her list of favorites--she constantly asks for "more more babies". The pictures are wonderful for toddlers, simple and brightly colored. Not only do little ones love the story--lots of repeated elements, little people like them--it's virtually impossible to read it to a child without cuddling. This has become part of my standard baby gift package.

This is a beautifully illustrated book with a sweet, touching text that should be "cooed" rather than read aloud. Author Williams tells anecdotes about parents and grandparents playing with and cuddling their babies. When my son was fifteen months old, this was his favorite book. He loved it so much, it soon became everyone's favorite book. One of my best memories is of listening to my husband reading the story of Little Guy being swung in the air by his daddy. Inevitably, when the story was over, my husband would swing his own little guy in the air.

However, don't believe the age range listed for this book in the on-line catalog. This is a book for and about BABIES. As soon as your little one has had enough of being known as "the Baby", you need to put this book aside and move on to another good book. My son outgrew this book with his toddler clothes.