This is a FABULOUS story of a young boy who discovers a great way to pick up Mom's pins is with a magnet. He then goes on to discover other things that are magnetic and non magnetic. As a second grade teacher who has taught a magnet unit for years, this is a favorite of teachers and students.

This is an extraordinary and well written little book that celebrates faith and family. The setting is in the early days of World War II before the US gets involved. In 1941 a missionary wife and her six children receive permission to travel to Africa to be with their beloved father. En route the Germans sink their ship, the Zamzam. But despite continuous shelling, not one soul is lost! Mother and her six children board a lifeboat that sinks beneath them. 'Just remember that Jesus loves you,' she comfortingly tells her children. I highly recommend this book. Well written with great narrative. You will not be disappointed.

This book is an inspiration for children and adults alike. The deep Christian message of this beautifully illustrated book will stir the innermost spirit of those willing to consider it's message. My two year old daughter loves to sing along with the ancient yet familiar gaelic melody popularized by Cat Stevens in the 1970's. Revisit a familiar melody and reconsider the profound meaning of the text while you delight you children with this wonderful book. A real keepsake for those fortunate enough to have found it!

Murders In The Dark leaves me speechless. It's a book that panders to my short attention span-- full of short short stories, commentaries, and other artistic pieces. The best, in my opinion, is "The Page," a work that explains writing to me better than any other work I've come in contact with to date. Atwood has spunk (and a dark side). She's coming to speak at my school next semester (SUNY Albany). I am counting the minutes.

Well written, extremely enjoyable.We both have read with interest as many of this series as we can get.

I'm ten years old and I really enjoyed this book. It is the first book of yours I have read. I would like to find some more of your books to read.

I would recommend this book for girls around the age of 9-10.

Who would think a book of long-ago political figures could be so interesting. Chocked full of behind-the-scenes, in-depth portrayals of past presidents, ambassadors, foreign dignitaries, family and friends. Gives an excellent window on the political scene and how with "one hand washing the other", the work of government is accomplished. Well Done!

I came across this book while doing a simple research paper for a class I was taking at Palomar Comm.College. While I've lived in the Valley Center-Pauma Valley area for 13 years, I was unaware of the cultural history of the Luiseno Tribe of Indians who dominated this area for hundreds of years. This book was an eye-opener for me, telling of experiences from a white woman's point of view, as she lived in Pauma Valley for over 50 years. Her journal writings cover years of changes of the Native American tribes, but more than that, her personal relationships are a facinating documentation of how she was accepted and trusted with tribal ceremony proceedures and reflect great respect for a dying way of life and language. The beauty of this book is Mrs. Beemer's love of the land in the same way that Luisenos loved their land as it gave to them the things they gathered to exist. In addition, it is a testament to the way a person may extend themselves in friendship by watching, listening and sincerely caring for a group of people who are vastly different from one's own cultural background. This is a factual book for fourth grade students studying California history, even though it only covers the early to mid 1900's.
I'm hoping to get my own copy soon to use in the Title IX(Indian Early Childhood Education)class that I work in at Pauma Elem.School. Don't forget our local history may not include anything about the American Revolution, but a people lived here who flourished in peace, and contributed to protecting a beautiful land and its resources, while trying to maintain family relationships as their homeland was changed by more powerful newcomers. With the loss of the elder language speakers, there are no children speaking the Luiseno tongue. Dr. Eric Elliot,PhD.of Palomar Comm.College is now teaching this language at our school site, in the hope that the children may give a vital piece of their culture to their children so the ties that bind may proudly continue.

This is the first volume in the Queens of England series of books by Jean Plaidy, who is also known to her legion of fans as Victoria Holt. It is a well written work of historical fiction that tells the story of the daughter of King Henry IV of France, Henrietta Maria, who went on to marry King Charles I of England.

Henrietta Maria, a Catholic, found herself married to Charles, a Protestant, living in a Protestant country, among a Protestant people. The English, at the time, viewed Catholics with deep suspicion, as the excesses of the Catholic Queen Mary, "Bloody Mary", the daughter of Henry VIII, were still not forgotten. A fervent Catholic, however, Henrietta would not put aside her religion, nor was she particularly discreet about her devotion to Catholicism, and, as such, was never fully accepted by the English people.

Henrietta Maria was an impetuous and pretty, young woman, fond of musical revels, fashionable clothes, and gossip. Her husband, Charles, a family man of principle and integrity, was devoted to her, and together they would go on to have a number of children. Their marriage of state, made for the purpose of maintaining a Franco-English alliance, turned out to be a true love match.

Henrietta Maria was also, however, a puppet of Rome, charged with leading Protestant England back to Catholicism. This was to cloud her judgment, at times, and cause much trouble down the road, and, ultimately, serve to pave the way for the rise of Cromwell and his Puritans. They would make her devotion to her religion and her influence over her husband a focal point for turbulence and civil war. Her loyalty and love for her husband was legendary, but not even she could keep him from the road that led to regicide.

Written in the first person, this is a wonderfully told tale of an enigmatic, little known Queen, who wielded great influence over her beloved husband. Rich with historical detail, it is an enormously entertaining novel that is rife with the political intrigues of the day. All those who love reading well written, historical fiction should enjoy it.

I found this book at Crossroads Market in Dallas TX. Don't know exactly why I bought it, but I'm so glad I did. I've been reading a lot of poetry this spring of 2001 (Merrill's collected, Ashbery's 'your name here', Horace in Latin and translated). And the poems in this book hold up very well with that company. The Booklist review is a little too dry I think. The poems are wonderfully human in their insights, images, and their ease. Very inviting to read alone (or out loud to someone else). One of my favorites is 'Magazine Street'. I think I must have stood in the same spot in the same airport with the same silly trinkets on my first visit to NOLA, returning home to my remarkable partner. The poems about travel are all glowing, whether she's traveling in a park, or to some domestic city.