Wendy Lawton brings history alive for young readers. "Almost Home" tells the story of the Mayflower's 1620 journey to the New World through the eyes of a 13-year-old girl. Religious persecution, the pain of leaving friends and relatives, and the excitement of unknown horizons combine to make Mary Chilton long for acceptance and a permanent home.

Lawton's diligent research and attention to detail give a sense of reality to her settings and make her characters come to life on the page. In the opening chapters, her description of the Dutch town of Leyden was so effective that I mentally experienced the sights, sounds and smells of the place. Details of shipboard life were also colorful and true-to-life.

Although written for young adults, I enjoyed this book immensely. After reading "Almost Home," I have a greater appreciation of my religious freedom and of the struggles and hardships our ancestors experienced in obtaining that freedom for us.

This book would be an excellent gift or addition to any library. I am already looking forward to Wendy Lawton's next book.

Wendy Lawton's Almost Home, the third in her Daughters of Faith series, belongs on the shelf of every girl you know and in every school/church library. The story of Mary Chilton grabs your imagination and holds it captive until you finish the book!

As other reviewers have mentioned, the details, dialogue, accuracy and content excel. I don't remember the Pilgrim's story riveting my attention like this when first I heard it.

The beauty of Wendy Lawton's books for me remains that her skills, research, and craft are invisible. The story and the characters steal my attention and snare me within the pages. A tale that transports me from my day-to-day routines into the world of another place and time deserves my highest praise, and Wendy's done it again!

Not only is this a rollicking good story, but it teaches as well.
I learned new tidbits of information about the Pilgrims and the Mayflower journey without feeling lectured. The glossary of new words is a boon to every mom and teacher. I found myself sneaking back there to confirm I did indeed know the meaning of some of the words--and then grinning when I did.

These books will stand the test of time like many of your favorite children's classics. Join the adventure!

In "Almost Home," thirteen year-old Mary Chilton longs for a permanent home. Being a Separatist has been difficult for Mary and her family. They left England because of persecution, now ten years later Mary hears rumors of another uprooting. Mary is unsure of leaving, and wonders, Am I the only one to feel like a dandelion puff about to be blown to the wind? The heartaches begin when Mary leaves family members behind. Living on the Mayflower is filled with hardships, beyond her worst imaginings. In time, this helps Mary to see that home is more than a place.

Wendy Lawton's words sing on the page and carried me back to Time and Place. Dialogue is easy and meaningful. The language grounded me in 1620. Possible unfamiliar words are italicized to look up in the glossary. Mrs. Lawton does an excellent job with documentation and an epilogue supporting the facts of Mary Chilton and her family, the Pilgrims, and the Mayflower voyage.

"Almost Home" will be a hit among young readers. The story will have them looking at maps to follow Mary Chilton's adventure on the Mayflower, and where she steps foot on land in the New World. The book entertains, satisfies the curiosity about our first American anscestors, and allows us to feel the cost paid for the Pilgrim's freedom to express their faith.

For years I have wanted to read the Chicken Soup series, but finances being limited, I had to wait until my mother bought me Chicken Soup for the Mothers Soul. What a tremendous delight.....I fully intended to only read a story a day so that it would last a while, but within 24 hours I had consumed every story in the book. My heart feels lighter and my thoughts began to look on my life as a mother and how my children percieve me. It makes you want to strive for the ultimate goal....to be a mother remembered with love and admiration. I am a fan of Chicken Soup for life.

I had heard about the books from a friend at work, and got three for Christmas (Woman's soul, Woman's soul II, and Mother's soul). I don't normally enjoy reading but could not put the books down, in a matter of a week, I read two of them. They are absolutely wonderful. The Chicken Soup for the Mother's soul, WOW, what a book! It's awesome, and the stories touch the heart. Some of them even bring tears to my eyes. I recommend these books to anyone and am forwarding the Mother's soul book onto my mother.

This book is GREAT...As a mother of an 10 & 12 yr olds, this book makes me realize how thankful I am to have kids. Any Mom will understand & enjoy these stories. They made me laugh and they made me cry. This is my 1st Chicken Soup book, my daughter has one also, now we have started a " book collection " that our family will enjoy reading together for years to come. Take the time to enjoy a GREAT selection of books.

I have enjoyed this book several times. Every time I read it, I receive a different message from its contents. It is one of the best anthologies I have ever read. As a "product of Alabama women", I felt a particular closeness to the writers. Where's the sequel?

I loved this book. The words are written by Alabama women, but the themes are universal. Mary Carol Moran has done a masterful job of pulling together poems, essays, and short stories that make you catch your breath.

Just completed the book and loved it all. Alabama women can be proud of such talent. The variety of writers was amazing. Just hope to read more of them all.

I am Cuban-American. Both parents were born in Cuba but emigrated in the 60's. My mother's cooking brings nostalgia that only true Cubans can relate to! This cookbook has such an assortment of recipes that will make anyone love Cuban food! I have received this book from my husband as a birthday present and it was such a nice surprise!

Mary Urrutia captured the essence of Cuban cooking in her book, tasty and simple home fare. The recipes are easy to follow. She suggests substitute ingredients for those of us who live in areas where the "criollo" ingredients may not be readily available. Every dish I have made from the book has been greeted with rave reviews by my family and friends. Urrutia has made it possible for those who follow her recipes to be labeled a "great Cuban cook"!

WOW!!!!
Unless you get recipes from your Cuban grandmother there is nothing better than this book. The writer's lovely descriptions of her days as a little girl in Cuba and the can't miss recipes are what make this book a true gem. I was happy to see recipes for dishes that I grew up with but never knew how to make. If you have the time and calories to spare make the Pastel De Pollo it is divino!!!
The recipe for Mojo Criollo was great, I made it with Yuca for Thanksgiving and my entire Cuban family thought it was my grandmother's recipe.
Gracias Mary your book will be treasured in my home.

I first read this book because it was mentioned in Bruce Bawer's "A Place at the Table". I never expected that it would impact me so startlingly! I identified very closely with Laurie Odell, the main character, and his struggles with experiencing love as a gay man. All of the characters in the book are well-developed, even ones we don't meet very often. Renault manages to put together a wonderful, sometimes heart-wrenching story that doesn't restrict itself to people with gay experiences. ANYONE could read this book and feel total empathy with Laurie. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who has the least interest in reading a love story--it won't disappoint. I only wish that the story could have continued, perhaps in a sequel. Still, a very touching and satisfying tale.

I read this book before ever indulging in Mary Renault's ancient Greek fiction, although this story is every bit as entertaining, even set in World War II.

The two main characters, Laurie and Ralph, struggle with their love for one another as well as their devotion and dedication to their relationship, and their friendship as well.

This book is every bit as timeless as the ancient Greece novels, yet a bit dated of a read amidst modern day views and sensibilities about homosexual relationships. It does, however, send readers back to a time where more value was placed upon the root of a relationship and of love. It transcends the need for graphic sexual display, yet does not hide the nature of the involvement between the two men.

Of all the homosexual themed novels I have read, this is far and away my favorite. Even though it was written over forty years ago, it stands the test of time in its message of understanding the value of love, regardless of gender.

Reading this book as a heterosexual female, I can't say that I identified with any of the characters; but Mary Renault has written a remarkable book that explores the issue of love from various sides and gives us an in-depth view of a people coming to terms with their own sexuality and what it will mean for them in the world at large.

The time is 1940 and the place is England just after the retreat from Dunkirk; in the memorable words of Winston Churchill, it was their finest hour. At the center of the book is Laurie Odell, wounded in action, waking up in a military hospital to the fact that he will be crippled for life. The problem for Laurie is that he fears being emotionally crippled as well. Laurie is a graduate of a rigid British prep school where the head boy, Ralph Lanyon, was the object of his hero worship; Ralph is kicked out in a sensational scandal involving a hysterical accusation of homosexual activity with another boy in the school. Laurie is sexually attracted to Ralph and when Ralph is expelled, he realizes that the attraction was mutual, but that Ralph never approached him because he knew better than Laurie himself did that Laurie hadn't awakened to his own sexual orientation yet, and Ralph was not about to take that responsibility for him. While recuperating in the hospital, Laurie meets Andrew, a young conscientious objector who looks up to him as Laurie had looked up to Ralph. Andrew, however, is a total innocent, and his uncompromising religious views would make him look upon homosexual love as an abomination, even while he is attracted to Laurie. While on leave from the hospital, Laurie runs into Ralph, whom he hadn't seen since he was expelled from prep school seven years earlier, and learns that it was Ralph who piloted the navy boat that rescued him from Dunkirk. Ralph has been wounded as well, however, having had half his hand shot off, so the two of them are basically free and unfettered to start a relationship.

Ralph has grown hard and cynical after seven years of searching for love with increasingly superficial partners, and he has hit rock bottom with his current partner, whose sole attraction is his dazzling good looks. The attraction between Ralph and Laurie is immediate and compelling, and throws Laurie into a dilemma: he can hook up with Ralph and face up to the fact of his homosexuality which he has been hiding from everyone, including himself; or he can remain on a platonic basis with Andrew and remain sexually frustrated. At the core of his problem is trying to resolve how one can be gay and maintain his integrity at the same time. After meeting some of Ralph's associates, he isn't so sure. Laurie doesn't want to be dragged into the gay milieu, and Ralph sees Laurie as his means of escape from that milieu, and the bottom line for them both is, are they homosexual men, or are they men who happen to be homosexual.

Things get complicated when Laurie tells Ralph about Andrew (one of the things that attracts Ralph to Laurie is his fundamental honesty) and although he understands Laurie's dilemma, Ralph isn't about to let him off the hook; he tells Laurie that he has a choice: he can continue to help Andrew tell lies to himself about himself, or he can help Andrew face up to what he is. Laurie doesn't want that responsibility with Andrew any more than Ralph wanted it with him seven years earlier, and he temporizes until someone intervenes and Andrew has to face his own nature up close and personal. The resulting explosion shakes everyone up; Laurie finally realizes that being human ultimately means being true to oneself. What that means for Laurie is resolved at the end of the book.

There are several interesting secondary characters in the story, including Alec, one of Ralph's previous partners, decent, honest, but unable to commit more than superfically, and Sandy, Alec's current partner, insecure, demanding, jealous, but also capable of love, and Bunny, Ralph's latest, despicable, devious, and totally amoral. But the three main characters are the most compelling: Andrew, whose rigid, unbending morality finally makes him snap; Ralph, hard, jaded, yet with a core of innocence and trust that still makes him believe that love is not a myth; and Laurie himself, trying to resolve who he is and what he stands for as a man and as a human being. For all its being a World War II story, the problems and issues are timeless and make the book as fresh today as it was 60 years ago when it was first issued. Mary Renault has shown with "The Charioteer" that she is not only a great historical novelist, she is one of the best writers of the 20th century.

I have read Death in Slow Motion, and found it a provocative insight not only into Alzheimer's but more so into its effects on the lives of the people bound by love and duty to their loved one. Ms. Cooney has every reason to dwell on who her mother was, it is after all the central tragedy of the illness. Alzheimer's does not just kill someone, it disintegrates, it degenerates the very essence of the persona you know and love. We do not grieve for the loss of a body, we grieve over the loss of a person and with Alzheimer's we lose the person long before the body they inhabit dies. It is not only Death in Slow Motion, it is also Grief in Slow Motion. I recommend this book to anyone who may be facing a loved one's descent into Alzheimer's or to anyone who thought they were alone with the experience Ms. Cooney so unsparingly reveals. I recommend a visit to the book's website for a more personal insight into the lives involved with this loss.

I have no firsthand experience­ with Alzheimer's in my family, and hope that I never will, but that did not prevent me from appreciating DEATH IN SLOW MOTION as a great story. Ms. Cooney's writing is exceptional, her story is fast-paced, and her imagery deliciously dark in just the right places. Speaking as a fellow author, I found her book to be a startingly good read.

Eleanor Cooney has given us a very special book with Death in Slow Motion. The book has an almost "To Kill a Mockingbird" feel to it, innocence (believing her mom was invincible) shattered by facing the reality of her mother's illness. Her amazing descriptions of her thoughts, feelings and the telling of events (spiced just right with black humor) is compelling to say the least. Thought provoking, insightful, disturbing, heart wrenching, you are right there with her through it all as if it is your mother and not hers. I was very upset emotionally while reading this book, but it was all worth it. The lesson is well taken, don't take anything for granted, tomorrow Alzheimer's may come knocking on your door.

this has been a book that i have kept reading year after year. I bought the book at age 12. I am now going on 22, and still go back to my bedroom shelves to read this book from cover to cover. Ellen Marlowe is the female role model teenage girls need, someone the can relate to. She goes through all the troubles of crushes, and changing friendships, and demonstrates strenght and willingness to let time take its course. She a character all girls can look to and know that they are not the only ones going through such a trying time. When ever i am homesick or lonely, i just have to pick up this book. its a book i will keep for my daughters to read oneday.

I'm 21, I remember reading this book when I was in 6th or 7th grade. I immediately fell in love with this book and the story. I could easily relate to what Ellen was going through with Michael. It's scary but what she was going through was exactly what I was going through at that time with my secret crush whose now my present boyfriend (whose name was also Michael). Anyway, it's a book that you'll read over and over again.....I know because I've done it! =)

For anyone who has gotten this far down, please ignore what the Editorial review of the book is. It's completely off.

This book is one that I read as a 12 and 13 year old, but forgot about until now in my mid-twenties. It is a story for the romantics at heart, of any age.

Ellen is starting off her freshman year of high school. Her older brother Brad has just graduated and was well liked by the school, however she isn't feeling much pressure to live up to him because she is a star runner and honors student. Three days into the year the school forces her into taking a tour of the school, which she grudgingly does, when low and behold her tour is being led by the schools top swimmers, Michael Tyler. She falls hard for the guy, even though there is no chance of a relationship.

The rest of the book follows Ellen through the next two and a half years of her life, with all of the ups and downs that come with having her first love. She grows and changes through the book, especially through her relationships with her friends. She is a strong character with good friends and a good heart. That is why I have always loved this book. I would encourage tyring to find this book and read it, along with Mary Francis Shura's other ones. (The Sunfire books are excellent!)

This was a magical story that I remember vividly as a child.
It was read to me by a 5th grade teacher and has remained
one of my favorites throughout the years. As an avid reader and homeschool Mom I am constantly looking for good literature to share with my three children. There is so much that is "empty" and "void" of any value that finding a treasure like this book is very special indeed. Why is it not still in print??? Let's band together and bring it back! Also, does anyone know if Mary Chase is still living? Please read to your children. It will be the best gift you could give them....

My first exposure to Wicked Pigeon Ladies came when my fourth grade teacher read the book to my class. I listened intently as each chapter was read and couldn't wait until the next day's reading period to find out what was going to happen. After the story ended, I continually checked the book out of the school library and read it over and over again. The librarian finally refused to allow me to check the book out again. This book has a terrific story line that I think even our modern-day youth would enjoy. The "time travel" alone should interest many. I remember all the wonderful details Mary Chase gave us including the houses, the wallpaper, the shoes, the carriages and, of course, those wonderfully wicked sisters. I will read this book with my own children -- as soon as I can get a copy of it!

I read this book from my fifth grade teacher's reading center, and loved it so much that at the end of the schoolyear, I couldn't bear to part with it, and begged him to let me keep it. No small feat for a relatively shy 10 year old with her first male teacher. Anyway, he let me keep it and I read it till it fell apart. How can this book be out of print? I see some of the garbage my neices are reading, and then you tell me a classic like this is not in print. I would love to have another copy if I can find one, so that my children will be able to enjoy it as I did, and would love to be able to read it again
myself. I can remember the names of all seven sisters..Cleo, Constance, Maude, Sylvia, Lucrece, Mavis & Ingrid. If you are lucky enough to find a copy of this book, buy it and treasure it. It deserves 10 stars..not just five.

Mary Amato takes the text of 3 different stories (Fip the worms birth, Lerner Canse's problems at school, and a facory filled with under paid children) and puts them together. This is the story about a girl named Lerner who discovers a magical worm named Fip. If Fip eats a word, that word dissapears of the face of the earth-forever! Lerner learns more and more about Fip. The more she learns, the more the book gets interesting. The book has a unique text style that always keeps the reader thinking: what's going to happen next?

The Word Eater by Mary Amuto wrote a story about a Worm that had to do a dare before he could be in the Mpooe club.Mpooe stands for Most powerful ones on earth.The Worm gets on a window to escape from the other Worm.He gets saved by a Girl from the window seal from a bird when she walks in the room.In the story the Worms name is Fip.The Girls name is Lerner Chanse.If Fip eats something it will dissapears.Once he was eating oxygen off a Science book but he only ate oyxg when Lerner came in.At the end Fip eates.....Can't tell you because its going to be the best.I rated it five stars.This is a can't put down book.So read this book and relax reading it.

The "word eater" in question turns out to be Fip, a worm who likes to eat words -- but once he eats a word, whatever that word signifies disappears from the world permanently. Lerner, the book's protagonist, has to learn how to deal with the amazing power she has acquired because of the worm, while she's also learning how to fit in to a new school.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Even though it's aimed at kids (our 11-year-old liked it, too), it has aspects adults will appreciate. It sure made me wonder how I would deal with that kind of absolute power -- possibly not as well as the heroine of this book.

This was the textbook for my first advanced math-physics (mathsics) class. While the review of vector calc and other things I already knew was really helpful, I found it just too lacking in good examples and simpler homework problems to learn from it really well. Although I am really glad I own the book, I would rather learn from something that gives examples similar to the homework problems and gives a few lower-level homework problems to get my feet wet and THEN I can jump into the more complicated stuff.

This book covers basic topics(vector analysis, ode, series, multivariable calculus, calculus of variations, Fourier, etc.) in a very original and understandable way. However, my only complaint, it is too classical. It doesn't go into any depth on vector spaces and other math essential to QM. But for the basics it is the best book out there.

To put it quite simply, if you are a physics student, you must own this book. What does this book do for you? Consider this...

In my school, we do not have a mathematical methods course for science, so I decided to take on a math minor to take all the classes neccesary to do physics "right." This included a class on ODEs, Fourier Series & PDEs, Linear Algebra, and Complex Variables. These classes, although helpful, cover a lot of stuff that is not quite useful for understanding physics concepts, often undermining or dampening the stuff that is actually applicable.

What makes this book so great is that it combines all the essential math concepts into one compact, clearly written reference. If I could do it all over again, I would easily rather take a two semester Math Methods course (like they do in many schools) using a book like Boas than take all these obtuse math courses. With this book, it makes it so handy to review previously learned concepts or actually learn poorly presented topics ( for a physicist anyway) in mathematics classes... (Things like Coordinate Transformations, Tensors, Special Functions & PDEs in spherical & cylindrical coordinates, Diagonilzation, the list goes on.....)

Keep this gem handy when doing homework and studying for exams, learning the math tools from this book enables you to concentrate squarely on the physics in your other textbooks... (since mathematical background information, understandably, is often cut short...)