I read this book as a senior in high school and found it to be some of the most interesting and eye-opening material I had ever read. The book contains all sorts of options that people have after they graduate high school. For example, the book gives kids information on the Americorps program, internships for high school kids, the armed forces, community college, working after high school and tons of other really helpful stuff. It's written in a very down to earth style with no sugarcoating. It tells you the bad sides and the good sides to all the choices listed. Inspirational, truthful and very informative, this book just might make you follow your heart and do something unconventional. If you are not sure that college is right for you or are even remotely considering taking a year off after high school, READ THIS BOOK. Not everyone in this world goes to college right after high school and with the right attitude and outlook, you can make your year off or abroad a fantastic opportunity that will only benefit you in your college years, this book will show you how.

Emma Edmonds ran away from home to escape her father and an arranged marriage. She eventually settled in Flint, Michigan, where she pretended to be a man, using the name of Frank Thompson, both to protect herself and to enable herself to make a decent living (she sold Bibles door-to-door). When the Civil War broke out, Emma signed up for the Union. Besides being an army nurse, she fought in several battles, went AWOL when she had malaria, to prevent her sex from being discovered, nursed herself back to health, and rejoined the war. Grant sent her on 8 spying missions in Confederate country, all of which she carried out efficiently, disguising herself one mission as a young black man; she was promptly enslaved and forced to dig trenches for the Confederates--ideal, for she had been trying to find out what were the exact locations of the enemy's trenches. The book is full of such stories; there's never a dull page, thanks to Emma's colorful and courageous life. Stevens writes for the young market; I think her writing errs on the side of being too unsophisticated, but that's a fault that can be overlooked when dealing with such splendid material.

Children who are hooked on the Grinch will love this tale of how Max meets the Grinch by getting rid of his itch. As with the classic, children will witness the Grinch go from mean and grumpy to friendly and kind. The best part is that this book may be read all year round.

A charming and enchanting tale about a little girl who sees beauty and promise in an object discard and no longer of use to its owner. The girl shows the gentle grace of a child's insight (often outgrown in adulthood), she also shows the resourcefulness of a child's imagination.

This book has won wide acclaim among reviewers as it teaches each of us to respect a child's opinion of that as a full person.

Leslie Blanchard

Editor A Writer's Choice Literary Journal ISSN: 1521-2319 http://members.spree.com/writer/ & The Bear's Den- Spoken Word Poetry http://members.tripod.com/bearpoet icq# 33958401

A king asked his miller, hunter and gamekeeper to solve three riddles, promising whoever solved it a bag of gold.

What is the swiftest thing in the world?

What is the fattest thing in the world?

What is the dearest thing in the world?

The gamekeeper and hunter failed the test and were banished. The miller's daughter solved the riddles, and when he returned to the king with her answers, he was rewarded and asked to have his daughter solve three more. She was to come to to the king

neither dressed nor undressed

neither riding nor walking

and bearing a gift that was not a gift.

How did she do it? If you can't solve the riddles, perhaps you should get the book. Alyssa A. Lappen

This book has been very useful to me as my child grows and develops on the spectrum. A very comprehensive description of autism, social development, communication skills, assessment, and dealing with the diagnosis. Its been interesting to make notes in the margins about where my son fits and doesn't fit and how that has changed over time. I have come back to this book many times over the last year and a half.

The treatment resources section was of less value to me. Barely 10 pages on early intervention, and Lovaas is the focus here. 20 pages on behavior management, not an issue for us (now anyway). 20 pages on communication and the development of language, this is very interesting to me. Lots of info on psychoactive medications, this was kind of disturbing to read although I know many parents really find it necessary to give their children these drugs. A very cursory treatment of "alternative" therapies, like holding therapy, AIT, diet, and facilitated communication.

This book has been the BEST book about autism that I have read so far. It covers all the bases and provides very basic information that is easy to read. So many of the descriptions of autistic children in this book are very similar to my son and that is so comforting. When your child is autistic, you think that there is no other child in the world like your child until you read descriptions of certain behaviors and explanations for those behaviors that really make sense. I would recommend this book for parents, grandparents, family members and even friends of families with autistic children.

Positively excellent! I was unable to put this book down once I began reading. This is a wonderful overview of autsim spectrum disorders, which includes extremely helpful information about getting a diagnosis, what the diagnosis means, family issues, locating resources, educational programming/interventions, the implications for individual behavioral and communication needs of each child. The most unique feature of this book, for me as a parent of a child with Asperger Syndrome (21 years old now) and as an educator of children with autism (for over 25 years), is the section on medications. There is a discussion covering when medications might be needed and the types of medications used for various problems. Additionally, this book makes it exceedingly clear that mutual respect of and teamwork by child (yes, s/he guides the process!), family, and all professionals involved with the child is imperative! A "must read" for parents and professionals alike, it has now become my first choice for parents and professionals seeking to learn more about autism spectrum disorders.

I felt this book was laboriously slow to read to my daughter, and she lost interest fast. My 3rd and 4th grade kids called it "too baby-ish." I personally felt it was written poorly. It was too long of a book for too simple of a subject matter. In my opinion, it is not worth the money.

Dazzling wonderful illustrations- rich & full of kindling to spark a child's imagination. While the illustrations are overflowing with magic, the story line exceeds the promise of the artwork. This book will become a cherished heirloom to to families that read it, passing it down to future generations. A GREAT find.

Leslie Blanchard

Editor A Writer's Choice Literary Journal ISSN: 1521-2319 http://members.spree.com/writer/ & The Bear's Den- Spoken Word Poetry http://members.tripod.com/bearpoet icq# 33958401

This journalist-written book is worth reading if you're interested in police culture, particularly how women officers fare with the public and their male colleagues in the NYPD.

I was troubled by the impression given throughout the book that the book was totally true: indeed, the book is subtitled "True Stories of Policewomen," and full names of her subjects are used throughout the book, starting at the first sentence. The cover picture depicts a female police officer.

It wasn't until I got to the Afterword at the end of the 263-page book that I discovered that not only are subjects' names false, but the characters are composite characters. Now, there had been one hidden line at the end of a paragraph in the middle of the five-page Foreword, which I missed, that said the author was preserving the subjects' "anonymity," but didn't say that composite characters would be used. The usual convention in situations where an author is using fake names, and especially composite characters, is to make that blatantly clear up-front.

After reading another book about this case and recently watching the Court TV rerun of the 1991 second trial, I was hoping for some additional insight (objective) into the background of Betty, Dan, and Linda Broderick. There was a little of that, but overall this was a disappointing book because of its strong bias toward the defense's theory of the case. Taubman apparently bought into the idea that the venom-spewing woman on the stand was "emotionally abused" by her ex-husband and his new wife to an extent that made murder expected and understandable. While she agrees that Betty Broderick deserved punishment, the author seems to think Broderick's actions made sense in the context of the bitter divorce. They didn't, they don't, and nothing I read in this book convinced me of this position.

This book is a good read if you want something fast with not a lot of details about the Broderick case. It does not compare with Bella Stumbo's "Until the Twelfth of Never", which should be top choice if you want a very thorough (but not in the least boring) read on it. The author gives a good representation of Betty's point of view, while at the same time stressing the total wrongness of her acts. With a double murder, high society, and the intriguing character of Betty Broderick you can't go too wrong picking this up. Can we ever get enough of this one?

My daughter loves flap books but never picks this one up to read. The illustrations are nice but perhaps not as appealing to a toddler. Text does not instill her curiosity.