After her parents died, seven-year-old Summer MacCleary left her home in London to become an indentured servant in the Virginia colony. Six years have gone by, and Summer is now thirteen. She counts the days until her twentieth birthday, when she will be free to leave. But although she longs for freedom, she has a fairly good position that she is grateful for - she cares for her master's infant son, and does some household chores. But her position is in jeopardy when her master's daughter, Letty, accuses Summer of stealing a valuable ring. If Summer is to avoid having her contract sold, she must discover what really happened to the ring. This was a highly enjoyable story about a resourceful young girl determined to clear her name, and in addition, it was filled with many details of colonial life.

Summer MacCleary is an indentured servant on a plantation in 1749. Then her masters daughter accuses her of stealing a ring. To find out what happens, read this book. It is very good.

Summer has arrived from Ireland as an indentured servant. She has conflicts with one of her new owner's children. Summer is afraid that her contract will be sold to a new owner. After she helps solve a mystery, she feels that her life will be better. This is a very good historical book and I highly recommend it to students 5th through the 8th grades, and for teachers, as well.

I discovered Richard Wheeler a month ago. What a great discovery! He's an intelligent novelist who develops rich characters and weaves his narrative into the history of the old west. He educates and entertains.

Sun Mountain is an excellent read and strongly recommended. Learn about Virginia City, Nevada during its heyday. And what a heyday it had! Its roots are solidly in the pre-railroad days when everything had to be hauled hundreds and hundreds of arduous miles over the Sierras from California during the early days of that state. Then came the railroads and transformed Virginia City, as they transformed every town they touched. Wheeler instructs the reader on the Comstock Lode and the technological innovations developed there that changed mining around the world. He deftly covers the full gamut of human nature and existence in such a place at such a time.

If you have yet to read a Richard Wheeler novel, Sun Mountain is an excellent place to start.

The book says the author was Richard S.Wheeler. The real Author was a man by the name of Dickey Dey. For many years he was the private secretary of Mr. John Mackay.

This really an interesting report on the working of Virginia City and more about the people and characters that lived there than it is about mining.

A must read for all fans of the Comstock Lode.

At last: a historical novel with a sense of humor. Undeniably acknowledged as a master storyteller and flawless in his knowledge of the historical West, Wheeler fully unveils yet another talent from his already amazing repretoire: humor. While the real stars of Sun Mountain are the Virginia City's silver mines, narrator Henry Stoddard nearly steals the show with his sly perceptions of the city's inhabitants and his inept campaign to leave bachelorhood in a near womanless town. His search to find true love and the city's innovations to unearth its riches made me smile-one with affection, the other with admiration.

This book is a welcome breath of fresh air in a world that seems to pretend that death never happens. It does, and this book reminds that denial will cheat us from what matters in life. My experience as a physician reminds me every day that death is an essential part of life. The book is filled with moving stories about people's confrontation with death and lessons to help us lead a richer life.

Virgina understands that remembering is part of healing.
I also use Write from Your Heart, A Healing Grief Journal in my classes. It is good to find books such as these.
For the children I teach I use After the Tears, A Gentle Guide to Help Children Understand Death.

I bought this book because I am starting to volunteer at a convalescent home. I recommend it for anyone who is going to comfort the terminally ill.

The book's true stories and descriptions of what extreme life-saving measures doctors often resort to, have made me want to have a very specific advanced medical directive. Artificial breathing / ventilation and feeding tubes are not for me!

The poems scattered across the pages of this volume are rich in their simplicity and openness. They aren't polluted by the pretense of professionalism or the so-called "wisdom" of age.

Truly delightful book for adults and children alike.

Thie poems in this book are sometimes translucent, often remarkable and easy to read, and frequently wisdom-bullets that pierce the heart.

There is more sweet wisdom here in single poems than one often finds in the dense works of the professional poet.

A definite must-have book.

Sandy Lyne's compilation of student poetry is wonderful in displaying the uninhibited candor and emotion of school age children. I'm doubtless a bit biased as a poem I wrote while in school is included in the book. Sandy visited for several weeks and encouraged us to be open in expressing ourselves, making each student know that they had "the soul of a poet". It was a memorable experience for me, and I'm grateful to be included in this delightful collection.

As a student in England, doing work on military academies, I came across the notes, papers, writings, etc of Thomas Jefferson in the bibliography of "West Point", by Norman Thomas Remick. I'm absolutely thrilled that Merrill D. Peterson has put it all together in one 1600 page book. It makes this part of my project almost like one stop shopping. The book is marvelous as a research reference, while at the same time being very interesting reading. By the way, as I see that the book "West Point" is not among the Amazon books on Thomas Jefferson, I hereby highly recommend it to you. It was marvelously interesting, as well.

This edition of Jefferson's writings is an excellent comrehensive collection. Edited by Jefferson biographer Merrill Peterson this volume is a treasure.

It includes Jefferson's Anas, Autobiography, The Notes on Virginia( complete), Summary View of the Rights of British America, his version of the Declaration of Independence, numerous public papers, and addresses. This volume is a must have for the Jefferson reader. It also very necassary for the current state of the American Republic which would be wise to hear the words of this great man. A great buy!

This book is a treasure: it contains many of the writings of Thomas Jefferson, and his letters.
They are reveal a crisp thinking, like Voltaire, Rousseau, the abbey Gregoire, Rabeau Saint Etienne, and other geat thinkers of the 17th Century (T.Jefferson meet with most), as well a Pascal who was way ahead of his time. TJ try to explain the rational for generosity, compassion, respect for life, respect for people, respect for justice, and more: anyone who claims to be president of the USA (or any sovereign nation) should read and understand this book. Unfortunatly this is probably not the case... Politicians love to use a citation of TJ, but their policies would often be despised by TJ.
Let's hope that the future will give the US presidents with the values of this great thinker, and for the time being let's just be patient.

Italy in not as renowned as other countries, such as France, for its pastry making. Nor can a good collection of Italian pastry recipes be found. This is quite unfortunate, as Italian bakeries are home to many different kinds of wonderful pastries.

This cookbook offers absolutely the best Italian pastry recipes available. Each recipe is authentic and delicious. The author has done her best to simplify the art of pastry making, so good results are likely with each recipe.

I recommend this cookbook to any pastry lover. It is a treasure chest of hidden treasures.

This is the best pastry book I have ever come across. It is now in second printing and can be obtained from the author. Great Great book and reasonably priced.

The best Italian Desserts book I have come across in 50 years. Very authentic

This is-by far- my favorite History Mystery!
Cassie Willis is learning to "do without" materal things. However, when she and her family gets a disterbing letter saying that Jacob, her favorite brother, has died, Cassie runs away to Jacob's "secret fort"; there she meets a crazy deserter who threatens her family.
After a while, Cassie begins to forget about it. Until somethings start to go missing. Is it the desserter? Or somone eles?

It's during the Civil War and Cassie's father and brother have gone to war to fight. Later Cassie and her father get a disturbing letter. Cassie is so angry and upset that she runs into the woods where she and Jacob used to go. She sees a figure in the woods and decides to ignore it but when things mysteriously vanish from her house she wonders if the person in the woods might be causing all of this. Will the person in the forest cause more harm? Will he try to steal agian?

Set in Virginia in early 1865, "Watcher In The Piney Woods" is the story of twelve-year-old Cassie Willis and her family. With Cassie's father and oldest brother away fighting for the South, keeping the family farm going has been a struggle. Then, the family is devastated when a letter arrives informing them that Jacob, Cassie's brother, has been killed. Cassie goes into the woods to be alone, but is grabbed by a deserter who is using her secret thicket for his hideout. Cassie escapes, but not before the man threatens Cassie and her family. After that, things begin to disappear from the farm, and Cassie gets the ominous feeling that somebody is watching her.

This is one of the better books in the "history mystery" series. Out of the eight we've read, my daughter says she rates this one second only to "The Smuggler's Treasure". I'm not surprised. A threat of real danger is established early in this story, and the tension is maintained throughout most of the book. The reader is kept wondering what is going to happen next, and that makes for a fun and entertainig read. As with the other stories in the series, this one also has something to teach about the history of the time and provides good role models for young readers. It's a good book for kids, and I recommend it highly to both kids and their parents.

WOW
In the last 3 yrs I have: ended a 22 year marriage, then lost 2 jobs... This wonderful book has given me much solice, comfort, personal insights and loving encouragement. It's also very readable. I highly recommend it and hope Virginia will have at least one more loving sequel !
One of my favorite's is:
OPEN DOORS
Creator God, how pleased we are by open doors. As we stand outside they paint a picture of invitation, welcome, and warmth. Yet how fearful we are of open doors when we stand inside. They make us vulnerable, allowing the unknown to enter and the precious to leave. Help us see you, God, standing in all doorways, as both host and guard. Then we can go out in glad confidence and come in to untroubled rest. ~ Amen.
- An encouraged person in Minnesota.

This is a book that I use in worship liturgies and pastoral care notes -- AND it is wonderful gift for homebound folks.

Thank you, Virginia.

The prayers in this book are incredibly eloquent and thought-provoking. My favorite is "thank you for things bent," for which a song was composed. Any thinking Christian will love the guidance and support of these prayers. Great gift for any event.

This is a marvelous book. Readers in other states will come away from it with new or changed views of West Virginia and its history. Author Fawn Valentine recognizes quilts as historic documents and is most persuasive in explaining and using material culture methodology to prove this. Yes, West Virginia quilters live primarily in rural areas, and many needed quilts as warm bedcovers. However, they also produced elegant silk quilts as examples of fine, decorative needlework.

As a quilt researcher in the adjacent state of Ohio I am fascinated by the similarities and differences between quilts in our two states, and Valentine's convincing explanations for them. Most of the quilts documented by the West Virginia Heritage Quilt Search-even the oldest ones-were found near the places where they were made. The reason, she explains, is that West Virginians didn't move around much; they love place and family. They also had a strong desire to maintain traditional skills, which are "family ways."

Some quilt patterns were found only in discrete regions of West Virginia. Others (crazy quilts, for instance) continued to be made much later than was true in other states. Through extensive interviews with quiltmakers, the WVHQS learned of quilt pattern names and quilt-related language not found elsewhere. Through their oral interviews they also learned of a system of "barter economy" West Virginia quiltmakers used.

Most intriguing is Valentine's discovery of different quilting style, aesthetics, and designs associated with the quiltmakers' ethnic backgrounds: German-American, British, Scotch-Irish and Welsh. She presents this information early in the book, preparing the reader to recognize and identify the ethnicity of quiltmakers whose work is included later.

A series of appendices, including a summary of data and an extremely important timeline are helpful, as are the state maps included with almost every quilt, clearly identifying the counties where the quilts were made. As we discovered in the Ohio Quilt Research Project, Ohio is also a county-conscious state, so I felt right at home in West Virginia!

This book provides a wonderful history of quilting and quiltmakers and is also inspirational for quilt design ideas. It is well-written and engaging, making a quilt documentation project very interesting to others. I highly recommend this book and it makes a perfect gift for any quilters.

The quilt scholar as well as the passionate amateur quilt historian will not be disappointed in this new release. Destined to be a classic reference for the future on the same scale as other books related to state quilt documentation projects. The information gathered and documented in "West Virginia Quilts and Quiltmakers" is extremely well documented and thoroughly covered. I have to say I am partial to applique quilts and this book did not disappoint! Some new patterns I have never seen in previously published books. I actually found a clue to a dead-end puzzle I had been researching! To sum it up...By far the best book published in recent years from a state quilt documentation project. Well worth the investment!

If you have any interest in photography, natural history or West Virginia then this book is a welcome addition to you library. Jim has a unique ability to capture in words and images the experience of actually being in the Allegheny Highlands. I know because after I read the book it inspired me to go there.

The images are very well done from an artistic perspective. The words in Jim's own hand make the book an experience to enjoy again and again.

I purchased this book as a Christmas gift for my father, sight unseen, based on the description here at amazon.com. After he opened this gift, I had a chance to see it. I could not have been more pleased. The photography is amazing. It truly depicts the beauty of West Virginia. I liked the book so much that I have now ordered a copy for myself, which will be on display in my home in Washington, D.C.

"West Virginia: The Allegheny Highlands" is an absolutely resplendent volume. Nature photographer and biologist Jim Clark masterfully captures the colors, features, and animal life in the wildest and most remote region in the Appalachian Mountains. Clark takes us through four seasons in the Alleghenies. His 100 full-color pictures are as winningly composed as they are iridescently rendered. Clark is one of those rare photographers who can truly give you a sense of grandeur in his work. In "New River Bridge, Fayette County," he doesn't just capture the forminable span of the bridge. He includes the giant (yet tiny!) boulders in the river below, so that you can get an almost stunning sense of the reach and height of this engineering marvel. But Clark is just as adept with smaller scenes. Witness "Maple Leaves in a Stream" and the almost paint-like "Reflections, Branch of the Potomac River, Grant County." And Clark's prose is nearly as penetrating as his photographs. Of a winterstorm, he writes: "The first thing I notice about the snowstorm is how still it is. Nothing is moving; the only sound I hear is the wind whispering through the trees." Don't miss this rich and captivating work.