This book was my favorite as a pre-teen. I have extremely fond memories of reading it. I began a search for it on my local library website and really was having trouble remembering what the name of the book was, (it has probably been 20 or so years since I read it). But low and behold, I accessed Amazon and did a search and I really had remembered the title of the book, it just isn't carried at the library any longer. I am so glad to have found it. I just ordered a used copy so I can read it again. Maybe I can even get my son to read it. But then again, maybe not.

I read this book over and over again as a child, and because of the way this story captured my imagination I do credit it with my becoming an avid reader. I now have a 9 year old niece that I would love to share this wonderful story with; and maybe, just maybe, she might understand the joy of reading. I still have my copy, some 20 years later, and because I have been unable to locate another copy of it I plan on giving my copy to my niece as a Christmas gift. Although, I would love to keep it for myself and find her her own copy. I truly wish a publishing house would reprint this magical story.

My friend Ella and I used to act out this book on the playground in third grade! Our teacher read us one chapter every day before recess and we were always so upset when she stopped! I'm so sad it is out of print! If any publisher is reading this- The Ghost Next Door is an overlooked children's classic! Print it again! I purchased it used, online, to read to my family. I can't wait to get it!!

Very good! Really holds your interest. Great plot, cleverly written. Exciting drama throughout. Should be made into a movie

I found this book very entertaining. It keeps you reading and you don't want to put it down. A very clever opening, interesting from start to finish. If you love a mystery, this is it. Plus, it has a very surprise ending. Really enjoyed it and know other readers will, too.

Suzy Schaak

Great crime novel. Holds your attention from start to finish. Places and characters very vividly portrayed. Unusual approach in capturing criminals by cop and his reporter uncle. Fast-paced and delightful "who dunnit" story with romance.Highly recommended. Looking for sequel to story.

This is the best single book on American infantry fighting in World War II that I have read. Then Major Glover Johns recounts his personal participation in one of the toughest fights our GIs faced; the struggle through the hedgerows from the D-Day beaches to St. Lo. More importantly, Johns' book demonstrates the critical importance battlefield communications played in achieving victory. As a Battalion Commander in the 29th Infantry Division, Johns' ability to manage his units was directly related to how fast phone lines could be restrung after each mortar attack or how successful his radio operators were in linking to artillery support units. Despite his relative remoteness from the foxholes, you feel every attack and suffer every loss as if you were shoulder to shoulder with the heroes who defeated Hitler's vaunted 2nd Parachute Division.

This isn't rehashed third-hand research, this is war as it was fought by one of our best combat commanders. Read it.

This memoir is unlike any other memoir of World War II that I have ever read. Johns relates the stress, the worry, the fear, the exhaustion, the humor and the camaraderie with the ease of a seasoned storyteller. For the unseasoned reader, Johns's device of telling his story in the third person will take some getting use to, but that's done after only a few pages. More telling was Johns' own reasons for using third person, "people who fight wars up close to the enemy are not the same while they are fighting as they were before and after...His (Johns) life during that time always seemed that of another person." After that, "Clay Pigeons" is a fast read. Sadly, Bantam books never reprinted this now forgotten classic. Let's hope someone will do such a service and bring this book back. It demands a reprint.

My mother, Mrs. Glover S. Johns, Jr., who recently celebrated her 84th birthday, called me today to advise that a friend had just stopped by her home in Austin, TX. with word of this site and the fine reviews of "The Clay Pigeons of St.Lo", written by my father Colonel Glover S. Johns, Jr. We would like to thank those of you who have treasured this book - a labor of love, pride, dedication and, at times, agony - as much as we have. I want to take this opportunity to salute and thank all those who served with my father and those have shown support for my mother since the Colonel's death in 1976. My father lived "The Clay Pigeons of St.Lo" and gave the book what he gave battle and his men: his very best. It is, indeed, a timeless and monumental work - monumental in its testimonials, monumental in its anonymity, and monumental in its unheralded magnitude. Lee Johns, son of Colonel G.S. Johns, Jr. - one of America's finest Fighting Sons.

Both these stories were wonderful. I particularly enjoyed Cheryl St. John's tale. Humor and pathos, beautiful writing. Cheryl gives us everything we could want in a story, except maybe to get more of them. Write faster, Cheryl! I want more!

Cheryl St. John has done it once again! Her current release, "This Week I Thee Wed" is certain to pull at heart strings. Her detailed description of the characters involves the reader before they know they are entwined within these characters lives! Bravo Cheryl! Lori Kolin Mofield, Fan, Friend, Author

She fibbed to her beloved grandmother by telling the elderly woman she recently married. Now photographer and all around flake Francie Karr-Taylor needs a temporary spouse to accompany her to her high school reunion because her grandmother will expect to meet her new relative. When Ryan McNair offers money to buy a family heirloom that Francie purchased at an auction, she sees her opportunity. Reluctantly, he agrees to be her husband for a week, tossing in his two kids in the bargain, in exchange for the brooch. This duo will soon learn what they really gained and lost with this trade. "For This Week I Thee Wed" is a warm, humorous relationship romance that shows the talent of Cheryl St. John to write an entertaining contemporary tale.

Over the years, the changing staff always paid homage to the first issue of "Real Men" magazine, considered a collector's item. Now five decades later, reporter Tara Butler is assigned to update the classic article Forty-Nine Things You Need to Know about a Real Man from that first edition. To help her, writer Chase Montgomery teams up with Tara. As the couple begin to work closely together on "50 Clues to Mr. Right", they fall in love. However, Tara seeks a real man based on her list of traits. She initially believed Chase lacks these qualities, but now wonders if her list needs revising. Alyssa Dean completes her pairing with a wonderfully droll tale that provides insight into romance during the baby boom era.

Both stories are light, but enjoyable romps. This collection adds to the fans' appreciation of the Duets concept of providing double the please for a single cost.

Harriet Klausner

Though not quite so wonderful as "Amphigorey" (q.v.) (if nothing else, there is nothing to equal the brillint "Gashleycrumb Tinies" nor "The Unstrung Harp"), the first Gorey omnibus volume, if only because the very best was skimmed off for that volume, this is still very high class whimsey indeed.

Like Gahan Wilson (q.v), Gorey looks at the world in a slightly skewed manner; much of his work consists of showing or telling us something that sounds perfectly rational but does not, in fact, quite compute, leaving our own minds to struggle with the cognitive dissonance he creates.

Probably my favourite bit in this collection is "The Gilded Bat", which is a sadly perceptive story of perception and reality in the life of a prima ballerina -- even after litle Maudy Splaytoe has progressed to being enigmatic star Miriella Splatova, her life is still pretty much the same as it always was, a round of rehearsal, performance and boredom. (In a wonderful example of something or other, there was a ballet based on this work; i have never seen it, but heard an interview on PBS with the choreographer, who had had to create excerpts from three OTHER, fictitious, ballets referred to in the text...)

The two versions of "The Chinese Obelisks" present us with an opportunity to see the author's mind at work, comparing sketch and draft of text to the finished work.

The only reason not to immediately purchase this work would be if you could only afford one of them and hadn't already got the previous volume. If you DO already have "Amphigorey", then you absolutely must have this collection to go with it.

Edward Gorey is the type of artist who produces very specific reactions from anyone studying his work: one will either love or hate his artwork and/or stories. For those of us who are a little off center ourselves, this book is delightful. His unique drawings remain unmatched to this day, and his tales--well, they are not ordinary by any stretch of the imagination. Even though I am a staunch Gorey fan, I must admit that there are times when some of the endings leave me quite sad but, just as in life, not every tale has a happy ending. The book itself is huge, very heavy and filled to the brim with as much Gorey drawings as any fan can desire. Mr. Gorey deserves more recognition for his unusual but strange depictions of characters whom we don't really know whether to love or hate--a sort of bizarre Alice In Wonderland world of people who run the gamut from the familiar to the insane, and a bestiary of creatures born from the depths of an uncommon imagination. One has to wonder what a cartoon series based on his drawings and story lines would be like--certainly not Saturday morning fodder. At any rate, the book is well worth every penny whether you are a fan of Edward Gorey or have just discovered his works and find yourself fascinated by his bizarre view of a world which existed in his extraordinary imagination.

This wonderful second collection contains 20 highly enjoyable stories:

THE BEASTLY BABY (a definite Gorey favorite!) about an absolutely abominable baby, you'll be glad to see the end of!
THE NURSERY FRIEZE: Features odd strips of rhino-like animals saying words like "Archipelago" & "Quodlibet" which could very well be used as a frieze for a very unique nursery :-)
THE PIOUS INFANT: About little Henry Clump, who is completely unselfish and charitable, and always concerned about the salvation of everyone elses soul!
THE EVIL GARDEN: About a families visit to an ominous garden, where there is no way out!
THE INANIMATE TRAGEDY: A dramatic tale featuring inanimate objects as the characters, such as pins & needles (who appear to represent the chorus) a penpoint, glass marble, two-holed button, thumbtack, & a piece of knotted string (as the villain)
THE GILDED BAT: About a little girl who grows up to be a very distinguished prima ballerina.
THE IRON TONIC: or "A Winter Afternoon"- "The people at the grey hotel, Are either aged or unwell" "The guests who chose to stay aloof, Lie wrapped in carpets on the roof".
THE OSBICK BIRD: About Emblus Fingby and the osbick bird that chooses one day to live with him, as his loyal friend.
Two versions of THE CHINESE OBELISKS, one version that looks like a sketch or rough draft, and then the better known one in typical Gorey style- All about an author who goes for a walk, and the many things he encounters.
THE DERANGED COUSINS (one of my favorites!): About Rose Marshmary, Mary Rosemarsh & Marsh Maryrose, three cousins who all live together in a rose covered house at the edge of a marsh. "Since they were orphans and there was no one to stop them, they were often merry far into the night"!
THE ELEVENTH EPISODE: Starts when a woman hears a scream apparently coming from a well, when she goes to investigate she falls in and enters a world that changes her life.
[THE UNTITLED BOOK]: Charming piece, that features a little child looking out the window as strange creatures come to play in the garden. Hippity Wippity!
THE LAVENDAR LEOTARD: An early Gorey tale, in which the author introduces two small, distant, ageless, and wholly imaginary relatives to fifty seasons of the New York City Ballet!
THE DISREPECTFUL SUMMONS: A tale of the occult!
THE ABANDONED SOCK: All about the saga of a sock that decides it's life is tedious and unpleasant, and goes for an adventure.
THE LOST LIONS: About a handsome man named Hamish, whose life is suddenly changed when he one day opens the wrong envelope!
STORY FOR SARA: A cute story about a slightly wicked little girl, who captures two little birds in her small bag, and her meeting with a very large prowling cat!
THE SALT HERRING: An odd tale written to make all serious men mad, mad, mad!
LEAVES FROM A MISLAID ALBUM: A wordless collection of interesting pictures.
A LIMERICK: Absolutely cute, very SHORT limerick about poor little Zooks, of whom no one was fond.

Edward Gorey one of my favorites, whose darkly whimsical and macabre tales (that he sometimes writes under pseudonyms) are sure to offend the overly-prudish, luckily I'm not one of them. Should Gorey be classfied as a writer or Illustrator? He so obviously possessed talent in both fields, I cannot imagine his fantastic drawings without the odd amusing little quips. The people in his illustrations usually resemble silent movie stars, the women always look elegant and mysterious, the men dashing and stately. His stories also include lots of fanciful creatures and adorable (but usually hapless) children.
Gorey is strange and wonderful, and I am VERY proud and absolutely happy to be fan!
Get all three collections!

This is a great kids' craft book. The projects are colorful and substantial. The instructions are meticulously presented. Adults will also enjoy doing these crafts! This is a good book...no lame, boring projects here! Nope! This is Muppet quality fun stuff!

Why did I not give this book 5 stars if I like it so much? Well, sometimes I felt the level of difficulty indicators were off a bit. Also, I simply wish there had been more of this book...a thicker book with more ideas. Most crafts would be appropriate only for older children. I wish there were more options for wee ones.

I recommend this book wholeheartedly to homeschooling parents, elementary school teachers, scout leaders, Bible school directors, and the like. Others may want to check it out at the library first to see if it would work with your children. Still, I bet if you bring home a stack of kids' craft books from the library, _The Muppet's Big Book of Crafts_ will be the most creative, colorful, ambitious one in the pile.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! As a more 'mature' muppets fan, I can highly recommend this book, both for it's practical craft suggestions and as a darn fine book to look at. The photos are superb and nearly all my favourite characters were featured. So far, we have only had one failure among our craft attempts. The 'wax paper butterflies' ended up being 'runny crayon blobs' but we still had fun making them! This book will definitely be a keeper long after my kids have outgrown the projects.

I never considered myself a "crafty" person before I got my hands on this book! My roommate got it over a year ago and I had to get my own copy because we soon won't be living together anymore. It is true what the other reviewers have said that there isn't a lot for little kids in this book (though there are at least 20 good things for children) but there are a zillion crafts-for-kids books out there. This book is for EVERYBODY! Really, these projects could be handled by children, but many of them take patience that some children don't have. The projects in this book may take longer than projects in other books, but the end result is probably much better, too. After all, these projects come from the Muppet Workshop, and we all know the Muppets they make are not like ordinary craft puppets. My favorite project in this book is the "Eggshell Mosaic" which involves selecting your favorite drawing/picture (I did Sailor Moon, my friend did Tigger... there is a stencil in the book of Fozzie Bear), making a tracing of this picture onto cardboard, dying eggs the colors you will need to color in your tracing, and gluing the broken colored eggshell pieces into place! It looks like a fancy tile design you might see in a subway station. Everyone who has seen our eggshell mosaics is impressed! All of the projects have easy-to-follow instructions and helpful hints on how you may want to do your project. It is loaded with color photos of examples, and step-by-step drawings. I must have at least ten bookmarks in my copy, all marking projects that I can't wait to do! I can't stress enough what a great book this is. These must be the things Muppet Workshop people do with their children on the weekends. I don't have kids yet, but when I do, I am sure we will wear this book out until it is ragged.

This book caught my eye in the college library while I was researching the topic. I didn't put it down for the two days it took me to read it. It covers not only "historical ergotism" (which has been deemed the culprit of the Salem Witch trials and other witch hunts by some) but also the case of the 1950's Pt. St. Esprit poisoning in France, which was attributed by the local authorities to a mercury pesticide. Read it, be absolutely amazed, not only at the events, but at the "official judgement" and subsequent injustice of the later rulings towards the poisoned survivors of that fateful night. I also recommend Mary Matossion's Poisons of the Past for more info on historical ergotism.

This is an amazing book. The historical account is fascinating. I am also floored by how well Fuller wove in a multitude of personal stories, gave a rich account of a very complex incident, then beautifully encapsulated the 15-year legal tragedy that followed the original tragedy. You don't come across stories like this every day, and you certainly don't often come across treatments of them that are this good.

It's not written at a sixth-grade level -- a plus for me -- but nowadays I doubt an editor would let Fuller get away with all the French phrases and excerpts he put in the book. Back then I suppose authors could assume they had a more sophisticated readership. I liked the sprinkling of French, sometimes even original letters (translated to English, of course), but if you don't know any French at all, you might want to read this with a dictionary at hand.

This is an extensive analysis by a journalist of the outbreak of ergot poisoning in Pont St.Esprit, France (Provence) in 1951. It is based on personal interviews and documents, as well as on discussions with the doctors involved. It is perhaps the most complete case study of mass ergot poisoning in literature. It is very valuable to any historian wishing to understand one of the most feared and puzzling diseases of the Middle Ages.

Heroine:  very tall, statuesque

     Handsome ex-soldier Booker Hayes is on a desperate search for his niece: his only remaining relative since his sister and brother-in-law were taken by the Influenza. His trek leads him to the hell that is a 19th century New York city orphanage, but he comes away empty-handed when he discovers his young ward has been sent out west for adoption. 

Good-natured Thea Coulson is willing to help people to the point of letting them walk all over her. The townsfolk, assuming she'll do anything for charity since she's an old maid, ask her to organize a meal for some recently-arrived orphans and their prospective new families. Thea agrees and her tender heart, which goes out to anyone in need, now aches for unwanted six year old mute and crippled Zoe Galloway. The older woman bonds with the tow-headed child and offers to take her in, hoping against hope that somehow she'll be allowed to keep her.
 
Thea's dreams of motherhood are dashed when Zoe's uncle arrives at her Nebraska home and takes the child away to his own piece of land nearby. Realizing he can't build a house and business while watching over Zoe at the same time, Booker offers a compromise to Thea: be his housekeeper and take care of Zoe for him. Willing to do anything to be closer to Zoe and Booker, Thea takes on the job. But tongues start wagging, and Major Hayes decides to offer his lovely housekeeper marriage in order to save her reputation from the bitter town tabbies. Though she yearns for more, Thea accepts his proposal and becomes his wife-in-name-only.

Trouble begins to brew when Booker's friend and ex-army buddy, a Native American by the name of Red Horse, joins the Hayes family in a whites-only hotel dining parlor, which leads to a shooting at their homestead and threats of jail-time (or worse) for Booker from the bigoted Marshal and townsfolk. Will Booker and Thea survive the dangers of the western frontier long enough to be able to see past their marriage of convenience and realize the love they have for each other?  
     
What worked for me:

     Thea and Booker were an enjoyable couple and easy to feel sympathetic with. In addition to having such a warm and tender romance they managed to stir up some pretty good sparks between them in some rather steamy love scenes.  

Tall blonde Thea (think supermodel Emme) felt uncomfortable with her height at the beginning of the story but gradually overcame her feelings as she began to trust Booker.

What didn't work for me:

The plot was fairly predictable; you have a pretty good idea who the villain is and how (s)he will be unmasked. 

Overall:

    This was a very pleasant read. The story is well-written, features a large cast of interesting characters, and provides enough small details to give an authentic frontier flavor. Fans of Western Historicals should enjoy this one.

This is the 4th book that I have read by C. St. John and every one is a keeper. I highly recommend that this one is added to your library.

Ex-Major Booker Hayes finds a jewel of the prairie in Thea Coulson when he is trying to locate his little niece. He is not looking for a wife but does not let opportunity pass him by.

Little Zoe needs a mama and someone to love her [and help plant her acorn] -- Thea needs some one to love her and banish her too-tall image and provide her with a family of her own.

Lucas needs both Thea and Booker to bring stability to his life and to teach him to trust adults. And of course, Booker's friend, Red Horse helps even though he remains in the back ground of their lives.

Finally a heroine who remains true to herself and waits for a husband to teach her the mysteries of love. [Real love and respect]. And does she tantilize him! [grin] - Truly a great story of basic need and love and sharing. She stands by her man.

There are not enough words to express the satisfaction and enjoyment ones gets from these truly human characters.

This was the first book that I have read by this author...and I wasn't disappionted. Booker Hayes has come for his niece who Thea has been raising. Thea is considered too tall for any man to want and doesn't trust that Booker wants her for herself and not just as a mother for his niece. If you are looking for a story that leaves you with a happyending this is a book you want to read.

"Pellucidar" is the second volume in the Pellucidar series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and find our hero David Innes and his scientist friend Abner Perry returning to the inner world. At the end of "At the Earth's Core" the duo had returned to the surface only to discover that Hooja the Sly One has substituted a Mahar, one of the rhamphorhynchus-like sentient reptiles that tyrannized Pellucidar, for Dian the Beautiful, the woman Innes loves. So the plan is to get back down there, rescue Dian, and if time allows end the exploitation of the primitive humans by the evil Mahars. The good news is that Innes returns to the inner world, but the bad news is that he ends up in a different part of Pellucidar where he has no friends and new enemies. This 1923 novel is stanrd ERB adventure, where the hero is separated by circumstances and bad guys from the woman he lives (in fact, it is very reminiscent of "The Gods of Mars," the second John Carter novel). But this is still before ERB was in his potboiler stage where the main game was turning out as many Tarzan novels as possible. What makes Pellucidar a bit different from the rest of the Burroughs fantasy adventures is the unique geography of the inner world and the prominence of smart guy scientist Abner as a supporting character (i.e., the brains of the outfit). If at all possible you want to pick up a copy of "Pellucidar" that has the original illustrations by Illustrated by J. Allen St. John, who remains by favorite ERB artist. The Pellucidar series consists of six stories, including a Tarzan crossover, and continues in "Tanar of Pellucidar," but these first two novels stand alone as

Pellucidar continues the tale of David, the lovable protagonist from At The Earth's Core. It tells the story of his return trip to the fabled subterrainian stone-age land known as Pellucidar. Here he must locate old friends, reunite with his lost loved one, and face his all-but-forgotton foes.

Burroughs' writing is simply fabulous, and even makes the characters seem all the more realistic, though many of them are not even human, but sentient creatures who can exist only in the minds of great writers like Burroughs, and in the land known as Pellucidar.

In the incredible world inside the Earth David Innes discovers a new frontier for Mankind. He strove to carve a civilization out of its Stone Age perils. But the kidnapping of the beautiful cave-woman-empress, Dian, made him drop his fight for advancement and enter into a still greater battle against all the primitive monsters of Pellucidar!

1st rate book!

The "Golden Translation" is the best one for this classic. It is published by TAN Books and Publishers, Inc. (tanbooks . com)

Once in a while 'special' kinds of people come to inhabit the earth, living lives that are remarkably pious and outstanding. Therese Martin was one such person. This simple Carmelite nun presents her life in such detail that makes on wonder how blessed she was. Her life is infinitely beautiful; it is like a painting filled with beautiful colurs that one would want to stare at forever. Therese of the Child Jesus is a witness to the Gospel teaching that perfection is attainable here on earth if we try. As a person, she knew her Lord and Master very well and Jesus Christ did use her as an instrument of peace, perfection and simplicity.

Today's world is filled with unbelief, frustration, anger and selfishness. Yet, at the end of the nineteenth century, when the industrial revolution was at its peak in Europe, this lady lived a life so holy in practically total isolation in a convent. Nevertheless, her story radiates to all who seek to find it today. She is a testament to the fact that no matter how much knowledge or wealth we have in life, they are worth nothing without love.

A number of people have claimed that this book has helped change their direction in life. It is now wonder, for there are times when while reading it, one finds ones eyes filled with tears as a result of the beauty of the life of Therese. Please read this book, whether or not you are a Catholic. Its message is deeply spiritual and universal. The autobiography of Therese of the Child Jesus, presents the story of a simple and loving soul in simple language.

St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower of Jesus, gave the world a precious gift in putting her life and mission to paper. It doesn't matter where you are in life - this little saint, a sheltered nun in her mere twenties, will touch your very heart and soul with her simplicity and honesty. As she pours out her innermost thoughts and longings on the pages, you will find your own heart opening in the same way to Jesus - just like a flower.

The spiritual depth of Therese's work is astounding. Her inspiring autobiography brought the greatest of popes to their knees. Such is the power of God working through even the humblest of vessels. This book will change you for the better, as it has thousands of other souls since its publication!