Ryan describes in his own words what it was like to live with HIV and the ignorance of others about his virus. His story is heart breaking, informative and tear drenching. I sat motionless on the couch for hours in tears while I read and the tears didn't stop when I finished the book.

Ryan's story if a wonderful book for all readers, both young and old. I strongly recommend you take a look into Ryan's life to expand your knowledge and heart of the the AIDS virus.

If you don't know anyone who has died of AIDS, you will feel like you did when you finish reading, Ryan White: My Own Story.

Ryan had it so hard in Kokomo , kid at school vandalized his locker with words like fag , bit*h and other slurs. Ryan 's house was repeatedly vandalized too from peole shooting at the house and throwing rocks and whisky bottles and trashing the yard while no one was home to scare them . Well it worked : the Whites moved out of Kokomo to Cicero , Indianapolis not only because of the people but he didn't want ot die in Kokomo ,Ryan wasn't afraid to die he just didn't like the thought of being buried in Kokomo's cemetery.

Although Ryan had AIDS he meet some very popular people like Elton John , Micheal Jackson , Lukas Haas , Rev. Jesse Jackson , John Cougar Melloncamp , Paul Newman ,etc.... Ryan was on of Elton johns 1# fans and Elton felt the same about ryan . Ryan went to many campaigns , meeting and conventions to represent kids with aids. He went to Washington D.C. to meet the president. Ryan also went o an AMfar convention that is held in NewYork . Elizabeth Taylor often helped AMfar out with donations.

Ryan's last and final trip before he died was to Washington D.C. to take picture with president reagan and his wife but to very first thing he did in D.C. was go on the Home Show with Howie Long. Then wentto the white houseto tke picture after that they went to the oscar party. Ryan spent the next day asleep while his mom tried to reach ad octor in LA but had no luck , so they took a plane back to Cicero to see ryans doctor. Ryan was admited to the hospital and put on oxygen because he was having trouble. Ryans mom steped out of the room to greet vistors. Once back doctors were huddled around him and his bed. Ryan was being rushed to the intensive care unit .His grandmother flew in right away. Ryan's doctor laid out the situation for ryan and his mother. Ryan Knew that once knocked out that he might not wake up but went on with the plans. Ryan told his mom that he was tired of fighting aids , then the drugs took hold ,and Ryan White never woke up again.

This true and powerful story of ryan white will make you think about life twice because this just proves that you can be their one day and be gone the next. This book just shows you how fragile life is. This story is heartbreaking ,hopeful , sprited , all at the same time. This book is great for all ages.

This is a collection of Pinkwater novels that have been out of print for years (the original copyrights on these range from 1978 to 1982), but not out of mind. Alan Mendelsohn, in particular, seems to be well-loved and is often mentioned as a favorite of the younger set. I'm glad to finally have this opportunity to read it, for it is indeed a fun book, full of exceedingly strange twists and turns. You aren't sure if Alan is from Mars, or if he's just playing, and then you are sure, and then you aren't. It's Philip K. Dick lite, but it's fun.

Slaves of Spiegel and The Last Guru are much more simple (I would even think that they are meant for less mature readers than for the other three in this book), but like the best children's literature, they have something for everyone. I chuckled through Slaves of Spiegel, finding the contest quite amusing, especially the description of some of the delicacies concocted in the name of food, and I thought the satire, while obvious, in The Last Guru quite effective.

The Snarkout Boys resembles Alan Mendelsohn in its convoluted plot, but it seems much more grounded in reality, if a particularly eccentric reality, at least until the last quarter of the book. Its depiction of high school is stiletto sharp, but nothing as cutting as in Young Adult Novel. All the books have a jaundiced view of school, noting the common problems of cliques, moribund teachers, and the energy of youth (yes, that last is a problem--hey, you didn't think, as a teacher, that I would side totally for the kids, did you?). All of these novels were fun, and I would recommend them to your local dissident youth.

Now that Carole and Ben are a couple, everything is working out great between them. Callie and her new horse are a great team. Stevie really likes eventing, the new horse sport she has taken on. And Lisa is begining to really like Scott. But when tradgedy hits, everyone must rethink their priorities-and how much they are willing to risk.

Everyone is familiar with Around the World in 80 Days and 20,000 Leagues. For some reason, The Mysterious Island is not read as widely. Yet, in my opinion, it is Verne's best and most rewarding novel.

The opening of Myserious Island reads a bit like a serious version of "Wizard of Oz." Cyrus, Pencroft, Herbert, and Gideon, and a dog named Neb make a daring escape from a Civil War prison in a balloon, but the balloon is blown way off course to an uncharted volcanic island. These men are worthy souls; Captain Cyrus is an inspiring leader, Pencroft, an earthy but hardworking sailor. Gideon is kind of a "everyman" -- observant, strong and resourceful and loving, and Herbert a young, knowlegeable naturalist. These men and their dog Neb conquer the island's challenges and make the very best out of their isolation on the small island. But are they prepared for the surprises the island has for them--and the ultimate surprise in the second half of the book. The suspense keeps the reader turning the pages through a great deal of descriptive information about nature, chemistry, physics and engineering. This is classic Verne and what really put the Science in Science Fiction.

One reason Mysterious Island may not have developed the strong audience of the other Verne novels is that there is so much detail and scientific discussion. That is rough going if you have little interest in such subjects. There are abridged versions that cut a lot of the description, but frankly, the science is what I love best about the book. How Cyrus and company make nitroglycerin and use it to reshape their island home is one of my favorite chapters in sci-fi literature.

If you liked Swiss Family Robinson as a child, you would surely enjoy Mysterious Island. It's one of Verne's best works and deserves to be read.

He kept coming to mind as I was reading this incredible book, as the characters, stranded on an island with absolutely nothing, accomplished such amazing feats as draining a lake, making a home, building a ship, making an elevator, and a great many other things. There is excitement, suspense (what IS going on on this mysterious island??), and wonderful, likeable characters. Not a real well-known Verne book, but fortunately still in print, and one of his best and most entertaining.

(Incidentally, if you want a children's version of the same story, try to find "A Long Vacation" by Jules Verne, which is extremely similar in plot, but with younger characters and for a younger audience - very charming!)

By the way, please do read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea first, if you have not already done so. Evidently, Verne assumed that everyone had when he wrote this novel.

Great reading!

Mention Jules Verne, and books that spring to mind are 20,000 Leagues, Around the World in 80 days, and Journey to the Center of the Earth. The Mysterious Island is one of his lesser known works, which is something of a mystery itself.

The book surpasses one's imagination and never fails to surprise. From the initial pages when Capt. Cyrus Harding and his friends decide to escape from a prison camp, the story seizes the complete attention of the reader, and unfolds at a pace and in a direction excelling Jules Verne's characteristic stories. The spirit and ingenuity of man is demonstrated in almost every page, as Cyrus and Co. find themselves marooned on a deserted island, and armed with only their wits, transform their desperate situation into a wonder world of science and technology. The reader is drawn into the adventure and finds himself trying to find solutions to the problems and obstacles that lie in plenty for the castaways, as Cyrus and his indomitable friends surmount myriad problems in their fight for survival. They are aided in their ventures by an uncanny and eerie source that remains a mystery until the very end.

This book cannot fail to fascinate and inspire awe in the mind of any reader. One begins to grasp the marvels and inventive genius behind the simple daily conveniences and devices that are normally taken for granted. The line between reality and fantasy is incredibly thin, and for sheer reading pleasure and boundless adventure, this book will never cease to please.

PS: The book has been adapted into a movie, which is one of the worst adaptations of any novel that I have ever had the misfortune of viewing. It is criminal to even mention the movie and the original work in the same breath.

Will isn't the only guy to fall on Jessica's bad side, though. There's also Jeremy Aames, who Jessica believes has been avoiding her since the humiliating party scene in "If You Only Knew" (#5). She doesn't know, however, that Jeremy's recent absence is the result of his father's heart attack. Their lack of communication--and Jess's wild imagination--blows everything out of proportion.

And then there's the matter of the most mismatched couple ever--Conner McDermott and Elizabeth Wakefield. I must say, at the beginning of this series, I found their love/hate squabbles pretty amusing, but now that Conner's true nature has emerged, I seriously doubt these two will ever have a workable future. I mean, while he and Liz are still playing tonsil-hockey (with no strings attached, of course), Liz is trying to keep it a secret from his ex, Maria Slater (even though Maria's starting to suspect something), but Conner seemed intent on having Maria catch them. Whether he wanted to make her jealous or not, I don't know, but this book really shed some light on the "real" Conner. Apparently, he has no regard for other people's feelings. Liz had better get some sense into that fuzzy blonde head of hers before Conner seriously takes her for a ride and she ends up losing Maria for good as a friend. Sexy or not, Conner is not worth it (which just so happens to be his own motto on every girl he's been with, including Liz).

"Your Basic Nightmare" is the sixth book in the Sweet Valley High: Senior Year series. Worth checking out if you're into teen romances and enjoy Sweet Valley books.