This book is unlike any other I have ever read before. It tells the tale of how Sheila, an abused, neglected child, is put in teacher Torey Hayden's class only because the hospital doesn't have room yet. Torey first feels frustrated then comes to know Sheila and shows her how to deal with all her extreme emotions. This book was so well written I cried at points, and it was definitely the most emotional book I have ever read. Now, when I compare it to my favourite book, my favourite book seems wimpy. Perhaps this is indeed my new favourite. It was absolutely amazing. Torey Hayden is a remarkable person and a wonderful writer as well. I am looking forward to writing the sequel.

This book is one that will grab your attention and never let go. This book really shows the lives of children and their amazing ability to survive in a cruel and abusive world. Shelia, a troubled, abused, and yet brillant child, is one of the main focuses of the story. Torey Hayden, is the exceptional teacher that is trying desperately to reach her. The story exemplifies Shelia's remarkable transformation and how this change came through the abilities and concerns of one teacher. The idea that this book is a basic story about an abused child and the teacher that saves her is a complete misconception. This book is a song to the soul, and a testament of true human courage, determination, and willingness to care about others. This book also offers a renewed appreciation for those dedicated teachers, such as Torey Hayden, and their concept that when trust exists between teachers and their students, anything is possible. This is a remarkable story that will unfold the changes of an extraordinary child through the eyes of a very special teacher, and it proves that there are not any children that are hopeless or unreachable. This is a compelling story that will make you laugh, cry, and truly beg for more. The only negative aspect about his book is that it is so true. Children all over our world face the same abuses that Shelia did in this story. Although this statement may seem to give off a very negative connotation about the book, the fact that Torey Hayden possessed such determination and devotion, the positive aspect shines through, and we can see that there truly is light at the end of the tunnel.

My dad bought this book for me from the flea market. I started reading it right away and it captured me.
This book is a true story about very disturbed and smart 6 year old. Her name's Sheila. Torey Hayden(teacher of emotionally disturbed children) takes Sheila to her class, just for awhile until Sheila gets a place from a mental hospital. Sheila and Torey becomes great friends and their relationship is very unique between a teacher and student. Their ways gets seperated but eventually they meet again. I read both books One Child and Tiger's Child, since I have the copy with both books inside one covers. It's in Finnish, and I would be glad to get a copy of the book in English somewhere! If you get this book in your hands, please read it!

A Time for Dancing by Davida Wills Hurwin is by far one of the best books that I have ever read. The author decides to use cancer as a setback in two girls friendship. Since cancer is a very rough subject, it makes the book very emotional. So be ready to cry. A part of the book that I thought was very good was when Julie woke up one morning and found that her hair was all out. She had just gone through chemotherapy to help treat the cancer, so she was beginning to see the side effects. I thought this scene was so real because all she did was cry and cry because she no longer had a full head of hair. I also liked it when Julie (who had been going through chemo for about 5 months now) went back to dance class. She loved to dance and she finally gathered up enough strength to dance again. Julie shows so much dedication and strength. This book shows so many tough issues that many of us don't have to go through. Davida Hurwin did a great job writing A Time for Dancing.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have cancer? In this book, A Time for Dancing, shares a story about a girl who experiences having cancer at a young age. This book may change your outlook for people who aren't as blessed to be healthy as you may be. A Time for Dancing, by Davida Wills Hurwin, is an emotional book of love and friendship that teaches life lessons to young adults.

Julie and Sam have a special friendship that most teenagers don't have. It is hard for Sam when Julie goes on chemo and it takes all of her energy and time for Sam away. For example, Julie and Sam have been best friends since they were nine years old. They know each other well enough to feel each others pain and to know what they are thinking, so it's really like they both are going to have to fight cancer together (p.63). In addition, when Julie is diagnosed with cancer, Sam is always there for her, and that never goes away. That shows what a great person she is and how much their friendship means to her. Julie's challenge with cancer is hard for everyone she knows but they are supporters of her decisions, whatever they may be. As a result of their friendship, it helps Julie fight the cancer and have a reason to fight it, rather then give up on her self and stay sick.

I highly recommend this book to people because I enjoyed it a lot. For example, I enjoyed this book a lot because of its realistic events that happened. Such as when Julie tells Sam she has cancer (p.63). The events made me feel as if I were there and knew Julie and Sam well. The author's way of writing was descriptive and never made me lost. I didn't want tot put the book down because I was into the book and wanted to know what happened next. In addition, the story was suspenseful and had many twists and turns to keep me reading, like when Julie loses her hair after a promise from the doctor (p.217). That made the book better because I always found time to read or not stop reading this book. Those things all add up to be a great book by being suspenseful, exciting, and a page turner, which makes me enjoy the book even more.

A Time for dancing, in my opinion is a great book in many ways. I think that many teens or female people will enjoy this book because it is story that females or young adults can relate to and understand. I would rate this book high because it was one of the best books that I've ever read. I hope that you will read this book and enjoy it to the highest degree that I did.

"A Time for Dancing" by Davida Wills Hurwin is an exquisite novel. It keeps the readers turning the pages through their tears. The story unfolds when two best friends; Samantha and Juliana, are faced with a triumph that would ultimately test their friendship. At first everything was perfect, Sam and Julie were getting ready for their senior year and looking forward to their dance recitals in the near future. During dance practice, Julie starts experiencing pain in her body. It comes to the point were she could not handle the pain and seeks a doctor. The majority of the doctors she visited could not find anything wrong with her, until she consulted with her thirteenth doctor, Dr. Conner. This was where the struggles began, when Dr. Conner discovered that Julie was diagnosed with "Diffuse Histiocytic Lymphoma," a type of cancer. From a scale 1-10, 10 being the best I would rate this novel a 10. During the novel, I was deeply moved by the girls friendship, it truly exemplified how two girls valued their special bond. "We were connected, best friends for more than half our lives." Said Julie. The author's style sparks with authenticity,touching the hearts of the readers. Through the detailed words and profound images, i felt like I was experiencing the adventure along with Sam and Julie. The two girls portray the true meaning of friendship. If you liked "Princess in Love (Princess Diaries Vol 3)" or "A Walk to Remember." you will definitely enjoy this book.

This was an awesome book. I liked it a lot almost as much as the others. it was multi-authored and had a good approach to teenagers. It had so many interesting fun stories in it that it was easy and fun to read. One of those books that I just couldn't resist to not put it down. It was seperated into catagories like love, friendship, and so on. It also contained many poems and interesting cartoons. Change for a dollar was one i really liked, but you'll just have ot read that one for yourself. Also a really sad story that made me do a lot of after-reading thinking was It happened to me. The cartoons in this one were funny I enjoyed them a lot. a really cute story for me was starlight, starbright. it was about a girl who always used her sisters everything she looked up to her for everything, this is something a lot of my friends could relate to. One thing she was good at was taking her sisters stuff. When her older siter would bring guys over she would have a lot of fun day dreaming about the hot boys. whick ones were popular and of course the fact they didn't know she exhisted until one night while siting on her porch a guy she had liked for a long time came up to her and they got to talking they saw a shooting star and he told her to make a wish. She did and at the end of the night it did come true. I'll let you find the end to that one yourself. I recomend this book to all teenagers. it really relates to life and it just might let you learn a lesson without makeing the mistake yourself.

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul was a great book. It is filled with true stories (101 to be exact) and poems about teenagers, the troubles they faced, and how they got through them. It is truly an inspiration when you read it. This book speaks directly to teenagers and really makes the teenage reader feel like they are not the only one who feels certain ways. This book has stories about all different topics. It talks about relationships, friendships,love and kindness, family, tough stuff, learning lessons, making a difference and growing up. It touches on all different aspects of each of these topics. In one specific story, called Change for a Dollar, a boy who is slower than most kids his age is in line trying to get a dollar to go in the pop machine. He is having lots of trouble and soon everyone starts laughing at him. Then out of nowhere a girl from the popular table gets up and goes over to the pop machine. She tells him that they are sometimes hard to work and then gives him change for a dollar. This story was moving to me because it shows that you don't always have to do what everyone else expects you to do. That is just one example of a typical story in the book. I really like that one because it is something that happens everyday of my life. Kids are always making fun of other kids, and the book gives you inspiration to change that and do something about it. Many of the stories are not about everyday events though, some deal with people who have diseases or are close to someone who is dying. These types of stories can really help out someone who may be in the same situation. They may feel like they are the only person in the world who knows how it feels, but when the read Chicken Soup, they realize that other people have gone through the same things and gotten through it alright. This book is one that you can read over and over again. You do not have to read it front to cover and you can skip around or read only about topics you are interested in. You can go back and read your favorite ones over again. If you are ever feeling blue, you can just pick up Chicken Soup and I guarentee it will lift your spirits. The stories in it are so uplifting and just make you feel good. I found that once I started reading Chicken Soup, I could not put it down. Each story makes you feel so good that you just wanna keep reading. It lets you know that what we are all going through and feeling the same types of things. It makes you feel good to know that you are not alone. I think this book acts more as a friend than anything else. It is always there to comfort you and give you hope for a better future. I would definitely recommend this to all teenagers. Even if you aren't dying of cancer, there are stories in here that can relate to every teenager. And the greatest part is that the book is made up of stories written by teenagers themselves so it definitely relates to them. This book overall just gives you a positive feeling when you are done.

Chicken Soup for the Teenage soul II is a book in which different people enter stories about their life. They would enter a story from their life, which has to do with Relationships, Friendship, Love, Kindness, Tough Stuff, Family, Learning Lessons, Making a Difference, and Growing Up. People would send in stories on those topics because those are the topics that are in the book. The stories in this book are very helpful too!
This book is for both teenager's boys and girls. I could definitely say that this is my favorite book. The next book I am going to read is the first Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. I can't wait to get started! I hope my review encouraged you to read this book!

Every year for Christmas, my parents like to buy me several books that I would probably never hear of and never try...they call it broadening my horizons, and a couple of years ago this book was among the pile. I started reading it Christmas day and I refused to leave my room until I finished it. It is one of the most gripping, suspenseful, poignant, intelligent books written for teens that I have ever read. Marsden appears to be one of the few adults who actually understands teenagers, and gives us the credit we deserve. In this book, he tells a tale of 8 typical Australian teens, on a camping trip in the bush, only to come home and find their country has been invaded. Bonding together, they form an accidental guerilla group, who make a life for themselves in the Bush, while risking their lives to take back their country. Though the book is incredibly suspenseful, edge-of-your seat thriller, what Marsden does best is character development. He makes his book at one realistic with incredibly detail, and allows the characters to spend plenty of time ruminating on their actions, morality, their own fear of mortality, and their ability to cope with the death and capture of their friends and loved ones. Finally, here is a book, told through the eyes of Ellie, and thoughtful, down-to-earth protagonist, who allows us to see that teens are much more adult then many give them credit for. A must read.

Although the book has been out for a few years, I got it for Christmas 1999 after a strong recommendation from my friends. Today is January 1 2000 and I have finished the book. I couldnt put it down! I loved the characters and since I am 15 I could relate to them. They were so real! It was easy for the reader to believe that they werent' just writing on a page. I loved the relationship that developed between Ellie and Lee. The action was written in such detail, everything was described brilliantly. I loved how the plot developed, never once crossing over to being totally unbelievable, despite the invasion. At the moment I am rushing out to buy the second book and I can't wait to start reading it! John Marsden has written a truly brilliant series and he should be commended for his work. Congratulations on your success John Marsden!

I started to read this book when a friend told me how good BURNING FOR REVENGE was. I new nothing about it, only that it was good. When I read Tomorrow... I was instantly hooked. The series is vey well written and packed full of action. There is a mixture of Action, Love, friendship and a strong will the group of teens to survive the downs of War, help free there families and return life to the way it was. It is the perfect book for young adults. If you like lots of Explosions and heart pumping, page turning, edge-of-your-seat excitement, John Marsden's Tomorrow series is the path to go down. From the first page to the last it catches you in it's grasp and won't let go until you die of starvation or are wrestled to the ground by family members. It really will take you to hell and back.

This Rare book hits the fan!

This book was the best out of the whole series. The book was pretty much about Rowan, Jade, and Kestrel, three girl vampires that just had enough of the Night World. Mary-Lynnette is a small town girl who loves to look at the stars, but has nobody to look at the stars with her. Ash is a tall, lanky, and elegant vampire that has to find his sisters and bing them back home. But of course his sisters had told Mary-Lynnette and her brother, Mark, bout the Night World. Another twist in the story is that Ash and Mary-Lynnette are soulmates. If this story couldn't get anymore exciting there is a vampire killer running around town. All six of them has to figure out who this vampire killer is and stop him. Meanwhile Ash and Mary-Lynnette has to figure out what to do about each other. If you like or are obsess with vampires (Like me!)you should read this book.

This book is my favorite one. I've read it eight times. All of L.J. Smith's books are fantastic; she's my absolute favorite writer. Her writing style is very natural and realistic and her characters are so real, you start looking for them in real life. I fell in love with Ash, especially in how, even though he's a fierce vampire, he's completely helpless when it comes to Mary Lynette. Smith writes the most wonderful characters. I never liked fantasy or romance novels, but her books are a notable exception. My friends think I'm crazy because I'm in college and I'm still reading YA books, but, I'm telling you, her books are ageless!!! If you haven't read this, you're definitely missing out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Personally, I feel this book is the best in the Night World series, because I love the character Ash. He is such a hottie, though he has many personality flaws and actions to be ashamed of. That just makes him a more realistic character. Mary-Lynette and the rest of the characters are well thought-out also, and I hope to read about them in the future. This is my favorite series of L.J. Smith's, because in incorporates all creatures of the night. I look forward to reading Huntress and Black Dawn, since I've read all the other Night World books numerous times already, to indulge my fantasy craving mind. My only disappointment is that there are no shapeshifter soulmates. They must be just as intriguing as witches and vampires. And why can't I find Volume one of the Vampire Diaries anywhere? That series must be out of print, though it isn't old

This book is absolutely unbelievable. I read it about three years ago, and I still find myself grabbing it from the shelf to read my favorite passages again and again...the entire trilogy is great. But I skimmed everyone else's reviews and saw so many people saying they were in junior high...and it made me feel so immature! I'm a senior in high school and I am still hooked on Christopher Pike - am I the only one? I find myself sneaking into the young adult section of bookstores and grabbing his books and then getting out of there as fast as possible. I feel like his books are so mature, and at age 17 they still hit me as hard as they did when I was 12 and I first started reading him; in fact, even harder, because I have experienced a lot more and understand a lot more since. I honestly believe that if the binding was less colorful and the print was smaller, Christopher Pike's YA novels could easily be put in the adult horror section and plenty of people would buy them. I have read the four available adult horror novels of his, and they are the best books ever written. I am starting to ramble, but I just have to express myself!

Remember Me was the first Pike book I ever read. I almost didn't read it because it was written in my least favorite way--the first person. Then turn to page two as I did and find out the narrator, Shari Cooper, is a ghost and be hooked. I read it all in one night, something I never did before. At first, I saw this book as a typical mystery with a twist. I later realized that the story was really showing how love and life are much more powerful than what hate and death in this world. Remember Me 2: The Return was good, but I think it was basically just a set up for 3: The Last Story, which just blew me away--the best in the series.

I just read "Remember Me" a few months ago on a 13-hour car drive. It was so good, I couldn't even put it down. On my trip, I also bought "Remember Me 2: The Return" and "Remember Me 3: The Last Story" It starts with a charming, intellegent teenager named Shari. She tells her story of when she was alive-She had fallen off a balcony at a party. She tells the tale of getting her story out, the one she hadn't even known yet. She had to let everyone know that she hadn't killed herself. And while visiting her grave, she meets up with an old friend. Together, they battle against "The Shaddow" an unknown monster, supposedly out to get them. "Remember Me" is a wonderful book. It's a story of, love, hate, and fear. It is my favorite book of all time and I highly recommend it. Christoper Pike is a wonderful, wonderful author and has inspired me to write some books myself. So, need I say more? Get "Remember Me" and prepare to love it!! Thank you, Stephanie

They Cage the Animals at Night is a terrific and emotionalstory about Jennings Michael Burch, a young boy who learned to survivein a cold, frightening world. His mother was too sick to care for him and left him in a series of orphanages and institutions. Life in these orphanages was brutal, punishments were cruel, rules were strict, and Jennings was unable to do anything about it. He couldn't rely on family and friends because they all abandoned him in times that he really needed them. A tattered stuffed dog was the only friend that stayed with him through it all and the only thing he could count on in his lost childhood. This is the best book I have ever read. I couldn't put it down. When it was time to go to sleep, I would get a flashlight and sit in the dark for hours and read this book. I have never read a sadder story. The fact that this all happened to the author makes me realize just how lucky I actually am to have family, friends, home, and money. I really felt sorry for Jennings. He was a boy about my age who doesn't have all that I have. The story was based on sadness, love, survival, family, and friends. I would recommend this to anyone of any age who likes a powerful, sad story or who wants to be moved and touched. My entire family has either read it or wants to read it. Everyone I know that read it has felt the same way that I do about it.

"They Cage the Animals at Night" by Jennings Michael Burch is an autobiography of an eight-year-old boy who faced the perils of an insecure childhood, in everyway possible. Jennings was placed in several children's institutions due to his mother being sick and his father a drunken bum that he'd never met. He was separated from his five other brothers, and placed in orphanages, as a part-timer instead of the orphans (a.k.a. lifers) He bounced from home, to orphanages, to abusive foster homes, to good foster homes, to living at the zoo and rummaging through the trash for food. Through all this time, Jennings was taught not to become close to people, because the ones you love, always leave you. Jennings was taught many other lessons; unfortunately he learned them all the hard way. This story will break your heart, and yet at the same time fill you with hope for him in the future as you compare him to his brothers.
I loved this book. I read it as a fifth grader, and then again in high school. With both reads I learned something. The pages of this autobiography made tears come to my eyes, because Jennings Michael Burch brings you into the story, and back to the memories of your own childhood. You can't believe that the days you were twirling around in your princess costume, Jennings was sleeping in the cold bushes of the Bronx zoo by himself.

They Cage the Animals at Night is a terrific and emotional story about Jennings Michael Burch, a young boy who learned to survive in a cold, frightening world. His mother was too sick to care for him and left him in a series of orphanages and institutions. Life in the orphanages was brutal, punishments were cruel, rules were strict, and Jennings was unable to do anything about it. Through all this time, Jennings was taught not to become close to people, because the ones you love, always leave you. At these times in the book I wanted to jump in, lead Jennings on the right track, and tell him what he believed was wrong.
He bounced from home, to orphanages, to abusive foster homes, to good foster homes, to living at the zoo and rummaging through the trash for food. He could not rely on family and friends because they all abandoned him in times when he really needed them. Four of his five other brothers were going through similar times so they had no way to help Jennings.
A tattered stuffed dog named Doggie, which Jennings stole from his first foster home, was the only friend that stayed with him through the harsh times. He was the only friend he could count on through his lost and broken childhood. The story was based on sadness, love, survival, family, and friends that left me with a new look on a life I could not even imagine existed.

Lessa ,werwoman of Benden, and dragonrider to a young dragon queen. Thus begins the incredible 'Dragonriders of Pern' series. A tale that takes you out of this world to let you expierence this striking novel. Four hundred years has passed since the last Threads have fallen... but they return. The dragonriders must work together to save their beloved Pern from destruction. But only one person, who will be rememberd through ballads and poems, will risk life itself. That person went BETWEEN to bring back people from long ago to help save Pern...

This is a well written novel. Although it might seem slow at first once you get into it you will fall right in love with this book. This book might be a little too complicated for younger audiences. If you get stuck on an unfamiliar phrase, term, or name refer to the glossary at the back of the book. This is a must read for any fan of Anne McCacfffrey or science fiction/fantasy fans. {Also you may look for the reprinted cover version of 'Dragonflight' at a local bookstore near you.}

I read science fiction voraciously when I was a kid (still do as an adult. :)) and this novel's one of my all-time favorites. McCaffrey creates a living world filled with history, and truly heroic characters driven by a passion to not only survive, but to thrive.

Lessa is one of the strongest women in science fiction, and F'lar's the sort of man teenaged boys want to grow up to be. Together they form a strong, dynamic couple that shows what relationships can and should be like.

And then there's the dragons.

They are simply awe-inspiring, and its impossible to read this book -- or its successors -- without wishing that some how, some way, you could have one. Their like draconic Labrador Retrievers, filled with love, admiration and more than a little stubborness.

The book's immediate sequels -- Dragonquest and The White Dragon -- are equally good, but I've been disappointed by most of the other books in the series. With the exception of Dragondawn, they just don't seem to have the same passion as the earlier books.

If you know pre-teens or early teens who're into science fiction or fantasy, do them a favor and buy them this book!

I first discoverd the world of Pern in sixth grade, having to go it the comuter lab and read excerpts(?) from the book Dragonsong. I loved Dragonsong when i read it in the computer lab, however I was extremely dissapointed until about 100 pages and I loved the book. I expecially fell in love with Dragonfilght, I couldn't put it down! It's been my favorite book since. Lessa is such a great character, the story of dragons and firelizards builds up and makes sense. i love F'lar and F'nor, and Jaxom. Ramoth and Lessa love eact other so muchis so beautiful. Its like it could really happen. Dragons being of only certain colors, how the where breed it amazing. I highley reccommed this book and the series(I finshed All the Weyrs of Pern a couple days ago). Anne McCaffery has a style of writing that makes you love the characters.

Fushigi Yugi is about a bouncy eighth grade girl named Miaka. She's just a regular junior high school girl trying to get through exams, but one day she goes inside a restricted library and opens up a book called The Universe of the Four Gods. She gets transported inside the book and finds herself in Ancient China. She had to get out of the book, so she has to find the seven oracles. On her mission she falls in love with a handsome seventeen year old guy named Tamahome. He's caring and does the best for his family by earning as much money as possible - but at first when Miaka tells her feelings for him, he rejects her and says doesn't feel the same way.

Eventually Miaka discoveres that the beatiful emperor of Hong-Nan, Hotohori, is in love with her. By then Tamahome also discovers he had fallen in love with Miaka, so it form a love triangle. When this is all happening, Miaka is able to get in her own world...but then her best friend, Yui, who is the one who saved her gets stuck in Ancient China. A day passes by, then Miaka goes back to the restricted library to seek for Yui. She transports back into Ancient China, and she finds out a lot of bad things had happened to Yui during that time. Even though it was only a day in the present time, it was months in the other world. Yui sides with another country, and this forces them to become rivals.

This is a good book that has a mixture of romance, friendship, comedy, horror, action and adventure all in one great series. A must-read!

This is the first manga/graphic novel I've ever read, and it was fantastic! I'm afraid I can't compare it to anything as, like I said, it was the first, but it's gotten me hooked onto manga now and I have the next two volumes coming already!!

Miaka is your average middle school Japanese student trying desperately to get into a good high school. She's not the brightest or the dumbest, she's average in the best sense of the word and a daydreamer to boot. She and her friend Yui end up in the library and find a mysterious book, which after they read the first few pages sends them into a world based on ancient China. After meeting a mysterious young man who saves them from slavers the two girls are whisked back to their own world, but ever-curious Miaka goes back to the library the next day after a fight with her mother and gets transported back to this world. There, she meets back up with the young man, Tamahome, who again saves her, then gets thrown into a dungeon by the emporer after attempting to prove to Tamahome she really wants his company. And then comes the real surprise as to why she's on this world in the first place!

This book is great, I definitely recommend it to anyone. I'm glad the first three manga volumes are out, this is something I just don't want to end. The fourth won't be out until July (*sad sniff*) but i've already got it preordered. If you like the anime series, or just want to get into another great Shojo manga, this is definitely for you. Handsome guys, a regular girl like you or me (if you're a girl, if not never mind *g*), and a mystical realm: what more can one ask for? :-)

This is an awesome book! It has beautiful art and a wonderful and hilarious story line. Not only is it comical but full of action and romance. The main characters Miaka and Tamahome have there flakey moments but I love when they show how much they feel towards each other. The most gorgeous character has to be Hotohori even thought Tamahome is very cute as well. Nuriko is well..mean and a little...in this comic but maybe his/her whatever attitude will change throughout the series. Well, I totally recommend getting the Vol 1 Priestess let alone the whole series. I have defiantly added this manga series to my collection. It is worth every penny! Make sure you don't buy them one by one because once you finsh reading the book then you will be dying do get the next one because they always stop at a very dramatic part. Believe Me!!

Many people have heard of the magical and wise Merlin but his childhood is a mystery. "The Lost Years of Merlin", written by T.A Barron, fills in most of the gaps. This enchanting tale is about a young man named Emrys who loses his memory and finds his way to Fincayra, where he searches for his future though many adventures wait for him. Fincayra is a place of wonder and mystery because it contains many good and bad creatures. Along the way he meets many people (or things) who help him find the secrets of Fincayra. T.A Barron did an extremely good job of describing Merlin's dangerous yet magical life. One of the many tings he gets in Fincayra is his new name, Merlin. Kids tend to like books about things they don't usually see or hear about but some kids don't. If so, they would not like "The Lost Years of Merlin" because you don't see a young wizard learning magic in a place called Fincayra and being pursued by another evil wizard. Another reason this book might not be liked is the large variety characters and setting. There is a wide range of new characters in every new book in the series that are fun to read about yet some might become confused. Even so, I don't think any of these reasons is good enough to stop someone from reading this book. Others might like books that move slowly or books that are realistic but if not this book is perfect. One can tell that the author took a long time to think out this book so that it is understandable and simple. I am, myself, a really slow reader but I read this book with ease. It is mostly a calm book. This is one of the best series I have read and I am confident you will think so too.

"The Lost Years of Merlin" was a wonderful book filled with tons of excitement around every corner. Although Emrys, young Merlin, does not know that he is destined to become one of the best wizards of all time he discovers his powers at the tender age of 10. At first he is perplexed with them, but soon he comes to dispize them after an incident with a local bully. He decides to leave home and find what he believes to be his true home with his true parents. His journey takes him to the mist-shrouded isle of Fincayra, an anchanted land between earth and sky that is being destroyed by blight. With this land's inhabitants to guide him, the boy will learn that Fincayra's fate and his own quest are strangely intertwined. This is a wonderful epic about a young boy who is at first entoiled with himself but learns to respect and love others.

I loved this book and I would definetly read it again and again. T.A. Barron has definetly won me over with his tales of this young hero and wizard. If you like semi-sci-fi books that always keeps you asking for more this is the book for you. He combines the wellsprings of mythical imagination with his own deepest artistic powers. I thought it was an intense and profoundly spiritual adventure.

The Lost Years of Merlin is a fantastic fantasy put together by combining adventure and magic. T.A. Barron has written it exceptionally well. It takes you into the story with Emrys, a boy hidden from his past, Rhea, a forest girl who can speak to trees, and all the other mystical magical characters. Emrys starts to have signs of magical powers. When he uses them for evil he must make a sacrifice. He sets off on a journey to find out who he really is and stumbles onto the magical island of Fincayra where he must save it from an evil king.

You should read this book for many reasons. One is that it flows well and is not confusing. Some books just skip from subject to subject, but this one, however, does not and continues through the story. Another reason is that even though it is a fantasy it is somehow believable. All the creatures could never actually exist but with the wonderful description used, the author has brought them to life. That would be enough to make me read a book.

Some people might not enjoy this book because of the amount of fantasy incorporated. But if you don't like fantasy you should still read this book because the fantasy isn't extreme and it might even make you like fantasy because it is so well written. Overall this is an excellent book that is both inspiring and imaginative. You should read it a.s.a.p.