While focusing on several insignificant items, the reviewer for the "School Library Journal" missed an opportunity to fully appreciate an excellent book, concisely written with a practical approach, by the leading expert in the world. The favored work of the above reviewer,for the "School Library Journal," consists only of illustrated exercises with no workouts to follow, no specific information on training programs and little help to anyone, including young athletes, coaches, or parents. "Speed Improvement for Young Athletes" has more useful information on previously tested and proven techniques than anything ever written. It is a book that "gets to the point" and prescribes 30 specific workouts for age group athletes for all sports. This is not a research book and there is good reason to keep it clearly organized and understandable for the young athlete. "Speed Improvement for Young Athletes: How to Sprint Faster in Your Sport in 30 Workouts" is by far the best book on the market, and I highly recommend it for the young athlete who wants to move from the theory to actual practice and conditioning with effective gains in foot speed for their sport.

As a nurse and nature-lover, I felt I had found a kindred spirit when I picked up George Young's book of poetry. He also writes about interesting historical figures and events. In simple, understandable concepts, he brings a beauty to everyday words. Don't miss it!

I looked for the best Edison story book for a kid who is attending ESL (English as the second language) class to learn his third language (Chinese, French and English). I found too many books on Edison. I didn't find any good one until I saw this book. After I read it over in bookstore, I bought it. I like it and the kid likes it. Now I will ask Edison Museum if it has this book. If not, I will buy one and donate it for the museum. It is the best Edison story book for all kids.

Learning that your parents are human is hard enough. But, when you think your father was dead and he turns out to have been living another life elsewhere, your world can turn upside-down. After Willie's grandmother dies, he discovers a treasure trove of letters from his father to his mother. Gradually working his way through the one-sided history of his parents' relationship, he discovers that everybody has been lying to him. His father did not die as he was told he did.

Instead, his father found love with another man. This compelling story about a young man discovering a father he never knew forces us to acknowledge the importance of the image we have of our own families.

I really liked this book. It has lots of recipes for differnt wild, edible plants such as oxalis, dandelions, and acorns, to name a few. It also has an illustration of the plant, its scientific name, wwhen you can find it, and where to find it. THe only down fall is this book does not have colored photographs. Overall its a great book.

Although I have generally found Orwell to be a politically confused thinker, 1984 stands out as one of the best and most forward thinking works I have ever read. The amount of relevance this book has today is overwhelming, considering modern government propaganda techniques and the double edged sword of technology. This story serves as a warning to all who trust the government, especially in regards to privacy issues.

Winston Smith, while not the ideal romantic protagonist, is still compelling in his own right with his inspiring (and finally tragic) fight against Big Brother. The struggle that takes place between Winston and the government in 1984 is psychologically thrilling and intense, and it is still difficult for me to put the book down each time I read it. I am particularly drawn to the character of O'Brien, who represents to me the culmination of a path that all seasoned politicians and government officials travel down.

The year 1984 has come and past, but an extreme statist government similar to the one portrayed in the novel still may haunt us in the future.

One of the great books of the 20th century - it is amazing how much of Orwell has entered the language : Big Brother, Thought Police etc. The story is a bleak one - "Imagine a boot stamping on a human face, forever!". Orwell intended it as a warning, not as a prophecy. As a warning, it worked - 1984 was read by every Russian dissident, about the only English book (besides Animal Farm) that can make that claim. Yet, the abuse of language described by Orwell, the way thought can be controlled by inculcating poverty of language, in a certain sense describes much of today's media - "dumbing down" actually limits the possible human response - look at the jeers and cheers on 'the Jerry Springer' as pathetic subjects explode their inarticulate rage. The nearest thing to the '5 Minute Hate' that I have ever seen. Yet, Orwell possibly made the warning too bleak (he was dying of TB as he wrote, it was his last book). You feel that while Julia and Winston Smith do ultimately betray each other, yet it was done under duress of torture, and there could possibly be forgiveness in their hearts afterwards, not the disillusion of the book. The power of human love could defeat the Party, perhaps. A book that repays several readings.

1984 Review

George Orwell's novel, 1984 is classic, thought provoking literature that everyone should read. 1984 relates to many of the radical ideas of the communist era. Orwell points out the fake reality portrayed by the government with his incorporation of such things as "victory cigarettes and victory gin." This story exhibits the reality of life in many small, exploited countries.

The exaggerated ideals 1984 expresses, represents the oppression felt by many in the world that is gilded by a thought of true freedom. The story is very descriptive and allows the reader to feel the true emotions that the main character, Winston Smith is feeling. Orwell shows that in our world everything is deceptive to reality. Conformity is the main concern for the masses working for the elite and even the name Winston Smith is symbolic for this lack of individualistic qualities. This book shows the militaristic tactics used by the government of "Big Brother" to inspire people to work and keep an interest in the common good. Every four years the government of Oceana started a fake war with one of the other two super powers to maintain the work ethic and inspiration of the slaving people in the middle class. Winston represents all people who rebel against the system and know that the illusions presented by the government of aristocrats are wrong. He represents the middle class which work as tools of the elite and the proletarians are the people who the government leaves to their own ignorance. 1984 holds a great amount of symbolism and connects fiction with the real world. This book is a must read for everyone and to me, quite possibly one of the greatest books ever written.

This book is not about pigs and horses and sheep on a farm. This book is not about pigs who take control over other animals. This book is not about animals revolting against Mr. Jones the farmer. This is a book about the Russian Revolution, and each of the characters in Animal Farm plays a role as someone else who really lived.

Old Major - Karl Marx. Invented communism, inspired revolution. Snowball the pig - Leon Trotsky. Wanted good for all the people, supported communism. Napoleon the pig - Joseph Stalin. Greedy for power. Squealer the pig - Propaganda. Boxer the horse - Oblivious, hard working, supporter. Moses the raven - Religion. Mr. Jones - Czar Nicholas II. (run out of his country after the people and Karl Marx revolted due to his poor leadership). Dogs - KGB Secret Police. The Sheep - Followers. Benjamin the donkey - Skeptical Russians.

THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS
A large part of this analogy of the Russian Revolution is the hypocrisy involved. Napoleon and the pigs set rules, only to break and change them as they pleased. Seven Commandments were written to be followed as laws and rules to all the animals.
1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill another animal.
7. All animals are equal.
But by the end of the story the commandments are altered by the pigs. The law stating that whatever goes on two legs is an enemy is changed to the sheep's chanting of "Four legs good, two legs better!" after contact and trade with humans is made. After the pigs begin to sleep in the old house of Mr. Jones the farmer, the fourth commandment is changed to: No animal shall sleep in a bed WITH SHEETS. The law: "No animal shall drink alcohol" is changed to "No animal shall drink alcohol TO EXCESS." After Napoleon brutally kills many of the animals for disobedience and treachery, (even though they were killed for crimes they never committed), the law was changed to: No animal shall kill another animal WITHOUT CAUSE. At the end of the story, all seven commandments are erased, and replaced with a single commandment: ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS.

George Orwell's Animal Farm is a superb animation of the Russian Revolutioon. The book is amusing and interesting; it includes a comic element as it synonymously demonstrates the evolution from the proletariat revolution to a totalitarian government led by the swine of the society. Orwell successfully simplified the not-so-simple theory of class stratification and Karl Marx's proposed solution of communism. Orwell's method of conveyance is incredibly inventive. He uses satire in the form of a fairy tale to share his indignation for ideological doctrines that would, if allowed, lead to the eventual destruction of a society. Each character in the story is representative of someone who was involved in the Russian Revolution. Old Major is Marx, and inspires the proletariat revolution by motivating the over-worked animals and educating them on the ways of the human beings, who represent the bourgeoisie. Orwell's creativity convinces the reader that the animals on the farm are intellectual beings, revolting against the tyranny of the humans. Animal Farm offers itself as an example of a responsible criticism of Marxism. The story gives us a peek at the Utopian vision, and then offers a long look at what results from using a Marxist approach at achieving it. I strongly reccomend this book, as it is entertaining and educational. Orwell succeeded in creating a fairy tale that evokes both sadness and laughter, while causing us to feel sympathy and even empathy for the working class animals. The book escapes complexity, but its message does not.

Animal Farm is much, much more than a story about animals. These animals are used to portray Russian history. Seems weird doesn't it? But it makes sense! Everything in this book mirrors Russian history and the characters were created after Russian historical figures. It starts out with a pig named Old Major (who stands for Karl Marx) who sees visions of a wonderful revolution where animals will share everything and the world will be beautiful without any humans, especially Mr. Jones their master. Mr. Jones stands for Czar Nicholas II. They revolt from him and set up their own commandments, the Seven Commandments which includes things like "no animals shall wear clothings", "no animals shall sleep in a bed", "no animals shall consume alchohol", and "all animals are equal". The pigs, who are known as the smartest animals which is an actual fact, take over control of the farm. Napoleon stands for Stalin who wants a strong central government and wants to teach the young only while Snowball stands for Lenin who wants a democracy and to educate all of the people. The animals on the farm other than the pigs stand for common people. Boxer the horse stands for the physically strong people that aren't very smart. Benjamin the mule (Boxer's best friend) stands for the smart people who know what's going on, but are too stubborn to admit there is a problem. Clover stands for someone who's motherly and cares about every one else. The dogs stand for military people. The chickens stand for the smart, but weak people. The cats stand for the lazy people who don't want to do any work, but want to have rewards. Moses the Raven stands for religion with his talk of where animals go when they die (Sugar Candy Mountain). The sheep stand for the brainwashed people who can't think for themselves. Everything in this book happens for a reason. It's a weird story about how communism will never work because pigs will always be greedy pigs.

It's a really great story about talking animals, but it's an even better story when you take it apart and analyze and think to yourself, "but what if so and so got with so and so.... could they have stopped this from happening?" The ending of this book is a really freaky ending... Always remember "Two legs baaaaad, four legs better!"

Kit Tyler's parents died when she was very young, and ever since she has been living with her grandfather in Barbados. When her grandfather suddenly dies, Kit decides to live with her only living relatives in Connecticut. She has a rocky start on the boat trip over. On the Dolphin, she meets a boy named Nat Eaton, the captain's son, a young girl named Prudence Cruff, whose mother abuses her and accuses Kit of being a witch, and a man named John Holbrook, who is going to Wethersfield to be a student of the minister. It all started when Prudence's doll fell overboard and Kit jumps in to get it. In Connecticut, if you float on water, you are considered a witch. She is an outcast from the moment she gets off the ship. With her beautiful gowns and wild manner, she doesn't fit in with her Connecticut, Puritan family. She lives with her Uncle Matthew, her Aunt Rachel, and her two cousins, Mercy, and Judith. Uncle Matthew doesn't welcome Kit at all. He is upset that she didn't write him a letter first, but she didn't tell him that she didn't write because she had to leave right away or else she would have to marry an old man. Everyone at the "Meeting" or church, is shocked of her lovely clothes, and her personality. William Ashby, a boy Kit's age starts to court her, but Judith likes him. Everyone knows that William won't build his own house until he knows who he wants to marry, and everyone knows that he is about to propose to Kit. Everyone, including Judith, thinks John Holbrook is going to propose to Judith, but he really is in love with Mercy and she is in love with him. Kit feels bad about not being able to help the family much, and is very happy when she gets an oppertunity to make wages and teaching school with Mercy. Kit decides to teach the children by putting on a play about a story in the bible. It gets out of hand and Mr. Kimberley, the school master gets very upset and dismisses or "fires" Kit. She runs to the Meadow and there, she meets a Widow Tupper, who everyone believes to be a witch. She secretly becomes good friends with Widow Tupper, and the Widow helps her get her job back in the school, and secretly teaches Prudence how to read. Then a plague sweeps through the town and Kit is accused of doing it! Mercy is close to dying and Judith is also very sick. Kit has to save Hannah Tupper before its too late! When Kit is put on trial she finds her true friends. This story is very romantic, and very exciting. It shows how people care for each other and help each other no matter what. I think this is a wonderful book for all ages, and I hope everyone enjoys it as much as it did.

16 year old Katherine (Kit) has just made a weary journey from Barbados to New England by ship. She has almost been accused of being a witch, for normal girls do not know how to swim. Her first impression of America isn't too grand; dreary, cold, and wet. She misses her Grandfather and the warm shores of Barbados. When Kit reaches her relative's home, her mood is just dampened. Uncle Mathew is a strict Puritan, and he won't accept any of the fineries that Kit has brought along. Uncle Mathew's wife, Aunt Rachel, is a bit kinder. Rachel's two daughters, Mercy and Judith, are quite different. Mercy is a sweet, loving girl who is lame in one leg, and Judith is a snappy, yet beautiful girl (who sometimes became quite jealous of Kit.) Kit is homesick, and to get her mind off of things she helps Mercy run a dame school. All is fine until one mishap, and Kit runs off into the woods where she meets the "witch." Hannah, an old Quaker woman, is rumored to be a witch. All of the Puritans fear her, and she and her husband had to stay in prison for an x amount of years in Massachusetts for being Quakers. However, Hannah is a sweet old woman, and Kit becomes fast friends with her. Many characters come along in the story, and the plot thickens. You are permissed to meet the love-struck William, John, and the unexplainable Nat, who baffles Kit. I thought this book was excellent, and I feel that this is a classic!

When Kit Tyler boarded the Dolphin, a ship that would take her from Barbados to New England, she had no idea what lay in store for her. In the strict puritan community of her relatives, Kit feels alone and out-of-place. Struggling to adapt to life with her Uncle, Aunt and cousins, she is constantly aware of how different she is and finds it difficult to fit in with the ways of the Puritans. Drawn to Blackbird Pond, Kit meets Hannah Tupper, an old woman widely believed to be a witch. Hannah is the only person who understands her, but by associating with her Kit places her own life in danger. In the intensely religious and prejudiced community, Kit is accused of witchcraft and sentenced to stand trial.

"The Witch of Blackbird Pond" is one of the best Young Adult books ever written. I have read it so many times I have lost count and yet it still remains, and always will, one of my all-time favourites. It provides a perfect mix of history, romance, drama and suspense and will keep the reader hooked throughout. The characters of Nat and Kit are brilliantly written, as their initial reserve deepens to friendship and finally something more. When reading this book I was torn between wanting it to last forever and desperation to discover how the story would finish. Beautifully written and filled with vivid characters, you want to The Witch of Blackbird Pond to go on and on and never end. This is an amazing, very unique book that I know I will treasure forever.

This book, My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George is a great book. The main character, Sam Gribley, runs away from his New York City apartment one day to seek a new and independent life. Sam chooses to live in the Catskill Mountain because his Grandfather once owned a farm there. While Sam is there, he meets many friends. Some of his new friends are people, and some are animals. Sam's best friend and helper is a falcon he calls Frightful. Sam also shows lots of courage and tolerance in this book. Sam was very courageous during the blizzard that hit the mountain. Sam shows tolerance because he eats things he's never eaten before such as rabbit, crayfish, and vension. This is a great book and anyone who likes adventure should read it.

I chose this book because one of friends said that this book was really exciting and fun to read. At first I didn't believe him because I have never heard of this book from anybody else so I thought nobody else liked it. I decided to try it so I went to the library and checked it out. Right when the first chapter was over I wanted to read more. The book was really easy to understand and it was pretty descriptive. I also learned some new words.
I recommend this book to anybody that likes to read about animals and also like adventurous stories. This story is about a boy named Sam who thought that New York City was too crowded so he went to Catskill Mountain. There he lived in a hollow tree. To get food he sometimes gets berries, but to get meat he waits for the hunters to kill a deer and still it before the hunters get to the deer. In this story Sam also steals a baby falcon. He feeds it until it finally grows up to find its own food. When he stole the baby hawk the mother went back to the nest when he was there and hits him. Sam quickly runs away and the mother doesn't notice anything.
My favorite part of the story is when Sam gets the baby falcon. First he checks out a book from the library about birds. He studies it went out to look for one. He looked everywhere and finally finds a nest of baby falcons. He studies the mother to see when she leaves and when she comes back so he could get one when the mother leaves. One day when the mother left he quickly went to the nest and got a baby falcon, but right when he grabbed on the mother came back and hit Sam. Sam quickly ran away and the mother falcon didn't notice that one of her babies was missing. Sam takes home the baby bird and feeds it every single day until it can get its own food.

In Jean George's My Side of the Mountain series, she develops a character who works hard, has adventures, and is loving and caring. The books in the series are: My Side of the Mountain, On the Far Side of the Mountain, and Frightful's Mountain. The main character, Sam, is a young boy who ran away from his New Your city home to his great-grandfather's farm called the "Gribley's Farm." He lived off the land, and built himself a home, by burning out a hemlock tree. Nobody thought he could do it. These people were in for a surprise. As years go by Sam makes friends, while he works hard, and having adventures.
In the book, My Side of the Mountain, when Sam was at home in New York he went to school, and lived in a small house. He was tired of New York City life and so he decided to run away to his great-grandfather's abandoned farm in the Catskill Mountains. On the way to the farm, he stopped to ask directions at a library. There he met Ms. Turner, the librarian. After a bit of searching she found a map. She gave him the map, wished him well, and he was on his way back to his adventure. When Sam arrived to the farm, he was hungry. After a while, he put himself to work on hollowing out a tree for a home. After building his home, he made household appliances such as a stove. One day, Sam met an old woman named Mrs. Strawberry who thought he lived in Delhi. They walked down the mountain until suddenly, Sam decided to go the library. There he read books on hawks and falcons. After he thought he had learned enough he left the library. On his way back up the mountain, he headed towards the cliffs. When he arrived there he saw a falcon's nest. He wanted a falcon so badly he started to climb up the cliff. When he came down his shoulder was hurt, and in his hands, he had a baby falcon, who he named Frightful. As he walked back to Gribley farm, he watched the little eyas, and fell in love. After many years of love and comfort, what happened?
In the second book of the series, On the Far Side of the Mountain, Sam now took care of his little sister Alice. His parents found him and decided to stay, but when they found the land was impossible to farm they were going to leave. The whole family was going to leave even Sam, but Sam had other ideas and so did his sister Alice. Therefore, his little sister Alice asked if she could stay with Sam and their parents thought about it and said yes. After a half a year Sam's bird, Frightful was "confiscated" by a conservation officer because it was an endangered species. After a great sadness, he decided to take a walk. When he came back, Alice was gone. Because he loved Alice so much, he followed her. On his adventure to find her, he discovered poachers had stolen Frightful from him. Did he ever find Frightful and did her ever catch up to Alice?
In the third book of the series, Frightful's Mountain, Frightful found a mate and had eyases in a nest on a bridge. After a while, construction workers started to repair the bridge. As their bulldozers raised a ruckus, Sam comforted Frightful. When conservation officers saw the problem, they tried to help. After their attempt failed, they tried to get the workers to stop. When the poachers saw the opportunity, they dressed up as Fish and Wildlife Officers. They told the workers they were there to save the eyases so the workers helped them. When the falcon "conservation officers" thought were all the eyases were down, they drove off. However, one of the eyases was still there, so Frightful stayed. When Sam saw this, he moved Frightful's eyas, and Frightful followed. When he found out poachers had taken two of the eyases he set out to find them. Did he ever find the eyases and did Frightful ever see them again?
I am sure you will like this unpredictable series. Jean George's ability to imagine makes the story intriguing. This makes for a great series.