I am a seventh grader, and this book is part of our course reading. There are some wonderful short stories in it, ranging in difficulty in both the fluency with which the story was written, as well as in the vocabulary used, for example, the difficult vocabulary in "The Masque of Red Death" by Edgar Allen Poe. There are quite a few important, famous, and memorable short stories in Little Worlds, including the infamous story, "The Gift of the Magi," as well as, "The Necklace" and "The Monkey's Paw." But, I do warn you, the book includes some very controversial, yet famous stories like, "The Lottery." Overall, I must say that Little Worlds is a truly wonderful book with exceptional story selections. Some I did not enjoy, but all of them taught an important life lesson to me. Just get a good teacher to tell you about them as well!

Being a student in 7th grade, I highly recomend this book for teaching children my age. But I must say that some stories like "To Build A Fire" are boring. And as for the person who wrote it was horrible... WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!?!?!?!? Please read this book. It also has a wonderful vocabularly to help students and peopel in gernal learn.

I purchased these books as a class set for my advanced eighth grade Language Arts students. The stories are fantastic. The stories will cause students to discuss and challenge the themes presented. Students must understand the short story before comprehending every story presented--today's students expect to be entertained, and, quite frankly, that is not the purpose for all short stories. As a teacher, I found this classroom resource invaluable. This is a wonderful book with memorable stories: "The Monkey's Paw," "The Necklace," "An Occurance at Owlcreek Bridge," "The Gift of the Magi," etc. It's a must have for the accelerated middle school student!

Many of the past previewers wrote about Mary becoming more human, and the words of the book told you that, but I never felt like I knew enough of Mary to really tell how much she changed. ( I did read the first book ). Mary Mehan did wake up, and I woke up too, after dozing while trying to make it through the unbelievably short book. But this is just my opion.

Mary Mehan Awake ( I do like the title, though ) is about Irish Mary also Marie. She survived the Civil War, as a nurse, though she isn't herself anymore, after losing her brother and others. So she gets a job in the country being an assistant to a scientist- or a guy who just likes to experiment- something of the sort. Working there, she meets someone she can communicate with. But she has to communicate differently. Because the only person who can compare with what she went through is deaf.

_Mary Mehan Awake_ is the poignant sequel to _The Dreams of Mairhe Mehan_. Mairhe, who was a nurse during the Civil War, now goes by her American name, Mary, and she has left Washington DC work for a bird photographer in New York. Mary is beginning to emerge from the numbness that was a defense against the horrors of the war. The romance between Mary and Henry, a musician deafened by his stint in the war, is sweet and well done.

This book was great. It was short, yet sweet, and eloquent. It is hard how to describe how well the author used the english language in this book. It is an awaking, as the title suggests. It is romantic and charming, yet self-empowering. There is little more to say other than try to prove to you how touching the book is and, especially if you like historical fiction, how nessesary it is to read it.

I first read this when I was ten years old, and I searched for years for something like it. I related to it, and thrived on this book as a child. After many years, I still think of this book with warm memories and recommend it for any child growing up, dealing with confusing feelings. It helped me and made me feel not so alone.

I first read this book when I was 10, and it's been a favorite of mine for 5 years now. Even today, it powerfully conveys the difficulty of growing up. Kathleen has insecurities about her looks, longings for love, and conflict in her family. As I read, I feel as if I'm right there with her as she rebels and grows. The story is so realistic, with great dialogue. I'd reccomend it to any girl who's having a rough time being teenager. "The Jellyfish Season" is also a roadmap for preteens who don't know what to expect and a trip down memory lane for women who've already been there.

I first read this book when I was in Middle School and now that I'm almost 21, it still ranks right at the top of my list of all-time favorites! A great book for a mother and daughter to read together.

It tells a lot for a scrapbook. It has a lot of picures that are rare. Its a must for any Mary-Kate and Ashley fan. It would be good for a beginner who knows nothing about the Olsen Twins or knows veary little. Its also good for someone who knows a lot about them but best for someone who knows less because someone who knows a lot probably wants to know more. They might get tired of hearing the same thing over and over.

This book tells about the young girls, Mary-kate and Ashley, as the grow up from when they were babies on Full House till when they were kids making videos, movies, CDS, and books. It has gret photos too!

Who here is a huge Olsen Fan? Well if you are one then you came to the right place. This book is for you. It shows you rare pictures of them and gives you inside scoop on them. Although if you really want to get to know them more check out Mary-Kate and Ashley Our Story the Official Bioghraphy.

With a book like this, many readers cheat themselves by assuming that they already know what it's about, because they heard the outline of the story before, and therefore they have no need to really read it. A lot like the way some people treat the Bible, or at least large parts of the Bible. Anyway, I recently re-read this book to one of my daughters, and can report that upon close consideration, this book is really a retrospective Calvinistic explanation for how old Dr. Boekman finds a successor for his surgical practice, following Dr. Boekman's disappointment in his only son, who never liked medicine and who in fact found a reason to run away from Holland to resettle in England to pursue a business career. The rich descriptions of Dutch history and culture form the context for this drama.

Consequently, Dr. Boekman's whole outlook on life, exemplified by his perpetual frown, descends into depression as he humorlessly goes about his surgical practice, all the while increasing his fame which radiates from Amsterdam far out into the provinces, symbolized by the transportation and communication pathway of the frozen canals, over which all ages and classes of people happily skate through what used to be extremely cold winter months in Holland. These canals have not frozen solid on a regular basis for many decades.

These frozen canals in turn exemplify Dr. Boekman's frozen heart, which ultimately gets melted as a result of the importuning of Raff Brinker's son, young Hans, who cajoles old Dr. Boekman into taking a look at old Raff, who has been an invalid since suffering a closed head trauma while working out on the dikes during a fierce storm.

Dr. Boekman ends up surgically unblocking the "brainfreeze" suffered by Raff Brinker, who comes back to life "talking like an Amsterdam lawyer" which is a complete turn around from his invalid state where he appeared to be a distant, angry, barely controllable hulk crouching in his house by the fire, and casting a gloom of social obloquy which tainted not only his children, but his very cottage, in the eyes of most of the other respectable members of Dutch society, as they skated by on their local frozen canal.

By the end of the book, the connection achieved by Hans Brinker between his remote father and the remote surgeon seems to have spread, or networked, and young Hans is a rising surgeon practicing with Dr. Boekman, and happily married, while Dr. Boekman's biological son returns, or is redeemed back from England to practice a bustling business trade also in Amsterdam. The silver skates and the races on the canals are mainly a way for Hans to prove something to himself, that he can set his mind to what he wishes to achieve, and against all odds achieve it. The fact that all of this works to bring reconciliation and happiness back into people who are disconnected and frozen, rather than constituting a sappy, Dickensian series of unlikely coincidences, instead creates more of an echo of predestination than merely a "happy ending."

But then again, this is only one explanation of what we have here in this classic book.

I thought it was a wounderful story for the whole family to read.

Is this the greatest book ever? Maybe, maybe not. Shakespeare had some good ones. Either way, this merits the five stars I've given it. Delve into one of the greatest stories ever told, and learn all about Holland. By the time you're done, you'll want to go ice skating.

So strap on your wooden skates and squeek across the ice of Ole Holland. Who gets the silver skates? Who is the greatest hero? Is hidden fortune just under the peat moss?

Dat hangt er van af . . .

My women's book group read this over year ago, this story about a woman very unlike any of us, and yet we still refer to it in many discussions. Why? Because Carrie is, after all, very much like us in her motherhood and in her loss that most of us can only talk about if we preface it with "God forbid it should happen to any of us". The absolute sincerity of both her passions and her numbness are irresistible and her ultimate incremental steps toward recovery feel like a triumph for the reader as well.

Come & Go is a marvelous novel of superb writing that captures the rhythms of the music and the world in which it is played with great capability. The characters are endearing and imaginable, and despite the tragedy that stands at the center of the story, the novel never loses the beautiful tone that draws the reader into the characters' lives. While the heroine's final situation and her relationships are completely appropriate, Taylor-Hall's choice of how to arrive there may not have been so wise, as it delves completely into a magical world, leaving behind the realism that makes the rest of the novel so credible. Also, the symbolism of Ruth as the woman who journeys to the Promised Land seems somewhat unresolved. Otherwise, this novel is a wonderful work by a promising author.

Mary Ann Taylor-Hall lives down the road from my aunt's farm in Kentucky. I have never met her, but I feel like I know her already. This novel, her first, is one of the best works of literature that I have ever read. Ever since I received my first copy of the book, one autographed to my grandmother, I have never let it slip out of my mind.

The reader cannot help but journey into the very core of Carrie. When she holds her fiddle, it is as if the wooden masterpiece is also extending from your hands. The drones omitted from the pages go directly to the reader's ears, never ceasing to convey the sorrow and utter hopelessness that she feels.

This book is amazing, and I recommend it to anyone who has a heart beating inside of their chest. You will read it and beg for more -- at least I did.

THE JAZZ MAN WAS A GREAT BOOK.IT HAD GREAT PICTURES.THE ARTIST WAS VERY ARTISTIC WITH THE PICTURES.I DON'T THINK IT WAS BORING AT ALL.

This book is one of the best books I've ever read and I'm 12 so it is for all ages and people.I've given this book 5 stars because it was so good.I wish I could buy it!I only read this book for my class novel to read,but it was still good.

Ok I thought the book was wonderful. It gave you so much detail.

First- It didn't matter whether he had a lame leg or not. He still got around what ever he did because he could walk up and down stairs.

Next- His mother and father didn't leave him. It was just a dream he had about his mother and father leaving him and there not being any food.

Then- He walks down the stairs andacross the street. He sees the jazz man, tony, Manuel, and Ernie plaing there instuments. He goes in to the resturtant and here's a voice and it sounds like his father. He looks up and it is his father.He wakes up and sees his father and mother.

That is my point of view of the jazz man.

This is a handsome piece of scholarship on a controversial topic.
It annotates scholarly articles and books, as well as popular magazine and newspaper articles, with an eye to laying bare the fundamentals of the controversy: the definition of ritual abuse, cases of it both in this country and abroad, its impact on law and on helping professions, and its clinical manifestations. The annotations are lengthy and cogently summarized. The author is well known in the field for her scholarly criticism of ritual abuse, but she never reveals her own position, choosing, instead, to offer the information so that readers can come to their own conclusion. This is a well done bibliography, not to mention a timely one. If you work in this field, like I do, you'd be well advised to read it.

It's about time the subject of ritual abuse was dissected, and this annotated bibliography does so with skill and precision. With all of the ruined lives--kids in day care, adults with recovered memories, parents, families, day care providers--not to mention ruined reputations of therapists, social workers, cops and others, this book is long overdue. Highly recommended.

I learned a lot from this bibliography about a topic that has vexed me and my colleagues for a long time. The book made me take a long, hard look at what I believe about ritual abuse, and to question how I came to believe it, and why. For professionals like me, still struggling with this issue, this book is a must. It's very nicely written, clearly organized, and international in scope. I am recommending it to all of my colleagues in the mental health profession.

For as long as he can remember, fifteen year old Toby Chase's home has been the old car his mom is driving to yet another new life in a new city. Just when Toby gets settled, they pack up and move on. After settling in the remote Idaho community of Donner, Toby's mother promises him that it will be better than any place they have ever lived, and it is. Toby's happy and his mother is too. While doing research on the Internet for a school research project about the Vietnam War, Toby discovers the truth about his mother; she is a fugitive. Will Toby reveal his knowledge? Will he again have to move? Has his dream of a real home once again been shattered?

Ryan has written a suspenseful fast paced story. The characters are well developed which makes the reader care all the more about Toby, his mother and the friends they have made in Donner. Some tense moments lead up to the story's conclusion. A few minor flaws exist, but can be easily overlooked. An enjoyable work that teens will enjoy.

The book Alias started out really great, i just couldn't put it down, but then things started getting really boring, and it was almost as if i didn't want to read it at all. Near the middle of the book is where it just was horrible. the words, and contents sounded as if it was written by a 13 year old, i am dead serious. it sounded as if something i may write. ussually the books i get written by adults (which most are) they are wonderful, but this one, the words were dull, as well as the sentance structure. Ryan used dull, simple, plain sentences. example: the boy ran into the house. (you could've used) quickly, the tall, lean, tan boy charged into the red brick house. now, tell me, doesn't that sound much better?

Toby has always wondered what his mom was keeping from him. Whenever he asked questions she would respond by telling him not to ask but to do as she says. Since Toby could remember, he never stayed in one place for a long time. Instead, he was always moving from one place of the country to another whenever Bad News Fred showed up. Toby's mother changed her appearance whenever they moved to a new place. In one town she had long, blond hair, and then in another city she had short, brown hair. She changed her name as often as she changed her hairstyle. On their last move Toby, discovers why his mother is so secretive-- she is a fugitive who has been running from the FBI since the Vietnam War. The heat is on, and the FBI find out where Toby and his mother are located. Fred arrives to warn Toby's mom and she leaves Toby behind. Will Toby ever see his mother again? Will his mother escape? The book is very thrilling and very unpredictable. If you think you know how the book ends you could be wrong! This book is a great way to get your mind off things and I am sure you will not put the book down towards the end because I sure did not.

Boy meets girl. Girl experiences 'first love'. Boy realizes that he loves Girl too much to accomplish his 'mission' and returns in disgrace to his home planet. Despite the authors occasional attempts to create authenticity, the alien 'boy' knows way too much about Minneapolis to be credible. The tale would have been innocuous and merely vapid but for the ending, where the author deems it necessary for the girl to give herself to the alien. The message seems to be that its OK for teenagers to 'slow dance' if the circumstances warrant. Just what we need...YA authors encouraging kids to be sexually active...'but only if you're sure that its "right" for you'!

(...)it wasn't very good...Brank wasn't a believable alien since he knew Earthan culure too well, and Tonia was a total sell-out of a girl. I mean, you don't do that with a guy just because he speaks another language, HELLO! and that scene was like, what half a sentence long? This was a weird book. It would have been better withOUT the 1/2 sentence sex scene, and if the characters were more well-developed and WAY less static.

As a sci-fi fan with a romantic streak, I found this book enjoyable on both levels. Do not be fooled by the small size, however. This book is not for children. There is no graphic sex, but there are several technical references and a very short non-graphic scene.

I give this book four stars instead of three because of the final message. Putting women on a pedestal is not the same as respecting them as people. If a culture strongly admires women because of their ability to reproduce, they are not truly honouring women. Only wombs.