In "Caroline", I found the most wonderful, intriguing storyline. Caroline Hoxie is a 16 year old girl whose quest to meet up with her brothers in 1850's California leads her on more adventures than she had ever planned. She is a character any risk-taking girl can admire. I first read the book while in 5th grade, and I just picked it up again -- as a high school Senior! This book truly transports you back in time, and you can't help but turn the page in this great story of adventure, trust, and love.

Caroline was such a wonderful read when I was 14. I remember I couldn't put it down. I reread certain pages over and over because I wanted to be there with her, to make it through all the ordeals and to see if she was going to get the man she had fallen for. You won't be disappointed. **Caroline and Roxanne were my favorite of the Sunfire series. (I must have reread each one three times) A few years ago I went into a book store looking for this series, just to thumb through and to be taken back in time. I was disappointed to see that they were no longer on the shelf and now I find out they are out of print. I am 26 years old and while my taste has matured; I am kicking myself for turning in my collection of these books to a used store when I was 18. ( I had the entire series up to the mid-twenties) If you find any of these books, I hope you enjoy them as much as we reviewers did. It seems as if we are a special reading group. They are wonderful romantic stories of lifes tough personal choices, history, and the importance of family.

Caroline is a 17 year old tomboy looking for love. When her brothers join up with the California gold rush, she begs to acompany them. when they turn her down, she takes matters into her own hands. disguised as a boy named Caro, she travels with the dashing Dan Riddle to California. During the trip, she finds herself falling in love with Dan. Can love overcome all? this is my favorite sunfire! I love this book! i got it from a library, so if anyone knows where to find it, please e-mail me at kathloves2sk8@hotmail.com

Book Title: Skin deep

Author: Laura Peyton Roberts.

Exposition: Jenna is joining as many cool sessions as she can and wants Nicole to join her. Nicole wants to spot a star and become one herself. Melanie is very focused on Jesse every where she goes she sees his faces. Jesse is getting focused on his work even though Melanie is his only true he isn't obsessed with her like she is with him. Leah is trying to focus on modeling competition, and the studies for a scholarship, but all she can think about is Miguel's proposal.

Explanation of character and their role in the book: They all have a boyfriend and girlfriend. Miguel is a romantic person. Leah is a very pleasurable and smart person. Melanie is very fastidious but agitated. Jesse is very self centered person. Jenna expects to much from others. And Nicole just minds her own bissnieuss.

Character motivation: They are all into something whether it's a person or studies.

Strengths and weaknesses of the book: It was a really finicky book and a very good quality style of writing.

Are you interested in teen life related books? Skin Deep, by Laura Peyton Roberts, is an amazing book that will attract you to it. It may be a fiction book, but this is a book you will not want to miss out on! It's about a group of girls that have an all expense paid trip to California. Leah won the modeling competition in Clearwater Crossing, Missouri, so she has advanced to the U.S Girls Competition. Jenna, Melanie, Nicole, and herself all are glad to be going to the trip to California to escape their problems. I'm sorry, but to find out the rest of this fantastic book, you have to go out and read it!

This book was such a great book that I recommend it to all the females in the world. I don't think boys will enjoy it too much, because they won't enjoy the problems girls have, and also this is a book that relates to what girl go through in life. So I would definitely recommend this great book to girls in their teen and preteen years. I think that I really enjoyed this book, because I can kind of relate to some of the problems the girls in this book go through on everyday basis. Also, it's exciting to see what happens when there is a problem going on and they solve it. This book never made my mind wander of into outer space. My mind was fully paying attention to this book and also my mind was at work thinking of what was going to happen next. So, I think that if you girls, who I think will enjoy this more than the boys will, read this book. I'm pretty sure that you will enjoy it and thank me for it!

Overall, I hope you saw why I believe that Skin Deep, By Laura Peyton Roberts, is such a great book to read. Not only is it a fabulous book to read, but for most of you girls out there, it should somewhat relate to your life story. At least your teen life should relate a little bit to this book. This book is such a great page-turner, mind thinker, fun, and so much more positive things you can imagine in a book! So, I encourage you to get up on your feet, and get this book, and start reading!

This book is wonderful. I loved it and it couldn't be better.
I really liked how the setting was in california at a beauty contest.I don't know why but to me, I found it an interesting setting. I'm not sure why, but browsing the library I just saw this book sticking out of the shelf and it just grabbed my eye so i checked it out and i read it and it's one of my favorite books!

The Mystery of the Silver Spider is in many ways the quintessential Three Investigators book in my mind, mainly because this title stands out the most from my childhood memories. It really is a good, exciting story, full of political intrigue, international espionage, a dastardly conspiracy, very real danger, a mad flight to safety, and other thrills along the way. After a chance meeting with the young prince of Varania, the boys find themselves invited to the prince's coronation in his home country. They are ostensibly contracted by the U.S. government to serve as secret junior agents--while the feds know some type of trouble is brewing in the small yet important European nation, they have been unable to ferret out the information they need themselves and thus turn to our intrepid young heroes for help. Once in Varania, the prince confides in them the fact that the invaluable silver spider, the symbol of Prince Paul, the most important leader in their history, and the symbol of the very nation, has been stolen and replaced with a fake; without the true silver spider, the prince will be disgraced and his coronation will be postponed--perhaps permanently. Much to the boys' surprise, Bob finds the precious spider stashed among his handkerchiefs. Realizing that the evil plotters mean to blame them--the young prince's friends--for the theft, Jupe, Pete, and Bob are forced to make a run for safety; fortunately, they are aided by some Varanians loyal to the young prince. Poor Bob bangs his head during the escape and cannot remember where he stashed the real spider. As events build to a climax, the boys race to free themselves from capture and somehow alert the Varanian people to the prince's danger. With Bob still suffering partial amnesia, it is up to Jupiter to find the silver spider and thus save not only the prince but the entire nation of Varania.

This one is action-packed from front to back and may well be the best book in the series. If you have not yet been introduced to the Three Investigators and are wondering which book to try reading first, I would recommend this book. You might as well buy the other available titles, though, because you are surely going to want to keep reading these adventures. For the life of me, I can't figure out why there has never been a Three Investigators movie--this story in particular would be terrific on the big screen.

The Three Investigators and Mystery of The Silver Spider is great. It has full of suspense and plot twists. It is my favorite Three Investigators book. The book is written by Robert Arthur, the origanal Three Investigators author. His three investigator books are better than the ones written by the later ones.

This was an excellent novel by Arthur and one of the best in the series. It details the exploits of the three sleuths as a chance encounter with royalty leads them to another nation where they become embroiled in an attempted governmental coup. Everything hinges on the Silver Spider--the key to the throne--and the suspense is immense when the only one who knows where it is can't remember! Mystery,suspense,and more action than in most of the books, The MYstery of the silver SPider takes you on a rollicking ride that culminates in an explosive climax.It will keep you glued to your seat and sweating with the characters!

Absolutely reccomended.

Maverick

This book, Dream On, is pretty good. It tends to follow the outline of the other books. Unfortunately, it leaves you with a million cliff-hangers. =) It is rather exciting, and has a lot of glimpses of character that are interesting. Overall, I think it is a pretty good book, I might even read it again someday. I suggest you read it if you are a fan of Clearwater Crossing books, it is an important part of the whole story.

This book was suspensful and definately a page turner. if you go for books about teens living through the ups and downs of life this is definately a book for you. i found myself saddened by Miguels loss and silently cheering for Nicole.

Once again, we get another great Clearwater Crossing book. This book is truly different from the rest in the series. The guys and gals are facing many issues. Nicole is trying out for cheerleading and wants Melanie to coach her, but Melanie's too busy investigating her mother's past. Ben's got a crush on Angela Maldonado - will he ask her out? And will Jenna and Peter's romance survive - or fizzle out? It's all in this book!

this was a good book but not as good as it's precessor, the contender. This book is about an indian boy who is a boxer and goes to NYC and gets caught up in drugs and a beautiful girl and tries to box with it all.

This book is awesome! I am the kind of person who hates to read. I usually stop reading books whenever I can, but I couldn't put this book down. I am almost tempted to go check out the book and read it again just for the heck of it. The title is not very catchy THE BRAVE. I mean come on who wants to read a book with that kind of a title, but dont let that discourage you. This book is about a boxer named Sonny Bear who lives on a reservation near Sparta.

Sonny somehow winds up in the middle of a big crack war in New York City. Then Sonny meets Brooks and Spoon which are his key to the heavyweight title. So if you want to see if Sonny becomes the heavyweight champ you will have to go read the book for yourself.

Sonny Bear is a 17-year-old boxer who boxes in "smoke houses". A smoke house is a house where people bet on boxers that are "professional." His uncle, Jake, is a moscondaha Indian just like Sonny. As Sonny boxes, a farmer boy with blond hair is the first one to beat him. He the hitch-hikes to the The Deuce in New York to see his mother. When he gets there, he is met by an escaped convict from prison named stick and a 17-year-old hottie named Doll. While they are walking up and down The Deuce, an octet of cops attack Sonny and Stick then grabs his wallet and runs off with it. While Sonny is in jail, he is confronted by Sergeant Brooks, a former Harlem boxer that decided to be a cop. While Brooks is asking him questions, he finds out that Sonnt is a boxer and decides to train him to be #1 champion he possibly could be. Brooks tells him about Donatelli's Gym and the story about when he was boxing. Next, he starts training to win the Golden Gloves Award. AS he proceeds in the tournament, he is next to face Brooks' arch rival's son

Yoji Kondo, an accomplished NASA scientist (and SF writer) in his own right, brings honor to the writings and philosophies of Robert A. Heinlein, a groundbreaking, sometimes controversial science fiction writer who always left his readers thinking.

This tribute, lovingly assembled by Kondo, brings together some of Heinlein's fantastic fiction with the impressions of his many admirers.

Kondo was so loyal a friend that he spearheaded a successful campaign to have a Martian crater named for Heinlein. That gesture -- and this impressive collection of fiction and accolade -- is a testament not only to Heinlein, but also to his many fans.

If you are a fan of Robert A. Heinlein, and have read most of his works, then I reccommend this book unceasingly to you. It has 200+ pages of never-before-published Heinlein fiction (as well as the short title story - one of the man's best, and the one that also shot him to fame.) These include two novellas: Tenderfoot In Space - written for Boy's Life, and Destination: Moon - Heinlein's story version that would lead to the script and movie of the same name. Also included are two stories he wrote for girls (!), his remembrance of the filming of Destination Moon, a short poem, and the text of three speeches he made at the World Science Fiction Convention, where he was Guest of Honor an unprecented three times. Also included is are the proceedings of NASA's Heinlein Expedition, where he received (posthumously) their Distinguished Public Service Medal, their highest civilian honor awarded. This includes a reading of his inspirational piece "This I Believe" (which I had read at a local meeting of ours) by his wife, Virginia Heinlein, and several short speeches by such people as Tom Clancy and Jerry Pournelle. The heart of the book for many, though, will be the third section, in which many of Heinlein's famous contemporay writers (as well as an editor and a Navy colleague) write their remembrances of the man. It's very poignant and humbling to see world-famous writers speaking of Heinlein in such highly reverent terms - almost as if they were speaking of God Himself. This goes some way towards showing what an incredible man Heinlein was, and what a tremendous influence he had on the field of science fiction. To see Arthur C. Clarke himself - the only writer, along with Asimov, who you'll ever see mentioned in the same breath as the Grand Master - waxing rememeric on the man is a testament to RAH's vision and integrity. Poul Anderson's piece is particularly memorable. Larry Niven contributes the only fiction piece (a small masterpiece, incorporating Heinlein as a major character), and the long defense of Heinlein by Spider Robinson makes for extremely interesting reading. This is an absolute must-read for anybody who considers themselves a Heinlein fan. It's an incredible book, and shows what an incredibly tremendous influence had on the field of SF, and on the 20th century in general. I gladly put it on my bookshelf, and I'm not afraid to admit - as Arthur C. Clarke does in a blurb on the cover - that I cried while reading it.

This book is a collection of tidbits of information about Robert Heinlein, including some very compelling stories about Heinlein from science fiction writers like Larry Niven. It also includes some never before published works, which is a big bonus for Heinlein fans. While some of the material is a bit uneven, I learned a great deal about Heinlein and his works from this book. Another must have for Robert Heinlein fans.

This series my Laura Peyton Roberts is so amazing! Although some issues may be a little too "perfect" the characters all resemble characteristics we possess! Whether its Jenna's undying love for Miguel, or Nicoles obsession w/weight... we can all relate on some level. I really recommend all teenagers to try this series out. The books are extremely entertaining and definitely light-reading.

I feel this book describes how you can find religion and have fun.

i have all the books that have come out of this series so far, and i love them! they deal with a lot of teen issues...relationships, religion, just a lot of the things that confuse us during our teen years.if you really enjoy reading about people's lives (fictional) and a book that deals with teen issues, then this'll be right up your alley!

This book was alright. The plot and theme were very clear, and the setting was very well described. I felt was if i could almost see the imaginary kingdom Levy set up. However, the characters seemed shallow, and I couldn't really predict what they would do in certain situations, like you can in most books, simply because they didn't have much personality. Also, the ending was very abrupt and left me hanging.

I think that the best part of the book was when Daniel met the giant cats, because that was one of the few moments I felt like I was standing right next to Daniel. You could almos feel the tensions seeping out of the book. The conflict in Escape from Exile was very clear to me. Levy went into a lot of detail about the wasy the monarchy worked and why a civel war was being waged. The setting was also very clear. I felt like Levy was holding a picture up for me to see of the world her created.

First of all, I would like to comment on others opinions. The characters in this book are NOT shallow at all. I have been reading ever since I was a toddler, and since then have been searching for books that are touching, captivating, and well-written. This book, Escape from Exile, had a part in all three. Robert Levy sets the plot out very nicely, and his descriptions are excellent. The animals that come into the plot are interesting. Robert Levy has achieved what most other authors long for, to combine fantasy, a dash of humor, and a captivating experience all into a 200+ page book. Animal lovers will love the endearing Me, the proud samkits Banko and Tamara, and the wonderful mehometh Hira. I recommend this book to everyone, and I hope Robert Levy is working on another that will come out soon.

Rarely do we ever find a book that can have an impact on individuals. Reading has been part of my life since i was a young kid, and I never did find a book that had such an impression on me. "Escape from Exile" is the my favorite book and the only one that actually made me cry at the end. Never in my whole life had a single book have a huge impact on me. What I truly loved about the book was Daniel's determination, faith, love, and care for his friends and his sister. Thank you Robert Levy for the wonderful story you wrote and I hope to see more coming soon just like it.

If your a really big fan of the show, then I would definatly recommend reading the books of this series. This book being the second, was good, but becuase it was written for young adults, I finished it in less than two hours. The way it was written was also kind of annoying, becuase, again, it's targeted for the teenage crowd. Besides that, I really do enjoy these books since it shows us a Sydney that we don't see on the series. A young, unexperienced woman, who is still learning the skills necessary for the trade. She gets scared, she begins her battle with the whole lying thing, she still has trouble controling her emotions. All these thing she has learned to control by the time the series on television starts. I really enjoyed this book, even though I wished it was longer and more detailed (more adult directed) although i know that could also backfire at the same time.

It's a pleasant spring day in Southern CA when Sydney's new beeper goes off. SD-6 needs her for her first assignment. Traveling to Paris, she's to go undercover as the wife of a newly wealthy man. Together, they'll be shopping for a wardrobe at one of Paris's best fashion houses, which they believe to have a connection to K-Directorate, a Russian crime ring. The job should be simple, find an excuse to explore the building and leave cameras and bugs behind. As an added bonus, Syd's partner is Noah Hicks, a very attractive agent she's already had the pleasure of meeting. Of course, things are much more difficult then they appear, and soon Sydney and Noah are in way over their heads. Can this rookie agent make it out alive?

Fans of Alias will love this prequel novel. Getting a look at Sydney in training is a completely different perspective on the character, yet it fits in line with the show. Meeting Noah and learn more about his history with Sydney is an added bonus. My main complaint is that this book seems a little too straight forward. I love the twists on the TV show and was hoping more of that would appear here.

This novel is a fast read that will keep the reader turning pages. While it will have limited appeal to non-fans, fans of the series will love getting a bit of the back story on their favorite spy.

I love it, I love it, I love it. Not since my Man from UNCLE days as a kid in the 1960s have I enjoyed buying latest print tie-in to my favorite spy show. Back then, I bought up the Ace Paperbacks the day they hit the drugstore bookstands. These days, I feed my Alias fix, especially during the rerun season, with these books. They're obviously written for the teenaged girl (although why that should be so is beyond me--this is an adult show!), but I won't fault the books for that. Not exactly prize-winning thrillers a la John Le Carre or Robert Ludlum, but this is great entertainment nonetheless. If you're an Alias fan, you owe it to yourself to collect these books. If notthing else, like the Ace Paperbacks UNCLE tie-ins of long ago, these will be collectibles when the show is long gone ...

I read this book when I was 11 years old. BIG mistake. I had nightmares from it and I couldn't stop crying. So part of me wants to give it 1 star. But it is actually a very good book. It really brings home to you the consequences of nuclear war, especially long-term effects like radiation sickness. I recommend it to people who don't mind a depressing read or who are interested in dystopian novels, but don't read it if you're soft-hearted, or if you're already frightened about the topic. It will just make you worse.

"One minute everything was normal, and then it was gone." This is a first person account of life after a nuclear holocaust. The narrator is an English boy called Danny. He recounts all the things that have happened to him since the holocaust and the grim struggle that life has become. This is a good book because it is written by someone who actually experienced what happened. The narrator makes each day feel tense and uncertain. Danny's life is grim, insecure and torturous.

One of the interesting things about this book are the invented names used to describe the various species of survivor: "Goths", "Spacers", "Terminals", "Badgers" and "Purples". It's the beginning of a new language.

Grief and despair pervade this book. Nuclear weapons have utterly destroyed civilization, England has been turned into a poisonous, desolate wasteland. The narrator has written this account to warn future generations (if any) not to do it again.

When you finish reading "Brother in the Land" read "Riddley Walker" by Russell Hoban. That book is also a first person account by a boy in post-holocaust England. Set thousands of years in the future, the people live a primitive life with dim legends of the world as we know it.

OUR WHOLE CLASS READ THE BOOK AND RAISED ALL OF OUR AWARENESSES ABOUT THE NUCLEAR WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN . WE GOT INTO GROUPS IN OUR CLASS AND DISCUSSED THE PERSONALITY OF THE MAIN CHARACTER "DANNY" . WE ALSO DISCUSSED THAT SWINDELLS , THE AUTHOR , SENT ACROSS MANY MESSAGES ABOUT THE WORLD TODAY . THE WHOLE CLASS AGREED THAT THE BOOK "BROTHER IN THE LAND IS VERY POWERFUL AND WELL WRITTEN.