This is a fine beginner's chess book. The target age (I'm guessing, since the book doesn't say) is about 9-12. The book takes the beginner all the way from introducing the pieces and how they move to some example games, including the beautiful Morphy/Duke of Brunswick game. The very last chapter provides information on how to locate a chess club, and encouragement to join.

Snyder uses algebraic notation throughout, which is an important point to check. He does explain descriptive notation at the end, for readers who look through older books.

The book is well structured, with general guidelines for the opening preceding an introduction to the Ruy Lopez. He also briefly covers the Giuoco Piano, and there are sections on the Sicilian and the Queen's Indian and Nimzo-Indian defenses. The information is at just the right level for a beginner; taking just one or two lines, with few digressions, but explaining the reasoning behind the moves. There are excellent sections on basics such as the use of rooks, king and pawn endgames and the use of opposition, and basic checkmating positions such as back-rank mate.

The only caution I'd add is not to buy this book for a child younger than eight or nine. It's for someone who is mature enough to stick through the first couple of chapters, up to where it gets fun. My daughter, who is about to turn five, has been pestering me to teach her chess, since she sees me enjoying it. Since she's not old enough yet to understand strategy or really tactics either I have had to invent little games involving just a couple of pieces to get her familiar with the moves--e.g. spending several lessons showing her how to checkmate me with two rooks. What I need is help with inventing fun ways to learn these things. This book doesn't provide that--it's a little dry till you actually get to the chessboard , which doesn't happen for fifty pages.

However, I don't know of a better book for kids to learn from. With an enthusiastic adult to help, I think this book can really deliver the goods.

This is the best book I have seen that introduces chess to kids in the age 8-14 range (it is also a great book for adults!). The lessons are clear and easy to understand. The writer makes learning fun!

This is truely a readable guide for the beginner. As a novice wishing to learn basics and move on to entry introduction to openings, tactics,and concepts of the end game, you won't go wrong with Robert Snyder's easy to read style and discription of chess moves.A must read book for the novice before moving onto advanced strategies and concepts.

This book is highly similar to the Reza book, also published by Dover publications. The Ash book kind of continues where the Reza book leaves off. In truth, this book is very, very rigorous... not so much in terms of proofs (see the small Khinchin book for great proofs), but in terms of it involves mathematics and concepts which require a higher level of knowledge. Undergraduate students would have alot of trouble trying to understand both math and general concepts.
Even graduate students would find this book daunting, because after all, it probably is one of the best books written on information theory.

If your a beginner seeking a good book, this is not it at all.
Aside from being too rigorous, it covers many topics which are of completely no use to a beginner or even somebody with a fair amount of information theory knowledge. Also, the book is not very motivating from a practical aspect. That is, much like the Reza and Kitchkin book, it's written more from a dry mathematical perspective and not an "engineers" perspective.
It doesn't examine information theory from the perspective of electrical engineering and communications theory... which might make it hard for some people to relate to if they can't be told what the practical applications are (see Pierce's books and Cover and Thomas for very good "practical" books).

For beginners, I recommend the Pierce book, subtitled "Symbols, Signals and Noise" which is bar-none the best beginners book ever written (or some of Pierce's other books). Pierce is one of the finest authors of his era and he published several books on information theory; most of which are more "engineer friendly" and are more relavent to the study of electronic communications.

Summary, this book is NOT for beginners. It will be almost completely useless unless you have a decent degree of information theory knowledge to begin with. Sadly, this was the first book I ever purchased on that topic.. and boy was that a mistake!! I spent 2 years trying to figure heads or tails of half the chapters.. Then I went ahead and got some more appropriate books (Pierce, Reza, Cover and Thomas) and when I had sufficient knowledge... only then did this book make any sense.

The book by Shannon and Weaver (1949) is the classic; Shannon almost *is* information theory. There is more to it: The present lovely little book appeared first in 1965, but is still very relevant. I think it is a good next book to read. At least the mathematical part of the subject stays more constant over the years, as do the fundamental principles;-- that is what Ash's book is about. I especially liked ch 4 on error correcting codes, and the mathematical appendix which is centered around the Karhunen-Loeve theorem;-- the latter having found recent exciting applications in wavelet theory.

I know what you're saying - Dover books have a reputation for publishing crap books, right? This book is just too cheap to be any good, right? Well, think again. This book is a no nonsense introduction to classical information theory. By no-nonsense I mean it does not have chapters like most books out there on "information and physics", "information and art", or all sorts of pseudo scientific popularizations of information theory. It does one thing: present with a minimum of hassle and with a maximum of details and examples the mathematical and conceptual framework of information theory, nothing more, nothing less. On the other hand, it manages to avoid the old "theorem-lemma-corollary" format of many other ultra-dense math books out there. This book actually makes an effort to explain where the math fits in conceptually. When introducing a new concept, it always accompanies the definition with an example. This is even true when proving a complicated theorem. Add to these virtues the interesting problems at the end of each chapter, each with its own detailed solution at the end of the book, and you've got a pedagogical gem.
It should be noted that the only prerequisite is a prior course in basic probability - conditional probability, Tchebychev's theorem, simple and basic stuff every 2nd-3rd year undergraduate should be familiar with.
If you're looking for the perfect introduction to information theory, look no further, this is it!

It's just like real realationships bettween young high school kids.Alessandra was in love with a guy named Wyn and they went out like boyfriend and girlfriend.At first I thought it was about a young girl that likes punk rock music and likes to dresses like a punk rocker and she likes a guy that likes classical music and dresses very nice. I thought that the well dressed guy wouldn't like the punk rock girl it turns out there going out. They have realife situations and they have to solve them. Alessandra's friend first found out she was suprised and couldn't belive it.I think it's a wounderful book but I think 7th graders and up should read it because it deals with adult stuff.

I came across this book in my sweetheart's bookcase not long after we began dating. I never gave it much thought, and certainly didn't consider picking it up to read and enjoy. But one day I found myself scanning the bookcases for something light to read, and decided to go for this book. I'm a bit old for the young adult books, but I remember reading them quite avidly. None of the books I read when I was younger compare to Alessandra In Love. The main character is instantly recognizable -- you had someone in your high school just like her, I'll bet -- and doesn't quite fit the phrase "main character" so much as "star of the show." I was amazed at how well Kaplow captured the mind of a teenage girl. Reading the story without knowing the author, you would think it was written by Alessandra herself, rather than a male English teacher who once had his own rock band. Alessandra In Love is an exquisite book, and although it is a fast read for adults, it is certainly an engrossing novel for the young adult set.

A bit too saucy for teens...but it absolutely hits the spot for a lonely, widowed middle-aged woman! I was captivated by the romance of the two young lovers. Although I feel that this book is slightly too sexually perverse for the young adult audience, those of us yearning to feel the flame of youthful romance will find it absolutely mezmerising.

The book Cowbow Ghost is about a kid his name is Titus our Tim. He grows up with a wonderful mother and a bashful father. Him and his older brother Micah dont get along very good in the begining so Tim tries to earn his brothers respect when the go on there first cattle drive. I woul recommend this book to the younger era of children that need to learn to respect there elders. I think that the author Robert Newton Peck is trying to get to the reader that when someone ignores you are doesnt like you try to give them there space and earn there respect.

This book was a pretty good one. It had everything a great book should have in it like a father that pays no attention to the young one and the older one gets all of the attention. The young Titus reminds me of... well...me. I'm not trying to be personal,but this book interested me for just that simple fact. Thumbs up all the way.

I thought this book was very good and had a lot of exciting part.It never seem to get boring because Titus and his brother always had something to do so if you like adventures, cowboys, and and horses i totaly recemend this book to you

I found this guide ideal when I used it to locate lights to visit in this region last year. Bruce Roberts' superb photography and Ray Jones interesting and informative narrative significantly enhanced my enjoyment in visiting the lights.

There are directions and other info for finding and visiting lighthouses. They do not always show all lights for a given area. The photos are all color. I own 3 of these books. There are not many other guide books out there so if you are looking for guide books these are good to have. Since there are so many books in this series I thought I'd help people find them easier. This is the series.
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American Lighthouses
California Lighthouses
Eastern Great Lakes Lighthouses - I own this one
Western Great Lakes Lighthouses - I own this one
Southeastern Lighthouses - I own this one
Southern Lighthouses
New England Lighthouses
Mid Atlantic Lighthouses
Gulf Coast Lighthouses

I know that Bruce and Ray Jones don't visit or include all of the Great Lake lights in their books, but it is highly arguable that they do portray the best looking ones. I travel from Chicago to Upper Peninsula and have to include their books on the trip with all of the excellent directions. They are excellent travel guides and provide nice context to why and where they lights originated and give sufficient information about the beacon. They are my number one travel books when I go on a lighthouse expedition and they are bar none no better book published with directions on Great Lake lighthouses.

Things just happen : that's the sum total of wisdom.
-Torless, Young Torless

Torless, the young man of the title, leaves home to attend a boarding school in turn of the century Austria. For the first time he is freed from the moral influence of his parents and is left to his own devices, with disastrous results. At first he is merely homesick, but:

Later, as his 'homesickness' became less violent and gradually passed off, this, its real character,
began to show rather more clearly. For in its place there did not come the contentment that might
have been expected; on the contrary, what it left in young Torless's soul was a void. And this
nothingness, this emptiness in himself, made him realise that it was no mere yearning that he had
lost, but something positive, a spiritual force, something that had flowered in him under the guise
of grief.

So here is this young man, his soul a void, no parental guidance to help fill the void, and he's just entered a community where he'll be surrounded by his similarly unformed peers. It just doesn't seem likely that much good can come of this situation, nor does it.

The first attachment Torless forms is with a prince from a conservative and religious family, but they become estranged. Subsequently, he experiments with mathematics, philosophy, sexual relations with the local whore, and several other pursuits, in an attempt to fill the void. But, by far, his most important relationship is with two other boys, von Reiting and Beineberg, who have decided to start psychologically, physically and sexually abusing a classmate, Basini, whom they caught stealing money. Beineberg assures Torless:

You needn't be shocked, it's not as bad as all that. First of all, as I've already explained to you,
there's no cause to consider Basini's feelings at all. Whether we decide to torment him or perhaps let
him off depends solely on whether we feel the need of the one or the other. It depends on our own
inner reasons. Have you got any? All that stuff about morality and society and the rest of it, which
you brought up before, doesn't count at all, of course. I should be sorry to think you ever believed
in it yourself. So I assume you to be indifferent.

When Torless later joins in the degradation of Basini he does so for reasons of his own, but it is the character of Beineberg--and his eagerness to exercise power over other, "lesser", beings-- that has earned the book a reputation of having forecast the rise of Nazism. But Torless does take advantage of Basini's situation and begins to exploit Basini for sexual purposes, though he tries to hide this from the other two boys. This leads to a falling out amongst the little gang and the whole sordid story is exposed.

(...)It is interesting to contrast these books with works like To Kill a Mockingbird and The Chosen which depict how difficult it is to raise children so that they are morally centered even if you keep them at home.

Beyond this obvious level, the book can be read as a statement about the general attempt to replace traditional morality. The moral decline that Torless lives out over the course of the novel essentially parallels the descent of modern man--initially cut adrift from family and religion, he passes through varying aspects of scientific rationalism, experiments with the pursuit of mere physical pleasure, and falls under the spell of Beineberg and his theory that all morality is a social construct, that each individual is free to follow his own whims. Several times over the course of the novel, Musil assures us that Torless turns out okay in later life, that after this period of youthful confusion and experimentation, he grows into a sturdier adult. One can only hope that the same will eventually be said of the species.

Musil was writing in the first full blush of Freudianism and the novel is somewhat marred by it's reliance on Freudian themes. One hundred years ago, it may have seemed daring and honest to portray a young man's sexual fantasies about his mother; today, with Freud exposed as a quack and consigned to the ash heap of history, it simply makes Torless seem more aberrant than the author intended.

Still, it's an excellent introduction to the work of a really underrated author. A Man Without Qualities, at least what I've read of it, is even better, a genuinely funny novel of Europe approaching the cataclysm of war and the destruction of the old order.

GRADE: B

A strange and compelling tale surrounding the misdeeds and sexual proclivities of four boys in a European boarding school. Published in 1906, these are indeed the "confusions" of young Torless, a character tormented by a rationalized sense of objective intellectualism and a literal cowardice in the face of tyranny.

Basini, an effeminate teen, is caught stealing by Reiting and Beineberg. These two conniving little bastards, representives of Europe's ever pervasive fascisim, decide to "punish" Basini themselves, believeing themselves to be conducting an experiment of sorts - "how far can we take this?" What follows is a series of scenes which depict the beating, sexual dominance and systematic breaking down of Basini's pysche. Throughout these events our young Torless, a mostly silent witness to the continuative events, is tortured by his own homosexual longings for the beautiful Basini. Their relationship is consummated in a very delicately rendered scene (Shaun Whiteside's translation is expert throughout). Conflicted by his sexual longings and their inherent ramifications (one must remember this behavior was considered both scandalous and ruinous), Torless betrays his lover. In an effort to disassociate himself from all three "nefarious" characters, Torless attemps to divorce himself from all comlicity in the foregoing and subsequent torture of Basini.

Musil has illustrated with great clarity the cacophony of conflicting emotions which plague most adolescent males. That Torless is confused is apparent, that his betrayal of Basini was on a much grander scale than those of his fellows is just as apprently lost on him. Perhaps a better title for this novel would have been "The Amoralist."

"The Confusions of Young Torless" (1906), by Robert Musil (1880-1942), is the poignant story of a young man who leaves his secure conservative farm home in rural Austria, for the prestige and worldlinesss of a private upper-class boys school. He settles easily into his new school, even managing to experience some grown-up pleasures with a local prostitute. He enjoys his new freedom and intellectual stimulation, finding his new environment preferable to the staid life of home, and his new friends more sophisticated than his country parents. He meets two intellectually confident boys, Beineberg, a spiritualist philosopher, and Reiting, a logicalist mathematician, both budding into youthful ideologues, both naively experimental and both youthfully extreme. Torless is drawn to their dominant personalities, and the three form a small club, meeting secretly in an attic storage room, which the rest of the school has long forgotten.

Another boy, Basini, weak-willed and rather spineless, is caught robbing. The boys have heard his mother called "Excellency" during a visit, but for some reason Basini cannot support himself financially. To find money, he borrows it from his friends, but when he cannot repay one, he borrows from another, in an endless deception. Reiting and Beineberg catch Basini at his game, and decide to blackmail him into servitude, exhibiting the casual cruelty boys so naturally inflict upon each other. Each boy tortures Basini according to his own ideology, the philosophical Beineberg trying to manipulate his soul, the mathematical Reiting trying to demonstrate universal theories of humanity. The torture is not just psychological, but also physical, and even sexual. The entire business confuses Torless at first, and shocks him further the more he sees, ultimately forcing him to take sides. Will he join the game as well, or defend Basini himself, or leave all three to their fate? Will Torless adopt the heartless exploratory endeavors of his two intellectual and stimulating friends, or will he rediscover the old-fashioned morals of his common-place parents? And where are the adults during this brutish tableau? Will Torless surrender his friends to the school's authorities, possibly fanning the flames some more? No matter what path Torless might choose, it is clear the outcome will be dramatic.

The writing itself is first-class. An educated psychologist, and an academic contemporary of Sigmund Freud, Robert Musil demonstrates great skill describing his characters and settings. The boys are drawn in perfect psychological illustrations of reality, the plot episodes effective and well-conceived, and the entire book superbly executed. Contemporary readers will recognize the same struggle in Torless that William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" would explore a half-century later (1954): How do undisciplined youth behave in the absense of guardians?

In "Lord of the Flies", after descending into deadly primitivism, the youth can only be rescued by outside forces. In "Torless", however, the choice rests upon the shoulders of Torless himself, making this drama far more compelling than Golding's. If not for a few brief sexual episodes, the book might be much more widespread among high schools than "Lord of the Flies". Nothing in "Torless" reaches even a portion of the gratuitous frankness of popular culture today, so I only hope more schools will open their eyes to this superior tale soon. The realistic school-house drama of "Torless" speaks more effectively to the modern reader than Golding's abstract fantasy island. This book can easily be recommended to anyone interested in the themes at the heart of this concise (160pp) and well-written novel: the moral struggles of adolescence, the tension of values between a "simple country upbringing" and the "sophisticated upper-class", and the ideologically destructive potential of both ill-conceived philosophy and pseudo-science.

I have never thought that a book written especially for youngsters could bring tears to my eyes ' This book actually has done this and not only once 'Maybe, it is because I found myself in a bit of an unstable period while reading this story, but I was really surprised that the choice of words by Robert Westall made me a little emotional at times. On the other hand, main character Harry Baguley's strong will to survive and his sense of humour never left him, so there was enough that made me smile. I loved the frequently used nice expressions and metaphors in the story and I was really touched by the beautiful description of Harry's journey back to his hometown, by car in less than an hour. The whole story passes in review, but backwards.
What I DID NOT LIKE nor understood was the way the story ended. The book left me with a very unsatisfied and indignant feeling. I had to peruse the first chapters again to see what I had missed ' but even then, I could not find any indications.

After all, I am very curious if the story has the same effect on young people as it has had on me '

Criticism of "A kingdom by the Sea."

The book A Kingdom by the Sea reaches out to the reader. I the book a boy's family gets bombed in the 1940's along Britain and he's the only one who survives. Throughout the novel the young boy, Harry Baguley, is on a quest to survive with his new dog. One good "plus" about the novel is the author every once in a while throws out some good action scenes which really allures the readers. Another plus is that in the novel, every conflict leads to another. For example, when the annoying Corporal Merman finds Harry's pillbox, Artie fights with him and teaches him a lesson. A minus is that the author all of a sudden throws out different information, at first it's good, but then it gets annoying. Another minus is that in the first 20 pages, the author makes it difficult for the reader to understand what he is trying to emphasized.
Some advice for the author is to make the ending a little more interesting and a little less boring. The plot is an alright one, but along the middle there could be more action such as conflict or maybe even fights. Otherwise the novel exhorted a good sense of conflict and action

For my independent reading book this month, I decided to read:

The Kingdom by the Sea By Robert Westall

I chose this book for two reasons:

First of all, when I read the summary on the back cover, I realised that the story was a fight for survival.

At the moment, we are studying all about survival stories and survival methods in English Literature.

Secondly, the story takes place in England, during World War 2.

I am very interested in books and films about World War 2 because my grandfather was a young German soldier in this war.

When I was younger, he always used to tell me stories about how he survived the war. He was only a young man of 17 when he was sent to the front lines of Russia to fight for his country. I used to listen to his tales eagerly, trying to imagine how he could possibly survive all the danger he lived through.

The Kingdom by the Sea looks at World War 2 from another angle. This time, through the eyes of a 12 year old English boy, the same age that I am now.

Harry Baguely lived in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in England during the war. His town was bombed regulary by the German Luftwaffe. One night, he had just made it safely to a bomb shelter, when a bomb drops on his home and wipes out his family and house. Left alone and unsure what the future will bring, he runs away. The story follows his fight for survival, along with a stray dog, who joins him on the way.

The story helped me to understand what life was like during World War 2 and how you can't trust everybody you meet. Each chapter makes you want to read on to see what happens to Harry. There's also an amazing twist to the story at the end. I could read this book again!

I have read every book in the Clearwater Crossing series. I like them a lot and it only takes me a few hours to read them. This book was really good. If you are thinking of reading the Clearwater books, start with book one, because you won't understand all what is going on. I am anxious to read book 19 to find out more about Nicole and her new brother or sister, more about Miguel and Leah, Ben and Bernie, Jesse, Melanie, and Melanie's dad's job. I also want to read more about Jenna joining Guy's band, and especially Caitlin and David's wedding plans!!! Clearwater Crossing rocks!

I love this book, and all the other ones as well! It was about Melanie leaving Jesse when they finally were back together. And when Miguel helps out at the hospital and with Leah and is having so much fun over the summer. Nicole's mom's having a baby and she is so embaressed, but Jenna tells her how lucky she is. And how she's gonna have this cute little person in the house. And I thought, Just another one of her fabulous books! After I read that #20 is going to be the last one, I felt so sad! It's like one those books that you can never put down, you know? The books are so real, and you feel the characters too. That's how good the books are! I don't know how I'll ever find another series as good as this one. And if the author is reading, to me you are my favorite author! Thanx for writing!

Like the last few books in this series, I have to say that this one is so good! Things just continue to look up for everyone in Prime Eight.

If you're familiar with the series, it's not hard to say that you seem to know each character. However, in this book, I felt myself feeling proud of some characters- like Jesse, for how he seems to have cleaned up his life, and Miguel buying a house for his family. I felt happy for Melanie, who especially has faced difficult times in the past. All that seems to be changing, as she has found happiness with Jesse, her father has quit drinking, and she's gotten to know more of her family. Even Nicole, despite her constant obsession to lose weight, it showing a glimmer of hope that she might change her attitude about somethings- maybe.

Though this is a Christian series, Peter and Jenna have really been the only ones to practise their faith. However, besides Melanie's increased interest in the Bible, Leah has also started to question some facts she has always known as science. Since one of the reasons I was originally interested in this series was because of it's Christian content, I was pleased to read in this book how at least there is somewhat of a Christian focus.

If you're a fan of the Clearwater Crossing series, this book is a fantastic- and welcome- addition. My only disappointment was how is seemed to focus on particular characters. Ben, though not the most interesting, was hardly mentioned, and Peter also was more in the background this time. However, it was still a terrific read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Young creates two essays; one that recalls George Robert Twelves Hewes participation in nearly every important event of the Am. Revolution, a sort of Forrest Gump of his time, and one that delves into the existance of historical memory- the true service of this book.

Young relates the events of Hewes life through contemporary biographers who had on hand the last of the revolutionary warriors. Contemporaries, intent on justifying and embellishing the memory of the revolutionary fathers, left a clear track of what the people of 19th century America wanted to know and to believe about their forebearers. It matters little that it would have been extremely unlikely that Hewes was present at every event he recalled.

That is Young's point. Sometimes, the story tells us as much about the historian and the market for his writing as it does about the event being recorded. Historical interpretation is recollection of events and placing them in context. Even immediately after an event, the eyewitness accounts vary. Today's historian may fall prey to superimposing current attitudes and values on prior events as those these are determinants.

Young's Shoemaker is a valuable caution to interpreters of history.

Alfred Young's book is a well-written example of how ordinary people shaped the Revolution. History tends to limit itself to the "Great Men" of the time, but sometimes an ordinary person like George Robert Twelves Hewes finds himself recorded into history. In this case, Hewes just happened to outlive many of the others who fought in the Revolution, and his experiences managed to live on in two biographies written about him while he was still alive. But Hewes is only part of the story. The rest of the book details how certain events of the Revolution have been forgotten (or at least not celebrated) such as the tar-and-feathering of John Malcolm. Young's book is striking and poignant, and it is written in a curt manner. I would suggest this book to anybody who has an interest in the American Revolution.

How did the idea of a revolution take hold among those who cared little about a tax on tea? The story of an apprentice shoemaker, (the lowest of the trades, we learn) who, one year humbles himself at the house of a successful Bostonian businessman, and, the next year refuses to doff his hat to a British ship's captain on the street. What changed him? Divided into two parts, the first half of this book is excellent, the second half less so. More academic than a pop history, but still a good read, I'm glad I bought it. The kind of book that leaves you feeling you learned something and read a good book at the same time.

this is a good book.....the part with leah and miguel makes me a bit sad, i actually cried while i read it. since they're graduating, it was bringing out my own feelings about my graduation in june. but its still a good book, just cause a book makes u cry doesn't mean its bad. :-)

Don't Look Back is another fantastic read by Laura Peyton Roberts and I highly recommend it to teenagers.

As this is the finale to Clearwater Crossing, we see the lives of the eight members of Eight Prime evolving for the better. Miguel is headed for a bright future in Clearwater University, and has succeeded in his dream of providing a good home for his mother and sister. Leah is filled with bittersweet feelings as she prepares to attend her aspired college while also preparing to leave the town, friends and family that she loves. Peter, as the leader of Eight Prime, strives to lead the group as best as he can, and also strives to provide a warm and loving home for Jason. Jenna is full of satisfaction with her life at this moment, as she continues singing in the band and takes on the new responsibility of being the oldest Conrad sister living at home. Melanie has finally found the contentment and peace that she so desperately yearned for in the beginning of the series. She finally experiences the love of her father, of Jesse, and has managed to fully overcome the grief of her mother's death to look at life anew. She decides to attend the bible-study class that Peter invited her to, showing that she is willing to explore the doubts she faces about Christianity.

While Melanie's life makes a turn for the better, Jesse feels a sense of belonging in his family at last. Nicole also manages to deal with her low self-esteem and her concern with physical appearance. Still in shock over the fact that he has a girlfriend, Ben is no longer as ashamed of himself as before.

As you read this book, you will be filled with mixed emotions. A sense of happiness will fill you as the members of Eight Prime seem to be leading meaningful lives, while a feeling of disappointment will be felt as you realize this is the last book in the series.

However, one negative aspect of the book is that the problems faced by the different characters at the beginning of the series seemed to be solved at too fast a pace. This made it seem rather unrealistic. I wish the series would continue so that readers can find out more about how Eight Prime continue with their lives and how they cope with future problems. Loose ends could be tied up too!

I stumbled across these books by chance in my local library, and have learned to like them. This book is actually about and ending point in the Eight Prime. Leah is going away to college, and Miguel is too, only he'll be at the community college, so he won't be that far away. Finally Nicole starts to have a little faith in herself, but I think she still has some hurtles to overcome, and I think the next few books are going to be tough on her cause everyone knows that the only reason she is on the squad is because Melanie quit. But it's cool that her and Gail are finally starting to work out their problems, and are starting to become real good friends. I think Gail could totally help Nicole realize that it's not about looks. I love the part in this book where Nicole dumbs her man!! ( I think his name is Neil but I can't remember right now) He was mad hitting on Gail at Melanie's pool party, and Nicole just got sick of it cause he was using her anyway.
Melanie is my favorite character, because unlike most cheerleaders, she's not shallow and self asorbed. I wish she wouldn't have quit, cause she was the best, and she did deserve to be there instead of crybaby Nicole. Melanie is so sweet!! She's really nice, and so is Jesse. But hey, at least next year she'll be captain, then maybe Nicole will finally have a sweet caring friend who isn't brainless!!
Jesse is cool as ever too. He is working out his problems with his family, and helps out Brittany (Bee as he calls her) I think Brit is really cool, and hopefully will be mentioned in the later series.
The whole Jenna and Peter thing is as it always is. I always find their plot lines so boring and unrealistic, just plain revolting. Them and their do good ways are so freaking boring!!!! Peyton should have Jenna do something really bad in the upcoming books, and make a really cool twist in the plot, cause Jenna and Peter need some spice in their lives.

Oh well there you go. Can't wait for the next books, and I hope that Leah comes back for a visit real soon, cause her a Miguel are cool!!!