In the book The Not Just Anybody Family, Junior was jumping off their barn and in the book, The Blossoms Meet the Vulture Lady, Junior is up to something again. I would say that this book is a 5th or 6th grade reading level. One more thing, the vulture lady's name is Mad Mary but she is not mad. Read this book if you like the Blossoms and their weird adventures.

This unusual story comes right in the middle of the Not-Just-Anybody series. Some of the other titles are funnier (The Not-Just-Anybody Family) and some are even more touching (Wanted: Mud Blossom), but none is more effective in depicting friendship and expanding our sympathies outward.

Junior makes a most unusual friend--a homeless woman whose use for vultures I won't even mention. The way we come to appreciate her and see that everybody IS somebody is done subtly and gracefully.

It's a great read-aloud. Byars is a master and this series is her masterpiece.

In "The Blossoms Meet the Vulture Lady," you will learn that you shouldn't always judge a book by its cover. If you like books about adventure you will love this book. You won't be able to put it down!

This was just a s what I was looking for in a scrapbook! if you like fill in books, journals or scrapbook, this is a must have! If you like this book, get My Life According To Me and Pages And Pockets. Pages and Pockets is even better!

This journal was fun and interesting to do. All of my friends love it! I really like putting pictures of things in my life in this book. It is a must buy.

This book is a must have!! It's the most beautiful book I've ever seen

This was a very inspirational book. Barbara Jordan's life was really incredible and the reason she accomplished as much as she did had to do with her innate abilities as well as her willingness to deal with the enemy. She kept her overriding goal utmost - the welfare of the people of East Texas.

Lots of what she experienced and spoke out against we see today. We could really use her moral voice of authority. She is missed.

This is a well written and effective biography of one of America's most amazing personalities. Mary Beth Rodgers tells Jordan's story with the advantage of being an insider; her access to those who knew Jordan well shows in her insightful and complete telling of Jordan's life.

Jordan is widely remembered by her public persona, the booming orator from Texas - the intellectual constitutional scholar who presided over Nixon's impeachment. But element that makes this biography compelling is Rodgers' depiction of the wheeling and dealing that allowed Jordan to cross barriers and operate effectively in the good-old-boy white male backrooms of the Texas Senate. We get to see Jordan the idealist armed with the constitution in our nation's capital, but we also get to see Jordan the pragmatist cutting deals over a scotch in Austin Texas.

An effective biography of an amazing American figure.

I'm glad that Jordan is not hear to see how the gov't of the people, for the people, by the people has been so completely perverted by special interests and neo patriots, such as George W. Bush and John Ashcroft. I was only a boy, when like many, I was captivated by this incredible person. She gave me hope that govt could actually serve the people. This book does a great job to capture her spirit and remind us that govt was once a tool and not force for opression.

This book has one serious flaw. It is this man's opinon. He is not a prophet. His authority is "20 years of teaching sunday school". Some of his assertions border on fantasy. The true test of this man's opinons is found in the scripture, where the prophets say that the way to know if a man is a true prophet is if the things he says come to pass. We DO need to be prepared but Mr. Young instills a false sense of hysteria and paranoia. He uses many scriptures, but in the end Mr. Young merely speculates on them. Probably the most true part of this book is his discussion of a prophecy by George Albert Smith. We should listen to the prophets and heed their counsels, especially if they go against what Mr. Young has here stated in his book. Be prepared, but not paranoid!

Brother Young has actually taken the command to "Search the Scriptures" with complete Spirit and with accuracy!
The time of waiting for answers is over Brothers and Sisters..
Yes..Follow the Prophets with all your Heart..and Read Brother Young's series of Great Books and Pray about them..I did!!

(...)

This book, in conjunction with the others in the series, provides significant insight into the expected events of the last days before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Everything Roger outlines in his books is entirely based on scripture and the words of the prophets. When he deviates from the written word of god, he is very clear to state the he is doing so and invites the reader to make his or her own judgements. I am thankful that my family and I have been blessed with this material. It has helped us prepare more thoroughly, for possible future events, than we otherwise would have. Rogers' books are the culmination of about ten years of personal research and study. I know that I don't now, nor will I ever, have that kind of time to invest in this sort of research. Without Rogers' books, I never would have known so well what is to come. Thanks, Roger!

It might be that I read "Smith" after "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" and "Farmer Giles of Ham" and therefore this book suffered in the comparison. Many reviewers praise this book as one of Tolkien's great works, but I'll have to risk to disagree. The main idea of the story is a good one, a sweet, simple little fairy tale, but the writing lacks the tightness and the joy of language evident in the Bombadil poems and doesn't display any of the charming wit found in the pages of "Farmer Giles." I found the Smith's wanderings in the land of Faery to be without true purpose and cohesion. The revealing of the true nature of Alf the Master Cook was not sufficient diversion to raise this story above others. I would read this book to a child for a bedtime story without a problem, but I would probably not read it again myself for entertainment. I like everything that Tolkien writes, but this one falls short of high honors because it has sugary prose, but little substance. I suggest you borrow it from the library.

For a girl named Eowyn, it may sound sacreligious to claim that anything rates above The Lord Of The Rings in my mind, but Smith does. There is a purity, a simplicity in form, and a brilliantly honest charm in this tale that matches and surpasses any other of Tolkien's writings. Something of a classic, traditional, and yet also thoroughly original fairy, pardon faery tale shines through any of it's varied covers, making it the star of any shelf.

This short, lovely, late tale by Tolkien is not only a fine fairy tale, but a poetic meditation on the craft and Art of the fantasy writer - the Myth Maker. Enjoyable simply as a story for readers of any age, it offers quiet and rich rewards to those who wish to read more deeply. If possible, look for the earlier edition with the original Pauline Baynes illustrations. A reminder that true fantasy ultimately deals with the Mysteries ...

I only vaguely remember this book, from reading it just after it had come out. Yet to meet anyone who has read it who wasn't intrigued. The book has a fascinating, dream-like quality, and only a weak, confusing ending mars a superbly written "good-and-evil" YA novel.

this has been one of my favorite books since i first found it in the town library when I was ten. yes, that was only six years ago, but it still blows me away every time that I read it. It's a hard book to describe because the writing, not style-wise, but appreciation wise, is similar to A.A. Milne in the sense that kids can easily understand it, but those looking for crafted beauty in the words find it. Here's a sample: "It took me a long journey, two thousand miles, to learn to dig a post hole and to hoe a long row, to plant a tree, to kill a chicken and to build a stone wall, but the soil here is not like Wessex soils, the trees are stunted, the rivers run dry and the hillsides are clad in thick, coarse scrub covering the ancient conformations."

A Tale of Troy is the easy way of reading Homer's Iliad. It's the same story, but under 300 pages and is more user friendly. A Tale of Troy describes the beginning and end of the Trojan War. It retells from the Iliad the stories of Achilles, Hector, Odysseus and his later adventures home, and many other fascinating stories. The only downside to this book is that since it is a simplified version of The Iliad, to fully understand some of the dialoue and references a reader mus know some backround of Greeks and Roman mythology(You can still enjoy the book without even heard of Zeus before, but the story goes better when you know about The Olympian War etc.)This book is great for any young teen between 13-15 who likes adventure and action.

In this fantastic, beautifully-crafted story, mythology expert Roger Lancelyn Green weaves the tale of the last big "Hoorah" of the Heroic age. Green's colorfully-written portrayal of the fantastic battles fought by Greece against the wicked Troy is a must-have for any avid reader! He describes in vivid detail the bravest heroes of the age, from clever and cunning Odysseus to brave and strong Achilles, who fight zealously to win back the tender Helen, told to be the most beautiful woman in the world, but stolen by the evil city of Troy. Sit back and marvel as you witness the ongoing struggle between cities, each fight sequence written to put you right in the action in this absolutely fabulous book that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

I'm using this book for my first college physics course. I find the text very dry and boring, and the problems at the end of each chapter are confusing and not well explained. For example, I'm doing my homework and one of the problems is "speculate on how gaseous diffusion works." Just that, does not explain what gaseous diffusion is. As with many of the problems in this book, the first thing that comes into my mind is "what the hell are you talking about??" Another question asks me to compare the length of something to "the diameter of a molecule." Huh? What molecule? Are all molecules the same diameter? And how the heck am I supposed to know what that diameter is? Gah. I do not recommend this book unless you like being confused.

Also, the discussion questions at the end of each chapter are very nice, but the answers are not provided anywhere. So how are you supposed to know if you answered them correctly? And another thing I really hate about this book, it will say "and why do you think this happens?" and then not tell you why. About 90% of the time my answer is "I have no clue why that happened." :/ This book makes me hate physics.

I bought this book because I thought is was "College Physics" by Sears. Well, it isn't. This looks, feels and reads like a high school textbook - if you're looking for a serious, academic-level introduction to physics, then don't buy this. Its full of pictures and "real life" examples that are intended to spare the student any effort and save him/her from abstract thought. Much is lost because of this, and we're left with a bunch of pictures and stories about the authors' flying hobby.

Don't buy this, please, I regret it everytime I see it sitting uselessly next to the open copy of the Sears book I loaned from the library.

Excellent!! I'm studying in Form 7 and going to take my Advanced Level Examinations this year. No other reference book avaliable in Hong Kong better than University Physics. The content are very well organized and the examples are extremely useful. I'm sure that you won't be disappointed after you buy this book.

AVENGERS FOREVER can be a little daunting for the uninitiated. The modern Marvel Universe dates back to the 1961 release of FANTASTIC FOUR #1. Since then, thousands of monthly Marvel comics have painted an epic tableau of colorful heroes, villains and settings. AVENGERS FOREVER writer Kurt Busiek and artist Carlos Pacheco delve into this tableau without apology, digging out all kinds of obscure Marvel historical factoids, obscure characters and events.

The result is one heck of an awesome story. Seven time-lost members of the Marvel super team, the Avengers, are called upon to save history as they know it. Their old adversaries, Kang and Immortus (the same guy from two different periods in his life--told you it was dense!) are seeking to manipulate history to their ends, Immortus by killing Rick Jones, a normal human who has long been associated with the Avengers and who poses a threat to Immortus' plans.

The Avengers chosen for the mission are an eclectic group. Two from the present of the team (Giant Man and Wasp), three from the past (Yellowjacket, a weary Captain America taken from a pivotal point in his career, and Hawkeye) and two from the future (Captain Marvel and Songbird).

The heroes embark on a long journey through time to several crucial moments in Marvel and Avengers history. To the Old West, where they meet several of Marvel's long-forgotten western heroes. To a post-apocalyptic future where they meet a band of freedom fighters (led by an old, wise Black Panther and the brash Killraven, hero of an obscure 70's sci-fi comic series) battling an alien invasion. To the 50's in the McCarthy era. To the distant future. Ultimately the Avengers must do battle with a group of enigmatic beings who have made a judgment that flies directly in the face of the Avengers' very reason for existing.

It's a great story that I think any fan of comics would enjoy tremendously. I know a lot about Marvel history, but I'm no completist. Even though I'm not a walking Marvel Encyclopaedia, I still enjoyed this story tremendously. It's one of the best comic series of the past several years and not to be missed. If you enjoy epic tales and quests with the exploits of heroes and diabolical villains, AVENGERS FOREVER is the book for you.

Avengers Forever is the be all, end all story of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. This is one of those stories that no matter how many times you read it, no matter how many years pass, you'll always find something you didn't catch the first time around. This epic covers over 35 years of Avengers history, making the bad stories good, and the good stories great, fixing all sorts of continuity flaws and bolstering weak points in past stories. Kurt Busiek, Roger Stern, and Carlos Pacheco really pull out all the stops on this one.

The story takes place in the past, present, and the future as Immortus, lord of time, is assigned by the Time Keepers to kill Rick Jones, the sidekick of the Hulk, Captain America, the first Captain Marvel, and Rom the Space Knight; the same Rick Jones who inadvertently led to the formation of the Avengers. Rick possesses the Destiny Force, a latent psychic power that will evolve in humans over the centuries. Welcome to the Destiny War!

To stop Immortus, Rick recruits a ragtag team of Avengers from different eras. From the present, Giant Man and the Wasp, who becomes the de facto leader of this team. From the future, Songbird--a reformed Avengers villain whom they do not trust--and the third Captain Marvel--the son of the first one--who is withholding pertinent information from his allies during this struggle. And, mining his rich knowledge of Avengers history, Busiek uses Captain America, who is demoralized and disillusioned with his country; Hawkeye, who returned to his bow-slinging ways after a brief stint as the second Goliath; and Yellow Jacket, a.k.a. a mentally unstable Hank Pym, who will become the Giant Man of the present. If there isn't enough dissention in the ranks, the Avengers must team up with two of their deadliest adversaries: the Supreme Intelligence and Kang the Conqueror, who is destined to become Immortus one day, a fate he hopes to prevent.

In the final battle, every single Avenger from every different timeline battles Immortus and his legion of evil Avengers. Some characters were created exclusively for this series, but the majority of them have been seen before, some briefly, some you never thought you'd ever see again like the 1950s Avengers and the Egyptian Avengers (read the book). There are so many references throughout Avengers history that there is a page of footnotes at the end of every other chapter. This one has it all! Even Lex Luthor (like I said, read the book).

A stickler for continuity, Busiek clears up the origins of both the Vision and the original Human Torch, something that really needed to be addressed. He also manages to work out a few bugs from "The Crossing," the Avengers storyline of five years ago where Iron Man became evil, not to mention threw continuity to the wind. He does all of this with respect; no story is desecrated (i.e., such as the wretched Spider-clone storyline, which is still hurting Spider-man to this day) but improved and clarified (i.e., the aforementioned Vision/ Torch storyline and the classic Kree-Skrull War, which in many ways, inspired this tale). Since Marvel seems to have no continuity these days, it would behoove them to make Busiek their continuity editor.

Pacheco's art is phenomenal; he really gets a chance to strut his stuff, placing long-lost characters here and there, as well as making a few in-jokes, too (i.e., pay attention to a future version of Rick Jones' poncho and belt). He really gives definitive Avengers artist George Perez a run for his money by drawing a lot of characters in the story without making it feel cluttered.

And, of course, co-writer Roger Stern wrote some of the greatest Avengers tales during his long stint on the book from the 1980s. He kept Busiek on course during the creation of this masterpiece and embellished the flow of the story.

There are so many subtleties and references to Avengers and Marvel history that this review cannot begin to do it justice. All in all, a great Avengers story, THE Avengers story, something every Avengers fan must get their hands on. If you read just one Avengers story ever, this must be it!

In Avengers Forever, Kurt Busiek, Roger Stern and especially Carlos Pacheco explore a rich and accurate story of the fabled Avengers. Basically it starts of a little confusing but it wraps itself up so well. You honestly get a great sense of character development even if you haven't been reading the book for the past 30 years. And if you have, the surprises are abundant! *Spoiler Part* It pretty well focuses on the the Time Keepers conning Immortus into eradicating the human race to preserve their own survival. Your basic hypocrisy there. We're led to believe that Rick Jones posseses the Destiny Force. A force that allows humans to reach their full potential. And because of this a good chunk of humanities realities become tyranical universe expanding empires. This doesn't bode well for the preservation of the Time Keepers so they decide to kill Rick Jones and the entire human race in all realities. To defend himself from this, Rick Jones uses the Destiny Force to summon seven Avengers to help him. Yellow Jacket (a split personality of they young Hank Pym), a disillusioned Captain America, future versions of the new Captain Marvel & Songbird, Present incarnations of Hank Pym (Giant Man) and the Wasp, and Hawkeye after his days as Goliath. Basically they are there to protect Jones in the timestream with the help of the most unlikely of allies Kang (who is fighting from turning into Immortus in the Future), the Kree Supreme Intellegence and the mysterious Libra. The Avengers take a run through time and limbo to defeat Immortus and end up altering the face of their destinies forever. This series also spawned the spectacular new series Captain Marvel. So if you're looking for a classic Avengers tale with stunning art and beautiful scripting take a gander at Avengers Forever. Pacheco keeps his storytelling clean and easy while Busiek & Stern pull together the Avengers rich history to make a monumental stroke of sequential genius. Definitely a must for any Avengers fan!

Mr. Wroe has annointed himself "The Prophet" of a small group of Christian Israelites" at the end of the 1800's. Claiming to hear the voice of God whispering in his ear, Mr. Wroe preaches the approach of doomsday, the end of the world. As the Prophet of God, he quotes, "The Lord has instructed me to take of your number, seven virgins for comfort and succor."

Of the numerous young women gathered before him, he chooses Joanna, sisters Rachel and Rebecca, Hannah, an unbeliever, Dinah, a cripple, Martha, a mute, and Leah, an unwed mother. As part of the bargain, Leah brings her infant into the home under the guise of a foundling.

The young women soon fall into their natural order, performing household tasks, laundering, planting a vegetable garden, their days filled with neverending chores. Occasionally, Mr. Wroe takes some of the girls along when he preaches to the townspeople, who are mostly illiterate mill workers. Mr. Wroe also requires that one of the virgins read from the Bible to him each evening.

The story is related through the eyes of four of the girls: Joanna, Hannah, Leah and Martha. Joanna is pious, constantly praying for guidance, while Hannah is skeptical but helpful, and Leah opportunistic, with a child to care for. Martha, the mute, eventually finds a means of expression through Joanna's patient teaching; she relives her past while preparing for the future. The story takes an interesting turn when one of the girls makes shocking allegations. Consequently, the household of virgins is disbanded, each left to find her own way.

As a religious period piece, the story creates a particular atmosphere of candle light, rustling petticoats and starched linens, as well as the crackling pages of a well worn Bible.

The best way to describe this book is "Atwood lite". The premise and early telling of the tale are interesting, with promising characters. About halfway through, the book unfortunately shifts into a predictable tale of jealousy and longing. Rather than allowing the characters to develop (which one would expect through the multiple first person perspectives), the plot is pushed forward with clumsy devices. Still, some characters remain intriguing, and the pages turn quickly. This book is ideal for people who are used to reading best-sellers, and want slightly more literary value.

Jane Roger's ISLAND impressed me so much that I began to look for some of her other works -- MR WROE'S VIRGINS is the first one I came across. It didn't disappoint. Rogers has done an amazing job retelling/reinventing the story of the 'real' John Wroe -- her prose and characterizations are excellent, and the technique of using multiple narrators is extremely effective and enlightening.

Told from the point of view of four women -- four of the 'virgins' taken into the home of Prophet John Wroe, 'for comfort and succor' -- but never from that of Wroe himself, Rogers' novel goes beyond simply telling a story. The voices of these four women are individual and distinct. The sections of the story they each relate overlap in time a bit, and their various points of view illuminate descrepancies in the way they view the events depicted here.

Leah is a beautiful, haughty, self-centered young woman -- she is sure in her own mind that she is the most beautiful and desirable of the seven chosen, and she is determined to play this to her own advantage. She sees her 'sisters' as competition, and she views their motives -- innocent though most of them may be -- with great suspicion, seeing and imagining things not quite as they actually are at times.

Hannah is an unbeliever, thrown in with this group of Christian Israelites, feeling much like a fish out of water. Rather than accepting Mr. Wroe's dire predictions of the imminent end of the world -- Judgement Day -- she instead sees the answer to humanity's woes through education, through working together for the common good. These beliefs lead her to working with the poor of the town, teaching them to read, attempting to raise their social and political consciousness, and getting involved in the birth of the trade union movement in England.

Joanna -- Saint Joanna, as she is called by most of the other women -- is completely devoted, in heart, body and soul, to God and to Mr. Wroe's movement. She views every single event in her life through scriptural interpretaion, bending to God's will every chance she gets. From the opposite end of the scale, her view is thus just as skewed as that of Leah.

Martha -- the fourth narrator -- comes to the house as a mute, obviously horribly beaten and abused by her father at home, who has seen Mr. Wroe's call for seven virgins to serve him as an easy way to rid himself of a daughter he doesn't want, a burden. Martha's narrative is, for me, the most striking in the novel. At first, it comes in fragments, little bursts of words, the most rudimentary images and feelings. As the novel progresses, Martha's thoughts and expression become more organized -- she is being taught speech and hymns by 'Saint Joanna', who evidently possesses the patience of Job -- and the horrors of her earlier life, which she sees as so completely separate that she thinks of it as happening to the 'other Martha', become clearer and clearer. The abuse and suffering she has endured is unbelievable and heartbreaking -- and it explains her temperament, which could at times be seen as epileptic or schizophrenic. This is an incredibly damaged young woman.

As the Prophet of his church, Mr. Wroe weilds immense power and influence. He hears instructions and illuminations directly from God, almost on a nightly basis -- even with a council of Elders to aid in governing the affairs of the church, Wroe's word is practically law. Living in a house with seven young women, it is inevitable that suspicions and accusations begin to mount -- the novel is set, after all, in 1830s England, a much more puritanical society that we enjoy today. Wroe himself is tempted by the presence of the women as well -- and this temptations, combined with his human frailty, lead to much trouble for him and his church.

Rogers skills in both narrating this tale -- and, again, the use of the four narrators is done to stunning effect -- share the spotlight here with her ability to convey the contradictions inherit in organized religion in general. When one person -- or even a group of persons -- holds such power and influence over their 'followers', there is bound to be trouble. The weight of the organization's purpose is too much for a leader to bear. When the people rely on a human leader to tell them how to follow the will of God -- rather than listening to their own hearts and finding their own path -- that leader's humanity will almost inevitably lead to disaster.

The novel is very 'heady' -- but at the same time very readable, being compelling and entertaining. It's a wonderful achievement. Knowing that Rogers wrote the script for the BBC's adaptation of the novel, I'd be very interested to see that as well.