A true fairy tale begins in Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield's life! Their going to spend their summer as "au pairs" for a royal family! After their long trip Jessica meets the love of her life and Elizabeth, what will she do about Todd when she meets the handsome prince? Royal Family, Balls, and whole "new" wonderful summer ahead of them! This book is full of fantasy and romance!

this is a brilliant book partly because its a bit different from the others with the fact that the twins are in France. its quite like a fairytale as it follows the same lines of the'perfect girl who has to work meets perfect boy'thing.

This book is full of fantasy and romance. As soon as you start reading it you won't want to put it down. But if you buy this book, buy the other two in the series aswell you'll go mad trying to think what happened next!

How weird
I would give into the dream 4 stars.

It's about a boy named Paul that never pays a tension in class that a girl named Francine that has a lot of friends to hang around with. They both are from different parts of the same town. Having the same dream. The dream is about this little boy who is following this light. The little boy is named Noah. Paul and Francine have to find out who the boy is and what is following him. Paul and Francine go through a whole lot of things to go through before the end of the book.
Paul and Noah the little boy in the dream are running away from two who they think are bad people. Paul, Francine. Noah, and cookie the family dog are all telepathic. So they can read each other's thoughts. That's how they all communicate. Because Noah can't speak. Paul and Noah are on the Ferris wheel. When all of a sudden the cart poll broke off and they are hanging crooked but that is all I'm saying because you should read this book to find what really happens. It's exiting, sad, confusing, and a little funny, and a lot of helpers too. A lot of color, and pictures, but that are my thoughts. There are a lot of problems that Francine and Paul have. they both get in trouble. So watch out for this magical book in your school library or bookstore. Maybe there will be a sequel. By Valerie .

I first read this book when I was in 3rd grade, now in my Senior year of high school, I still love to read it on rainy days. It allows children to open up to the parapsychology realm without too many shocking corners. The best part is when the characters are in the amusement park. The addition of a telepathic canine adds a humorous air to the story

People should read "Into the Dream" because a lot of parts are very intense. I had no trouble understanding the plot. It wasn't very long so it's easy to finish. There are two people that are having the same dream every night. They know somrthing bad is going to happen. Find out the problem when you read it!

This book is awesome! If you're the kind of person who likes a bit of romace,suspense,and mystery that keeps you doing a reading marathon this is it! It's about cheerleaders that need an after school adviser,thats a school staff member, because of a recent rule,and decide to choose the librarian,Nancy Swanson, but being the cheerleaders advisor brings back highschool memories about how cheerleaders destoyed her life in highschool in 1976 and decides to get revenge.

This book is one of my favorite books period! I think that it is the best SVH book I've read yet! It is an absulute thriller, and will keep you on the edge of your seat. Its not that lame Goast and Goblin thing, but something that could really happen. When you read this book, you won't know what will happen next, the ending will especially surprize you. In the book you will find out how a heart-broken woman tries to take revenge from her past on modern cheerleaders. This is a garenteed enjoyment! But this book! Trust me!

R For Revenge is a Sweet Valley High thriller that lives up to it's name. The story is fast paced and exciting.

When Sweet Valley High decides that al student activites at school need chaperones, the cheerleaders are forced to find a new supervisor. But with Jessica and Heather, the cocaptains, fighting over a hunky photogrpaher helping to do a magazine story on their squad and cheerleaders going missing, they might all get more than they bargained for.

Recommended for girls aged 12-15.

a good read, but can be confusing for kids. It takes a while to comprehend all of the Shakespearian langauge, but is very interesting. It is boring at parts.

The Winter's Tale contains some of the most technically difficult solutions to telling a story that have ever appeared in a play. If you think you know all about how a play must be constructed, read The Winter's Tale. It will greatly expand your mind.

The play opens near the end of a long visit by Polixenes, the king of Bohemia, to the court of his childhood friend, Leontes, the king of Sicily. Leontes wants his friend to stay one more day. His friend declines. Leontes prevails upon his wife, Hermione, to persuade Polixenes. Hermione does her husband's bidding, having been silent before then. Rather than be pleased that she has succeeded, Leontes goes into a jealous rage in which he doubts her faithfulness. As his jealousy grows, he takes actions to defend his misconceptions of his "abused" honor that in fact abuse all those who have loved him. Unable to control himself, Leontes continues to pursue his folly even when evidence grows that he is wrong. To his great regret, these impulsive acts cost him dearly.

Three particular aspects of the play deserve special mention. The first is the way that Shakespeare ties together actions set 16 years apart in time. Although that sounds like crossing the Grand Canyon in a motorcycle jump, Shakespeare pulls off the jump rather well so that it is not so big a leap. The second is that Shakespeare captures entirely different moods from hilarious good humor to deep depression and remorse closely adjacent to one another. As a result, the audience is able to experience many more emotions than normally are evoked in a single play. Third, the play's final scene is as remarkable a bit of writing as you can imagine. Read it, and marvel!

After you finish reading this play, think about where your own loss of temper has had bad consequences. How can you give yourself time to get under control before acting rashly? How can you learn to be more open to positive interpretations of events, rather than dark and disturbing ones?

Love first, second, and always!

The Winter's Tale is a lot of things: heart-breaking, exhilerating, funny, beautiful, romantic, profound, etc. Yeah, it's all here. This is one of the bard's best plays, and I can't believe they don't teach this in schools. Of course, the ones they teach are excellent, but I can see high school kids enjoying this one a lot more than some of those others (Othello, King Lear).

The story is, of course, brilliant. King Leontes goes into a jealous rage at the beginning against his wife Hermione. Leontes is very mistaken in his actions, and the result is tragic. Shakespeare picks the story back up sixteen years later with the children, and the story works to a really, really surprising end of bittersweet redemption.

This is one of Shakespeare's bests. The first half is a penetrating and devestating, but the second half shows a capacity for salvation from the depths of despair. Also, this being Shakespeare, the blank verse is gorgeous and the characters are well drawn, and the ending is a surprise unparalleled in the rest of his plays. The Winter's Tale is a truly profound and entertaining read.

I love any book that has anything to do with jealousy! It makes it a real page-turner! Elizabeth, one word of advice--Todd is a jerk, snag some bookwormy type like yourself. Wait till Simone finds out what a two-timer he is! Can't wait to read the other two sequels!

Well, it's in this book! I thought it was a excellent book! Gosh i hate Simone and the way todd acts when he becomes a model and forgets about Liz and not to mention, two - times on her! An excellent book and i reckon i could read it over and over again.That's how great it is!

This book was absoulutely awesome! I'm not that heavy of a reader and I've read it a zillion times. This book keeps you on the edge of your the whole entire time. It will definetly make you want to read the other two books in this three part mini series or if this was the first Sweet Valley High book you've ever read it will make you want to read more

I really liked this book. I'm not even a really big book reader but, this book was awesome. I thought this book was a very different book. I had never read a book that had to do with ESP or Mind-reading. I also thought this book was exciting, entertianing, and interesting. If you are a reader or even if you are not I would suggest you read this great book by William Sleator, I couldn't put it down.

Others See Us is a fascinating book about a sixteen year old boy who falls into a toxic waste swamp just before arriving at an annual family gathering, which changes his life. About half an hour later, he begins hearing voices. Voices in his head. He is hearing thoughts. Other people's thoughts. Falling into the swamp made him a mind reader. He later finds that he's not the only reader. Someone in his family, who obviously must know the code to the security system for his house, and exactly where his journal was, stole his journal. He goes reading everybody's mind and finds out what Annelise, the cousin he's been dreaming about all summer long, is really like. She's not the angel everyone thinks she is. She is even responsible for one man's death. Jared and his grandmother, who is also a reader, work together to stop Annelise, after she receives even more power than Jared. A great novel by William Sleator in which he elaboratly describes every situation and predicament very entertainingly. You stay in suspence throughout the whole book. A great read for anyone interested in the subject, and some not. I was told to read it at school, but once I started, I couldn't stop. I couldn't put the book down.

Did you ever wonder if that pretty 13 year old girl was thinking about you while you were thinking about her? When 14 year old Jared falls from his bike into a swamp near his family's summer home, he discovers that he can read minds, and is able to tell how others see him, which is not always a good thing. Do you want to know that somebody thinks you never wash your face and that you act imbelcilic? Jared doesn't either. But Jared also learns why how somebody is breaking ATM codes around town, a feat possible if you can read minds. But if Jared isn't sneaking into people's minds and stealing their access codes then who is? Can somebody else read minds? Does somebody else know that Jared can read minds too? Others See Us is a story about the responsibility that comes with great power. Its a fun and fascinating read. William Sleator must have read my mind before he wrote this, because this is the kind of book I wanted to read

main charcter is actually a very smart, opinated girl that has a lot of depth to her. She has her own peer counseling program and the plot centers around the program trying to be closed because the school board thinks the counseler's are encouraging the students to have sex on prom night. Actually one one of the flaws in this book is that it focuses an awful lot on sex. Rebecca is not a virgin and most of her fellow students are coming in for sex advice. It makes it feels like if you're 16 and a virgin, there is something wrong with you. There are some other charcters such as he two best friend Zoner and Kayla, who have a crush on each other, a deliquant little brother, Peter her ex-boyfriend, Jeff the newspaper editor who she is attracted to, and Eddie a rich guy who has a slight obsession with Rebecca's large breasts. The book is entertaining though and you should check it out. Escpecially if you like to read about the prom, surfing, and strong willed girls.

This was a pretty unique book that was good because some of the charcters were so differant.
Rebecca is the main charcter who runs a peer counseling program at her school. She has just been dumped by her boyfriend and no longer has a date to the prom.
Roger is her younger brother who lives in her shadow and lives for getting in trouble.
Kayla and Zoner are her two best friends who are starting to develop feelings for each other.
Jeff is the handsome editor of the school nespaper who is obsessed with trying to get Peer Counsling Network closed. Maybe to hide his feelings towards Rebecca??
Eddie is a rich, arrogant guy who placed Rebecca in the number 10 spot for most desirable prom dates. He also has a weird fixation on her chest. (Which judging by his comments and the book cover much be huge) He says such things as "Did you wash your hair this morning? It looks kind of flat...unlike the rest of you." and "...you'll be entering the company of a guy who has only the highest esteem for your many breasttaking qualities."

First off, this book is not some great classic or even a minor classic, but it is still a fun read. Don't be folled by the strange cover. At first site it looks like a story about a big chested know-it-all princess. But the main charcter is actually a very smart, opinated girl that has a lot of depth to her. She has her own peer counseling program and the plot centers around the program trying to be closed because the school board thinks the counseler's are encouraging the students to have sex on prom night. Actually one one of the flaws in this book is that it focuses an awful lot on sex. Rebecca is not a virgin and most of her fellow students are coming in for sex advice. It makes it feels like if you're 16 and a virgin, there is something wrong with you. There are some other charcters such as he two best friend Zoner and Kayla, who have a crush on each other, a deliquant little brother, Peter her ex-boyfriend, Jeff the newspaper editor who she is attracted to, and Eddie a rich guy who has a slight obsession with Rebecca's large breasts. The book is entertaining though and you should check it out. Escpecially if you like to read about the prom, surfing, and strong willed girls.

the Oxford Shakespeare has been touted as 'a new conception' of Shakespeare, but is in fact merely an update of the cumbersome old Arden editions. Like these, 'King John' begins with a 100-page introduction, divided into 'Dates and Sources' (full of what even the editor admits is 'tedious' nit-picking of documentary evidence); 'The Text' (the usual patronising conjecture about misprints in the Folio edition and illiterate copyists); 'A Critical Introduction', giving a conventional, but illuminating guide to the drama, its status as a political play dealing with the thorny problem of royal succession, the contemporary legal ambiguities surrounding inheritance, the patterning of characters, the use of language (by characters as political manoeuvring, by Shakespeare to subvert them); and an account of 'King John' 'In the Theatre', its former popularity in the 18th and 19th century as a spectacular pageant, the play distorted for patriotic purposes, and its subsequent decline, presumably for the same reasons. The text itself is full of stumbling, often unhelpful endnotes - what students surely want are explanations of difficult words and figures, not a history of scholarly pedantry. The edition concludes with textual appendices.
The play itself, as with most of Shakespeare's histories, is verbose, static and often dull. Too many scenes feature characters standing in a rigid tableau debating, with infinite hair-cavilling, issues such as the legitimacy to rule, the conjunction between the monarch's person and the country he rules; the finer points of loyalty. Most of the action takes place off stage, and the two reasons we remember King John (Robin Hood and the Magna Carta) don't feature at all. This doesn't usually matter in Shakespeare, the movement and interest arising from the development of the figurative language; but too often in 'King John', this is more bound up with sterile ideas of politics and history, than actual human truths. Characterisation and motivation are minimal; the conflations of history results in a choppy narrative. There are some startling moments, such as the description of a potential blood wedding, or the account of England's populace 'strangely fantasied/Possessed with rumours, full of idle dreams/Not knowing what they fear, but full of fear'. The decline of the king himself, from self-confident warrior to hallucinating madman, anticipates 'King Lear', while the scene where John's henchman sets out to brand the eyes of the pubescent Pretender, is is full of awful tension.
P.S. Maybe I'm missing something, but could someone tell me why this page on 'King John' has three reviews of 'Timon of Athens'? Is somebody having a laugh?

Many people feel that this play of Shakespeare's is either unfinished or a poor effort. But I do not think this is accurate or fair. The reality is that many people can never find a middle ground. It is actually (in my opinion) quite common for people to only be able to see things from one extreme or the other. Despite Apemantus' cynical nature, there is no denying that whatever his faults are, HE DOES HAVE RIGHT ON HIS SIDE when he tells Timon: "The middle of humanity thou never knewest,/ but the extremity of both ends...." (4.3.342-343). Critics also tend to think Apemantus is unlikable, but are we missing a crucial point? I can not help but think Shakespeare is commenting on the fact that more people DON'T have a concept of reality. Apemantus refuses to join in the delight when Timon thinks highly of his false friends. Apemantus is aware of reality and no one wants to hear it. In my opinion Timon and Apemantus are VERY TRUE to life. In addition, the roll of Flavius is very touching. He can not dessert his master even when he knows (or thinks) Timon has nothing. Finally, I can not over estimate the mastery of Shakespeare when first Timon has money, he can not do enough for his so called friends and when he has nothing they dessert him. When Timon through fate gains a second fortune, he does not turn back into what he was, but rather he uses his 2nd fortune to destroy Athens. It is interesting that Shakespeare derived this play on the legend of 'Timon the Manhater,' and decides to take it a step further and show how he got there. And how much more realistic could Shakespeare have made this than by first showing Timon as a 'manlover?' Many people feel Timon should have somehow found the middle of humanity, but if he had, that would have defeated the whole purpose of this excellent play.

Among the least performed of all the Shakespeare plays, is probably the most disturbing. In the beginning, Timon is (not to put too fine a point on it) stupidly philanthropic; in the end he is equally misanthropic. When Timon is on top of the world, we have the cynical Apemantus to be our voice and let him know what a fool he is. In the last two acts, we simply wish (I do, at least) that our hero would stop complaining and let us "pass and stay not here," as he would have all men do in his epitaph.

But a recording is to be judged on its performances, not so much on its text. The Arkangel series, now in its last laps toward completion before (I am told) it is all redone on CDs, has every reason to be proud of its "Timon of Athens," thanks to its strong and intelligent readings. The opening scenes of artisans and poets building up the play's themes of wheel-of-fortune and gratitude/ingratitude are almost intelligible without a text open before you. Alan Howard, whom I saw in New York long ago as Henry V and as the main character in "Good," has that kind of friendly voice that is so well suited to the extravagant Timon in the open acts that we feel all the more for him when his false friends deny him in his need.

The snarling voice of Norman Rodway's Apemantus is a perfect counterpoint, and he casts out his invective in those early scenes with a hint of humor. However, when Timon becomes the misanthrope, his voice darkens and coarsens; and it is very hard to tell it from Apemantus' in their overly-long exchange of curses in 4:3. If the actor playing Alcibiades (Damian Lewis) sounds far too young for the role, that is a minor quibble--and perhaps the director wanted him to sound like a young Timon.

The incidental music sounds sufficiently Greek but too modern; still, Ingratitude knows no particular time period. A superior production of a much flawed play and a very welcome addition to any collection of recorded drama, especially since the old Decca set is long out of print and Harper audio does not yet have a "Timon" in their series.

Once the Dark Phoenix Saga concluded, the X-Men became a victim of their own success, as the sensational collaboration between Chris Claremont and John Byrne began to sag beneath the weight of the artists' egos. The stories became verbose and overwrought as ideas seemed to perpetually recycle, the art lost much of its previous verve, and the title generally settled into a long decline.

There remain some notable highlights in "Essential X-Men Vol. 3", however. The courtship of Dr. Doom and Storm is classic and totally unexpected. The story arc with Cyclops stranded on a desert isle housing his greatest foe is sensational, as is the appearance of Dracula (!). Unfortunately, these high points sink beneath the weight of drecch like Kitty Pryde's fairytale version of the X-Men and the touted return of Dark Phoenix.

If you're a true fan of the X-Men, you'll want this collection to avoid bending the corners of your precious back issues. Otherwise, grab the first two volumes of this series instead.

I bought all of these to back track and read the previous things that had happened within the comic. This serves the purpose but was disapointed that they were not in color.

...

"Mutant Genesis" reprints (in color, not b&w) the first seven issues of the second series X-Men (now renamed New X-Men) from 1991. Claremont writes the first three issues, and John Byrne and Jim Lee write the remaining four. Lee provides pencils for all.

The the 3-issue story "Rubicon" represents Claremont's finale as he left the series he'd written for 14 years and made the highest selling comic EVER. It ranks among his best writing (which is saying a lot). The story revolves around Magneto's quest for vengence against Charles Xavier and Moira MacTaggert, involving nearly thirty years of X-Men history, including the effects of the Holocaust, prejudice, nuclear proliferation, and the effects of anger on the human soul. Highly recommended.

If you enjoy this trade, I would recommend Claremont's work in:
"X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills"; "X-Men: Vignettes"; and the four volumes of Essential X-Men b&w reprints.

This book was written by William Shakespeare and it has the old language. Romeo and Juliet is a tragic story, interesting, full of problems and the story is attractive. The story is about 2 families that are in a feud. The families are Capulet and Montague. Romeo Montague is a boy who is very romantic. He falls in love with Juliet Capulet. Romeo tries to be with Juliet and Juliet too but because of the feud they can't be together. The pair have friends who help them. Many deaths are involved in the story. After the problems they plan to be together. In the end the pair dies because of love.

This is two books in one: the text of William Shakespeare's tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" and the text of "West Side Story," the 20th century musical with a book by Arthur Laurents and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The book also includes an introduction by Norris Houghton, who notes, among other things, that WSS is based on R&J. Each text tells the story of a love affair between a young woman and a young man who are caught between warring factions.

I find it stimulating and useful to have these two pieces, linked in theme but separated by centuries, together in one volume. Each is a great text on its own, but having them together may help the reader to see each piece in a different light. One of the things I find most striking as one moves from R&J to WSS is how the latter text adds the element of ethnic tension to the fundamental story of "star-crossed lovers."

R&J is more than just a classic piece of literature; it's also a touchstone of pop culture (hey, it's even been incorporated into a "Brady Bunch" episode!). Despite the passage of centuries, I find Shakespeare's portrayal of the joy and pain of forbidden love to remain relevant and compelling. And R&J holds up as a reader's text, even with the availability of filmed versions. I think that WSS, being a musical play, naturally loses some impact as a text strictly on the page, but nevertheless I found it a rewarding reader's text also. One might try listening to a CD of WSS's songs as an accompaniment to reading the text.

To supplement WSS's portrayal of urban Puerto Ricans, I recommend that interested readers seek out some writings by "Nuyorican" authors; to start with, try Roberto Santiago's illuminating anthology "Boricuas: Influential Puerto Rican Writings."

I have been hooked on musicals and plays in general since before I can remember. When I first found this book, I couldn't believe my eyes, I got the script for West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet together in one volume, so I had the words to all my favorite songs and I could study the varied, hilarious lines too. I could relieve the thrills of watching the play, or just reread my favorite scenes. If you're the least bit like me, you'll love this too.