Me, Minerva, and the Flying Car is cleverly written and apretty much accurate description of what it's like to be a new kid inschool. I can relate to many of Talia's experiences. Most of all I liked the fact that I was never bored while reading it. It was exciting, interesting, and funny from cover to cover. All in all, it was a fantastic book.

I read this in a university library and found it so engrossing and useful that I needed a copy of my own. An almanac initally sounds very dull, but Varisco's extensive commentary provides so many details on so many subjects, its simply amazing. It's not simply about science or even agriculture, it also contains a great deal of anthropolgical data that you don't find in other similar works. All too frequently, books dealing with the past dwell on the history, rather than the reality of the time. This work really captures the feel of the time period with its lavish details and research. Much of it could really qualify as trivia, but that's really what makes it such a wonderful piece of work, as it isn't just concerned with the big issues of the time, but with what every man knew. If you're at all interested in what the period was like, beyond simple history, this is a great book. It's largely concerned with things related to agriculture as it's a very protracted translation and explanation of an almanac, so covers crops, the weather (a topic everyone's always discussed, past or present), health, astronomy, sex, the environmental, and many things in between. This presents a real portrait of the time period beyond what the title implies. This is a very thorough yet wide ranging work. It's very light on religion, but there's scores of books on medieval Islam, so this is not a great flaw. This is not quite like any other book you'll find on the period and thus why it is so great.

My seven year old son loved this book. As a beginning reader, he never balked when told to sit and read. It provided a great springboard for discussions for bringing history to life and encouraged a love for history and reading!

Joseph Thomas Heath describes in detail the areas in and around Lakewood/Steilacoom in Washington State and the good and bad as a poineering farmer/rancher in the South Sound. Through the eyes of a devout Englishman you will see the Steilacoom Indians, thier friends, and thier foes,the hassles and benefits of living near Fort Nisqually,and the heartbreaking approach and eventual possesion of the Americans from Oregon. This was a Lakewood/Steilacoom full of Prarie lands,woodlands,undeveloped lakeshores,creekbanks,and bubbling artisian wells.A place where wolves roamed and Eagles were "as thick as crows".

As with other Woods' books, exquisitely detailed and well-written. Read about some of the first western visitors to this area. Gives you a new outlook on these trails when you know what this expedition went through. Highly recommended.

Fans of the Wall Street Journal will love this book. The book contains clever quips found in 20 years of Washington Wire columns. It is a marvelous collection of witty and revealing quotes from such famous political figures as Dan Quale and Jerry Ford. It's funny, interesting, and light.

My six-year old daughter recently became very interested in Native American folklore in the past couple of months. We checked this book out at the library and are now buying it for our collection. Very well-written and illustrated. A must for anyone interested in Pacific Northwest lore....

Missing on Castaway Island tells about a sixteen year old girl named Megan Parnell. She is on a camping trip with her mom, Darren (her new step-father), and Peter (her step-brother and long-time friend). While walking in the woods, Megan and Peter find a Vietnamese girl named Thuy. The family works together to search for Thuy's missing brother. The result is one that you won't want to miss! This book reveals the importance of trusting God. The Megan Parnell series, by Joan Rawlins Biggar, is one of my favorite series.

I enjoyed Mr. Pease's writing style in this well put together intelligence "spy" novel. The book offers a very realistic glimpse of what we can only imagine as the inner workings of our top intelligence networks and what they are pursumably up to. Well put together and thought out story line and plot. Suspenseful. Possibly unrealistic at times but not in any way unbelievable for the reader in the middle of the event. A fast read and one that you do not want to put down.

Mr. Cooling's book presents a chronological evaluation of the events that preceeded and occurred after the Battle of Monocacy. Starting with why Lee ordered the last gasp invasion of the north, to the modern efforts to preserve the battlefield. All aspects of these events are presented but not evaluated. For example, why didn't Washington believe the people of the area when they reported that Jubal Early was in Maryland? Mr. Cooling also presents a wonderful driving tour for people who want to see and expirennce the places of the Battle of Monocacy. The appendicies go into great detail about the Ohio National Guard which fought at Monocacy, and the issues all the govenor's of the various Union states had to face when called to defend Washington. Perhaps if Jubal Early had not stalled outside of Washington, Monocacy would be celebrated as one of the greatest Confederate victories of the war.