I teach 5th grade in Washington, DC. My students and I study American History from European exploration to the writing of the Constitution. This year I found a copy of Corn Raid and read it aloud to my class. They loved it! Not only did the story validate facts they'd gathered doing research on Jamestown, but the plot kept them very engaged. They're still talking about it months later. In fact, just yesterday they asked if we could write to Mr. Collier and ask if he'd consider a sequel about the protagonist. This is a great book if you're trying to teach about life in the early 17th Century. It contains believable characters with a connection to history. I found that even the students who approach social studies with reticence enjoyed this book. I encourage teachers to use it in class, or give it as gifts to family and friends!

This is a wonderful hist. fic. bk that will serve many purposes in a classroom. Collier hasn't disappointed us yet, has he? There are solid underlying themes of friendship, trust, ambivalence in the face of duty and 'right,' and so on. There are 2 boys and a girl in main roles, so both genders are happy reading it. Accurate, of course, historically. No down-talking, no pie-in-the-sky, no frippery. Several of my 5th graders (both genders, widely varied in ability) read it and ALL of them loved it. Engrossing, somber, realistic story, very believable characters. We will be using it as a class book.

The story took place during the time of the Jamestown Settlement, around 1607. The main character was a boy named Richard. He was a servant along with Susan to a guy named Laydon. One day when Richard was working in the tobacco field, he saw something moving in the woods. He went to see what is was and he found an Indian boy stealing his hoe. Richard chased him as he called for Laydon. When he caught up with him, the two boys started threatening each other. As they were about to attack, Laydon came and stopped them. The Indian boy, named Weetoppin, was looking for food and Laydon and Richard took him home and fed him. Laydon decided to keep him as a servant. The next day Weetoppin's father showed up and signed him as an indentured servant to Laydon. Richard wondered why Weetoppin's dad signed the paper. He later found out that Weetoppin had killed an Indian boy and was to be put to death. He ran away, and could not go back home. Richard also began to wonder if there was an indenture paper on him. Laydon wanted to see if the Weyanocks had corn, and where it is. So he had Richard dress up as an Indian; and Richard and Weetoppin went to look for the corn. They found the corn in a hut. Then the Weyanocks started chasing them. Weetoppin and Richard started swimming across the James River. It was thundering and lightening, and Richard wanted to reach the other side before he got struck by lightening; but Weetoppin saw something and told Richard to hold up. Richard refused and was caught by the Paspahegh Indians; but Weetoppin couldn't be found. The Chief, a former Englishman, and his braves threatened to torture Richard if he didn't tell them where the Weyanocks kept their corn. Richard led them to the corn hut. After the indians took their share of the corn, the braves wanted to kill Richard, but the English chief talked them out of it. Instead, they tied him to a tree and left him for the Weyanocks to find. Weetoppin came and freed him and they started back up the James River towards home. When Laydon and Weetoppin were delivering tobacco in Jamestown where the ships docked, Spoffard's black servant came to Richard and asked for Laydon. Richard said he wasn't home. The servants orders were to give a letter to Laydon, but he gave it to Richard because he could not wait any longer for Laydon to come home. Susan read it to Richard because he couldn't read or write, and it said,

"I scheduled a raid on the Weyanocks for Thursday." Richard then told Weetoppin about the letter and the raid. In the middle of the night, Weetoppin snuck out and told his father about the raid on the corn. Richard then told Weetoppin that he had to tell Laydon so the English wouldn't be ambushed by the Weyanocks. Weetoppin said they couldn't be friends anymore and he walked away.

Laydon said he was going to Spoffards and prepare for the raid, that's when Richard told him that the Weyanocks knew about it and they were prepared to attack the Englishmen. Laydon decided to postpone the raid. Richard then said, "You do have a paper of indenture on me don't you?" Laydon said "Yes, but Spoffard was holding it for me." Laydon started for Spoffard's house.

The story ended with Richard and Susan talking about the paper

It got a bit repetitive though - I mean, ALL those stories of calving were a bit excessive. I bought this book during my first visit to the High Plains last week on my spring break in South Dakota. I enjoyed most of the stories - I didn't think they were all particularly and equally wonderful, but with so many writings you will have likes and dislikes. I did wish, however, that I could talk to some of these women and let them know that not all vegetarians and animal-rights activists hate ranchers. We're not all hippy-dippy airheads who don't know the real story of animal farming - the hard work and even love that goes into the raising of animals. It's just a difference of opinion regarding the sanctity of _all_ life. I felt attacked, quite a few times, while reading this book. Overall though, there were very inspiring stories and quotable quotes - "Pay a holy kind of attention" !!! Loved that one.

To start this book is to start a trip into one's own past. Whether we now live in the country or in a city, many of the stories told here are within our own familys' histories; I can feel my own German immigrant grandparents, farming on the plains of Eastern Colorado, within these pages.

The sheer eloquence of these plains women - their poetry and tales - tells much of the strength of the human spirit. I wept with them as they tell of the rigors of drought and the Depression; laughed with them as they tell of childish pranks; and prayed with them as they lived through weather we can only imagine today, snugged, cocooned, and protected as we are from the elements.

I would wish every high school American history teacher would include this in their curriculum. To have history not only educate, but entertain, is a rare treat. It is our roots that make us strong - just as the wheat that grows upon these same high plains.

The format is outstanding for its message: short essays and poems. One can chew off just as much as is right at any one time, without feeling that the tale has been interrupted. The eloquence of these prairie women, the beauty of their imagery, was a constant delight - even when their eloquence was manifested purely by sheer simplicity.

As a ranch woman who lived many years in South Dakota, the anthology truly amazes me for its capacity to speak clearly about the heart and souls of plainswomen. The women wrote their stories with passion that credits the authenticity of their varied subjects. The authors exposed the west in black and white, yet showed the gray complexities. The land, as one writer said, holds you in a way nothing else can. The reader learns that an appreciation and respect for the land is paramount if one is to cope with extreme weather, cyclical income--often below the cost of doing business, relationships made uneasy by common community knowledge of generations living in the same place. Individuality, as shown by the diverseness of the authors' experiences, is the key to holding one's own in an oftimes hostle environment. Truly the weak don't survive. "Leaning..." shows the strength and fortitude necessary for life on the high plains and also the compassion brought on by the witnessing of a prairie in bloom, an astonishing star lit sky or the newborn's arrival. One sees clearly the growth that can come from intimate association with life and death. The honesty of life is on every page.

This story of a boy growing up almost on his own, without a mother and with a loving but rather absent father, is relevant for so many children today. His bravery in overcoming his fears is inspirational. And it's a great adventure in the wilds of Greenwich Village, where the boy is surrounded by a host of offbeat characters.

Great message for kids and told from their perspective. I highly recommend this book if you can find it!

I loved this book as a kid, and I love it still. A few years ago I hunted down a copy from the publisher, since I never had the nerve to steal it from my local library!

It's a great story about a boy in the Village in the '60s, and how he learns to be play the guitar and be cool. There are jewel thieves and Ed Sullivan lookalikes and all sorts of zany things, as well as cool illustrations.

I'd love to get my hands on another copy to give to my 10 year old niece.

This is more of a comment than a review, but this book is not for the baby-preschool set as indicated, but rather an excellent story for the late-elementary/junior high age group. It deals with a Greenwich Village boy in the mid 60's who lives with his bohemian-artist father, and who accidentally gets wrapped up in a jewel theft. The underlying theme is his inability to shake his dependence on a childhood teddy bear. Many great 60's references including a Beatles style rock group which he auditions for and the Greenwich Village arts scene. Great illustrations, too.

It is the future and Mankind has spread to the stars like seeds before the wind. One star system, though, shrouded in mystery, has defied Man's every attempt to visit it. Every expedition to 61 Cygni has found its path inexplicably deflected and has been forced to return home in frustration. In desperation, special agent Asher Sutton was sent on a solo mission, but unlike the others he did not return and 61 Cygni was quietly forgotten.

As the book begins, twenty years have passed and, against all odds, Asher Sutton has returned. The mystery only deepens when it is discovered that Asher's ship was damaged many years ago in a crash that left it completely disabled and ought to have killed its sole passenger. The conclusion becomes inescapable; Asher Sutton died but now he's back. As the story develops, we discover Asher is not alone and it's not clear that he's even entirely human. But most importantly, Asher returns bearing an idea that will shake Mankind's beliefs to their foundations.

In Time and Again, Mankind is spread thin across the stars and to help hold the frontier he has created biological androids. Created in the lab by chemical means, androids are sterile and cannot reproduce but in all other respects are as human as their creators. None the less, androids are treated as property and bear a mark on their foreheads to distinguish them from "true" humans.

Androids dream of one day being acknowledged and treated as the equals of the "humans" and Asher's idea is the key for which they have been searching. Asher soon becomes the center of a struggle between three groups; humans of the present who fear any new idea that might loosen Mankind's tenuous grip on the stars, humans of the future who, via time travel, are waging a quiet war to alter the past to maintain the current status quo, and the androids of the future who struggle to let Asher's idea be born.

Simak weaves these disparate elements into a delicious story. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

It's been nearly forty years since I first read Simak's "Time And Again" but I still remember it very clearly as I read it several times. It just blew me away! I was fifteen years old and in the hospital. It was 1963 and the civil rights movement was in full bloom. Whether or not Simak intended to create a story to parallel the issues of the civil rights movement, I do not know, but a thoughtful reading of the story certainly suggests them.

This is a book to read and think about beyond its riveting plot and subplots. The principal questions raised by the book are "Who has the right to be human?" and "What is humanity?"

Simak's story is still fresh and relevant after all this time and I would love to see it reissued so that I can buy another copy and read it again.

This book is really about religion and time. About the power of religion and about the cost one can pay for the knowing the truth. The book deals with the personal sacrifice, loneliness and betrayal that important historical figures, past, present and future, often endure. Asher Sutton is the ultimate imperfect, reluctant hero. Those of you who love Heinlein will undoubtedly enjoy this book - I couldn't recommend it any more thoroughly. I read City (Simak's most acclaimed book) and thought that "Time and Again" was easily a superior work

Great book by the Collier Brother's. Nuff said

The Winter Hero was narrated by Justin Conkey, a 13 year old boy who wants to be a hero. His father was killed in the Revolutionary War, and his sister's husband was a Revolutionary War hero. This story takes place after the Revolutionary War in 1787. Farmers were angry about the taxes the Boston government made them pay, so they started a war against the government. This war was called the Shays' Rebellion. Justin wants to fight in the war, but will he become a hero?

This book was very inspirational to me because a boy my age wanted to fight in a man's war.Most kids his age in the United States today don't have as many rasponsibilities as Justin did then. I admire this character. The story was like a history lasson because I already knew about the Revolutionary War, but I didn't know about Shays' Rebellion. I strongly recommend The Winter Hero to people who like action, suspense, and history.

"This book is a wonderful, educational book that I never set down. It is full of action and thrilling excitment! I truely enjoyed it!"

This fabulous book is about a kitchen slave named Carrie, who worked in Sam Fraunce's Tavern for as long as she can remember. After Carrie gets kidnapped and almost sold off to the West Indies, she realizes that she doesn't even know her own last name, or who her true family was.When Carrie's long time friend Dan Arabus comes to town, they talk about how Dan has alomost $300 in "notes" because Dan's father Jack Arabus fought in the Revolutionary War. So basically a "note" is an I OWE YOU from the Government.Jack Arabus died fighting in the Revolution so Dan got all of his fathers notes.
After talking to Dan, Carrie decides that she really has got to find out who she is, and if she is a slave or not.Once I finished reading this beutiful Historical Fiction Novel I then realized the hardships of slavery. I would recommend this book to all ages and bothe males, and females because this book was easy to understand, yet it was somewhat hard to read with the old 1800's accents and dialects of the Northern Colonies. Also elders would would probably remeber a little about slavery because this went on until the 1950's, ofcourse it was not as bad as it was in the 1800's but still slavery was indeed around then, so they could have a great time reading this book about how slavery was in the 1800's compared to the 1950's. I had to rate this book a four and one half stars because it was just a mystery until the very end and this just made me want to read it more and more so I could find out who carrie was and if she was a slave or not. Now you know how good of a book this was, and you should read it, and trust me, you will be more than happy that you read this amazing part of American History.

I think this book was great .The author did a wonderful job of adding history to his story. my favorite character was carrie because she was brave and snecky. she was so cool.

James, and Christopher Collier describe this period in history perfectly. This is not like other boring books that the last twenty-three pages of the book you finally start to get into it. This book captures you from the first sentence and doesn't let you go tell the last word. Then you still want to know what happens to her. Although this book is historical-fiction. Alot of it is true.

The book is simple and well organized. It is meant to be a catalog of sites. It's descriptions of sites and events are of the thumbsketch variety. Yet, it contains a wide variety of Civil War sites. The trail touches on the social and engineering aspects of the war. Most of the sites are military/battlefield related. I have found it to be a very good companion to either the Smithsonians Guide or Kennedy's Battlefields. This book is well worth the money.

While this book as no where near the historical information to guide you from behind the windshield, it certainly does have broad scope to direct you to the places where you can get that information. I found it well-organized and readable with some interesting side bars. This is a good glove box book.

THE CIVIL WAR TRUST'S OFFICIAL GUIDE TO THE CIVIL WAR DISCOVERY TRAIL gives brief-but-accurate looks at over 400 sites in the United States, even those you thought weren't relevant to the Civil War. Time to discover your heritage! Grade: A+

This is the first book of Leiber's that I have read and I am very impressed. Though the book was written in the 1950's it is able to transend 40 odd years and still be relevent in todays thinking. The most interesting twist is how Leiber moved away from science explaining the supernatural to science using the supernatural to maintain control on an ignorant society of peasents. Another impressive twist to the book was Leiber's ability to move the focus of the novel from between three different, yet important characters, without any interuption. I can not wait to read more of his books.

In this post world war three novel, the class system has been re-enacted on earth and God has taken a new role over the poor public. The book brings together the uninformed technological public with the advanced brotherhood of God. But one brother has a different take on things and deffects from the order to join the witches of the dark underground. IN the end, the oppresive brotherhood is overrun by the witches in a spectacular show of technology power. The book took a new approach to the sometimes dull sci-fi books. The dark world was unlike any other and many times the reader felt like the book didn't have any point. But in any case it made you think about the setting and a new world of the mind. A good read for the sci-fi fan who wants something a bit different.

Over thirty years ago this novel grabbed me with its themes of technology, politics, and religion. Naturally, over the years it has lost its initial impact on my imagination, but retains interest with a fascinating and imaginative description of a world struggling with issues of political and religious freedom. Sci-fi/fantasy fans will enjoy the intermingling of supernatural and technological phenomena.

Most first time authors know ZERO on how to write and sell their first book. This book tells you how. If you are even thinking of being an author- get this book!
Rick Frishman Pres. Planned TV Arts (NYC) Co-author GUERRILLA PUBLICITY & GUERRILLA MARKETING FOR WRITERS

I have had an idea for a book for several months but I couldn't get it off my mind. I didn't know how to go about preparing the manuscript or submitting it to a publisher.

Oscar Collier and Frances Spatz Leighton's 'How to write and sell your First Nonfiction' book made a lot of difference for me, and took the pains to carry the reader step by step through all the phases.

I would never have stepped out into the print world without the common sense guidance I was able to take advantage of from this book. I highly recommend this delightful book - its so positive and encouraging as well as giving you all the tools you need to actually publish your first book! Its fun reading and the absolute best 'how to' book I have ever read.

I loved this book it was so great I can't even explain how great it was!

Good but not great. The book follows all the story of tango but there is something missing....many of the pictures are unfortunately 2-paged and cannot be appreciated (plus I couldnt find any passion in any but 2 of them) although the book seems to getting better as you go towards the end. The edition is of course luxury but i can't say i was amazed. Anyhow a good choice for an absolute beginner to tango but I would suggest Horacio's Salas "the tango" in every case.

Until I read "¡Tango!", most of what I knew from tango was what was told by instructors, including Daniel Trenner, Brooke Burdett, half a dozen Argentine nationals, an equal number of Canadians, and a Belgian. It was exciting to get all the information I needed in one place. Tango is more than just music and dance. It is a cultural phenomenon that began in the barrios and bordellos of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, and spread throughout the world. At the base of this cultural phenomenon is the relationship between a man and a woman. Tango is not just an American or South American phenomenon. It has spread throughout the world, and is popular in such diverse countries as Finland and Turkey, as well as those areas where it evolved.

The text of the book is outstanding and well documented. I was pleased with the choice of artwork, old and contemporary photographs, and page layout. It gave me a great understanding of the tango as a cultural phenomenon. There is an excellent bibliography and the text is referenced with footnotes for those who wish to go to some original sources. I am one of those people who are always looking for recommendations for music, and I was pleased to see a two-page listing of tangos, which are available on compact disc. For those who travel, there is a listing of international tango centers. It is an incomplete list, but it would be helpful for those who travel a lot for business or pleasure.

If you like tango, this would be a good book to start your collection. Then you can proceed with "Le Grand Tango: The Life and Music of Astor Piazzola."

For a person just discovering the Argentine tango (or who wants to), this is an interesting, beautiful, coffee table book. It's filled with gorgeous illustrations and photographs, as well as poetry, lyrics and fun, historical tidbits about the music & history. It rambles, but that just makes it more fun to open it up and start reading from anywhere. It's been the kind of book that has made even my non-tango friends interested in the dance and cultures behind it.