Sally Roberts has done an excellent job of weaving fact and fiction. The story line in The Legend of Crystal Lake is fasinating. This book left me wanting to do research on Texas history. Both young and old will enjoy this story.

THE LEGEND OF CRYSTAL LAKE, by Sally A. Roberts, is a delightful blend of adventure and history. Set in the 1820's, the author uses the developing character of twelve-year-old Sarah Kensington to paint a detailed picture of the hardship endured by those living on the Texan Frontier. Sarah, grief stricken by the loss of her mother, is uprooted from her native England and forced to make a new life with her cousin, Jane Wilkinson Long, in Texas. With her father a virtual stranger and her older sister smitten by Karl, a Prussian explorer, she regards her pet swan, Celina, as her only true friend. The journey across the Atlantic is long and hard. Entrusted to carry on the Kensington family tradition as royal swan keeper, Sarah battles sickness and rough conditions on the high seas to fulfill her promise to her mother. But challenges continue when Sarah reaches mainland America. The journey from New Orleans to San Antonio is fraught with danger and adversity. Sarah struggles to keep her beloved swans alive as she guides the lead wagon across swollen rivers and discovers her own strengths and weaknesses. When an attack on their wagon train leaves them low on supplies and a frightened Celina takes flight, Sarah is distraught. Will she ever see Celina again? To add to the family's distress, Jane receives word that her husband, James, has been killed in Mexico and she must reach San Antonio to secure her pension. Wagon-master Randal Jones, who has plenty of experience on the frontier, announces that they are down to one day's supply of fresh water. Now the group must make a major decision. Do they follow Randal in search of water and veer off course to an old campsite on the San Marcos River? THE LEGEND OF CRYSTAL LAKE is a wonderfully crafted tale of endurance and triumph. With larger than life characters and colorful description, a reader cannot fail to gain insight into the challenges of life on the frontier. Sally A. Roberts weaves a magical mixture of fact and fiction. I look forward to reading more from this talented author.

This book is truly a historical fiction written for both young and old. Not only does the author seamlessly weave into her story the events and frontier conditions of Texas in the early 1800's; she enables the reader to clearly envision this historical period by means of imagery and figurative language. However, the fictional aspect is the integral part of this book. For the physical, emotional, and personal journey of Sarah, a young girl pledged to fulfill the promise made to her dying mother, is of paramount importance. This promise to care for her beloved swans and to establish a home for them in the New World motivates Sarah to courageously face the many dangers encountered as she and her family travel to and settle in Texas. These many adventures will appeal to the young reader, as will Sarah's friendship with the young slave girl, Ki, whose dialect is thoroughly delightful, and who is strangely "free." Hispanic culture, language, and customs are inherent in this historical landscape, as Texans and Mexicans together struggle against Spanish rule. This multicultural aspect, along with the epilogue, glossary, and suggested reading list add to the authenticity and excellence of this book. . Although the author is my dear sister, I am an educator who has been in contact with students for nearly twenty years. I can vouch for the literary and historical value of this book. In parting, I would like to quote a few passages for your enjoyment:

"Sarah gazed at the ship's wake, which formed a furrow in the ocean swells like a ribbon unraveling farther and farther from its spool of security in England." (p.9)

". . . then came to the banks of a narrow river. This must be the San Marcos River that Randal talked about, she thought. Sarah pictured the story he had shared about how James Long and his men lived by its banks after escaping from the Spanish army. She followed the river upstream, skirting the boulders that rose like monoliths in the moonlight. She made her way around the cyprus roots sprouting from the limestone-encrusted cliffs. The feathery fronds of the cyprus leaves brushed against her face from the branches that draped over the stream, now no more than a trickle." (pp. 54-55)

Many canoeing guidebooks cater to the whitewater enthusiast. Here's one for the flatwater folks. Good descriptions of padding locations, with excellent maps and referrals to additional resources. Not a complete guidebook, but contains enough suggestions to keep the quietwater paddler busy for some time.

This book is perfect for beginner to intermediate canoers and kayakers in the Sacramento and Sierra Foothills. Although the lakes listed in this book are limited to only a handful though-out this area, the discription of those lakes are excellent. Included is trip length,(time and miles), directions to the lake, access, difficulty, size of area, and recomended maps to use. Also included are detailed hiking, camping, historical background and natural history along with some highlights of the area of each lake or river. Special waterfalls and sites to look for or hike to at some of the lakes and rivers are a treat to read about. My only regret is that more lakes in this area where not included.

I was working on a report for Buddhism so I got this book its a very informative book if you want to learn about buddhist festivals I must say this is the perfect book from even if you want to learn about Bhikkus or Mayanha monks

Road Trip, the fourth and final installment of the Friday the 13th series by Eric Morse is an excellent book, completing Morse's round up of loose ends left over by the movies!! With Road Trip, Morse concludes the series with some very unforgettable scenes. I don't want to give too much away, (especially for price!)Road Trip begins when a bus loaded with football players, cheerleaders, and a mascot goes off course and crashes into Camp Crystal Lake, of course murderous hilarity ensues! Any fan of the Friday the 13th movies will absolutely love these books, my personal favorite being Carnival. I'm sorry but when I talk about these books I have got to praise Eric Morse a lot, he wrote these books so well at times I felt I was actually in them, that is how good these books are and completely make them worth the money. To tell you the truth, these books are probably better than the upcoming Jason X release and promise to give you more enjoyment.

It was a good book but not as scary as "The Carnival". Teddy, got his revenge with the mask, for being treated like dirt. Some of the killings were pretty grousome. It wasn't exactly what I expected from the title "Road Trip". Eric Morse is a great author and I would like it if this wasn't his last Friday the 13th book.

This was the first F13 that I read. I read it over after reading the other F13 novels, and I found this one to be...different. As someone else reviewing this said, it isn't really a horror story. No, it isn't. The story is deeper then that. It lets the school mascot, the geek who is tortured at school, relieve his inner pain when he gets a hold of the hockey mask. The story is almost dramatic in a way. It's weird, but a very interesting idea. In this story, the victims deserve everything they get. Now, for the many who say all books made from movies don't have anything to do with the films (the Halloween series and this) that doesn't matter much. And really, this book is a lot like the movie. The revenge part. The mascot getting revenge is just like Jason in the movies. Of what I know, no one liked Jason as a kid befire he died in the movies. In a background kind of way, the two have a bond. This was a very creepy story, but I know there could have been a little more. The setting was very scary, and it wasn't milked for all the fear it could have made someone feel. The ending was okay; I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. I recommend Mother's Day, the first of the series. It is, in my opinion, the best of all in the series and it seems a lot like the movies, except more creative.

This book was going good until the end. The suspense was good, and actually built on itself to where you stayed very much interested. It did kind of lag in a few places, but stayed rolling. Then the ending..I won't spoil it for anyone..but I, personally, hated it. Not the part about Jason's mask, but there's only one survivor. I think Eric Morse is a great writer. Hope the other Camp Crystal Lake novels are better.

Yes, that is right, a good Friday the 13th book. Now the Carnival is the third installment of Eric Morse's Friday the 13th series which is the follow-up to Jason goes to hell. So the book series actually ties up a lot of the loose ends from Jason goes to hell as well as other parts, like 2 for instance. Now out of the four books in this series I found Carnival to be the best. The Story begins with a carnival (duh!) being built on the Camp Crystal Lake grounds, and murderous fun ensues. I don't want to give too much away because if I don't want to ruin the read for you, especially at the price this book is going for. But if your a Friday the 13th fan, you have to get the entire series, because they are really good! What Eric Morse is able to do with the reader is phenomenal, when I read this book, I swear at the best times I felt I was in the book and at the worst I thought I was watching it on T.V., it's that damn good.

Again this wasn't what I expected from the title "The Carnival". This book was better than "Road Trip". This is another great book by Eric Morse!