The story, Four on the Shore, is about three kids, who are trying to do their homework but Sam's little brother will not leave them alone. So they decide to go by the lake to try to get away, but Sam's little brother follows him. He promised to be good but all he did was complain. So they started to tell scary stories thinking it would scare him away. But instead of that, he scared them with his story.
I like this book because it had a surprising ending and it is most likely to happen in real life. A lot of kids have little brothers or sisters that will not leave them alone. And I think this book will help them deal with it. This also was a good book because it has to do with things that go on single everyday. I know lots of people who have to deal with a little brother or sister and it isn't fun, but in this book it shows them that sometimes it is actually fun to have a little brother or sister. I am the youngest so I don't know what it feels like to be bugged by younger siblings. But I do know its not all fun to have older ones too. It also was very easy to read. I think a lot of little kids would enjoy reading this story, especially if they have younger siblings.

We need more books like "Four on the Shore". The characterization, plot and humor are all extremely well done while the vocabulary is very readable. I have found this book to "capture" many reluctant readers. Please keep it in print!

I read this book to my seven-year-old brother, and I think I enjoyed it more than he did. The story was charming, and the illustrations made me laugh out loud. I would definitely recommend this book.

I think Frank Marshall fans will find this book invaluable,it features many of his best games and plus it gives a good biography as the book progresses, perhaps the games could use some more notes but what is there is good enough.

GM Andy Soltis certainly knows how to write fine books, and this is one of them. Even non-Americans should appreciate a book about this US Champion who was also one of the world's top 10 for almost 30 years.

The book covers Marshall's life set in its historical context, and also lightly annotates many Marshall games, including some draws and losses. Marshall was famous for his combinational ability, but Soltis shows that he had confidence, with good reason, of being able to outplay many opponents in the endgame.

Marshall's skill should not be underestimated although he lost matches decisively to Lasker and Capablanca. He won the enormously strong Cambridge Springs tournament of 1904 ahead of then world champ Lasker. At St Petersburg 1914, he was one of the five finalists, and Tsar Nicholas II awarded these players the original grandmaster title. In the mid 1920s, Marshall showed that he could cope with the new hypermoderns. Even in the 1930s, when his strength had lessened somewhat, he captained to USA team to victory four times at the Olympiads, and the USA teams have never risen to the same heights since.

Last but not least, as a keen player of the Marshall Attack against the Rúy López, it was interesting to read about its genesis.

I used to have this book, I broke my own rules and lent it to a student and friend ... and he left Pensacola. (I never saw him, ... or the book again. But in his defense, he was in the Navy, and they move those guys around a lot.)
I also used to have an original copy of Marshall's book, but I have lost that over the years, too.

But the book is absolutely a treasure, I borrowed a friend's copy to do this review. (For accuracy's sake.)

I am too young to have known the man. (I played my first chess tournament in 1966.) But I knew Mr. Marshall's wife (Carrie) quite well. For many, many years; she was the lady who sat at the foot of the stairs and greeted you as you walked into the Marshall chess club. I feel very badly - I wish someone had told me who she was the first time I visited there. The Marshall's are a HUGE part of the history of the game of chess, at least here in the U.S.

What do you get when you buy this book? Quite simply one of the very best chess books ever written, at least in the area of a (chess) biography. It is very clear and very obvious that this book has been researched to a level I personally have never seen before.

By comparison, I am interested in history and very fascinated with several figures in history, notably Abe Lincoln and Andrew Jackson. (Among others.) I have read virtually every book I could get my hands on about these two persons ... and in the process I have found literally hundreds of mistakes. (One authors' chronological record itself was ridiculous, he had Jackson - MANY TIMES!! - in two different places at the same time!)

But in Soltis's book, I have yet to find a single error. This might be because Marshall himself left a tremendous amount of material behind. He wrote several books, kept journals, and filled literally hundreds of yellow legal pads with notes of his own. And the people who actually knew Frank Marshall told me he had a fabulous memory.

The former secretary of the club personally told me that Soltis spent hundreds and hundreds of hours there, pouring over records, making notes, and making copies of the material that is available there.

The result? A simply fabulous book that is virtually free of errors. I am NOT saying Andy made no mistakes, every human does. But Andy has worked VERY hard on producing a document/book that is about as error-free as any person could humanly try to do. Andy has gone well above and beyond the call of duty here.

"What about the book," you say? Well, it too is beautiful. A gorgeous hard-back book that is nearly 400 pages in length. 220 very deeply annotated games. Additionally, there are DOZENS of game fragments.

Personally, I do NOT think you would buy this book if your only interest was to improve your game, there are simply too many other good books devoted to that subject. (Check out the books by Capa, Reinfeld, Watson and Yermolinsky.) No, you would buy this book for many reasons - maybe because you consider yourself a Marshall fan. Or you consider yourself a student chess history, and want to learn more. And maybe you think you might benefit from studying one of the greatest tactical players the USA ever produced.

All the bases are covered here. A thorough index, photo's, match and tournament record ... quite simply there is not a topic or subject here that you can't think of that Soltis has not covered in great detail. (On page # 203 you can find Marshall's famous victory over Levitsky, Breslau; 1912.)

The only topic that I could not find was the list of Marshall's best games; perhaps Soltis did not feel qualified to make that judgment. You have over 200 of Marshall's games here, so after playing through them all, you could do your own list. (My own choice would have to come from one of the games from his monumental win at Cambridge Springs, 1904.)

If you are a fan of Soltis, as I am ... or want to learn more about chess history, then get this book. I will say no more.

By the time you finish this book you will know if you have what is required to take your writing to the next level. Do you long to publish? Are you ready to start submitting your writing? Find out and get lots of helpful tips along the way.

Cook knows exactly, what he writes about, and with his smart humor and sensitive, vivid style, he can inspire almost anyone to write. I always loved writing, and from my own experience, I already use a lot of his advices. I also enjoyed to read about the typical misconceptions concerning creativity. He reveals, that not ALL the creative people keep a terrible mess around themselves, and dream with open eyes 24 hours a day. Writing is not only about talent and the 'magical inspiration' - but also about sweat, effort and commitment, as well as changing some of our everyday habits, in order to learn the "skill of creativity."
Cook's book is smart, eye-opening, enjoyable, and very-very inspirational. In the meantime it reveals the reality behind so many myths that we, non-professionals tend to believe when it comes to writing.
I think, this book is a MUST for anyone who ever considered writing even as a hobby in his or her life. I would even go further: unless you DEFINITELY hate writing, please, read this book. You may make up your mind, and start writing....

This book is terrific for freeing your creativity. It gives you tips to use to stop the writers block, or better yet, helps you never to encouter one. It helps you to write better then you ever thought you could. It's great!

Gilda quietly changes, and because of her changes, the world changes around her. It is akin to the subtle wind generated by the fluttering wings of a butterfly which puts into motion the forces that will become a storm. Gilda is like the quiet author who finally publishes her own work so that we may see the world in a new way. Thanks Gilda.

Did I mention the illustrations? The illustrations are marvelous.

"Gilda Gets Wise" is a fun, funny tale of adventure, acceptance, openness, and cultural diversity. Its serious message is written and illustrated with great charm. I read it to my 8th grade class. They laughed, objected when the bell rang before the finish, and insisted on staying after class to hear the end. They were as enchanted with it as I was.

This is a delightful book. The artwork is a pleasure to see, and the colors highlight the story. The story teaches something beautiful about friendship and tolerance in a gentle way.

I found this book very provocative. The anecdotal comments throughout the book, personal accounts on each campaign and method which the author introduces character sketches as the applicable historical figures come into context were refreshing and enlightening. Despite references to Maps in the appendixes of the book, I found the author's description of tactics and battle movements to be somewhat confusing at times. I was a little disappointed with the amount of attention given to the last years of Napoleon the 1st's reign. All in all, a good, enjoyable read. DPS

Blonde has written a superb tour de force in a style which makes one think you are reading a novel and transports you to the battlefields of the Napoleonic Wars. One learns a plenty of the lot of the common soldier and meets characters such as Murat, Ney and other lesser knowns. All in all a brilliant history without the boring prose of some better known history books!

Georges Blond takes the reader with Napoleon and his men as they march from Boulogne to Waterloo with a completeness that one would expect from an autobiography. The book describes the day-to-day life and death in the army of the Emperor with all the detail of a conversation with a grizzled veteran at a Parisian café. Mr. Blond provides character sketches of some of the leading historical figures of the time that illustrate motive, desire and fault. His descriptions of the Peninsular War and the retreat from Moscow vividly illustrate the suffering and horrors of war in the Napoleonic era. The author's in depth treatment of the medical services is most enlightening, describing the frightful lot of the wounded in gory detail. The reader cannot avoid having an increased respect for the physicians Rene Desgenettes and Jean Larrey. Touching on the political, personal and military histories of the period, the book provides the reader with a unique vantage point from which they may view battles like Austerlitz and Waterloo in a new light. The descriptions of the campaigns and battles avoid tactical details while providing sweeping descriptions that answer many of the how's and why's of the conflicts events. With the chronology, maps and statistics included in the appendixes, this book will become a valued addition to the library of any student of the Napoleonic era.

There is no question, regardless of which side you are on, that we are losing the war on drugs. In fact one might look at drugs as the new Vietnam. We spend ten billion a year (and are failing) doing what we spent five billion on (and failed) only a few years ago. The Marshall book presents some level headed insights onthis topic. Better material is published by the Drug Policy Foundation (who's motto is "Drugs are bad ... but the war on drugs is worse"). However, this book is a noble effort and should be read to look at one of the most bizarre activities of the 20th century

smoke a blun

The government does not realize that keeping marajuana illegal is a mistake. It can be used, not only to smoke for pleasure, but to heal. My grandmother has glaucoma, and I make it my duty to buy her an ounce per week, so she can heal her pain from her sickness. She feels so much better having smoked it, and so do I. It really blows because I shouldn't have to go to an underground dealer to buy it for her. I should be able to go to a pharmacy. There is not one proven death by smoking marajuana. I'm extremely angry at the government, so just smoke your blunts and bongs all you want. screw them.

Albert Barnitz was a Captain in the Seventh Cavalry. He was wounded and not a member of the unit by the time of its' famous defeat at the Little Big Horn. Barnitz through his letters to his wife describes life on the Plains with the Seventh Cavalry and it's Lieutenant Colonel Custer. His first hand description of events he experienced and personalities he knew gives life to persons and events from Western history. This book will interest those desiring a first person report of life in the Seventh Cavalry on the Great Plains.

This book is composed of Barnitz' personal diary and letters written to his wife, which she conviently kept over the years. Additional information is detailed and follows the letters and diary entries in chronological order. Barnitz enjoyed writing, wrote his wife often and made regular entries in his diary. The book is full of interesting phographs, many which I have never seen before, even though I have been a Little BIg Horn buff for quite a while. An excellent biographical glosssary is included that includes the histories and significant events of many important Indian War personalities. A must for any serious Custer library.

The edited letters and journals of Capt. Barnitz and his wife provide a gripping picture of the experiences of an officer in the early years of the Indian Wars. The book also provides wonderful insight into how Custer ran the 7th cavalry and what his officers thought of his leadership. A truly enjoyable book!

The book was awesome. it was an inspiration to any christian

A man called Peter is inspiring to say the least. It reminds us of the purpose that God has for all of our lives, and encourages us to seek him to use us to the fullest extent possible. He certainly did that with Peter Marshall.

I first read A Man Called Peter by Catherine Marshal over 30 years ago. The biography is spiritually uplifting in that Peter Marshall truly did live God's word. He did not judge his fellow human beings, but he also did not compromise his own beliefs. In this way, he won many hearts over to Christ. An example from the book has him saying to his wife, "you say the blessing Catherine, the Lord knows I'm not thankful for leftover turkey." He was a man who was driven to live and preach God's word, yet he always had time for those that needed him. A story that will bring both laughter and tears to your eyes!

"The Iron Marshal" is not as popular as some of L'Amour's other works, but it remains an excellent demonstration of his versatility. A good half of the book is not a "western", per se--it takes place in the Five Points ghetto of New York City in the late 1800's. I recently visited what was once the Five Points district in New York City (now home to the federal and state courthouses and police headquarters) and learned just how much tougher Five Points was than any frontier town in the old West.

I have read many of louis lamour's books and have found them to all be great. I'm 12 years old and wish i was back in the days of the west. My father and grandfather both love louis lamour books and so do I! This is one of my favorite books and has opened a new world to me. I suggest you read this book i think you will like it!

This book brings out the marshal in all of us. The love of the land and the wild frontier is in it's glory. When Tom jumps that train to get away from a street fight he ends up in a constant fight of life. This fight seemes to make him a better man. This was the first book buy L'Amour I ever read and I have not put one down sense. (8yrs.) Any one that wishes they were born a hundred years earlier like me will love this book. Mr. L'Amour wil be sorley missed, he was a great author and an even greater gentleman.

as a beginning guitarist, i found that this book wasn't nearly as easy to read as the other jeff buckley tab book "Jeff Buckley: Grace & Other Songs" (ISBN 0711977747). For example, each song should list ALL of the chords that are used in the song, not just some of them. Also, i found some of the fonts a little small and hard to read while playing. Perhaps a more advanced guitarist would have less trouble using this book.
However, I still give it 3 stars because there aren't many Jeff Buckley guitar tabs, so something is definitely better than nothing!

This collection gives an evenhanded overview of the two studio releases with the remaining near-third encompassing songs from his live and/or EP releases. As my 'neighbor up the road' has alluded, the alternate tunings certainly sheds light on some previously puzzling arrangements. Had to have this one as soon as I realized it had been published and only wish that this was a 6 or 7 album retrospective and that Jeff was still exploring the outer sonic boundaries of passion and 'Grace'... Play guitar? Love Jeff's music? Pick this one up, okay?

After spending two years trying to figure them out by ear and using the few poorly done transcriptions on the internet, Jeff is finally paid his due with a very complete set of transcriptions of his music. It always amazes me how simple it is to play something that was impossible to figure out by ear. Also, because Jeff had a tendency toward alternate tunings, this book is a big eye-opener. A must have for Jeff Buckley fans. It also has the most accurate lyrics I've found so far as well.