snny's third diary wasn't as good as her second and third but it was still well written. i liked her other diaries better because they delt with more issues. there was more storylines involved that made it interessting. in her third book, the center focus was on her mom's dying. mrs. martin seemed to really prolong the death and drag it out. it got to a pont where i was sick of reading about it. i think she should of used half the book on sunny saying goodbye and her mom dying and then the other half on something else. her friends were hardly mentioned, when before they took up a lot of the book. i like hearing about the other character's in the series from each character's perspectives and that was missing from this one. i enjoy hearing what sunny has to say about her friends because she usually has a funny view on them. the book was really sad, though. i cried through the ending and the funeral. afterwards, i was sort of depressed, but i can't say i was surprised. everyone who's followed the series has known that her mom was going to die. out of all the character's, i like sunny the best. despite the fact that she seems like she should be at least 14 or 15 and not 13 (none of the characters act their ages), i think she's the most realistic. dawn is portrayed sort of babyish in her 1st and 3rd diaries (how she is so shocked to see people drinking, etc) and ducky, although he is a loyal friend, he's kind of wimpy. (i guess i don't understand why a 16 yr. old guy would want to hang out with 13 yr. girs.) maggie is kind of obsesive but amalia seems nice. her diaries are interessting to read. overall, i think the series is good and would recommend that everyone read it. it is nothing like the bsc, which is a good thing. i just wish that mrs. martin would age the characters by a couple of years and not have them repeat grades over and over again. also, i think that the next dawn book should be when dawn goes back to stoneybrook and dumps the bsc. then they should have bsc diaries from those characters pov's and have them be realistic like the cd's. i wish mrs. martin would write a 'jill' diary. she acts like a baby but maybe she's not really like that inside.

I love this book so much! When I came home from school one day I picked up this book and started reading it. I didn't stop until the end-except to get a tissue. This book was so touching. I now know how much my mom is needed and how much I love her. Sunny, Diary 3 is the best book I've ever read, and I hope Ann M. Martin writes more books as touching as this one.

When i read a book its like reading just another chapter in my social studies book. I never before had a book move me emotionally as to where i felt as though i WAS that person who's life was spilled upon those pages. In "Sunny Diary 3" I was moved to tears. The book began the way most Sunny books do. She was describing her life at that moment, her fight with Ducky, her life at School and of course her life with her mother. It wasn't until near the middle of the book when you begin to (as well as Sunny) realise how BAD Mrs Winslows cancer has begun to effect her. Before long it becomes inevident that her mother will die. And that her death is very near. It wasn't until i read "This is undoubtedly the haredest thing you will ever have to do"..."How do I prepare my good-bye to my Mother...forever". That made me sob to where i had to put the book down and cry. Its a excellent book. READ IT! EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK! It makes you value your parents in a whole new prospective...especially your mother...the sweetest kindest creature in exsistance...imagine her gone. and Just. Cry.

After years of running into this name, "Borges," I felt as though I were falling short of my expectations as a reader to ignore this man and his colossal reputation. Ficciones seemed to be his most widely read and critically acclaimed book, and so I inevitably found myself reading it.

To try to capture the essence of Borges in a handful of words is like trying to capture the Lochness Monster on film: impossible, but frequently attempted. With that understanding in mind, here's my assessment:

All of Borges's stories are very different, and yet they all share a common sensibility, one of understated but very deeply felt anguish. This is not the anguish of an ordinary writer feeling sorry for himself and his fate. This anguish is deep, metaphysical. You get the sense that Borges views life and his fellow human beings at a distance, and yet is able to see more and understand more from this distance. He does not attempt to explain; he simply wants to impart his sense of awe, wonder, and inevitability.

The subject matter varies widely: an infinite library, a scholarly review of the life's work of a fictional writer, a boy with a perfect memory. Some of his stories are Kafka-esqe in a nightmarish sense, while others have the intellectual playfulness of an M.C. Escher drawing: what you thought was 'up' is really 'down,' and yet once you see the big picture you realize that this is the only way it can be. The endings are as inevitable as death, and yet you rarely see them coming.

I'm not so sure that Borges wrote his stories with a specific point or message, although many of them seem to have one. I believe that most of these stories are simply meant to inspire thought and contemplation of the very issues that Borges had been thinking of when he wrote them. One could do a lot worse than to see things through the eyes of this great thinker.

My only complaint is that his stories are not as accessible as they could be, and his scholarly manner may be problematical for some. But the most effective pills are often the hardest to swallow...

If you are lucky enough to read Spanish well, you might you want to try Borges in Spanish. That's not to say that this is a poor translation but rather there are so many minute details in Borges' prose that they are sometimes lost in the translation. Regardless, this collection of stories represents one of the greatest literary accomplishments in 20th century latin-american fiction and beyond. Borges is a writer of the mind, and that's where most of his stories live. You'll find yourself asking questions about what is real and what is not; what is a dream, what is a nightmare. Borges prose is flawless and his imagination is like no other's. Influenced by philosophy, history, and art, Borges captures a piece of humanity into a collection of stories and he only leaves you wanting more and more.

This collection of Jorge Luis Borges' "fictions" brings together incomparable masterpieces of contemporary world literature. No other writer I know of has been able to muster up the sheer creative energy and intellectual power necessary to mold into shape such magnificent ideas and stories. Borges mixes the realms of mystery, mythology, adventure, metaphysics, human misery and compassion, and literary criticism into an awesome whole. His manner of prose-writing is almost equally as impressive: journalistic, balanced, eloquent, evocative. Borges' "Fictions" has had a profound influence on my way of looking at literature and the world. He has evoked an abiding interest in the mythological and historical roots of contemporary writing and, by extension, a deeper understanding and appreciation of the mysteries and meaning in the visual and musical arts, as well. I highly recommend this book (or Andrew Hurley's more complete collection) for an outstanding read.

Christy is a book that one wouldn't really think to read unless it was recommended or they had to. The latter was my case, but it ended up being, more or less, an enjoyable experience. We follow the chronicles of Christy as she befriends the superstitious people of the backwoods of Appalachia. We see Christy's plight to bring education and understanding to the people of Cutter Gap, a small Tennessee village. We see good and evil paradoxed throughout the novel; those who want to help, like Christy and Alice Henderson, and those who, though seeming evil, are only naive enough to appear that way. Many of the characters appear so simple that they are complex; the theme of appearance versus reality is echoed not only with Christy's love life (and the contrasts of Doctor MacNeill and David) but with the beliefs and actions of the native people. The book can be a great inspiration, but does tend to drag at some midpoints. Definitely needed to read this book well is enough concentration to keep reading it and enough insight to see beyond the seemingly one dimensional characters that occur so often. Overall, a good read. 4 Stars.

This is one of the best religious, spiritual books I ever read!

In 1912 nineteen-year-old Christy embarks on a journey to the Appalachian mountains as a "missionary" to the mountain people, hoping to bring them spiritual nourishment and awakening. But in the process, it is Christy herself who undergoes some spiritual awakening.

This story is in some way an indictment of Calvinist theology. Christy asks Alice Henderson, the Quaker missionary from Pennsylvania who God could allow a girl to be raped and a woman to be hanged. In other words, how can a sovereign God of omnipotent power allow His own created being to do evil. Alice responds that God would HAVE TO if He has given us our own free will.

But the greatest test Christy faces is when a typhoid epidemic hits the mountains in early autumn, and her dearest friend, Fairlight Spencer, is the first victim. What were the power of a few germs to that of the Sovereign Omnipotent Ruler of the Universe? Christy rants. ...

This book says a lot about human responsibility and how not to blame God for everything that happens, especially when people do wrong to others.

And that's saying something! :)
I'm definitely not saying it's anything *similar* to LotR, because it's not, I'm just saying that it's *almost*
as good. It's about a 19-year-old girl named Christy Huddleston who goes to teach school at a mission
in a place called Cutter Gap in the Great Smokies of Tenessee. The year is 1912. This is an incredible
book about a citified girl who finds adventure, hardships, challenges, maturity, God, joy and (of course)
romance. It's very wonderful to find such perfect balance of all elements. It's quite rare to find a book
that actually mentions, (gasp!) *GOD* that is not way overboard and in the preachy department. In fact, I
think the way that religion was tied in was just perfect. Then, my favorite part would have to be the
romance. A very frustrating one, one of those where she thinks she's in love with one, but is actually in
love with the other. Not too frustrating though. I've read plenty of those (Anne of the Island, cough
cough!). My brothers, who are adamantly against romance, and always bury their heads in pillows when
anything romantic comes up anywhere. In Christy's story, they are fascinated, and my youngest brother,
who at first really didn't like Christy, says that "I only keep going to see who Christy marries," :)
The thing is, the romance is only a big thing if you make it so. There just happens to be a cute young
preacher and a hot doctor with a sexy Scottish brouge in the vicinity, both of whom have a major crush
on Christy! :)T his is by no means a romance novel. I just personally am a fan of one of Christy's
admirers, (who is, dare I say it, hotter than Aragorn:)
But more than the romance, this is an incredible story and the characters are so real to me now. I'm actually now doing some research on Catherine because I'm so interested in this whole story.
A must-read!!!...

I have a love-hate relationship with this book. I love it because my son loves it. He is two and a half. He has loved it for a year--really loved it. Every time we go to the library he makes a bee-line for it. We sit and read it. More often than not we will attract other toddlers who will surround us and recite the text along with us. It casts some sort of spell on small children, I think. I do not own this book, however, because I HATE it. It is so repetitive that I wince as I read it. In fact, one does not read it so much as one chants it. The brown bear mantra. My son has the entire text memorized. We'll be in the grocery store or in the car and he'll start reciting it. Or I'll chant part of it and he'll chant the rest. Or we'll ad lib, inventing new animals with new colors: "Grey Mouse, Grey Mouse, What do you see?" I guess I don't really HATE this book; it's hard to hate something that gives you so much pleasure. But I'm not ready to own it yet. That said, I can't wait for my brother to have a child. He sent my son a noisy Thomas the Tank Engine book for Christmas. It beeped and whistled and hooted and basically drove me out of my mind. I intend to pay him back with "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See".

I remember loving this book as a child, and reading this to my six-month-old son brought back wonderful memories. Yes, there's a simplistic theme running through the pages, but a young child listens for the repetitive phrase and looks for the big, colorful images. My son gets very excited each time I read the book to him, reaching for each of the animals as the page turns; and as he gets older and can comprehend the pictures better, I'm sure he'll appreciate Martin and Carle's work as much as I did.

I highly recommend this delightful book.

I've had three children who fell in love with this book around age two. It does a wonderful job of teaching colors, animals and rhyme to toddlers.

Aided by Carle's unique illustrations, this book begs to be chanted by the parent who will be reading it for the umpteenth time. ("Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see? I see a red bird looking at me. Red bird, red bird, what do you see? I see a ....." etc., etc.) The cadence and rhythm of the words have fascinated my youngsters as they learn to identify different colored animals populating the pages of the book. Strictly a teaching tool, the book does not have a story per se, but it seems to be just right for the child who is just beginning to discover the larger world.

A review by Judy
Do you like to read a good fantasy that has battles and skillful sword fighters in it? If so, this is the book for you. Martin the Warrior is a book about small animals. Martin and Rose are two of the main characters, and they are both mice. Martin had been enslaved by Badrang and escapes with some help from outsiders, but he is determined to free all of the slaves Badrang has and to get his father's sword back. Will he achieve his one and only goal or will he give up?
I really like this book. At first the story seems to drag but then it turns to very efficiently told. The main characters are so real and they all have different attitudes. At times the characters can be really funny. "Go to sleep, you filthy bunch. I'd like to lay you all out with a punch." Brian Jacques likes to play with language, at times I found it hard to understand, but once you get used to reading it you begin to understand what they are saying. Mostly it's just the moles talk weirdly, but there is also an Indian tribe talks diferently. The moles talk like this, "You'm a dreadful 'horrible crew an 'oi wuddent give to you." While the Indian tribe talks like this, "Squidjees playnow, youwatch plennygood!" At times this story seems to linger, but for the most part it carries itself until the high point! The author likes to give lots of details but not too many. "Primping the lace hems of her tunic..." The conflicts seem real, and they can relate back to the time when we had slaves. "Martin's head slumped onto his sodden chest as he recalled the day of his capture." At first you might be confused when Jacques moves on to another character, but you'll get the way he does it soon enough. The ending could be different, but it definitely ends the story. I think the story is just the right length. I was shocked but relieved when the story ended. If it had gone on it would have been a bore. I rate this book with 4 stars. I definitely think you should buy this book!

I've read all the Redwall books; several made me cry, but not like this one. I admit: I wept openly while reading it. It's not a particularily sad story, but Martin (who wuld later become Redwall's greatest hero) had a hard life. He was taken prisoner by Badrang the Tyrant and led away from his home on the northern shores at a young age. Once at Badrang's Palace, he was forced to work with other slaves, but his courage never failed him. Martin makes friends with Rose and Grumm, a mousemaid and a mole, who are one the outside of the palace and trying to rescue Rose's brother Brome, also a slave. An escape is planned for Martin, Brome and Felldoh (a squirrel), who are down in the prison pit as a punishment for their insolence. The manage to get free, but Martin and Rose are separated from Brome and Fellodoh at sea beacause their boat sunk. Both couples find much adventure anbd new friends as they try to raise an army against Badrang. When they finally meet again an attack is made on the palace, a battle between free creatures and a Tyrant. During the battle, the rest of the slaves are freed ands they, too, join the fight against their former captor. In the end, at the very end of the battle, a trajic and unexpected thing happens, which changes Martin forever. Throughout the story, though, tiny hints have been dropped about this unfortunate occurence. If you want to laugh, cry, and be held in suspense I strongly reccomend this touching book. In fact, I reccmend all of the Redwall books beacause each is special in its own way.

I have read this book six times, and found it to be my favorite Redwall book. It tells the story of Martin beore he was a legend, before he was the spirit of the abbey.

Badrang was Lord and Tyrant of the Eastern Coasts. One of his slaves was Martin. Martin defied Badrang and was tied up on the roof of Fortress Marshank. During the storm at night, Rose and Grumm see Martin up on the roof. They are a mouse and mole from Noonvale to find Rose's brother Brome who is somewhere inside the fortress. In the morning, Rose and Grumm use slingstones to drive away the hungry seabirds intent on eating Martin.

Martin did not die like he was supposed to so Badrang puts hin in the prison pit where Felldoh and Brome are. They escape and get split up while at sea for a while. Brome and Felldoh wash up near Marshank and Rose, Martin and Grumm end up by the Pygmy shrews' caves. There they meet Pallum. Pallum, Rose, Grumm and Martin go on a quest to Noonvale, Rose's home, for an army to rid the land of Badrang. Brome and Felldoh stay with the Rambling Rosehip players.

The ending is the tragic battle of Marshank. Read the book to see if Martin wins!

This is a typical coming-of-age SF/fantasy story, where the protaganist must overcome overwhelming odds to triumph over the forces of evil. It's main selling point is that it's a hybrid, giving us dragons and romance in an SF setting (altho the reader isn't necessarily aware that it's SF at first).

Lessa is the Cinderella of the story, working as hard in her hold as the lowliest peasant despite being the heir. The arrival of dragonriders to the hold upsets all of her long-range plans and she eventually ends up 'impressed' to a dragon queen. This opens the way for romance and more adventures as 'thread' (a burning, sometimes fatal thing that falls from the sky like rain) suddenly returns to bedevil the lives of people on Pern.

The story of Lessa is perfectly aimed at the Young Adult audience, with lots of adventure and many chances for the reader to try to figure out what 'thread' is and where the people of Pern are from. I first read it in my 20s and have reread it and the next 3 books in the series many times since (altho after that the series goes down the tubes).

I consider it on the same par as the Foundation series - light SF/fantasy entertainment. It's nowhere near as difficult to read as Tolkien or Cherryh but you don't get the same payoff either.

I first discoverd the world of Pern in sixth grade, having to go it the comuter lab and read excerpts(?) from the book Dragonsong. I loved Dragonsong when i read it in the computer lab, however I was extremely dissapointed until about 100 pages and I loved the book. I expecially fell in love with Dragonfilght, I couldn't put it down! It's been my favorite book since. Lessa is such a great character, the story of dragons and firelizards builds up and makes sense. i love F'lar and F'nor, and Jaxom. Ramoth and Lessa love eact other so muchis so beautiful. Its like it could really happen. Dragons being of only certain colors, how the where breed it amazing. I highley reccommed this book and the series(I finshed All the Weyrs of Pern a couple days ago). Anne McCaffery has a style of writing that makes you love the characters.

I must say that this book is one of my ABSOLUTE favorites! I have read it so many times that I almost know it all by heart! This book tells the story of Lessa, (my fav. character) who Impresses the last golden-queen dragon of Pern, Ramoth and how, basically, they defy all and, against all the odds against them, the save the world. This was the 1st Pern book I have ever read, and I say you should definetly read this one first. It makes understanding the different ranks and colors of the dragons easier...it makes you understand the real, emotional bond that the dragons and their riders have...how their minds are linked and how they understand everything about the other... This world is so believable that it makes me want to go to Pern and Impress a dragon! (lol) One of my favorite parts would have to be when Ramoth rose in flight to be caught by Mnementh, whose rider is F'lar, who was the only bronzerider who believed that the ancient menace of Thread would fall once again in the skies of Pern. And lo, was he ever correct! He and Lessa and Ramoth and Mnementh make the BEST couple, and their fierce wit and sense of knowing make the story fast-paced and wonderful! You get to really know all the characters like you are actually standing there, with them...its great! This is a TOTAL read for dragon fans and even sci/fi and fantasy fans! Its great for all ages, though I do warn against the 10 and under year olds-they might not get the concept. PLEASE READ! ITS SO WORTH A HARBACK VERSION! (I have all these books, so trust me!) :OD

I enjoyed this book so much, I am purchasing the board book version of it. It is one of the few books I have read to my daughter and day care children that totally drew them in from the second line. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is a daring yet impish race of the small alphabet letters up to the top of a coconut tree with vivid artwork on every page. When the tree is weighed down with all the letters, it bends and the child-like letters fall down to be picked up by the large letters described as the mamas and the papas and the uncles and the aunts. Theya re all gathered up and put to bed when all the sudden out comes little a again..and the fun starts again. It is so fun to read for the adults too. What a great way to show the relationship betwen large and small alphabet letters! We even started a game with me saying, "Chicka chicka?" and them cheering back, "BOOM BOOM!"

The author captures the tone of children at play, keeps a rhythm that is easy to follow, and provides a warm sunny way for children to remember the alphabet. It is well worth the money and I will look for more offerings from the author in the future. I also used it as a tool for homeschooling my daughter who has just turned 4. After the purchase and use of this book, she can easily recognize all letters large and small which makes it so much easier when you work on phonics and early reading. The book made it FUN and that is what I liked the most.

Get this book!!! It's educational, affordable, and fun!

"A told B and B told C
I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree."

Thus begins Chicka Chicka Boom Boom's bouncy romp through the alphabet. The cadence is quick and the rhyming is fun. One can't help but read it aloud just to bop along! This book has captivated every child I've seen "read" it from 1 month (no kidding, the bright colors and simple shapes really grab 'em) to 5 years.

As for its learning potential, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom clips through the alphabet twice, and in a brilliant move portrays the child-personified letters as lower-case and the "adult" letters as upper-case. The "kid" letters are rambunctious and accitentally get hurt (resulting in "skinned-knee d", "black-eyed p", and "loose-toothed t"), but the "adult" letters are there to help them up, dust off their pants, and feel better.

In short, this is a book that's so sweet and fun, I'd have bought it even if it didn't have it's additional benefit of learning the alphabet! Chicka Chicka Boom Boom comes highly recommended!

Living in a book filled with books and kids is heaven. We read aloud every day here in our house, and letter books have been favorites for years and years when the kids start learning to read. We live in Norway and speak Norwegian, so most of our children's books are also in Norwegian. Still, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is among the favorites. The text, by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault is so simple and still so filled with rhymes and humour. And Lois Ehlart's colorful illustrations go perfect with the words.

Learning the letters and learning to read can be a hard task for a child, and the book captures this perfectly. The letters live their own lives, climbing up the coconut tree, falling down again, bending, looping, having fun.......exactly what letters do when you are a newbie and try to sort them out. Any child will laugh of the way the letters act, and the sometimes hard task of learning the letters will be a wonderful game the child wants to play over and over again

We love this book in our house, and can recommens it to any young readers.

Britt Arnhild in Norway

This book was very good. It most commonly would appeal to teens. I enjoyed this book and read it very quickly. I was so interested to see what would happen next. I especially enjoyed this book because I could somewhat relate. One of my close friends moved away and we kept in touch to some extent. My parents also seperated and I know how much of a strain that can be on the children involved. I'm sure that this book could relate to others who may have experienced something similar to these two girls' experiences. I would definitely recommend this book to any young girl who enjoys reading.

Love it, go grab it and read it! Rate it 5 great giganticstars! Wonderful, fantastic, magnificent book! By two great authors,Paula Danziger & Ann M. Martin. If you like writing letters, you shall love this book. This whole book is written in letters, which is amazing. If you're into friendship you'll love this book as well. That's because this book is about these two girls named Elizabeth and Tara* Starr who are best friends but Tara* Starr had to move because their parents say they needed to move for a reason. However they are totally different. Elizabeth is shy adn quiet, hates being the center of attention, and lives in a house in which possesstions are more important than feelings. Tara* Starr wears glitter and sequins, loves to be the center of attention, and is the only child of the young parents aho are takinga long time to grow up. But even through they are different; their frienship is really good. So now they have to communicate by letter because long-distances calls are too expensive. While Tara* Starr's family settles down in a good position, Elizabeth's family fall apart. But can they still stay friends forever or will the distance between them tear them apart and away from each other? After you read the book you'll want to know more. This book can be a never-enging written letter story response between two girls. This book is an active and charming story written through a letter layout. It's letter to letter back and forth talking to each other but not by meeting each other. The letters have feeling and emotion written in it. The events and action happens inside the letters. This book gets thrilling and more exciting by the moment you read it. You'll want to keep reading till you finish the book. This book is a wonderful, emotional, touching, and a sad book at the same time. I say after you read this book you'll love it and it'll inspire you to love writing letters and be a true friend. Just like it inspired me to do that.

P.S. Longer Letter Later is a great book for young teenage girls who like reading about life and its problems with friendship. The book is about two girls named Elizabeth and Tara*Starr, both best friends. One Day Tara*Starr moves away and the only way to communicate is to write latters to each other. Soon after that they learn how hard it is to have a long distance friendship. My favorite thing that the author did in this book was the way she writes the letters. They sound as if you're write there listening to them read their letters with such expression. The letters are so expressive because Paula Danziger wrote it with her best friend Ann M. Martin. If girls are having trouble with friendship, they should read this book beacause it teaches girls how to handle situations having to do with friendship.

I appreciate the innovation of writing a book about comics in comic-book style. It's a clever, winning idea. Perhaps it would have worked a bit better if McCloud himself were a better draftsman, or if there had been more (and better-quality) reproductions of other artists' work.

The writing here is uneven. Some chapters, including "Blood in the gutter" and "Time Frames," are very effective and very specific, with strong insights into the nuts-and-bolts of comic techniques. Another chapter, "The Vocabulary of Comics" -- which uses a big triangle graph to encompass the whole of range of comics art -- is quite insightful but, at the same time, oversimplifies a bit, I fear. I'm not saying McCloud's assertions aren't necessarily true, but he might have put himself on surer ground with some of the language/symbol ideas by getting more heavily into semiotics theory, etc. And maybe here is where the light-hearted tone and comic-book style starts to undercut his intellectual accomplishment. I understand the book isn't meant to be a doctoral thesis, but still, it has high ambitions, and the structure of the book must be subordinated to the loftiness of its aspirations. Chapter 7, which attempts to relate all of artistic achievement into a unified whole, is one of the least satisfying, because it is frankly pretentious and rather gooey, non-specific, in its assertions.

Don't get me wrong. There is a lot of good insight in "Understanding Comics," and I wouldn't debate that it's an essential read for anyone interested in the topic. But it also feels like sort of a primer, a survey. Each one of the chapters could itself be the subject of a whole book. In other words, "Understanding Comics" has impressive breadth but not as much depth as one might want.

Scott McCloud does a fantastic job explaining the history, potential, and inner workings of comics as a medium. I was especially impressed with his concise descriptions of visual theory and its particular applications to comics. Occasionally I felt that McCloud's treatment of a topic could have been more fleshed-out (the chapter on color, for example, or his concluding idea of comics as a particularly good form of communication) or that he made some unnecessary generalizations (his definition of art was a bit trite and even misleading). On the whole, though, McCloud's ideas are sophisticated and he is able to communicate them with surprising eloquence to both the art historian and the general public. In fact, though I am an art historian, I learned a good deal from this book.

McCloud's decision to use the comic format to present his ideas is ingenious, and I doubt that prose alone would have been able to deliver his messages with such clarity. The one drawback to the format is that I fear it will only appeal to those who already value comics, and that as a result those who most need to hear what McCloud has to say never will!

Scott McCloud has been called the Marshall McLuhlan of comic books, which comes as no surprise since McCloud seeks to do for comics what "The Father of Modern Media" did for television. Strictly an exploration of the language of "sequential art" (a term coined by legendary writer/artist Will Eisner, McCloud's direct predecessor in the study of comics as an art form) rather than a history of the medium or how-to guide, "Understanding Comics" deconstructs the iconographic imagery of comic art and how, when married with the written word and arranged methodically on the page, creates a unique mode of expression rivaling any other art form in terms of its potential for effectively communicating narrative, emotions and ideas.

Social perception of the comics medium has been always been marred by the fact that most of us rarely encounter the medium outside of perusing the "funnies" or leafing through the pages of "X-Men" and "Archie" while waiting in line at the supermarket. In the eyes of the public, comics are little more than lowbrow cultural artifacts designed as disposable entertainment for kids and those who don't like to read anything that isn't accompanied by pictures. But one only has to turn to works like Art Spiegelman's "Maus" or Joe Sacco's "Palestine" to realize the literary, artistic and even journalistic possibilities that exist within the confluence of words and images that defines "sequential art".

"Understanding Comics" is not, however, about passing judgment on the merits of any particular style or genre. Rather, McCloud contends that the format is merely a canvas offering the artist unlimited freedom to express his or her distinct vision. Everything from the use of style, composition, shading, juxtaposition, color, panel arrangement and the ever-critical notion that what is omitted from the page is every bit as important as what is included (hence the book's subtitle, "The Invisible Art") is brought together to characterize an exhilarating art form that deserves further study, exploration and, most of all, appreciation.

Early on in the book it becomes apparent that McCloud exhibits a true passion for the subject, and wants his readers to share that love and enthusiasm with him. It's hard to resist the friendly, conversational tone McCloud employs to persuade us to join him in his inner circle of insight and understanding about a medium few ever think to explore. It is only appropriate that "Understanding Comics" is itself presented as a long-form comic book that effectively demonstrates what it preaches. Some of the techniques McCloud uses to (literally) illustrate his points are simply brilliant. He opens the second chapter of the book, "The Vocabulary of Comics", with a real zinger: a cerebral sucker punch of sorts that completely unravels our perceived relationship with the printed page.

To grasp the slippery correlation between the written word and the iconographic image, to understand the many ways that time can be represented by space on the page, to recognize the relationship between the real and the representational... these are the moments of pure joy that the reader can look forward to experiencing throughout the course of the book. In "Understanding Comics", McCloud has created the perfect primer on the subject of "Comics as an Art Form". It's an accessible, intelligent and entertaining work that will provide a wealth of insight to regular readers of comics as well as convince the uninitiated to take a closer look at this fascinating medium.

At First, when Amalia ( Who is in 8th grade ) moved to Polo City, CA everything was perfect! She had made a lot of friends at school, was a manager of a band, has a boyfriend who is a Junior, and so much else! Then her boyfriend, James becomes to protective. I don't want to tell you any more 'cause it will spoil the story. One of the best book's by Ann M. Martin!! Make sure you also read " Maggie " , another "California Diaries " book.

I loved this book, as well as the other California Diaries, because the girls' lives (like mine, me being 11) are so real. Their problems seem MUCH more real to me than the girls' problems in the BSC. The only thing I don't like about the California Diaries are 2 of the girls sound sooooo depressed (Sunny & Maggie). Amalia & Dawn seem to be the more up-beat, less depressed half of the group. This book covers the subject of abuse, which I don't think should be left alone. My mom used to run a safe-house before we moved& then I was about 7 when i realized what an important issue it was. I'm glad this book covered that subject.

I like Amalia's courage in dealing with her abusive boyfriend. Good thing she dumps him and her friends and sister stood by her! Bravo! It tells girls that no, they do NOT have to put up with abuse. This book was as good as the BSC "Claudia & the Terrible Truth" which was also about abuse. Have Amalia & Claudia met? They should, they're somewhat alike, being artistic and creative and each having an older sister. The California Diaries delve somewhat deeper because it's in a diary form, but the BSC books are just as great. What I like are the first-person accounts that make you feel as if you're right inside the main character's head. Those who claim the BSC are "goody" ought to read deeper. In some ways the BSC books are diarylike.