This is one of a kind and this is so well described that I feel as though I'm one of her sensual characters,its exciting and raunchy and I can't put the book down,I get mesmerized everytime I open the book. I always wanted to have something written so good in terms of down to earth langauge, its my kind of story and Eve Locke is my kind of author, I'd like to meet her and lay some compliments on her but im lieu of the meeting this review is probably as close as i'll ever get and this is my way of letting the public in on some fantastic reading entertainment.

It's almost real the way this novel reads, this took real talent to bring to us who crave such raunhy romance, I've read it twice and can't wait for her next. Never in my wildest dreams have I ever expected to have a real honest to goodness sexual story told like it really happens. My husband even loves it and so does all my friends who seem to cherish the Eve Locke Bible, the descriptive love making is next to the real thing and sometimes I think it's even better.

Eve Locke has to the the queen of ..., her story telling talents are second to none, we here at the hospital in Atlanta are being swept away by the raunchy way this novel is written, we love the four letter words, there not just four letter words, not in this story in this book they are classy desriptions of lewdness,just the way many of us would love to be involved in, this is a turn on the minute you open the novel, its mesmerizing and i'm turned on with every turning of the page. Its almost like being there and a few times I've become one of her charaters and thoroughly enjoyed my own climax's, and many of my friends have too. This book has made the rounds many times and its as though i'm taking a new lover with each reading, HOORAY for Eve Locke, give us more, I understand she has more as good or better, we're searching for them and when we find our rainbow's end we'll write another review, her story telling is spectaular.

I was first introduced to this book in a children's literature class taught by Jack Gantos. I must confess The Mysteries of Harris Burdick has never left me since. Is there a story? Not really. I think this is precisely why The Mysteries of Harris Burdick is able to take such a profound hold of your imagination. Each of the 14 haunting black & white illustrations are accompanied by a caption. Nothing more. We as the readers are left to ponder the meaning of each picture and make up our own stories to go along them. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick is the perfect way to introduce a child to the joys of reading and writing.

Preston McClear, author The Boy Under the Bed

I am 21 years old and could not be more excited to find this book again! My uncle read to me and my cousins all the time when we were children. This book along with The Polar Express, The Wreck of the Zephyr, and Jumanji became one of our favorites! I had no idea until now that they were all the same author. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick was especially fascinating. Because only pictures with captions are provided we gazed at this book for hours, imagining all the possibilities. I strongly urge parents to buy this book and others by Van Allsburg. I feel that they all encourage reading, and this book in particular encourages the imagination. Though I haven't seen or read his books in years, I still remember them as if I read them yesterday.

Chris Van Allsburg tells an intriguing story of finding fourteen inspiring drawings from a children's book publisher. A gentleman named Harris Burdick brought the drawings to the publisher. He was supposed to return the following day with the stories that went along with these drawings, but he never came back. All that accompanies the drawings are a title and one sentence caption.

You cannot help but look at the drawings and start wondering what they are about. Some look like they are the start to an adventure and some end long journeys. Some are even a (little) bit scary. This is the magic of the book. As soon as you look at the drawings, you start to imagine and think of other worlds and adventures.

Your child will be able to verbalize or write the stories to go along with the drawings. These sketches allow you to go in hundreds of different directions, allowing the stories to change each time you visit them. My five-year-old daughter was even imagining what could have happened to Harris Burdick to keep him from returning with the stories. She had no trouble at all with the book's unique concept and immediately went to work on helping solve the mysteries of the book's drawings.

This book is wonderfully unique and will open doors to places in your child's imagination and mind that are too seldom challenged by most children's books. Find a place for this book in your family's time.

The series of Chicken Soup books has held my attention since their first publication. Perhaps this is one of the most important books in the series. The stories will also help everyone realize that life is a journey. The words will inspire you to dream, to be more positive, and to realize you are not alone.

When you purchase this book, think of it as a life enriching tool. The topics of love, friendship, family, attitude, perspective, death, dreams, obstacles, choices, tough stuff and eclectic wisdom are discussed in stories, poems and passages.

The stories are short enough so you could read one a day. There are also funny cartoons, poems and plenty of "kid" wisdom. I give this book my highest recommendation. I think even adults should read some of the stories in this book. The poem a child wrote about her father is something every parent should read.

I was also impressed with the health advice and section on making the right choices. The positive lessons you can learn from this book will last a lifetime. My favorite poem was on page 293, it truly holds the wisdom of a child. We have so much to learn from children, if we will take the time to listen.

I have read a fan of "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books since Grade 8 and I must say that out of all of the series I have read, this is my favourite one. This book is great for kids. It includes stories, and poems that were written by kids FOR kids! This book is great and I love to sit in my bed sometimes at night and read stories from Dating and Relationships to Death and Divorce. Kids can face many troubles out in the world like Gangs, Drugs, AIDS, Death and many other situations. Kids have to make difficult choices sometimes. This book is good because it can really make you think. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who wants something great to read! It can make you laugh or cry. It can make you feel good about yourself. I know it will definetly make you think, it made me think!

This book has different topics like On Love, friendship, family, etc. It teaches you how to build your strengh and love. This book encourged my dreams. Chicken Soup also teaches you a lot about friendship. Chicken Soup has 101 courages, hoping and laughing stories. There are different topics that teach you different things. On Love they have stories on love and loving back in return. There are Sad, happy stories helping after people who you love. Then there's friendship. Friendship is about having friends that fight with you, but after, becoming friends again. The stories also tell it doesn't matter if your friend is black or white. The real test is if they're nice to you. Family is about how you get in fights and how to respect your family. Attitude and Perspective is knowing what's right. Death and dying is when you love someone and then dies. They still love you and want to be with you. Achieving Dreams is on going towards your dream, don't stop trying. Overcoming Obstacles is when you say something like I would have gotten 100% if I didn't get those 7 wrong. When you don't want to get something wrong to get people mad if you did something wrong. On Choices is anther way of saying decisions Tough stuff is when you want to do something so bad but you can't that's tough luck.

I liked this book because it realy changed me on problems and dreams. It was really good book.

While many may pass it by as just another horse book, Marguerite Henry's 1949 Newbery Medal-winning classic is truly the story of the bond between a slave boy from Morocco and a horse that become the patriarch of centuries of Thoroughbred racehorses. Agba is a mute young groom in the Sultan of Morocco's vast stables. At the age of eleven, he and his beloved charge Sham, the Sultan's finest Arabian, are sent as a gift to the King of France, only to be scoffed at and left to pull the cook's cart to the market. Throughout the horse's miserable series of abusive ordeals, the faithful Agba sacrifices his own existence to protect and comfort Sham, who never fails to return his devotion.

Beautifully descriptive of numerous cultures spanning Morocco, France, and England, the novel portrays the universal traits of kindness and cruelty in characters of high and low means. As heroic as the horse that maintains his pride in the face of humility is the boy. Agba's devotion is rooted in the special bond that comes from raising an animal, further reinforced by his inability to speak. He and Sham communicate silently, and become one when they are together. The novel will appeal not only to horse lovers, but to anyone who appreciates friendship and adventure.

King of the Wind is composed by Marguerite Henry. I rate this book with five stars. This book is about the adventure and friendship of a spirited horse named Sham and his horse boy. Agba the horse boy is a mute. When Sham was born he
was a weak horse but grew strong thanks to Agba's careful care. Agba and Sham were part of the royal stables in Morocco. The sultan of Morocco wanted to send six of his finest horses and their horse boys to the king of France as a present. Sham and Agba were chosen and endured the rough, long journey to France. By the time the small group of fine horses got to France they were mere skin and bones. The little group was laughed at and sent away lickety split. Agba and Sham stayed to help carry food to and fro the market for the kitchen at the kingdom. Eventually things happened leading them to live in many different places each time with different experiences. They had many rough times and sometimes by themselves. In one of the events a cat joins the boy and his horse. These three are quite n sync with each other and are quiet. The three endure many hardships as the story continues and in the end the story unexpectedly twists leading to a
happy ending.

King of the Wind was an awesome book. As you read this book you will come to realize you can not put it down. Whether you are a horse lover or not you will enjoy this book. This book is written for ages nine through twelve but yet people
of various ages will probably enjoy this book.

This book I read when I was about 9 or 10. I still remember how well Marguerite Henry's imagination worked. This book is about a loyal horseboy and a beutiful Arabian named Sham who is as wild as a lion. In the beggining when Sham is born, with the white spot, his mother will die and she does. Sham almost dies too, but the horseboy saves him with camel's milk and honey. Sham and him grow up together and the one day gets called to the sultan. He sends the to Europe where they perform for the king. After a while they travel all over Europe going through tough times, fun times, and times when they are split up. During the story a cat joins them. Some people are happy to help them when they are in trouble and others cause the trouble. In all the books by Marguerite Henry, I feel as though when she wrote these, her imagination must have flew wildly. What I mean by that is her writing is amazing. Some people think her writing stinks, but in my opinion, she's great.

This book was one of the strangest books I have ever read, and I loved it. I mean the story was so cool and the characters were almost alive (well for most of the book). I mean it also takes a stab and bringing something new into a story. This book has a really big issue in it that is facing alot of teens today... abortion. I am glad that Mr. Pike is not afraid to pull all the punches and treat his readers as mature people. This book was very creepy with great characters that I wish could have been in more books. A MUST!!!!

I've read everything by Christopher Pike I've ever been able to get my hands on. If you've never read anything by him, try this one first. The characters are very real. I compared myself to all of them at different times. I've read Wisper of Death twice, like most of his books, but I could read it over and over again and understand it a little more each time. It gets very deep and it has some hidden morals that you might not see on the surface. You won't be able to put it down until you're done. Then you'll want to pick it up again. A message to people who haven't read any of Pike's books: Read all the old stuff first. Books like Remember Me (my favorite), Witch, Wisper of Death, and Scavenger Hunt show Pike at his absolute best.

I've read ALL of Christopher Pike's stuff, and I have to say, this book made me feel things I've never felt with his other books. I've always been fascinated with the concept of being one of the last people on earth, and the fact that Pike made it this total mystery just kept you biting your nails for more. I was really scared for those kids, and the novel really made you feel the lonliness and creepiness of being one of the only people left alive. I totally recommend this book!!

I bought this book some ten years or so ago. It was my favourite book for about five years until I leant it to a "friend" who liked it so much that she never gave it back. I'm so happy that this book is back in print because I still yearn to read it. Which goes to show just what an absolutely amazing book this is and this isn't even my favourite DWJ book. That, incidentally is Dogsbody which was also stolen. Anyway back to the review, this book has everthing for lovers of fantasy and magic alike:- parallel worlds, extra lives, spoilt megalomaniac children and of course lots and lots of magic. It is one of the Chrestomanci books and I recommend that anybody who reads and loves this book, should also try reading The Lives of Christopher Chant, Witch Week and The Magicians of Caprona by the same author. I have read the other reviews and what has struck me is that every reviewer seems to have read all of her other books, as have I. Diana Wynne-Jones has a knack of creating such warm, real characters and writes with a lot of humour. She is the kind of author who inspires such loyalty from her readers. Go on-read this book. We can't all be wrong!

I read Charmed Life when I was in fourth or fifth grade, and immediately bought a copy of my own to read again and again. I loved all Diana Jones's books, but this one was my first and my favorite. Fifteen years later I still feel fond of Cat and resentful of his hellion sister Gwendolyn, and I still wince at the hilarious atrocities she perpetrted at Chrestomanci castle. A children's book that doesn't patronize children, but instead indulges their sophisticated sense of humor and appreciation of the travails of a bildungsroman hero is a rare treat indeed. I still keep my old copy so that some day my children can learn to love Jones's wonderful books too.

An alternate world where history is not quite the same, and wizards and witches are common occupations. A young boy, Cat, and his older sister, Gwendolen, are left orphans at an early age, and become wards of the town. Gwendolen becomes a student of an unscrupulous hedge wizard with his own agenda, before she and Cat are adopted by the mysterious Chrestomanci and taken to live in an even more mysterious castle where the staff have hidden talents.

Rivalries between the children and their new found cousins, and a tendency to play magical pranks, keep the story interesting. To say more would reveal the secrets, but power is not always where you think it is, and some people don't know their own talents. In spite of evil intentions of the villains, or maybe because of them, some people end up better off then when they started.

Overall, this is a good novel for pre-teen to teenage readers, but adults may also enjoy the story. I thought it was very good. It is an earlier novel by the author, introducing characters in later novels, and should probably be read before many of the other novels.

Stellaluna is both well-written and lavishly illustrated -- a delight for the young child to view and the older child (as well as the parent) to read -- a rarity among picture books. . My three-year-old has had this book since birth, and has loved it since day one, asking for it to be read over and over.

The story: We follow the young fruit-bat, Stellaluna, through her ordeal of becoming lost and her subsequent upbringing by a family of birds. The resultant bat-bird behavior confuses Stellaluna, but will delight your child with its absurdity. The story contains good conflict resolution, as Stellaluna regains her bat identity and her family, something sure to comfort and teach your child.

For further entertainment, I highly recommend Ms. Cannon's book, VERDI ( a similar tale about a green python; wonderfully written and well-illustrated), as well as the CD-ROM edition of STELLALUNA produced by Living Books (one of the few really GOOD CD-ROMs for children).

My boys love this book! They loved it so much I bought the CD-ROM book as well. And the plush bat! They enjoy hanging Stellaluna upside down while reading the story.

The story itself is a little scary when the owl appears and Stellaluna is separated from her mother in the dark forest. But the mother bird and her babies are quick to accept and help Stellaluna. The story emphasizes that differences should be celebrated and accepted, and it's always best to just be yourself. It also shines a positive spotlight on an animal that gets a bad rap--the bat. I'd rate this book better than Cannon's other book, which is about snakes, "Verdi."

The artwork is beautiful; I love simply looking at the pages. And the "Bat Notes" section at the end is informative; I know because my pre-reading child wanted me to read it out loud several times!

Lovers of nature, superb artwork, and literature will not be disappointed reading this story to their little ones.

Stellaluna is wonderful. It has the perfect drama for a young child's fantasy: a bat child separated from family manages to survive without her parents, but has a joyful reunion. I think the story works especially well because of a number of elements that resonate with a young child. First of all, there is the drama of abandonment and reunion; that's always a worry on a young child's mind. There's also the silliness of a bat doing bird things (including eating worms instead of fruit). This always appeals to the preschool set who love being in-the-know about how things are supposed to work. Finally, it's a great book to read with your child on your lap, because it ends with a big hug.

The illustration is also excellent, beautiful, vivid pictures in full color. You can buy a Stellaluna stuffed animal too (I believe there are book and animal sets). They have these neat velcro strips on the feet and wings so you can hang her upside down, asleep in her wings from whatever a four year old can reach.

Wright, Betty Ren. (1983). The Dollhouse Murders. New York: Holiday House. I like this book because it is a simple mystery children ages 9-12 can read and enjoy. The book is a very interesting realistic fiction book. While visiting Aunt Clare in her Great grandparent's old house, Amy discovered a wonderful dollhouse in the attic. It is the replica of her Great Granparent's house. Everytime Amy visits the attic eerie things happen. Strange noises come from the dollhouse, lights are on in it and the dolls have been moved from where she had left them. Amy is very frightened, but she wonders if the dollhouse is trying to tell her something about the murders of her Great Grandparents 30 years ago. Amy wants to solve the mystery. On a stormy night Amy and her sister make one more visit to the attic. They watch as the Grandmother doll gives them a clue about the murders. They tell Aunt Clare what the doll revealed to them. Together they solved the murder mystery of that fateful night 30 years ago.

This is about a responsible girl named Amy who got tired of watching her sister Louann Treloar. In the beginning Amy runs away because she is losing friends because of Louann. When Amy finds out that she is going to stay for a few weeks at her aunt's house, she asked her how her grandparents died. Her Aunt didn't seem to happy about talking about her parents. But when Amy finds out about the dollhouse she lies so her aunt won't worry. I would recomend this book to others because, it's scary at some parts, but it is a wonderfull mystery book that is cool.

In the beginning it takes place in a town called Claiborne. Later in the story the setting moves to the countryside near Claiborne where Amy's Aunt Clare lives in an old house. Amy, the main character, feels like her parents treat her unfairly, so she runs away to her Aunt Clare's house. At Aunt Clare's house Amy notices that dolls in a dollhouse move mysteriously all by themselves. The dollhouse is a miniature copy of her Aunt's house. But nobody believes Amy about the dolls, except her sister Luanne who also sees them move. It's like the dolls are trying to show the girls how their grandparents were killed a long time ago. What's not to like about the book! It kept me guessing right up to the end. I also liked that it was a mystery but was not full of violence and lots of people dying. It was also interesting to see how the characters change in the story. In the beginning of the book some people expect Amy just to play with her sister and other people understand that it's hard for her. Amy is frustrated. By the end of the book, Amy learns to appreciate her sister and her mom.

I love Sandra Boynton's books for their sing-song verse and adorable illustrations; but my 14-month-old loves only some of them. This one is a bit confusing for her, I believe. Just when her vocabulary is taking off, this book hits her with some animals that even I can't positively identify. The animals are on a boat, which doesn't make sense out of context. After bathing and just before bed, they engage in vigorous exercise, for some reason. The book seems to present a bedtime routine and seems designed to read to your child during his/her bedtime routine, but I'm finally deciding we're better off shelving this one until it can at least invoke a couple of giggles from my toddler, if not genuine understanding.

I bought this book based on reviews and got no huge reaction when my daughter(2) opened it at Christmas. However, the first time we read it, she started memorizing it. The second time: she took the book, went away and sat by herself "reading it" over and over.
The book tells of a variety of cutesy animals(on a boat) getting ready for bed. They go through the ritual of taking a bath, hanging up their towels, finding pajamas, brushing their teeth and then the much controversial exercising. The boat part I thought was a little weird at first but how else are you gonna rock an elephant and a hippopotamus to sleep?
This book didn't help my kids go to sleep or even get them to pick up their towels but it sure brought out a lot of conversation and excitement about reading.

Sandra Boynton's colorful board book is a bedtime treat! An assortment of expressive animals gets ready for bed aboard a giant boat. Boynton amusingly shows then bathing, dressing, brushing teeth ("With some on top and some beneath, they brush and brush and brush their teeth."), and exercising together.

It closes with the animals settling down for the night: "They rock and rock and rock to sleep." Graced by Boynton's well-known illustrations and rhythmic, lullabye-like poetry, this is a great book for infants and toddlers alike. It's one of those books you'll keep long after the kid(s) grow up.

Troon McAllister rocks! Okay, so you need to suspend your grip on reality to flow with a plot that sees a nobody picked for the Ryder Cup team, but it's worth the effort. Eddie Caminetti is a perfect nobody for the Ryder Cup and the Ryder Cup is the perfect setting for Eddie to unleash his talent for golf and off-beat psychology on an unsuspecting golf audience.

This book is all about Caminetti. It's also all about golf, hustling, and human nature. Along the way there's ample suspense and more humor than has any right to be in it's 300 pages. Most golf novels (and most sports novels for that matter) follow a familiar plot but this book takes us to new, and very original, ground.

Truly funny and the first real competitor to "Missing Links" by Rick Reilly, this is a gripping read. You just never know what's around the corner . . . but you know it's going to be hilarious.

I had thought Dan Jenkin's book, Dead Solid Perfect, was probably the most realistic and believeable novel about the professional game. That was until I read Troon McAllister's book,The Green. Even non-golfers would probably enjoy it as it is about more than golf. Great characters in believeable situations all handled superbly by the author. Eddie Caminetti is much more than a golf hustler with the game of a tour veteran. He has a mind like a steel trap and the nerves of a tight rope walker. How he becomes a Captain's pick for the US Ryder Cup team and how he handles the assignment are a treat. There is much to learn from this immensely entertaining book...about golf...it's rules...human nature and life itself. You will not want to put this book down. It is that good!!

The Green is extremely entertaining on a number of levels. It gives the reader the vicarious pleasure of believing that many of those guys out on the tour have 'feet of clay' with their own foibles. Even though they get to play and get paid 5 or 6 days a week, the author would have you believe that most have some personality defect that the common guy doesn't.

On another level, Eddie, the lead character, is everything we wish we could be, in or out of golf. A hustler yes, but dig below the crust, a complex, honest, and talented person, unwilling to put up with the BS of the profession. He's an iconoclast, supremely confident of his own abilities, ready to thumb his nose at traditional concepts.

If you don't love this book and this guy, you don't like good fiction and the game of golf.