The Orchard submerges the reader in the lifestyle not only of the Depression era but also that of a small New England farmer. I not only enjoyed reading about Kitty Crockett's triumph's and failures, but I somehow felt that I too experienced them. The book has piqued my interest about this time that I did not live through. There is much to be learned here from the self-reliance and the necessary simplicity of the people that did live through the Depression. It was also interesting to see that many of the issues that Kitty faced in trying to save her family farm, are still faced by small family farmers in New England today.

The late Adele Robertson's story of her attempt to save her family's property by establishing a commercially viable apple orchard during the Great Depression is a true gem. Robertson, who later went on to become an award-winning columnist for the Ipswich Chronicle, writes in a clear first-person voice. At times wildly humorous and often poignant, the story is superficially about growing and selling apples. What it is really about is self-reliance and courage. It is no wonder that so many New England high schools now include this book on their reading lists -- Robertson (with the help of her daughter Betsey, who retrieved and edited the manuscript after her mother's death) has produced a riveting work that speaks to a woman's need to "make it on her own" without ever preaching about it.

The Orchard, a Memoir, is a great book. Last week I was on a long flight back to San Luis Obispo from Omaha and I had this book with me, a gift from my mom. I started reading it and totally forgot about the flight, never noticed the movie they were playing. A good number of times tears were just pouring down my face and I'd wipe them away, wondering if the people on the plane around me thought I was a bit crazy.
But I tell you, I'm crazy about this book! Honestly, I read a good deal and this is easily one of the most interesting, deepest, most powerful books I have read in years. Although true, a memoir, it reads just like a fine novel. I was so totally absorbed reading this rare gem of a find, that it was difficult to realize that the author had died some 20 years ago--she, Adele Crockett Robertson, seems so real, so full of life, so gutsy, so immediate.
Briefly, this is the story of a young girl, a smart, educated girl with a good head on her shoulders, who loses her job in the great Depression, and goes back to the family farm to try and save it from the bank. The many people in the book all come to life perfectly and there are surprises aplenty. I am a gardenwriter (author of Allergy-Free Gardening)and have farmed myself, and I appreciate what Adele went through. I would also add that this is no doubt the best picture of life during the Depression I've ever come across.
I plan to review this book every place that I can, because to my mind, this one is so good, so readable, so well worth reading, so enjoyable, so satisfying, that it completely deserves to be a best seller. Do yourself a favor and read this marvelous book!

This is more than just an alphabet book. Older children love this book. For a fun book innovation using alliteration read The Z was Zapped. Brainstorm verbs that begin with each letter of the alphabet. Assign each student a letter. Require each letter to have a sentence such as for letter A: The A was accepted into an association. Title your class's book something like: The Z was Zipped-up. This is a fun way to meet state content standard for alliteration. I have used this idea with 5th and 3rd graders for three years and tied it into many of this author's works. Awesome illustrations!

Any reader who has encountered the illustrations of Chris Van Allsburg will know they are in for a treat with this ABC book. Each page features one letter of the alphabet rendered by Chris in black and white drawings that are marvellously compelling. On the opposite page is a one line description of what is happening to the letter. For example, the "G" is depicted with leaves and thorns poking out of it, with the phrase on the corresponding page stating "The G was starting to grow."

This book elegantly conveys the entire alphabet with pictures and few words. Despite it's appearance of simplicity, adults may well find this picture book as engaging as children do. I consider this book to be perfect for children learning the alphabet. It's a fundamental part of many of the nursery school classes I have encountered. The large pictures and simple sentences allow large groups of children to see the letters from a distance. After one or two readings, children will be calling out the words before the parent or teacher does. I have yet to encounter a class that doesn't delightfully chime in with "And the Z was finally Zapped!" at the end...

This is a classic amoung alphabet picture books. I have always loved the simplicity of alphabet books. Sharing them with children is more fun than anything. But Allsburg takes the fun up a notch with exciting illustrations and a witty humorous twist to the traditional alphabet book. Though his drawings are in black and white because they were done in pencil, Allsburg captures the reader and the audience in a refreshing rendition of this beginning reader collection.
As a liesure artist, I find Allsburg's work very refreshing. His illustrations are detailed and realistic. In this particular collection, Allsburg demonstrates mastery in shading and form. I love his illustrations. Any child that loves to draw will be inspired by Allsburg's work.
I also love the way Allsburg's illustrations bait the reader to guess what words are used to describe what is happening to each letter. By strategically placing the words for each illustration on the back, readers are encouraged to say what they think is happening. Dialogue is an exciting way to learn reading. By encouraging this kind of sharing, Allsburg has created an excellent book for children learning to read.
Allsburg is an inspiration to young writers and artists. This is not his first children's book and only adds to an already growing collection of fantastic works. Every teacher, babysitter, storyteller and parent should keep this one handy as well as a pad of paper and plenty of extra pencils. Once you've read The Z Was Zapped you will want to put your hands to work as well.

This book is very different. It explains the mostly
untold side of Tory life during the American Revolution.
It centers around Pru, a young girl living in New England.
She leads a middle class life with her family. Because she
lives in a tiny town, she knows almost everyone. Then, the
Revolution starts. Not only does she lose most of her Patriot
friends, but her family is a target for threats. What will become of her and her family? You'll only know by reading. LOVE THY NEIGHBOR.

I enjoyed this book because it showed us that some Tories were
just like us. All they wanted was what was best for their children. I recommend this to EVERYONE! Please buy it. You wont
be disappointed.

"Love Thy Neighbor: The Tory Diary of Prudence Emerson, Greenmarsh, Massachusetts, 1774" was such a great story! I was a little weary when beginning this story, as I feared this Tory family would be betrayed as rich, snobby, and not as humans, as that is the assumption with Tories. Luckily, that was not the case. I was glad that a book was finally published with loyal British people and what they dealt with through their eyes. A must read if you've read, or been reading, books about the Patriots. I recommend.

Throughout books based on American history, we have seen numerous Young Adult books about the Patriot side. Finally, Ann Turner has written a book about what it was like to be a Tory. Love Thy Neighbor catches you from page one. Centering around Prudence Emerson, a teenager living in Massachusetts, this fictional diary talks about daily life and the problems of being a Tory. Not only is she perscuted by Patriot neighbors, but forced out of her home with her family. Read as you learn about the Revolutionary War and the "other side". Great! Dont forget to read other Dear Americas and Royal Diaries.

This book was one of the most riveting of any fire related books,I have ever read. The attention to detail ,from the initial alarm, until the conclusion of the incident, was flawless. If Sean Flynn were not familiar with the workings of a city fire department, then he took the time to become more knowledgeable than most civilians could ever hope to. He not only covered the technical aspects of the fire, but the human side as well. This book easily falls among the ranks as those written by other noted authors as Dennis Smith, and Leo Stapleton.

The title at the beginning of these comments is from St. Florian, and was on a medal recovered from the spot where one of the men fighting this fire died. The medal should not have survived, silver melts at 1,600 degrees, a body is incinerated at 1,800 degrees, and the heat in the building had reached 3,000 degrees.

I came to read this book from a rather unusual direction. Worth Magazine just did a profile of the most generous Americans, not necessarily those who gave the most money, but as a percentage of what they have, their reasons, and other intangibles beside the traditional yardstick of amount only. Actor/comedian and member of this very special group is Dennis Leary. Of the 6 men who died in this fire, one was his cousin and another was a childhood friend. His foundation has raised $2 million for firefighters in Worcester MA and NYC. His organization was cutting checks 3 months after September 11th in NYC; he has no use for bean counters.

Sean Flynn's book, "3000 Degrees", is easily one of the most powerful books I have read in 2002, it is the first of many books I will now read on Firemen, and others who put themselves in lethal harm's way, for the rest of us. As I read this book, I asked the same question I often ask when men and women put the lives of others before their own, not for a single moment, but every day, for years and often for decades. Some members of a team are the rescue members, and these men enter the building without any fire fighting equipment, like hoses, to protect themselves. They go in looking for victims and are unprotected against flame and other lethalities except by their experience and luck. They are in a burning building looking for you and me before the houses may even be turned on.

Firemen are not drafted; they are not military, although some served prior to becoming Firefighters. The serve their own communities, but adjacent ones when needed, and generally walk in to situations that may kill them to save people they do not know, or to be sure a building is empty of persons. The latter was the case on December 3, 1999. Six men died in a building that was boarded up, and devoid of human life. It had many lives within it for several hours, and then 6 lives became the only bodies that the building would ever contain.

Tim Jackson, Joe McGuirk, Paul Brotherton, Jay Lyons, Tom Spencer, and Jerry Lucey died, because as one person involved in the fire wondered, that 6 of his friends had died because, "two misfits were too scared to dial 911". These misfits not only started the fire, accidentally, they did not report it, but because it is not against the law to fail to report a fire in Massachusetts, even if you started it, neither person was convicted of anything.

Now Julie and Tom continue to live their lives which up until the night they started this fire were notable only for the similarities they shared. They were the personification of life's losers, living illegally, living in filth, living any way they chose as long as it required nothing from them, no effort. And if that meant going to jail, breaking the law, and living in their own filth like no animal would do, that was what they did.

They killed these 6 men by their actions, even if you call their act one of omission as opposed to commission, the men are dead, and Julie and Tom started the fire, Julie and Tom ran, and Julie and Tom did not bother to let anyone know the building they illegally were squatting in was empty. That their illegal residence was barely worth the water to contain the blaze, much less the lives of 6 men, a host of new widows, and a large number of now fatherless children, never occurred to Julie and Tom.

They went to Media Play and listened to music while the fire spread, books were out for Tom, he's illiterate. And while the candle falling over and causing the fire was called an accident, it probably would not have fallen if Tom did not try to force himself on Julie. Tom was in the mood, Julie was not, so 6 men died.

The men who fought this fire and died and those who fought it and lived are all remarkable people. They are people that few of us can measure up to. Are you willing to take a job where you place your life at risk every day, not for fame, or money, or even job security? I don't think you are; I'm not.

Firemen are willing to make the sacrifice, so are Policemen and women. So the next time you are tempted to park in front of a hydrant, don't, next time you get nailed for speeding, take the ticket, call the officer sir or mam, and act like an adult. Don't whine because your radar/laser detector did not allow you to get away with speeding. Want to speed, pay the ticket; don't blame the officer who stops you.

30,000 Firefighters from all over the world came to Worcester to pay their respects to these men and the families that were left behind. So the next time you pass a Firehouse, think about the people in side, you probably don't know them, and they don't know you. Would you die for them, they are prepared to die for you, every minute of every day.

Like many of Worcester, MA, I watched this fire and was overwhelmed by its power. The loss of life was without equal. This recounting is a great tribute to the Fire Department and all the men present at this fire. Many of us listened to the events unfold on scanners; others watched as the flames colored the night sky. Sean Flynn tells all the details and the humanity of these life shattering event. No matter where you live, this book is a must read to understand what firemen and women do everyday. As well as to see their lives through their family and friends.

This book is abosolutely great! I read it about a year ago, and I've read at least five times since then. It's about two kids named Eleanor and Eddy, and a riddle they stumble upon in their own house. They got all sorts of clues, such as real dreams, to find the treasure described in it. They end up learning that it was right there in front of them.

A watershed event occured for me this weekend when my daughter asked about this book as I put it securely in a place of honor on a new bookshelf. I was lucky enough to find an older hardbound last year with the classic 'orange' cover. I explained the story in general and told her she could read this copy, just take very good care of it. She has begun to read the book and I am almost envious as she discovers the mystery of the riddle. I recall the summer that I had the good fortune to check this out from the library for the summer reading club. I clearly remember reading it in my back yard on the evening of the summer solstice. Every time I read the poem etched in the window, I still get shivers... 'transcendental treasures, which of them is best?' The whole series! My collection of the Hall books is near complete, with only "The Fledgling" to be added. Jane Langton, you are much loved by this reader's family! OUT KNAHT!

As a child, I checked this book out of my neighborhood library time after time. When in my twenties, I was determined to find the book again. Though I'd forgotten the exact title and author's name, I returned to that same library, found the librarian I remembered from my childhood, and she recalled the title and author. Now, at the ripe old age of 43, I read "The Diamond in the Window" at least once every year, have given copies as gifts and will continue to read this favorite as long as I'm able. I also had the honor of meeting the author and having her autograph a copy for my daughter, who also loves the book.

Robert McCloskey's classic children's book, Make Way for Ducklings is just as delightful in the year 2002 as it was back when it was first published in 1941. The timeless story of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their eight adorable ducklings is still a fun read for children and parents alike. The story begins as the prospective parents search for a new home suitable for raising their young ones. Mrs. Mallard is clearly the expert in this endeavor and Mr. Mallard is quite relieved when she finally settles on a spot that is not too dangerous or noisy for their young family. The couple make themselves quite at home on a little island in the Charles River of Boston, a quiet oasis within the busy city. Soon the ducklings hatch and Mrs. Mallard sets about teaching them all they need to know in order to live in the city. By now they have made good friends with some of their human neighbors, especially Michael, the policeman. When the family makes its first trip into the city, Michael calls for backup and literally stops traffic all along their path. The people the Mallards encounter are just as pleased to see the ducks as the Mallards are to be there. The reader leaves the family settling comfortably for the night after a day of happily following the Swan boats in the park and eating the peanunts tossed their way. The charm of this book lies in both the heartwarming story and th realistic but idyllic illustrations. McCloskey is quite gifted at portraying the natural world to children in a way that is authentic and familiar. Most children have seen duck families in a nearby pond and witnessed the way the ducklings learn about the world by waddling along after their parents. The sketched illustrations add to the natural feeling of the book. The depiction of the ducks is terrific because they are visually expressive but still look like ducks. Another engaging facet of the story is the positive interaction between animals and humans. The Mallards find a way to live comfortably within a city full of people and their human neighbors are welcoming and accommodating. Overall, this a warm and timeless book. It is just perfect for a parent and child to read together or for a teacher to read to a classroom of younger kids. This is a good selection for children aged 3 to 7.

Children naturally are interested in understanding a parent's perspective on the family. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard's search for a safe home for their future family makes a wonderful story for children and parents to explore and understand more about parental love. Although the book has a 4-8 age reading level, younger children enjoy having it read to them (based on the experiences of my four children). The illustrations are terrific and draw the child's interest very easily. Older children like to reread the story because of its comfortable connection to their more youthful years and reinforcement of their sense of being wanted, loved, and belonging.

To me, the best part of the book is that the locations are actually easy to find in Boston. So if you live in the Boston area or ever come here, you can also take your children to experience the story. I know my younger daughter thought that her first Swan boat ride in the Public Garden was the ultimate moment in her life (up to that point). She kept wanting to know which duck was Mrs. Mallard, and which one was Mr. Mallard. Then she wanted to spot Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack (my favorite name in the book), Pack, and Quack. I had a ball! There are also statues of Mrs. Mallard and her 8 offspring that the children can touch. There's also an annual parade that you can participate in.

If you don't know the story, here's a summary: Mr. and Mrs. Mallard were looking for a place to live where they could raise a family safely. Whenever Mr. Mallard found someplace he liked, Mrs. Mallard worried about foxes and turtles. Finally they got to the pond in the Public Garden in Boston, and were too tired to go on. So they spent the night on the little island there. The next morning they could not find much food, until the people on the Swan boats began to throw them peanuts. But the Mallards were almost run over by a bicycle, so they felt they needed a safer place. They tried several, but each had a drawback. Finally, they found an island in the Charles River not far from the Public Garden that met all their requirements. Michael, the policeman, fed them peanuts. Soon, Mrs. Mallard laid 8 eggs, and stayed to hatch them. After the ducklings were born, they learned to swim and walk single file behind their Mother. One day, she walked them towards the Public Garden. But they could not get across the highway. Michael spotted them and stopped the traffic so they could cross. He called Clancy at the station and told him to send a car to help Mrs. Mallard and the ducklings cross at the Public Garden. When in the pond there, they met Mr. Mallard on the little island. They decided to live there, and followed the Swan boats for peanuts after that.

I have enjoyed reading this story and reading it to children for almost 30 years. I look forward to reading it to my grandchildren when the time comes. It has also been my favorite book to give as a gift to new parents.

Enjoy the wonderful gift of warm family feeling in this book, and leave your stalled thinking about your cares and worries behind. It will remind you what is really important in your life!

I am a student at West Virginia State College and taking a Childrens lit. class. Make way for ducklings is a delightful book and i strongly reccommend it to children of all ages. It's nice to read a book like this that is simple and sweet that all children can enjoy.

If you're a dog parent, you tend to know the green spaces around where you live, but when you go afield, you need a guide. This book is invaluable for telling you where to take your dog in Boston and the surrounding towns. If you have a dog and you are looking for an apartment or for real estate in the Boston area, you absolutely need this book.

The only criticism I have is that the book is retriever-centric, meaning it favors parks with bodies of water and ball-throwing possibilities. Different types of dogs need different types of parks; some need good squirrel-chasing capabilities, some need a large fenced area so they can run, some need to be able to swim, some need puppy play-groups, and some need to go where other dogs don't go. The book's ratings favor swimming possibilities, but if you read the descriptions, you can get a sense of whether or not your dog will like a given park.

I will use this book many times. It will be a resource for me when I want to take Pluto to new places. I do think that Great Brook State Park should make it to the top dog list. And also would recommend that the MSPCA Mutts and Fluff and Stuff Annual walk and pet show be added to the list of doggy diversions. All in all a great book and fun resource. I envy George and Inu and owners for the research process:)

When we arrived in the Boston Metro area with our golden retriever, this was the first book we bought. It is a god-send! Immensely detailed and highly accurate, it lists hundreds of places to take your dog in Boston, the surrounding communities, the Cape, and even as far afield as New Hamsphire. The book is divided into 12 geographic areas. In turn, each broad region is sub-divided by town. Within each town, Downey and Lau first list Parks, Beaches, and Recreation Areas. These are subjectively rated from 1 to 4 paws. In our experience, one paw sites are only good for a quick pitstop. Four paw sites, however, are routinely wonderful. Usefully, a running dog symbol indicates off-leash parks. Directions, a map, and a reasonably detailed description of the facilities follow. Downey and Lau also list for each towndog-friendly restaurants, accomodations, festivals, pet sitters, and the like. So far their advice has been dead accurate--up-to-date and on the money. If you love dogs and live in the Boston area, you need this book. Highly recommended.

This is a beautiful, honest book about a family's love for their Golden Retriever. While the humans in the story are skillfully drawn, the central character is Amy--a loving and loved Golden Retriever. I cried at the end of the book. The lesson of the book is that a much loved dog can have a dramatic impact on a family's life--even if she isn't a search and rescue or therapy dog.

I agree with all the glowing reviews Golden Days: Memories of a Golden Retriever has been receiving, but I see something else in this book that no one else has mentioned yet--an added dimension that, I believe, gives this book its universal appeal. I think the author has written something much more than a book about a wonderful dog named Amy. Behind that captivating story is a meditation on the inevitability of the passage of time, almost an inquiry into the meaning of time and memory. Look at it: all the action takes place in a tiny geographic area, maybe a square mile at most. Very subtly moving across this canvas are the people whose lives touched this square mile--from prehistoric man to Indians and Pilgrims to pirates and finshermen and World War I aviators. Way behind the scenes there's a reference to great-grandparents, and grandparents and parents. A day in the past, the author seems to be saying, was their time, today is ours, tomorrow others will walk these same beaches, and that will be their day. I think it may well be this very quiet undercurrent that gives this slim book its punch and unforgettable power. I'd be interested to hear if any other readers have felt this too.

You don't have to own a golden retriever to read and really enjoy this beautiful book. As a dog lover that I am, I read anything which has to do with dogs regardless of breed. This book is similar to "the dogs of our lives", a book which touches your heart and brings tears & laughter as you read it. Thank you Mr. Vanderbilt for sharing your memories with us.

There is a small Island in Buzzard's Bay that isn't a vacation resort. It was once a leper colony and is now a kind of prison.

Dan Robb, a version of today's Renaissance Man, crosses the water to teach at Penikese Island School, a community for delinquent boys.

Robb avoids the temptation to offer a romanticized or idealized account of this work. He describes it in excerpts from his journal-passages that include his inner thoughts along with the actual exchanges he has with his students. He does offer his analysis and evaluation of the effort to assist these young outcasts-we learn what the experience has to offer them and view a range of responses from the individuals he encounters at the school.

Robb weaves his own developmental struggles (growing up in a single-parent home) and his academic interests (a writer and student of English Literature) into his work and he shows us how such inward-looking reflection informs him about the destructive impulses which weigh so heavily on the boys at Penikese. He concludes on a strong, positive note.

The book is a job well done, interesting, instructive and thoughtful. Thanks, Mr. Robb, for writing it.

In this wonderful book, Dan Robb has managed to write about his experience teaching troubled boys with soul and without sentimentality. The rawness of his experience teaching on an isolated island off of Cape Cod, and the soul searching it prompted, makes for compelling reading no matter how much time you spend thinking about or working with kids. As the mother of a small boy, I also felt that reading this book was a way of learning about how to be a good parent to my child. I recommend this book with all my heart, and hope that it touches you as deeply as it did me.

I say surprising because 18 months on a cold, ocean-swept island working with troubled boys might be a snore to read about, but this book isn't. I wanted to find out what happened from day to day to the boys and the staff at the school. The island is really another character in the book, too. Definitely worth a read, even if the subject matter seems not your kind of thing. It's a good story.

Most 'serious' reviewers of Robert Parker's Spenser books will argue that "A Catskill Eagle" is the best of the series. I won't disagree that it's very, very good, but I think Spenser (and by extension, Parker) is at his best in "Early Autumn".

Primarily, through the books, Spenser has deep relationships only with Susan, and to a lesser extent, Hawk. We really don't know much about him beyond the front he puts up for his clients and his opponents. "Autumn" is the exception to that; we see him treat Paul in much the same way he must have been treated as a child and the same way he would have treated a child of his own, if he'd had one -- with respect and decency. He drags the 'real' Paul out of the shell Paul had constructed to protect himself from his parents and the world and provides him with a sense of worth, teaching him, as Spenser says himself, "what [he] knows" -- boxing, running, carpentering and standing up for something.

The end of the book always gets me. I've always been glad, too, that Paul makes further appearances in other books: Widening Gyre and Playmates, among others. It's interesting to see the relationship between Spenser and Paul grow and develop. It deepens Spenser as a character and gives us one more reason to like him.

This is the seventh novel in Robert B. Parker's Spenser series and by now it is quite clear that whenever you start one of these stories the question is what is the new twist this time around. You can never call one of these novels an unconventional Spenser novel because they all tend to be unique in some key way. in "Early Autumn" our hero is hired by Patti Giacomin to find her son Paul, kidnapped by his father. Spenser finds Paul almost immediately and it quickly becomes clear that neither parent really cares about the boy, who is just a pawn in the wake of an ugly divorce. Paul needs someone to teach him, well, just about everything (except how to shrug; the kid does that really well in response to every question asked by Spenser). "Early Autumn," a metaphor for a 15-year old kid who has to grow up really fast, finds Spenser talking more than any of the previous books, although at the end his detective skills will again come into play. A large chunk of the book is Spenser and Paul talking about a whole bunch of different topics. In doing so, Spenser explains his view of the world, a task usually left to Susan Silverman. There is also an unforgettable twist as Hawk lends a hand at a key moment. As always, Parker's novels are quick reads, perfect for commuting or nice hot baths.

This is one of my two favorite Spenser books (The other is A Savage Place.) Early Autumn was the first Parker book I ever read and also the first suspense/mystery. My parents and brothers all read Spenser but I shunned them, preferring scifi. I was desparate for a read one summer night and my mother pressed this on me, saying "You'll like this if you just give it a chance" I was 15 and I read it that night, reporting back to her bedroom and saying, "Next Book! More! More!"

This book is about Spenser's surrogate fathering of a lost 15 year old boy named Paul who is a pawn in his own life. It is sort of a coming of age novel, but really not because it is told from Spenser's perspective like all the Spenser books.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. I highly recommend it to any Spenser fan or to any one who remembers 15 and that lost in your own life feeling.