This book is just full of stories from the best tellers! I enjoyed them all, but liked that many areas and cultures were represented including the south and native american tellers. I would recommend this to anyone who likes storytelling as a hobby, or as a teller!

The stories are very interesting and my children (5 and 8 old)
love them very much.

The "Panther and the Rabbit" is their lovely one.
I told them many times.

The "Fox's Sack" is very funny with songs. You know it's
the kind of stories you will remember all the time.

I think that with the "Magic Mortar" you will be delighted,
because you can't guessing the end. My children were
very surprised but got an answer to one of their many questions!

It's nice too to read tips to tell the story and to know
more about the teller.

Enjoy!
Myriam

This book is one of the first of many story collections I have bought in my journey as a teller. It remains one of my favorites, especially as a resource for the young tellers I have nurtured in my youth teller's guild. Some of the best tellers around have generously shared tales they have told, along with tips for the teller. At a time when the word "copyright" often rears its head among the storytelling world, this sharing of a favorite story, with permission to tell, is a rare gift.

The stories themselves range from tall tale, such as Chuck Larkin's "Electricity Elixer" to world folklore from David Novak in the story of "The Three Dolls," and everything in between. Each story has notes from the teller on the meaning of the story to them, the full text of the tale, followed by notes from the teller that will help beginning tellers understand better how to capture the mood of the story.

If you are looking for a collection of stories that are sure to please a wide range of audiences, look no further. This volume will be a great resource for the classroom, library or homeschool families. (Gwyn is a professional storyteller who has coached many middle school students in the telling of their first story).

Nice book, a good buy if u're interested in history and stuff. By the end, u feel like u know her majesty, Queen Victoria really well. It's also pretty engrossing. But it's nothing very different from the conventional stuff. Still a highly recommended buy.

This is the third volume in Jean Plaidy's well-written "Queens of England" series of books. In it, the author details the life and reign of Queen Victoria, from her rise as a young, sheltered princess to a Queen who would give her name to an era. For over sixty years, Victoria ruled over England, longer than any monarch before her or since.

As in all the books in the "Queens of England" series, it is written in a first person narrative, creating an intimacy of style that makes the book all the more compelling and immensely readable. Replete with fascinating period detail, political machinations, public personages, and historical events that were a part of Queen Victoria's life, the author builds a sympathetic, three dimensional portrait of a woman and queen.

The author recounts the early years of Victoria and her ascension to the throne, firmly rooting the house of Hanover in English history. She takes the reader through the Queen's marriage to Prince Albert from their early innocent, halcyon days to the later, more troubled ones that would give fruit to a mature and abiding love that would span a lifetime. The book recounts the births of their numerous children, and the joys and sorrows that they would bring Victoria. The premature death of her husband at the age of forty, however, would mark Victoria for the remainder of her long life.

The often fractious relationships Victoria would have with some of her Prime Ministers is recounted, as are the one ones that were more harmonious. Familial relationships, scandals, and intrigues would also have their impact, not just on Victoria's immediate family, but on the monarchy and the world, as well. Such is the lot of a royal family, and Victoria's was no different. World events and their effect on the British Empire also pepper this book, and at the center of it all was the indomitable Queen Victoria, a monarch for the ages.

This is a wonderful book that those with a penchant for historical fiction will, no doubt, enjoy. Ms. Plaidy is a master storyteller, seamlessly weaving a tapestry of events and personalities that make this book one to be savored.

This book gives incredible insight into the world of Victoria's England and the politics that reside therein. It's saturated with history yet so engrossing you barely notice. I strongly recommend this book.

If you really want to enjoy this book you might want to read its prequel first, "Follies of the King." This one was good, another typical Plaidy pleaser. It isn't her best, but still worth your while.

Jean Plaidy, a consummate storyteller known as Victoria Holt to her legion of devoted fans, has written a riveting work of historical fiction, detailing the ascension of Edward III to the throne of England. The author expertly interweaves fact with fiction, resulting in a riveting tapestry of political intrigue, betrayal, murder, and love.

The author details the events that led to the coronation of fourteen year old Edward III, son of King Edward II and Queen Isabella, while his father still lived. Due to the perfidy of Isabella and her ambitious lover, Roger De Mortimer, Edward II was taken prisoner and held against his will. He abdicated under duress in favor of his son, Edward III. Shortly after, Edward II was murdered in an excruciating fashion. It was a murder in which Isabella and her lover were complicit.

Isabella and Roger de Mortimer thought that they would rule England through her son, Edward III. They were in for a rude awakening, as Edward III would prove to have a mind of his own. Moreover, when Edward III got wind that his father's ostensible abdication may not have been all it was purported to be, he would leave no stone unturned in uncovering the circumstances under which his father had lost his crown and the manner in which he had died. When he discovered what had really happened to his father, Edward III avenged his death, and not even Isabella, his mother, escaped the hand of justice.

The reign of Edward III would be an improvement over that of his father's reign, as Edward II had been a foolish king, more concerned with his favorites at court than with wisely ruling his country. Edward III selected his own wife, Philippa of Hainault, to be his Queen. It would prove to be a felicitous choice and a love match. She would become known as Philippa the Good and give her husband many children, including an heir who would become known as the famous Black Prince. Edward III, for his part, would prove to be a faithful husband for most of his years. .

The reign of Edward III, which had started out auspiciously enough, took a turn for the worse at one point. Certain events, and a belief that the King of England had a claim to the French throne, would lead to a war with France that would become known as the Hundred Years' War. This would prove to be a costly venture for England. Moreover, towards the end of his reign Edward III would become besotted with a greedy and notorious opportunist, Alice Perrers, who would make the King a laughingstock in his own Court. Upon the death of Queen Philippa, her influence would know little bounds.

The author brings these personages, who were an integral part of the reign of Edward III, to life on the pages of this book, amidst all the tumult and pageantry of medieval life, providing hours of pleasure to its reader. Those who are fond of historical fiction will most definitely enjoy this well-researched book.

This book has everything-history, murder,adventure, romance. I found this book about Edward the Third hard to put down.

My library in school was giving away old books, and they told me to take one. For some odd reason I chose "The Witch from the Sea." I knew it was old, but decided to read it anyway. I was enchanted from the begining of the tale to the heart-rending end! This novel is certainly one of the best I have ever read, and I highly reccomend it. You won't be desopointed, nor will you forget it.

I finally located my own copy of The Witch from the Sea through Amazon.com's bibliofind thereby completing my own collection of Philippa Carr's saga of English history. I initially had had to read a large print library copy to temporarily fill the gap as I read the series. Starting with The Miracle at Saint Bruno's, Philippa Carr wrote a series of books describing the lives of successive generations of young women in one family from the mid 1500s and Oliver Cromwell to the mid 1900s and Winston Churchill. Each book builds on the one which preceeds it. It is much more fun to read than any history text and the reader probably gets and retains more of what life was like in those times. These books are exciting and historically accurate, combining suspense, a little romance, historical detail and interpretation. It is too bad they are no longer in print.

I have the complete set of a series of novels by Philippa Carr except the following:

The Lion Triumphant and The Witch From The Sea

This series builds from each book to the next and is linked by the previous women's experiences - if you do not have the previous books, you don't understand the references in the current book(s). I am missing these links from the two above mentioned books.

I strongly recommend reading the entire series - about 17 books - 19 counting the two above.

Any help anyone can give me in locating these books would be appreciated.

janna7@earthlink.net

In this, her fifth book in the Plantagenet series, Jean Plaidy, renowned writer of historical fiction also known to her devoted fans as Victoria Holt, tackles the two most powerful women of the early thirteenth century, Isabella of Angouleme, the Dowager Queen of England, and Blanche, the Dowager Queen of France.

The heartbreakingly beautiful and sensual Isabella, a woman with little motherly instincts, had been married to King John of England, the most depraved, dissolute, and evil tyrant ever to rule over England, when she was just a child of twelve. John had been the youngest son of Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henry II of England. Unfortunately, he did not follow in the footsteps of his father in terms of his ability to govern his widespread kingdom. When John died a mysterious death, both Isabella and England were freed from his tyranny, and his and Isabella's eldest son, though a mere boy of nine at the time, became King Henry III of England. Isabella was now the Dowager Queen of England.

Meanwhile, across the English Channel in France, Blanche, the granddaughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henry II of England, had married Louis VIII of France. Her grandmother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, had handpicked her for that explicit purpose, as Eleanor had sensed in Blanche one such as she, a person with the wit and drive to be a strong queen. The marriage of Blanche and Louis had been a happy one, until an untimely death took Louis, who had been a well-meaning, though weak, king. Their handsome son, Louis, would become King Louis IX of France at the age of twelve. The beautiful Blanche, a virtuous and regal woman, was now the Dowager Queen of France.

When Isabella and Blanche would meet, it was clear that neither woman had much love for the other. When King John of England died, Isabella remarried Count Hugh of Lusignan, the man to whom she had originally been betrothed a lifetime ago, before King John had abducted her and made her his child bride. The fact that Joanna, her daughter with John, was now betrothed to Hugh did not deter Isabella from her determination to marry her first love. So, in addition to being the Dowager Queen of England, Isabella became a Countess through her marriage to Hugh, who was a vassal of France.

This was an untenable situation for Isabella, who despised Blanche and refused to give her and her son the homage that they were due. Isabella ruled her husband Hugh through her ability to provide many amorous and sensuous delights, causing him to commit many grave errors in judgment that were to cause much disharmony in his life. Isabella was single-minded in her determination to cause Blanche as much trouble as possible. She plotted and intrigued against the French crown and no perfidy was too great, encouraging her son, Henry, to try to regain the lands that his father, King John, had recklessly lost to the French. Blanche, however, was not oblivious to Isabella's hatred of her and, being a clever woman, made the necessary moves to keep her in check. One day, however, Isabella went too far and attempted the ultimate act of treason. It was an act that was to cause the tempestuous Isabella of Angouleme to come to an ignominious end.

This is a well-written and interesting work of historical fiction, revolving around two women who wielded a great deal of influence in early thirteenth century England and France. Replete with historical detail, the author paints a living picture of the political intrigues of the day. Historical figures are made three dimensional, adding a vibrancy to this enjoyable book, which those who love historical fiction of this period should enjoy.

This is a wonderful book! it is part of the plantagenet series and as the rest is beautifully written and full of historical information. Highly reccomended!

This book is wonderful escapism IF you read it right. That is, reading Tim's, Peter's, and Mike's parts of the book. Tim's struggles in having to establish a paper in San Francisco, and then following the union movement of 1894 is a fascinating read. The problems that workers had in acheiving fairness from businessmen was well done. The brief parts of Peter establishing his motorcar company, and Mike trying to escape from his overprotective parents, were also well done.

However, I hated the parts where Eulalia was duped by a man trying to get back at his father by using Eulalia in a way to hurt his father's friend, Toby. The fact in the storyline that it lasted a year was ridiculous.

Since Amazon didn't post an editorial review, here's the description from the back of the book to help you decide if this book is for you: "1893 .... Desperate workers strike on railways and at coal mines as a nation shudders with the passions of men and women who demand a share of the American dream. Violence and tears touch every heart when the cities of America rock with the shouts of police and rioters, strikers and scabs. Where is honor in this strife-torn land? Where one bold family dares to raise its voice for freedom, fairness, and justice for all: THE HOLTS." This is volume 4 in the Holt family series.

María Estuardo(Mary, Queen of Scots) fue la figura central de un complot político, que le costó finalmente la vida. Esta mujer, que fue reina de Escocia, de Francia, y firme aspirante al trono de Inglaterra, vivió en el siglo XVI, en un tiempo de cruentas guerras religiosas entre católicos y protestantes. Vivió en prisión durante casi 20 años, buscando la compasión de la Reina de Inglaterra, hasta su juicio y fatal desenlace en el castillo-prisión de Fotheringay. Si usted es un apasionado de la novela histórica, este es un libro que no debe dejar de leer...

This is historical fiction at its finest. Masterfully written, the author weaves a spellbinding tapestry of events that chronicles the life of Mary Stuart, the Queen of Scots, while in captivity.

The book details her stay at the castle on the island of Lochleven in Scotland, while at the mercy of her illegitimate half brother and self-proclaimed Regent, the Earl of Moray. It recounts her daring escape from her Scottish captors, as well as her woefully misguided decision to flee to Enland, rather than to France or Spain.

Instead of the succor that the beautiful, charming, and very Catholic Mary, an anointed Queen, expected to receive from her cousin, the wily and Protestant Elizabeth I of England, Mary found, instead, an uneasy captivity. From the moment of her entry to England, she was in effect a prisoner, commuted from castle to castle with a never ending succession of jailers whose task was to ensure that she did not escape. It was a captivitry that was to span nineteen years.

Filled with the political intrigues and conspiracies that abounded in sixteenth century England and Scotland, the book paints a sympathetic portrait of Mary, a queen that ruled with her heart, rather than with her head. She was a woman who was at a disadvantage in negotiating with her cousin, as Elizabeth, unlike Mary, ruled with her head and not with her heart. Elizabeth was very much aware of the political realities of the time and sensitive to Mary's own claim by blood to the English throne, making Mary someone to be kept in check, rather than helped.

Based upon actual historical figures and events, the author creates three dimensional characters and infuses them with all the pomp and pageantry of the time. It is a stirringly written narrative that fully engages the reader. Those who love historical fiction, as well as those who have an interest in the life of Mary Stuart, the beleaguered Queen of Scots, will most certainly enjoy this book, as will anyone who simply loves a well written and compelling story.

The Practice of Generalist Case Management is a decent book for one wanting an overview of case management duties. The book is written in text book format, yet lacks some organizational qualities of putting information in hiarchical format to be remembered easily as most text books. I am not saying the book has problems with its organizational structure but for someone new to case management the structure within chapters is a little awkward.

Holt has put together a solid overview of generalist case management. Although written for graduate students and working professionals, I have used it with independent study and directed reading courses for senior undergraduates planning to enter an MSW program. They have given me positive feedback about the value of this book during their internships in social and human services agencies. A good counterbalance to the over-specialization that hit social work education about 3 decades ago.

This book provides a very comprehensive overview of the practice of Generalized Case Management. It is written in a very easy to read format, and is loaded with the most up to date information on the field.

I highly recommend this book to those entering GCM as well as a great reference for those of us veterans already in the field.

I just finished The Secret Woman...what are they talking about? Anna doesn't change! There's no passionnate being there....I just didn't like this book. It had no point.

I read The Secret Woman my junior year in HS, and would get in trouble in class, becase I couldn't put the book down. The romantic story will trap you into believing that you are really there and part of the story. You will go on a wild trip with a young woman who falls in love with a man that is royalty. I really recommend reading this book whether for a school report or just for pleasure. I guarentee you'll fall into the story, and never want to put it down!! Victoria Holt is a wonderful autor and all her stories will trap you into believing you are there. PLEASE read this book!!!!

Victoria Holt's romance novels aren't always gothic romances, but gothic romances are the only kind I'll read -- the genre with castles or at least scary mansions, and ghosts, and usually a young woman who seems vulnerable but actually escapes death several times and brings family secrets to light. When Holt writes a gothic romance, she is a master! "The Secret Woman" is among my favorites. It seems heroine Anna Brett is doomed to be a governess for a rich family in England, but she later is led through circumstances to the captain of a ship named "The Secret Woman" and its secrets, many of which are diamond in nature. She also learns about the secret woman within herself while trusting the wrong people and learning the hard way about evil in a friend.

This item is actually a study guide, not the novel.

Disregard the rating for this review.

Where the Red Fern Grows is a wonderful and touching novel. It is a real life situtation that many can relate too. It is an exciting but also a sad book. Once I started reading it it was very hard to set down. While reading a lot of books I get bored and lost but not in this one. Where the Red Fern Grows is a book for all ages. Throughout the book you almost feel as if you're there. The author uses a lot of descriptions to help you see the picture. I have really enjoyed reading this book. It has been one of my favorites!3clc

When I first read this book I was too young to understand the deeper meanings in it. Having read it more recently, I realize what I missed out on. The plot is realistic and entirely believable. It is a story about friendship and the ties we make that last a lifetime. A moving and emotional story for readers of any age.