I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it brought our early American history right into my living room. Although it is fiction, most of it is based on facts, which although were sometimes grim and gruesome, were a part of our history. Some of the romancing got a little ridiculous - an obvious addition that has come from the author's imagination. It was an easy book to read, and difficult to put down.

I was somewhat disappointed at the end, because I felt let down. I want to know what happened next. Is there a sequel to this book? If so, would somebody please let us know what the title is. There was nothing mentioned about a sequel in the book.

I read this book years and years ago and the memory of it still lingers. So dang good... especially if you enjoy historical topics tinged with fictional drama! Find this one and read it. I highly recommend it.

Some say the truth is stranger than fiction. Well this book proves it. Virginia Bernhard creates a wonderful piece literature by combining the facts about the early colonists who settled in Virginia between 1609 and 1622 and storytelling. Most of her characters existed in real life, however she expands those facts to create a complex and rich story full of suspense, romance, danger, and hardship. If you want to know the truth about early American relations with the Native Indians read this book. For those true fans of historial fiction this is a must read. I could not put it down.Angela Houston, TX

This follows "Roanoke" which I really liked. In fact, it pretty much starts the minute "Roanoke" ends. It is mainly the story of Gilda & Fallon and what happens after the slaughter of their village.

Fallon is sent to England and Gilda is sent to live with her cousin Pocantas. Fallon never forgets his incomplete mission--to watch over Noshi & Gilda. Gilda, being so young when the children were sent away, doesn't remember much of her previous life. Eventually Fallon is able to go back to Virginia and begin his search for her.

The book is womderfully written and I felt like I got to know the main characters, to a point. Some of the supporting characters weren't that deep, but that's understandable.

I can't wait to read the third book in the series.

This has to be one of the best series of books I've ever read. I hadn't even reached the middle of the first book when I called my mother to tell her that she had to go get it. She was done with it when I reached the middle of the second and now I've just finished the third!

JAMESTOWN continues the story of the people who established Roanoke, as based upon the author's research. I was reminded of the biblical story of Job's suffering as I lived with the characters Gilda and Fallon. A wonderful, enriching tale. I can't wait to read the other books in this series!

I teach 5th grade in Washington, DC. My students and I study American History from European exploration to the writing of the Constitution. This year I found a copy of Corn Raid and read it aloud to my class. They loved it! Not only did the story validate facts they'd gathered doing research on Jamestown, but the plot kept them very engaged. They're still talking about it months later. In fact, just yesterday they asked if we could write to Mr. Collier and ask if he'd consider a sequel about the protagonist. This is a great book if you're trying to teach about life in the early 17th Century. It contains believable characters with a connection to history. I found that even the students who approach social studies with reticence enjoyed this book. I encourage teachers to use it in class, or give it as gifts to family and friends!

This is a wonderful hist. fic. bk that will serve many purposes in a classroom. Collier hasn't disappointed us yet, has he? There are solid underlying themes of friendship, trust, ambivalence in the face of duty and 'right,' and so on. There are 2 boys and a girl in main roles, so both genders are happy reading it. Accurate, of course, historically. No down-talking, no pie-in-the-sky, no frippery. Several of my 5th graders (both genders, widely varied in ability) read it and ALL of them loved it. Engrossing, somber, realistic story, very believable characters. We will be using it as a class book.

The story took place during the time of the Jamestown Settlement, around 1607. The main character was a boy named Richard. He was a servant along with Susan to a guy named Laydon. One day when Richard was working in the tobacco field, he saw something moving in the woods. He went to see what is was and he found an Indian boy stealing his hoe. Richard chased him as he called for Laydon. When he caught up with him, the two boys started threatening each other. As they were about to attack, Laydon came and stopped them. The Indian boy, named Weetoppin, was looking for food and Laydon and Richard took him home and fed him. Laydon decided to keep him as a servant. The next day Weetoppin's father showed up and signed him as an indentured servant to Laydon. Richard wondered why Weetoppin's dad signed the paper. He later found out that Weetoppin had killed an Indian boy and was to be put to death. He ran away, and could not go back home. Richard also began to wonder if there was an indenture paper on him. Laydon wanted to see if the Weyanocks had corn, and where it is. So he had Richard dress up as an Indian; and Richard and Weetoppin went to look for the corn. They found the corn in a hut. Then the Weyanocks started chasing them. Weetoppin and Richard started swimming across the James River. It was thundering and lightening, and Richard wanted to reach the other side before he got struck by lightening; but Weetoppin saw something and told Richard to hold up. Richard refused and was caught by the Paspahegh Indians; but Weetoppin couldn't be found. The Chief, a former Englishman, and his braves threatened to torture Richard if he didn't tell them where the Weyanocks kept their corn. Richard led them to the corn hut. After the indians took their share of the corn, the braves wanted to kill Richard, but the English chief talked them out of it. Instead, they tied him to a tree and left him for the Weyanocks to find. Weetoppin came and freed him and they started back up the James River towards home. When Laydon and Weetoppin were delivering tobacco in Jamestown where the ships docked, Spoffard's black servant came to Richard and asked for Laydon. Richard said he wasn't home. The servants orders were to give a letter to Laydon, but he gave it to Richard because he could not wait any longer for Laydon to come home. Susan read it to Richard because he couldn't read or write, and it said,

"I scheduled a raid on the Weyanocks for Thursday." Richard then told Weetoppin about the letter and the raid. In the middle of the night, Weetoppin snuck out and told his father about the raid on the corn. Richard then told Weetoppin that he had to tell Laydon so the English wouldn't be ambushed by the Weyanocks. Weetoppin said they couldn't be friends anymore and he walked away.

Laydon said he was going to Spoffards and prepare for the raid, that's when Richard told him that the Weyanocks knew about it and they were prepared to attack the Englishmen. Laydon decided to postpone the raid. Richard then said, "You do have a paper of indenture on me don't you?" Laydon said "Yes, but Spoffard was holding it for me." Laydon started for Spoffard's house.

The story ended with Richard and Susan talking about the paper

Poe is rightly acknowledged as the granddaddy of detective fiction and collected here is the proof. In these stories he gave us the basic devices of an entire genre: the genius detective and his sidekick, the locked room mystery, cyphers, royal spies, and the rigorous logic of arm-chair detection. However, the problem with pioneering a genre is that, forever after, your pioneering work is going to look rather amateurish. And this, unfortunately, is the case with Poe: his Auguste Dupin stories may well have given birth to modern detective fiction, but alongside the works they inspired they are little more than historically interesting artifacts - and ultimately rather dull ('The Murders in the Rue Morgue' excepted). It is simply not possible for us to experience these stories today with anything like the freshness they would have had for their original readers. So if you're looking for really great stories, look elsewhere. But if, on the other hand, you're seeking the historical origins of detective fiction, then your mystery has just been solved.

"The murders in the Rue Morgue" is the first of three Poe's stories featuring his famous detective, C. Auguste Dupin. The setting is Paris, and the story goes on mainly at night and in Dupin's apartments. This leaves the reader with a sense of darkness and a little claustrophobia, adding to Poe's great style.

Dupin is able to solve the murders of two women by just visiting the crime scene once and thinking a lot. After reading lots of books by Conan Doyle, Maurice Leblanc, Agatha Christie and P.D. James the fact of the murders itself and the kind of solution given to them may seem a little simple, but we have to remember that this may be considered one of the first "detective stories" of all times. Conan Doyle was obviously inspired in some parts of Dupin's character and reasoning to create Sherlock Holmes.

And the noir atmosphere is, as always, great. This is, appearently, not a story to be seen as "horror", but proves that Poe is one of the great authors of all time.

Grade 8.6/10

The best book in the world

The story, The Jamestown Colony, is about the first colony in the United States. It describes why the settlers left and what difficulties they arrived at. A smart buy for anyone wishing to learn more about our countries early colonial times.

"The Jamestown Colony" was the third attempt by the English to establish a colony in the New World. In 1606 three small ships arrived at the mouth of a broad river that emptied in Chesapeake Bay. The colonists named it the James River in honor of the King who had granted their charger. The area was settled by nearly 10,000 Indians of the Powhatan Confederacy, not all of whom were friendly, which required the colonists to find a secure location to build a fort and harbor their ships. The site was called Jamestown and Gail Sakurai tells the story of the first permanent English colony in the Americas, although by the end of the century it was abandoned.

Sakurai goes well beyond what young readers are going to find in their American History textbooks. We learn about why more than half the settlers died by the end of their first summer, the true story of Captain John Smith and Pocahontas, the arrival of the first women at Jamestown, the brutal winter known as the "Starving Time," and the arrival of the new governor, Lord Delaware, who stopped the settlers from abandoning the colony in 1610. Ironically, we learn that this famous colony was an economic failure, which explains why the last part of the book talks more about the impact Pocahontas made on her visit to England than what was happening at Jamestown, where slavery was introduced but massacres, diseases, fires and other disasters decimated the colony, which was burned to the ground following an unsuccessful revolt. Thousands of new settlers came to Virginia, but not to Jamestown, which was replaced as capital of the colony by Williamsburg.

Teachers and students alike will find this story interesting and ample proof that colonizing America was not an easy task. Other Cornerstones of Freedom titles on related subjects include "The Pilgrims," "Williamsburg," and "African-Americans in the Thirteen Colonies." These books remain an excellent first place to look for detailed information about various facets of American History.

The history of Jamestown colony is not a happy one, The choice of location, the lies told to the native americans and the colonists unwillingness to farm lead to big problems. Still John Smith seemed to finally turn them around and solve some of the problems. At least he tried to and with the help of Pocahontas things began to improve. It did not stay that way unfortunately. Here is a good book to start your studies of the colonists and their struggles with the elements and their own attitudes.

The story of "The Jamestown Colony," the first permanent settlement to be established in Virginia, is always covered in American History textbooks dealing with the Colonial period. Still, this "We the People" volume by Brendan January certainly provides teachers and students alike with more details about the history of the colony. Yes, the story of John Smith and Pocahontas is included, but so is the one about how the London Company was unhappy that the colonists had failed to find gold and order them to produce something to pay their bills. It was Smith's "system," which decreed "If any would not work, neither should he eat," and made the colony survive and proper. Even though he is writing for younger children, he still pays attention to details, such as Hog Island, where the settlers released pigs. January also makes it clear that John Rolfe, who discovered the profitability of tobacco, is as important a person in the history of Jamestown and the Virginia colony as John Smith. Despite the color photograph of the restored Jamestown on the cover, the book is illustrated with historic drawings that includes a poster advertising America, the written instructions from the London Company for establishing Jamestown, and "aerial" views of both the original James Fort and the settlement in 1614. There are also several maps, including one that shows where the settlement was located in relationship to the Indian villages in the area and the colony's future capital of Williamsburg (I never knew they were that close). This is an excellent juvenile history of Jamestown that will give young readers a much better sense of its history than they will find in their textbooks.

I had never even heard of Bret Harte before I read this story, and I really enjoyed it. I loved the way that he used language and imagery to vividly portray the people of Poker Flat. The way that John Oakhurst's (the gambler) thoughts are described, as everything relating to a game of cards, was interesting. It really made me feel like I could see all these people- they seem like very real, everyday characters that could be encountered in anyone's life. Harte obviously knows people, and knows how to tell a good story. I would love to read other stories that he's written.

tnIn my opinion Uncle billy truly steals the scene. It was true inspiration to me. I couldnt wait tot see how it ended . I recommend it to anyone

I found this book mildly interesting, and for me that's a waste of time. I read books that will give me a wild, deep, thoughtful, or sensitive ride. This book did none of that. I appreciated the part where Serena threw away her magical ring, realising it was wrong to be at peace knowing SHE would be safe, while her poor companions could die. I read a different edition of the book, I don't know if it had the same illustrations, but I read a hardcover edition and there was a picture of Pocahontas for the second section that make her look UGLY, contradicting the amazing beauty the book talks about. The romance that developed between Serena and Thomas was rather undeveloped. I appreciated the insight about John Rolfe being torn because Pocahontas wasn't a believer, but I wish he had waited until she was.
The other thing was, WHEN DID SERENA GET MARRIED? I read kinda fast at the end b/c I was bored, but i caught Tom asking her and she said no, then later on, she says she'd never seen a man so happy, referring to John Rolfe when he married Pocahontas, except her Tom. ....

Scott O'Dell was a great writer of historical novels for young readers. "Island of the Blue Dolphins" is still one of my favorites from childhood. I recently picked up "The Serpent Never Sleeps" to see what he did with colonial Virginia, and I was somewhat disappointed. In a historical novel, there is really no place for magic that works; Serena's magic ring just jarred my sense of disbelief something fierce. If it had been an all-out fantasy, I would have enjoyed it more. But the journey to Virginia is told with real gusto, as is their shipwreck in the Bahamas. The arrival in Jamestown is fraught with danger and the threat of starvation, and only Serena (who knows Pocahontas) can save them. A decent adventure, just not O'Dell's best.

from the author of "The Island of Blue Dolphins." I found "The Serpent Never Sleeps" to be a rather weak novel with a sketchy plot and poor charcter development. Nothing in the book seems to be developed! Characters come and go for no reason such as Serena's brother who disappears after a couple of pages. Other characters are never developed such as Emma Swinton. Is she the accused murderer and why does she want Humility so badly? We are never told! Also Anthony Foxcroft was such a weak character that his death carries no emotional impact. The main character, Serena, does things for no rational reason. Why did she learn the Indian language? Why does she believe that only she can save Jamestown? Why she does these things is never explained- she just does them. The result is a novel with a plot that is paper thin and very sketchy. "The Serpent Never Sleeps" is not one of O'Dell's finer works.

This book had a very creative storyline, and was exciting and a little humoruos at times, but did not provide a very interesting novel. I wouldn't recommend this unless you're a big fan of Robert Louis Stevenson.

Stevenson wrote this tale of the islands in 1891 and it appeared in Samoan before being published in English.

The story is one of want and envy. Although it ends happily, the narrator comes perilously close to living eternally with the devil--all for his envy. There is poetry in this prose, love, and of course magic.

The tale opens as Keawe the Great--a poor, brave, mariner, a reader and writer, shipped on a vessel to San Francisco where he saw a house "smaller than some others, but all finished and beautified like a toy." Its steps shone like silver, the borders of its gardens bloomed like garlands and the windows shone like diamonds. Keawe could see the man who lived there "like a fish in a pool upon the reef."

Of course the owner's life was perfect in every respect, except that he owned a magic bottle which must be sold for less than he bought it, or else in death he would be condemned to hell. He was ill, and therefore desperate to sell the bottle. Keawe bought it.

Small children may not appreciate this story, which seems best suited for independent or sophisticated readers of 11 and up.

But the tale (beautifully illustrated) is as much a treasure as Stevenson's most famous classic, Treasure Island. Alyssa A. Lappen

Within The Tale-Tale Heart, a disfigured old man becomes the object of the narrator's wrath. With precision the narrator sneaks into the old man's home and kills him because of a grotesque eye that has obsessed the narrator. Through the narrator's actions, Poe destroys "the external universe as usually perceived and eradicates the barriers erected by time, space and self. With the destruction of the reasoned world, the world of the imagination can take over [allowing] Poe to confuse sight and sound, sight and smell, fire and water, life and death, and the various other elements which man's reason keeps apart or regars as polarities" (Ketterer 28). Through the narrator's slow creeping motion into the old man's room (which lasts hours), Poe is able to not only alter reality, but also our concept of time.

As in The Black Cat, the narrator in this story also leads the police to the body. However, it is not an outside force that leads to his capture, it is his own mental state. "In the conclusion of the story, the ringing in the madman's ears first is fancied, then later becomes distinct, then is discovered to be so definite that it is erroneously accorded external actuality, and finally grows to such obsessive proportions that it drives the criminal into an emotional and physical frenzy" (Howarth 97). The beating of the old man's heart that the narrator hears in his mind is an distortion of his reality. The man's heart is not actually beating, but the narrator is convinced that he hears the sound because Poe has created a sound illusion. Reality and illusion in this story merge to create a new world where anything is possible, even the beating of a dead man's heart.

It was a very good book. It is about the narrator who is convienced that this old man's eye is evil and it is going after him. His compulsive disoder takes him to go and see the eye every night. Until one night he goes to see it and the old man is up. The mad man shines the light in his wide open eye. the man kills the poor old man and does unmetionable things to him. The police finally get there and question him. To convience them that he is inocent he invites them in for tea. While sitting down he starts getting insane and hears his heart beating, but he thinks it is the old mans. He finally fesses and is sentenced to death.

Edgar Allan Poe knows how bring the reader completly into the story. In the Tell Tale Heart the narrator, a mad man, kills a old man because of he hates the old man's eyes. But it's not only the story of a murder, it's a story of the man's madness. We see the scenes through his eyes. We realize how he is mad and we sink with him in his mistakes. It's his madness which makes him hear the old man's heart. But this noise wouldn't be the reflection of his conscience? Edgar Allan Poe explores the depth and the incomprehensibility of the human mind in a strange story of murder and madness.