This story starts out with a football game against the Sequoyah Middle School and the Glenview Middle School. Sequoyah is Sam, David, and Joe's Middle School. The Sequoyah Bulldogs are loosing to the Glenview Middle School. Toby, the Bulldog mascot, tries to make the Bulldogs feel better by cheering them on. Three Bobcat people from Jefferson Middle School, laugh at Toby. The head of the Bulldog costume looks beaten up badly. After the game, Sam says she'll repair the Bulldog head in time for the next game. Sam goes to help her dad at Pepper Pete's. She leaves the Bulldog head in Ellen's Ford Explorer. When Sam has finished helping her dad, she goes out to check on the Bulldog head. The head is not there. Who stole the head? Could it have been Toby, the Bulldog mascot? Could it have been a rival from a football team that didn't like the Bulldogs? If you want to find out who stole the head, then read this book. This was a great wishbone Mystery. I would also reccomend reading Forgotten Heroes, by Michael Anthony Steele, and this book, Tale of the Missing Mascot, by Alexander Steele.

The book _Teaching French Culture_ is an excellent book for those in the teaching profession (primarily in the French language)or even those who are interested in gaining insight into the rich French culture.

As a student studying to become a high school French teacher, Steele and Suozzo have introduced the French culture as well as contemporary methods of teaching a complex culture while holding students' interest. The activities and methods described are designed for all levels of education, from those that are just beginning a foreign language course (elementary school/high school) to those who are nearly fluent in French (college, etc.), but need an understanding of the culture.

I don't think that this book needs to be restricted to only French teachers; many of the techniques of teaching a foreign culture can be applied to other countries --just minor changes need to be made by the instructor to make it applicable to their own classes.

Businessmen can use this book as well when teaching employees who will become expatriates in France for an extended period of time. Understanding the culture is important for expatriots -- the more one understands about the country and culture in which one is living, the more successful his business practices will be, and he will be happier with his work as well. This is a wonderful instructional book for teaching the French culture!

I recommend this book for every one needs to broaden his ideas about theaters design, for its great examples and comperhensive drawings and text , only one thing u'll not find it's the basics of theater design . at last this is an accomplished work and i recommend it highly ...

Jessica Steele is one of my favorite English romance book authors and though Without Love is not my favorite of her books it was good and is about a lady named Kassia Finn who loses her job and Lyon Mulholland is the boss who feels bad that she lost her job and he begins to feel that maybe he fired the wrong person and though not a keeper I did enjoy reading it

Overall a very good book. The authors try to show the incredible importance of workplace design and offer many examples of well designed workplaces. They are a little weak on empirical backing for some of their claims but all of what they say has at least an intuitive appeal.

I read all 7 books in 10 days in spare time reading. I appreciate the story and the message that the authors are portraying, but c'mon, man, what's with the 25pt type? I keep thinking I'm reading a readers digest version for the eyesight impaired with the huge print. Two of the books I read in 1 day! I havent done that since I read the Hardy Boys books as a kid. Books 1-3 should've been one book, 3-6 another, etc. I nevere did figure out the point of book two. The entire story could've been written in 50 pages. I can't help but think the publishers are "milking the cow" by writing making the books in the series so short and ending on a cliffhanger. Another thing that bugs me is that the whole book leads up to the end, then ends in one chapter and then... no more. The "Indwelling".. about the possesion of Satan in the antichrist happens at the end. How 'bout naming the book "Everything up to the Indwelling" I enjoy the series as a Christian.... But I'm sick and tired of Christian writers "dumbing down" their work. Only the Christians in the public eye are idiots...

Although at times the action can waiver and get bogged down "catching up" readers, "The Indwelling" is still quite an interesting book. I read other reviews prior to reading this continuation in the series and presupposed that this book would be a disappointment. They proved incorrect. There are many new situations and continuations of plot to be found in "The Indwelling." Although the actual indwelling is a last page event, getting there is just as riveting. Unfortunately, some readers tend to think the authors are dragging out the story simply to "line their pockets." These books are serving a higher purpose. They are mission tools being used by two very efficient evangelists. They are meant to be entertaining as well as thought provoking in a way that makes the reader think about the subject at hand long after the book is closed and set on the nightstand. "What if..?" seems to be the question the writers want implanted in the minds of their audience and I believe they are accomplishing their mission. My review is to state my affection for this series as wonderful reading for Christians like me but also so for those with questions still...they are simplistic in word and character thought process but still very complicated in faith and prophesy

'The Indwelling,' book #7 of the 'Left Behind series' is set just midway through the seven-year Tribulation. The whole world mourns the death of the renowned man. Except those who know the truth. As Nicolae lay dead after being wounded, he is resurrected, the Beast takes possession [Revelation 13: 3-14] and the Tribulation Force faces it's most dangerous challenges yet. Now eternity and destiny of mankind hangs in the balance.

Just how did I manage to finish "The Mark," the 8th book in this interminable series, you may ask? By major PAGE SKIPPING, that's how! This past weekend, not an idle one by any means, I "read" books 5 through 8 of this series. It's easy when you skip the long sermons, and the inane dialogue and wait until some kind of action happens.

That said, I do keep reading the books, though thanks to the American library system, I have not had to shell out a dime for the privilege. Though thin on substance, the first books did have enough meat to be occasionally satisfying. That hardly seems true of the last books, which seem to have hit some sort of time dilation mode where one book can spend hundreds of pages chronicling a few dull days.

What's wrong with these books? For one, outrageous premises. Knowing the level of rabidity of American gun enthusiasts, who could imagine US citizens (militias excluded) eagerly acceding to the removal of 90% of our weaponry? We're a paranoid bunch! We spend more money on arms than the next ten countries combined, and we are still afraid of being outmatched. Yet in Left Behind, we give it all away --- to the UN, of all groups! It's not that this is an impossible scenario, but Lahaye and Jenkins don't even bother to acknowledge the problem.

And wouldn't it be interesting if L&J were more up front with which of our planet's 6 billion souls would not make the cut into the 1 billion who are saved? Why not fess up that practically all Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims would land in hell? How about having Tsion put that in his pipe and smoke it? Did the Muslim children get raptured? Do Christians who were left behind still continue to their pathetic church attendance, not realizing that they are the "wrong" kind of Christians? And how about the wholesale, unimaginative ripoff of the Bible, as when Tsion has a dream that is taken straight out of Revelation 12? Couldn't the mark of the Beast have been something more original than the tired, old computer implanted scenario? And how about a little work convincing the reader that implanting the mark in hand or forehead wouldn't be a colossal tip-off, even to the biblically illiterate?

This entire series is bloated, lazy and offensive. I have been skimming along, hoping for imaginative treatment of the Apocalypse. Yet now that I am 8 books into the series, I'm afraid that even skipping the dreary parts is becoming an exercise in futility. It's really a feat to make the end of the world seem so tedious.

By the way, it's awful to see the supposedly Christian heroes of this series act in such an ungospel manner. Except for the imbecilic Hattie Durham, there is barely a whit of caring for the throngs of the damned. Steele realizes that Carpathia is about to vaporize a whole city, and all he worries about is that his own family makes it out. Steele nurses vengeance against the Antichrist without even an editorial tsk-tsk from the authors. I guess "turn the other cheek" went out the window after the Rapture.

Hint to L&J: read a little less of Revelation and a lot more of the Gospels!

'The Mark,' book #8 of the 'Left Behind series' the Beast Rules the World. His Excellency Global Community Leader Nicolae Carpathia is resurrected and indwelt by the devil himself. The Beast tigthens his grip on the world. The Tribulation Force (Rayford, Buck, Bruce and Chloe) now undercover outlaws spread the truth about the AntiChrist. Can they help save millions from being branded with "the mark" that will seal their eternal doom? It is written in Revelation 14: 6-13. It is this time, that Jesus predicted in Matthew 24:14, the gospel would be preached throughout the world for a witness to all nations; and then shall the end come [Matthew 24:15-35].

After reading "Conquest of Paradise" by Britt Gillette, I was instantly turned on to biblical end times literature, and I quickly began reading the Left Behind series. From book one, I was totally hooked, and I've read up through book eight in less than a couple of weeks.

In "The Mark", LaHaye and Jenkins continue their unique view of the prophesied end-times. Having been assassinated in book six, and indwelled by the devil in book seven, antichrist Nicolae Carpathia counterfeits the resurrection when he rises from the dead after three days. The world stands in awe and begins to worship Carpathia as a god, giving birth to a new religion known as "Carpathianism"! Followers of Nicolae must be branded with a loyalty mark on their right hand or forehead, and those who refuse it are put to death. "The Mark" is one of the more gripping and edge-of-your-seat thrillers in the series. It will cause you to empathize with the characters, questioning whether you would accept the mark given similar circumstances.

I can't wait to find out what happens next. I look forward to reading books eight through twelve, and I encourage other Left Behind fans to pick up "Conquest of Paradise: An End-Times Nano-Thriller" as additional reading. That book got me interested in this series, and what a great book! What "Left Behind" lacks in realism, "Conquest of Paradise" adds in abundance. The prose is much more advanced and the international politics are identical to the current world scene and the war on terror. Peppered with biblical verses, "Conquest of Paradise" will turn even the most hardened skeptics into believers, or at least it will make them think twice. It's one lovers of end-times fiction shouldn't miss.

Book nine, "Desecration" continues the adventures of the Tribulation Force, and deals with the antichrist's desecration of the Jewish Temple long ago foretold by Jesus and the Old and New Testament prophets. Can't wait to read the rest!

The Left Behind series is really, really weird. Jerry Springer weird. Angelina and Billy Bob weird. Freak Show weird. It is amazing to me that a bunch of clean living Christians, who would eschew any secular freakishness, read these books and don't see anything strange about the world these books create.

In short, this neverending series of books detail -- in slow, repetitive detail-- a literalized version of the End Times. The stories are based on writings in the book of Revelation, that purport that the end of the world will occur when Jesus comes to snatch up the true believers, and a period of seven years of tribulation will afflict the non-believers (those "Left Behind")before He comes again to establish New Jerusalem on earth, which is the the end of life as we know it. Awful things happen to non-believers in these books. Bloody, violent things that rival the kind of gory movie scenes that Christians don't let their kids see. The final judgment is all based on the contents of people's heads -- if you believe in Jesus, you're spared, if you don't, you suffer. Yikes -- never has "thought police-ing" been more vividly depicted.

Now, in reality, the Book of Revelation was written 100 years after the death of Jesus, and was written by persecuted Christians. It is not hard to understand why early Christians, who were seeing their comrades slaughtered, would imagine this kind of revenge fantasy, where Jesus comes back to avenge all they've been put through. However, one of the problems with the End Times scenario is that the philosophy of Jesus does "a 180" between the Gospels and the Book of Revelation. The man who, in the Gospels, was called "the prince of peace", who scolded those who were vengence minded ("Cast the first stone") and who taught of message of love is suddenly transformed into a blood thirsty meglomaniac. Why would this be?

It seems obvious to me that the Left Behind series is nothing but the reflection of a meglomaniacal mind, found in the body Tim LaHaye. This man, who is a multimillionaire as a result of peddling this fear-based nonsense, has envisioned a world where anyone who opposes his literal interpretation of the Scriptures is going to suffer horrible, horrible things. They won't just lose their lives in violent circumstances, but they will lose their souls as well. And he doesn't limit his violent imaginings just to non-believers. In fact, any Christian denomination that he doesn't like, esp Catholics, are suffering in these pages as well. LaHaye may think he believes in God, but it seems more likely that he thinks he is God.

This is scary stuff. If these books didn't hide behind the veil of being "religious" they probably wouldn't be published. They envision of world that resembles the worst of Nazi Germany. Instead of reading this trash, I wish people would read "The Wizard of Oz" and learn something about putting faith in "the man behind the curtain." Tim LaHaye is that man, and he is selling dangerous nonsense.

I recieved this book as a gift the day it came out. I didn't start reading it until months later. two days ago in fact.. and I have 70 pages left, so you may think this review immature. Frankly, I find this series boring, and each book a re-hash of the same plot over and over.. someone in the Force is killed, and new characters are introduced, while Carpathia advances in the stages of biblical prophesy. Theologically, and realistically, this series is so unbelievable. Honestly, When I read this, I can't imagine HOW, especially when talking about the community and their gullibility, and the acts of Carpathia. The writing style seems poor and descriptions are shallow. I am tired of this series, yet of course will finish it.. but not necessarily by my own will. I have read from MANY that the Christ Clone Trilogy is far better theologically, militaristically, politically, and technologically.

Desecration, the 9th book in the 'Left Behind' saga is one of the better reads in this maxi-series.

From the opening chapter until the cliffhanger it is more or less non-stop action. Well, that is to say there is much more action than some of the previous novels in this saga due to the fact the authors have only a few books left to cover some of the most explosive events of the 2nd half of the tribulation.

For our main characters, picking sides has never been more important than right now. For Nicolae Carpathia, the Antichrist, has declared marshal law...and for those who do not brandish the mark of loyalty on either their hand or their forehead is put to death by guillotine. Worship me or perish he declares as he breaks his peace covenant with Israel and makes a mockery of the most holy of temples.

Now believers of Christ and especially the foretold 144,000 make their way to safety in Petra with the Carpathia's forces in pursuit.

I was also happy to see that the authors had progressed or matured as writers quite noticeably with this 9th effort. Though the camp dialogue still exists, it has improved and the atrocities and manipulations of the Antichrist are detailed. In addition when God allows the 1st of the seals to be opened and his judgment brought down upon the world, the descriptions of fleshly boils and oceans of blood are pretty dramatic and page turning. Even more so is Nicolae's response and handling of these global events, and now we see the world plunge further into chaos as even those with the mark of loyalty begin to question Carpathia's ways and their own decisions.

There are some who have taken the mark of the beast, and only when it is too late do they start to come around. Woe to them.

There are some introductions of a few new characters, but one death amongst the main characters will shock you.

That's it for me! I have been reading the series since its inception and have had enough of the EXTENDED version. This book has been dragged out to earn MONEY, not reach Christians. What a joke! Instead of being stupid and buying the book this time, I borrowed it from my aunt! I put it down after 70 pages...same old stuff and more new characters. When authors' start describing an Apple in detail, they lost the essence. You sold us Out Jenkins & LaHaye.

I'm not sure if the authors have tired now and wish they hadn't planned on a series of twelve books or not. The last two books seem as if the authors have taken a small premise and stretched it so very thin almost to the point of breaking. The pattern of chopping scenes is becoming very tiring and cliched. When taken for so long, you feel as if you deserve a better reward at the end than you are getting. The climax is so abrupt and has become more disappointing with each book. Major character defections are going to make the next book probably more interesting than the last few, but then it almost has to be. I've enjoyed the series overall, but have been greatly disappointed by each of the last three.

All of the previous books in this series lead to the defining moment when Carpathian's army takes on the people of God in the Battle of Armageddon. The battle rages and the cost is high. Several members of the Tribulation Force who have been waiting for the Glorious Appearance of Jesus with great anticipation, are not allowed to live long enough to see it. This 11th. book of the series is more intimate (closely following the capture and imprisonment of a prominent character) and more compelling (with descriptions of the events leading up to and beginning the battle) than in the most recent books. The authors are not the best writers in the world, but they do tell an important story in terms that 21st. century people can understand. They seem to be meeting a need of the reading public because these books consistantly top the best-seller list.

If you like Danielle Steel's books, you'll probably enjoy Granny Dan. It's a cute story, extremely easy reading, and it has the predictable happy ending. It seems to me, though, that Ms. Steel's writing is getting more and more shallow as she keeps popping the books out. I agree with the one reader who felt that rather than trying to beat some sort of publishing record, Ms. Steel should take the time to write higher quality books. (Why in the world did she sign on to write THREE books a year? It's not like she needs the money!) Although I have been a loyal Danielle Steel reader for about fifteen years now, and will probably continue to be one for many more, I do feel a little cheated each time a new book comes out. I seem to remember her early books (The Ring, Crossings, Family Album) interlaced with more more character development, detailed descriptions, historical references.....and above all a little more editing! It seems that Ms. Steel's editor has with increasing frequency and blatancy been taking time off to do something other than read Ms. Steel's manuscripts! I honestly can't believe that a professional would allow something like Danielle's more recent books to slip by without some fine tuning! Ms. Steel repeats herself over and over in a continuous train of thought. She almost writes to her readers as though they were 12-year-olds, explaining obvious emotions and thought patterns that her characters experience....and then repeating them over and over again as if she thought we might forget she just said the same thing two paragraphs before! Perhaps her earlier work wasn't necessarily better, it was just that I began to read them about the time I was twelve, which is perhaps the maturity level of her intended reading audience! I mean honestly, in Granny Dan the heroine Danina's ballet instructor is at one point telling Danina's lover Nickolai Danina's sad background, including how many years Danina had been at the ballet school. Then, in the same conversation a few paragraphs later, Nickolai actually asks the instructor how many years Daninia had been at the ballet school, as if the instructor had never been talking at all! It is major oversights like this one throughout the book that distracts from the story. Perhaps, Ms. Steel (and her editor for that matter) have become a bit too big for their britches, thinking that Ms. Steel's writing need not go further than a first draft, for honestly, her published book seems like that's all it is: a first draft. The entire thing is a narrative with very little dialog, description, or research to make the story more believable. If Ms. Steel could at least take the time to perfect her novels, I'd feel a little less cheated.....because she does write a good story, albeit predictable. But that's what I've always liked about her books--they are very easy reading that requires no thinking, I can usually read them in a day or two, and they always have a happy ending. Certainly, with her juvenile writing style, Danielle Steel is no Diana Gabaldon or Judith McNaught, but she does tell good stories. I just wish she'd put a little more effort into her latest work--because if she were a first-time author there's no way in the world she'd come close to getting a publishing deal with the drafts she's putting out now!

Granny Dan, by Danielle Steel is an incredible story of a young girl's life. The story follows Danina Petroskova, a ballerina, through life's hard times while she is growing up. Danina's entire world revolves around ballet and succeeding in it. However, the story is told from the granddaughter of Danina's point of view. She never understood that her grandmother had led such a fascinating life until after her death when she found a hidden box of her belongings. Now she learned about Danina's romantic affair with her doctor at age nineteen, she learned of the hard times she faced when she was moved away during the war so her brothers and father could fight in the war. The granddaughter is also informed about how hard her grandmother was pushed to do well in ballet. Madame Markova, her mother-like figure, pressured her all day long. At nineteen, she was stricken with influenza, which nearly killed her. Recovering from her illness and heartbreak, Danina perseveres and is determined throughout the book.
Danielle Steele did an excellent job writing this novel. She told the reader a lot of background and information that was needed to make the story fit. Although at times the story may seemed to go by too slow, there were underlying meanings in the text and it was an easy book to understand. The setting in the book first started in Russia while the Revolution was going on, and then to the Maryinski Ballet where she lived during her childhood, and lastly in Vermont with her lover. The story was a true romance novel with an interesting twist; it is not often the main character falls madly in love with her doctor who is already married with children.
Granny Dan is a book that can make you cry, laugh, and feel like you are in the story yourself. Steele did a very good job at changing the emotions and tone throughout the story. The story of Danina told by her granddaughter also reveals that often times younger generations have no idea what their parents and grandparents had to deal with. There are opportunities missed because they may feel "embarrassed" by their elders when really they are missing out on fascinating lifetimes. Although at times it may have seemed to go by slow, the story unfolded nicely into a great book.

Dancing on the coattails of history, Danielle Steele's Granny Dan is a sweeping saga based on the true life story of her grandmother.

As a young woman, Granny Dan was the leading young ballerina in pre-communist Russia, which in that society, would have been similar to being Julia Roberts in our own country today. She charms the Russian royal family, especially the czar's young son, and is admitted into their inner circle.

Torn between the disciplined life of a dancer in a strict ballet school and the fairy tale-like existance at the czar's summer home, the young woman must make painful choices.

An illness causes her to become very close to her physician, a man in a loveless marriage and they fall deeply in love. So much so that Steel's grandmother keeps all his letters with her until she dies. Steel bases her book on the letters, which she had translated.

Marrying her grandmother's real-life story with her masterful fiction-writing techniques, Steel presents a powerful tale of star-crossed lovers, strong characters who are real and believable. Their passion for each other is played out against the backdrop of history.

We are given a taste of what life in czarist Russia was like, and it is as if we travel back in time with the characters. With the coming of the communist revolution, their world is forever lost.

This ultimately tragic story is a haunting one, which will stay with you long after you've read the last page.