"Alias Island" by Donna Ward is a very unpredictable story with all the best mystery element, sending you down other avenues and pointing you in the wrong direction. Of course, as a skilled mystery writer, this is essential. Until you are reading the last pages do you realize you had the "wrong" person for the murder attempts. Ms. Ward is a refreshing new writer who interjects her "dry humor and subtle wit". I liken her style to that of Rex Stout and his creation of Detective Nero Wolfe in "The Golden Spider". Ms. Ward takes great pains to introduce each character and paints a picture for the reader that allows you to reflect on a person you know that is just that way! I look forward to her next book and seeing where some of these characters go next. A MUST READ!

Andi Gerich

This study of Ricardo Magon is a fabulous addition to any library's collection on the Revolution. It is thoughtful, well-researched and entertaining.

Folk art is of ongoing interest, and American Folk accompanies a major ongoing exhibition of folk art at the Museum of Fine Arts, gathering over 50 objects from across the country and adding background history and enough biography for even newcomers to appreciate their significance. A gorgeous presentation.

A new book about anesthesiologists has recently been released by Blackbirch Press, a well-known publisher of high quality nonfiction books for children. The book is the fourth in an educational series called "Doctors In Action," and is written by Sally G. Ward, author of several other titles for kids. The well done color photographs by Jackie Baer depict New England anesthesiologist, Dr. Malcom Dunkley, as the featured physician and make the book attractive to young readers. The "Doctors In Action" series includes three previous titles- The Pediatrician, The Orthopedic Surgeon and The Obstetrician.

Blackbirch Press is best known for its popular series of science books, The New Explorers, published in collaboration with PBS. These books include titles about dolphins and animal intelligence, mysteries of the Brazilian rain forests, dinosaurs and paleontology, and virtual reality. Blackbirch is also respected for its series of biographies of Famous Women and Olympic Gold Medalists as well as historical/educational works on the Holocaust, multiculturalism, and the Special Olympics.

The 24-page book is available through amazon.com

Dan Laird, MD

Helen Ward's lavish Christmas title, The Animals' Christmas Carol, is based on the medieval French carol and provides an animals' viewpoint of the birth of Christ in the manger. The animals provide a gentle lullaby and large-size inviting, warm color photos accompany their well wishes.

This is one of a series that is now out of print (difficult to find) that teacher vocabulary and let's your imagination fill in the blanks. I was very young, maybe 3 or 4 when my mother used to read these small little hard covered books to me and my sister. They were just the right size to fit in our tiny hands. The stories are simple, two friends, ant and bee go on adventures and discover the world. Angela Banner is a gracious british writer who knows how to stimulate children's minds by feeding them very little. As the author introduces a word, she prints in red and repeats it through the text. The fun part is that, as I grew older, I would say the words in red print out loud. I learned how to read with Ant & Bee books!

It really is a great book with wonderful pictures.

A must for every parent to have in the house

I took digital electronics with the author of this book, so I guess that makes me a bit prejudiced. Still, if you really want to learn digital electronics and don't feel that you need a sigma to find the answer to (A or B)=X, this has got to be the best way to go. The book is written to be understood, not to baffle; the author's principal concept in writing is to impart an understanding. He has done this in the book, and does so even better in the class room. For those of you who did not have the honor of learning from Dennis in Jeff Tech, this is as close as you will get - don't miss it! :)

One of the most useful and interesting publishing phenomena of the past decade has been the appearance of a number of collections of Civil War diaries and letters written not by famous names but by the line officers and common soldiers who actually fought the war--and who suffered the diseases, quibbles and boredom of camp life in the often-long intervals between battles. I found this particular book especially insightful on both the details of military life and the ambience of the war years. The letters themselves are marvelous--even in their mundane concerns. This truly is a slice of "real life" that a standard history text can't offer (the book reminds me of the wonderful collections of courts-martial, reports and papers assembled by Dr. Thomas Lowry, who is consistently one of our most interesting Civil War historians). Credited as the book's "editor," Eric Ward has actually done far more than simply getting the narrative into shape for publication (a tough enough job by itself). Ward has set the book off superbly, and his interlocutions to place Benedict's jottings in context are masterful in their accuracy, succinctness and insight. For those seriously interested in Civil War studies, or simply for a reader anxious to enter that bygone world for the first time, this book is an excellent choice. Very well done!

I got my first Ant and Bee book for my son on a recommendation from a nursery school teacher from the Bank Street School. My son is not quite two years old, and already follows the pictures and words in these classic books with glee. And because they are just his size, in bright colors, he especially likes to carry them with him when we travel. He likes pointing out characters like the Zoo Man and the Kind Dog, and of course, Ant and Bee. Most interesting about these books is that the text itself is fun for children to look at. Key words are highlighted with in varying fonts and colors, and sections are sprinkled with minature versions of pictures from larger illustrations. Since Around the World... is about a search for Bee's umbrella, my son calls out, "Bee's umbrella!" every time I point to the little umbrellas printed right into the text. Each book has its own special twist with familiar objects. I recommend the entire series.