Benjamin Franklin lived such a long and productive life that it is really hard to do justice to him in a short biography, which is saying something because this volume in the Colonial Leaders series is not exactly short. I remember Franklin being described as the greatest President never to be President, and this juvenile biography by Bruce and Becky Durost Fish will certainly give young readers an indication of why this is the case. The book describes Franklin as American Statesman, Scientist, and Writer, which is essentially the reverse order of the major stages of his life.

We learn about how Franklin was a prime example of the self-made American, whose aptitude for printing and witty writing made him rich. This biography makes it clear that Franklin wanted not only a better life for himself, but for other people as well. He invented the Franklin stove and gave away the patent because it was a better way of heating homes, which was a public benefit. Students will learn a little about several of his inventions, as well as some of the things he wrote and the many diplomatic endeavors Franklin undertook for his country. The book is illustrated with historic paintings and etching of Franklin, as well as some of the key events of colonial times, and photographs of some of his inventions. Ultimately, this book can really only sketch out Franklin's life. But it does serve as a more than adequate introduction to his life for young readers.

Chronologically Franklin, along with Benjamin Banneker, is one of the last figure in the Colonial Leaders series, which starts with John Smith and William Bradford. There is a companion series of sorts which focuses on Revolutionary War Leaders from Benedict Arnold to George Washington (but without including John Adams as its most glaring omission).

The Hardys and their friend enter the Bike Jamboree. Then someone begins messing with the bikes. Can the Hardy's find out who it is?

Finally, a complete, comphrensive FIELD guide to the birds of India! Gone are the days of hauling 2 or 3 hardcover bird books to the subcontinent just to be able to identify relatively common species. The drawings in this book are excellent, the descriptions very detailed, and the range maps very helpful. My two criticisms are that birders familiar with the common names in Salim Ali's "The Book of Indian Birds" will be confused with the revised nomenclature in this guide (based on the Inskipp's Indian Checklist); some changes are relatively minor, while others are so dramatically different (and frankly puzzling) that cross-referencing is a chore. The second involves the seperation of many of the range maps from the plates and descriptions, sometimes by many pages. This was due to the large number of species featured on some plates- there just wasn't enough room for the maps also. A better strategy might have been to put them all in the back of the book. But the benefits of this book far outweigh the shortcomings- my next trip to India promises to be more rewarding and productive bird-wise (as well as easier on my back)due to this excellent and overdue field guide.

Knowing only of the name "Marcus Garvey," I set about reading this book to get a better understanding of Garvey's beliefs and perceptions on race relations in the 1920's and 1930's. This book fit the billing, with an honest account of the victories, defeats, embarassments, and lasting effects of Marcus Garvey's legacy. Unforunately, Marcus Garvey was never spoken of in my high school or college history courses. This book provides a great starting point for understanding the conditions in 1920's America, which allowed Marcus Garvey to gather such a large and faithful following.

Having their car break down, the Hardys must travel to the small town of Axeblade to get repairs. But something strange is happening. When the brothers go camping in a nearby National Park, they get ambushed! They soon discover that someone is dumping their toxic waste in the National Park, killing animals! Using their witts and skills, the Hardys' must find the fiend responsible. This is a wonderful book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The way that it intermingled history of the time period, geography, strong moral values, and the tale of the quest for gold held my interest throughout the book. It even threw in a few unexpected twists and turns in the high seas adventure.
This book is appropriate for adult readers and young readers alike. It has spurred me to want to read more about history and ocean adventure of the time period.

a threat and a disappearance take Frank and Joe to England. This is a good book for kids, it has plenty of action.

While in a former mining town near Lake Tahoe to investgate the disappearance of a movie actor, Frank and Joe become involved in a decades old feud between the town's youth. Before I read the book, I didn't expect it to be very good, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it well written and with an intriguing plot.

The Santa Fe super chief passenger trains of the 40's,50's and 60's were top of the line trains in their day. But nothing stirs more emotions then the thought of that train racing past you, on its trip from Chicago to LA, at 100 mph, with two Santa Fe EMD F7 warbonnets at its point. But with passenger trains in their heyday the Santa Fe railroad needed to focus their attention to freight. Unfortunally, what made for an excellant passenger engine, made for a lousy road switcher. This book chronicles the production model CF7 rebuilds from F7 locomotives at the Cleburne, Texas shops. If you ever wondered how they turned those engines inside out, this books for you. The collection of B&W and Color photography of this locomotive, along with the different color schemes that have adorned the outside of the engines, as they were passed on to different shortline companies is superb. Any who are fans of this locomotive should have this in their libary.

This is a great reference for anyone studying the New Testament. It contains various "charts" organized by 18 different subjects such as, Chronology, Jewish Cultural and Literary Background, Roman Administration, The Four Gospels, The Teachings of Jesus, Word Counts, Doctrine and Practice, The Apostolic Era, and many others. The charts come in many styles, ranging from bar graphs, to maps, to lists of scriptures. My only complaint is that some of the charts containing a lesser amount of information are stretched to one page, often by using an unusually large font. This detracts from the ascetics of the book, but the content is still excellent, nonetheless.