This book came at a critical time in the life of one of our children. I couldn't understand where the anger was coming from. This book provided us not only some background on possible sources of the anger, but more importantly, how we can best deal with the consequences for our child and the rest of the family as well. I would highly recommend this book to any parent with teenage children!

Austin takes the life of John Muir and presents the picture of the Wilderness prophet. He is able to take the events of Muir's childhood and youth and show how the "wilderness" became his saving grace. Muir was able to feel the soul of the Creator while climbing mountains and standing, mouth open, awed by the scenic beauty of the wilderness. Read this book and you will want to plan a trip to Yosemite Park and see what had so inspired John Muir.

Originally written in 1904, these tales weave together the lives of the son of homesteaders and a Paiute Indian, the Basket Woman. The stories are straightforward enough, and often incorporate Paiute tales; the author was respectful of Paiute culture and her local environment, so these stories rarely offend our modern sensibilities. Still, these aren't going to grab every kid's attention, and would be best recommended for a quiet, thoughtful reader with an interest in Native American culture at the turn of the century.

Ingmar Bergman fans should all get to know this book. It's a series of interviews done in the late 1960s, in which he discusses his entire career in relevant but not excruciating detail. My local art house cinema just put on a big Bergman retrospective, and it was fun to be able to see the films and then read the director's comments on them. The photos are nice too; they include such famous sequences as the first dream from "Wild Strawberries" and the opening of "Persona."

I have a couple of small objections. First, the book stops in 1970 (not that big a problem, as most of his really good films were made before that date). Second, there are some issues I wish he'd covered in more detail; sometimes the journalists direct the conversation too much. But these are minor flaws in an essential book on one of cinema's great directors.

I checked this book out at the public library during a "Texas" unit in my first grade classroom. The book really enhanced our study of Texas symbols such as the state seal, the state tree, the state bird, the state flower, the flag, the capitol, etc. A great book for Texas children - natives or "transplants"! Thanks to you Mary Brooke Casad!

Copp's Hill Burying Ground is the second oldest cemetery in Boston, named for cobbler William Copp, who once owned the land: his children are buried at the hill's crest. Originally called the North Burying Ground, a British battery was stationed here during the occupation of Boston and was used to shell Charlestown during the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. All of this history is covered by Charles Chauncey Wells in this excellent guide, which also details the famous people buried here (such as Increase and Cotton Mather) as well as the early New England folk art carved into the tombstones. The current tombstone inventory lists those who served in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812. This book includes a packet of maps of the burying ground, making it extremely user friendly for visitors to this historic site on the Boston Freedom Trail. There are obviously more famous patriots buried at the Granary Burying Ground (John Hancock, Samuel Adams, the Boston Massacre victims, etc.), but this guide will allow you to make the most of your visit to Copp's Hill.

As a college basketball fan, I found this book to be very interesting. As the book claims on its back cover, it really does provide a behind-the-scenes look at a Division I basketball program. It also provided quite a bit of background information throughout Penders 10 years, all of which culminated in the final season and nasty ending. Not being a Texas fan personally, I recommend it to all college basketball fans who enjoy reading about the greatest sport on earth.

This series I have read many years ago but still one of the best action/adventure series in existence today. His Guardians series is even better. I never knew that Buchanan and Austin were the same guy, I should have known! I wish he were writing something today and if he is - what is it? He is a must-read author if you want some real kick-butt action.

As a piano teacher, I'm always interested in picture books that feature children playing the piano. This book by Patricia Austin features a girl named Jennifer who finds a stray cat and brings him home. She names the cat Amadeus.

At first, Jennifer neglects practicing for her sonata contest coming up. When she sits down to play the piano, she discovers that her cat loves to hear her play! He curls up on the bench next to her and enjoys her music. The cats enjoyment encourages Jennifer to work hard on her piece. Practice pays off, of course, and Jennifer does well at her contest.

(...)

Happy reading!

The book "Classic Paper Planes: 10 Classic Airplannes to Build and Fly" is a mixed bag. The historical commentary and descriptions of the plane's role in history are done very well. The Models are also impressive and visually stunning. The only problem is the difficulty in building them. Although they are possible, chances are you will mess one of the planes on your first try. They can be frustrating, and I reccomend them only if you know you are good with your hands. Once completed they are great display pieces.