This book might appeal to someone who knows little of Berengaria. I think the author's style is better suited to non ficton than fiction. The author "tells" but doesn't "show" the drama and action a novelist should. The author has a wonderful subject and story to tell. She didn't take full advantage of her material. Because of inaccurate statements the author tells as "facts", I lost interest. I am sorry I wasted my money.

The author Bard (aptly named!) has crafted an ingenious combination of historic fact and valid conjecture into a novel that tells the story of an important and practically forgotten Basque woman. Thanks to Bard's efforts, Berengaria has escaped being a figure lost in history, and has risen out of the mists of obsolescence into the light of historic fiction.

Berengaria deserves this study. Her husband, Richard the Lionhearted, is certainly well known. Yet virtually nothing is known about his wife, nor the country she came from. How many of us can say they feel well-informed about Navarre and/or the Basques? And of those of you that have raised your hand, how many of you can say you know anything about Berengaria? If your hand isn't still up, buy and read this book. Even if your hand is up, do the same.

Well done, bard Bard! What's next? I can't wait!

I can only honestly judge a book once I've finished it. And this one is a winner. There are no unfinished storylines nor unresolved issues in this story. Bard did her research well, and managed to bring history alive. The author was apt at weaving a particularly intriguing story among a myriad of historical facts. Most important of all, the writing is clean, her words very well chosen. For me, the topper was the sense of humor in the writing.Example:"Fortunately the city looked calm. No arrows were flying over the walls." Hmmm, READ THIS BOOK YOU'LL LOVE IT!

Erickson paints a picture of a spoiled but sympathetic Antoinette, more historically accurate than the popular misconception of an insensitive elitist.

As always, Erickson writes entertaining non-fiction. This appears to be out of print at the moment, but grab it and any other Erickson titles as fast as you can.

"To the Scaffild" meant "To the Guillotine". It is a brilliant account of French revolution, with two heroines, one Lady Liberty and the other its victim Marie Antoinette. Oxford American Dictionary defines guillotine as "a machine with a heavy blade used for beheading criminals in France". criminals? Luois XVI and his unfortunate wife Marie- Antoinette were definetely not criminals To the Scaffold", of course meant "to the guillotine". It is a brilliant account of French revolution. They were the unluckiest royal couple in all of history to get engulfed in a maelstrom of events beyond their control. They were of noble hearts and displayed tremendous courage against severe odds and went to the guillotine with heads high. The famine, bad weather, bankrupt treasury, countless corrupt officials at Versailles, and a inept, brooding Louis in charge. He was weak, lacked leadership and looked to his wife for advise. Antoinette was smart, intelligent but did not know how to govern. She did spend lavishly, foolishly and may have been the true culprit in bringing down the monarchy. But hey, that's what queens are supposed to do. She was so young, innocent, unaware of the treachery at Versailles. She had to learn on the job with no help from the dauphin, who was clumsy, shy, impotent and of weak mind. They were doomed.

Louis always believed that the revolutionaries were a minority and people at large loved him and all would be well in the end. Later on as events unfolded they reasoned Austria and Prussia would come to their rescue. That was their undoing, as Parisiners would never let foreigners invade their beloved city and annihilate them. They had to get rid of Louis. His old confidant, a black smith, betrayd him as the national guard found incriminating evidence of plots against the revolution, hidden in a safe. They marched him to guillotine.

Innuendoes, rumors did Antoinette in as she was always hated by the populace.... She was called [the] worst names, accused of incest, deprived of her children, and was sentenced to die on trumped of charges of treason.

The revolution germinated the day Louis XIV, the sun king, uttered the words, "Le Etas, Ce' moi". Ultimately his great great grand son paid the price. If other countries had intervened in time in the late 1790, the slaughter could have been averted. There would have been no Napolean, the whole history of the world would have been completely different. Edmund Burke so aptly said at that time "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing".

Great Read. Highly recommend it for all history buffs.

"To the Scaffold" was one of the first biographies that I read on Marie Antoinette, and I must say that it was also one of the most enjoyable.

Erickson thoroughly covers Marie Antoinette's life from her youth in Austria to her last tumultuous days. As well, there are little additions about life in Versailles, and on the Paris streets.

One definite asset that this biography possesses is that one does not need much prior information about the Revolution to understand it. Different political ideologies, thoughts, and actions are carefully explained, yet the general flow of the book generally does not sway too far from Antoinette. This biography was also enjoyable to read because of the numerous (and sometimes amusing) quotations used, as well as the in-depth account of Antoinette's last days.

The only noticeable fault that I found was the tendency of the author to take sides. For example, it is said (with evidence provided in the footnotes) that Marie Antoinette and Fersen most definitely had an affair. This is, in my opinion, still a debatable topic.

Nonetheless, I highly recommend this biography to everyone. Novices to the revolution will find it an invaluable starting point, and the more knowledgeable will greatly enjoy the quotations and first-hand accounts recorded.

This is the story of two men named Jack and Whit who discover manuscripts about people who went to another world. This is the third manuscript they find. They aren't sure whether they think they are true or not. All of them so far were gripping stories. This one is about a girl named Madina Nicholaivitch who had a wild imagination. One day she was playing tag and decided to hide under her porch. Thats when she went to a whole different world in a different time. In this place the king has decided to marry a Marutian girl named Annison. Now the king was a Palation who conquered the land of Marus. Annison, the captain of the guards(Simet) , and many others were believers in the "Old Faith". That meant that they believed in one God. The king's second in command(Lord Hector) wanted all of those believers to die. Madina was able to help Queen Annison and Simet in winning, but Hector influenced the king.
I read this book because I really enjoy this author's works. This is the second series that I have started to read by Paul McCusker. All of his ideas are interesting and vivid. Whenever I read his books I feel as if I am there witnessing everything that goes on in his books. I also like his books because they teach moral lessons, plus they relate to the Bible or have similar stories. He also helps make the Adventure in Odyssey tapes which I love to hear.
My favorite part in this book is when Lord Hector gets caught. King Willem becomes smarter at the end of the story, and is able to realize that Hector was the traitor. By Annison's bravery in influencing the king of what has really happend in his kingdom, her people were saved from the hatred and treason of Lord Hector. Madina also helped to testify to the king about Hector's plot. When the king accused him of exactly what he did, he ran for the doors, but were stopped by soldiers. This was a great book and I would recommend it to anyone.

"Alright", I thought. "Another book came". To me,these are one af the best books in a series, besides Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia. I first discovered these Passages books by Paul McCusker by having my mom mail in for them, after seeing them on an advertisement sheet. I wanted to check these books out because I was totally into a whole different series written by the same author. The Passages books in particular deal with children who get transported to another world called Marcs. There they have adventures similar to ones in the Bible. Also all these stories were manuscripts discovered by two men who believe that there is a connection, but don't know if they believe they are true or not.
In Annison's risk, my favorite is when Lord Hector, stephen, and Terrence try to assassinate King Willem. They were stopped because of Maddy. She heard their plan and told simet who told Princess Annison who told the king. They planned to poison his cup, but Lord Hector betrayed his comrads by stopping the king and arresting them. Annison did not tell the king about Lord Hector being a part of the scheme because he was the king's most trusted person.
This is a story of Maddy who is taken to another world. She has to help Annison in order to stop Hector from killing everyone who believes in the old faith. Will she succeed or be killed. Find out in this amazing story.

If you've read any of the Passages books, you know there's nothing more to be said. This one follows the story of young Maddy as she finally discovers the "magic" world she's always imagined. Only it's not Prince Charming and a beautiful princess to rescue...it's a Queen marrying a foreign king. Maddy manages to bungle her way to the palace though, and though she can't help Queen Annison meet her knight, she can help her by serving as her message-bearer between her and her secret adopted father Simet, who also serves in the palace.

When Lord Hector begins to show his hand as the cruel man that he is, Maddy, Annison, and Simet must work against the clock to save their people from extermination.

The book is excellent. Billed as a kids' book, it operates just as well for an adult reader who has an interest in this kind of thing. It's one of those books that talks about other worlds, a topic that probably interests all of us to some extent.

Really great book...the only piece of advice I'd give is to read the first ones first!

My 8 year old reads this series to her 6 year old sister and they both love it. The Princesses are strong role models for little girls and help them to learn to deal with problems in a positive light. Although some form of magic is involved, the Princesses show good leadership and strong values. They learn to face problems without fear. How nice for little girls!

Demetra trades a lock of her hair for a magic ball from a fourtune teller. Then trouble is melting white winterland!

This good book shows what can happen if you don't think about what you're doing first. Over all, I think everyone should read this book!

My 21-month-old daughter seems to like the story and that it is a princess learning to use the potty (since she is too), but the potty doesn't look like a potty. She thinks its a cup. Now she wants to take my coffee up to the potty and use it.

The illustrations are nice. There are only a few words on each page, so it is a quick read. The little princess is really trying, but sometimes you just can't make it to the potty in time & that's okay.

We discovered this story in a large compilation book I bought just as my son was beginning toilet training. This story immediately became his favourite and he asked for it over and over, able to relate completely to the little princess' ups and downs with toilet training, and her eventual little accident on the floor. The sense of humour is exactly right for two and three year olds and our big story book is still known as "the potty book".

I bought this book because I heard them review it on NPR. It was not a disappointment. The drawings do have a Sendak feel to them, but they are freer and looser than the tight ink drawings in Where the Wild Things Are. The story has a different twist to it. One thing I love about it is that instead of the princess being focused on getting a man, this princess yearns for freedom and a chance to play. That's a nice change of pace from all the Cinderellas and Sleeping Beautys and I think teaches a better lesson. This is my second copy, because my niece discovered this one day while playing here and fell in love with it immediately.

The Red Wolf , by Margaret Shannon, is a wonderful twist on the princess locked alone in a tower story. A young princess is locked away in a high tower by her father the king. Being the king's only daughter he fears for her safety and feels locking her away is the best way to protect her. One day the lonely princess receives a gold box with nothing inside of it but knitting needles and balls of colored thread. A note inside the box reads, "Knit what ever you like." The princess knits herself a red suit. When the princess puts on the red suit she turns into a red wolf. The princess grows bigger and bigger, until finally she bursts out of the tower. No one in the kingdom
recognizes her. Even the king thinks his daughter has been eaten by the big red wolf. Enjoying her new found freedom the princess dashes off; stomping all about and doing just what she pleases. The princess enters the forrest. When part of her wolf suit gets
caught on a tree and begins to unravel (As the wolf suit unravels she grows smaller and smaller) the princess disappears. Later she is found sleeping under a tree and promptly
locked back up in a brand new tower. Not to worry though, in the end the princess knits a special suit for the king. When the king puts on the gift from his daughter, he turns into a mouse. In the final illustration of the book the princess is going off to play while the king looks on from the tower. The illusrations are magnificient and the story is delightfuly told. I especially loved the description of the princess dissappearing into the trees when her wolf suit unravels. I give The Red Wolf an A +.

Preston McClear...

"There was once a little princess called Roselupin, who was kept locked up at the top of a tall, stony tower. "The world is a wild and dangerous place, Roselupin," her father, the king, would tell her. "Far too wild for my precious princess." Poor Roselupin longed to leave her tower and visit the world. On her seventh birthday, she receives a large golden box with her name on it spelled out in jewels. Inside the box are balls and balls of different colored yarns, and a note that directs her to "KNIT WHAT YOU WANT." The king laughs at such a silly gift, and tells Roselupin to knit him a nice scarf, but she has other plans. All night long she knits away, and by morning has finished a bright red wool, wolf suit. She puts on the costume and says..."If the world's to wild for the likes of me,/Then a BIG RED WOLF I'd rather be." And with that, she begins to grow and grow "until she burst right through the roof of the tall, stony tower and, with one giant leap, was out in the forest." She ate, she danced, she howled, and best of all slept under the stars, free at last. But as Roselupin ran through the deep, dark, woods, her wolf suit caught on branches, and she began to slowly unravel..... Margaret Shannon has authored a marvelous modern fairy tale with a gentle message that won't be lost on young children. Her engaging text begs to be read aloud, and is complemented by bold, bright, and evocative illustrations, and youngsters will enjoy poring over the pictures and finding all the wonderful details in Ms Shannon's expressive artwork. With an amusing, surprise twist at the end, The Red Wolf is a very satisfying story the whole family can share and discuss together, and makes a terrific addition to all home bookshelves.

i read these books when i was in fourth grade. they were my absoulute favorites because the had the girls as the heroes in a world full of magic. these books are great for young readers because the plots aren't to complicated but are advanced enough that they won't feel that it's too little kid.it does have a few complicated words so it will help with reading skills.

I loved Princess Emily's friend, Arabell, because she reminds me of my imaginary friend. I recommend this book because it is full of adventure and excitement. I liked when Arabell cured Sweet William. I read this book in one evening.

This is a wonderful book.I like to read books in the Jewel Kingdom series,this book is about the brave princess Emily and her new fairy friend, princess Arabell.My best friend loves Jewel Kingdom books as well,in fact she is mad about them.I sugest you read The Ruby princess sees a ghost, its even better.

Although other reviews praised this book, I found it to be lacking in stimulating the senses of African American children and other cultures although the concept was great. As I began reading this book to my African American grandchildren, I didn't get past the 5th page before they were bored. They were not able to identify with any of the children displayed in this book, not even the children that were too busy to meet the king. I believe when we send an important message to our children through writing, that every child should be able to identify with that message. I am very sorry that I purchased this book for ($$) and if it is returnable, I will be sending it back. I definitely do not recommend this book for families looking to teach their children life's messages through cultural diversity.

I gave this book 4 stars because I haven't read it
yet, and I didn't want to skew the average, one way
or the other. Basically, I just wanted to post a
rebuttal to what another reviewer wrote.

To the charge made by another reviewer, that the
illustrations are Euro-centric, and children of
colour might find them dull and boring:

Regardless of their ethnicity, children MAY find the
illustrations dull and boring....But, content matters
more than style. The moral of the story is what one
hopes they will remember.

As a person of colour myself, I would feel more
comfortable giving my kids a Christian book, than
I would say, a "Little Bill" book.

Would you take poison if it came in candy wrapper?

Not to belittle "Little Bill," but Christian books
like these are all too rare, to worry about issues
of "cultural diversity" in illustrations.

That said,...Max Lucado, if you ever get a chance to
read this, you may wish to consider teaming up with
the following artists:

Mark Salisbury - A Trip to the Hospital

Andy Mastrocinque - A Visit to the Dentist

Jennifer Oxley - We're Going to the Zoo!

JUST THE WAY YOU ARE is a wonderful story that any child will enjoy because we all want to impress people--it's human nature. It is about orphans finding out they are going to be adopted by the king. They are very excited and don't know what to do. The townspeople tell them they need to prepare fine gifts to "impress him when he arrives," so each one begins working fervently preparing his/her gift. One of the orphans can't think of a skill/gift she has and goes to each of the other orphans asking for help. Each one is abrupt, sending her off saying they are in a hurry and don't have time to help her. The girl feels she has nothing to give and is very sad.

The king comes dressed in common clothes and the orphan who has no gift greets him and feeds and grooms his donkey. She sees that this man is very tired and offers him a place to rest. When he wakes up he then goes out to find his orphans and later returns to the girl caring for his donkey, disappointed because everyone was too busy to see him.

The king tells the orphan girl she gave the best gift of all...

There is so much beauty in this book. A valuable story for children to hear, understand and apply to their lives. I give JUST THE WAY YOU ARE a very high recommendation.

Soaring Heart

Fans of Tudor history will enjoy this meaty volume which delivers a very different take on the life of Queen Katherine Howard...she is hardly the hysterical and promiscuous girl so often depicted. Especially interesting characterizations of "Bloody" Mary Tudor and Henry VIII, as well. Strictly for fans of the subject, however, or otherwise tedious reading.

Ford Madox Ford's "The Fifth Queen" - actually a collection of three separate novels - is a fictionalized account of the fifth wife of England's Henry VIII, Katharine Howard. As A.S. Byatt explains in her Introduction, "This figure bears little relation to what we have about the real Katharine . . ." and thus the reader should be conscious that Ford's Katharine - a young, pretty, pious woman who yearns for a return to Catholicism after Henry's split with Rome - is strictly fictional. That said, the only real failure of this work is that Katharine is the least appealing, least interesting character; we first meet her as a dispossessed ingenue seeking entrance to Henry's court around the time of his disasterous fourth marriage to Anne of Cleves, and it is this description which will follow her throughout the book. Even as she becomes Queen, it is almost by accident, surviving the machinations of Cromwell, Lord Privy Seal and the recklessness of her devoted cousin Culpepper. She is Queen by default. She constantly protests that all she seeks is a Catholic England - the "old ways" - and yet throughout she resigns herself to letting events happen to her, as if she cannot control the consequences of her own life. Indeed, her final speech to Henry where she confesses to an adultery which did not occur, becomes her last fatal act of passivity, for which she pays with her life. She cannot see that there are those who wish to help her and that her naive, narcissistic piety does not have to be her ruin. What holds these novels together is the rich supporting cast: the aforementioned Cromwell, who has his own sovereign Protestant image of England, free from the entanglements of Rome. There is the brooding Princess Mary, Henry's daughter by his first wife, who knows how to carry a grudge for her mother's divorce, the super-spy Throckmorton, the lecherous Magister Udal and more. Ford uses Katharine to show that the blind commitment to an ideal - any ideal - will only result in failure, that this world is more than ideas and faiths, but of people who are imperfect, people who will fail. It is a world five hundred years in the past, but it is also our own.

Intrigue and romance in the court of Henry VIII
Katherine Howard, armed only with education, wit and honesty, becomes the Fifth Queen, Henry VIII's fifth wife in this amazing historical trilogy. The plot-ridden court comes to vivid life as everyone high and low maneuvers for advantage. Everyone except Katherine Howard, whose unwillingness to scheme will make her queen and defenseless at the same moment. Even knowing the general story this is a fascinating and occasionally shocking novel, with a stunning ending...

Hey! People if you want an exciting and extraordinarily funny, but realistic fiction story by the great author named Joan Bauer, I recommend the book Sticks. The 2 boys in the book are the main characters. Mickey Vernon is 10 has freckles, blisters on his finger sand Arlen Pepper has glasses, carries his calculator, and a protractor that why everyone called him the math wiz. He is very intelligent with any kind of math and science. Ever day Vernon always got beaten the big fat bully named Buck Pender.

Once in the pool hall of Cruckston, New Jersey [Where Mickey's family lived] when Mickey was young, he wanted to be the pool best player like his dad who had died. Arlen and Mickey are searching for secrets of pool. One day Vernon 's grandmother Poppy stuck up a poster that said," 10 to 13 Year Old Pool Tournament". Absolutely. Mickey was going to join, but he'll have to be much better in pool because Buck is joining, too. Days went by, but something strange happened at the pool hall. When Mickey is practicing pool a man with reddish beard came to Mickey and tells him that Mickey will win the tournament. The next morning day when Arlen and Mickey are walking Buck and his ugly friends came to block Mickey and Arlen from walking. The man from the pool hall came with his green truck and scared the bully off. One day that man came to the pool hall and talk to Ruthie [Mickey's Mother]. Mickey and his sister Camille were watching them as they talk. Then Ruthie introduce the man to Mickey and Camille who his name is Joseph Alveraz one of Mickey's dad best friends. Mickey rushed to him and asked him if he can teach him pool? He said, "Yes". Ruthie sigh and said, "Okay". They both together play Ping Pong and archery to make Mickey focus. Days went by until something bad happened. Joseph has to go to someplace away from New Jersey, before leaving he said not to play a single match with Buck. What do you know? Mickey didn't obeyed Joseph's command. He played a game with Buck and loses and other bad news Mickey broke his left arm because Buck slammed him on the floor. The doctor said it will cure in 3 weeks and real bad news that the day that the tournament is starting. Will our Mickey Vernon be able to practice only for a week to win the tournament? If you want to know, go ahead buy the book Sticks by Joan Bauer and you'll not be bored ever.

Are you looking for a breathtaking realistic fiction book? Well, Sticks is a thrilling book from Joan Bauer. Here, a 13 year old, normal boy named Mickey Vernon wants to win a pool championship for his father's death. His friends Arlen, was helping Mickey with mathematics. Mickey lived in the Crookston, New Jersey Pool Hall. Mickey had a coach, but he went helping someone else. Then, when he was playing pool with Arlen his friend, they heard a rumbling sound like a bull running into a red carpet, he saw it was Joseph Alvarez. He started to teach Mickey pool, and the championship started. Mickey was nervous of all the people he had to play first, but he beat them. Then, he fought against the gorilla looking bully named Buck Pender. He shot those balls really hard and correct. He won, but there was a 13-year-old gigantic boy who won the other game. Finally, this, was it! Mickey against Sledge Hammer. You'll find out if Mickey will win this shocking story. I recommend this book because anything is possible with training.

The book I am recommending is called Sticks, by Joan Bauer. This book takes place in a modern day pool hall. The main character is Mickey Vernon. Mickey wants to win a pool tournament so badly that he would do anything to win it. He is a very determined boy. Arlen is Mickey's best friend and is a math wiz who helps Mickey with some of his pool shots. Mickey couldn't get a better friend than Arlen. When a kid named Sledgehammer begins to whack balls into pockets like a giant machine, and Mickey doubts he can win. Sledgehammer wants to win the pool tournament too. I love this book because you just don't want to stop reading it once you've begun. I recommend this book because it shows you how a determined person can really be to reach a goal, and that you should always try your best.