As a HUGE fan of the Princess Diaries, I knew I had to get this book. Well, I got it today - and already finished it - but thought it was pretty good. The only complaint I have is the length of the book - 64 pages is wayyyyyy too short!

Mia is back, and sassier than ever! This book takes place over spring break, and Mia and her G&T class are going to West Virginia to build houses for the less fortunate. Mia is mostly looking forward to it because it means five days with Michael, her boyfriend, without her parents around.

But, the trip isnt as great as they thought it would be - first of all, Boris gets sick on the bus, so for the seven hour ride, he's throwing up. Then, the giant bugs eat everyone alive, the tents leak, and Mia and Michael can't get a second to be alone. But, as everything starts to look up, a surprise visitor ruins the moment.

This book's really funny, and I enjoyed it a lot, but it's just too short to really explain a lot.

Overall grade: A-

Princess Mia is off in good deeds again and she's sharing kisses with Michael!!! OHHH!!! To read this book you have to read The princess diaries,Princess in the spotlight, Princess in love, Princess in waiting, and after this book ; Princess in pink. To me all Meg cabot's books are amazing!!!

I thought Mia was funny when she was in NY but she is even funnier when she is out in the woods. I loved this book because I also one time did community service like this only it wasn't as fun. Also I read on Ms. Cabot's website that all the money from the book goes to charity, which I think is cool.

Mernissi is possessed by the insecurity of her traumatic childhood. The very title of the book "Forgotten Queens of Islam" completely discounts the reality that women even in today's Islamic societies weild political power and involvement unparalleled by women in any other society including the West. The reality remains that these "Queens" of Islam were never forgotten [Raziya sultan is still fresh in my mind from my high school history class in India]. The tradition of women ruling muslim countries was rarely broken as is witnessed by women such as Megawati, Vice President of Indonesia [largest muslim county], Benazir Bhutto, ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan [2nd largest muslim country], Shaiyk Hasina and Begum Khalida Zia, Prime Ministers of Bangladesh [3rd largest muslim country], Massumeh Ebtekar, Vice President of Iran [4th largest muslim country], Tansu Ciller, the Prime Minister of Turkey... and the list goes on. To be frank, the idea of feminism is a joke in the realm of Islam. Mernissi is fooling the westerners by selling books about how women are supposedly "oppressed" in muslim countries!!

The 1st part describes definitions of words like power, caliph, queen and harem and how these definitons exclude women from power. The 2nd part describes briefly some Islamic Queens. A chapter with the title "The Queens of Yemen" mainly describes the life and death of Ali, son-in-law of the Prophet, and the Shi'ite - Sunni controversy. The book concludes with some thoughts on a 'Medina democracy'.

Although the book could have focussed more on actual Islamic Queens, it still is a rare book about an interesting, but hardly explored subject.

Mernissi recounts the extraordinary stories of fifteen queens and reflects on the implications for the ways in which politics is practiced in Islam today, a world in which women are largely excluded form the political domain. Essential not only for those interested in the history of Islam, but also for all those committed to contextualizing women's history and to multiculturalizing feminist discourse.

Unfortunately the writing for this book does not equal the cute illustrations. The story is uninteresting and the rhymes don't really work. My three year old doesn't like it and I wish I hadn't bought it.

This is a wonderful story with great rythm and rhyme. My 13 month old who just loves the pictures. I really enjoy reading it too! I think it will be one she passes down to her kids.

This is an excellent children's book. The story line is easy for young readers to follow and the pictures make it even more so, for children who can't quite read all the words yet. The size of the book is just right for young readers to handle too. Although my daughter is older than the recommended age for this book, she really enjoyed it because it was a fun story and easy to read. Having the pie recipe in the book was an innovative and welcome addition. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with children and we are looking forward to more stories from this author.

Filled with the usual rich grasp of medieval life, and deep, convoluted plot lines, which she portrayed so well in her previous novels about the Astley family, "The Summer Queen" lacks the passion and romance which make nearly all of Ms. Graham's stories truly intriguing. The Summer Queen is worthwhile to read, but is forgettable by itself. I recommend that fans of historical fiction, first, find copies of her earlier novels, "Shield of Honor" and "The Vows of the Peacock", to find the real love stories behind this rather depressing tale of the direct ancestors of Lady Jane Grey.

"The Summer Queen" gives an insiders view to medieval life in the courts of Edward IV and his controversial Queen, Elizabeth Woodville during the bloody time of the War of the Roses. If the entertainment industry moguls of today were around during Elizabeth Woodville's life they would have made at least 3 movies of the week and a mini-series lasting several nights. Through the centuries she has been portrayed any number of ways but in "The Summer Queen" Ms Graham does an excellent job of telling Elizabeth's tale through the eyes of her daughter-in law Cicely, Marchioness of Dorset. And she also does the reader a kind favor. Cicely is an impartial observer. She neither paints Elizabeth Woodville as a heroine or as a murderous opportunist or the mysterious enchantress that so many think of her as. Rather she shows Elizabeth was a little of all of these things and more. So if you want a somewhat impartial albeit fictionalized version of Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV and the times they lived in you might enjoy "The Summer Queen". I did.

THE HISTORICAL CONTENT OF THIS NOVEL WAS VERY INTERESTING. I HAD SO ENJOYED THE ON-GOING STORY OF THE ASTLEY FAMILY, THAT I HAD TO VISIT ASTLEY CASTLE AND CHURCH. The story of this family has so haunted me, that I continue to research what became of the family beyond this novel.

David Willis McCullough has edited and combined many, many original texts of Wars of the Irish Kings (so goes the title) that can be interesting, frustrating, dull or very dull depending on the particular source used. It is a little jarring to go from one of the source writers to another as their styles are often different and the short length of the excerpts does not allow enough time to get used to a particular format or way of expressing ideas before it is time to move on. The flurry of names coming at the reader can be quite daunting, as well. The best and most effective part of the book are the brief introductions before each original source. They are concise, well-written and effectively prepare the reader for what is to come. The book does make me want to read further in Irish history to help fill in some of the gaps left empty by this book.

This book contains stories from a thousand years of Irish kings, as drawn from primary sources. The book begins with the legendary stories of the Book of Invasions, and the stories of Cuchulain, Finn MacCool and Mad King Sweeney, all of which are translated in a clear and compelling style. The stories then continue through to Hugh O'Neill and the Nine Years War. Each section begins with an introduction, and each chapter begins with a preface that introduces the author and what the author is writing about. As an added bonus, this book includes a glossary of common Irish words used in place names (e.g. dun, bally, etc.) and a guide to pronunciation.

This is a wonderful resource. I have read many books on Irish history, and it is great to be able read about select episodes as written about by people who lived closer to the actual events. The stories are easy to read, and are quite entertaining. I recommend this book.

Interesting portrayal of the different leaders of Ireland. A book that I read because of my growing interest in the Irish heritage...Maybe that is because of my girlfriend...but definetly a book to read if you are either of Irish hertiage or like to find out about royalty.

Mark Twain was a true American original and one of the true titanic figures of American literature. He was also, as anyone who bothers to dig beneath the "The-guy-who-wrote-Tom-Sawyer-and-Huck-Finn" surface knows, a man who held distinct and perhaps slightly provocative political opinions. One of the things Mark most detested was monarchy - once calling it "the grotesquest swindle ever invented by man." In his later highly controversial novel, A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court, he took on the concept in a viscious and fearless adult satire. In this, his earlier novel, The Prince and The Pauper, Twain did the same thing while aiming principally at younger readers. The story, while featuring a lot of dialect in Middle English, is written in fairly simple and straight-forward prose, which, thus, opens the book up to readers both young and old. The novel's oft-forgotten original subtitle, A Tale For Young People of All Ages, perfectly sums up the books' merits: while this novel may have been written, primarily, with a young target audience in mind, it can also be enjoyed and appreciated by adults. Though it is novel length, the style in which it is written reflects that of classic fairy tales, and will probably be appealing to any child who likes to read. Adults, on the other hand, will note and appreciate the books' deeper underlying meanings, as well as Twain's ever-present wit. This book is very well-written; Twain, a master writer, was, alas, sometimes prone to clumsy prose in his novels - but not here. The Prince and the Pauper is practically a tour-de-force of character development and suspense in plotting. Reccommended to younger readers looking to broaden their horizons, as well as Twain fans of any age.

As a final thing worth mentioning, many reviewers here have commented that, owing to its use of dialect (something which Mark Twain uses in every single one of his writings, which is part of the reason why he was such a great writer - not to mention why he is the true father of real American literature), it is hard to understand. If these assertions have bothered you, however, rest assured: they are mightly over-exaggerated. The dialogue, though prevalent, is minor, and the meanings of the words are usually obvious - even to children; after all, one must remember who Twain wrote this book for. Most children who would read this book would probably already be familar with these elementary colloquial phrases from the many King Arthur stories derived from Malory. And, even if not, Twain foresaw this - and was helpful enough to include a useful appendix.

Mark Twain's, The Prince and the Pauper is a classic look back into sixteenth-century English society. Tom Canty is a young boy who is born into poverty and is forced to beg in the streets of London by his father. Edward Tudor is the Prince of Wales, heir to the throne. Both of these boys were born on the same day but grew up in opposite ways of life. One day Tom is dreaming about being a prince and starts walking towards the royal palace. When he reaches the palace the guards try to stop him but Prince Edward sees Tom's condition and invites him to his quarters to hear what Tom has to say. While they sit there they begin to realize what strong resemblance there is between them and decide to switch clothes to fulfill Tom's dream of looking Princely. All of a sudden Edward storms out of the room to denounce the guards who did harm to Tom, only to be mistaken as the poor pauper and locked out of the royal palace. From here on out the two boys experience what life is like in the other's shoes. Mark Twain does an outstanding job of developing each character and showing how each must learn new ideas to deal with their latest way of life. Unfortunately I did find myself losing my concentration while reading this book. This easily could have been due to the fact that the way Twain wrote The Prince and the Pauper was actually on a very easy reading level, which would lead me to recommend this book to readers of middle school age who enjoy adventurous tales like The Boxcar Children or The Hardy Boys.

The Prince and the Pauper written by Mark Twain is an adventurous, exciting book. The book takes place in London around the 1500's. Two boys were born on the same day, Tom Canty and Edward Tudor. Tom Canty was born unto a poor life, and as a boy growing up, "Tom's reading and dreaming about princely life wrought such a strong effect upon him that he began to act the prince." And just his luck, did he happen to some across the Prince of Wales, after suffering the hard blow of the soldier knocking him into the crowd. The Prince of Wales is Edward Tudor, the other boy born on the same day but born into a rich and wealthy family. As a result from the encounter, the two boys decide to switch places, as the Prince of Wales says to Tom Canty, "Doff thy rags and don these splendors."
The book describes the boys' adventures throughout the experience of living each other's lives. As the Prince of Wales lives as the pauper, he is introduced to and learns about many different people such as the Canty family, Miles Hendon, a troop of Vagabonds, Hugo, the peasants, the hermit, and others. And as Tom Canty acts as the Prince of Wales, he experiences living the higher life of royalty, being treated with respect and given so many opportunities and choices.
Through having the plot be that the characters switch places, the book is more exciting because the reader could act in the character's place and experience the lifestyles and adventures involved with each person's life. Other than being able to understand better each person's lifestyle with the type of writing, using dialogue in Old English adds a stronger effect to bringing everything back in time to understand the setting. Although at times, the Old English could get confusing.
Overall, I thought that this book was interesting because it explains the lifestyles of different people in London around the 1500's in a way that is fun and easy to understand. Although at times, I did feel as if it carried on too much about things that were insignificant. Other than that, the book was good and I would recommend that it be read, if you are interested in adventure.
Other adventure books written by Mark Twain, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, were also interesting, but I enjoyed reading The Prince and the Pauper more because it contained more excitement for me.

The book is entertaining but if your goal is the study of history, do not buy this book. It is, as another reviewer pointed out, full of mistakes. The first one I found (that stood out) was on page 10. The author states that Mary II (of William III and Mary II) was the sister of James II. She was, in fact, James II's daughter. William's mother, Mary, was the sister of James II and Charles II.

I also found that Hilliam's method of tracing the lines of descent of the various royal houses of Great Britain seemed designed to confuse, rather than enlighten, the reader. I think that it even confused the author himself(see page 10).

On the plus side, the sections on Bones and Bastards are entertaining to read, if you don't plan on using this book for research purposes.

leading to Princess Sophia Dorothea`s apartement.

In fact Count Königsmarck was last seen whe he left his house in Hannover on the evening of 11.July 1694. No corpse was ever found. Of course there were rumours all over the town that he had been assassinated and murdered and that his body had been thrown in the river Leine. But wether this had really happened an if it was being carried out on the instruction og George Ludwig (the latter George I) or his father Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hannover or the Countess of Platen (who was not only Königsmarck`s mistress but also Ernest Augustus`s) will never be known. Princess Sophia Dorothea was not divorced and put under house arrest in Ahlden because the dying Königsmarck was found lying before her bodouir But because she was forced to return to her father in Celle. This business was called run away and although she did not "flee" voluntarily and although of course her father turned her down she was accused of wilful deserting thus justifying George Ludwig to divorce her. As a note of history she became not only the mother of the english dynasty of Hannover but through her daughter, another Sophia Dorothea, the mother of the prussian dynasty of Hohenzollern.

But on the whole the book is remarkably enertaining and gives you a fascinating insight into 1500 years of englisch history.

Honestly, people - calm down. Did any of the previous readers/reviewers honestly expect a book with the title "Kings, Queens, Bones and Bastards" to be a flawless description of centuries of English history ? And that with scholarly accuracy and intellect ? Take it for what it is worth. Read the "Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy" if you want accuracy. This book is a highly entertaining, easy read. I highly recommend it for its amusing anecdotes and enjoyable style.

I would not recommend this book to anyone, even if they love the Princess Diaries.

This book is mini lessons from characters in Mia's story (Grandmere, her many personal groomers, Lilly, Lars etc.) about how to be a good princess. Boooring. It's stuff we already know from the story, but presented without the usual wit and humour that we've come to love Mia for. There's the occasional "funny" tidbit stuck at the bottom of the page, but the attempted jokes all fell flat.

I am not interested in hearing about how to do makeup or which forks to use. To me, that is not light, fun reading material.

I view this book in the same way I look at "Quidditch Through The Ages" and the Harry Potter spinoffs. Why couldn't the author have spent valuable time writing another good book in the series instead of wasting it with this?

By now, most people who read YA novels knows that Mia Thermopolis is the star of the Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot. Throughout the first four books of the series we have seen Mia's triumphs and pitfalls as she's dragged kicking and screaming into the life of a Genovian Princess. In Princess Lessons the bubbly anxious teen takes a break from telling us about her life in learning how to be a princess and tells us what all princesses, and teenage girls in general should know. After a quick introduction from Mia we hear about Beauty from the amazing Paolo ("I spit on kohl!" and fashion from Grandmere. Throughout the rest of the book we heard about manners, education and character from the various characters in the book and finally, about dating from Tina Hakin Baba. This last part includes a very funny interview from Michael Moscovitz.

This book is pure fun. It manages to provide a sort of self help book for teenage girls while throwing in much humor from the characters from the series. Mia is always there, writing in pink and commenting about the things she agrees and disagrees about. Some of my favorite parts has to be Paolo's humorous part on makeup and Sebastinano commenting on fashion, with his poor accented English. Another favorite part of mine has to be Michael's brief but amusing interview.

This book is not necessary for fans of the Princess Diary to read. It must have taken place after the fourth book but it doesn't really continue the story at all. If you're a fan of the series you don't have to read it. Personally I think that it's just pure fun. You'll read it in one sitting. Still it is not a real Princess Diary book, and I'd prefer another edition to the series than a self help book any day. Reading page after page of "how to"s gets annoying after a while but it's still a great thing for fans of the Princess Diaries to read while they're waiting for The Princess Diaries Volume Four and a Half: Project Princess to come out.

Okay, Meg Cabot has definitely won herself a nice cozy place atop the literary-must-be-read authors, but Princess Lessons is less of the novel I had expected (in fact, its not a novel at all) and more an feel-good/look-good book for teens.

So some of the stuff is cute and fun to read with commentary from our favorite Princess Diary characters and with some definite hints about Prince Rene's involvement in further novels (hello, he's like her cousin! excuse me, but please don't set Mia up with him!)

...

So, three stars because it did have some fun stuff in it, but had nothing substantial for a reader to feast upon.

Happy Reading!

"The Adventures of King Midas" promised to be a great book. After all, with a classic story like that and the author of the wonderful "Indian in the Cupboard" series, how could you go wrong? Apparently, you could. Reid's book tried to be a page-turning fantasy, but you just can't get very excited about what will happen next. True, it wasn't horrible to read, but it just didn't live up to it's potential. One problem was that Reid did not really develop her character's as much as she does in her other books. She fails to bring out the magic that is just dying to get out. Although it was not the worst book I've read, it sure could've been a whole lot better.

Lynne Reid Banks shows herself to be a completely versatile and always diverting story teller-- from The Indian in the Cupboard to The Farthest-Away Mountain to The Adventures of King Midas.

In this work, the old Greek myth is dusted off, given a thorough polishing and made into a lively and entertaining children's story. While Banks takes extreme liberties with the myth, the result is something so fresh and fun it doesn't matter. King Midas is transformed from a greedy miser to someone who simply has an obsession with gold (among other things, like growing roses). His quest to save his daughter, whom he turned into gold quite by accident, becomes an exciting adventure in which Midas is tested and changed. Along the way, he meets a mumbo (think baby dragon), defeats an evil witch, clears the throat of Old Gollop, saves a magician and learns the importance of a flandy-bake.

A very fun, fleshed out fairy tale filled with Banks' usual wit. If you like this one, also try her other fantasies.

The life of Gertrude Bell is both inspiring and sad. Janet Wallach conveys the accomplishments of this woman in a way that makes one want to read on just to see what she will do next. Conversely, Ms. Bell's personal life lacks the luster of her accomplishments. From the story, I wonder if her lonliness is because she is a woman far ahead of her time or just a bore. Nonetheless, the dichotomy presented in this book makes it good reading for those who look to biographys as a little window into someone's soul.

This book is a good introduction to Gertrude Bell and discusses a few, limited issues surrounding the centuries of unrest in the middle east. It truly focuses on the life of Gertrude Bell and should not be used as a primer on mid-east issues.

I first became interested in Gertrude Bell while on a tour of Jordan, visiting a museum which included a number of her wonderful photographs. I was extremely amazed that a woman had such access to Arabian men at that time, and admired her adventures and curiousity. Even in this day, her exploits are unheard of, for a female. I was thrilled to come across this book, quite by accident, a few months after I heard of her. After reading the book, I am even more amazed by her life, and although it bogs down a bit at times, I still believe Grace Bell is one of the most intriguing females of this century.

A sweeping, fascinating tale of a woman ahead of her time. This will written, well researched biography was hard to put down. Gertrude Bell herself, a contemporary of Lawrence of Arabia, was a complex, brilliant woman whose life was peppered with many tragedies as well as adventures. Diminutive in size, she scaled mountains, camped in the desert and broke bread with tribal chiefs. She felt more at ease in the Middle East than her own homeland of England, where Victorian women were ruled by social confines. Perhaps it was because of her sex that Arabians allowed her more carte blanche. In a countryland which shuts its women off like trophies, Bell was often treated more like a preistess. She had the audacity to be ultimately feminine and intelligent at the same time, which gave her a special status on foreign soil. Professionally, Bell triumphed, and was accepted as an authority on the Middle East. Her love life, however, as well as relationships with her own family, fell short. If you want to entreat yourself to an adventure of a female "Indiana Jones", I recommend this book. Even if you don't care for Gertrude Bell's character, you will not forget her.