I liked this book because you could solve mysteries. I especially liked the Detective training and the mysteries you could solve. Who ever wants to be a detective read this book.

From the moment I opened this book I knew I would love it and most of my friends would too. You see we all love to solve mysteries and this book helps us learn how. When I took it to school with me one day, my teacher had to see it and read it too. Ms. Carlson said, "This is a really good book and I know I would have loved one just like it when I was in second grade." I take it to school with me and we solve mysteries at lunch recess. The part I particularly liked was the Night Alert. In the Night Alert someone robbed a store and the detectives caught the robbers by following the clues. I also liked Dog Training because it was really funny. Thanks to this book I am now a professional mystery solver, a DETECTIVE. This review is by Jimmy Berndt. Second Grader Professional Mystery Solver

This book is my kid's favorites. Very well written. He speaks very admiringly, lovingly, and affectionately about animals he has met all over the world. Adorable illustrations! Best book I've seen in a while!

Dick King-Smith has done it again. This time it is a series of homespun tales, perfect as bedtime read aloud stories. Each jewel is carefully carved to create that warm fuzzy feeling.

The stories are about the author's personal experiences with animals; from turtles to cats and beyond. I recomend this book for ALL ages, especially for the parents of small children. It is a collection of short stories, and is thus very good for children who like to be read aloud to, but who don't have a very long attention span. Hey, I'm twelve, and I still enjoy being read aloud to, and this is one of my favorites. [For all of you out there looking for good animal stories, I would also reccomend "Magnus Power Mouse" by the same author].

Over all, I would like to say that this is certainly one of King-Smith's best!

I love this book, it give you lots of info about Cleopatra and it's beautifully illustrated.

Cleopatra is one of the most famous women to ever grace the planet. At 14 she watched her father flee for his life and saw people had suffered under the cruelty of her father. She realized her family was at war with the people it ruled.

As Ptolemy XII's oldest surviving child, she would become queen when he died. To protect herself, she made friends with powerful courtiers and prepared herself for government by learning Egyptian and used religion to support her claim to the throne.

Through this book you will learn how Cleopatra used her charm and intelligence to remain queen. You will see how she hoped to make Egypt the successful empire it had been when the first Ptolemies ruled almost 300 years before.

The story gets rather interesting when Antony is disgraced after the Battle of Actium and Cleopatra is afraid of his anger. She locks herself in her mausoleum and sends him a message saying she is dead. In despair, Antony stabs himself and then dies in her arms. Within a few weeks of Antony's suicide Cleopatra also died

There are also beautiful pictures of imaginary fantasy scenes by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, photographs of locations mentioned in the stories and information on plays and movies inspired by Cleopatra's life. This is richly illustrated and contains many fascinating facts about her life and the men she loved.

Kathy Tucker and Nick Sharratt have gotten together and authored a marvelous and creative picture book that tells you everything you ever wanted to know about knights, and more. Each chapter, written in joyful rhythmic verse and complemented with bright, busy, detailed artwork tells the reader a little more about the life of a knight. Find out how you get to be a knight in the first place, what he does for a living (fights bad princes and fiery dragons), what he wears, how he accessorizes and where he lives. Then, look into what bad princes and fiery dragons do that's so awful and how a knight fights and beats them. And finally discover the really important information, every would-be knight needs to know: Do knights get to eat candy, watch T.V. and take naps? Do Knights Take Naps? is a charming, witty and humorous book that's perfect for emerging readers and also makes a wonderful read aloud story the entire family will enjoy.

My two year old son loves this book. It has well-drawn, colorful illustrations and rhyming text. The rhymes are musical enough that we've been reading it as a bedtime story for about two weeks, and though it's a little complex for a two year old, my son can "read" most of it to me. While it doesn't contain the blood and gore you'd usually associate with knights, it does have jousts, dragons, swords and flails - all presented in a non-frightening way - so it's perfect for bedtime adventure.

Buy this book and enjoy reading it out loud to your little ones.

This book by miniature artist Patricia King is the only book you need to create incredible miniature bathrooms. Instructions show how to create fixtures and accessories from easy to find everyday items. A great addition to a dollhouse collectors library.

Patricia King's latest masterpiece. Easy ways of making several types of gorgeous Victorian water closets using cheap findings and throwaway items. Great exploded views of construction techniques, beautiful color photos and very entertaining text.

Gustave Dore first published these intricate and beautiful wood-engraved book illustrations for Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "Idylls of the King" in the 1860s. Though many, many fabulous illustrations have been created for the legends of King Arthur and his Court these still remain among the finest. This book contains 36 black and white plates, each 7 1/2" x 10" and thus nicely sized for optimal viewing of the exquisite detail. A corresponding excerpt from "Idylls of the King" is printed on the facing page of each plate. Dore captured the grandeur and opulence of courtly life, the mystery and magic of the legendary times of Arthur and Merlin, the medieval costumes, furnishings and architecture all with a brilliance that will transport you. Highly recommended!

Dore's art is fascinating. He matches his illustrations to the beauty and mystery of Idylls of the King.

I first read this book when I was in the 8th grade. I loved it at first read and even used it for a forensics tounament while in high school. Now, as an adult, I am currently tutoring a young boy (8th grader) and was having the hardest time tearing him away from the computer. I went to a bookstore near my home in an attempt to find a decent book to get him excited about reading, but some of the books written these days for kids are simply horrible. Of course, the solution was right on my shelf the whole time. I gave him "Down Town" and he LOVED it! I'm so sorry to find that it's out of print, as it has been impossible to find and I'm simply not willng to give up my copy. So, thank you Mr.Polikarpus and Mr.King for your spell-binding piece.

Perfect book. Picked it up because of the cover blurb, then fell out of the world for a whole day. As long as it took me to get through Down Town, the book as well as the place where forgotten unneeded things and people go. Best comparisons to this book would be Stalking the Unicorn by M.Resnick and Borribles series. Great fun reading.

I love Gellis' historical (medieval) romances, she focuses on a love story but always gives rich period detail and the characters do not think or act like present day people but are actually bound by their times, this makes her stories very authentic sounding. At the same time, she manages to make their choices and hardships understandable to us - a real achievement. Although I enjoy her newest series where she writes of mythological (Greek) figures and has more freedom than in writing about historical times, I regret that she is not writing medievals anymore.

I am very happy that I found this out of print title through Amazon, I have been hunting for her old titles for about five years and I am very happy that I finally have all of them!

A well written story presenting an overview of the youth of Henry VII and Elizabeth York, daughter of Edward IV. Historical detail is evident in the descriptions of the tumultuous time between Edward's death in 1483 and Henry's assuming the throne in 1485. The stories emphasis, however, is to offer a humanistic perspective to the family conflicts and court intrigue that plagued Henry's fight to the throne and his entire reign. While the battle scenes are well described, it is the imagined romance between Henry and Elizabeth that is the book's true focus. (Includes romanticized sexual scenes.

This is a great alternative to the many King Arthur stories that include lots of violence. It is nice to see another side of the legend, and the story of the young giant being suckled by a unicorn is fascinating. This is LONG, but for kids who are fans of knights and castles, it is not to be missed.

In this book, King Arthur and his knights sailed through a storm and got stranded on an island. King Arthur set out to find someone to help them get their boat off of the sandbar. He found a dwarf in a tall tower, his son who was a giant, and a unicorn. I liked this book because there were many surprises. The tiny dwarf had a giant for a son, and the unicorn was a hero. I would recommend this book to kids who liked the movie "Quest for Camelot."

It is the second time I have had the pleasure of reading this novel and weeks later I am still thinking and talking about it. Alfred the Great...what a man! I was so enthralled by the life and times of this English King, his insight, morality and courage, an inspiration thanks to Joan Wolf. Alfred was not expecting to become king of Wessex, one of the four kingdoms in England, with five older brothers. Different to his brothers, Alfred was well educated, sensative and very pragmatic. When the threat of a Danish invasion caught England on the back foot, Alfred united his kingdom and led the only kingdom to withstand the Danes. Entwined with passion, love and heartwrenching suspense, the reader is captured by the characters and their lifestyles. This novel enables the reader to experience the thoughts and issues of the time and gives insight to the only king of England to be called "Great". Do yourself a favour and read to your heart's content, you won't regret it.

Albert The Great..what a man. I have read this novel twice and what a thrill. Albert, the youngest of five princes in line for the throne of Wessex, different from his brothers, being well educated and sensative yet strong and forthright never expected to be king. The tale unfolds as this young, extraordinary man finds himself the leader of a realm threatened by the devastating onslaught of Danish Vikings invading England. These torrid times of the mid to late 9th century are softened by the passionate, accidental union of Albert and Elswyth. Being both down to earth and haughty, Elswyth captivates the reader by her eternal strength and aggressive personality which compliments Albert's thoughtful and assertive nature. Together, they hold the West Saxons together in a totally captivating and heartwrenching read. I was so absorbed in the lives of the charachters and the trials they faced, but Albert, King of Wessex is the most enthralling charachter I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.