Reviews (30)

almost lost
THis story is great,I loved how real and interesting it was although parts do get boring. The language used in conversation, like "gook" makes me question how much of it was true. It is pretty simple to read, but it is mind blowing to think of what this 15 year old kid went through!I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially teens in any type of counseling.

The original James Frey
Brought to you from the author of Go Ask Alice... yeah, right.
Step Off Your Thrones
You people need to realize the difference between reality and liturature. This is JUST a book! Get over the fact that everything by Beatrice Sparks is just made up by an author. She's not going to tell an entire story of one person. She'd have to fantasize it a little to get people to read it. Just enjoy the book!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adolescent psychotherapy    2. Biography & Autobiography - General    3. Case studies    4. Children's 12-Up - Biography / Autobiography    5. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    6. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    7. Depression in adolescence    8. Family psychotherapy    9. History - General    10. Juvenile Nonfiction    11. Juvenile literature    12. Social Issues - Runaways    13. Treatment    14. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Runaways    15. True stories   

Reviews (36)

Great book
I remember my mom made me read this story when I was homeschooled. Carry on Mr Bowditch was a book that I actully enjoyed reading when I was homeschooled. Mr Bowditch is an inspiration. He had the attitude that he could do anything he could put his mind too.
Don't Waste Your Money!
This "book" is probably one of the worst examples of literature I have ever read. Pathetic use of word choice, the whole plot was extremely dull. The most annoying part was how "perfect" Mr. Bowditch's life is (was)! Everything just goes his way- even his enemies end up looking up to him in the end! NO ONE acts this way! Oh- his perfect life? Well the only un-perfect part is that probably half his fmaily dies. Before you scorn me for saying "perfect" when he had all this loss- it really didn't seem to hurt him that much. Everyone felt sorry for him- so all the more he gained. He didn't even seem at all sad. The book would be like "And his poor, dear sister died of whatever" and he would be all "oh, I'm sad. :( Oh well, better get back to being happy ol' me again! La la la la..." PLease- buy some better book- not this pitiful excuse of one.

Carry on, Mr. Bowditch
Nathaniel Bowditch is incredibly intelligent. In school he did problems on his second day that even the most advanced students couldn't do.When he was very young his mother passed away, followed by his grandmother three months later. When he was twelve he was signed up as an apprentice by his father. As an apprentice he was not allowed to go anywhere unless he was given permission. He learned all about book keeping and navigation, and his intelligence rose. When he was released nine years later, he was given a job as bookkeeper and second mate on a ship.He ended up rewriting "Moore's Navigating Guide" because it had thousands of fatal mistakes, which had cost the lives of numerous sailors. He was eventually promoted to first mate and eventually became captain of his own ship. He also had taught the sailors on most of his ships navigating, and discovered an easier way to use navigating devices. Carry on, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham is a great book about how determination can get you anywhere.
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Subjects:  1. Astronomers    2. Biographical - United States    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Fiction    6. Historical - United States - 19th Century    7. Historical - United States - Colonial    8. Historical - United States - General    9. Historical Fiction (Young Adult)    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Mathematicians    12. Navigation    13. Juvenile Fiction / Historical / United States / General   

Reviews (21)

Brad's reivew
I really liked this book and the way Brian Jacques makes it seem so real and exciting. He also puts in lots of unexpected turns. There's not one boring part in the whole book.
bigmac's awesome review
This book is awesome. It is compelling, innovative, and just plain great. It shows true human reationship. It also shows how 1 little problem can turn your whole world upside-down. Combining two books in 1 is an awesome idea.
By Miko Taylor
I liked every book that I have read by Brian Jacques and I have read 5, But I especialy liked this one because it is very unpredictable and has a lot of action including sea wars and fights with gypsie thieves.
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Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure - General    2. Angels    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Dogs    6. Fiction    7. Heroes    8. Historical - General    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Orphans    11. Pirates    12. Juvenile Fiction / Transportation / Boats, Ships & Underwater Craft   

Reviews (61)

Solider X
Solider X is an astounding book. It follows the journey of a young German solider who has life changing experiences throughout his time in Poland. He leaves his grandparents house at the age of 16 and aboard a bus of about a dozen or so young men, he finds that he is not the only one who is scared. After six weeks (it is not specific) some trails and tribulations come upon our young solider and he is put in a Russian hospital. While he is there he falls in love with a beautiful girl named Janice. He learns about their lives and how they prepare each day while in war. When the solider is healed, a bombardment hits the tiny hospital, and the people inside have to leave. Janice and the solider run away from the solider together. As they wander the unknown land they are in, they find it hard to survive with the little they have, until they come upon a nice lady who takes them in and cares for them. The rest you will have to read. It is a very attractive book and deals with a lot of war issues. Has moderate profanity and strong violence, so I wouldn't recommend it to children under 12. This book is set apart from other war books because the author tells a true story of him and his war story. He paints a wonderful picture of how he lived through this tragedic time period. All in all I would recommend this book.

Soldier X
Don Wulffson wrote a very surprising book call Soldier X.He also wrote The Upside Down Ship and the The Kid Who Invented the Trampoline. In Soldier X their are two main characters. One of the characters is a German boy in the army his name is Erik. The other is a girl that is helping out by being a nurse for the Russian army and her name is Tamara. This book is taking place during world war two and the two characters must travel by foot over Europe to safety.
Excellent True Story of Life and War!
Don Wulffson wrote a great book that in the first few chapters didn't attract me but gets so much better as it goes on. "Soldier X" is a true story about a 15 year old boy named Erik Brandt that gets drafted into Hitler's army and is sent to fight the Russians. He realizes that you have to "kill or be killed." When he is close to the last moments of his life he figures out a new way to survive.
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Subjects:  1. Campaigns    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - History    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Fiction    5. Historical - Holocaust    6. Historical - Military & Wars    7. Historical Fiction (Young Adult)    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Soviet Union    10. World War, 1939-1945    11. Juvenile Fiction / Historical / Military & Wars    12. War stories   

Reviews (2)

Home, where my love lies waiting silently for me
You know what I always liked about Anne of Green Gables?Her ability to stay suspended in a kind of self-righteous anger.There was something about her complete focus on how she had been wronged that spoke to me as a child.When you're a kid there's nothing more important than getting a fair shake.Injustice has no place in the world when your little sister has gotten a larger slice of cake or your brother was allowed to go to the local park on his own and you weren't.The author that can tap into that vein of fury and pump it for all it's worth is the author worth your time and money.Now Doris Gwaltney is a newcomer to the world of children's fiction, and I want you all to give her a big kiddie lit welcome."Homefront" may look at first like one of the many small Southern town WWII novels out there this year, but reading it reveals a title that pounds with the heightened emotions of the pre-adolescent.Know a fan of Anne of Green Gables?Well the similarities between that book and this don't stop with the tone, my friend.
Homefront
Doris Gwaltney has written a thorough and imaginative portrait of a Virginia farm family during World War II.Through the gradually maturing eyes of its teen-aged narrator, we see how war both constrained and expanded their lives. People who in normal times might have lived and died knowing only the same places and families their parents and grandparents had known, find themselves forming close connections with strangers from distant places, or travel themselves to distant places,some of them never to return.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Historical    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Cousins    5. Family - Multigenerational    6. Family life    7. Fiction    8. Historical - Military & Wars    9. Historical - United States - 20th Century    10. Historical Fiction (Young Adult)    11. Juvenile Fiction    12. Lifestyles - Farm Life & Ranch Life    13. Virginia    14. World War, 1939-1945    15. Juvenile Fiction / Family / Multigenerational   

Editorial Review

When World War II began, Irene Gutowna was a 17-year-old Polish nursing student. Six years later, she writes in this inspiring memoir, "I felt a million years old." In the intervening time she was separated from her family, raped by Russian soldiers, and forced to work in a hotel serving German officers. Sickened by the suffering inflicted on the local Jews, Irene began leaving food under the walls of the ghetto. Soon she was scheming to protect the Jewish workers she supervised at the hotel, and then hiding them in the lavish villa where she served as housekeeper to a German major. When he discovered them in the house, Gutowna became his mistress to protect her friends--later escaping him to join the Polish partisans during the Germans' retreat. The author presents her extraordinary heroism as the inevitable result of small steps taken over time, but her readers will not agree as they consume this thrilling adventure story, which also happens to be a drama of moral choice and courage. Although adults will find Irene's tale moving, it is appropriately published as a young adult book. Her experiences while still in her teens remind adolescents everywhere that their actions count, that the power to make a difference is in their hands. Read more

Reviews (65)

Daja Vu All Over Again.
This is a true account by an Austrian child psychologist who helped to secure a safe environment for some of the multitudes of children during Hitler's Holocaust. In 1939, a group of Polish and Russian doctors had purchased some French castles to use as combined school and orphanage. Called OSE (Organization of Scientists and Educators), they attempted to save these young children of the parents in concentration camps. It is the story of survival, not of all; those who did survive bring to mind the story of the Von Trapp family as depicted in the movie, 'The Sound of Music," but multiplied many-fold.
Spellbinding
An amazing and spellbinding tale.She risked her life many, many times. Irene Gut definitely had guts!

Little-Known Polish Aid to Jews During the Holocaust
There is an unfortunate and unfair stereotype about Poles not doing enough for Jews during World War II. This book helps set the record straight by first showing that Poles were also victims of the Germans. In addition, unlike in other German-occupied countries, Poles were given the death penalty for the slightest aid to Jews. Despite all this, the heroine of this historical account risked her life every day to hide a group of Jews right under the nose of a German officer whom she was forced to serve. Absolutely thrilling!
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Historical - General    6. Historical - Holocaust    7. Holocaust    8. Jews    9. Juvenile literature    10. Personal narratives, Polish    11. Poland    12. Rescue    13. Righteous Gentiles in the Holocaust    14. Women    15. World War, 1939-1945    16. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs    17. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (72)

One of my favorites so far
This book happens to have been my introduction to Mercedes Lackey and Valdemar.As a fantasy reader I've been leery of reading these books because I didn't get into it early, and by now the chronology is so big, it's intimidating.But I got this book in the airport before a long trip (you know how that can be) and read it on the plane.
likeable but flawed
This is an easy read and decent addition to the Valdemar canon, however, there are a few problems. It tells the tale of Skif, an orphan and pickpocket, who in Dickens-fashion, is apprenticed to a slovenly and corrupt uncle, then a humane and kind-hearted thief, and finally Chosen and brought to the Herald Collegium to train. Needless to say, he has difficulty adjusting to a place where just about everyone is kind and unselfish.
Take a Thief
Skif was a thief, and a herald, the first thief-herald, But he wasn't always a thief-herald, Take a thief by Mercedes Lackey, is the story of how Skif became a thief-herald. I didn't find this to be one of Mercedes best books, However I enjoyed this book very much. on a scale of 1 to 5 I would give this book a 4 ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fantasy - General    2. Fantasy - Historical    3. Fantasy fiction    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Fantasy    6. Teenage boys    7. Thieves    8. Valdemar (Imaginary place)    9. Fiction / General   

Editorial Review

When his father returns East to collect the rest of the family,13-year-old Matt is left alone to guard his family's newly built homestead. One day, Matt is brutally stung when he robs a bee tree for honey. He returns to consciousness to discover that his many stings have been treated by an old Native American and his grandson. Matt offers his only book as thanks, but the old man instead asks Matt to teach his grandson Attean to read. Both boys are suspicious, but Attean comes each day for his lesson. In the mornings, Matt tries to entice Attean with tales from Read more

Reviews (169)

Great summer Read.
one thing i remeber about summer reading lists for school, was that they tried to pick the most boring, shoot yourself in the foot, educational reads they could find. almost as if to make people(kids) hate reading? I mean how many kinds will voluntarily sit down and read a book any way? Dosen't it make more sense to make everyone read 1 book that they like, instead of several ones that they can't stand?
Sign Of The Beaver
The book is amazing! It is about a boy named Matt who is left alone in the woods to guard the familys caben while his dad goes to bring the rest of the family to the caben. If you like realistick fictionthis is a great book for you it is writtin by Elizabeth Speare who is also the auther of The Witch OfBlackbird Pond.

The Sign Of The Beaver
The Sign Of the Beaver
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Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - History    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Fiction    4. Friendship    5. Frontier and pioneer life    6. Historical - General    7. Indians of North America    8. People & Places - United States - Native American    9. Survival    10. Juvenile Fiction / Ethnic / Native American   

Reviews (8)

Am I blue over you?
Ah, historical fiction.Though it was the bane of my youth, in my old age I'm finding the subject infinitely more interesting that I ever did as an actual kid.I was always the child who'd rather eyeball the latest Anne McCaffery rather than choke down an Elizabeth George Speare.Now I almost look forward to delights like "Blue".Especially when they have covers as engaging as this one.Evoking more than a few "To Kill a Mockingbird" feelings through its cover art, Joyce Moyer Hostetter brings us a tale of racism, polio, and war.It's also a story of love, sheer will, and small acts of heroism.And though I'd some problems with Hostetter's methods, this is one of the best-researched thoroughly engaging tales of 1944-45 you'll find this year.
Two Kinds of Cruel
Young readers should find this novel illuminating on two levels, the medical and the social.Hostetter's story of a child's survival of epidemic polio offers a wrenching appraisal of parallel cruelties--crippled children at an orthopedic center where segregation relegates blacks to a tent city on the lawn.

I lived through this epidemic & also survived polio.
The book is true to the Hickory Polio Camp & the accompanying times. It is a excellent portrayal of the great epidemic of 1944. It does not mention my most vivid memory. When visiting my brother, we went through a long corridor to his ward. There were iron lungs lined up as far as the eye could see, and as I recall, there was a nurse beside every iron lung. I also remember Dr. Dorothy Horstmann very well & feel she should be remembered on the same level as Jonas Salk & Sabin. This is an accurate historical novel that should be read by everyone young & old. Thank you Mrs. Hostetter for this wonderful story about The Miracle of Hickory. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Fiction    4. Friendship    5. General    6. Historical - United States - General    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Poliomyelitis    9. Race discrimination   

Reviews (1)

An informative, moving, and thought provoking book
I love historical fiction, though usually not pieces set in the 20th century.This book however was an exception.I learned much about a shameful episode in our country's history and am planning on further study because this book has really picqued my interest.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Historical    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Evacuation and relocation, 194    5. Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945    6. Fiction    7. Historical - Military & Wars    8. Historical - United States - 20th Century    9. Historical Fiction (Young Adult)    10. Japanese Americans    11. Juvenile Fiction    12. People & Places - United States - Asian American    13. Social Issues - Prejudice & Racism    14. Social Situations - Prejudice & Racism    15. United States    16. World War, 1939-1945    17. Juvenile Fiction / Historical / United States / 20th Century   

Reviews (10)

This is a really good book
This book was about how a boy, who lived in holland during WW2 survived. He took part in helping the resistance by housing a pilot and acting as a distraction. He also helped to keep Holland from flooding when the electric pumps went out. I would recommend this book to others because it was veary enteraining.

A Must Read for Today's Children
I loved The winged Watchman when I was growing up and am pleased to see that it has been reissued for a whole new generation of readers. In my opinion, it should be required reading for all kids-- it depicts a family living under Nazi occupation and facing it with courage. The Vorhagen Family lives in the Netherlands, and as the occupation and the war proceeds, the family becomes more drawn into the resistance movement.
The Winged Watchman
The Winged Watchman is a fictional story about a Dutch family, the Verhagens, who live in a mill in the middle of WWII. They include Mother, Father, Joris, and Dirk Jan. Throughout the process of the book there are many additions to the Verhagen family. They include Trixie (a little Jewish girl who's parents were taken away at the beginning of the war), Freya (an abused dog rescued by Joris), Charles (an English aviator), Uncle Cor (a member of the Underground Resistance Movement), Koba and Betsy (two young girls who came to stay with them because of lack of food at their own house), and Hildebrand (a young man who was interested in studying rather than working in the resistance). The Verhagen family eventually becomes very involved in the resistance movement. It is sad when Uncle Cor dies, but the book actually has a very happy theme to it. This book mixes adventure, history, and suspense, and it's okay for children. They do mention shooting and concentration camps, but they aren't graphically described. They don't happen at the same time. They are mentioned as something that happened somewhere else. This book is a perfect example of the spirit of teamwork. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure - General    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Family life    5. Fiction    6. German occupation, 1940-1945    7. Historical - Military & Wars    8. History    9. Juvenile fiction    10. Netherlands    11. Religious - Christian    12. Windmills    13. World War, 1939-1945   

Reviews (31)

The Hollow Kingdom
The Best Book Ever
Anything but hollow
Claire Dunkle makes a smashing debut with "The Hollow Kingdom," a somewhat different look at those old legends about maidens being kidnapped by goblins. This new author has a wonderful flair for storytelling -- suspense, horror, humor and romance, all entwined in a wonderfully surreal storyline.
Page-turning Fantasy
When sisters Kate and Emily come to Hollow Hill, strange things begin to happen. Old wives' tales swirl around them - tales of goblins and elves and young girls whisked away and never heard of again. But what if the stories aren't merely old wives' tales? What if they're true?
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Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - Fantasy    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Fiction    4. Goblins    5. Historical - Europe    6. Historical Fiction (Young Adult)    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Magic    9. Orphans    10. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    11. Sisters    12. Juvenile Fiction / Girls & Women   

Features

• Box set

Subjects:  1. Biographical - European    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - History    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Girls & Women    5. Historical - Europe    6. Historical - Renaissance    7. Historical Fiction (Young Adult)    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Royalty (kingsqueensprincesprincessesknightsetc.)    10. Juvenile Fiction / Historical / Renaissance   

Reviews (1)

Loaded with color illustrations which bring to life the builder's experience

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Subjects:  1. Art (paintingsculptureartistsarchitectureetc.)    2. Building    3. Children's 4-8 - Fiction - Historical    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    5. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    6. Design and construction    7. Empire State Building (New York, N.Y.)    8. Fiction    9. Historical - General    10. Historical - United States - 20th Century    11. Juvenile Fiction    12. Skyscrapers    13. Juvenile Fiction / Historical / General   

Reviews (3)

A Western that will appeal to many
I'm not usually a fan of westerns. I don't get that whole prairie, horse, dirt thing that many find appealing.
History Made Fun
Like all of Diane Lee Wilson's books, we get some excellent historical background to a great story.Her characters are always interesting and nuanced, not the stock character so often found in young adult fiction.Her stories are set in interesting times and we always learn something we didn't know.In Black Storm Comin, we get an insiders look not only into the Pony Express but also the challenges faced by the bi-racial rider.And the horses!Wilson can write about horses like no one else - she's taking over where Marguite Henry left off.This is a great read and I look forward to her next one.I recommend it for any reader, young or old, male or female.

An story of bravery, freedom, and the love of a horse and rider
Based on Wilson's research about the pony express, this story is filled with fascinating facts and tidbits about the old west. But what is so delightful is the intensity of the story, excellent horsemanship, and relationship of a small boy and his horse. It kept me on the edge the whole time. The young protagonist is also bi-racial, adding an interesting twist and subtheme to the entire story. I learned much about the pony express and its riders, as well as the challenges of being bi-racial in early America. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure - General    2. Children's 9-12    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Family - General    6. Fiction    7. General    8. Historical - United States - 19th Century    9. Historical Fiction (Young Adult)    10. Identity    11. Juvenile Fiction    12. People & Places - United States - African-American    13. Pony express    14. Racially mixed people    15. Slavery    16. Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Horses   

Reviews (11)

one of my favorite B-T books
We first meet Betsy, Tacy, and Tib's school friend Winona Root in this book, and the four of them make a wonderfully real crowd of friends.I especially enjoy Winona's addition to their group.
Betsy-Tacy fans
These are the perfect books to read with my granddaughter.The times they lived in were much like my childhood.My granddaughter still relates to their adventures and it givbes her a glimpse of the world I grew up in.

The Best Girls Book Series
I first read Betsy Tacy Go Downtown over 40 years ago.This book and all the Betsy/Tacy books have had a huge impact on my live.Imagine, finding out I was not the only one.Through the wonders of cyberspace I have found a whole communinty of Betsy/Tacy fans.There have been trips to "Deep Valley" and discussions of the books and characters.It is wonderful to find others who love the books as much as I do.
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Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. City and town life    4. City life    5. Fiction    6. Friendship    7. Historical - United States - 20th Century    8. Minnesota    9. Social Issues - Friendship    10. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Editorial Review

Packed with photos (color and black-and-white), maps, personal stories, and concise, readabledescriptions of the major events of World War II, bestselling author Stephen E. Ambrose's Read more

Reviews (14)

The good fight - how world war ii was won
Purchased as a gift - person likes the works and is quite a history buff.

Be careful, book full of errors
This book has nice pictures but book makes some major errors. I would not recommend it to any youth for this reason. For example, there is a photo on page 41 with a caption saying that the men in the photo are marines in Tarawa. First off, they are not marines - they are army men (you can tell by the uniform) & secondly, the photo was taken in Makin which is part of the same atol as Tarawa but is technically not Tarawa. Ok, fine... I can normally let something like that slip by. But what is worse is when you turn to the map on page 9, it indicates the Pearl Harbor attack as Dec. 7, 1943. I had to close the book and toss it into the nearest wastebasket after reading this. If editors were sleepy enough to let this slip by, it seriously brings to question the veracity of what is said in other points of the book. I am not talking about them getting the date wrong in some obscure minor battle, but they got the date wrong with PEARL HARBOR - come on now!

The Best Book For Research
I was writing a research paper on world war two, and was required to have 6 sources, but only needed one.No Joke...GReat info packed book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - History - Military / War  &