A Little Princess
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Barbara McClintock
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (31 October, 2000)
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Reviews (1)

"'A Little Princess' Attack!!!!!!"
Confusing title? You betcha! But just stick with me, and I'll explain very shortly, I promise.

A couple of weekends ago, I was babysitting a young girl who I have been sitting for now for about two and-a-half years. I let her stay up a little later than her usual bedtime, so this dear child was half-asleep by the time I finished tucking her in. I noticed that she had on her bedside table the book "A Little Princess," and I picked it up, closed the light, and carried the book with me to the living room.

I gave it just a very cursory skim; I had read it, and Burnett's "The Secret Garden," ages and ages ago when I was a kiddie, and all I could remember was that while I loved them both, "The Secret Garden" was the more beloved one of the two, for me.

I then settled in to read the book I had brought with me, D. H. Lawrence's "The Rainbow." (A book for grown-ups.) I was up to the penultimate chapter, and it was very slow going -- this chapter was taking me forever to complete, while the rest of the book had read pretty quickly. I gave up and picked up again my little friend's copy of "A Little Princess."

Well, I started to read and was thoroughly, absolutely smitten, enchanted, head-over-heels about this book. I just HAD to continue reading this when I got home, but I couldn't run off in the night with my little friend's book!! (LOL!) It was a little after 10 p.m., and her parents had told me they would be home elevenish. I was almost certain the nearest bookstore was open until midnight, but I called just to double check, and also to ask if they had a copy of "Princess" in stock. They were, indeed, open until midnight, and they did have a copy.

Her parents came home at 11:15; the father, as usual, put me in a cab, but this time I did not give the driver my home address. I gave him the address of the bookstore, he took me there, I told him to keep the meter running, and I dashed into the store, bought the book, and then headed home, hugging the book.

I stayed up late, very late, into the night finishing this dear story of precious Sara Crewe. I had had, indeed, "'A Little Princess' Attack," a la McDonald's "Big Mac Attack" because I had a craving for that book as strong as any "Big Mac Attack" ever recorded!!

A wonderful, perfect book in every way! ... Read more

Isbn: 0060278919
Sales Rank: 198098
Subjects:  1. Boarding schools    2. Children's 4-8 - Fiction - General    3. Children: Grades 2-3    4. Classics    5. Fiction    6. London (England)    7. Orphans    8. Schools    9. Juvenile Fiction / Classics   

The Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Tasha Tudor
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (30 April, 1998)
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Editorial Review

Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her garden grow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas in a pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and puts the blush of a wild rose in their cheeks; "It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of roses which were so thick, that they matted together.... 'No wonder it is still,' Mary whispered. 'I am the first person who has spoken here for ten years.'" As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin's sour natures begin to sweeten. For anyone who has ever felt afraid to live and love, The Secret Garden's portrayal of reawakening spirits will thrill and rejuvenate. Frances Hodgson Burnett creates characters so strong and distinct, young readers continue to identify with them even 85 years after they were conceived. (Ages 9 to 12) ... Read more

Reviews (194)

Still an enjoyable classic
When Mary Lennox's parents die in India, she is shipped back to England to live on her uncle's estate, Misselthwaite Manor, in Yorkshire. The place is pretty much run by the dreadful Mrs. Medlock, while Mary's uncle travels compulsively. Lord Archibald Craven is trying to escape the memories that linger there, of his wife who died in childbirth.

Mary is a sullen brat but she is largely ignored by Mrs. Medlock and so has time to explore the many nooks and crannies of the manor. She finds one room that looks just like her mother's did--it is of course her aunt's--and there finds a large key. It turns out that the key fits the door of a secret garden, which Lady Craven tended and which is now kept locked and allowed to grow wild. Mary befriends young Dickon, whose sister is a housemaid, and together they explore the garden.

One night Mary determines to find the source of a mysterious crying she's heard in the house, and when she eventually does she discovers her cousin, Colin, who survived his mother but is now sickly, crippled and confined to his room. He proves an even worse brat than she. Their mutual stubbornness though proves a boon as she refuses to accept Colin's self-pitying and rejects the idea that he's truly all that ill. She sets her mind to showing him the garden, convinced that just getting outside will do him good. Meanwhile, he threatens and commands the staff until they allow him out of the house. Their visits to the garden will in fact transform all of their lives in ways that will move even the most jaded reader. No wonder it is such a beloved classic.

In conclusion, this a marvelous book about the curative powers of love and nature and the will.

The Secret of The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden was full of mystery, hope, sadness, and excitement. Though it is a long book and takes time to read, I would highly recomend it for all ages, even adults but no younger than 6th grade (the Yorkshire accents and some hard-to-understand concepts may throw the reader off).When reading this book, you are enchanted by its magic and makes you stay in suspence on what to happen next. Athough this is quite a magical book, I was sligtly disapoited by the the same things repeating its self, and not so great ending.The Secert Garden is a book that the reader will always remember reading because it had a true and heart-taken moral to the story. I would also recomend to see the the movie where you can relate to the book. (read the book first because if you see the movie first it may make the book boring to you.)

this book is not my favorite.
The Secret Garden is not the best book I have ever read and I dont think I will want to read it again an I do like the movie better then the book. I do have to say that I like the end of the book the best because that is when everything is solved well I will try to write more reviews in the future.......................ttyl ... Read more

Isbn: 0397321651
Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Classics    4. Family - Orphans & Foster Homes    5. Fiction    6. Gardens    7. Historical - Europe    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Orphans    10. People & Places - Europe    11. Physically handicapped    12. Juvenile Fiction / Classics   

James and the Giant Peach
by Roald Dahl, Lane Smith
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (26 April, 2000)
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Editorial Review

When poor James Henry Trotter loses his parents in a horrible rhinoceros accident, he is forced to live with his two wicked aunts, Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker. After three years he becomes "the saddest and loneliest boy you could find." Then one day, a wizened old man in a dark-green suit gives James a bag of magic crystals that promise to reverse his misery forever. When James accidentally spills the crystals on his aunts' withered peach tree, he sets the adventure in motion. From the old tree a single peach grows, and grows, and grows some more, until finally James climbs inside the giant fruit and rolls away from his despicable aunts to a whole new life. James befriends an assortment of hilarious characters, including Grasshopper, Earthworm, Miss Spider, and Centipede--each with his or her own song to sing. Roald Dahl's rich imagery and amusing characters ensure that parents will not tire of reading this classic aloud, which they will no doubt be called to do over and over again! With the addition of witty black and white pencil drawings by Lane Smith (of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs fame), upon which the animation for the Disney movie was based, this classic, now in paperback, is bursting with renewed vigor. We'll just come right out and say it: James and the Giant Peach is one of the finest children's books ever written. (Ages 9 to 12) ... Read more

Reviews (144)

Terrible the worst book on earth ugly ewwwwww
this book is not good i would never read this ever again i though it at the wall a couple times. WEll its a bout a giant peach pffffffff stupid never ever again

the review of da masta james and da giant peach
well james and the giant peach is mostly about james and the giant peach
He meets his little critter friends and they find a huge peach to get away from his ugly mean aunts after his parents died.

I like this book but it wasnt one of my favorites i would suggest people to read this book. Its good for starters and people whoi enjoy fantasy.

James and the Giant Peach
James and the Giant Peach

James is a boy that has two wicked aunts. They are the cruelest and most bitter ladies that James has ever known; they even make him do all of these hard labors in their humongous land that they own, and the land couldn't even grow one plant or crop!
Then one day James gets hands on these magic worms that he is not to let released. By accident he knocks them over and cannot get them back, because they were too fast! All of the sudden magic starts happening and this large stem grows out of the ground. The next time that James went out there, there was a peach growing off of the stem. But it was no ordinary peach it was a giant peach! The cruel aunts were thinking nothing about themselves and were making money off of the peach that they didn't even grow!
The peach grows so big that while James was cleaning up the mess, that the media and any person who paid money to see, the peach rolled over James and took him on a wild ride around town; causing destruction of the Chocolate factory. Chocolate flied everywhere! James goes on a travel around the world using all of his smarts to get out of danger and destruction of himself! James doesn't know that there are living human size bugs on boarded!! Are those bugs' killer bugs or will they help James on his travel??? Read the book for yourself to find out!!
I thought that James and the Giant Peach was one of the greatest books that I have read this year!! The book holds loads of details that make the book interesting and worthy of the Newberry Award that the book earned. The James and the Giant Peach is a fast read that all most everyone enjoys. James and the Giant Peach is one of the greatest books I read, and I say that James and the Giant Peach is a book you should read in your near future! ... Read more

Isbn: 0140374248
Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Fantasy    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Classics    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic   

The Jolly Postman
by Allan Ahlberg, Janet Ahlberg
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 September, 2001)
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Reviews (22)

Amazing
This book is so incredible for young children, and I'm speaking from experience.I'm turning 21, but I still remember this book from when I first had it read to me in kindergarten.My mother bought it for me maybe 10 years ago, and I still have it.I recently read it to my younger cousin and although he is at that "I'm a big boy, I don't like kids stuff" stage, he still admitted to liking the book.It's really rather unique and engaging.I've never come across a similar book.

Love it and I didn't read it until I was almost 40 years old
I first bought and read this book to my children and fell in love with this book which weaves fairy tale characters into a sweet story. A must read for kids and their parents.

Charming & Witty -- A Treasure for All Ages
I just came across this book at my local library, and my husband and I fell in love with it! Adorable storyline, intelligently and creatively done. We're definitely adding this one to our son's expansive storybook collection. ... Read more

Isbn: 0316126446
Sales Rank: 40301
Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children: Grades 1-2    3. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Anthologies    4. Juvenile Fiction    5. Readers - Beginner    6. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    7. Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure   

The Jolly Christmas Postman
by Allan Ahlberg, Janet Ahlberg
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 September, 2001)
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Reviews (7)

Every child and young at heart should own this book.
While doing some Christmas shopping for holiday books for my grand daughters, I came across this book.I bought it not really knowing what it was.I am so glad that it was one of the books I chose.Great illustrations, wonderful little greeting cards and other novel things to open that the postman delivers to Red Riding Hood, Gingerbread Boy and others, tucked in pocket pages.The postman finally ends up with a visit to Santa.This book will be a repeat purchase by me as gifts for many children and "big kids" I know for years to come.It's different, clever and fun - A book that will become a tradition to read.

creative book
this wonderful book is ideal for little children. it is a fun interactive book that encourages childrens' imagination. I first read this book when i was in the third grade. Now i am a freshmen in college and i saw this book and had to get it

Reading Center students ask for the information to buy it!
Being a Reading Specialist working with at risk readers from first grade through fourth grade, any book that makes them want to read is a winner with me.My fourth graders wanted the information on how to find the book!The book also gave us a reason to review nursery rhymes without feeling that it is a "baby" thing for fourth graders to do. ... Read more

Isbn: 0316127159
Sales Rank: 139475
Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children: Grades 1-2    3. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Anthologies    4. Fiction    5. Holidays & Festivals - Christmas    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Letters    8. Readers - Beginner    9. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    10. Specimens    11. Stories in rhyme    12. Toy and movable books    13. Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure   

Island of the Blue Dolphins
by Scott O'Dell
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (15 March, 1971)
list price: $6.50 -- our price: $6.50
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Editorial Review

Scott O'Dell won the Newbery Medal for Island of the BlueDolphins in 1961, and in 1976 the Children's Literature Associationnamed this riveting story one of the 10 best American children's booksof the past 200 years. O'Dell was inspired by the real-life story of a12-year-old American Indian girl, Karana. The author based his book onthe life of this remarkable young woman who, during the evacuation ofGhalas-at (an island off the coast of California), jumped ship to staywith her young brother who had been abandoned on the island. He diedshortly thereafter, and Karana fended for herself on the island for 18years.

O'Dell tells the miraculous story of how Karana forages on land and inthe ocean, clothes herself (in a green-cormorant skirt and an ottercape on special occasions), and secures shelter. Perhaps even morestartlingly, she finds strength and serenity living alone on theisland. This beautiful edition of Island of the Blue Dolphins isenriched with 12 full-page watercolor paintings by Ted Lewin,illustrator of more than 100 children's books, including Ali, Child of theDesert. A gripping story of battling wild dogs and seaelephants, this simply told, suspenseful tale of survival is also anuplifting adventure of the spirit. (Ages 9 to 12) ... Read more

Reviews (391)

Island of the Blue Dolphins
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell is a magnificent story about a girl named Karana who gets left behind by her family in the island because her brother, Ramo, wasn't in the ship. Will Ramo and Karana be rescued? Will they stay there forever?!? To find out what happens next you will have to read the book yourself!I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LeftAlone For 18 Years
Karana, a young girl abandoned on an island just south of Alaska.She was left alone to survive for eighteen years.Her entire tribe had left the island to flee from Aleutian enemies.The Aleutians had tried to take over the island by stealing seals for trade and now the Russians were helping.The only way to escape the continuing battles would be to leave the island.In the confusion, her brother Ramo was left behind.Karana was already on the ship and got off the ship to find him.By some twist of fate she was left behind with him.
The wild dogs of the island had before been afraid of the humans but since there were two young people left alone with no men to protect them, they came and attacked.The dogs killed Ramo and Karana was utterly alone.She had to find food, shelter, and safety alone.The dogs still came often and the threat remained on her life.The ship that had promised to come back later never came... she waited for it but soon gave up hope.She moved to a different part of the island and built a home in a cave with a whale bone fence to protect her.She used her knowledge from her tribe's old ways to get food and store it for the future.Also she learned how to fight off the dogs using her own weapons.
Through all the years she learns to love the island and it's beauty.She grows up alone and her only friend is a dog she tamed.Every once in a while she had tried to escape in the beginning but she stopped once she failed continuously.She mastered how to use her resources and never waste.In the end when it came time for her to be rescued she even was reluctant to leave the island because she had grown to love it so.She learned of what had happened to her friends and family and accepted why they never returned.She matured on the island and left her childhood there.Karana made the best of what she had and looked on toward the future with no regrets.

An OK read
I decided toread this book after having it for years on my shelf and was curious to know what it was about. It's basically about a girl building shelter, making clothes, and befriending all the island's creatures while waiting YEARS for a ship to show up. There really is no plot or rising/falling action. I was even hoping for a little romance to pop up when the Aleuts come back , but she befriends a girl instead. I really haven't gained anything from reading this (except maybe how to spear live animals). It could be because I am 17 years old but never-the-less, if your a young reader go ahead and read it, you have nothing to lose. ... Read more

Isbn: 0440439884
Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Classics    5. Fiction    6. Indians of North America    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. People & Places - United States - Native American    9. Social Situations - General    10. Survival    11. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / General   

The Complete Chronicles of Narnia
by C. S. Lewis, Pauline Baynes
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (30 October, 1998)
list price: $50.00 -- our price: $31.50
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Editorial Review

Narnia is the land of enchantment, glory, nobility--home to themagnificent Aslan, cruel Jadis (the White Queen), heroic Reepicheep, and kind Mr. Tumnus. All the magic of C.S. Lewis's Narnia, bewitching readers for almost 50 years, is captured for the first time in this splendid deluxe edition, including The Magician's Nephew, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle, with fabulous illustrations hand-colored by the original Narnia artist Pauline Baynes and an insightful introduction by Narnia authority Brian Sibley.

Lewis's work has cast a spell over countless readers over the years, so that once we pick up The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, we don't want to stop until we've read the whole series. The Complete Chronicles makes it even easier to keep reading! The seven beloved stories have been arranged in the chronological order in which Lewis intended them to be read. Begin at the beginning, as Digory and Polly are tricked into a strange other world, which becomes, even as they watch, the great Narnia. Return again and again with four other children--Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy--who are to play such a vital role in Narnia's history. Finally, enter the whimsical land one last time to witness the end of Time, and the beginning of something new: "world within world, Narnia within Narnia." This gorgeous volume is absolutely a must-have for current and future Narnia lovers. (All ages) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (603)

Contreversy over the order
I read these books when I was younger, and I loved them. We had owned the entire set, in the old order, and then over the years, people borrowed the books and never returned them. So, we recently went out to buy a new set, and I was surprised to see that the order had been completely rearranged. (...) I thought that it was helpful. I choose to read the series in it's original order, but perhaps I'll read them in the new order when I read them again. And I definitely *will* read them again, because I'm sure no matter what order that they come in, they will still be just as outstanding.

C.S. Lewis - The Chronological Order of Narnia
Perhaps you can better guess what order C.S. Lewis would have preferred by considering what it would be like if Genesis were to be grafted into the Bible as a later chapter.

When I was a child, I read 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe", and then blazed on through all the others.As an adult, I bought the set for my son, and re-read them, myself, this time in "chronological order".I have to say that I liked it better that way.

Foundational and Fantastic
In the Narnia stories, you will find fantastic tales that compete with Tolken's (I guess that's why Weta is working on the movie), but you will also find foundational plots used in many contemporary stories in smaller ways.Read the original and be amazed.

For example, just in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, youfind tales of the energy and innocence of youth, the cynicism of creativity, the courage to stand against prejudice, and the beauty and power of self-sacrifice.I am a Christian author (author of 777 Things You Can Do In Heaven), and I still read the tales of Narnia for inspiration and encouragement.It's also fun to read them with my daughter, since they can be enjoyed by adults and youth alike.
... Read more

Isbn: 0060281375
Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Children    3. Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary    4. Children: Grades 4-6    5. Classics    6. Fantasy    7. Fantasy fiction    8. Good and evil    9. Juvenile fiction    10. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    11. Juvenile Fiction / Classics    12. Reading Group Guide   

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1) (Harry Potter)
by J.K. Rowling
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (September, 1998)
list price: $22.99 -- our price: $15.63
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Editorial Review

Say you've spent the first 10 years of your life sleeping under thestairs of a family who loathes you. Then, in an absurd, magical twist of fate you find yourself surrounded by wizards, a caged snowy owl, a phoenix-feather wand, and jellybeans that come in every flavor, including strawberry, curry, grass, and sardine. Not only that, but you discover that you are a wizard yourself! This is exactly what happens to young Harry Potter in J.K. Rowling's enchanting, funny debut novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. In the nonmagic human world--the world of "Muggles"--Harry is a nobody, treated like dirt by the aunt and uncle who begrudgingly inherited him when his parents were killed by the evil Voldemort. But in the world of wizards, small, skinny Harry is famous as a survivor of the wizard who tried to kill him. He is left only with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, curiously refined sensibilities, and a host of mysterious powers to remind him that he's quite, yes, altogether different from his aunt, uncle, and spoiled, piglike cousin Dudley.

A mysterious letter, delivered by the friendly giant Hagrid, wrenches Harry from his dreary, Muggle-ridden existence: "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Of course, Uncle Vernon yells most unpleasantly, "I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" Soon enough, however, Harry finds himself at Hogwarts with his owl Hedwig... and that's where the real adventure--humorous, haunting, and suspenseful--begins. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, first published in England as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, continues to win major awards in England. So far it has won the National Book Award, the Smarties Prize, the Children's Book Award, and is short-listed for the Carnegie Medal, the U.K. version of the Newbery Medal. This magical, gripping, brilliant book--a future classic to be sure--will leave kids clamoring for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets andHarry Potter and thePrisoner of Azkaban. (Ages 8 to 13) --Karin Snelson ... Read more

Reviews (5020)

I swore I would never read this book, and I was wrong!!!
There was a certain time in my life, when I completely despised Harry Potter books.My 25 year old sister (23 at the time) told me they were so good, but that still didn't change my mind.She even took me to go see the Chamber of Secrets when it was in theatres, and I still didn't like it too much.When I chose to read this book as a part of an English 12 project, it was awesome.
The characterization that J.K Rowlings uses, especially with Snape, it almost makes YOU hate him as much as Harry does!I also noticed that in the other books, it stays the same, but it's remarkable how she characterizes Professor Dolores Umbridge in Book Five, Order of the Phoenix.Again, it makes you absolutely DESPISE her!The theme is focused on the world of wizardy and witchcraft for most of the books, shifting rarely to the Muggle world.There aren't that many symbols in the book, other than the Invisiblity cloak and the Mirror of Erised.The cloak, which Harry recieves on Christmas by Dumbeldore, however unknown at the time, used to belong to James Potter, Harry's father.Dumbeldore later tells him that James gave it to him right before he died, and Dumbeldore passed it on to Harry.It symbolizes a father's legacy to his son, and also symbolizes both of their rebellious behaviors by using it to sneak around.The Mirror symbolizes Harry's greatest desires, beacuase whenever he looks in it, he sees his parents.The setting of the story begins at Four Privet Drive, in London, England.But most of the story takes place in Hogwarts, the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.The plot, I would LOVE to explain, but I don't want to spoil it for all of you who haven't read it.Personally, though, I think it has an OUTSTANDING plot line!I hope you enjoy it!

A Classic Start
This is an excellent begining to a wonderful series with the makings of a classic.

Mystical, Imaginative, Magical!
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a great book by J.K. Rowling. I could not stop thinking of this book for the whole time I was reading it. I read this 309-page book in one week and loved every second of it. The plot of this book is very interesting. A boy, Harry Potter, is left on the doorstep of his Aunt and Uncle's house that are very normal and like being normal. They keep Harry in a cupboard under the stairs at night and make him work during the day. One day, a letter comes for Harry. This letter asks Harry to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry goes and learns of a whole other world. He learns to fly a broom, becomes the quidditch seeker, and much more. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are Harry's best friends and Draco Malfoy is Harry's enemy in school. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is Harry's biggest enemy that wishes Harry dead. Harry and his friends as well as all the people at Hotwarts learn much magic. The author puts many unexpected twists into the book. For instance, Rowling makes you believe that one character has problems, but is a good teacher, but this character doesn't have any problems once so ever and is actually helping Harry's biggest enemy. This was what was compelling about it, because I never knew what was going to happen next. Harry Potter is very unique because no one has really done anything like it before. It has captured readers by surprise at how good it is. It shows a new side of fantasy writing and opens up doors for other writers as well. ... Read more

Isbn: 0590353403
Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Fantasy    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft    4. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Imaginary place)    5. Humorous Stories    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Magic    8. School & Education    9. Schools    10. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    11. Wizards   

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) (Harry Potter)
by J.K. Rowling
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (02 June, 1999)
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Editorial Review

It's hard to fall in love with an earnest, appealing young hero like Harry Potter and then to watch helplessly as he steps into terrible danger! And in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the much anticipated sequel to the award-winning Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, he is in terrible danger indeed. As if it's not bad enough that after a long summer with the horrid Dursleys he is thwarted in his attempts to hop the train to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to begin his second year. But when his only transportation option is a magical flying car, it is just his luck to crash into a valuable (but clearly vexed) Whomping Willow. Still, all this seems like a day in the park compared to what happens that fall within the haunted halls of Hogwarts.

Chilling, malevolent voices whisper from the walls only to Harry, and it seems certain that his classmate Draco Malfoy is out to get him. Soon it's not just Harry who is worried about survival, as dreadful things begin to happen at Hogwarts. The mysteriously gleaming, foot-high words on the wall proclaim, "The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened. Enemies of the Heir, Beware." But what exactly does it mean? Harry, Hermione, and Ron do everything that is wizardly possible--including risking their own lives--to solve this 50-year-old, seemingly deadly mystery. This deliciously suspenseful novel is every bit as gripping, imaginative, and creepy as the first; familiar student concerns--fierce rivalry, blush-inducing crushes, pedantic professors--seamlessly intertwine with the bizarre, horrific, fantastical, or just plain funny. Once again, Rowling writes with a combination of wit, whimsy, and a touch of the macabre that will leave readers young and old desperate for the next installment. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson ... Read more

Reviews (2418)

I, Sneakoscope
There is obviously nothing wrong with this book.Truth be told, it took me three times before I completely understood everything.

Having read all books released (currently five), Chamber of Secrets has always troubled me.Not because Rowling's story is difficult to comprehend, but because Voldemort is different here.I can speak no further without spoiling anything, but the reader must really pay attention as to what's going on.

There is so much going on here, far more than in the first book, that I found myself reading slower, in order to retain as many details as possible.The first book's conclusion makes the reader aware that he or she is not just reading a hack author.These stories are brilliantly thought-out.So obviously the second book will be as complex.This time, the reader is prepared to make mental notes, remember as many of those "little" details... and still, so much slips through, re-reading the book is almost obligatory to fully enjoy Harry Potter's adventure.

Like Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets is a stand alone effort that if, for some strange reason, anyone were to read before any of the other books, the mystery would unfold as any good murder-mystery would. And, both these books are what I would deem murder-mysteries, a wonderful genre, in my opinion.Many of the greatest novels ever penned were classic whodunnit tales.This is one of Rowling's many strengths (and a great addition to the "classics," I say).

After completing book 2, the reader will come to terms with Rowling's writing style: it is quite simply the most efficient, well organized, humorous, dramatic, and comprehensively detailed style I've come across.Rowling's tales are pure enjoyment, almost hearkening to oral tradition.You feel as if the story is being told to you.

While the first book is filled with nervous first-years, here, Harry and his friends are now focusing on adventure (and half the adventure is just getting through those difficult classes!).

Rowling's new characters are simply delightful.No two characters are the same, and it is impossible to confuse them with one another.And while my eyes only well-up at the end (Sorcerer's Stone makes me burst into actual tears everytime I read how they win the House Cup), I am moved in a different way... Harry now has a "family" of friends, young and old alike, and I know, from this point on, he will be protected and loved.

Great story and Ingenious development of the overall plot
J. K. Rowling proves to us that the success of the first book was no fluke by giving HP fans another dose of adventure. There's a new mystery this time, new characters and a new attempt by Voldemort to return.

We see more revelation in this book about the different characters of the four houses at Hogwart's School, most notably the contrast between Gryffindor and Slytherin. The motives and conflicts of the founders are explained as being behind the present day struggles. The "pure-blood" prejudice becomes more of a major theme and becomes a defining issue between good and bad wizards.

Getting to see more of the Weasley family is a special treat in Book II. Arthur's love of muggles and fascination with "muggle artifacts" is humorous and provides insights into a humble attitude toward magical gifts which characterizes the good wizards. The growing relationship between Ron and Hermione continues to spawn great dialogue. Mrs. Weasley continues to endear herself as the good mother who is a bit over-bearing at times and the twins continue to be dedicated to the type of mayhem which is all in good fun.

good book for light readers
The book was alright. I am not big on the magic stuff so i didn't really follow too much on the wierd words that make stuff float. the plot was good with plenty of leading turns which cause you to wonder and second guess all thatr you have concluded. the one good thing about this book is it really shows the true value of a good friendship and teamwork. ... Read more

Isbn: 0439064864
Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Fantasy    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft    4. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Imaginary place)    5. Humorous Stories    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Juvenile Fiction / Science Fiction, Fantasy, Magic    8. Magic    9. School & Education    10. Schools    11. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    12. Wizards    13. Science Fiction, Fantasy & Magic   

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) (Harry Potter)
by J.K. Rowling
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (08 September, 1999)
list price: $22.99 -- our price: $13.97
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Editorial Review

For most children, summer vacation is something to look forward to.Butnot for our 13-year-old hero, who's forced to spend his summers with an aunt, uncle,and cousin who detest him. The third book in J.K. Rowling's HarryPotter series catapults into action when the young wizard "accidentally" causes the Dursleys' dreadful visitor Aunt Marge to inflate like a monstrous balloon and drift up to the ceiling. Fearing punishment from Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon (and from officials at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who strictly forbid students to cast spells in the nonmagic world of Muggles), Harry lunges out into the darkness with his heavy trunk and his owl Hedwig.

As it turns out, Harry isn't punished at all for his errant wizardry. Instead he is mysteriously rescued from his Muggle neighborhood and whisked off in a triple-decker, violently purple bus to spend the remaining weeks of summer in a friendly inn called the Leaky Cauldron. What Harry has to faceas he begins his third year at Hogwarts explains why the officials let him off easily. It seems that Sirius Black--an escaped convict from the prison of Azkaban--is on the loose. Not only that, but he's after Harry Potter. But why? And why do the Dementors, the guards hired to protect him, chill Harry's very heart when others are unaffected? Once again, Rowling has created a mystery that will have children and adults cheering, not to mention standing in line for her next book. Fortunately, there are four more in the works. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson ... Read more

Reviews (2388)

Rowling's Best Yet
The third installment of the Harry Potter series is the best yet. The size has increased from the first two novels, but it has not reached the bloated proportions of books four and five. The story line is clear and uncluttered, devoid of the many superfluous side stories which weigh down the later books.

The characters of Harry, Ron, and Hermione are fleshed out in greater detail, and there are some tantilizing bits of information about Harry's parents and their friends. The story is cast as a mystery of sorts, and it is worthwhile to read the book twice to find the clues which author J. K. Rowling expertly scatters.

There is a large deus ex machina at the end of the novel, but it is undeniably clever. Rowling's text is clear, clever, and creative. Occasionally she employs an awkward phrasing, repeats a description, or indulges her fondness for adverbs -- proving that she just might be human after all.

"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" is a delightful read for both adolescents and adults.

Potter Peter
I think that J.K Rowling did a very good job on writing this book. I really hope that her next book will be just as good as this one was. I am glad that I was able to read it. It was a really great book, but it was also kind of long. I think that everyone should read this really great book.

mistic, majic, monster, clueless
when returning to hogwarts, harry potter encounters dangerous monsters, great masters, powerful magic, and a outragious mystery. in this story, harry must fight off the monsters, befriend the masters, master the magic, and solve the mystery.

in this adventure, harry goes to hogwarts and meets a dementer that is trying to suck his soul but a master named professer lupin stops it with a powerful spell. they go to hagwarts and find out that the man who kill harry's parent has escaped. lso they try to find him and put him back behind bars. if you want to find out, read the book.

i beleive that rowling is trying to make the story sound like fantasy and still make it as if it is your own life in some way you look at it, it's just a thought. i would recomend this book to people who like fantasy and mystery so i would recomend this to at least 7 and up, male and female. ... Read more

Isbn: 0439136350
Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Fantasy    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft    4. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Imaginary place)    5. Humorous Stories    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Magic    8. School & Education    9. Schools    10. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    11. Wizards   

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) (Harry Potter)
by J.K. Rowling
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (08 July, 2000)
list price: $29.99 -- our price: $19.79
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Editorial Review

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling offers up equal parts danger and delight--and any number of dragons, house-elves, and death-defying challenges. Now 14, her orphan hero has only two more weeks with his Muggle relatives before returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Yet one night a vision harrowing enough to make his lightning-bolt-shaped scar burn has Harry on edge and contacting his godfather-in-hiding, Sirius Black. Happily, the prospect of attending the season's premier sporting event, the Quidditch World Cup, is enough to make Harry momentarily forget that Lord Voldemort and his sinister familiars--the Death Eaters--are out for murder.

Readers, we will cast a giant invisibility cloak over any more plot and reveal only that You-Know-Who is very much after Harry and that this year there will be no Quidditch matches between Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Instead, Hogwarts will vie with two other magicians' schools, the stylish Beauxbatons and the icy Durmstrang, in a Triwizard Tournament. Those chosen to compete will undergo three supreme tests. Could Harry be one of the lucky contenders?

But Quidditch buffs need not go into mourning: we get our share of this great game at the World Cup. Attempting to go incognito as Muggles, 100,000 witches and wizards converge on a "nice deserted moor." As ever, Rowling magicks up the details that make her world so vivid, and so comic. Several spectators' tents, for instance, are entirely unquotidian. One is a minipalace, complete with live peacocks; another has three floors and multiple turrets. And the sports paraphernalia on offer includes rosettes "squealing the names of the players" as well as "tiny models of Firebolts that really flew, and collectible figures of famous players, which strolled across the palm of your hand, preening themselves." Needless to say, the two teams are decidedly different, down to their mascots. Bulgaria is supported by the beautiful veela, who instantly enchant everyone--including Ireland's supporters--over to their side. Until, that is, thousands of tiny cheerleaders engage in some pyrotechnics of their own: "The leprechauns had risen into the air again, and this time, they formed a giant hand, which was making a very rude sign indeed at the veela across the field."

Long before her fourth installment appeared, Rowling warned that it would be darker, and it's true that every exhilaration is equaled by a moment that has us fearing for Harry's life, the book's emotions running as deep as its dangers. Along the way, though, she conjures up such new characters as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, a Dark Wizard catcher who may or may not be getting paranoid in his old age, and Rita Skeeter, who beetles around Hogwarts in search of stories. (This Daily Prophet scoop artist has a Quick-Quotes Quill that turns even the most innocent assertion into tabloid innuendo.) And at her bedazzling close, Rowling leaves several plot strands open, awaiting book 5. This fan is ready to wager that the author herself is part veela--her pen her wand, her commitment to her world complete. (Ages 9 and older) --Kerry Fried ... Read more

Reviews (4911)

the best
Out of the five books so far, this is the best hands down.

The Boy Who Lived
In the fourth installation of this amazing series, Harry once again finds himself face to face with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and lives through a duel with him.In the begining of this book Harry is entered into the Triwizard Tournament by Barty Crouch Jr., a supporter of Voldemort, who is posing as ex-Auror Mad-Eye Moody.Despite a lack of enthusiasim and support from his fellow students at first, including Ron, Harry does surprisingly well through the tasks, and enters into the third and final task tied for first with Cedric Diggory.They take the cup together which turns out to be a portkey to Voldemort's rebirthing party, where Cedric is immediately killed and Harry duels the Dark Lord.The only good thing that comes of this is that now atleast Voldemort's plans are spoiled as Harry was not supposed to survive and Dumbledore now knows of his return.

Excellent Read
I have to admit that it took me some time to start the book.I picked this book up at least 6 times before actually reading past the first chapter.My wife had read it when it first came out and has been telling me to stick with it.I'm glad I did.

Once I got about 150 pages in, I was hooked.Excellent read.Leaves you wanting more and more and the climactic end, oh!!You had better be able to set aside enough time to finish once you reach the ending chapters or you'll lose sleep thinking about it, wondering what happened.You have to know, so you keep reading and you won't be disappointed!

Good from beginning to end and ties up nicely in preparation for the fifth book.I'll start that one next while this one is fresh in my head.

***** 5 Stars! ... Read more

Isbn: 0439139597
Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Fantasy    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft    4. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Imaginary place)    5. Humorous Stories    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Magic    8. School & Education    9. Schools    10. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    11. Wizards    12. Fantasy   

A Wrinkle in Time
by Madeleine L'Engle
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (11 May, 1998)
list price: $6.50 -- our price: $5.85
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Editorial Review

Everyone in town thinks Meg Murry is volatile and dull-witted, and that her younger brother, Charles Wallace, is dumb. People are also saying that their physicist father has run off and left their brilliant scientist mother.Spurred on by these rumors and an unearthly stranger, the tesseract-touting Mrs Whatsit, Meg and Charles Wallace and their new friend Calvin O'Keefe embark on a perilous quest through space to find their father. In doing so, they must travel behind the shadow of an evil power that is darkening the cosmos, one planet at a time. This is no superhero tale, nor is it science fiction, although it shares elements of both. The travelers must rely on their individual and collective strengths, delving deep within themselves to find answers.

A well-loved classic and 1963 Newbery Medal winner, Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time is sophisticated in concept yet warm in tone, with mystery and love coursing through its pages. Meg's shattering, yet ultimately freeing, discovery that her father is not omnipotent provides a satisfying coming-of-age element. Readers will feel a sense of power as they travel with these three children, challenging concepts of time, space, and the triumph of good over evil. The companion books in the Time quartet, continuing the adventures of the Murry family, are A Wind in the Door; A Swiftly Tilting Planet, which won the American Book Award; and Many Waters. Every young reader should experience L'Engle's captivating, occasionally life-changing contributions to children's literature. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (863)

The Tesser
Have you ever had to fight a giant, repulsive, pulsing brain?Well, in "A Wrinkle in Time", by Madeline L'engle, Meg Murry, the oldest of four children, had to when she went to Camozots to save her father.

Tessering is going into the fifth dimension. Meg's father tessered to the planet Camozots, and was captured by IT, a giant pulsing brain.Meg came to save her father from IT with the help of a friend, Calvin, and her brother Charles Wallace.Charles Wallace got controlled by IT, but Meg rescued her father.Meg also used the help from former "stars" called Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which.

Meg was a very interesting person who was very confident at times, but most of the time needed to hold someone's hand for reassurance. She was very focused on the goal of saving her father and once she accomplished that goal, her new goal was to save her brother, Charles Wallace from IT.

This book is for everyone who likes adventure, sci-fi, and fantasy all put together.When I read the book, I had to finish in one day without putting it down.In the best parts, the action is prolonged, so that you can't put the book down.This book is one of the best sci-fi books of its kind!

A Wrinkle In time
Title-A Wind in the Door
Author- Madeline L' Engle

Summery- Meg Murry and her brother Charles Wallace were downstairs one night for a midnight snack with their mom when there was an unexpected visitor in their mom's lab. Meg's father has disappeared mysteriously the month before and it was up to Meg, Charles Wallace and their friend Calvin to travel though space and time to rescue Meg's dad.

Characters- The characters of this book are all very well developed. They are very smart and they use vocab that's not too hard tounderstand. Meg is the main character. She is the one in the story who has to take a lot of responsibility but she doesn't want it all. Charles Wallace is the youngest in the story and seems the smartest. He has a funny way of knowing if something is wrong with his sister or mother. Calvin is a friend of the Murrys who is popular unlike the Murry kids, but he likes the Murrys more. He comes to the Murry's house a lot because his mom is very mean to him whenever he is at home. Also because she won't let him in after a certain hour.

Review- I think that this book is a great book. The book has wonderful details- they help you picture the scenes, characters, monsters etc. I think that on a scale from 1- 10 I would give this book a 9. This is because it didn't have all the action I liked. This book is a fantasy book.

A grown-up book with a child-like cover
I read this book when I was 15.By this age I had read all of Micheal Crichton's books and Anne Rice's books up until that point in time.I didnt think I would have any trouble reading a book intended for middle school students.I understood the story fairly well, but I after I finished the book I felt confused and realized I did not truly understand the underlying premise for the story.So I did what all 15 year olds do and forgot about it.

However now that I am 22, I found that the meaning of the book become clearer to me.I have also found that I like the book a whole lot better than I did when I was younger.It was more interesting and compelling even though I already knew what was going to happen.

This book is like the "Chronicles of Narnia":you have to read it again as an adult to understand what you miss out on during your first reading as a child.Thus you realize what this book is really saying and you develop a better appreciation for it. ... Read more

Isbn: 0440498058
Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Fantasy    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Classics    4. Juvenile Fiction    5. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    6. Science fiction    7. Juvenile Fiction / Science Fiction, Fantasy, Magic   

The Water-Babies (Books of Wonder)
by Charles Kingsley, Jessie Willcox Smith
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 April, 1997)
list price: $22.00 -- our price: $22.00
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Reviews (13)

"My Name is Written in my Eyes..."
"The Water-Babies" by Charles Kingsley is best described with reference to J. M. Barrie's more famous work "Peter Pan", both of which belong in the canon of Victorian fairytales. Kingsley's work is poised between two words: the world of Christianity and the whimsical realm of fairies, and the onset of the scientific and historical developments that resulted in the evolution theory, industrial factories and the War. Although certainly not as famous as Barrie's tale of the boy that never grew up, Kingsley's story is equally fascinating, though much more difficult to read.

Tom is a young chimney sweep of London, under the brutal care of Mr Grimes who doesn't hesitate in sending him up the filthiest, narrowest chimneys whilst he collects the money from downstairs. Tom himself is quite the little savage, but when his master is employed at Harthover Place, he is in for a surprise. Getting lost on the rooftop and crawling down the wrong chimney, Tom finds himself in a room where three things change his life. The first is a picture of the Crucifixion on the wall. Having no idea who Christ is, Tom is rather intrigued by the picture: "Poor man, he looks so kind and quiet. But why should the lady have such a sad picture in her room?" The second is the young girl asleep in the bed, beautiful and peaceful. The third is his own reflection in the mirror, which horrifies him - "Tom, for the first time in his life, found that he was dirty".

Accidentally waking the little girl on his way out, Tom sets the entire household upon him - out of the house, across the moorlands and down the valley to meet his "death" in a nearby creek, and his rebirth as a water-baby. And there his adventures really begin, as he investigates his new form, meets the river-folk and begins his journey to be reunited with the little girl in the white bedroom - Ellie, who has not forgotten the boy who woke her from her sleep.

Like Barrie, Kingsley's story is chock full of allegory and moralising, namely concerned with images of baptism and rejuvenation, as seen from Tom's transformation from "dirty" (figuratively and literally) to the white form of the water baby, to the moral growth that he gains over the course of the story. Presiding over all of Tom's adventures is the Madonna-like figure of Mrs Do-as-you-would-be-done-by; a fairy queen that takes many different forms and names throughout the course of the story. As well as this, there are touches of the Victorian fascination with insect life, as Tom's `evolution' could also be compared with the pupae and larvae stages of the insect life cycle that (with the onset of microscopes) was being explored by biologists of the age.

But Kingsley's story falls short in several aspects, namely when he is speaking to an adult audience rather than a child one. Though the story is subtitled "a fairytale for a land-baby" and the narrator is conversational and chatty throughout (in fact the style reminds me a great deal of C. S. Lewis in the "Narnia" series) calling the reader "little man" and often providing legitimate queries that the reader would probably be asking at that time, often he strays away from Tom's story to discuss his own personal opinions and theories on the general mindset of the Victorian world - some of which is amusing, some of which is tedious.

For instance, Kingsley perhaps gives us the strongest evidence of the existence of fairies in the world - or at least why experts can never really claim that fairies, water babies and other such creatures do not exist. Only his own words can really do this justice; as the reader says: "But there are no such things as water babies," to which he answers with devastating logic: "how do you know? Have you ever been there to see? No one has a right to say water babies don't exist until they have seen no water babies existing." You can never prove a universal negative!

But these amusing ponderings, and tongue-in-cheek criticisms on other Victorian minds will probably be far over the heads of any children that the book is aimed toward. I can't believe I'm saying this, considering I hate having original books tampered with, but perhaps it would be best to read a young child an abridged version of Kingsley's story, and waiting till they're older for the complete text.For the record, I got my copy at age nine, and didn't get it finished till ten years later. Furthermore, it is a book of its time, and you'll find within its pages several disparaging remarks directed toward the Irish, Americans and several other ethnic groups (heck, this *was* written during the British empire!)

However, Kingsley's book is a necessary inclusion into the library of children's literature - namely because it can be enjoyed by adults too. With a poignant look at the horrors of a sweep's life, to the humorous commentary on his contemporaries, his intriguing philosophy on the nature of fairies and the sublime moments of Christian spirituality, this is a classic to be read and re-read in childhood, adulthood and old age; it'll be a different story each time.

READ the book, steer clear of the movie
Truly only for children (or adults) who are already readers with inquiring minds and imaginative, curious natures. The era, great detail and background of the book put me in mind of tales from Dickens. It makes a time-traveler of the reader. If books already transport you, this one will take you to wonderfully imaginative places. If you want today's 'politically correct' or simple easy reading, don't bother with WaterBabies.But for a window on another time and place (and a lovely bit of magic), this books's priceless.

I tend to rate children's book solely on their entertainment value and how well they capture and retain interest. This book may not be for every child or adult but if you like fairy tales, underwater adventure, and stories where striving and good eventually triumph (yes, a happy ending :-) This is just lovely.

I bought a facsimile of the first edition when I was a kid and recently bought the edition with Jesse Wilcox Smith simply for her illustrations. Children would probably enjoy the abridged (and less dense) edition better than the original but I'm sure it all depends on the child. And there are many illustrated copies by noted artists that can be bought used.

Kingsley's Water-Babies was a childhood favorite, I read it to my son when he was of an age, and look forward to reading it and discussing it with grandchildren. As a child I was a bit shocked over the blatant condescension towards the Irish probably because as an Irish-American I had never come across such attitudes before. It was an eye-opener as to the views of the era but certainly more as an occasional background aside - not enough to detract from the overall magic of the book.

Amusing
Not sparkling, but cute and charming, and a good book to read aloud to the littles as long as you don't mind defining the occasional word. The one peeve I had was the annoying and persistant habit the author has of calling the the reader "My dear little man". This is especial bothersome when the person reading it is fourteen and female. ... Read more

Isbn: 068814831X
Sales Rank: 178213
Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8    2. Children's 4-8 - Fiction - General    3. Children: Grades 2-3    4. Chimney sweeps    5. Classics    6. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Single Title    7. Fairy tales    8. Fiction    9. Juvenile Fiction   

Peter Pan (Bantam Classic)
by J.M. BARRIE
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 March, 1985)
list price: $4.95 -- our price: $4.95
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Reviews (24)

Trina Hyman's perfectly illustrated Peter Pan
I first read Barrie's tale of the boy who refuses to grow up when I was 16 (after watching Disney's movie), and I absolutely loved it. It is in every way better than any film ever made which it inspired (although Disney's version is fun to watch and the recent 2003 version is very good and most faithful to the story).

This review, however, is only to comment upon the illustrations. There are various illustrated Peter Pans; but this one is the very best. Trina Hyman's delicate, gorgeous drawings capture the characters to perfect. Peter is particularly good, looking suitably wild and beautiful, and Tinker Bell is a lovely fairy. In so many other illustrated books the characters are either over-dressed or simply grotesque, but Hyman's version of the characters are simply perfect (MUCH better than the Disney version of them!)

If you buy any illustrated Peter Pan, but this one.

Visit Neverland
No disrespect to Disney intended, but the animated version of Peter Pan does not do justice to this story. I didn't read this book until I took a Children's Literature course for adults...woe to me. Peter Pan is so sweet, pure, sad, funny, and magical. It is definitely not just a children's bedtime story. I'm glad I grew up, but I wish I still had a map to Neverland so I could visit every once in a while.

A book with aspects to appeal to both kids and adults
In almost a hundred years 'Peter Pan' has become a universal kiddie literature classic. Mostly basing on his personal experiences and people he knew, J.M. Barrie created a work full of subtle undertones that have been subject of deep controversies.

Rather than the story of a boy who refuses to grow up, a new approach on 'Peter Pan' has been developed. One of the most interesting is the one which is based on the analysis of the three primal female characters: Wendy --and Mrs. Darling, as well--, Tinker Bell and Tiger Lily. According to experts, they represent aspect in women that Barrie found intolerable. It is largely known that Barrie had serious problems with his mother, which may have led him to use such bipolarity on motherhood in the book. While on the one hand Mrs. Darling is a loving and concerned mother, on the other, Peter's --and the lost boy's as well-- mother abandoned him -- leading him to an eternal search of a mother figure, however unconscious it is.

The sexual aspect of the novel is so subtle that for many people it may be unnoticed. However, it is clear that the book deals with several taboos, being incest the most recurrent. Peter and Wendy have both a mother/son relationship, and also there is the wish of being 'lovers' --recurring to Oedipal myth. This is one of the most interesting aspect for the books --at least when it comes to an adult approach on 'Peter Pan'. According to Jacqueline Rose's 'The Case of Peter Pan, or, The Impossibility of Children's Fiction', "The sexuality which matters is both more and less explicit than this. It is sexuality in the form of its repeated disavowal, a relentless return to the question of origins and sexual difference which is focused time and again on the child". This is what makes the novel so intriguing: it is possible to read 'Peter Pan' is more than one way --and all of them are more and more interesting.

When it comes to kids themselves, this book is part a fairy tale, part an adventure and a familiar ode. These aspects make 'Peter Pan' appealing to both boys and girls. The characters while archetypical --this is unnoticeable to children-- are very vivid and it is not hard for young readers become their 'friends'.At the same time, all the 'sexual' aspect of the book is so subtle that parents can't be afraid of allowing their children to read the novel.

However, the unabridged 'Peter Pan' is not advisable to very young readers due to its fanciful language. When it was written in the early XX Century, that was the current language, but, nowadays some words like 'ofttimes' and 'diffidently' are not very common in a 10 year-old lexical. The narrative is told in first person, and the narrator used a lot of 'I''s which only bring the children closer to the story making it easy to feel part of the adventure --it was very smart of Barrie, because with that he makes friend with the child, and the story flows as if they were exchaging confidences.

All in all, J.M. Barrie's 'Peter Pan' will always be a children's fave and it deserves its place in the Fantasy Literature canon and will amuse young --and not-so-young-- readers forever. ... Read more

Isbn: 0553211781
Sales Rank: 326285
Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary    2. Children's stories, English    3. Classics    4. Fairy tales    5. Fantasy    6. Literature: Classics    7. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    8. Fiction / Classics   

The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1)
by Lemony Snicket
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (30 September, 1999)
list price: $11.99 -- our price: $9.59
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

Make no mistake. The Bad Beginning begins badly for the three Baudelaire children, and then gets worse. Their misfortunes begin one gray day on Briny Beach when Mr. Poe tells them that their parents perished in a fire that destroyed their whole house. "It is useless for me to describe to you how terrible Violet, Klaus, and even Sunny felt in the time that followed," laments the personable (occasionally pedantic) narrator, who tells the story as if his readers are gathered around an armchair on pillows. But of course what follows is dreadful. The children thought it was bad when the well-meaning Poes bought them grotesque-colored clothing that itched. But when they are ushered to the dilapidated doorstep of the miserable, thin, unshaven, shiny-eyed, money-grubbing Count Olaf, they know that they--and their family fortune--are in real trouble. Still, they could never have anticipated how much trouble. While it's true that the events that unfold in Lemony Snicket's novels are bleak, and things never turn out as you'd hope, these delightful, funny, linguistically playful books are reminiscent of Roald Dahl (remember James and the Giant Peach and his horrid spinster aunts), Charles Dickens (the orphaned Pip in Great Expectations without the mysterious benefactor), and Edward Gorey (The Gashlycrumb Tinies).There is no question that young readers will want to read the continuing unlucky adventures of the Baudelaire children in The Reptile Room and The Wide Window. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson ... Read more

Reviews (902)

warning:the fowling reveiw is very unpleasant
I love a series of unfortunate events so here is the first page of the bad beginning.page 1;if you are inerested in stories with happy endings,you would be better off reading some other book.in this book,not only is there no happy ending,there is no happy beginning and very few happy things in the middle.this is because not very many happy things happend in the lives of the three Baudelaire youngsters.Voilet,Klaus,And Sunny Baudelaire were intelligent children,and they were charming,and resourceful,and had pleasant facail features,but they were extremely unluky,and most everything that happend to them was rife with misfortune,misery,and despir.i'm sorry but that is how the story goes.that was the first page of the bad beginning.this is a must buy book.So buy it now.with all due respect,Clayton Kelly

The Bad Beginning, Reviewed by D.B.
If you like to hear about other people's misery then The Bad Beginnning by Lemony Snicket is a book for you.The story takes place at a mean guardian's home.This book is fiction.

The problem is that orphans named Violet, Klause, and Sunny move to an evil guardian's house, because their parents died in a fire.His name was Count Olaf, and he tries to get their enormous fortune.The characters aren't believable because Violet makes inventions, Klause has read every book, and Sunny is a baby and bites hard things.The characters all look after each other.

The author gave good details, and had a lot of cliff-hangers.I would give this book a 9 out of 10.I think boys and girls, ages 9 and older, would like this book.This book will keep you reading all night.

The Bad Begining
The Bad Beginning


The Bad Beginning By: Lemony Snicket

This story is about three orphans Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudlaire. Their mansion caught on fire mysteriously and burnt to the ground. Now they have to live with their new guardian Count Olaf. They have to do chores like scrubbing the gassy floors, washing the dirty dishes, and make dinner for Count Olaf and his troupe. Will Count Olaf give them more chores or worse? Find out in a series of unfortunates events! I think that this is a great book because it is a mysterious and woeful book.
... Read more

Isbn: 0064407667
Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Brothers and sisters    3. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General    4. Children: Grades 4-6    5. Family - Orphans & Foster Homes    6. Fiction    7. Humorous Stories    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Orphans    10. Juvenile Fiction / Family / Orphans & Foster Homes   

The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 2)
by Lemony Snicket, Brett Helquist
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (30 September, 1999)
list price: $11.99 -- our price: $9.59
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Editorial Review

The Reptile Room begins where Lemony Snicket's The Bad Beginning ends... on the road with the three orphaned Baudelaire children as they are whisked away from the evil Count Olaf to face "an unknown fate with some unknown relative." But who is this Dr. Montgomery, their late father's cousin's wife's brother? "Would Dr. Montgomery be a kind person? they wondered. Would he at least be better than Count Olaf? Could he possibly be worse?" He certainly is not worse, and in fact when the Baudelaire children discover that he makes coconut cream cakes, circles the globe looking for snakes to study, and even plans to take them with him on his scientific expedition to Peru, the kids can't believe their luck. And, if you have read the first book in this Series of Unfortunate Events, you won't believe their luck either. Despite the misadventures that befall these interesting, intelligent, resourceful orphans, you can trust that the engaging narrator will make their story--suspenseful and alarming as it is--a true delight. The Wide Window is next, and more are on their way. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson ... Read more

Reviews (235)

none breakable unfortunate cycle
after the bad beginning the baudelaires come to live with their uncle monty not really their uncle he just likes to be called that the baudelaires finally thought they would have a peacefull life with their uncle until he shows up count olaf... bad miserable things happen as the unfortuante cycle continues the baudelaires know they would never have a normal life until violet is old anough to have the baudelaire fortune this book contains a madman not stoping till he has the baudelaire fortune a very deadly viper and many reptiles you can find

Repeat to Yourself:It's Only a Book.......
Sometimes when life deals out tragedies, we come up with a wild card of happy circumstance.But if you happen to be a Baudelaire orphan, don't count on it.For this is the account of the Baudelaire orphans who have come to not count on such luck.

After nearly escaping the clutches of Count Olaf from book one THE BAD BEGINING, these clever youngsters are taken to their Uncle Monty, a collector of rare snakes. In fact, he is a well known herpatologist.That's "snake egg-head" to you!At first Uncle Monty seems paternal and caring and fun.He enlists the talents of the children: Violet, Klaus and Sunny to help prepare for a journey to South America to study snakes.Yes our Monty is a real gentle guardian who has the children's interests at heart.While he is alive anyway....

If you are reading this review keep repating to yourself it's only a review....it's only a review.... a review of the case history of the Baudelaires accounted by the runaway author Lemony Snicket.Mr. Snicket has vowed to uncover the truth of what happened to these kids during their stay with Dr. Monty.

I must warn you.This book contains a town with a funny odor, a giant cuddly viper, a terrible disguise, dim-witted adults, the country of Peru, sweet desert, and musings over a woman who is long since perished named Beatrice...

I recommend you do NOT read this tomb,...uh.. no I meant tome. You would be better off reading about another orphan who is blessed with magical powers but who faces extreme danger..well if you insist.... then the Reptile Room is a book of surprises and mystery that even an adult will find horrifyingly funny.

However.....

After reading this, if you find yourself in a nightmare where you are in the coils of a giant viper whilst a disguised arsonist is coming at you with a length of rope.....when you wake up sweating just keep screaming to yourself 'it's only a book......it's only a book!"

Book the second is better
The second book in the Series of Unfortunate Events is better than the first but not the best of the books. This book has a much better guardian than book 1. Uncle Monty seemed to be almost the perfect guardian for the children but the unfortunate "accident" caused this to be utterly false. I highly doubt that a dead man can be a very good guardian Stephano referred to "accidents" happening, isn't it obvious thatCount Olaf threw the lamp out the window and that he was planning something similar to happen to Uncle Monty? Apparently not to the Baudelaires because it confused them and it really annoyed me how clueless they were to what was going to happen. The incredibly deadly viper was really cool, and it was funny that Sunny had toys in her room for the viper to play with. However the crying in the end of the book was a little too much for me even though if that had happened to me I might have cried but it was just boring reading about them crying. ... Read more

Isbn: 0064407675
Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Brothers and sisters    3. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General    4. Children: Grades 4-6    5. Family - Orphans & Foster Homes    6. Fiction    7. Humorous Stories    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Orphans    10. Juvenile Fiction / Family / Orphans & Foster Homes   

The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 3)
by Lemony Snicket
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (29 February, 2000)
list price: $11.99 -- our price: $9.59
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

In The Bad Beginning, things, well, begin badly for the three Baudelaire orphans. And sadly, events only worsen in The Reptile Room. In the third in Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, there is still no hope on the horizon for these poor children. Their adventures are exciting and memorable, but, as the author points out, "exciting and memorable like being chased by a werewolf through a field of thorny bushes at midnight with nobody around to help you."

This story begins when the orphans are being escorted by the well-meaning Mr. Poe to yet another distant relative who has agreed to take them in since their parents were killed in a horrible fire. Aunt Josephine, their new guardian, is their second cousin's sister-in-law, and she is afraid of everything. Her house (perched precariously on a cliff above Lake Lachrymose) is freezing because she is afraid of the radiator exploding, she eats cold cucumber soup because she's afraid of the stove, and she doesn't answer the telephone due to potential electrocution dangers. Her greatest joy in life is grammar, however, and when it comes to the proper use of the English language, she is fearless.

But just when she should be the most fearful--when Count Olaf creeps his way back to find the Baudelaire orphans and steal their fortune--she somehow lets her guard down. Once again, it is up to Violet, Klaus, and Sunny to get themselves out of danger. Will they succeed? We haven't the stomach to tell you. (Ages 9 to 12) --Karin Snelson ... Read more

Reviews (136)

Lemony Snicket
The whole series is awsome I have read all the books by lemony snicket my favorite book is the bad beggining I like it so much because they live with the evil villian so they have to be more sneaky and suspisious

strange parts
The Wide Window is one of my favorite Lemoney Snicket books.I like it because of the suspense. Also the fact that it is ator above a lake.The reson I don't like it is the leeches are kinda scary in a way. Still I like this book and recomened you read it even though it has the leeches.

The Story Leeches...err...Latches Onto You
The Baudelaire children once again find themselves in the care of an unfamiliar, distant relative with rather unusual quirks.This time the children are sent to live with Josephine Anwhistle -- Aunt Josephine -- who lives on a house on a high hill above Lake Lachrymose.Aunt Josephine is afraid of everything!Her sofa because it could crush you.Her stove because it could burn you.Her doorknobs because they could explode when you touch them.Clearly Aunt Josephine as some psychological issues...mostly resulting from the death of her beloved Ike...who was torn apart by the Lachrymose Leeches...horrible creatures that live in the lake below her house and will devour you if you are not careful.Meanwhile, Count Olaf makes another appearance, incognito, as Captain Sham.He, of course, cons Aunt Josephine into doing what it is he wants her to do...but the Baudelaire kids are no fools and thwart Olaf once again with their natural talents:inventiveness, bookishness, and of course, really sharp teeth.

The Wide Window was a somewhat darker continuation of the Baudelaire story.There was, of course, the same pattern of woe and triumph in this book as in the previous two books.But this book takes on a decidely more morose tone.If I were an 8 year old child reading this book there could certainly be some scenes that might kind of scare me.So for the 7 to 11 age bracket of readers this might be a story you want to read with an older brother or sister, or even your mom or dad around.That being said, this is certainly the best of Baudelaire stories yet.I look forward to reading more of them. ... Read more

Isbn: 0064407683
Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Brothers and sisters    3. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General    4. Children: Grades 4-6    5. Family - Orphans & Foster Homes    6. Fiction    7. Humorous Stories    8. Humorous fiction    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Orphans    11. Juvenile Fiction / Family / Siblings