Reviews (819)

poopie pants thinks.....
This is a book that is so bad it can make u faint.. if u like it then be square if u prefer be circular... this bookk is about a girl names cindy loo. she is 2 years old she got lost in the woods.... or was it her house? who knows....then she doent get attacked by a moose.... she gets atacked attacked bya hampster.. this is weird! And if u like this boob then u suck eggs! this is book was not very nice2 me... that is the end of the book. that is it-- pee pee girl and poo poo boy

Must HAVE! (poop)
"Going to die. Going to die. Going. To. Die. The Secret. Bad. Just as Brian began to see the light, he scratched his left elbow, revealing a large brownish gold scab, turning into a dark red scar/poop. He sees the big animal coming to attack him. It was not a moose, (i am lying.) it was not a gorilla. It was a big horseshoe. Then i fall into a lake, (maybe)"

This isnot from the book, but it is still quite amusing. The boob is actually really good, and you should read it. It is a must read for all boys and girls between the ages of seven and 3/4, (and 2 days,) and 29. If you want to know if Brian ACTUALLY fell into a lake, read the book, or research it on the internet. Either one. Or be square, or rather, if you perfer, be circular. Poo All! Read the book, and find out, but maybe Brian might fall into a lake. You never know. Maybe all the time he was stranded, he was really at a pool party in his mind. Or maybe it was all real. Find out by ready the book. You will get a treat, (tofu free.) -Poopy

Reviews (373)

Into the "Wardrobe"
C.S. Lewis pioneered a new kind of fantasy when he wrote "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" -- the kind where people from our world somehow get swept into another one. It's old stuff now, but Lewis was among the first to attempt such a thing. Because of its originality, and despite some rather hamhanded allegory, it remains a charmingly written, classic story.

To avoid the threat of bombings in London, the four Pevensie kids are sent to stay with a wealthy, eccentric professor in the country. But strange things start to happen when Lucy finds a wardrobe during a game of hide-and-seek -- when she climbs in, she finds a snowy woodland and a friendly faun. Her siblings don't believe her... until peevish Edmund also ventures through, and encounters the beautiful but evil White Witch.

Soon all four are wandering through the snowy land of Narnia, encountering mythical creatures and talking animals. They also find that the four of them are at the center of a prophecy that will lead to the return of lion-messiah Aslan, and the downfall of the White Witch. But things don't go according to plan when Edmund defects to the Witch's side...

How many fantasy stories are written about kids who crawl through a hedge, wander through a door or pick up a magical object, and immediately are swept off into a medieval land? Lots. And they owe a debt of gratitude to C.S. Lewis, theologian, author, and drinking buddy of "Lord of the Rings" author J.R.R. Tolkien.

C.S. Lewis' story is, despite being set during World War II, very 19th-century in tone -- very charming, conversational and full of little details. He populates it with a mishmash of mythic creatures such as dryads, fauns, and talking beavers. The one flaw? Lewis gets quite hamhanded with his Christian allegory, such as Aslan's resurrection. However, he has a very good plot and charming characters to balance it out.

Those characters deftly avoid being cutesy, especially by virtue of the malicious Edmund, who slowly has a change of heart after falling in with the evil Witch. He's a much more enjoyable character than his noble brother Peter, just because he's so real. And as a counterbalance, there's Lewis's sweet-natured Lucy -- which was also the name of Lewis' granddaughter.

Complex characters and still-fresh stories give "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" -- which is soon to be released as a major movie -- a special ambience. Definitely worth reading.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis
This is the first book in the chronicles of Narnia that C.S. Lewis ever wrote, but he decided to put in a different order by making it be the second book. This is my favorite SO far out of all the books. It is the story of four children named Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy whom go through a magical wardrobe to a land called Narnia. They meet lots of "creatures" in Narnia such as Tumnus the faun, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, The robin, The terrible white witch whom casts a spell over Narnia so the land is always winter but never christmas. And of course they meet the great lion Aslan! I encourage everyone to read this book and all the other Narnia books!

Reviews (38)

laughable (that's a good thing)
DANG I wish Watterson would have never retired. But that is just because of the appeal to be found in his comics.
Doing a few chores for mom/spouse just to get permission to read Calvin is completely understandable. In other words, this is not a waste of time.

A fantastic collection of early Calvin and Hobbes comics
The Essential Calvin and Hobbes, first published in 1988, is chock full of early Calvin and Hobbes comic strips.No cartoonist, not even Charles Schultz, has captured the magical essence of childhood the way Bill Watterson did in this strip, and it should come as no surprise (although it did to Watterson) that Calvin and Hobbes quickly developed an incredibly loyal following.This strip went way beyond mere popularity.While I was in college, the campus newspaper decided to stop running Calvin and Hobbes (I think this was during one of Watterson's sabbaticals) - this resulted in nothing less than a furor on campus, as countless students immediately demanded the return of C&H.In a matter of days, Calvin and Hobbes were right back where they belonged.

How does a comic strip featuring a mischievous six-year-old boy and his stuffed tiger attract a fiercely loyal following of adults?Most adults would love to be children again, to know the freedom and sense of wonder that somehow withers inside the human soul after the onset of puberty.Calvin and Hobbes vividly recreates the feelings and emotions of the very essence of childhood.It brings back memories of things we forgot far too long ago, and it thus reawakens the deepest parts of our ever-hardening souls.Reading this comic strip is the next best thing to being a child yourself.Calvin does everything you used to do: he takes time to stomp in mud puddles, he lets his imagination run wild to make thrilling adventures out of even the most mundane tasks, he ponders the same deep questions you are now, as an adult, afraid to ask, he goes for the gusto no matter what sort of risk is involved, he is in every way a perfect specimen of childhood.Who, as a child, didn't pretend to be a dinosaur, walk around with a hideous expression in hopes of your facing freezing that way, tease the girls (or boys) you claimed to hate, journey to distant worlds unseen by human eyes, etc.?

Of course, Hobbes is just as important to the comic strip as Calvin.Hobbes is a tiger, Calvin's best and constant friend, a fellow partaker in the joys of childish innocence.To Calvin, Hobbes really is all that, and that is how we see him as well - until, that is, someone else comes into the frame, when he suddenly becomes nothing more than a stuffed animal.Watterson is a fantastic comic artist, and there is just something captivating about the way he draws Hobbes in his stuffed animal form.Everything about Watterson's art is fantastic, though, particularly the way it captures the emotions of its two principal characters.

Sadly, we have only ten years of comic memories in the form of Calvin and Hobbes, as the inscrutable Bill Watterson retired (around the age of 37) in 1995 and quite obviously has no plans of returning to the public arena.Watterson is actually frighteningly private and seems to be living a life of unmatched solitude.I find this extraordinarily sad: here is a man who captured the essence of childhood so vividly in the form of Calvin and Hobbes, a world bursting with life and possibilities, yet now he seems to have withdrawn from life itself.We must be thankful we do have as much Calvin and Hobbes material as we do, and The Essential Calvin and Hobbes, with 255 pages of black and white daily strips and color Sunday strips, features much more than just a chunk of it in and of itself.

Reviews (6)

Highly Reccomended
I can't even remember what it was exactly that first caught my eye about this book way back when it was new.But I still have my original copy and have read it several dozens times at least, and it is still a great read.The book is both appropriate for the younger crowd, the main character being at their age and acting like they would, but also for the older crowd as well as the main character acts out everything we would have done at that time, heh.

I think the most important part about the book is it doesn't shy away from the conqsequences, and right to the end his actions have major ramifications on the world around him.The ending is nice and fitting, with one small concession after it all to put a small smile on your face, just a little nod to him at the end of everything he goes through that I thought was a nice touch.

The cover claims it was being made into a movie, but sadly those plans seem to be long... long abandoned.I still like to hope once in a while that the book would see light of day as a movie, with modern CGI I think the ideas in the book could be given full justice, but until that hyopthetical day, we will have this great book to tide us over.

Can't beat it for the price, I highly reccommend anyone pick this up and give it a try.

Great book, that's not dumbed down.
I remember purchasing this book in the sixth grade, and reading it quickly and eagerly. Quite simply, it's a wonderful book that contains profound themes in a package that's intelligent, yet easy for preteens to swallow. Abuse of power, addiction, loneliness, responsibility, greed, destiny....it's all covered in this novel. I heartily recommend purchasing this book. And guys? Don't spoil this book for other people in your reviews!

Loved It
I may have read this book three years ago, but since then this book has remained clear in my memory.The wishes Kevin Midas made were tempting to make but hard to get rid of.He soon realizes that his glasses that he found on top of a mountain had saved his life and granted him many many wishes that came with consequences.The glasses have mystical powers and become more and more trouble for Kevin as the novel progresses.Truly a great read.

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."

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.

Reviews (42)

Not a good addition to a reading curriculum
I think it is clear from the poor quality of the reviews written by children regarding this book that it does not help them learn to read or write.
Perhaps these children should have been reading something a little more basic.

Fantastic
I read this book in 3rd grade. It taught me to appreciate the friendships that I have because you never know when something is going to happen to your friends. I never knew that a bee sting could kill a little boy. I would recommend this book to anyone no matter the age. I will tell my children about this book.

Editorial Review

How to Eat Fried Worms has happily repulsed children since its original publication in 1973. Now youngsters can experience this classic story in a whole new yucky way, by listening to it on audiocassette. Narrator Jay O. Sanders gives extra kick and vitality to this already lively yarn. He throws himself into the role of a 10-year-old boy, facing the most revolting bet of his life. Billy must eat 15 worms in 15 days--but the reward will be worth it: $50 for a shiny new minibike. Luckily, Billy's friends cook up these fat juicy grubs in a variety of appetizing ways--drenched in ketchup and mustard, fried in butter and cornmeal, and the pièce de résistance, a Whizband Worm Delight (an ice-cream worm cake). Sanders derives obvious pleasure from reading (and singing) out loud the hilarious rhymes and childish chants concocted from the mind of the book's author, Thomas Rockwell.

"Trout, Salmon, flounder, perch,
I'll ride my minibike into church.
Dace, tuna, haddock, trout,
Wait'll you hear the minister shout."

Editorial Review

Reviews (53)

Scary and Awesome!
In this mystery, a Hollywood star is trying to find a haunted house for a movie. He hires the three investigators to help him. They find a house that was once owned by an old Hollywood star who had built a castle for one of his films. After going bankrupt, the bank tried to take away the castle from the movie star. Mysteriouly, one day the star disappears. Now, according to legend, the castle is really haunted by the old star's spirit, and it's up to the three investigators to uncover the mystery!

This book was so scary that one night while I was reading, I couldn't finish the chapter.

Great stuff
Somewhere between 1964 and 1967 my mom gave me a new hardback copy of "The Secret of Terror Castle". So I was somewhere between 5 and 8 (I was an early reader). Wow, what a great book. This might actually be the best of the lot. I think there was some kind of a book-of-the-month club thing with the T.I. books because they kept on coming: The Whispering Mummy, the Stuttering Parrot, etc. I got the "Secret of Skeleton Island" for Christmas in 1968 or so. I read the darn thing in one day and woke my parents up late that night to inform them of it!The thing about the T.I.s was that they were almost like real kids and the stories were even somewhat spooky at times. I read the Hardy Boys of course (and the Happy Hollisters- ugh), but the Three Investigators are the best. In the 90s I saw some paperback re-issues in a grocery store and gave them to my young niece and nephew (I don't have kids). They liked the stories too of course- how could they not? Anyway, get these books now and give them to any/all kids you can find. Last year I bought up hardback copies to fill out the original set I once had and re-read all of them. Up to about the Nervous Lion I think. Viva Los Tres Investigators!

A great series with a few annoying lapses
What I liked about this series:
1. The way the cases always have such neat and clever endings (with the possible exception of the flaming footprints).
2. The very original and inventive plots.
3. The occasional twists: the person you thought was bad suddenly turns good.
4. The ghost-to-ghost hook up.I think that's really clever.

What I didn't like about this series:
1. I find it very annoying that the 3 main characters are boys.All right, I know that it was written in the sixties, but being a next generation female, this is the greatest problem. I can't think of any girl that is involved in any of their cases.
2. The club house.Kind of cliched, don't you think?Also, the secret passageways into the junkyard.How did those come about?How did they fix up the printer and the darkroom and all that?None of them seem to show any kind of electrical prowess.
3. The way the boys always have everything they need at their disposal, through the junkyard, thecompetition in which Jupiter won the Rolls, etc, etc.
4. Why is Bob always stuck in records and research? it's infuriating the way he never does anything exciting.
5. Jupiter's pompous and know-it-all manner.How can his friends stand it?How can he have friends?
6. Skinny Norris is another stereotype.The bully who gets in the hero's way.

Reviews (87)

Post review from shanghai
I think that Old Yeller is a good book. This book is about a 14-year old boy named Travis who becomes the "man" of his family. While his father is gone, Travis becomes friends with an old, yellow dog who shows up at their cabin. He doesn't like this dog at all until something bad happens to his brother, Arliss and Old Yeller comes to the rescue. This book is filled with friendship, happiness, excitement, and sadness, which reminds me of the movie the Dead Poets' Society.
Old Yeller takes place in the Texas hills during the 1860's. The setting is very important because it shows how hard it was to manage living there.For example, they didn't have soap back then. They would have to mix lye water with hog fat and boil it. The setting also explains that they lived in the country area and had to prepare very hard each year for the coming of winter. This is one reason why they needed a dog to help. Luckily, Old Yeller joined the family and helped along!
If I could meet the author, Fred Gipson, I would ask him many questions. Was he the first author to write about a boy and a dog's friendship? Did many people copy his idea because they liked his book? Or did he get his plot idea from another author? Also, I would ask him if this story is true. While reading Old Yeller, I felt as if it really happened because of the wonderful details. I think it would be quite amazing if this plot weren't a true story because I felt that Old Yeller is very realistic and I felt very close to the characters. They have unique personalities.
Old Yeller reminds me of life in the world. Like the world, this book has sadness, happiness, and pain.In the world there is a lot pain, like when Old Yeller gets hit by a rock. I think this is one of the reasons why this book is so interesting to read. Old Yeller is a great book. I think that this book would be loved by people who are interested in relationships between the animals and humans.

A Simple, Yet Sad, Story Of A Boy And His Dog
Old Yeller is the story of Travis, a 14-year-old boy, who lived with his parents and his 5-year-old brother, Little Arliss, in Salt Licks, Texas, during the 1860's, and a stray yellow, or yeller, dog.The book takes place while Travis was serving as the man of the house while his father was trailing steers to a Kansas cattle market.The stray dog was not liked when he first arrived at the family's cabin.Travis had found him sleeping and a side of hanging pork was missing.He would have killed or drove Old Yeller off if Little Arliss hadn't put up a fight to save the dog.Travis grew fond of Old Yeller after he kept Little Arliss from being killed by a bear, and saved Travis from meat-eating hogs.Travis killed a stray bull and the family's milking cow after it was obvious the animals had come down with hydrophobia, or rabies.They had to burn the dead animals to prevent the disease from spreading, but the scent of roasting meat attracted wolves.While protecting his family, Old Yeller ended up in a fight with a rabid wolf.Travis shot and killed the wolf.He thought he had saved Old Yeller's life.His mom said Old Yeller had to be killed because the mad wolf had bitten him.When Travis shot Old Yeller, he said, "It was like having to shoot some of my own folks.That's how much I'd come to think of the big yeller dog."
The book Old Yeller was a reading adventure for me.It was an exciting book to read because it contained animals, action and even a lot of blood!Fred Gipson, the author of Old Yeller, did a good job in describing the feelings of the characters.It gave me an eyeview into the lives of homesteaders in the 1860's.In order to survive, children matured at a much younger age than they do today.The book made me like Old Yeller from the beginning, even though it took Travis a while to warm up to the dog who risked his life again and again to protect his new family.I didn't dislike anything about this book, but it would be nice if there were more illustrations.
On a scale of 1 to 5, I would give this book a 5 rating.I never lost interest while reading this book.This Fairfax, California, reader recommends this book for both kids and adults.It's a great book to read with another person; my mom and I took turns reading it.

Reviews (4)

Rufus M.
I liked "Rufus M." a lotit was probably the most adventurous books I have ever read. In a way that Eleanor Estes compares this book to her "The Moffats" book you can tell that Rufus Moffat is a completely different 7-year-old boy you would've thought he would be compared to athis book all about him and "The Moffats" which introduces our lively and fascinating family to begin with. I thought this book really made me so buried into it's pages because of the way the writer took the time to create more and more adventurous tale for Rufus to live through and be a part of. It really made this book something special. But I'd have to say his adventures would take you through some times that you would just not believe! One thing for sure, you would say his characteristics drive him into the pit of emotions and feeling.

Rufus M.
"Rufus M." was a really incredible book about the smallest Moffat child, as we know as Rufus. I thought it was really interesting when you see how Eleanor Estes really pulls you into the life of an average 7-year-old boy going through life in thick and thin times. It really shows you the struggles of an energetic young boy growing in different ways that explain how he thinks and feels. I liked how Eleanor Estes focused on this one adventurous little Moffat unlike how in the "Moffats" she introduces the incredibly fascinating family. What also made me so hooked on to this book was the creative adventures the writer cooked up for Rufus to live in this book. She made it feel like Rufus was right there sharing all his emotions, expressions, and feelings all to the reader. This book was exciting and fun and no matter what any one has ever read they will look back at one particular book and this one and say that this book definitely showed them a whole new world as when the other book could never even shoed them an imagination as big as a tiny pond rock.

An old man writes ...
I was given this book to read when I was 7 years old. I was ill at home and my mother dropped it on the bed as I had been pestering her for something to read. It looked unpromising. I liked books about war and dinosaurs and soccer. None of these seemed likely to feature in Rufus M.

Though I would not have used the word then, I was enchanted. Estes sketched out a world I wanted to leap straight into.

This is such good a book that it has stuck in my memory as a happy thought about a distant time. I found myself thinking about it as I sat at my desk this evening and googled my way here. I'm 37 tomorrow. 30 years on and it's still with me.

Editorial Review

A horse is a horse of course unless of course the horse is Black Beauty. Animal-loving children have been devoted to Black Beauty throughout this century, and no doubt will continue through the next. Although Anna Sewell's classic paints a clear picture of turn-of-the-century London, its message is universal and timeless: animals will serve humans well if they are treated with consideration and kindness.

Reviews (4)

Don't Get Caught In The Girls Locker Room
I thought this book was great.At first I thought this book was going to be boring but after 30 minutes I couldn't stop reading it.The plot of this story was simple, a boy had to take a book from the girls locker room without getting caught.

The setting is in a school, afterschool in the present and inisde the girls locker room.Their were alot of characters like Kyle,Dusty,Wilson,and their Principal [AKA Monkey Breath.] My favorite one is Kyle because he is a nice guy that no one ever suspects would get into trouble.

I would recommend this book to the kids that are between 10 to 13 year olds, especially boys because they always wonder what goes inside the girl's locker room.

Don't Get Caught in the Girls Locker Room
"Don't Get Caught in the Girls Locker Room" has you guessing what the main characters Dusty, Wilson, and Kyle are going to do next. These three trouble-makers break all the rules and, never get caught. In this book they hear that the girls keep a kissing book in one of the empty lockers. So, when they try to look through the book will they get caught? If you want to find out what happens next, read the book. "Don't Get Caught in the Girls Locker Room" is a great book. I sugggest this book to all young adults readers.

Isbn: 0553567586
Sales Rank: 897245
Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Airplanes    3. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General    4. Children: Grades 4-6    5. Fiction    6. Interactive Adventure    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Plot-your-own stories    9. Specimens    10. Survival after airplane accidents, shipwrecks, etc.    11. Juvenile Fiction / Interactive Adventures   

Reviews (5)

mr. sir.


Censorship reveals a shortage of assurance in a community.Yet censorship is used very frequently in our community today.To this date, the banning of the children's series " Where's Waldo," is the most immature thing I have seen our community do.To me, the banning of any book shows a real lack of confidence in us, as parents, and in our children.I have looked into it, and it appears that the reason "Where's Waldo" got banned was because it features adult material such as "topless sunbathers," and other adult "hidden pictures."I believe that these things are a necessity for our children to find, and contemplate by themselves.

The BEST Waldo book
If you have never seen a Waldo book before, here's a short overview:
"Where's Waldo" series consists of unique colorful picture books where the illustrations are filled with hundreds of tiny characters doing all kinds of funny things. Your goal as a reader is to find Waldo, a guy in red and white shirt on all those pictures. If finding Waldo gets too easy then you can spend countless hours trying to find other special characters and situations. Mentally, this activity is similar to assembling a 5000 piece jigsaw puzzle, only it's more fun.
One great thing about Waldo books is that even small children can spot Waldo as well or even better than adults, it doesn't require any skills other than good eyesight and ability to pick out details. This makes it fun to read together and compete with your kids of virtually all ages, not just 4-8 as the Amazon reading level suggests.

Now when you know the basic idea of Waldo books but only want to get one (just one book can keep anyone busy for days!) and don't know which one to pick, "Where's Waldo Now" is definitely the best one in my opinion, being the most educational and interesting of the series. It features Waldo traveling through time from one era to another. He has to visit cavemen, ancient Rome, Vikings, Crusaders, a Middle Age European town, Aztecs, samurais, pirates, a royal court, Wild West, and finally a space colony.

Definitely worth the money.

Championship Waldo Watching . . . Past and Future!
If you haven't met Waldo before, he's a funny-looking cartoon fellow who appears amid busy scenes filled with other characters and objects.Although he's always out in the open and quite distinctive, finding him takes some careful looking.

The new edition of Where's Waldo Now? has a great feature.Waldo has been moved in each illustration from the first edition of this book!So if you loved these illustrations before, here's your chance to enjoy them all over again.

The scenes start with cave man days, and move on to ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, Viking voyages, the Crusades, the Middle Ages in Europe, Aztecs, 1600 in Japan, 1750 as a pirate, 1900 at a Paris ball, the Gold Rush, and also a future look at a space colony.

Although finding Waldo is challenging enough, this fascinating volume is filled with dozens of other people and objects to seek.There are 25 Waldo watchers, each one of whom is unique to an illustration.You also get Wenda, the Wizard Whitebeard, and Odlaw in each illustration.In addition, there's a mystery character in each illustration whom you need to find on your own.(There's a clue at the end of the book if you can't figure it out.)Woof the dog appears just as a tail in each illustration.You also have Woof's bone, Wenda's camera, Wizard Whitebeard's scroll, and Odlaw's binoculars in each illustration.At the end of the book are lists of a dozen or so characters and objects to find in each specific illustration.

If you haven't seen this book before, the illustrations are done across a two-page spread filled from the edges of both pages in both directions.The characters and objects are very small.You can profitably use a magnifying glass if you have trouble seeing small things.Bright light is a must!As always, the details are filled with lots of humorous situations that will keep you amused as you search for your goals.

This tininess is a plus for youngsters.The objects and characters seem like they are youngster size in each case!

You can also use the illustrations to teach a little world history to your youngsters.

Basically, this book can provide dozens of hours of laughter and shared fun.You can obviously set up your own searches in addition to the suggested ones.

After you finish seeing how hard it is to find a needle in a haystack that is out in the open, you should think about where else the object of your searches is hard to find.How about locating loyal, considerate friends whom you enjoy?Or a great job?Or an exciting hobby?Or a life-improving book?

Look for the best . . . all around you!

Editorial Review

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.

Reviews (147)

The Great Adventure
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a science fiction adventure by Jules Verne. The story starts when a strange type of sea life surfaces and a crew is sent out to find what this creature is. When the creature is found, the crew immediately attacks it. The strange creature succeeds in destroying the ship. Two passengers, Ned Land and Pierre Aronnax, survive and board the strange creature, which ends up being a submarine, named The Nautilus. Ned and Pierre meet the captain, Captain Nemo, and they discover a whole new life under the sea, with the help of Captain Nemo. Captain Nemo hates war, and throughout the book. He uses his submarine to destroy all kinds of war-connected ships. The nature and stuff that Captain Nemo, Pierre Arronax, Ned Land and Conseil see under the sea seem so real. This is one of the best books I've ever read. I think this is a very fascinating and marvelous classic and truly amazing to any reader who enjoys suspense and excitement.

20000 leagus above awsome, clueless
this story is about a professer, a assistent, and a harpooner, they get captured by a captain who left the world because he hated it some much so he is trying to create another world. they go on a adventure around the world and the team are afraid that they might die. if you want to know if they die read the book.

Reviews (7)

Magical Skateboard
A Review by Timothy

Skateboard Tough is a story about a little children that digs up a skateboard in his front yard. This kids name is Brett Thyson and he has one passion. That is to be a very good skateboarder. He's not the only skateboarder in the town, take Kyle Robinson for instance. Brett has always wanted to be a better skateboarder than Kyle. The skateboard he dug up used to belong to a professional skateboarder named Lance Hawker, according to some other kids in the neighborhood. The witch down the street gives the kids quite a surprise after Brett writes a letter to the local newspaper. The skateboard that he had found in his front yard is supposed to be "Magical." He can do any trick on it and he likes it a lot. Everyone else doesn't think it is fair although he just is happy he found it first. Brett has always wanted to beat Kyle in a competition. The problem is that there is no competition in the town.

Something that I liked about this book is the realism in the tricks that the young skateboarders did.Although I don't really think that just because a skateboard belonged to a professional doesn't mean that it can be magical. Also I liked the feud between all the young skaters. W.E, Kyle Robinson, Johnee, Shannon, everyone argued about being a better skater. Even though they were friends they still fought about things. I know I used to fight with my friends and other kids as I was skating down the street performing my nice moves. And whenever Brett skated past Kyle, an argument would always break out unless Kyle knew that Brett was better than him.

I recommend this book to young children, at least in the sixth grade. I personally did not like the book myself because I felt it was too childish for me. So hopefully young readers would love this easy read, Skateboard Tough by Matt Christopher

Fun Skateboarding Mystery
When workers dig up a skateboard in Brett's backyard he's so excited. While he's not a very good skateboarder, he enjoys it a lot. But the moment he steps on "The Lizard" all that changes. Suddenly Brett can do any trick he tries. Stuff that he could never do before. Soon Brett gets the feeling that there's something evil about "The Lizard" and starts investigating. But will he be able to find out the truth about "The Lizard" before it's too late?

This is an EXCELLENT book. A must have for any fan of skateboarding.