Reviews (125)

A Long Way from Chicago
Two kids who live in Chicago go to their grandma's for a week every summer. At Grandmas house is a normal old fashion house with a privy out back. But things will happen to the kids that will scar them for life. Grandma is very different from the kids and dose lots of weird stuff in the book. Grandma is a good liar and lies in this book more than you can think of. If you want to find out more and learn what happens to the kids read A Long Way from Chicago.

READ THIS BOOK AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
Two kids who live in Chicago go to their grandma's for a week every summer. At Grandmas house is a normal old fashion house with a privy out back. But things will happen to the kids that will scar them for life. Grandma is very different from the kids and dose lots of weird stuff in the book. Grandma is a good liar and lies in this book more than you can think of. If you want to find out more and learn what happens to the kids read A Long Way from Chicago.

A Long Way From Chicago By Richard Peck
Time comes when Joey and Mary Alice must visit their Grandma Dowdel in Illinois. Each year they visit, Grandma Dowdel may be getting older , but is actually growing younger inside. Richard Peck captures special moments of every trip in each chapter.The most memorable chapter for me is called, " The Day ofJudgment".I enjoyed reading this chapter the most, because I think this chapterportrays Grandma Dowdel the best. This book was influential for me, because it had an important moral in it. Peck wanted us to find the true meaningof the book, which is that you're never to old tobe a kid. Richard Peck used the moral of the storyto create one of his important characters-Grandma Dowdel. In the beginning, I thought the Dowdels would be in for the longestmonotonoustrip of their lives. But now I realized I was completely wrong . Every yearturned out better than the previous year. This also tells me that you can never tell a persons heart from the outside. I also learned that I should show more respect to the elderly, because theyhave been throughnumerous experiences. The characters in this book have accents which verifies that it takes place in the past.
Read more

Subjects:  1. 1929    2. Action & Adventure - General    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Country life    6. Depressions    7. Family - Multigenerational    8. Fiction    9. Grandmothers    10. Historical - United States - 20th Century    11. Humorous Stories    12. Illinois    13. Juvenile Fiction    14. Lifestyles - Country Life    15. Juvenile Fiction / Humorous Stories   

Reviews (6)

Do Not Hesitate to Buy This Book!
I have had an interest in buying this book for many years.It is recommended in virtually every reputable catalog.It just always seemed like when essential schoolbooks were purchased, it didn't make sense to purchase a book about just ONE person.Well, that was a gigantic mistake on my part.The accomplishments of Archimedes made him one of the most important founders of science.This captivating book tells the story of Archimedes life AND gives vivid imagery to his accomplishments through simple, effective text and delightful illustrations.From my 3rd grader to my 10th grader, they all eagerly finished the book with enthusiastic comprehension.Of course, the "Eureka" story stood out to all, but other concepts such as levers and water displacement were covered in a way that brought clarity to those scientific principles.So this book is not about one man, but a plethora of important scientific observations.

Useful AND Entertaining - a rare mix
I just got done reading this aloud to my homeschooled 6th grade twins. What a treasure! The author weaves together mathematical and scientific principles into a delightful story format. My kids had no trouble understanding the well-illustrated concepts. The Illustrated Archimedes
Not only is this book an educational and interesting read, it also inspires investigation into Archimedian principles and inventions. The drawings illustrate these scientific principles clearly. Our favorite partis when Archimedes finally makes a break through with displacement anddensity and runs through the streets stark naked shouting,"Eureka!" ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. General    5. Greece    6. Historical - Ancient Civilizations    7. Juvenile Nonfiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. Mathematicians    10. Mathematics, Greek    11. Ancient Greek & Roman philosophy    12. Historical figures    13. Mathematics   

Reviews (4)

It's the edge of the world as we know it
2006 has been a good year for Newbery sequels.First Louis Sacher comes out with, "Small Steps", his follow-up to "Holes".Then Avi does the same with the second part of his Crispin series."Crispin: At the Edge of the World" begins at the precise moment that "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" ended.Like its predecessor, the book is chock full of intelligent contemplations on the nature of "good" and "evil".More importantly, with this book Avi is taking the time to show that a human being is a tricky changeable thing.That said, this is the weaker of the two books and feels very much to be the middle section of a three part series.There's much to admire in Avi's writing here, but I had a hard time gettingpast some of the story's sadism to truly think it worthy reading.
A rare second book in a trilogy that's better than its predecessor
This is a sequel to Avi's Crispin: The Cross of Lead. This series is set in the year 1377, during a period of political and social crisis in England. The protagonist is Crispin, a poor orphan. Crispin grew up in a small village, but had to flee due to persecution from the local steward. In the first book he threw in his lot with Bear, a traveling entertainer and father figure.
Richie's Picks: CRISPIN: AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD
"What kind of men -- I wondered -- were these that killed by day, drank by night, but prayed each morning?"
Read more

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure - General    2. Avi    3. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General    4. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    5. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    6. Family    7. Family - General    8. Fiction    9. Historical - Medieval    10. Historical Fiction (Young Adult)    11. Juvenile Fiction    12. Middle Ages    13. Voyages and travels    14. Juvenile Fiction / Historical / Medieval   

Reviews (11)

great illustrations but munged math
My nine year old can see that in order for the sun to shine straight down every hole on earth, the earth would have to curve around the outside of the sun. Ms. Lasky "simplifies" the math to the point that it is unintelligible. It might take a page or two more, but if you're going to attempt to explain the mathematics behind the measurement, do it right or not at all.

We Need More Books Like This!
I'd just like to repeat what the other middle school reviewers are saying about this book--namely that it works with kids.Beautifully illustrated, concise, great for a multi-disciplinary lesson.It covers history in an engaging way and makes students think.I wish publishers would get more books to us history teachers like this one.Teachers who liked this might want to check out Joy Hakim's new science "textbook" which covers early science and math.Every time I look at it I like it more.

Great job combining math, history, science & geography!
This is a picture book format biography of Eratosthenes, who lived in Ancient Greece, focusing on how he calculated the size of the Earth using a mathematical formula and measurements taken by measuring shadows and length of footsteps from one location to another. Eratostehenes had many roles and talents, one being that he was a mathematician and author of books on several topics. He wrote the first geography book, which included the first map of the world and the first documentation of the size of the Earth. Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy, Greek    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography - Science & Technology    4. Children's 4-8 - Biography / Autobiography    5. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    6. Children: Grades 2-3    7. Earth    8. Eratosthenes    9. Figure    10. Geographers    11. Geography, Ancient    12. Greece    13. Historical - Ancient Civilizations    14. Juvenile Fiction    15. Juvenile literature    16. Measurement    17. Juvenile Fiction / Historical / Ancient Civilizations   

Editorial Review

Open the mummy-shaped box.... Smell the must of the tomb.... Reveal the secrets within.... Included among these secrets are a 24-page booklet all about real-life mummies and the people who study them, a 10-inch plastic-model body, and four carved heads of gods to protect the Canopic jars where you'll store the plastic organs found inside the body--both lungs in a single jar, please! Find the hidden drawer containing the gauze wrappings, headdress, scarabs, and a cardboard cat you can mummify to accompany your Pharaoh in the afterlife. Wrap your mummy from head to toe, place lucky amulets in the gauze, and bury it in the back yard (soak the gauze in brine first for a more realistic mummy experience). Don't forget to seal the tomb with your "Curse of the Mummy" sticker ... and to warn your parents, so when they rent the expensive tiller to dig up the garden, they don't break the blades on your ultracool mummy.Read more

Reviews (9)

Cool, but overpriced
My kids (10 & 11) had fun exploring this. No one has yet discovered the "craft" side of it. Still it would be a nicer treat from the Clearance isle. Full price is a little much for what you get.

Time intensive cutting and gluing for assembly
Time intensive cutting and gluing of small pieces.Frustration level of trying to get all the little pieces to stay together with glue overshadowed the learning.My daughter loves Egyptian history, but became bored with this kit because of the time involved in putting the canopic jars and cat mummy together. Would have been much better if kit had come with premade canopic jars (or something easier to assemble.)

Best of the Best
Like many kids his age, my seven year old son is VERY interested in mummies. (I think it's one of those ways kids cope with beginning to understand the concept of death and death rituals, so I figure it's okay to indulge his macabre interests!!) Anyways, I paid $19.99 for this kit at a local museum, and even at five dollars more than the Amazon price, it was a great value! The enclosed book that comes with the kit is terrific on it's own. It starts by explainging about ancient Egyptian mummies, the rituals surrounding their production, and why these rituals were important to the ancients. As the book describes the rituals in very kid-friendly but still no-holds-barred kind of way, your child can follow along with the enclosed kit pieces to make his own super-cool mummy. There are even canopic jars! The book then goes on to describe where else mummies can be found and discusses how some are intentionally made by man while others occur naturally due to environmental conditions. Top notch all the way through! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Science    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. History - Ancient    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Science & Nature - General    6. Social Science - Archaeology   

Reviews (21)

This is what did it
DD found this book at the library and wanted it read to her CONSTANTLY, around the time she seemed to be getting interested/willing to try the potty. She liked it so much I went and bought her her own copy.
Love this book for my Daughter
My daughter really seeems to pay attention when I read this to her and she seems to understand about the potty.I bought this book and the "Too Big for Diapers" book with Ernie featured.She liked the "Too Big for Diapers" book she knew Ernie.She really related to this book because it was about another little girl. I would recommend both, unless you have a little boy then I would a book about a little boy.

My Big Girl Potty
It was very cute.I bought a lot of different potty books to use on potty training day.My daughter liked it and it killed time while we were sitting. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    2. Children: Preschool    3. Fiction    4. General    5. Health & Daily Living - Toilet Training    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Toilet training    8. Child care & upbringing    9. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Toilet Training    10. Life Skills & Personal Awareness, General Studies    11. Picture books   

Subjects:  1. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    2. Encyclopedias    3. History - Military & Wars    4. History - Military / War    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Military    7. Military - General    8. Military Science    9. Military history    10. Reference - Encyclopedias    11. Technology & Industrial Arts    12. World - General    13. BCE to c 500 CE    14. Modern period, c 1500 onwards    15. Reference works    16. Revolutions & coups    17. War & defence operations    18. World history    19. c 1000 CE to c 1500    20. c 500 CE to c 1000 CE   

Subjects:  1. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    2. History - General History    3. History - Other    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. World - General   

Reviews (1)

AWSOME BOOK!
THIS IS A SOOOOOOOOOOO AWSOME BOOK!It helps with tons of things like Social Studies and is fun to just read around!I borowed one from my teacher and now I have one for myself!Read more

Subjects:  1. Children: Grades 4-6    2. History - General    3. Juvenile Nonfiction   

Subjects:  1. America    2. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Discovery and exploration    5. Fiction    6. Historical - Exploration & Discoveries    7. Historical - United States - General    8. Hudson, Henry,    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. d. 1611   

Editorial Review

A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel.Read more

Reviews (218)

Entertaining gothic fantasy
A Great and Terrible Beauty is a fascinating book. It's a gothic novel and the somewhat typical fantasy about the protaganist developing supernatural abilities and finding a special destiny, but it's also a coming of age story and one about four girls trying to find a place in a society that doesn't value them for who they are.
interestedreader
This is the book that got me interested in reading it is one in a million, and i can't begin to say how much i enjoyed it. In the first chapter someone is killed which leads to other interesting events. The main character is loveable. If you are not into reading this will definately get you reading especially if you like historical fiction. although it is more fiction than historical.

A Great and Beautiful Book!
After reading my favorite book the North Kingdom, I found it difficult to find another book that I wanted to read. Luckily, I came across A Great and Terrible Beauty and what a treat it was to find. It is set in my favorite era the Victorian Age and takes place at a school for young ladies to help them become society's women and marriageable prospects. Gemma quickly finds herself on the ins with the popular girls. There is the usual mischief that adolescents find themselves in drinking sneaking out, but Gemma and her friends soon learn about a secret order that used to exist at the school many years before until a terrible fire occurred resulting in two deaths. And Gemma has the power to bring it back as she is able to enter the realm. This novel is both intriguing and a delight to read. I had trouble putting it down and even before I was finished with it I went out and bought the sequel. So read A Great and Terrible Beauty today, you won't be disappointed! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Boarding schools    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Fiction    5. Historical - Europe    6. Historical Fiction (Young Adult)    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Magic    9. School & Education    10. Schools    11. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    12. Supernatural    13. Juvenile Fiction / Historical / General   

Reviews (15)

Excellent
My 13 year old son, who is a very reluctant reader, has
The whole family can enjoy.
I got this book for my son who is fasinated by the Titanic. We found when we got it that it has wonderful facts and it was easy for the entire family to share. I highly recomend this book for anyone who is interested in the Titanic.

Great book
I bought this at a gift shop at the Titanic Exhibit. It's a beautiful, colorful book with really cool facts. I was not aware there was a third class family (with nine children!) who all perished because they made it to the boat deck too late. It also provided a little information on Alice Cleaver (who killed her baby son a few years before). This is a great book for any Titanic fan. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - History - General    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Games & Activities - Questions & Answers    5. History - Other    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Miscellanea    9. North Atlantic Ocean    10. Questions and answers    11. Shipwrecks    12. Juvenile Nonfiction / History / General   

Editorial Review

Joseph O'Connor's impressive historical novel, Read more

Reviews (27)

Loved this book!!!!
I just finished reading this one, and man, what a treat!!! I've been a fan of Irish American History since I took a class on the subject in college. As the daughter of an Irish immigrant (of the 1960's, though, not the 1840's as in this book), I have a special place in my heart for these stories. Joseph O'Connor has crafted a tale of the horrible Potato Famine of 1847 -- and the years proceeding and following it -- in such a way as to make the reader feel completely immersed and care about each of the complex characters. Having visited Ireland myself a few years ago, I really appreciated the details of the Irish landscape and the people who make this land great. I particularly liked the way this novel ended. Not a nice neat package; in fact, it keeps you wondering up until the end about what exactly DID happen. As the narrator states, things are never simple. Life just doesn't work that way, so why should literature? People are complex: no one is completely evil, no one completely innocent. I highly recommend this one, particularly to those who have Irish ancestry. This is one to be savored for each beautifully-crafted word and phrase; it's not to be rushed through. Enjoy the journey! Climb aboard The Star of Sea!

Famine History made Palatable
"Star of the Sea" is a fabulous book. It humanizes an inhuman piece of Irish history. The history of the Irish famine is so painful---even for those of us who have never been more than slightly hungry---that we often avoid learning about it. Documentaries and history books are stark and brutal and sometimes we watch or read them more because we should than because we really want to know. O'Connor uses his formidable writing skill to examine the time of the famine in such a good story that you may be able to forget for a bit that he's writing about actual events...and that there was famine, coffin ships, and wickedness beyond our comprehension.
Feast or famine?
Star of the Sea is a grim, realistically rendered tale about the voyage of forefathers in somber ships across the Atlantic to America. It is written to project the points of view of its four main characters and the narrative invention is remarkable. The author proffers a balanced perspective from divergent points of view among characters whose apparently separate lives intertwine with incredible effect at the close. The harshness of the Irish landscape during the potato blight was followed by a cruel existence onboard famine ships. Driven by dreams of a better life in America, many died within dockside of the paradise they sought. O'Connor is a gifted novelist with a narrative facility, which cannot be denied. After so much dismal reality in such an utterly bleak tale, if he intends redemption, it must come at the hands of survivors in America in an engaging close crafted with intelligence. We have the inhuman strengths of our forefathers to thank for their collective legacy invested in the new land that was their hearts' fondest desire. And we have Joseph O'Connor to thank for making this epic struggle come alive so vividly in his literary feast about the potato famine in 1847, which became such a defining historical moment for Ireland, Britain and America leading up to the tale's culmination on Easter 1916. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English Historical Fiction    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Historical    4. Historical - General    5. Sea & Ocean    6. Juvenile Fiction / Historical / General   

Reviews (39)

What an Awesome Book
The Author is very dicriptive and enter alot of excitnent into this book. This Book Lets readers visualise pioneer life!
EXCELLENT READ FOR ALL AGES
My wife and I have been reading these wonderful books for well over fifty years now and they have lost none of thier charm.Wilder's simple style and sincerity come through on every page. These books, this one included, are classified as children's literature, but I find that they appeal to the youth in all of us.I can hardly think of a better book, or set of books to get a child started reading.Not only are they exposed to some very good writing and story telling, but they also get a first hand account of one aspect of our countries history seen through the eyes of a little girl.I cannot recommend this book and Wilder's other books highly enough.

A Rate on the prarie
On The Banks of Plum Creek, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, a five out of five star rating, and memorable classis cheriched by readers for genorations along with the whole series.
Read more

Subjects:  1. 1867-1957    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Classics    5. Family - General    6. Family life    7. Fiction    8. Frontier and pioneer life    9. Historical - United States - 19th Century    10. Juvenile fiction    11. Minnesota    12. Wilder, Laura Ingalls,    13. Juvenile Fiction / Classics    14. Wilder, Laura Ingalls   

Editorial Review

Newbery Medal-winning author Jerry Spinelli (Read more

Reviews (58)

Dylan' Review
Milkweed is a good book for people that like history and survival. It has enough action to keep you interested in it, and makes you feel this is happening to you. I really liked that it wasn't in the war, but it tells what happening to the other people. I really recommend this book to people who are into these kinds of stories that make you feel all the good and bad stuff is happening to you.

Milkweed

Milkweed
Jerry Spinelli manages to describe the experience of surviving in War ravaged Warsaw as a young Jewish boy, who does not even remember his own name. It is a tale of the triumph of human kindness and love over fear. The horrors of the second world war are seen through the innocent eyes of a little boy, who interprets the situations in his own, often surprising way. I highly recommend this book for adults as well as children. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction    2. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Fiction    6. General    7. Historical - General    8. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Poland    11. World War, 1939-1945    12. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (8)

An Outstanding Scrapbooki of Laura Wilder's Life!
Looking for new ideas for my grandmother's scrapbook, I wanted to see how this unique author has been represented in scrapbook form.It is interesting to see this outstanding format and along with the story, pictures and mememotos from her life!I like the way the narrative was presented to match the photos and other notes and articles about Laura's life.Shown were the rara ambrotypes of the Civil War era.I also have the similar ambrotypes but did not know what they were named!

lauras rememberance
it was a good book to read learned stuff i did not know about her.

A new look at Laura
This book told me many facts about the Ingalls family and Laura which were new to me. I enjoyed seeing copies of the correspondence between Laura and her family. Mary's letter to a friend was fascinating, not so much for the content as for how she wrote it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1867-1957    2. 20th century    3. Authors, American    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography - Literary    6. Children's 9-12 - Biography / Autobiography    7. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Biography    8. Children: Grades 4-6    9. Frontier and pioneer life    10. History - United States/19th Century    11. Juvenile literature    12. Pictorial works    13. United States    14. Wilder, Laura Ingalls,    15. American English    16. American history: c 1500 to c 1900    17. Fiction    18. Historical figures    19. Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography / Literary    20. USA    21. Wilder, Laura Ingalls   

Editorial Review

Karen Cushman likes to write with her tongue firmly planted in her cheek, andher feisty female characters firmly planted in history. In Read more

Reviews (119)

The Midwife's Apprentice Book Report Project
Elisha Watson
A slice of medieval life
Another lovely tail of the Medieval ages from the perspective of a preteen from the author of Catherine, Called Birdy. This time, the story is focused on a young nameless, homeless girl who becomes an apprentice to a midwife. It is about Alyce's journey to accepting her fate and duties. Cushman is brilliant at capturing the feel, voice, and character of the time period through a series of vignettes that show daily life, superstition, and relationships. The story here though is weaker than Catherine, Called Birdy. Grade: B

The Midwife's Apprentice is not anti-Catholic
A few years ago when my son was old enough to participate in our community center's Medieval Festival, our public library offered a reading circle in partnership with the event. The book they decided to read was Karen Cushman's, "The Midwife's Apprentice."
Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Classics    5. Fiction    6. Historical - Medieval    7. Middle Ages    8. Midwives    9. Juvenile Fiction / Historical / Medieval