Editorial Review

So what if he's legally blind? Even with his bottle-thick, bug-eyed glasses, Paul Fisher can see better than most people. He can see the lies his parents and brother live out, day after day. No one ever listens to Paul, though--until the family moves to Tangerine. In Tangerine, even a blind, geeky, alien freak can become cool. Who knows? Paul might even become a hero! Edward Bloor's debut novel sparkles with wit, authenticity, unexpected plot twists, and heart. The writing is so fine, the story so triumphant, that you just might stand up and shout when you get to the end. Hooray! ... Read more

Reviews (441)

Tangerine Book Review
This bookis outstanding.it talks about reletionships and tradgedy as well as disabilities and the truth. I gave this book a five star rating because of the apparent time, thought and effort put into the creative text. My absolute favorite part of this book is the very ending because it shows remembrance of a lost freind. I would recommend this book to people with interests such as soccer, and ages 11-14 because of the setting at a Tangerine Middle School and Lake Windsor Middle School.

Ummm...Fantastic!
Tangerine was an "read catching" book. When my language arts class read it I couldn't help but pay attention.
A Student's Review
I think kids from ages 10 and up could read this book. I think this because there is some swearing in it, and this book has kids of this age in it, so it will probly be easier for them to conect with the characters. The author made it clear that she likes to leave her readers on the edge of their chairs, because this book was very mystrious and suspensful. That was the one thing I liked about this book. Over all the book Tangerine was very good! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's All Ages - Fiction - General    2. Children's Books/All Ages    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Family - Siblings    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. Social Issues - Adolescence    7. Social Issues - Special Needs    8. Fiction    9. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Special Needs   

Reviews (6)

Where's Waldo
Always a great book - baught the original when my children were young for road trips - I baught this reissue for my 22yr old son to take to Iraq the original was worn out. Had to sneak a peak thou and all five of us spent hours
Waldo shouldnt be on the list
I dont see why "Wheres Waldo?" is on the 100 most challenged books.All it is is a fun and exciting and challenging book for kids. There may be stuff in there that is looked at and then taken the wrong way. If people think that people that read this book is going to go out and carry a knife around in a public place or at the bank, there is something crawling up your pants. Let kids have fun with it. Not all but some people need to loosen up on what they let there kids read.Thats what I got to say.

Waldo's wonderful! LSMS
Where's Waldo is a great book!This book is great for all age levels.This book helps kid's eye coordination and thought process.It also sparks kid's imaginations.The kids that read Where's Waldo are determined to find Waldo while looking at this book.There is nothing offensive at all about these books and it's extremely unusual that a picture book such as, Where's Waldo, would even be banned.This book sparks kid's imagination.It also teaches kids perseverance.There is no reason for this book to be banned and I encourage parents to buy their children the whole Where's Waldo series. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Grades 3-4    3. Fiction    4. General    5. Humorous Stories    6. Humorous fiction    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. People & Places - General    9. Picture puzzles    10. Social Issues - New Experience    11. Voyages and travels    12. Juvenile Fiction / Interactive Adventures   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (30)

BAD
BADCharlotte Cordell
A Good Read
This book is great.
Bad
Bad
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Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    3. Fiction    4. Juvenile Fiction    5. Juvenile delinquency    6. Law & Crime    7. Social Issues - General    8. Social Issues - Violence   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (171)

assignment turned into a favorite
My reading teacher had my class read this book. The first day after the assignment was given, I read the entire book. This is a sad book, but it gives satisfactory(i hope i spelled it right)
Good Read
Its really good. If you liked this book I also reccomend a book called "The Impossible Journey" or something like that. Both are original and well thought

Kid's Pick
Title: Homeless Birds by Gloria Whelan, ISBN 006284528, HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 212 pages
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Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Courage    5. Fiction    6. Historical - Asia    7. India    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Social Issues - Homelessness & Poverty    10. Social Situations - Homelessness & Poverty    11. Juvenile Fiction / Historical / Asia    12. Reading Group Guide   

Editorial Review

When 8-year-old Kate meets a boy who seems somehow different, she feelsfunny inside. After talking with her mom, though, Kate begins to understand thatTimmy is just like her in many ways. Timmy has special needs; he takes longer tolearn than Kate, and can't walk or run as well. But he also "loves his family,he wants friends, he goes to school, and he dreams about what he wants to bewhen he grows up." Kate and Timmy meet, and the seeds of a friendship areplanted. Read more

Reviews (26)

Great book for church library
I am a Lutheran Church librarian in Florida who bought this book for our church library.It stresses that though we may have different traits and characteristics we are all worthy of love, respect and human dignity.It discusses a mentally-challenged little boy and how he can be a good playmate even though he is a little slow.So what?He is still a persdon worthy of dignity and acceptance.This book stresses kindness on a personal level and a live-and-let-live attitude.This is a vital life lesson for our children to learn early on, and is a great conversation starter.This book will help cut down on bullying, marginalization and dehumanization of the mentally and physically challenged among us.After all, who among us doesnot have some sort of shortcoming?Children need to know that perfection is an impossibility and so they should expect people to do the best job they can but not expect perfection in themselves or others.The illustrations appear to be done in pastels and are very attractive.Great Job, Maria!Keep them coming!

What's Wrong With Timmy?
Just as with What's Heaven, this story has Kate as well.I think every parent that has a child with special needs would hope that friendship and acceptance would come as quickly to them as it does to Timmy in What's Wrong With Timmy?
What's wrong with the author?
This book is a real nightmare for children with disabilities. Maria Shriver does attempt to impart the message that nothing is wrong at all- unfortunately, she's already planted the seed in the young minds of her readers with the mere title of the book. She then spends an exhaustive twenty pages trying to be sure she'd convinced them of it.I'd recommend "Russ and the Almost Perfect Day" by Janet Elizabeth Rickert instead. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 1-2    4. Fiction    5. Friendship    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Mentally handicapped    8. People with mental disabilitie    9. People with mental disabilities    10. Social Issues - Friendship    11. Social Issues - New Experience    12. Social Issues - Special Needs    13. Social Situations - Friendship    14. Social Situations - Special Needs    15. Disability & illness    16. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Friendship    17. Picture books   

Reviews (2)

Superb suspense and real life issues.
Edgar winner, Werlin, combines suspense with real life problems as Matt and his sisters Callie and Emmy try to keep their volatile and unbalanced mother happy. One day in the convenience store they witness Murdoch stopping a kid from being abused and become obsessed with him. For Matt's birthday, Callie finds Murdoch's address but their mother finds it and takes them all over to Murdoch's house. They begin dating and kids' lives look so much better but Murdoch quickly realizes that the mom is unbalanced and breaks up with her. Each day with their mom raises the question of survival. Will she drive the car with all the kids in it into oncoming traffic? The relationships between the siblings are richly depicted and Werlin's pacing is excruciatingly good. It is a page turner.

Richie's Picks: THE RULES OF SURVIVAL
As Matt explains, it was a sweltering Boston evening, and a date night for their mother. Matt was thirteen at that point, and Callie was eleven on that evening they left their five year old sister Emmy sleeping alone in the apartment, climbed out the window, and raced around the corner to buy a couple of Popsicles at the convenience store. They would return home a few minutes later with the dream that a stranger whose behavior they'd just witnessed might somehow be persuaded to intercede in the frightening and dangerous world they inhabited, a world controlled by Nikki, their nightmare of a mother.
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Subjects:  1. Brothers and sisters    2. Child abuse    3. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    4. Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction    5. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    6. Emotional problems    7. Family - General    8. Family - Siblings    9. Fiction    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories    12. Social Issues - Domestic Violence    13. Social Issues - Physical & Emotional Abuse    14. Suspense/Thriller    15. Juvenile Fiction / Family / General   

Reviews (33)

Drive-By
They killed his brother Jimmy, and now they are out searching for him. At the beginning of this book, as Tito, Mira, and Jimmy were coming from a little girl's birthday party and all of a sudden, as they are walking; a car comes past them and shoots Jimmy. Mira and Tito think that he is playing a joke on him until they notice that he is bleeding and they see that the car drove off. When the police come to the seen they tell Mira and Tito that the shooting was gang related. Tito disagrees with them because he didn't know that his brother was apart of the gang. Soon after the shooting the family has to relocate to the next door neighbors house because of the lack of money for the bills and because people had been breaking inside their house and writing graffiti on the walls and shooting outside of the door.One night while Mira was sleeping Tito snuck out because he heard noises outside and when he got out there it was his old friend Gus. So he went with Gus to the nearby burger place because he had offered to buy him some food, and sitting there, on the car that was using to kill his brother, were the three men that killed his brother. That was when Tito realized that his old friend was actually apart of the people who killed Jimmy and they tell him that Jimmy was their "Ace Man" and that if Tito didn't want to end up like his brother, then he has to give them what Jimmy owed them. That is also when Tito realizes that his brother really was a gang member and then Tito went in search for what they owed them because he didn't want to be killed too So after that he goes to the most logical place that he could think of and looked under the house and found a suitcase full of money and a note to him from his brother saying that " ...if Tito found this then he was probably dead" and how gangbanging is fun at first then so you end up dying. So in the end Tito sets them up and gets them caught by the police trying to find the money that is under the house. I would recommend this book to teenagers who want a short and interesting book to read. It is good if you are the type of person who wants to read a murder-mystery type book with a decent plotline.
Not a very good book
Drive By, in my personal opinion, is not a very good book. This book is okay if you want a short book without much plot. First of all it was very short with not much room for plot or detail of the story. Second it all seemed to run together like one big sentence. And finally I felt I didn't get to know the characters they were just there.
Thriller
This was a great book but way too short. I really got into the book as soon as I finished the first chapter when they talking about Jimmy getting shot and then Mina sits on the porch and cries and Tito can't do anything about his brother. This was a great book and I encourage all to read it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Brothers and sisters    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Death    5. Fiction    6. Gangs    7. Social Issues - Death & Dying    8. Social Issues - Peer Pressure    9. Social Issues - Violence    10. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Death & Dying   

Reviews (118)

book Review
The book that influenced my life is called "you don't know me" by David Klass.The book is about a boy named John.His mom's boyfriend beats him.Sometimes he beats him for the smallest reasons.He even beats their dog.The boyfriend must be really awful because throughout the whole book John refers to him only as "him" or "he" never a name. It has also led him to think of his home as the "war zone",a place where he has to "survive" in.The setting is not at all clear which I think that the author did on purpose;to show that what is happening to John could happen to anyone,anywhere, at any time.In the story John plays the tuba,he is really good.But when his band teacher notices that something is wrong at home he tries to get John to tell him if anybody beats him at home.Then at the end of the book John finds out that his mom plans to marry her boyfriend,John decides to go to a dance with a girl and have fun instead of being home something his mom's boyfriend had told him to do.his thoughts were that he didn't care what happened to him when he got home as long as he went to that dance with the girl and had fun.When he gets home after the dance John's boyfriend attacks and starts to beat John.Then John starts to fight back! Something that he had never done before.He then starts to lose consciousness and the last thing he remembers is his band teacher hitting his mom's boyfriend and the police arriving.The boyfriend goes to jail,John gets a girlfriend,and John's school has a special assembly in john's honor.So the story has a happy ending.
Hilariously Wondrous
I love this book. I normally read long books about non-sense fantasy. However, i respect the humor, seriousness, and absurdity of this book.
Named after a toilet!
This is one of those unique, unforgettable books that is both heartbreaking and funny.John, who thinks he was named after a toilet, is a 14 year old with an active imagination and a low self esteem.With an abusive stepfather-to-be (not sexual but physical and mental), John must cope with the hardships of the early teens along with the hardships of a battered home life.I think that unfortunately, many kids can relate to this story, and Klass makes it seem very realistic.The writing is crisp and very conversational, and you slowly grow to like John more and more as you hate his mother's boyfriend more and more.I loved the minor characters, especially the nicknames John gives them, like Billy Beezer (because of a big noise), Glory Halleljuh (nicknamed for the pretty popular, Gloria), his teacher Ms. Moonface, Violent Hayes (a big girl named Violet), and Norman Cough (a boy who constantly coughs).I think with these nicknames, we can relate more to John as we know people who are like this.This is a very touching story that will have you rooting for John while at the same time feel that his world is hopeless.I don't want to give away anything but this has a very good ending.Buy this book and you will not be disappointed (I got lucky and bought it at the library for 10 cents!). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Child abuse    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Family - Parents    5. Fiction    6. High schools    7. Interpersonal relations    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Self-perception    10. Social Issues - General    11. Social Issues - Physical & Emotional Abuse    12. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Physical & Emotional Abuse   

Features

• Audiobook
• Unabridged

Reviews (90)

My Favorite Book of All Time
Wow. Where do I begin?
A rich, complex and vastly entertaining read
My college-age cousin told me about this book back in the summer as I was visting during vacation. I had a few books in my car (and some I told her about), but she insisted: this was an extraordinary read. That I simply had to put everything else aside and read it.
THE BOOK THIEF
Liesel Meminger, a German girl in the 1940's, survives the vicissitudes of war through two forces: the power of love and the power of words. At her younger brother's funeral, she steals The Gravedigger's Handbook as a remembrance of him. Her foster father quells her nightmares by teaching her to read, and she soon discovers that books soothe the soul. When her family hides a Jew in their basement, the young man writes to survive, often aiming his words directly at Leisel.Ultimately, it is the strength of her relationships and the reading and writing they inspire that save her life, spiritually and literally.
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Subjects:  1. Books and reading    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - History    3. Children's Audio - Young Adult    4. Children's audiobooks    5. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    6. Fiction    7. Historical - Holocaust    8. Historical - Military & Wars    9. Historical Fiction (Young Adult)    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Social Issues - Death & Dying    12. Storytelling    13. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (5)

Excellent!!
Although Holme's work is in the form of a children's book, it can be used in a variety of settings for counselors.I have shared this book with my students at the university level and they have used Holmes's work in a variety of school counseling settings.It is very helpful in that it does not adhere to a specific type of trauma or violence.Excellent!

Excellent, highly recommended!
I just can't get over how wonderful this book is. It's perfectly stated so that the child reading it or being read to can understand that there are others out there that feel the same way. The information in the back of the book to parents and caregivers is superb. I'm going to purchase a copy for a few of my friends, and for my sons school. Our family and community has had two serious tragedies in three months, and this book helped my son immensely, having lost his older brother a few months ago. This book is wonderful and simply stated.

PTSD: The Children's Chair - recognizing their limits
Emotional Toxic Shock Syndrome, or PTSD, thought by many to exist only in situations where extreme conditions cause children to fall victim to the illness characterized by its now well defined symptoms, is now a nearly universal phenomenon that goes largely unrecognized in its many variations. The interests of children would be best served by making the connection between violence, neglect and trauma that forms the foundation of PTSD, the perpetual kind, that undermines adult potential and leaves its victims vulnerable to and the most probable outcome of any and all "emotional overload" setbacks in childhood we tend to ignore or dismiss as unfortunate influences. PTSD, rarely the first inquiry (and rarely examined) as the most probable diagnosis of children caught in domestic conflict, or those troubled, or in trouble, is a constant and continuous affliction in modern society where family conflict is "nearly presumed" as ordinary occurrences. Diagnosed with a myriad of "other" less likely performance-undermining illnesses, it is far easier to medicate, counsel, and address anything but the real source of their problems, the desperate situations out of which their troubles come. Medication, inappropriate ridicule or punishment and inadequate counseling insures circuitous examination that prevents the real diagnosis and the real resolution of their problems, often leaving us wondering why they "cannot be reached," or foolishly justifying the compounding of social and educational dysfunction laid upon them, and further crippling them for life ignoring all forms of social conscience due to our own neglect and ignorance. Failing to recognize that orphans, or orphan-like children are not likely to receive the remedial steps for recovery, and that adoptees are actually former orphans with unaddressed impact can only be detrimental to wellness. Continuing conflict among the almost-orphaned is little better. All reside in varying states and levels of PTSD which do not disappear with age but become buried within the makeup of the individual further complicating the healing and health of those who suffer, or once suffered the conditions that caused it. Recognizing the realities and necessities of treatment should be a first concern and the first step in diagnosis for any child, or any adult. Awareness is always the key to understanding how illness becomes health in the non-physical sciences, a.k.a., the world of emotional, mental and cognitive health. More discussion is needed, not silence. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Grades 1-2    3. Emotional problems    4. Emotions    5. Fiction    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Social Issues - Emotions & Feelings    8. Social Issues - Violence    9. Fiction dealing with specific issues   

Editorial Review

After reading this book, I guarantee that you will never visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art (or any wonderful, old cavern of a museum) without sneaking into the bathrooms to look for Claudia and her brother Jamie. They're standing on the toilets, still, hiding until the museum closes and their adventure begins.Such is the impact of timeless novels . . . they never leave us. E. L. Konigsburg won the 1967 Newbery Medal for this tale of how Claudia and her brother run away to the museum in order to teach their parents a lesson. Little do they know that mystery awaits! ... Read more

Reviews (270)

Great Book
This book is great so far. It is full of mystery and adventure. Twelve year old Claudia has run away with her brother Jamie to the Metropilan Muesum of Art. Claudia decided to bring along her brother Jamie with her because he has a lot of money. While they are there at the muesum, Claudia and Jamie come across a great mystery in the muesum that is all over the newspaper. If you would like to find out what this great mystery read this book! Teachers it is also a great book to read with your class. Also edutactional!

Not mixed-up about how good this book is
This Newbery award winner is about Claudia and Jamie, two kids who run away from home. They leave the suburbs and head to New York where they stay in none other than the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They sleep in an old bed in the French section. They hide in the bathrooms. They even take baths in a fountain (and get paid for it, sort of)!But when a new exhibit comes in, the fun really starts. The Angel is beautiful, exquisite, and mysterious. The question: is the sculpture really done by Michelangelo? Claudia and Jamie will do anything to find out. I think I loved the book mostly because I really liked the idea of living in a museum. This book is good for all ages, but I expected it to be longer.
Wonderful Story
I remember this from my own childhood favorites and am now reading it with my daughter--
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Subjects:  1. Brothers and sisters    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 2-3    4. Classics    5. Family - Siblings    6. Fiction    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Runaway children    9. Runaways    10. Social Issues - Runaways    11. Juvenile Fiction / Family / Siblings   

Reviews (5)

Great Second Novel
Cynthia Kadohata's first novel, Kira-Kira, was an impressive book. And Weedflower is equally impressive. This time the novel is set in the Southwest before and during World War II. Sumiko is a typically happy twelve-year old. While she feels awkward that she's the only Japanese-American in her class at school, she has not yet felt the harsh stings of discrimination...until a vicious birthday party. Soon after, I believe the same weekend, Pearl Harbor is bombed. Her normal life vanishes, no more school...no more social life...only fear and anxiety as they wait to see what will become of them all.
Flower Child of Japanese Ancestry
The loving family of this child and her love of flowers get her through the devastating interment during World War II.She over comes losing everything and going on to see the world in the eyes of others.

A powerful story about growing up amidst racial struggles and war
For Sumiko, it all starts with the birthday party of one of her classmates. When she arrives at a party to which the entire class has been invited, she is quietly and firmly ejected for being Japanese.
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Subjects:  1. Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945    4. Family - Multigenerational    5. Fiction    6. Historical - Exploration & Discoveries    7. Historical - United States - 20th Century    8. Historical Fiction (Young Adult)    9. Japanese Americans    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. People & Places - United States - Asian American    12. Social Issues - Prejudice & Racism    13. United States    14. World War, 1939-1945    15. Juvenile Fiction / Family / Multigenerational   

Reviews (1)

Impressive and Wrenching
"London Calling" is one of the most emotionally wrenching YA books I've had the pleasure to read in the past year.The character of Martin (JMartinC is his IM username) is as real as any kid I've run into recently.Yes, there is time-travel of a sort.Martin is somehow transported to the past through the agency of an ancient Philco Radio, and Jimmy, his raggedy companion in World War II London, is a masterful, albeit tragic, character.
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Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure - General    2. Boys / Men    3. Catholics    4. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General    5. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    6. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    7. Family - General    8. Fiction    9. Horror & Ghost Stories    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Schools    12. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    13. Social Issues - Death & Dying    14. Time travel    15. Juvenile Fiction / Family / General   

Editorial Review

In this endearing story by Newberry Medal-winner Sharon Creech, a wise old Italian granny skillfully imparts life advice (and cooking lessons) to her winning but sometimes obstinate 12-year-old granddaughter.Read more

Reviews (40)

Soup? Did someone say soup!!
Just a few chapters of Granny Torrelli Makes Soup By Sharon Creech and you will fall in love with it right then and now. I love it I give it a 10-10, because it's the best book ever. (Grades5-7) and (Ages8-10).
Granny Torrelli Makes Soup (and she'll make you laugh, too!)
If you're looking for a quick read that will make you feel good inside, I have the perfect book for you: Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech.
Secret Recipe
I would recommend Granny Torrelli Makes Soup to someone who enjoys books that deal with life, friendship and especially soup. I think that the protagonist Rosie is jealous because Bailey who is blind, gets all the attention. I thought that this book was okay because I couldn't understand some of the words. The author of this book is Sharon Creech.