Reviews (6)

Beautiful Book
This is a wonderful book . The pictures work the imagination and the poems are beautiful. The dual language format will intrigue young readers and just may get them interested in a 'different' language.In addition this will expose youngsters to some of Mexico's rich culture.I know several college professors who have adopted this book to use in their Children's Literature and reading courses.Truth be told, I liked it so much I bought it for myself several years ago and have been 'advertising' it ever since.

Beautiful Words and Inspiring Art!
Being a beginning self-taught student in Spanish with a special interest in Mexican Spanish by way of my residency in Texas, I took a chance on purchasing this bilingual book and was more than delighted by what I found inside. The convenient side-by-side text of the poems and short stories makes it easy to follow the translations and improve language skills. However, the real treasures in this book are discovered slowly, as one peruses the glowing artwork by various Mexican artists in conjunction with the inspiring words that seem to interweave themselves into the pictures. This is a book to sit back and savor during personal quiet time, or to read to your children. The melodic rhythms of both the Spanish and English texts rock the heart and soothe the soul.

The Tree is Older Than You Are:A Bilingual Gathering of Po
This book may turn out to be my all-time favorite book of bilingual poetry.The frosting on the cake, so to speak, turns out to be the art work accompanying the poetry.Each time I read one of the poems I like it better than the last time.And these are carefully selected, excellent quality poems: with writers such as Octavio Paz, Alberto Blanco, Rosario Castellanos (and many more) how could they not be terrific?A lasting gift for any occasion, especially for someone interested in bilingualstories from Mexico. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Bilingual books    3. Children's Books - Young Adult    4. Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction    5. Children: Grades 3-4    6. Mexican literature    7. Mexican poetry    8. Translations into English    9. Juvenile Fiction / Art & Architecture   

Reviews (3)

reccomended for older international adopted children
I read this book with my 13 year old daughter (adopted at age 11 from Russia.) Halinka's story so closely paralleled my daughter's that there were times she thought I was reading from a book of her own life. It sparked meaningful discussions and was an avenue for my daughter to share her feelings and experiences from her past. I would highly reccomend this book to children adopted at older ages from Eastern Europe. I also suggest that parents read this along with their children. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down.

Good Book
The book Halinka by Mirjam Pressler is a good book. The main character is sixth-grader Halinka, who lives in a home for girls in Germany. She hates it there, and she has no friends because she thinks she doesn't need any. She wants to go live with her Aunt Lou, but she can't because Aunt Lou isn't married. Then she starts collecting money for the Mothers' Convalescent League. The person who collects the most money wins a prize. Halinka wants the prize to be a book, because she loves reading, especially Huckleberry Finn, which she reads over and over. Then, something amazing happens - Halinka becomes friends with a small girl named Renata, nicknamed Rena. She realizes that is good for a person to have a friend. What will happen to Halinka? To find out, read this book.

Halinka is a gift that not everyone will appriciate.
Halinka is a unique book about a girl who lives in a foster home in post WWII Germany. The twelve year old protagonist has a sensitive spirit, despite the many protective walls that have helped her survive a difficult childhood. We see how this cleaver girl manages to take care of her ownneeds, find hope where looks for it, and takes some huge risks to get whatshe wants. Most importantly, we see indetail the peeling away ofHalinka's defenses, and the opening up of her heart. This is a fasinatingbook.The character development is subtle and very real.The inner-lifeof Halinka is vivid with emotion and the details of a pre-adolecent facedwith many personal challenges.I recommend this book to all thoughtful andsensitivereaders over age 12. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Child abuse    2. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Emotional problems    5. Family - Orphans & Foster Homes    6. Fiction    7. Foster home care    8. Germany    9. Historical - Europe    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Social Issues - General    12. Social Issues - Physical & Emotional Abuse    13. Social Situations - General    14. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (3)

A great story about a great Native American
This excelent story about adventure and courage takes place in the great vast american west where Crazy Horse and his tribe The Sioux Indians peacfuly live. But sadly when americans in the eastern citys want to move west the U.S goverment makes the Sioux Indeans move from there western home land. The book shows the great worior Crazy horse was from child hood to adult hood to when he is killed.A must read for history fans.

Russell Freedman Tells An Exciting Story
The book, The Life and Death of Crazy Horse, tells the story of the American West from a Indian's point of view. Crazy Horse and his people, the Sioux Indians, are living peacefully alone in Indian Country (Montana,and Little Big Horn Battlefield). Crazy Horse loves the wilderness helives in and the horses he lives with.Then the White people come on theOregon Trail and take the best campsites and game.The U.S. Army keepspushing the Indians off their own land.This leads to a lot of fightingand Crazy Horse manages to kill many of their soldiers.If you likeadventure in the wilderness, you should read this book!

Looking forward to this book
Can't wait for it to be published! Should be good ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography - Historical    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Children's Books/Young Adult Biography    5. Crazy Horse,    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Kings and rulers    9. Oglala Indians    10. Wars    11. ca. 1842-1877    12. Crazy Horse   

Editorial Review

A famous Northwest Indian storyteller and his artistic contributions are immortalized in this beautiful collection of tribal folk stories. As a result, thepackage is as much a tribute to the late Chief Lelooska, who was adopted into the Northwest Kwakiutl Nation tribe, as it is a book for young children. (There's even a CD featuring Chief Lelooska's voice reading the stories.) Entering the book can be a bit slow-going, since it's overloaded with dedications and introductions. Skip them, and aim straight for "The Old Owl Witch," a fingernail-chewing tale that speaks to the tragic fate of a clan of insistently naughty children. Or open up to "The Boy and the Loon," a tale that rewards a sickly boy for his compassion when he meets an ailing loon. In fact, any story can be a starting point, since they are all rich with fablelike morals and tribal symbolism. Although the red, black, and ochre illustrations are stunning, the book's design seems overburdened with the addition of tiny tribal images randomly printed into the text. But children won't care. And besides, the extraneous touches are no doubt a result of the enthusiasm that the publisher felt for the words and images of Chief Lelooska, a beloved elder who devoted most of his life to reviving and preserving the culture of the Northwest Coast Indians. Those who enjoy this book will want to investigate Read more

Reviews (3)

My 4 1/2 Year Old Is Transfixed
I thought the book would be a little beyond my son's abilities, but he loved the book from the cover.We have a different edition from the one pictured here - the one we have has two large birds on the cover.I read the stories aloud to him and they held his attention through most of the text - I skipped through some parts.I would definitely recommend this book for reading aloud and/or when the child is able to read himself or herself.

This is a truly exceptional book.
This is one of the most remarkable books of fables that I have read. The stories are told in a riveting style, the illustrations are tremendous, and the added bonus of the author himself reading the tales puts this over thetop, and into the realm of "outstanding"!

traditional Northwestern indian lore in its best style.
This book was a complete joy for our whole family.It has good pictures,beautiful typography, and tells the traditional Northwestern indian lore inits best style: humourous, frightening, and full of character.A wonderfulbonus is a CD with cheif Lelooska himself telling the stories in the book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Anthologies    4. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Native American    5. Folklore    6. General    7. Indians of North America    8. Juvenile Nonfiction    9. Northwest Coast of North America    10. Tales    11. Juvenile Fiction / Ethnic / Native American    12. Modern fiction   

Reviews (12)

The Girls From New Zebedee Take A Spooky Roadtrip
This nice addition to the series gives Rose Rita and Mrs. Zimmerman a chance to hit the road, spend some time together and develop their friendship ... while fighting unearthly dangers of course!
The Ghost in theMirror
Mrs.Zimmermann a witch goes on a vacation with Rose Rita Pottinger.Mrs.Zimmermann and Rose Rita discover that instead of going to their vacation spot they travel back to 1928 in Pennslvania Dutch country when it's winter time.When Mrs.Zimmermann and Rose Rita are in Pennslvania Dutch they have different adventures.Mrs.Zimmermann even loses her memories and her magic powers.Without Mrs.Zimmermann's powers how will Rose Rita Pottinger ever be able to get home?I thought this book was very entertaining because it was interesting.

"Ghost" a solid thriller
"Ghost in the Mirror" is one of several books that the late John Bellairs left unfinished at the time of his death. Those books were finished by Brad Strickland, utilizing the author's remaining outlines. It's a solid thriller with a few seams showing, but overall a good read for those not yet ready for Stephen King. Read more

Subjects:  1. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    2. Fiction    3. Juvenile Horror / Ghost Stories    4. Space and time    5. Supernatural    6. Time travel    7. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Editorial Review

Judith Herbst's eclectic collection of anecdotes and well-researched facts paints a fascinating history of UFO sightings in the United States. The stories, which include a Yakima Indian folktale, a detailed description of the Roswell incident, and a lesson in Jungian psychology, are guaranteed to spark the interest of even the world's greatest skeptics. What were people really seeing when they looked up into the sky? Greg Clark's hilarious ink and watercolor illustrations provide young readers with a host of silly possibilities: weather balloons, flying pancakes, and lenticular clouds, to name just a few. This engaging, lighthearted treatment of a historically controversial topic is great fun to read and even more fun to talk about afterwards. Read more

Reviews (1)

Are there aleins amonst us?
Some people think UFO's and aleins are jokes. But what do they know? No one has been found of anything. Sure they have probley have seen a shadow or a strange light in the sky. But to really think about it no one actually knows.So read about things you didn't even know, find the answer to your questions, finally find out the real mystery of UFO's. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Body, Mind & Spirit    2. Children's 9-12 - New Age    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    4. Children: Grades 3-4    5. Curiosities & Wonders    6. Juvenile literature    7. Unidentified flying objects    8. Juvenile Fiction / Science Fiction, Fantasy, Magic   

Editorial Review

Anyone who has ever entertained the notion of "little people" living furtively among us will adore this artfully spun classic.

Reviews (44)

The Borrowers
The book I chose to read is called The Borrowers, written by Mary Norton.I would have to say that the main conflict or theme to this story is about a girl named Arrintrey.She starts on a jouney to find or get in touch with members of her family who live far away with the help of a special boy.Throughout this journey they help one another and become good friends who rely on each other very much.
The Borrowers
The book I chose to read is called The Borrowers, written by Mary Norton.I would have to say that the main conflict or theme to this story is about a girl named Arrintrey.She starts on a jouney to find or get in touch with members of her family who live far away with the help of a special boy.Throughout this journey they help one another and become good friends who rely on each other very much.
PARALLEL LIFESTYLE--IN MINIATURE
Did you know that the real reason for human beans is to Keep Borrowers--unwittingly of course--supplied with oddments and bits of foot, hat and water?Mary Norton's children's classic remains as delightfully fresh and entrancing today as it did when it first appeared in 1953.Recounted by an insightful, elderly Mrs. May to a little girl, the story takes place in a country house in turn-of-the-century England.The author introduces her readers to a hidden race of little people called Borrowers--well, They don't consider it Stealing! Even their last names are borrowed--depending on where in the house they take up secret residence:Avoiding detection by the "human beans" on whom they rely
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Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General    2. Classics    3. Family - General    4. Fantasy    5. Movie/Tv Tie-Ins   

Editorial Review

Ages 10 & up. In the spirit of Madeleine L'Engle's classic A Wrinkle in Time, this is a fascinating and powerfully involving story about two lonely kids who are inadvertently caught up in the never-ending battle between good and evil. The problems of everyday adolescent life and the mysteries of magic are perfectly blended, along with plenty of humor and suspense. In a starred review, Read more

Reviews (186)

BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love this book!Nita, who is bullied frequently, runs into the library.A book catches her hand-- So you want to be a wizard? is the title.This book changes her life with wizardry, leading her to her wizardly partner, Kit, and beginning the adventures of her life as she slows down the death of the universe.

Good read (or listen)
I listened to this book a few weeks ago and enjoyed it very much.If you like Harry Potter, you will likely enjoy this series as well.I look forward to reading the next few books in the series!
...a magical roller coaster ride that should come with the warning keep your arms and legs inside at all times...
Thirteen-year-old Juanita "Nita" Callahan has never had it easy. Thanks, in large part, to her very own, personal bully, Joanne. A rich girl with nothing better to do than make Nita's life miserable. Which is how Nita ends up in the city library. For, one Saturday afternoon, as she is trying to avoid the wrath of Joanne and her cronies, Nita ducks into the library, and stumbles across something that will change her life forever. Something that will take care of the problems in her life, and make bullies and unkind classmates a thing of the past. A something that will give Nita the opportunity to leave her own world behind, and enter a parallel universe. One where adventure, danger, and friendship that fights to the death prevails, and Nita must take her place as a hero. And that something is nothing more than a book titled So You Want To Be A Wizard. Nita is skeptical at first, feeling that it is a joke. A trick of the eye. But, even so, she takes the book along with her, and pores over it during dinner that evening, only to discover that the words on the cover are not a joke. This book actually gives you the power to become a wizard. And, as Nita soon discovers, she is not the only wizard living in her area. For she soon meets Kit, a 12-year-old boy suffering from the same afflictions as Nita (the bully syndrome), and, together, the two young wizards decide to team up with one another to take part in a magic Ordeal. One that will bring each of them into their full Wizardly powers, and take them on the adventure of a lifetime.
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Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure - General    2. Bullies    3. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - Fantasy    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Fantasy    6. Fiction    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    9. Wizards   

Editorial Review

When children give voice to their own feelings, the result can be magical. This touching and inspiring collection of poems by African-American children helps prove that point.Edited by Davida Adedjouma and lovingly illustrated by Gregory Christie, these 20 poems came out of a series of writing workshops with children who were encouraged to celebrate their lives, joys, influences and hopes. The results are pure poetry, honest, wise and encouraging: "Black is the color of some people/but people are different/differences are good because/no one else says the/same things as you." Not only will children find the poems interesting, they may just be inspired to explore their own feelings. All ages. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great short stories for your kids to read
This book shares the thoughts and stories of young african americanchildren.As the kids speak up you will here the palm of there hart speakingto you. There are just great stories some happy some sad and some tell youjust how much different there lifestyle is from ours.the kids will take youto there world and express there heart. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. African American children's wr    2. African American children's writings    3. African Americans    4. American poetry    5. Children's 4-8 - Poetry / Plays    6. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    7. Children's poetry, American    8. Children: Grades 2-3    9. Juvenile Nonfiction    10. Juvenile poetry    11. People & Places - United States - African-American    12. Poetry - General    13. Picture books    14. USA   

Editorial Review

Edward Eager has been delighting young readers for more than 40 yearswith stories that mix magic and reality. Read more

Reviews (113)

the adventures of magic
half magic is a wonderful fun-filled book loaded with adventure.it takes you into this magical world where you feel like anything is possible . half magic is one of those books where you start reading it and you can't put it down. but once you put it down you want to pick it right back up again and read it over and over.half magic is wonderful book for anybody(in my opinion).half magic keeps you on the edge of your seat all through the book.in half magic four children just happen to come upon a magical charm that dramatically switches thier dreadful,boring summer into the best summer of thier lives.

It is a good book
Half Magic was a good book.I would recommend it to children who like fairy tales.But if you usually read mysteries and other types it's just a waste of time.

Half magic = double imagination
Edward Eager's books provide the imaginative spark lacking in many heavily promoted children's books published in recent times.In each of his "magic" stories, unusual things happen to ordinary children, and in this story, it is the discovery of a magical coin that leads four children to the best summer of their lives.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Fantasy    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Classics    4. Coins    5. Family    6. Fiction   

Editorial Review

Learning to use a dictionary is an important skill for young scholars, and MacMillan offers a great edition for 8 to 14 year olds. The Read more

Reviews (4)

Easy-to-read layout, great reference section
This dictionary is a terrific value at the Amazon price.The layout is clear and uncluttered. The print is large enough to read easily, the color photographs are engaging, and the definitions are understandable to my children in 3rd and 4th grade.Our whole family enjoys the reference section in the back of the dictionary.There are color photographs of the Presidents until George W. Bush, a listing of the states with their capitals and populations, maps of the world, a section on the planets, and mathematical references e.g. simple geometry, tables of weights and measures along with formulas for converting between metric and English units. The only drawback that I've experienced with this dictionary is that we occasionally haven't found the words that we've needed, and have had to consult an adult dictionary. However, I think this would be true of any dictionary written for children.

Awesome Dictionary!!!
The dictionary is great for my 10 year old son.He loves it.Highly recommended...lots of pertinent and current info-Current presidents listed from George W Bush to George Washington.

Great choice for a 2nd to 4th grade child
This dictionary has 35,000 entries which makes it substantial enough for elementary school students without being intimidating. I compared it in the store with the DK Merriam-Webster Children's dictionary. The two dictionaries are similar in size and scope. Looking at the first page of entries, the DK Merriam-Webster included several words not included in this MacMillan (ab-, aback, abaft, abash, abbess, abbot) while the MacMillan included "AB" (the postal abbreviation for Alberta.) This MacMillan used the entry word in a sentence more often than the DK Merriam-Webster. My main reason for choosing it over the DK Merriam-Webster is that it had a nicer, two-column uncluttered layout that is much easier for the younger child to work with than three-column layout of DK Merriam-Webster, which is very "busy" looking. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Reference    2. Children: Grades 3-4    3. Dictionaries    4. Dictionaries - General    5. Dictionaries, Juvenile    6. English language    7. General    8. Reference    9. Reference - Dictionaries    10. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (1)

The Bomb!
The best, I would love to read again and again.I reccomend this book to everyone!It is so exciting and fun to read with mixed emotions.You have got to read it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aunts    2. Children's 9-12    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Family problems    5. Fathers and daughters    6. Fiction    7. Mexican Americans    8. People & Places - General   

Editorial Review

This 20th-century scrapbook for budding historians is a great trip through a remarkable century. Though it stops in 1996, the year-by-year survey is packed with information about advances in flight technology, genocide, medical miracles, wars, technology, and cloning. Coverage of each year is supplemented by trend pages that explore developments such as the resistance in World War II and feminism in the '70s. Also available are decade timelines, and biographies of leaders in science, the arts, government, and sports. Parents who love history will enjoy providing guided tours through these pages. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Junior Chronicle of the 20th Century
Junior Chronicle of the 20th Century D.K. Publishing inc.,1997 319pgs.Bridget Hopkins & Miranda Smith ISBN:0-7894-2033-3 [...]
Near-Perfect Reference Source For Younger Readers
The often dreary, occasionally glorious, nearly always violent hundred years that were the twentieth century are rounded up and summarized in clever highlighted tidbits, all written for a younger audience. The quality of this book is very high, not only in its production values, but in the actual work that went into making sure this is a volume that will last thru the coming years. This is an encyclopedic chronicle that provides facts on the leading figures in politics, popular culture, the arts, science, military affairs and sports. It's also gorgeously illustrated. My only wish is they'd finish the last four years of the century in a new edition.

A Good Resource for the Homeschooling Family
My middle school children learned so much with this book! The format is great because of the images that fill each page, but also because it includes historical "tidbits" that kids will gravitate to and remember (the first traffic light, fashions and fads, etc.). This book made 20th century fun for me and my kids and it facilitated learning at the same time. I would recommend it to anyone who has a child who loves history, and even more so for the child who does not. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Children's 9-12 - History - General    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Chronology    5. History - United States/20th Century    6. History, Modern    7. Juvenile Nonfiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. Reference - Atlases    10. Juvenile Nonfiction / History / United States / 20th Century   

Reviews (27)

Memories of Anne Frank
From reading memories of Anne Frank Reflections of a Childhood Friend i would say it is wonderful! I mean the rough times and the scary times Anne never went down she never made a doubt that she might get hurt or get found in the "Secret Annex". This is where Anne stayed most of the time during the war so no one could find her. The war was a very tough time for Anne and her family. The Annex was a place where Anne could hide and also keep her thoughts. Her diary was the important thing about her. She kept everything in it. When it was near the end of the war one day people in business came to her house and took her diary and she had to make a quick escape. The conflict of this story is that Anne was afraid that she would get caught and get killed at the concentration camp. One day when the people in business came to her house they took her to the concentration camp.While at this dark and dreary place, she was starved, got very sickly and eventually was killed.She was only 15 years old when she died. That is what I thought about the book Memories of Anne Frank.
Memories of Anne Frank: Reflections of a Childhood Friend
Even though Memories of Anne Frank: Reflections of a Childhood Friend was written in the 1990s, it portrays the horrors of the Holocaust as vividly as if Hannah Goslar, Anne's childhood best friend, had been describing her whole story just when she was liberated of Bergen-Belsen almost half a century before, in 1945.
An Unbearable story you just cant resist reading!
: The book The Memories of Anne Frank, was a devastating story greatly told. The true terror of Jews just being alive really came out and touched my heart. As little girls, Hannah and Anne were best friends, until one day without warning Anne was gone! Then Hannah has to fight her terrors alone without a best friend to comfort her, or help her in her time of need. Things just became worse and worse as time pass. First, Hannah's mom dies during childbirth along with her soon to be born sibling, then being a Jew started to truly become an issue where she was currently living, then people become sicker and sicker while World War 2 is in progress and Germans are taking over. Hannah's life is going from one disaster to another, when, or will it stop? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amsterdam    2. Biographical - European    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography - Historical    5. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Biography    6. History - Holocaust    7. History: World    8. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    9. Jews    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Juvenile literature    12. Netherlands    13. Pick-Goslar, Hannah    14. Frank, Anne   

Editorial Review

Subtitled, "Latin American Tales from Two Cultures" this anthology is guaranteed to captivate young minds. Part One contains mythic tales from the native inhabitants explaining how the world came to be. There are warriors and princesses who turn into towering volcanoes, an opossum who steals fire for mankind, and a giant worm who drinks a river so people can find fish.Part Two contains stories from the Europeans who came to the New World and is about people's relationships with each other and with nature. There's a mysterious woman magician who escapes from jail on a flying boat, horses the color of rainbows, and a jungle creature who enchants a young girl. These fascinating stories are beautifully illustrated by Luis Garay. Ages 7 and up. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    2. Children: Grades 3-4    3. Fairy Tales & Folklore - South American    4. Folklore    5. Indians of South America    6. South America    7. Myth & legend told as fiction    8. Short stories   

Editorial Review

Ages 8-12. Thirty-two years before it was made into a movie, Read more

Reviews (132)

Are you comfortable with books that make you think?
When I was 9 I was finally moved up to the advanced reading group in my class. In order to catch up, I had to read Harriet the Spy in its entirety over Thanksgiving break. I was extremely dismayed, I had never even seen a book so big, much less read one! But, I devoured it in two days. I didn't live in New York and I had never kept a journal, but everything that happened in the book was completely familiar. It was, I think, the first work of literature I had ever read on my own.
The BEST book i've EVER read in my life...
Harriet the spy iis my favorite book EVER. It has been since i was 6, and i still love it. Its so hard to explain it in words..you just might have to read it yourself

fun
this book is excitiinig and shows alot of fellings.some times I think this book was made for me. this is my first book I've read that Luis has wrote.thats what I think about this book and I hope I will find more of his books . He has a great taste of writing . ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Classics    4. Fiction    5. Human behavior    6. Humorous Stories    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. School & Education    9. School stories    10. Schools   

Reviews (8)

Finally, something authentic!!
Thank you, Linda!!!These stories are authentic and reminded me of similar fables I heard growing up in Hong Kong.For once, there is no attempt to write in that horrible "Anglo Oriental" style that plagues so many Chinese stories written in English.Hello, Amy Tan, are you listening???!!!!Stop embarrassing your fellow Chinese.Write like Linda, and not like Hollywood.Thank you again, Linda, I finally have a few stories to share with my children.

Excellent collection of Chinese folktales
This collection is fantastic for reading to children, or for letting middle-schoolers read. It give a clear, readable form of each story, including Chinese terms to keep the Chinese flavor. I really loved it- and so do my little guys!

The Ch'i-lin Purse
Good stories but nothing very unique or profound. The stories are very short - more like fairy tales. The book is also very thin with less than 10 stories in them. A fast read even for kids. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary    2. Children: Grades 3-4    3. China    4. Classics    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Asian    6. Folklore    7. Tales    8. Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Country & Ethnic   

Reviews (7)

a good idea gone wrong
I reviewed this book for my gigh school class after hearing all the praise for it. I was fairly shocked by the unrealistic portrayal of diabetics, how the author irresponsibly portrays them as mentally ill. As for the story itself, it is not terrible, but very bland. The writing was another problem, the author felt that she should use a foriegn dialect without insight as to the meaning of what to me were nonsense words.
Mango Tree Brilliant
BEYOND THE MANGO TREE is a sparkling debut.Ms. Zemser is a unique and jazzy talent.I'm looking forward to more of her work.

An eminent book!
Beyond the Mango Tree was an exciting four star book.It is about an American girl who moves to Liberia,in Africa because her dad is offered a job here.It was exciting because one night thieves came to her house and the guard was hit on the head and almost died and Sarina, the main character, was left alone.This book is also sad because even when Sarina doesn't do anything wrong her mother ties her to a tree and makes her stand in a dark muddy puddle. I have never read anything like this book before and recommend it to readers of all ages. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General    2. Children: Grades 3-4    3. Diabetes    4. Ethnic - African American    5. Family - Multigenerational    6. Fiction    7. Friendship    8. Health & Daily Living - General    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Liberia    11. Mothers and daughters    12. People & Places - Africa    13. People & Places - Central & South America    14. People & Places - United States - African-American    15. Social Issues - General    16. Social Situations - General    17. Latin America