Editorial Review

In this tender, beautiful letter to his daughters, President Barack Obama has written a moving tribute to thirteen groundbreaking Americans and the ideals that have shaped our nation. From the artistry of Georgia O'Keeffe, to the courage of Jackie Robinson, to the patriotism of George Washington, President Obama sees the traits of these heroes within his own children, and within all of America's children.

Breathtaking, evocative illustrations by award-winning artist Loren Long at once capture the personalities and achievements of these great Americans and the innocence and promise of childhood.

This beautiful book celebrates the characteristics that unite all Americans, from our nation's founders to generations to come. It is about the potential within each of us to pursue our dreams and forge our own paths. It is a treasure to cherish with your family forever. ... Read more

Reviews

Wonderful!, November 16, 2010

Aimed at young children, Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters offers brief glimpses of how the contributions of a single person can touch lives, inspire others and sometimes, change the course of history. Written before he became president, Obama here chooses a baker's dozen Americans to illustrate traits such as courage, creativity and intelligence that he sees in his daughters and encourages young people to find and develop in themselves. Those chosen - including George Washington, Jackie Robinson, Billie Holliday, Cesar Chavez, Helen Keller & Sitting Bull - capture ethnic diversity and include a good balance of men and women.

While the text is sparse, the President has a nice turn of phrase and the accompanying artwork by Loren Long is simply wonderful. Best of all, though, is the subject, which offers a great jumping off point for parents to talk to their children, not only about the people profiled, but of their own talents and opportunities and of the importance of contributing to society.

I have something of a love affair with cover art and I just want to note that the cover of this book really appeals to me. The image of two young girls (Sasha and Malia Obama with their dog, Bo, but representative of all children) marching along with a spring in their step beautifully conveys an air of optimism and confidence - two things I long to see in all children and that our country could use more of at this time.

Highly recommended.

Get it just for the illustrations..., November 18, 2010
All politics aside, this really is a beautiful book with a wonderful message. I hope that people who dislike President Obama's choices in office will not cast aside this book without taking a look first. The pictures are absolutely incredible, and I will definitely be checking out more books that Loren Long has illustrated. I agree with some of the other reviewers that some of the examples of great Americans seem a little odd, but I appreciate the sentiments behind all of them, and I think this book could inspire young readers to learn more about some of these people. I like that there is a short bio of each person in the back of the book, as I did not know who Jane Addams was. It is obvious that the book is trying to appeal to a wide range of people, and I think this is as it should be...the core message of the book is that our country is made up of all types of people and that we all bring different talents and ideas to the table. Some of the writing is really beautiful, but some of it does seem a little stilted, and some of the word choices make me wonder what age group this book was really written for.

I hope that everyone will note that President Obama wrote this book before he was in office and that 100% of the profits are being donated to a charity for the children of disabled veterans. I think it is a hard heart indeed that could not agree that this is a beautiful book being sold for a good cause.

"Have I told you?" Beautiful for his daughters and for charity!, November 16, 2010
This letter to the Obama daughters is inspiring for children and adults alike. This children's book is uplifting and unexpectedly informational while paying homage to thirteen icons that helped change and shape this country. The introduction to each great American visionary starts with seemingly simple words, "Have I told you. . . ?". This book is beyond creative, full of love, and well rounded. Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters is diverse, promotes equality, and without a doubt has the power to inspire every person with the snippets of courageous, patriotic, and brilliant Americans.

Award-winning Loren Long did an amazing job illustrating President Barack Obama's meaningful words. His artwork is simply sensational, and begins with Malia and Sasha standing by themselves when their father first asks, "Have I told you?". As Barack Obama teaches his daughters of a these amazing Americans, the visuals quickly turn into the girls standing with children that reflect the strengths of the American figures previously mentioned. The illustration concept is not only heartwarming but genius, and I found myself excited to view the upcoming pages.

Have I told you...?, November 17, 2010
No matter what your age, this book is simply lovely. It celebrates the potential in our children, the seeds of greatness we must nurture. The illustrations are simple and beautiful, enhancing the poetry and meaning of the text. (The illustrator is Loren Long.) The girls, clearly meant to represent Sasha and Malia, are told about the qualities they possess and then told about someone who exemplifies that quality -- that person as a child is then shown to be standing next to the girls until there's a crowd of children standing together.

At the back of the book is a little more about each person represented in the book so that, hopefully, an interest in learning even more might be fostered.

The people represented are:

Georgia O'Keefe
Albert Einstein
Jackie Robinson
Sitting Bull
Billie Holiday
Helen Keller
Maya Lin
Jane Addams
Dr. Martin Luther King
Neil Armstrong
Cesar Chavez
Abraham Lincoln
& George Washington

The attributes honored include kindness, bravery, persistence, patriotism, honoring the sacrifices of others, and creativity.

Have I told you lately how wonderful you are?
How the sound of your feet
running from afar
brings dancing rhythms to my day?
How you laugh
and sunshine spills into the room?

5 stars.

Beautiful and Heartwarming, November 18, 2010
Barack Obama has paid a wonderful tribute to America's diversity through the lives of thirteen exceptional individuals and how their contributions have ultimately enriched America. Obama is apparently writing to his own daughters but his words mirror the feelings of countless parents like me who share the same ideals; differences in America are valued and accepted and they add value to the rich tapestry of American life. The thirteen individuals mentioned here come from diverse backgrounds, yet they all aspired for the same goal -excellence. In the process of realizing their true potential, they have fulfilled the American Dream guaranteed in the Declaration of Independence. The inalienable rights of `Life, Liberty, and Pursuit oh Happiness' are for all to pursue, regardless of individual differences and backgrounds.

Obama ends this tribute with a message to his daughters that `they are all a part of you'. How beautiful and inspiring ! I hope it resonates with the readers and they cherish this valuable insight.

Beautiful words..beautiful illustrations, November 21, 2010
I'll keep it simple: this is a beautiful work...and like many children's books, a wonderful book for adults, as well.

It is a welcome relief from the crazy, hate-filled politics of the day, which provides such ugly, uncivic lessons to our children, with adults behaving like vipers.

Thank you, President Obama.

this book helps the fallen servicemen families, November 28, 2010
I ordered a few copies to give as gifts for the children in our family for Christmas. Not only its good informative history, all the proceeds will go toward fallen US military service men and women, to provide for their children's education.
Its for a tremendous great cause, so put all politics aside and support our troops on this.
President Obama wrote this book prior to being President.

Great book for every child & the child in all of us!, November 16, 2010
Buy it for the artwork, read it for the message, enjoy it for what is is: An inspirational story from a loving father to his beautiful daughters. Please don't politicize this book or its intent, otherwise you'll miss out on an uplifting story that can teach us all some valuable life lessons. I dare you to read it and not be inspired.

GREAT POSITVE, November 26, 2010
I think its a great lesson, for kids and adults. easy reading, and very positive. a fathers prospective too, its written like a letter. and a good read for children. ITS so Obama. a uniter. I love it. Jane

Proud to be an American, November 26, 2010
What a lovely book! I don't care what your politics are, this is a wonderful reminder to all of us, of all ages, that we live in the greatest country. I bought this for myself (I'm 48) because I love the message and the illustrations are breathtaking. The one of the Vietnam Veterans wall gave me chills. I also plan on giving this as a gift to my niece and nephew. Thank you, President Obama, for the reminder. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Minutes before she died Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her decendants an impossible decision: "You have a choice - one million dollars or a clue."

Grace is the last matriarch of the Cahills, the world's most powerful family. Everyone from Napoleon to Houdini is related to the Cahills, yet the source of the family power is lost. 39 clues hidden around the world will reveal the family's secret, but no one has been able to assemble them. Now the clues race is on, and young Amy and Dan must decide what's important: hunting clues or uncovering what REALLY happened to their parents.

The 39 Clues is Scholastic's groundbreaking new series, spanning10 adrenaline-charged books, 350 trading cards, and an online game where readers play a part in the story and compete for over $100,000 in prizes.

The 39 Clues books set the story, and the cards, website and game allow kids to participate in it. Kids visit the website - the39clues.com - and discover they are lost members of the Cahill family. They set up online accounts where they can compete against other kids and against Cahill characters to find all 39 clues. Through the website, kids can track their points and clues, manage their card collections, dig through the Cahill archives for secrets, and "travel" the world to collect Cahill artifacts, interview characters, and hunt down clues. Collecting cards helps: Each card is a piece of evidence containing information on a Cahill, a clue, or a family secret.

Every kid is a winner - we'll give away prizes through the books, the website and the cards, including a grand prize of $10,000!

... Read more

Reviews

Nothing wrong with a smart marketing strategy
There's already a review that is negative about this series for being a blatant marketing scheme. While I was a bit put off at first by the whole book series/trading cards, now that we've bought the book and a few card packs, I'm a huge fan. Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series helped ignite my 10-year old son's passion for reading. He's now half-way through Maze of Bones, and thoroughly enjoying it. He's noted on the calendar the date the next book will be released. I have to admit I'm reviewing the book without having read it myself yet, but based on the number of times my son has read me excerpts, I'd say it is succeeding with the target audience.

As for the trading cards, well, 10-year old boys love trading cards - Pokemon, Yu-gi-oh, and so on. These cards are different though. They have puzzles on them that the reader has to solve. They're not that tough - they seem simplistic to me as an adult - but for my son, they're challenging enough that he feels a sense of accomplishment when he solves them, but not so challenging that he's had to enlist parental help very often. The web site provides hints. We did have a problem entering one card. We sent e-mail to support and the problem was quickly fixed. I was pleased when my son noticed a clue hidden in the book. I believe the puzzles have him looking at the books much more analytically.

I'm hoping (as is Scholastic) that by including different authors in the series, my son will be encouraged to read other books by these authors as well. I see this as a win-win situation. Anything that gets kids to read is OK by me.

I think this is a brilliant marketing move on Scholastic's part. I try to teach my kids to be informed consumers, and understand when they are being manipulated. Everything is about branding and marketing in our culture, and here is a case where someone got it right, and is marketing a quality product in a very effective manner. Kudos to Scholastic for coming up with such a unique and engrossing series!

An addictive new series
I was reminded of both The Da Vinci Code and the Harry Potter books as I read Maze of Bones. First of all, it's an addictive read. Second, it is a mystery with multiple clues involving famous people, like Dan Brown's book. Last, like J.K. Rowling's famous books, it is about a group of people separated into four different branches, or houses; and about children saving the world.

The plot involves the diverse, far-flung Cahill family, which has been the most powerful family in history. Anyone important in history was probably a Cahill, including Abraham Lincoln, Isaac Newton, Winston Churchill, Napoleon Bonaparte and, especially, Benjamin Franklin. The source of the Cahill's power has been lost over time. The 39 Clues is about the search for that source, by a group of Cahill relatives vying against each other to find the answer. The clues are found all over the world.

Penniless orphans Amy and Dan Cahill enlist the help of their teenage au pair, Nellie, to find the solution to the mystery. The kids seem like real people, and you root for them against their mostly despicable relatives. Amy is a painfully shy, stuttering 14-year-old; Dan is a precocious 11-year-old who loves collecting things. Although they often fight, the siblings help each other during the many dangerous adventures collecting the clues.

Maze of Bones is the first of 10 books in this new Scholastic series, which also has an elaborate supplemental contest where readers can try to come up with the answers to the clues themselves. The book comes with six game cards that you can use to get clues online. There are 350 cards in total, so the series is also a card-collecting game for kids.

But if you just want to read Maze of Bones, it's certainly worthwhile. It's fast-paced, full of fascinating people and has an interesting mystery. I recommend it, and look forward to the second book.

Can't Wait For the Next Book!!!
My son devoured this book!!! For a child that hates to read, he read the book in one weekend and exclaimed, "I can't wait for the next book!" What music to my ears!!! My son read the book, entered his trading cards on line, worked out the puzzles and had a ball!! I wish all books would thrill and excite him the way that this one did!! Kudos!!!

My 10 year old Loves The 39 Clues Series
Got Book 1 for my 10 year old daughter. She read the entire book in days, joined the website, and talks about these a lot. She keeps asking me to get her all 39 books - she really loves this series. Previously loved the Daisy Meadows books and still likes Nancy Drew. Hope the next few in the series come out Soon. I love to encourage her reading, and this book brings in educational subjects including travel and history. We highly recommend this book.

Fascinating First Book in an Intriguing Series of Ten . . . You Don't Need Any Game Cards to Have Fun
I decided to wait until I had read the second book in the series, One False Note, to review The Maze of Bones. I wanted to see how well the books work without the trading cards, Web site, and contest.

Imagine that the Wizard of Oz had been written as a ten part book where you could read what happens to Dorothy and Toto along with clues to help get them home . . . with an opportunity to win a cash prize for solving the clues before anyone else. It would have been a nice publicity stunt, but the pleasure of reading about Dorothy's adventures would have been no less.

The 39 Clues provides a similar opportunity to my imaginary alternative to The Wizard of Oz. The series is a cross between The Amazing Race, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Survivor . . . constructed as a competition for youngsters.

As the book opens, an elderly woman, Grace Cahill, is dying. She instructs her attorney to employ "the alternate will." At her funeral, a handful of the 400 Cahill relatives who attend are invited by ticket to attend a reading of the will. During the reading, each person is given five minutes to choose between taking one million dollars or competing in a contest to solve 39 clues in order to become the heir to the Cahill destiny and become the most powerful people on Earth. They may compete as individuals or as teams. Most people take the money and leave.

Orphans Amy (fourteen) and Dan (eleven) Cahill are pressured by their great Aunt Beatrice (their grandmother Grace's sister) to take the money. She is also their guardian and says she will turn them over to the state to live in foster homes if they don't take the money. The two decide that they want to compete, having a chance to honor their grandmother's faith in them and their parents' memory. Naturally, the siblings form a team, but how will they compete without any money and adults to help them?

Within minutes the competition takes a potentially lethal turn as it becomes obvious that some of the Cahills will stop at nothing to win the competition.

In the rest of the book you'll get to know Amy and Dan better, meet their au pair, Nellie Gomez, and travel to Boston, Philadelphia, and across the Atlantic to Europe. An important American turns out to be important to solving the first clue, and you'll read a lot about that person.

Youngsters will like it that children are the stars of the book (and the contest) with adults playing a supporting role. Parents will be happy that the book contains a lot of interesting historical, biographical, and geographical information in a format that makes learning fun.

The book's main weakness is that it doesn't do much to develop the characters of Amy and Dan before the contest begins. As a result, you'll root for them as underdogs and wish them well . . . but you won't identify with them as closely as if you knew a lot more about them (as Roald Dahl did by introducing the Buckets in detail before launching the golden ticket contest).

The writing is otherwise quite good, and you'll find yourself slipping rather easily into the adventure fantasy (despite many details in the story that don't quite work in real life). I liked the excitement of The Maze of Bones better than the more intellectual focus of One False Note. The two books are rewarding for different reasons.

Don't expect, however, that the writing is the same or that the characters behave in the same way. As with any multiple-author series, there will be shifts from book to book.

To me, the only thing better than a good mystery . . . is a longer good mystery. With the prospect of ten books to keep me entertained, I'm looking forward to reading all ten.

I did look at the game cards and only found two that related to the first story. Those two didn't add much to my understanding of the book. The others seemed to relate to future stories, so they did give me a sense of the future story line. That part was nice.

I haven't tried the online site for playing the games because I'm not interested in the contest, but if that is something you enjoy, please do take a look.

I'm sure the focus will shift more towards the game in 2010 as the book series ends. But until then, you can just have lots of fun with the books!

If you like this story, I also encourage you to ask your relatives about your family's history. You might find that your relatives are connected to some pretty famous events and places. Wouldn't that be fun?

A Fun Adventure. Reveiwed by the Book Junkie
The first in a series of 10 books, "Maze of Bones" is the beginning of an adventure for the Cahill family. After the death of the family matriarch, Grace, the four branches of the Cahill family are called on to solve the 39 clues. The group who accomplishes this first will become the most powerful people on Earth. No one expects Amy and Dan, 14 and 11 respectively, to get far. They turn out to be cleverer than the others think, though--which puts them in danger from their competitors. From Philadelphia to Paris to Tokyo to Seoul to Cairo, Amy and Dan fight to stay ahead of the game without turning to deceit or violence like their distant relatives.

A bit like a YA version of Indiana Jones or (or National Treasure, if you prefer a more contemporary reference), the 39 Clues books are fun, exciting, and filled with enough tension to keep you turning pages. I can't wait for the rest of the series to come out so I can find out what happens!

Sure it's a marketing strategy...but hey, it's a good story too
I ordered this for my son for Christmas. It arrived yesterday and it just sat there...enticing me. So I started to read just a bit to see what the hoopla was all about and lo and behold, I got sucked into the story.

I have absolutely no problem with the cards being part of it. My son collects cards from different things--why should this be any different than his Pokemon collection? He'll be reading...bonus #1....he gets to collect cards...bonus #2...and it's online as well...big bonus! ... Read more

Editorial Review

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Reviews

This book deserves more than 5
I am not going to tell the plot of this book yet again, Amazon and some other reviewers have done it quite well...I will tell you that this is an astounding book, a beautiful book, and a book that I know I will read again and again......
I read a lot, two to three books a week, my family makes fun that I "love" so many that I read...but in the past few years there have only been a handful of books that when I finish reading the book I sit and try to think of who I can send a copy to, who can I share this wonderful experience with. A book that when I finish, I want to go back to the beginning and start over.
I am a little sorry it is listed as a young adult book, I feel that if the bookstores put it in the young adult section, so many people will be missing out on a wonderful experience. Yet it is important that younger readers, high school readers, read this book too. When I was growing up, I remember reading Diary of Anne Frank, and the feelings I had when I read it...and understanding the importance of everyone reading that book. Well, this book is that important, this book is a must read.
I am going to go back and read this author's other book, I don't know how it can measure up to this one, but if it is half as good, I am in for a treat.

Astounding
Very rarely a book comes out that steals my breath away. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak is a revelation. Narrated by Death, this story follows Leisel as she steals books in Nazi Germany while she and her best friend Rudy discover the power of words, language and friendship. Zusak's writing is mesmerizing; it's sarcastic, emotional, sophisticated and wondrous.

If you only read one book this year, read this one. Share it with your friends and family. I don't expect to read anything better this year, or next year either.

Magnificent Story
Liesel Meminger is a Book Thief, living with a foster family in Germany during World War Two. Torn from everything she's known, her foster father shows her the power of words as the two of them share late night reading sessions of The Grave Digger's Handbook. Her love of books ties her to others, including the mayor's wife and Max, the Jew the family hides in the basement.

My own words escape me as I try to recount the beauty of this book in a short review. Rarely have I read a book as moving, as profound, as this one. Narrated by Death, this story is one that crawls under your skin and reverberates your soul with its images of Nazi Germany, friendship, and loss. The images stirred through Death's telling are so vivid, so wonderful, so tragic. Zusak has a masterful command of language and I was astounded by the way his words brought Liesel and her world to life. We follow Liesel over the years as she learns the true meaning of family through her caring new Papa and her friendships with Max and Rudy, the boy next door who idolizes Jesse Owens.

Just a small list of images that will stay with me forever:

+Liesel reading to the neighbors sitting terrified in a basement waiting for the bombs to fall around them
+A snowball fight in a basement
+Mama arriving at school to "yell" at Liesel
+A boy with candlelit hair standing up to a Nazi Youth Leader
+Death gathering up the souls of children softly
+The story of a Word Shaker
+An accordian player accepting a cigarette as payment


There are not enough words within me to express the beauty of this book. It will move you to laughter and tears, often at the same time. This one is a keeper that I will revisit frequently in the future. It has changed my soul. Highly, highly, highly recommended.

The Word Shaker
THE BOOK THIEF is a beautiful and carefully worded story, following four years in the life of young Liesel Meminger, a poor German girl who finds herself separated from her six-year-old brother (who dies) and her mother and father (taken away by the Nazi's for being a communist), and fostered to Rosa and Hans Hubermann.

Arriving at the Hubermann's, nine-years-old and already burdened with great loss, Liesel forges a deep bond with her Papa, Hans - a man with a many-roomed heart - who sits with her at night when her nightmares force her awake with screams. It is during these nights that Hans teaches her to read, and they begin with the first book she ever "stole": The Grave-Diggers Handbook, a book that fell out of the pocket of a fourteen-year-old grave digger who dug the grave for her brother. Like a kitten who finds comfort at the teat of a sow after losing its mother, Liesel begins to find comfort in words.

The story is narrated by no less a personage than Death, although this Death is sans hooded-skull and scythe. Indeed, we learn little more about Death than he is not what we perceive him to be in our Halloween imitations, and very good at his job. Given the setting for this story, we are guaranteed of the chance to evaluate Death's job performance.

Zusak writes with a deft, poetic hand, his descriptions unconventional and mesmerizing. Rosa Hubermann is "a small wardrobe with a coat hung over it". A woman's mouth has teeth that elbow each other for room. A boy: "His tie is a pendulum, long dead in its clock." These images jump from the page and give us a clearer picture of what we're seeing than if Zusak had spent hours describing the tiniest detail of Rosa Hubermann's body.

Along the way, Liesel shares her interest in words, and in no place is that felt more potently than in her relationship with Max Vandenburg, a Jew who her parents hide in their basement. Max arrives nearly dead, and the much younger Liesel finds herself captivated by him. When the cold in the basement pushes Max to the brink of death, they move him to Liesel's room for (I believe) eight days, where Liesel brings him small mementos and reads to him while he fights for life (and once against Death itself!). In turn, Max writes for her - and these books-within-a-book are more touching and meaningful, more full of love and hope while not betraying the slightest hint of over-dramatization, than anything I've come across in years. Indeed, if this story had been only about Liesel's relationship with Max, it would have been an enormous success. It may also have been more widely read - I suspect that the length of the book and the immediacy present in Max's story but not as equally present in other sections, put some people off.

Before I read the book, I looked at the negative reviews (of which there are four). One review commented that the book felt like "work". Reading Hawthorne can be work, too, but I always feel the better for having read him.

Powerful, moving, and remarkable
"A human doesn't have a heart like mine. The human heart is a line, whereas my own is a circle, and I have the endless ability to be in the right place at the right time. The consequence of this is that I'm always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both."

So muses the narrator of Markus Zusak's powerful and moving new novel, THE BOOK THIEF. As you might guess, this is no ordinary narrator. The contemplative first person guiding you through this book is Death, an at-once fitting and ironic vanguard for a tale that both celebrates the power of words and agonizes over the consequences of their use.

Set against the tragedy-stained canvas of World War II, Death tells the story of young Liesel Meminger (the eponymous book thief) growing up in Nazi Germany under the watchful eye of a staunch foster mother and kindly foster father who teaches her to read. She attends meetings of the BDM, a youth group aimed at indoctrinating young girls into Hitler's ideology. She plays soccer with the boys on her street, holding her own in any disputes that arise. And all the while, the dreams of her dead brother haunt and goad her into a fascination with reading and words that inevitably leads to her life of crime.

It is a meeting with Max Vandenburg, a 24-year-old Jewish man being hidden in Liesel's basement by her compassionate foster parents, that alters the course of Liesel's life. Max, too, is haunted by nightmares of a family he lost in the harrowing aftermath of Kristallnacht. Together, Max and Liesel discover a shared love of words that leads to a decisive understanding about the role words play in both bravery and cowardice. Each, in their own way, sets out to use this knowledge to shape the world around them.

While other writers have employed Death as a narrator, Zusak makes his own indelible mark on the technique in the dimensions he gives to the character. Death is simultaneously dispassionate about his work and the impact it can have while striving to understand humanity's resilience. Death boasts an omniscience of what will happen in life but also a naivety about what can happen in the human heart.

In the ultimate expression of his dichotomous theme, Zusak creates a touching love letter to books and writing, framed in arguably the most horrific period in human history. But his greatest triumph is delivering a reminder that no writer enters this world quietly. Writers are born of eruptions and detonations, and the truly exceptional ones, like Zusak, continue to channel these explosive energies to craft a truly remarkable book that will be admired for generations.

--- Reviewed by Brian Farrey [...]

Amazing and Transforming for Any Age
I just finished this book last night and said to myself, "I should really read it again before I try to make comment" but, no, I want to share my reactions as spontaneously as possible.

There are hundreds of books in my house, but there is one bookshelf upstairs in a back bedroom which holds those special books: you know, the ones that have made such a profound impact on who you are and how you see the world that they are put aside in a place of honor. This will be one of those books for me.

This book is for adults, but it is also for teenagers. I think it is doing younger people a dis-service to think they could not relate to this book because the narrative style is challenging, the subject matter is doleful and/or because there are too many pages (oh, for heaven's sake!). Young people who like to read and like to think and like to feel will love this book as much as older folks like me. There is no need to dummy things down or sugarcoat them, especially when there is such a compelling story to be told.

One of the most powerful aspects of the book for me was the number of surprises. The book was not what I thought it would be and I was constantly astonished by:

1. the amazing stories that Max told and were re-created with tender illustrations inserted into the body of the book

2. the treatment of the German people as human beings, rather than "nasty Nazis" a la 1940's Hollywood. Although I like to see a "nasty Nazi" get his comeuppance as much as the next person, I found the lack of stereotypes in this book quite refreshing.

3. the imaginative use of language - it's just plain poetical at times. You get stopped short and have to read bits out loud because they are so darned beautiful and/or original.

4. the character Death, who is our guide and narrator. He has seen a lot in all the thousands of years of his existence, but he has never seen anything like the story of the book thief. And neither have I. And neither will you.

As some other reviewers have recommended, I will be sure to read other titles by this author.

An Old Story Made New Again
How rare the times that we read something entirely new and unique! It has been said that there are no new stories to tell, and I will not argue that. There really are only a few novel plots, although it is in our endless variations that we set ourselves apart as writers and word-artists, perhaps also as readers, in the manner and voice in which we tell the story. This is true for Markus Zusak in his creative storytelling of "The Book Thief."

The story is one of the oldest ones told: the narrator is mankind's friend/nemesis, Death, ancient as Time itself, and the scenes Death (not without compassion and not without wry humor) narrates for us are those of human suffering and endurance, an eventual overcoming of conflicts and obstacles, a story of love pitted against hate, of the victory of the best in all of us over the worst in any of us. Zusak's main characters are a 9-year old girl, Liesel Meminger, her companion and young partner in crime, Rudy, and a Jewish refugee named Max hiding in the basement of the house where she lives, herself something of a refugee in Nazi Germany during WWII. A wide range of secondary characters fill in all gaps and keep us reading with fascination, e.g. Liesel's adoptive family, especially her cruel and ascerbic foster mother, Rosa, who on occasion cracks to show a bit of humanity; the mayor's deeply depressed wife, who quietly allows Liesel to "steal" her books; Liesel's young comrades in thievery, and many more.

It is hard to pinpoint what it is, precisely, that makes Zusak's work so unique. But I knew it, felt it, instantly, page one, first line. Voice, yes. Style. A few experimental approaches in his storytelling, such as illustrations inserted in the novel with all errors present, just as Max wrote the text and drew the pictures for his young friend, Liesel. Death's narration is unique, too, with occasional bolded quotes that give just the right amount of distance. There are many such details that all come together to form a story worth reading, worth hearing, worth understanding. It is the story of Liesel, a spunky little book thief, who does far more than steal good books. Liesel steals hearts. In our smallest, we often find our greatest heroes.

Highly recommended.

Beautiful.
This book is beautiful.

Following on the heels of I AM THE MESSENGER, nominated for best young adult book at the 2006 L.A. Times Book Festival, Markus Zusak's THE BOOK THIEF is an astounding piece of literature. Originally published in Australia as mainstream fiction and arguably not young adult, the novel works surprisingly well both ways. Adults will relish the story's beauty and magnitude, and while the first third of the novel may be a tad too slow for teens, the persistent ones will connect with young Liesel's tragic experiences in Nazi Germany.

Zusak's novel, set in a small town outside Munich during World War II, chronicles the story of Liesel Meminger, a German girl taken into Hans Huberman's household as a foster child. As likeable as she is well-developed, it's amazing to watch a young girl like that remain so strong in the face of human tragedy, impossible hatred, and adolescent love.

The twist is that Death is the one telling Liesel's story. From the very beginning, he wants us to trust him. "I most definitely can be cheerful," he tells us. "I can be amiable. Agreeable. Affable. And that's only the A's. Just don't ask me to be nice. Nice has nothing to do with me." An interesting character, to say the least. But what does Death think about our wars? Our famines? Our day-to-day lives? We may not often think about such things, but he does. It's his job to see the world as it is. Infinite in color. And fear.

John Green, author of the award-winning LOOKING FOR ALASKA, said that this is the novel he wished he'd have written. I must wholeheartedly agree. While the story is painful and lovely, the images are fresh and lasting, the words, poetic and stirring. This story pays tribute to the simple power of words, to their ability to change our minds, destroy our lives, move our souls, recount our memories, and yes, heal our world.

Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens

haunting tale
During World War II near Munich, Germany, nine years old Liesel Meminger finds a tome The Gravedigger's Handbook while attending her younger brother's funeral. Unable to resist she takes the book with her. However, she is unable to read the book until fate steps in. Her father is missing and her mother cannot afford her upkeep so she gives Liesel in care to foster parents, acerbic Rosa Hubermann and her kindhearted spouse Hans, who owes a Jew his life.

Hans helps Liesel cope with her nightmares and teaches his ward to read. His chance to pay the war debt to the Jewish soldier who saved his life finally occurs when the man's son, the artist Max, arrives at his house seeking shelter. As Max paints over pages of the Mein Kampf, Leisel steals books from Nazi burnings and begins to write about living at a time of misery caused by fellow humans. If the Nazis catch either one, Death will be a welcome guest.

This is a complex book in which the narrator Death tells the tale of Liesel and Max. Interestingly Death is a cynic when it comes to human behavior especially kindness towards others; the apparition recognizes that his best suppliers of goods are people who in spite of their Golden Rule ramble contain homicidal tendencies rationalized by an ism of some sort. The fascinating asides to the readers are brilliant as they enable the audience to understand the cast he looks upon adding to his collection, but especially Death itself. Give yourself plenty of time, over a week or more, as Markus Zusak has written one of the most haunting tales of the human condition in several years.

Harriet Klausner
... Read more

Editorial Review

Three children whirl back in time through an enchanted potter’s wheel into the reality of evacuation in 1940s Britain . . . Whirl of the Wheel pulls feisty Connie, her brother Charlie-Mouse, and school pest Malcolm into dangers on the homefront and towards a military operations secret that will save their home. The children hit trouble when Malcolm fails to return to the present day. This fast-moving adventure will keep you guessing . . .

Age group: 8+ ... Read more

Reviews

Imaginative and Thoughtful
This time travel tale takes three youngsters back to World War II Britain in a fast moving adventure through time via the motion of a potter's wheel. About to lose their beloved home, Connie and her brother Charlie-Mouse, inadvertently accompanied by their least favorite person, Malcolm, face danger trying to prevent the historic dwelling from being destroyed and find themselves in search of a military secret that could prevent the disaster. Particularly well done are the letters to a mother in war-time London from a daughter separated from her parents, and the strong character of viewpoint Connie, who gets around most of the time in a wheelchair, (treated without sentiment) making a most admirable young heroine. Likable characters, strong sense of place, a well plotted novel that makes a fun and thoughtful read.

An enchanting tale well told
Catherine Condie's tale of three young people and their time travel adventure from the rural vicar's house at Claybridge, England back in time to World War II and back again using a local potter's wheel as entry point to the past. It's all to save their house from being torn down by a greedy speculator who wants to turn the property into a housing development. But Connie and her brother Charlie Mouse and an accidental traveler who adds a bit of mystery to this enchanting adventure. Very well-written.

An enchanting tale well told
Catherine Condie's tale of three young people and their time travel adventure from the rural vicar's house at Claybridge, England back in time to World War II and back again using a local potter's wheel as entry point to the past. It's all to save their house from being torn down by a greedy speculator who wants to turn the property into a housing development. But Connie and her brother Charlie Mouse and an accidental traveler who adds a bit of mystery to this enchanting adventure. Very well-written. ... Read more

Editorial Review

THIS JUST IN! Amy and Dan Cahill were spotted on a train, hot on the trail of one of 39 Clues hidden around the world. BUT WAIT! Police report a break-in at an elite hotel, and the suspects ALSO sound suspiciously like Amy and Dan. UPDATE! Amy and Dan have been seen in a car . . . no, in a speedboat chase . . . and HOLD EVERYTHING! They're being chased by an angry mob?!?

When there's a Clue on the line, anything can happen.

... Read more

Reviews

11 yr old son loved - loved - loved this book
First let me tell you that my son for the most part hates reading. Getting him to read was comparable to getting him to brush his teeth (11 yr old boy, need I say more). He is dyslexic therefore his reading avoidance is somewhat understandable. He loved this book. In fact, once he started reading, he was reluctant to stop. He really didn't get into the website, although he likes games; however, he did enjoy the plot and enjoys writings by Rick Riordan.

My 10 year old loves 39 Clues
After finishing the Harry Potter series my son and I didn't know what to read next. We got the first 39 clues and my son just loved it. It's not the writing and plot quality of HP but just enough suspense and mystery for a 10 year old boy!

service was excellent
The product was on time and arrived in the condition that was stated in the ad. Very pleased. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Jack and Annie are ready for their next fantasy adventure in the bestselling middle-grade series—the Magic Tree House!

Jack and Annie’s mission from Merlin the Magician? To help the famous writer Charles Dickens! In a magical whirl, the brother and sister are whisked back in time to Victorian England and the foggy streets of London.

There, Jack and Annie discover that Charles Dickens has everything he could possibly want. How can they help him? It is not until Mr. Dickens rescues them from being thrown in jail that they discover his secret past and the sad memories that haunt him. They will need all their magic—and help from three ghosts—to keep the great writer from ruining his life!

Mary Pope Osborne mixes magic, humor, history, a little spookiness, and a lot of heart to create this tale, which celebrates the joys of writing—something she knows a lot about, thanks to millions of readers all over the world!

This is the perfect book for boys and girls about to see the classic play A Christmas Carol.

Visit the Magic Tree House Web site!
www.magictreehouse.com ... Read more

Reviews

Inviting! Liked the whole thing
My nine year old daughter's review...

'This book called me in the book store! "Come read me, come read me!". I thought that it described how the ghosts came out really well. I also thought that it was a really good way to teach a lesson to kids by telling them that they shouldn't be greedy or selfish and should help others more; they should be kind and hospitable. My favorite part was when Charles Dickens was chatting with his fans in the restaurant at the end.'

I'll just add that she read it in one sitting, so I know she enjoyed it.

Adventure, magic and ghostly encounters
Another Magic Tree House title - #44 - by Mary Pope Osborne provides a satisfying holiday title in A GHOST TALE FOR CHRISTMAS TIME. Here Jack and Annie find their next task is to help famous writer Charles Dickens, and they are taken back in time to Victorian England London where they discover Dickens doesn't really need their help. Their discovery of his hidden sadness leads to adventure, magic and ghostly encounters in this latest fine addition to the popular series.

Magic Tree House books
I bought the remaining Magic Tree House books for my Grandkids. They enjoy reading these books. They have all of them and have on order the 45th book in the series. ... Read more

Editorial Review

ATTENTION! Amy and Dan Cahill have been located once again, this time in the company of the notoriously unreliable Alistair Oh. Could they have been foolish enough to make an alliance?

Spies report that Amy and Dan seem to be tracking the life of one of the most powerful fighters the world has ever known. If this fearsome warrior was a Cahill, his secrets are sure to be well-guarded . . . and the price to uncover them just might be lethal.

... Read more

Reviews

Best in the series so far!
I love every book in the "39 Clues" series, but this is THE BEST! It's a cool story and funny too. I couldn't put it down and read it in one day. Now my friends are taking turns reading it. I am 12 and love spy books - I am going to look for more books by Peter Lerangis.

Combine with the audiobook for a good read-along with your kid
I don't have time to read the actual text like my 8 year old. However, I am able to buy the audiobook and read along with him since they come unabridged. It is very interesting how the authors tell the story using modern references while still teaching the reader about History. Having the same narrator throughout the series is the best part.

The first two audio books offered short glimpses into Grace Cahill's early life before the hunt; each audio book has information not available in the regular book.

Either product comes with the same trading cards. I didn't bother to purchase the card packs but the ones inside offer some more puzzles for enhanced story details. Very good series.

Chock Full of Mystery, Action, Reversals of Fortune, and Clues
If you just discovered this book because it's a best seller, you owe it to yourself to go back and read the first two books in the 39 Clues series, The Maze of Bones and One False Note, before starting this one so you'll know the background to this story and the contest to be the first to find all 39 clues.

Peter Lerangis takes the story in some new directions by changing the nature of cooperation among the various Cahills as they search for more clues. I found that adjusting the behaviors and attitudes added depth to the story so that it seemed more real.

As the book opens, Amy, Dan, their au pair Nellie, and their cat, Saladin, are racing to catch a plane to Japan. Amy and Dan are fighting over whether the swords that Dan packed in the luggage will survive security. When the youngsters are pulled out of line at the last minute, Amy and Dan fear the worst. But something even worse is about to happen!

And all this occurs by page 11.

More complications quickly ensue and Amy and Dan continue their trip while worrying that Nellie and Saladin may be in danger. Along the way, they get some unexpected help from another Cahill relative whom they have grown to distrust based on his habit of disappearing just as their lives are about to be snuffed out. While with this relative, they learn a lot about another part of the family line that connects into Japan.

The search for the next clue takes them into two very dangerous places where any number of things can (and will) go wrong.

The second great strength of this story is that it has lots of action, and reversals occur very quickly and completely . . . at the most opportune moments.

I find myself looking forward to each new book with increased interest. There's a pattern here, but it's a pleasant one. Dan acts like a jerk, but his remarkable memory helps turn up clues and their meanings when setbacks occur. Amy keeps a level head and helps avoid silly mistakes. The other relatives jump in and out of the story to display their character flaws.

I keep thinking of the Amazing Race as I read one of these books, but it's clear that the search for the 39 clues is ever so much more exciting than that often-predictable story of waiting in airports and sitting on long plane flights before making a brief dash for the next clue on the Amazing Race.

This story also leaves more mysteries up in the air than it resolves. As a result, I found myself more intrigued at the end than in the beginning. That's a well-planned plot!

Enjoy the dash for the third clue!!

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Amy and Dan have been waylaid at the airport en route to Japan. Instead of boarding the plane, they're taken to a room for a random search.

Meanwhile, Natalie and Ian Kabra board the plane in their place. Nellie, their au pair, has already boarded. Unsure of the next step, Amy and Dan leave the airport and find a car waiting for them. Uncle Alistair wants to work with them again, but can they trust him?

Together they head to Japan using Uncle Alistair's private jet. When they arrive in Japan, they meet up with Nellie and the Kabras. In order to find the clues, Amy and Dan know they have to compromise and make alliances, but they do not know who to trust.

Are their lives once again in danger while searching for the next clue?

THE SWORD THIEF is the third book in THE 39 CLUES series (each written by a different author - so far). I'm addicted to this series, and while a different person pens each book, they each contain so much action that it's almost impossible to differentiate between the writers.

This series has a fabulous online component, too, that you must check out if you haven't yet.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

Best Books Ever!
My 10 year old son has a hard time finding books that capture his attention. He LOVED these books!!! He will sit for an hour and read...then go log on the website to plug in his clues. Highly recommended them! He can't wait until the next one comes out!

A great book from a series that has captured the imagination of the Tween Market.
This is the third in a series of adventures. The books are a combination of Indiana Jones, Around the World in 80 Days, Limmony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, and a good Agatha Christie style mystery.
The books follow the adventures of a brother & sister as they attempt to win a challenge laid down by the only loving relative they ever knew after the death of their parents.

My 9 year daughter, who is an avid reader, loves the series and we are already awaiting the next book in June with great anticipation. I would say the age range would run from 9 - 13 or so, & like the Harry Potter stories, each book leaves the reader looking for the next adventure.

a great series"!
My daughter finished this book in one sitting and can't wait for the next one in the series.

Thumbs up
The book arrived in a timely manner packaged securely. The story itself is a little slower paced than the first two and has more description of physical surroundings. Still, the adventure continues following Amy and Dan, and the next twist in their search for the family treasure. Exciting read. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The set includes:Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, Farmer Boy, On the Banks of Plum Creek, By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, and The First Four Years.

Wolves and panthers and bears roam the deep Wisconsin woods in the late 1870's. In those same woods, Laura lives with Pa and Ma, and her sisters, Mary and Baby Carrie, in a snug little house built of logs. Pa hunts and traps. Ma makes her own cheese and butter. All night long, the wind howls lonesomely, but Pa plays the fiddle and sings, keeping the family safe and cozy.

Pa Ingalls decides to sell the little log house, and the family sets out for Indian country! They travel from Wisconsin to Kansas, and there, finally, Pa builds their little house on the prairie. Sometimes farm life is difficult, even dangerous, but Laura and her family are kept busy and are happy with the promise of their new life on the prairie.

While Laura Ingalls grows up in a little house on the western prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Almanzo and his brother and sisters work at their chores from dawn to supper most days -- no matter what the weather. There is still time for fun, though, especially with the horses, which Almanzo loves more than anything.

Laura's family's first home in Minnesota is made of sod, but Pa builds a clean new house made of sawed lumber beside Plum Creek. The money for materials will come from their first wheat crop. Then, just before the wheat is ready to harvest, a strange glittering cloud fills the sky, blocking out the sun. Soon millions of grasshoppers cover the field and everything on the farm. In a week's time, there is no wheat crop left at all.

Pa Ingalls heads west to the unsettled wilderness of the Dakota Territory. When Ma, Mary, Laura, Carrie, and baby Grace join him, they become the first settlers in the town of De Smet. And Pa begins work on the first building in what will soon be a brand-new town on the shores of Silver Lake.

The first terrible storm comes to the barren prairie in October. Then it snows almost without stopping until April. Snow has reached the rooftops, and no trains can get through with food or coal. The people of De Smet are starving, including Laura's family, who wonder how they're going to make it through this terrible winter. It is young Almanzo Wilder who finally understands what needs to be done. He must save the town, even if it means risking his own life.

The long winter is over. With spring come socials, parties, and "Literaries." There is also work to be done. Laura spends many hours each day sewing shirts to help send Mary to a college for the blind. But in the evenings, Laura makes time for a new caller, Almanzo Wilder.

Laura is teaching school, and it's terrifying! Most of the students are taller than she is, and she must sleep away from home for the first time. Laura is miserable, but the money is needed to keep Mary in a college for the blind. And every Friday -- no matter what the weather -- Almanzo Wilder arrives to take Laura home to her family for the weekend. Laura and Almanzo are courting, and even though she's not yet sixteen, she knows that this is a time for new beginnings.

Laura and Almanzo Wilder have just been married! Their life on a small prairie homestead begins with high hopes. But each year seems to bring unexpected disasters -- storms, sickness, fire, and unpaid debts. These first four years call for courage, strength, and a great deal of determination. Always, though, there is love, especially for the newest member of the family -- baby Rose.

Reviews

Unforgettable Reading Experience, June 30, 2002
I received my Little House box set MANY, MANY years ago for Christmas, and it sat on my shelf, a treasure waiting to be fully discovered, for the better part of 2 decades. As an English major, I've spent many hours with Shakespeare, Jane Austen, the Brontes, Edith Wharton, and scores of other wonderful writers. Then one day, my best friend told me that she was reading "Little House in the Big Woods" to her 1st grade class, and that, to a child, boys and girls alike were mezmerized during story time - she'd never seen them pay such good attention.

That was all it took. One Sunday morning, I walked up to the attic, and brought down my set. Since then, I've read straight through them, often into the wee hours of the morning. The writing is outstanding (it actually becomes more grown up right along with the characters), and of course the love story is beautiful, but this series has much more to offer its readers - young and old. For one, you get a much deeper sense of how generations before us struggled, toiled really, to make this country what it is today. And the sense of family is amazing, particularly as Laura becomes old enough to live away from home and realize just how wonderful her family is.

Every child should read them. Better yet, every family should read them aloud, together. I certainly plan to read them aloud to my kids.

Little House on the Praire Box Set, February 11, 2000
I always wanted to read these books, but I never did as a child. I am now 27 and I am totally enthralled by this series. I have always been an avid watcher of the TV series, but I feel you get a more intimate look at Laura and the Ingalls through the novel. I enjoy how the descriptions in the stories actually make you feel like your are traveling with the Ingalls. Whether you are 8 or 88 these books help you understand the beginning of our nation. They remind you of what family, loyalty, respect, and responsiblity mean. I can not wait to share these with my nieces and someday my children. What a wonderful way to spend time, traveling on a voyage with Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Such important books!, December 1, 2004
I got "Little House in the Big Woods" when I was 7. I remember crying when I finished it because I wanted the story to go on and on. I pushed and prodded my Mom to get the rest of the books. As quickly as they appeared as birthday and Christmas presents, I devoured them. Almost 35 years later, I can say that I have read almost every book that has been written by or about Laura.

Many other reviewers have pointed out the especially wonderful aspects of the books. The narrator ages as Laura grows up. (What a cool concept!) The story of 4 year old Laura's Christmas in Wisconsin is as real and moving as the description of 18 year old Laura falling in love with Almanzo in Dakota Territory. The images are always fresh, and the stories always epitomize wholesomeness. There is a consistency all the way through "These Happy Golden Years" that shows that great care and skill were employed to make the series unwaveringly good.

The real life of Laura was strenuous and uncertain. She was poor most of her young life. She and Almanzo faced great loss and always worked very hard to run their farm. The many moves made by the Ingalls and Wilder families were made to escape difficulties like failed crops or to improve bad situations like poor health. According to available accounts, Laura did not stay in close contact with her family after she left Dakota. Her relationship with Almanzo does not seem to have been remarkable, and her relationship with her only child, Rose, was strained.

However, all of these mundane details coalesced to create some of the best books ever written. Many readers do not know that Rose was the impetus for the Little House phenomenon. She became a writer first, and she saw how she could help her mother to take the story of her life and turn it into beautiful literature. There is controversy about how much Rose helped. Some say that she was a full fledged ghost writer. In any case, it is safe to say that the Little House series was a mother/daughter collaborative effort.

A talented mother and daughter turned the memories of a difficult, pioneering life into books that I could not put down. I read and re-read them until they became part of my life experience. I know that I am one of many for whom the experience made me love reading more, made me wonder more about how other people in other times lived, made me see how good people lived in the world, and made me more alive in some way. I cannot say enough good things about these books.

Every child should read them, and every adult should read them again!

True Classics!, January 14, 2002
One of the biggest fallacies about the Little House books is that they are "girls' books." It was that perception of the books, as well as the sappy, smaltzy "Little House on the Prairie" TV show, that kept me from reading these books until I was in my early teens. One day just out of sheer boredom, I read my sister's worn copy of "Little House in the Big Woods." What a great book! A story of a family's survival in the wilderness with tales of bears, panthers, wolves, hunting, and all sorts of neat information on how pioneer people lived. "Little House in the Big Woods" erased my conception of the Little House books as "girlie stuff" and I promptly read the rest of the series.

Yes, some elements will appeal more to girls especially Mrs. Wilder's very detailed descriptions of women's clothing. (I generally just read what color the dress was and then skip over the rest of the description.) However, her stories about Indians, wild animals, blizzards, grasshopper storms, bandits, bullies threatening to beat up teachers, unruly students, unhinged farmwives, bossy older sisters, and a whole host of other great stuff will make these books fascinating to anyone interested in pioneer life regardless of gender.

Despite my age I still consider these among my favorite books. They are truly heartwarming classics with the magnificent illustrations of Garth Williams. Laura, the main character, will appeal to almost anyone- honest, principled, courageous, industrious, but with very human elements- including envy of her older sister and holding grudges, especially against snooty Nellie Oleson and her teacher (and future sister-in-law) Eliza Jane Wilder. The books are also a tribute to her father, Charles Ingalls, who emerges as a truly great man and father. A hard-working man upon whom fortune did not always smile, but always was able to remain unbowed regardless of misfortune. He was also a strict disciplinarian, who did not believe in sparing the rod, but also a truly loving father, who would do anything for his girls. Charles Ingalls, as seen through the eyes of his daughter, is a man worthy of any reader's respect.

For those who see images of Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert when they hear the words, "Little House," please give the books a chance. They are really nothing like the TV series. Although Laura Ingalls Wilder infused her books with a great deal of sentimentality- they never descend into the maudlin syrup that was the hallmark of the TV series. One example of how different they truly are would be how they represented how Mary, Laura's older sister, lost her eyesight. In "On the Shores of Silver Lake" Laura describes how scarlet fever robbed her sister of her sight, but also proudly describes how that tragedy never brought Mary to tears. Mary always remained "patient and brave." In contrast, the TV show has Mary wailing, moaning, and carrying on until her family ships her off to a school for the blind. (In the books, Mary does eventually go to a college for the blind, but only after years of being an important and valuable member of the family despite her disability.) Once again, the Little House series is a perfect example of the books being vastly superior to any TV or film conversion.

My Favorite Series, April 6, 1999
I got my first set of Little House Books when I was 8. I read through all of them from start to finish and loved everyone of them. One day while surfing Amazon's site, I found out the series was continued with Laura's daughter Rose. So here I am, 24, running to the childrens section buying the whole new series. I was so happy that someone took the time to expand the books I almost cried. I always had wondered what happened to the Ingalls/Wilder family. My 16 year old, dog eared copies of the original series will go with my brand new Rose books, to my daughter someday. They are on my bookshelf!

A Collection to Grow Up With, January 2, 2000
My first book that I ever remember having read was Little House in the Big Woods. For Christmas, my father gave me the collection when I was three years old and we read them together until I was old enough to read them myself. The dog-eared copies I own have been read countless times and I look forward to someday reading these stories to my own children. The collection not only tells Laura's story but of her future husband and her sisters in a realistic and colorful manner. The pictures are drawn with attention to detail and the stories are priceless. To own this collection is to own a piece of history few of us know about. It is indeed the perfect collection to grow up with.

Boys will also love them as much as girls!!, December 13, 2005
I remember my teacher recommending these books for summer reading as a nine year old boy about 25 years ago. At first, I thought they would be "girls-only" reading. Am I glad I read "Little House in the Big Woods". These are incredible stories of adventure, happiness, joy, sorrow and the like. They often made me think of how families sustained daily life in the harsh American plains alomst 150 years ago. I am not a huge fan of fantasy literature; these stories could well have been typical life for so many families living on the frontier. I purchased this box set for my son as well as my niece and can't wait for them to experience this wonderful American journey!! Kids (or adults, for that matter) won't want to put these book down!!

Before there was Harry Potter ..., June 23, 2002
If memory serves me correctly, I discovered Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books around the age of seven. I do remember being the envy of my third-grade classmates when I received the entire boxed set AND "On The Way Home" for Christmas. Of course, newer generations only know Laura from the TV series, which, as an earlier reviewer remarked, was the epitome of schmalzy, rose-glassed views of pioneer life, but interestingly enough included some real incidents Laura never put in the books (the death of the baby brother and living in the hotel). The books, however, still stand the test of time. True, some of the harsher elements of frontier life are glossed over to an extent--these are books aimed at kids, after all--but overall the books are an fascinating study of life on the prairie in the post-Civil War years. Much like Harry Potter, the Little House books can be read and enjoyed by adults. My only quibble with the books is that I've always felt that there should have been another book between "On The Banks of Plum Creek" and "On The Shores of Silver Lake," since there's a jump of about five years between the two. According to some of Laura's biographers, however, Laura's family had some rough experiences during that time, so that might explain the lack.

Still, there's a reason these books are classics--the descriptions are top-notch, they're moralistic without smacking you over the head, and they're just plain fun to read. I still have the boxed set (not the same one I got for Christmas, alas), and on snowy days in my own little house I find myself curled up in front of the fire with "Farmer Boy" or "These Happy Golden Years." Enjoy!

Timeless reading, ageless and interesting from 5 years old.., November 27, 2002
I have been reading these books since I don't know how long and have been revisiting them again as I look for material to read my daughter. These are timeless wonderful novels. I remember the fascination with frontier and pioneer life of America when I was alittle girl. Reading them as an adult I am always charmed and interested in them.

Laura's writing is wonderful - it is packed with details not just of how they lived life, but how they made things - the recipes, the way they lit fires, made button lamps, beds, and everything. The writing is so vibrant and colourful it leaps off the page. It is wonderful that books are so transportable.

Of all the books the two I love best are Little House on the Prarie and On the Shores of Silver Lake. I think because they seemed the most hopeful and the most detailed (of all very very detailed books).

If you haven't read these then buy the whole set - they really are compelling reading, and for all the fuss about Harry Potter (which I enjoy immensely) I love these more, they are pure humanity.

Still My All Time Favorite, November 14, 2000
I LOVE THIS SERIES! I remember collecting this series as a child! My oldest daughter (now 15) read these when she was younger, and now my youngest daughter (8 yr) is beginning to read them. My oldest daughter was a quick learner, reading very young and Extremely fast. My youngest daughter is slower, so I have begun to read these books along with her to increase her reading skills. I am becoming reintroduced to this wonderful series and have also begun to purchase the kick-off series by other authors. This series has also brought back my interest in the Author's life, and I have begun to purchase other books to learn more about her! I recommend this book to everyone, young and old! ... Read more

Editorial Review

A Clue found in Book 3 sends Amy and Dan jetting off to find out just what's behind the fierce rivalry between the Tomas and Ekaterina branches of the Cahill family. Was a Clue stolen from the Tomas branch? Where is it now? And most important, can Amy and Dan get their hands on it before their rivals do?

It's a wild race that will take Amy and Dan deep into the bowels of the earth . . . and right into the hands of the enemy.

... Read more

Reviews

Best yet!, June 8, 2009
The Cahill siblings are at it again - this time in Egypt. Mysterious clues are hidden in some of the most famous tombs in all of history, but danger still abounds. This time around, though, Dan and Amy have some help from an old friend of Grace Cahill's - or do they?? This is the best book yet of the series.

Not as good as the others., April 23, 2010
I really like the 39 clues series but when I came to Jude Watsons book it became rather boring. I loved the sixth book In to deep by the same author it was exiting and one of
the best ones yet but her writing skills weren't as great in Beyond the grave. As for being appropriate there's not much bad in the book besides a couple of mentions of death and other physical violence. These scenes include people holding each other at "dart gunpoint"and both main characters are locked in a tomb. I would only recommend this book to children 8 and older.




p.s
Reading skills must be intermediate.

The Best Book in the Series Since The Maze of Bones, July 6, 2009
"Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you." -- Genesis 26:2

In the Bible, Egypt is often used as a symbol that stands for the evil that is in the world. That's a good reminder of the dangers that Amy and Dan Cahill will encounter when, accompanied by their au pair Nellie Gomez, they seek one of the 39 clues in Egypt.

As I've commented on the earlier three books, even if you don't plan to try to win the contest these books make for fun reading. It's like a much more exciting version of The Amazing Race with much more at stake.

This story is so delicious that I want to be very careful not to spoil it for you. Compared to the last two books, this one is absolutely super!

Jude Watson makes great use of all the characters to produce drama, introduce plot complications, develop relationships, deepen your understanding of the Cahills, and make you appreciate each character more. Determining what the clue is in this book is also much more difficult than in earlier books which I thought made the story more entertaining. I was especially pleased to see that the story makes good use of the Egyptian setting. In addition, Dan wasn't nearly so annoying here and Amy's weaknesses made her more appealing. Even the not-so-trustworthy Cahills are more interesting in this book than in the last two.

As I read the book, I couldn't help but wonder how Amy and Dan will be able to avoid all of their untrustworthy relatives and deal with the normal dangers of life as they race around the world. I can hardly wait for Book 5!

The book's main theme is trust. After you finish reading this book, think about who you should trust . . . and about what.

Great new series for middel grade readers, July 6, 2009
My Daughter loves these books and looks forward to each new installment. She is a strong reader and goes through book series very quickly. These are fun to read and she can't wait to get each new book and find more clues. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Best in the series., August 11, 2009
Out of all the five books, this is by far the best in the series. Carman brought the series back to where it should be, it had the feel of the first two books. Dan and Amy are in Russia gathering clues, and they have to make an alliance with a team they don't want to, but need to.

As the story unfolds we learn something about the character of Irina Spasky. I hope we learn more about her, and the hint that is dropped is explored more. I really like what Carman did with her. He really developed her and made her an interesting character. I hope we can learn more about her and her past.

I also like how Carman got away from Amy and Dan bickering all the time. In books 3 and 4, that was a major draw back for me. Dan and Amy are in the race for their lives, and they have to battle different members of the family tree, and they have to fight? For me, that never worked, and took away from the story. Glad to see that Carman didn't that in this book. It was such a pleasure to read.

Dan and Amy have to face something in this book that they never had to face in the past. They have a time limit. Amy and Dan get a mysterious card saying that they just have a set amount of hours to do what they need to, and if they don't, all will be lost.

I also loved how Carman kept the story in Russia, and let the reader in on some of the history and interesting facts about Russia, I felt that this aspect was missing from books 3 and 4. The reader gets drawn in and doesn't stop reading to the last page. This book has a lot of Russian history, and it was presented in such an interesting way.

One more thing I'll say that made The Black Circle such an interesting read..... while Dan and Amy solve puzzles and clues, they have a chance to learn more about their parents. At one point, one character tells them, "Make sure you want to know something. Once you know it, you can't unknow it."

That being said, this is a fantastic read! This is the first book I've read by Patrick Carmen and I may look up more books this author has written. This is fast paced and draws the reader in. I just hope that Carman gets to write more books in this series. Honestly, there wasn't any boring parts.

Kuddos to Patrick Carmen, great job done!

The Fabled Princess, September 1, 2009
Each book in THE 39 CLUES series just makes me wonder one thing: is the ending going to be a let-down, or is it going to be amazing? I keep trying to figure out what the end result -- what all the clues are going to create -- will be, but I'm stumped. Well, not exactly stumped. I have a few ideas, but I'm afraid that if I'm right... the ending might not live up to itself.

And with the newest installment, book 5, THE BLACK CIRCLE, things are still continuing to spin in some interesting directions. Lots of questions that have been lingering since the beginning keep doing just that: lingering. We're getting licks of answers, but nothing definite. And there are definitely a few new twists thrown into things this time. Is everyone really who they say they are? Can Dan and Amy really trust anyone?

THE BLACK CIRCLE sends the Cahill siblings off to Russia, where they chase down riddles left for them by someone only calling themselves "NRR." Is it a trap? Or is it really leading them to some of the biggest answers to their biggest questions?

The writing is pretty crisp here, and Patrick Carman definitely keeps things moving along nicely and in a similiar style to the previous books. The only thing I did notice was some of the cheesy humour employed by the other authors. And maybe part of that is the fact that things are getting a bit darker and more serious as the race for the clues goes on.

All in all, THE BLACK CIRCLE probably ranks 2nd or 3rd from what's come so far, and the entire series is definitely worth a good read.

best of the series, so far, September 12, 2009
After being quite disappointed with the previous book in the series, I think they did a great job with this installment. Instead of reviewing what happened in the previous installment, they just jumped right into the action and had a much stronger story. I'm quite excited for the next installment.

Carman and THE BLACK CIRCLE are amazing additions to this outstanding series, September 22, 2009
When Grace Cahill passed away, relatives oozed out of the woodwork in hopes of getting their hands on her fortunes. But Grace wasn't your typical old lady, and she didn't leave this world in typical fashion either. Instead of a will and an inheritance, she left behind a quest involving 39 clues that lead to a vast wealth and the highest authority imaginable. Now, six teams of Cahill relatives are racing around the world, chasing after intricately placed clues left behind by other famous Cahills, like Ben Franklin. The race is on, and there aren't any rules.

Fourteen-year-old Amy and her 11-year-old brother, Dan, make up one of the teams. Orphaned and unwanted by everyone except their beloved, and now deceased, grandmother, the siblings don't have anything to lose and have decided to go for it. But unlike their opponents, they have no money, no connections and no special training, not to mention the fact that they're just kids. Plus, Amy is shy and stutters when she's nervous, and Dan tends to be impulsive. This team has the odds of winning seriously stacked against them. But they do have a few pieces of jewelry from their grandmother to sell for expenses, a very cool au pair traveling with them, and, above all, a great deal of spunk, smarts and determination. And they've kept up with their opponents so far, somehow.

Jumping straight into the next leg of the race, Amy and Dan receive a telegram delivered to their hotel room in Cairo. It directs them to a locker at the airport, and is signed with the mysterious initials NRR. Dare they trust this stranger? Or is it just another deadly trick set up by one of their conniving relatives/opponents in the mad dash for the clues? Without anything else to go on, Amy and Dan slip out of the hotel, leaving a note for their sleeping au pair Nellie, stating that they went out for donuts. They never return.

What they find in the airport locker shocks both of them. It also points the way to Russia with two plane tickets, fake passports and disguises to make them appear older. While hitting their stockpile of junk food on the long flight, Amy and Dan tackle the mysterious message left for them in the locker. Of course, it isn't too long before they run into a few of the other teams, as everyone scrambles for a handhold and is willing to do almost anything to get one. Realizing they need a bit of help, they zero in on Hamilton Holt with whom to make an alliance. All of their past alliances have almost ended in deadly disaster, but once again, they feel they have no choice.

As Amy and Dan race through the hints left by the mysterious NRR, they learn about the tragic story behind the royal Russian family, the Romanovs, including Anastasia and Alexei, and the monk named Rasputin who worked with them. They also find themselves once again coming way too close to death. But they refuse to give up, especially when NRR hints they may find information about their deceased and dearly missed parents. The race is on!

Bestselling author Patrick Carman jumps in the driver's seat for the fifth leg of this incredible, mind-boggling race, and he does so with a gifted imagination and a brilliant knack for storytelling. He does an amazing job concocting the clever clues that pull Amy and Dan into Russia, and then shares some Russian history in an interesting and mind-grabbing way. Carman also has a talent for intense action sequences and end-of-chapter cliffhangers that really keep the story moving fast. And his hysterical sense of humor is splattered throughout the pages.

Carman and THE BLACK CIRCLE are amazing additions to this outstanding series. And fans won't have to wait too terribly long for book six, due out in early November. [...].

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman

Great book, September 12, 2009
This was one of the best books in the series. There seemed to be less bickering and back stabbing. I really enjoyed this one and am looking forward to the next one. I hope it continues in this style.

Best...............For Now, August 19, 2009
The 39 Clues are a very good series this is the best The 6th one looks like its gonna be interesting also they might make a 39 clues movie read that off the internet ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Fabulous!, June 8, 2010
What a fab series this is! The Emperor's Code is an engaging and exciting read and the history is interesting as well. There are a lot of surprises in this one...so I won't mention those or that would rather defeat the object. Enjoy. I'd also recommend the excellent 'Godstone - The Kairos Boxes' which also has history and adventure:


Godstone - The Kairos Boxes

Best series ever, June 29, 2010
I bought the 39 Clues for my grandson, but I must admit that Nana has gotten hooked and can't wait for the 10th book. I just love the writing and the story and will miss the characters when I am done

Great book in an incredible series, June 14, 2010
Gordon Korman does an amazing job on this 8th book in this unique, creative series. The Cahills, Amy and Dan, start in China and the book ends with them heading off to the Caribbean in search of pirates. The main historical figures featured in this volume are the last emperor of China, Puyi, and a British climber named George Mallory. But they also travel back and forth across China and encounter different aspects of Chinese history. Dan and Amy finally think they find out what clan of the Cahill family they belong to. They have a fight and get separated in Tiananmen Square. Some of the family seems to be helping them and some they still mistrust.

This is the first series I have read that was written in such a way - 7 authors in 10 books in under 2 years. The individual books are good but collectively they are great. If you combine the books with the online games and clue hunt, you have an amazing experience for children of all ages. I started reading these books because the concept was so unique and interesting. I keep reading them because they are so well written. The gift and skill of the authors contributing to this series amazes me, each picking up from the previous book and continuing the series while keeping true to the characters and the overall story arc. This series is truly wonderful.

Best Book in the Series So Far!, May 1, 2010
"But Jeroboam caused an ambush to go around behind them; so they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. And when Judah looked around, to their surprise the battle line was at both front and rear; and they cried out to the LORD, and the priests sounded the trumpets. Then the men of Judah gave a shout; and as the men of Judah shouted, it happened that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah." -- 2 Chronicles 13:13-15 (NKJV)

After several books in a series, a pattern is established that's so clear that the average reader could write the next page pretty accurately without any notes. While such predictability makes a story rewarding by delivering what's expected, it also causes the experience to lose its tastiness . . . much like food without seasoning seems quite bland.

The publishers of the 39 Clues books made a brilliant decision to change authors from one book to another (while having some repeat after a few books) so that there is more variety. That decision paid off beautifully for readers of The Emperor's Code. This book really rocks!

If you have been reading the earlier seven books, you've come to expect a visit to a new country in each book and several references to the new clue. Along the way, there's some double-dealing among the competing contestants. There will probably be an entry into some forbidding place where more secrets are hidden and revealed.

If that's what you expect from The Emperor's Code, you have some nice surprises ahead of you. The formula is shaken up in a way that makes the whole story line seem fresher and more interesting. I felt like I was back at the beginning of the first book when Amy and Dan had to decide whether to give up a million dollars each to engage in the contest. The story has more action and excitement than any other two books in the series.

But the best part was . . . this book has some real surprises that you'll enjoy. I won't say more.

Get this book today and have a ball!

Litland.com loves 39 Clues Book 8: The Emperor's Code!, April 28, 2010
One thing about this series...no matter who the author, you can count on a little humor to lighten up the adventure! Book 8 starts off with comments like Dan's lament "There's an international conspiracy to bore me." And while other books have bad guys chasing good guys, does the good guy almost get made into a lollipop?

Amy and Dan are understandably having to adjust to finding out that they belong to the Madrigal family, renowned evil-doers. Then finding that their parent's aliases in Africa had criminal reputations was crushing. But deep inside remained hope, the hope that they, their parents, and their beloved grandmother were really the good guys. Any other series might have the characters longing to be evil with its false sense of power and control. This is an example of how good overshadows evil continuously throughout the story.

See our review using character education criteria at www.litland.com and our commentary for discussion at [...] , we highly recommend this book!

Another Solid Piece of the Mystery, May 15, 2010
Such a great series of books! It is amazing how the various authors can stay true to the story and deliver 8 excellent books in a row. We are looking forward to the two final books of the series.
This series works for both the avid reader and the reluctant reader from age 7+. The characters in the story make it attractive to both girls and boys. This mystery/adventure goes way beyond the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew- more exciting, more current, and more educational.

Because It's There, April 19, 2010
Dan and Amy Cahill are up to their faces in mysteries. And now they're on a flight to China as book number eight, THE EMPEROR'S CODE, in the New York Times bestselling series THE 39 CLUES, begins. The only lead they have to go on is a vague symbol painted in the background of an old movie, THE LAST EMPEROR, and that might even be just a false lead. And with the many branches of the Cahill family out to steal their clues and murder them both, every step forward could be their last. But when Dan and Amy are separated from each other - they both have to face the reality: either find each other, or find the next clue and risk losing the only family they have left.

Gordon Korman is not new to THE 39 CLUES. He also authored book number two, ONE FALSE NOTE, which had felt somewhat off track after Rick Riordan's first entry, THE MAZE OF BONES. I was a bit worried if Korman could pull off another book in the series, but he definitely did, and this one ranks as one of the best so far. The writing is crisp and moves along, just like any other book in the series, but what really shines here is the deeper characterizations that sometimes felt lacking in previous books. Dan and Amy are really explored as they separate from each other on the hunt, and it was a very unique opportunity for Korman to be able to reach inside their heads and give us more of their fears and thoughts about the things that have happened to them both. But he doesn't skimp out on the humor, action, or puzzles. And in some ways, the danger was all the more real as they travel into some of their most dangerous situations yet.

While the casual reader will enjoy this next book in the series, those who want to dive a little deeper will find some very intriguing puzzles fitted into the book itself. One code hidden throughout the volume will likely be one of the most shocking clues yet to the overarching storyline of the series, while a couple of other small clues hidden on the front cover will provide some hints that have yet to be understood. Also, the ending note that is usually just a general letter to some branch of the Cahill family mentioning they "Stop Dan and Amy" is something very different this time - and it makes me wonder if there is a huge twist that, in typical Riordan style, is almost impossible to see coming.

All said, THE 39 CLUES series is one of those once-in-a-publishing-lifetime events that comes along and really creates something out of itself, with ingenious references to historical figures, unique puzzles and clues, and all building up to something that promises to be truly astounding. With only two more books to go, things are definitely on a swift-moving track, and all we can know for certain is the end is very, very near.

Back to what the series should be!, April 7, 2010
Wow, this was such a great read. Before I get to the review, I want to give Gordon Korman props for this book. This is back to what the series should be, and what is expected to be. He did a fantastic job.

Dan, Amy Nellie are in China in search of a clue. It stated when they were on a plane, and everybody was watching the same movie, except for Amy and Dan. They had a special movie, one only that was played for them. In it, they spot something, a sort of secret message, for them, if they saw it, and they did. That lead them to the first clue in China. In the process of solving the clue, it leads them throughout China. Solving the clue is hard, but it's not the hardest thing they have to face. Dan and Amy have to solve the clues apart. I don't want to say to much, but Dan and Amy are separated from each other, and as usual, people are after them. That's all I really wanted to say on the plot, because I don't want to spoil anything.

What also makes this book so great to read is that it has wonderful characterization. Korman puts a lot of the focus on Jonah Wizard, and I'm glad that Korman did that. In the past few books, The young hip-hip-tv star has been missing from the books, and it was nice to see him again. He plays a pretty big role in the book, again, I don't want to say to much. Speaking of characterization, we're able to get into the thoughts of one character (I won't say who) but they've come to terms with who and what they are, and don't want to be in the race anymore, but certain forces are keeping that person in the race. It was nice to see the inside thoughts and feelings of that person.

Korman turned the series to what is should have been, and some of the books haven't done that. He had clues that Amy and Dan had to solve, kept historic elements in the book, but it wasn't overdone. It was a nice blend of mystery and history. That was a very nice touch.

Korman also did something that no other author has done in the series. He left a secret message with in the book. It's easy to follow, if you pay attention and put everything together. It was such a nice touch to add a hidden message in a book that deals with clues. Ways to go!

This has some nice plot twists that will keep the reader glued to the pages. I'm glad to see what Korman did with this book. He brought it back to the basics, and to what it should, and how it was meant to be. Nice job!

If you continue with this adventure, I know you won't be sorry, I sure wasn't! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life and his most precious secret are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery. ... Read more

Reviews

Curiouser and curiouser, February 11, 2007
No one can really summarize a book any better than the author proper. So what is, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" anyway? "... this is not exactly a novel, and it's not quite a picture book, and it's not really a graphic novel, or a flip book, or a movie, but a combination of all these things." In short, what you have is a book that can't really be lumped into a single genre. With the rising popularity of the graphic novel, authors have been looking at how to let the visual elements of a given story complement the text. Some will weave graphic novel elements in and out, panels on one page, text on another. Others prefer a kind of "Captain Underpants" melding with cartoonish pictures. And while all these books are fun reads, none of them have ever really had the (for lack of a better word) gravitas you'd find in a classic text-only children's novel. Until now, that is. "Hugo Cabret" is a risk. A 500+ page book that's told just equally by pictures as it is by text. It is also like nothing you've ever seen before. No other children's book has even come close.

Without Hugo Cabret, none of the clocks in the magnificent Paris train station he lives in would work. Though he's only a kid, Hugo tends to the clocks every day. But there's something even more important in the boy's life than gigantic mechanics. Hugo owns a complex automaton, once his father's, that was damaged in a fire and it is his life's goal to make the little machine work again. To do so, he's been stealing small toys from an old shopkeeper in the station. One day the man catches Hugo in the act, and suddenly the two are thrown together. Coincidences, puzzles, lost keys, and a mystery from the past combine in this complex tale of old and new. The story is told with pictures that act out the action and then several pages of text that describe the plot elements. The final effect is like watching a puzzle work itself into clarity.

Selznick is juggling so many different elements and inspirations in this book that you honestly expect the result to be a muddle. Okay. So you have a story involving old-timey movie-maker Georges Melies (he's the old shopkeeper) whose image in this book was modeled on children's book author Remy Charlip (also an influence). You have an automaton, the history of automatons, and the history of movies themselves. There are photographs of old films mixed in with some bizarre sketches. Then you throw all of this together and add in a story about a boy, a girl, a one-eyed man, toys, keys, and a train station. Boom! Instant book. The fact that this title ISN'T a mess is downright bizarre.

They say that the mark of a good musical depends on how well the songs advance the story's plot. You can't just have your characters burst into song and then act like nothing ever happened. The case could be made too for books like "Hugo Cabret". If there is a picture in this story, it has a purpose. Nothing here was included on a whim. When the book breaks from word to image, it has to be done just right. It has to feel natural. At one point in "Hugo Cabret" our hero is nearly trapped by the Station Inspector. The book reads, "The Station Inspector saw the bandages and loosened his grip, at which point, like a wild animal, Hugo escaped." What follows is a thirty-six page chase sequence that comes across like a black and white film. And the real star of this show, in the end, is Selznick's art. The man is doing things with mood and lighting that give the book just the right mysterious feel. Selznick's pictures are done, for the most part in graphite with plenty of shading involved. At the same time, he knows how to get the viewer involved in what they are seeing. There are moments where the "camera" is zooming in on a particular shot and instantly gets your attention. In the book's opening, we begin with a shot of the moon that pulls back and follows young Hugo. Then suddenly, we see Hugo look over his shoulder and the picture hits you hard. We're on the eighteen or nineteenth page and already we're deeply interested in what we're seeing. We want to know more. Hugo does have some magnificent bags under his eyes at times, and he and the old man's granddaughter Isabelle sometimes look rather similar, but on the whole it's hard to find anything wrong with what Selznick has chosen to place in this book.

Admittedly, not everything works as smoothly as it might. Selznick has to keep everything in this story moving constantly. Nobody wants to see picture after picture of people just sitting around and talking, after all. So really, the downside to this kind of book is that some degree of characterization and description is lost in favor of plot and theme. The kids in this book go from liking one another, to hating, to liking again in a manner that feels a tad awkward. Motivations are sometimes murky, even if they're explained later down the line.

But the allure of this book for kids can't be stressed enough. Selznick is most familiar to children, at this point in time, because of his covers of such Andrew Clements books as "Frindle" and "School Story". When kids see a Selznick cover, they know to grab it. Children who like big thick Harry Potter-sized tomes will pluck the multi-colored "Hugo Cabret" from its shelves without hesitation. Ironically, though, this is a perfect title for reluctant readers. Though the page count will scare off some, those who've been shown the insides will appreciate this unfamiliar form of storytelling. Unlike a graphic novel or a picture book, however, you can't understand "Hugo Cabret" through pictures alone. You can try, I guess, but you end up with a very different tale from the one Selznick has written. The nice thing is that in spite of all the complicated details and influences at work here, the story itself is straightforward and interesting.

Extra kudos for the spine of this title, by the way. Publishing houses too often forget that sometimes the spine of a book is all a customer is ever going to see of a title. And if there were a Best Spine of the Year Award, I think I know who the winner might be. The spine and back are of Hugo's face, lit from the side. Just his left eye and part of his cheek are visible on the spine, with the title, author, and publisher information shoved to the bottom. It's haunting. Does haunting sell? You bet your sweet bippy it does.

It's hard to say whether or not this kind of format would work with any other book. Really, it's the fact that so much of "Hugo Cabret"'s plot revolves around black and white movies that allows this book to jump so easily between image and text. If you did something similar with a story about, oh I dunno, a lion in the jungle, it might feel odd. But given Selznick's subject matter and his careful use of both his own illustrations, movie stills, and sketches, the book holds together. The writing is second to the illustrations, but it's still heads and tales better than most of the crummy kidlit you'll stumble across. Sometimes you hold a book in your hands and it feels like a classic from day one. "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" radiates that feeling.

A rich sensory experience..., March 12, 2007
The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick, is a children's novel weighing in at an intimidating 533 pages, but the reader brave enough to dive headlong into its pages will find a multi-layered text that consists of not only a delightfully written tale, but rich illustrations that take over the telling of the story at regular intervals. Selznick's creation navigates the grey area between picture book and graphic novel in what certainly constitutes a visual and narrative achievement and a truly original book.

Hugo is a 12-year-old boy strapped with responsibility beyond that which a child should have to shoulder. After his uncle--a hopeless drunk in charge of tending the station's clocks--disappears, Hugo takes it upon himself to maintain the clocks in hopes that his uncle won't be missed and he can keep his dwelling and enjoy the freedom of coming and going, living within the walls, and repairing an artifact cherished by both Hugo and his late father. The artifact at the center of the tale is a forgotten automaton discovered among the dust and rot of a museum storage room. It is a mechanical man, pen in hand, poised to deliver a message; Hugo feels certain that if he can repair the automaton by using his late father's notes, the mechanical man will write a message from beyond the grave. Hugo resorts to stealing toys from the toy booth in the train station, and soon finds himself working off his debt to the shopkeeper, a man with secrets of his own. What follows involves a stolen notebook, an oddly familiar drawing, unlikely friends, the magic of silent film, and a giant in cinema, Georges Melies (the most recognizable of his films being A Trip to the Moon or Le Voyage dans la Lune, 1902).

While the novel largely defies categorization, it closely resembles a silent film in many respects, and fittingly so. In addition to the novel's rich illustrations, Selznick employs photos and movie stills to show the reader his story as opposed to simply telling it. In the tradition of graphic narrative (or sequential art, whatever your term of choice), the illustrations play as integral a role in the overall story as the text. The use of illustrations is hardly gratuitous, for the pictures quite literally take over and carry out the narrative when the text disappears. And, really, who would care if the illustrations were gratuitous? They're gorgeous.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is full of magic...for the child reader, for the adult reader, the film lover, the art lover, for anyone willing to give it a go. If you're scared of the size or the concept, don't be. Open your mind, pour Selznick's creation in, and be reminded of the dream of childhood.

Objet d'art, February 1, 2007
THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET is art of a high order. To start with, this book is a beautiful object. The right dust jacket can definitely sell a book. The graphite rendering of Hugo in extreme close-up gracing the book's spine and wrapping around the back cover is what drew me to the bookshelf in the first place. And upon discovering the book's unusual format, I was hooked. The artwork here does not illustrate the text. Rather it advances the plot. It's a little like watching a silent movie and reading title cards...completely appropriate in a story dealing with the origins of cinema.

The story lives up to the promise of the packaging. It is immediately engaging and ultimately touching. Hugo is the orphaned son of a clock-maker, living in the walls behind a Parisian train station, maintaining the station's clocks, stealing bread and milk to survive, stealing nuts, bolts, and gears to complete a project his father was working on when he died. His secret existence is threatened as his life becomes entwined with a bitter, old man and a bookish young girl. It's part graphic novel, part mystery, part coming-of-age. There are echoes of Pinocchio but with a twist as here it is a lonely boy building an automaton father figure.

This is a timeless book about, among other things, time. This is a book for the ages, and a book for all ages. The story, the artwork, the writing style, the overall design, all first rate parts of a greater whole, like the precisely crafted mechanism of a fine Swiss clock.

Really Truly Extraordinary!, January 30, 2007
I had a couple hours between work appointments and found this book while browsing about randomly in the bookstore. I just finished it, have only taken the time to ever post one or two other reviews on Amazon but had to post in case anyone is on the fence about buying this book. The story, the orignality of the plot as well as the layout and design, just blew me away. This is one of those rare books I will never ever forget reading for the first time.

Like nothing you've seen before, January 19, 2007
This is a terrific book, and there's going to be plenty of talk about it, at least in the children's book world. The funny thing is, it's over 500 pages long, and the writing isn't what's going to get the attention. The pictures, though, they're something else. I'm blathering, yet somehow not saying much at all. Let me attempt to make sense....

This is a story about an orphan living in a Paris train station during the 1930's, a magician, and the movies. It also involves a broken clockwork man (aka: the automaton) that just might be able to write, and just might ocntain a message from Hugo's dead father. The film buffs among you will be intrigued to know that Geroges Melies figures into the plot as well. It's a bit of a mystery, a bit of a fantasy, and also bit of a picture book/graphic novel, which is what makes it really interesting.

Brian Selznick's art in this book just knocks me out. The book is fat and heavy, and all the pages are bordered in black. At least 1/3 of it is artwork. But the thing is, the pictures aren't just for decoration. They meld with the story, and make it move. From time to time, the text just stops, and when you turn the page, the plot continues in these fabulous double-page black & white pencil drawings. The drawings function like a cinematic zoom lens, carrying you right into the vital part of the art/story, sometimes carrying on for ten or twelve pages at a time, almost like a sophisticated flip book. If you skip the pictures, you skip a slice of the story.

Here's an example:
"Hugo reached in and pulled out a large, heavy object. He untied the frayed ropes and unwrapped the fabric that covered it."
And then you turn the page and see Hugo looking at "it". And you turn the next page and get a closeup of "it". And no, I'm not going to tell you what "it" is. Read the book.

If that's not enough, the art isn't simply functional, it's also really pretty. As in When Marian Sang, Selznick is very clever about using light and dark to direct your eye exactly where it needs to go, even in a crowded train station scene. And he's fantastic with faces, particularly in closeup. They simply glow. In various places, the characters talk about old movies, and when they do, you get a double-page spread of a still frame from the real film. It's just plain cool. I hope-hope-hope Amazon does that "Search inside this book" feature with Hugo Cabret so you can really see what on earth I'm talking about.

Put this book on your list of things to do this spring. I don't think you'll be sorry, and you just might be dazzled.

An Inspiring Work of Historical Fiction for Children, July 29, 2007
My six-year-old and I just finished reading Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret. What a fabulous book, in terms of story, illustration and print production. The concept is brilliant: Selznick breaks up the three inter-related mysteries of a young orphan living inside the walls of a Paris train station with movie stills and his own pencil illustrations. The most compelling aspect, however, is the unusual story of a mechanically gifted boy who finds a broken automaton and fixes its clockwork innards in hopes of receiving a loving message. Our love-hate relationship with machines is often the nexus of books that explore the darker side of the equation. Few delve into the beauty and wonder of machines the way this one does.

At the end of the book, Selznick explains his inspiration:

"I had long wanted to write a story about [early movie director] Georges Melies, but it wasn't until I read a book called Edison' Eve: A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life by Gaby Wood that this story began to really take shape. The book discussed Melies' collection of automata, which was donated to a museum, where it was neglected in a damp attic and eventually thrown away. I imagined a boy finding those machines in the garbage, and at that moment, Hugo and this story were born."


Selznick helpfully includes a link to the Maillardet automaton, which was built circa 1800 and donated in 1928 to the Franklin Institute:

"When the repairs were completed and the driving motors were set in motion, the Automaton came to life. It lowered its head, positioned its pen, and began to produce elaborate sketches. Four drawings and three poems later, in the border surrounding the final poem, the Automaton clearly wrote, "Ecrit par L'Automate de Maillardet." This translates to "Written by the Automaton of Maillardet." Amazingly, the first clue of the true history and identity of the machine had come from its own mechanical memory!"

The site has pictures of the automaton's sketches and a poem. Apparently, while Maillardet made many automata, only one other could write--in Chinese--and it was King George III's gift to China's Emperor.

What a glorious use of old and new media, including the Internet, by Selznick!

quickest 500 pages i ever read, July 26, 2007
This book was enjoyed by myself and all my children 13, 10 and 7. The size is daunting, but with the amount of amazing pictures hleping to carry the story along, you suddenly realize you are 1/2 thru!!
Great story, amazing art. A friend even got some of the old movies mentioned in the story off Netflixs and we watched them with the kids. Truely enjoyable book.

A terrific book, July 13, 2007
My sons (16 and 20) and I (51 year old mom) rarely all agree on a book but this did it. I think the other descriptions are great for a book that is really hard to explain! My recommendation is to just get it and see for yourself.

Creativity Abounds, May 19, 2007
Truly huge props should be given to the design team and publishers behind what is surely the years most original and beautifully done book. THe story is simple and sweet, about of a boy named Hugo who lives within the walls of a Paris train station in the lackluster care of his Uncle after his parents die. He is left with a simple automaton ( mechanical man) that his father had been working on before he died. To say much more would be a disservice to the plot, but the real catch with the book, is that probably over seventy percent of the narrative is told in gorgeous pencil on paper drawings by the author, the result being a most unique and wonderful way of telling a story.

Visually engaging story, March 16, 2007
I first heard about this book during an interview on NPR, and knew I had to see for myself what they were talking about. I have never read, or should I say, "looked" at a story quite this way. I found myself getting lost in Selznick's highly detailed illustrations, which pulled me deeply into the story. To say it is a children's book is limiting; this book is a wonderful read for any age. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Another Great Installment, February 7, 2010
Dan and Amy travel from Indonesia to Pretoria, South Africa and learn all about Shaka Zulu and Winston Churchill in this the seventh adventure in the 39 Clues series. They are on the run from the evil Isabel Kabra and the evil but inept Eisenhower Holt. They have encounters with Alastair Oh and still don't really know whose side he is on. They also meet some friends of Grace and learn what family branch they are part of. The book was filled with exciting adventures and lots of dangerous situations.

Shaka -- Shaka Khan, February 7, 2010
Another day in the life of Dan and Amy Cahill and their au pair Nellie Gomez? Well, that might include daring escapes, rescues, wretchedly nefarious family reunions, explosions, snakes, and the odd clue or two to the mysterious Cahill family secret. Peter Lerangis delivers another epic installment in THE 39 CLUES series, and this time, the stakes are higher than before, and the clue hunt is beginning to wear the siblings down: who can they trust anymore? Can they even trust each other? Or Grace, their beloved grandmother? More and more secrets keep cropping up in book seven: THE VIPER'S NEST.

The plot continues on straightaway from book six, and I would recommend going back and re-reading the last chapter of IN TOO DEEP before you set foot into book seven -- just to re-orient yourself in the Cahill world. I don't want to delve too deeply into the plot here, but rest assured, there is plenty more action, intrigue, and the final revelation of Dan and Amy's family branch.

This is the second installment in the series from Lerangis, and I remember really enjoying book three -- THE SWORD THIEF -- by him. The plot moves along swiftly, and he reminds us of just enough without seeming like he's dumping previous information down our throats. A lot of the typical CLUES staples are here as well -- a reigning family nemesis throughout the book, more mysteries and twists -- and the final page is one that made me sit back and say, "WHAT!" I will definitely be eagerly waiting for the next book coming out in a few months.

THE 39 CLUES continues to be a fairly solid book series perfect for the 3rd to 7th grade set (and beyond). Definitely one to have on your bookshelf.

Wonderful progress, May 25, 2010
This book is the seventh in a unique series that was to run 10 books. Originally it was to be 10 books by 7 authors in a single continuous story arch, with online games, and clue hunts and more, at the 39 Clues website. Each book now seems to be getting better than the one before, and also leaves you hungry for the next instalment. Scholastic has also now announced an 11th volume, The Black Book of Buried Secrets, which will be out shortly after book 10.

Peter Lerangis has written a wonderful piece pivotal to the story arc. Amy and Dan Cahill are still up to their neck in the hunt for the 39 clues. They are learning to trust again. This time they are in South Africa, and the historical figures explored included Winston Churchill and Shaka and they also find out more about their grandmother Grace, and their parents. Lerangis gives us a lot of real history in under 200 pages. Once you start reading this book you will not want to put it down, even more so than some of the others in the series.

The last few books had become very dark and though the race for the 39 clues is still on, and some factions are becoming more and more dangerous, Dan and Amy seem to be finding a better balance. This is another amazing book in an incredible series.

Another terrific book in this fun series, March 20, 2010
This is a set of fantastic books for about 9 to 10 year olds. My daughter, who loves to read, can whip through one in an evening. I am still trying to interest my son, who is 8 and hates to read for even five minutes. The authors work in a bit of fairly unobtrusive learning into the action-packed stories as the Cahill siblings race around the world seeking the clues. This book travels from Indonesia to Johannesburg, South Africa and manages to cover the Zulu Nation, the Boer War and apartheid. The stakes are ever higher, and the adventures are getting more dangerous; Dan and Amy actually witnessed a death at the end of book 6, although nothing bloody or gory is detailed in the book itself. The next book is due out on April 6. I can't wait because I'm still wondering how the authors will unveil the rest of the 39 clues in only 3 remaining books.

Love the stuff that challenges her mind!, March 13, 2010
Purchased as a gift for my 11 y.o. daughter. She loved it! Has all of the other books in the series, and can't wait for the next!

Courtesy of Teens Read Too, March 10, 2010
Dan and Amy just barely escaped from a deadly fire that killed their adversary, who in a strange turn of events died saving their lives. Now, they're on the run again trying to escape from everyone while chasing another clue in South Africa.

They're on a mission to research Shaka Zulu and unravel the man from the myth, plus discover his final resting place. Once again, the search leads them into the hands of Grace's old friends, who offer advice and more puzzles to unravel.

Will they find the next clue before their opposition finds them?

The seventh book in the addicting action-adventure series, THE VIPER'S NEST uncovers a huge secret that raises additional questions. I can't wait to read about what happens to Amy and Dan next.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

When's the next book due out?, March 9, 2010
My husband and I use this series as a read-aloud at night, and it keeps getting more exciting. I bought this because I couldn't stand the suspense of waiting for it to come into the library!

I wish there were more "family line" plot elements in this book... good story, though, while waiting for more of the unveiling!

Who is Nellie Gomez?????

Another Great One, March 7, 2010
My kids and I have enjoyed this series of books. We have enjoyed reading about Amy and Dan and their nanny. We have had a lot of fun predicting where we think they will go next, who might die next, what might happen next. This book left us guessing even more. We are still unsure of Nellie (the nanny) and what she really is and who she really is in this series.

I like that Amy and Dan show many character traits I'd like my children to emulate. They take care of each other, they trust each other, and they have tenacity to stick through and solve a problem.

Because each book is about a different person or place or a different person in a different place we have done further research on people such as Mozart and Australia and so on.

In this book they are on the road again traveling. And as they race to solve puzzles and find answers they meet some of Grace's friends and the end just adds to the mystery.

Fascinating. It will help if you read all the books in order.
Enjoy

Fascinating Plot Developments with Unsatisfying Dialogue and Interactions, February 13, 2010

"And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion.
He said, 'I have had a dream:
To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian;
it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.'"

--Judges 7:13

Don't miss this book. It's a pivotal one in the series.

Whatever you do, don't read the last few pages before starting the book. You'll spoil a big and interesting surprise if you do.

The Viper's Nest opens in the middle of the Indonesian action that began in In Too Deep. Amy and Dan Cahill find themselves shaken to discover even more reasons to believe that the advice they received to trust no one should be taken very literally. As a result, they find it difficult to make progress. After a fairly humorous sequence about where to find the next clue, those chasing Amy and Dan find themselves off in different directions. Their travels take them to a locale where they gain some fascinating new insights into their Grandmother and their parents. The book ends with an astonishing revelation that will definitely get your attention.

Although the plot developments are very rewarding in this book, I didn't like the way the story was told nearly as much as in other episodes. Mr. Lerangis doesn't seem to love these characters and develops them as little as possible. I was left feeling as if I was reading a story that didn't quite fit into the series. After seven books, the relationships among the main characters should be becoming richer and richer. Instead, the relationships in The Viper's Nest are as superficial as they were in the series' very beginning.

... Read more

Editorial Review

Just How Big Can aLittle Girl Dream?
Ask Isabella...
She takes awild ride-and discovers the sky's the limit!

"This story...speaks frankly aboutself-identity and self affirmation as Isabella decides at the end that she isactually herself...because she possesses the best parts of all of the women shelooks up to."
-ForeWord Magazine

"The colorful mixed-media artwork reinforcesthe fanciful, upbeat tone of the book. Use this story to ignite young readers'interest in women's history."
-SchoolLibrary Journal

Who Is Your Hero?

Isabella's include U.S. Astronaut SallyRide, activist Rosa Parks, and sharpshooter Annie Oakley-but there's no biggerhero than Isabella's own mommy!

Join Isabella on an adventure ofdiscovery-and find out how imagining to be these extraordinary women teachesher the importance of being her extraordinary self.

A rollicking read-aloud and terrific"read-to-myself" story, My Name Is Not Isabella is capturing hearts andawards, including:

• Silver ForeWord Book of the Year Award for Picture Books
• Gold Moonbeam Children's Book Award
• Gold Independent Publisher Book Award
• Amelia Bloomer List

Jennifer Fosberry is a science geekturned children's book writer. Until recently, she worked as a project managerin Silicon Valley in the high-tech electronicfield. She currently divides her time between the San Francisco Bay Area and Costa Ricawith her husband and three children.

Mike Litwin combines a variety ofmedia to create scenes that serve the imagination and education of women. Agraduate of the East Carolina University School of Art and Design, he plays bothdesigner and illustrator with an often wacky, always delightful style thatuniquely blends playful innocence with devilish mischief. Illustrating andtelling stories for children is his passion, his entertainment, and his dream.He currently lives in Greenville, North Carolina, with his wife andthree daughters.

Reviews

A "Must Have" Book!, September 29, 2010
This is a beautiful book for children, girls and boys alike, although it's geared more for girls. Both the illustrations and the text are fun and imaginative, and there is inspiration for girls to become whatever they want to be. The short biographies at the end of the book also add to the appeal. I would certainly recommend this book as "must reading" for girls; I plan to give it as a Christmas gift to every young girl on my list!!

Ispiring, September 28, 2010
Just how big can a little girl dream? This is the question asked in Jennifer Fosberry's latest kid's book, My Name is not Isabella.

Isabella is a little girl who wakes up one morning with big dreams of being somebody great. She spends the day pretending to be some of the greatest female heroines in history. Fantastic women such as Annie the sharpshooter, Rosa the activist, and Marie the scientist inspire young Isabella. She even pretends to be "Mommy" for a brief time before bedtime. Supported by a fun-loving mother, Isabella eventually discovers that the best person to be is herself, the sweetest, kindest, smartest, bravest, fastest, toughest, greatest girl that ever was!

The book introduces some great historical females to young girls and inspires them to be great! It also teaches them that whoever they are, the best heroine of all is themselves. The teachable quality of this heartwarming tale empowers young girls with the knowledge that they can do anything they want while inspiring them to let their own personalities shine.

As you can see the pictures are absolutely adorable. They are whimsical, bright, and full of personality. I also liked how some of the illustrations where Isabella was pretending to be a famous character, were drawn to be a reflection of the historical black and white photographs of the actual heroines.

At the end of the book is a short biography of each of the real characters that inspired Isabella. It's a great way for young girls to learn history and be inspired.

Dreams can become reality, September 14, 2010
Sally Ride, the first woman astronaut in space
Annie Oakley, American sharpshooter and circus shooter
Rosa Parks, African-American civil rights activist
Marie Curie, one of the most famous female scientists
Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to graduate medical school, the first woman doctor
Mommy, one of the loves of little Isabella's life

This beautifully illustrated gold and purple children's book provides 5 different history lessons for little girls - and little boys who will listen. Using rhyme, a funny story, and a very adventurous little girl, whose name is only Isabella when she's not being a woman of action, Jennifer Fosberry is able to tell the story of 5 women in American history who have changed lives. And of millions of women whose job is to encourage their children, daily.

In one day Isabella is able to morph into these women, and remind us, the grown-folks, of women who have paved paths, and teach children, both boys and girls, about the how a little girl's dreams can turn that little girl into a game-changing inspiration for millions of other little girls. Isabella also teaches adults, who may feel like it's too late to make a change, that's there's always time to follow your dream.

I love this book.
Reviewed for Arms of a Sister ... Read more

Editorial Review

Set during the pioneer days of the late 1800s and early 1900s, Laura Ingalls Wilder's books chronicle her life growing up on the Western frontier. For the first time in the history of the Little House books, these new editions feature Garth Williams' interior art in vibrant, full color. Come along for the adventure with this collector's set of the first five Little House books.

Reviews

Very good with one concern, October 11, 2005
I purchased this set for my wife. It is very nice, especially with the pictures in the inside of the book. The only down side of this set is that it is not the whole Little house collection. This set contains the first 5 books and there are at least four more that follow. I tried to find the remaining books and wound up ordering the entire set (including these 5 again) by a different publisher. These five are probably nicer, but I just thought the whole set would have been better.

Full Color Set is VERY Nice!, February 24, 2005
There is no need to write what these books are about, for everyone knows that they are about the pioneer life of Laura as she was growing up. Also, the book Farmer Boy is about her husband's boyhood in New York. They are wonderful books. I am 42 and I first read them when I was in Jr. High school, and at that time, These Happy Golden Years was my favorite of the series. I bought a set years ago when my 21 yr. old was small. She read them and loved them. We read them aloud when my now 12 yr. old was about 6, and we are reading them aloud again so my 7 yr. old son can enjoy them. We just bought this new set of FULL COLOR editions because our first set is pretty ratty from use. These books are very nice with the full color illustrations, and also the pages are much thicker. I am glad to have this set and feel they are very much worth the higher price for being in color.

Every child should hear these stories. They are very interesting. For us this time, we are again realizing how drastically different life is now from Laura's day. People LIVED then, for they really WORKED and were PRODUCTIVE then, and I believe they were HAPPIER then as well. We are in Farmer Boy now, and we are amazed at how self reliant his family was in producing almost all their own food, clothes ( mother even wove the cloth herself, used the oat straw from the fields to weave their hats), etc. Everyone worked, even the children. It actually makes me sort of sad, really, for everyone needs work and children do too, but today there isn't much work for children to do. Back then it was a productive society, today sadly it is a consumer society.

Another funny thing, in Little House on the Prairie, when the family was packing up to leave, Ma put all the family's clothes into ONE carpet bag! We are definitely not into clothes in our family, but we still could not put all the clothes into one suitcase to go on a trip.

I highly recommend this set of books, and especially the improvement of the sturdier pages and colorized illustrations.

A Classic, yet still exceedingly timely, collection, October 31, 2005
I do not remember the first time I read all the Laura books. They have, however, been on my list of comfort reading ever since. Was it because it was so easy to identify with her sibling rivalry in the first couple books, or because of the vivid descriptions that brought life in America over 100 years ago into my imagination, or because the chapters, so good for bedtime reading, encapsulated each vignette into a cohesive whole? It's hard to say exactly what it was about these stories, but Mrs. Wilder's voice creates a window into our country's past that no child should miss out upon. Where else would they find such a narrator of pioneer western America? Let alone one that is so easy to identify with. This collection is beautifully colored (the illustrations have always been wonderfully evocative) and the pages are a tad thicker than normal and shiny and feel good in the hand.

Beautiful Illlustrations and Colors but..., February 6, 2006
in this set, which I gave to my daughter for Christmas, when she unwrapped it, the box was broken on two edges. We are reading book #3 and the pages have begun falling out. The quality of the set is the problem. The stories are wonderful.

Beautiful, durable, but Heavy!, December 9, 2008
This is a very substantial paperback book set, with beautiful color illustrations, and well worth the price tag. However, I have just two comment regarding this set: 1) My 9-year-old daughter told me she prefers not to have pictures so she can imagine the characters the way she wants to, and 2) compared to the other Little House series, these books are much heavier (thicker pages), which is hard for her to hold up for long periods of time when she is reading in bed. The other books are much lighter, less tiring for her to hold. If you are looking for a library quality paperback that you are going to read to your children, then I highly recommend this quality set. If you are looking for a set for a young reader to read on her own, you may want to consider a less weighty set.

Little House Series, July 4, 2009
Series came as promised. Very good condition other than minor damage in shipping. Only complaint is that it is a shame that, considering our national unemployment rate, a collection about the history of our pioneers has to be printed in China.

The set only has the first 5 books, but has gorgeous color illustrations, August 27, 2008
This boxed set of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House of the Prairie series of books only contains Books 1-5 [a puzzle indeed, why couldn't the publishers have made the entire series available?]. The books in this set, in order are: Little House in the Big Woods, Farmer Boy, Little House on the Prairie, On the Banks of Plum Creek, and By the Shores of Silver Lake.

Though it is not the complete set, this boxed collection is worth splurging on as it is a full-color collector's edition. The illustrations by Garth Williams are beautiful and truly evoke the wonderful world written about by Laura Ingalls Wilder all those years ago. The paper is of high quality and has a glossy finish to it, the text type is large enough that it won't strain one's eyes, and is sturdy enough to be held and read over and over again.

I believe the other books in the series not included in this set are also available to be purchased individually[also illustrated in full color by Garth Williams]. The missing titles are: The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, and The First Four Years.

Fans both young and old will enjoy these timeless stories of family,community, faith and challenges, and this sumptuously illustrated boxed set is sure to be a keepsake for collectors, and something that can be passed down.

beautiful set of first 5 books, November 7, 2007
These are handsome books - heavy stock paper, full color Garth Williams' illustrations, with Williams' illustrations on the cover (not the more modern real-life photos from other sets). This set, for some reason, only has the first 5 books, but the last 4 are available a la carte in the same nice full-color/heavy-stock/etc format. Not sure why they don't package all 9. This is a really nice collector's edition and very gift-worthy.

Children's Library Must !, October 7, 2005
I read all of these books recently with my 9 year old son and we both enjoyed them immensely! Every child should have this collection in their library. You're never too old to read these!

Buying the set for our new little granddaughter, April 14, 2005
We recently had our first granddaughter and this is one of the book sets we want to provide her to read. Even though she is only 6 1/2 months old, what a great gift! My parents bought my first daughter the set in the 1970's when the series with Melissa Gilbert was on tv in first run. She was just learning to read and we would read the books together! She still has the books today!

I even remember reading some of them from the school library in the 1960's! They are TIMELESS!

In a day where many children see so much violence and moral YUK all around - these books will be invaluable in instilling values to children.

By the way - if you are ever in the South West Missouri area - coming though the state on I-44, you might want to detour to Mansfield, Missouri, not far off of Hwy 65 near Branson, MO, to tour the home that Almonzo and Laura built and lived out their married lives in. It was this home in which she wrote the books! It's a musuem now and a great place to spend some time. We will take our granddaughter there when she is old enough to want to go see where Laura lived. You can get information on it from the Mansfield, MO Chamber of Commerce.

I totally recommend these charming books!! ... Read more

Editorial Review

After helping Chip and Alex survive 15th century London, Jonah and Katherine are summoned to help another missing child, Andrea, face her fate. Andrea is really Virginia Dare, from the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Jonah and Katherine are confident in their ability to help Andrea fix history, but when their journey goes dangerously awry, they realize that they may be in over their head. They've landed in the wrong time period. Andrea doesn't seem that interested in leaving the past. And even worse, it appears that someone has deliberately sabotaged their mission... ... Read more

Reviews

Incredible, August 25, 2010
I have been waiting for this book ever since I finished reading Found and Sent, and Sabotaged is definitely the best of the three that have come out so far. The story focuses a lot on the Roanoke colony, so I had to do a little bit of background research to fully understand the story and what was going on. Andrea, the girl that Jonah and Katherine have been asked to rescue, is now, by far, my favorite characters in the entire series. The story gets a lot more complex in the third book, with so many different problems with time happening at the same time, but I found it to be a great book overall. A definite must-read if you've read Found and Sent.

Margaret Peterson Haddix continues to amaze and entertain with her stories of mind-boggling adventure., September 27, 2010

SABOTAGED: The Missing, Book 3
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9781416954248
Ages 8-12
384 pages


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Thirteen-year-old Jonah Skidmore feels like an average kid, complete with an intelligent but slightly annoying younger sister named Katherine, a mom and dad who constantly reassure their children that they are special and well loved, and a quiet home in the suburbs of Ohio. The fact that Jonah is adopted has never been a big deal for him, maybe because his parents have always been so open and reassuring about it. To Jonah, life feels normal. But then he receives a letter with six simple words, "YOU ARE ONE OF THE MISSING," and his life flips upside down and way out of control.

After some investigating, Jonah and Katherine discover an amazing secret: Jonah is part of a group of kids who have been stolen out of time. J.B., a time officer, has rounded up the 36 children and is determined to set history straight by sending them back to "when" they belong. The siblings agree to help the others realign time, signing up for the most incredible adventures of their lives.

Jonah and Katherine are about ready to set off for their second mission through time. But unlike the first one, when they jumped in unexpectedly and ended up in 1483 completely unprepared, this time they get a debriefing first. This mission involves Andrea, who is really Virginia Dare, the first European born in the New World. She, like the other kidnapped children, was stolen out of time, and home for her is the Lost Colony of Roanoke in the late 16th century. History doesn't know much about her, but Jonah and Katherine --- and Andrea herself --- are about to learn a lot more.

Unfortunately, something goes terribly wrong. A secret conspirator, who calls himself Second Chance, gets involved. As the kids zip back through time, the Elucidator, an important tool for time travelers, is lost. They do arrive in the abandoned Roanoke Colony, but they don't know when, and they have no way to communicate with J.B. They are completely on their own.

Jonah, Katherine and Andrea do find two of the ghostly tracers on the island, reminders of the way time is supposed to have gone, so they follow them hoping to learn something. What they find is a shipwrecked sailor drowning in the sea. Jonah and Andrea dive in to help, rescuing someone whom they later find out to be Andrea's grandfather. But they still can't find Andrea's tracer, they don't know what exactly they need to fix, and they can't communicate with J.B. However, Second Chance finds ways to communicate with them, and our heroes learn that he doesn't just want to fix time --- he wants to change time. And these changes will send out ripples through time that could cause unimaginable damage to the history of the entire world.

Margaret Peterson Haddix continues to amaze and entertain with her stories of mind-boggling adventure. She approaches the dilemmas of time travel with courage and vivid imagination, taking pieces of history and weaving them into compelling mysteries. The storyline moves fast with plenty of action and ambiguity to tempt one's curiosity, with a bit of romance and humor to lighten the load. Jonah and Katherine are likable and believable, and Haddix writes with an open and welcoming style that invites readers to come along with them on their emotional journeys. She ends the book with a major cliffhanger, leaving her fans to drool for the next installment of The Missing.

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman

Disappointing and dragging, September 29, 2010
First, I usually really like Haddix's books, but this one did not pull me in. The suspense kept dropping off with lots of explanations of what the kids see--in the tents, in the woods, in the canoe, on the beach, etc. The actual behavior of tracers is becoming muddied, which may be inevitable given the unusual premises of the novel. The introduction of Second was an interesting touch, and I foresee that he may become a pivotal character in future books. I like the ambiguities of the characters. Maybe this was rushed to press. Let's hope for better in the next installment. I won't give up yet!

HORRIBLE!, September 30, 2010
this stupid book wont come! i ordered it on sept 8. the delivery was suppost to be sept13. ITS NOW SEPT 29!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is sooo agrivating for me! but its probably a good book. just buy it in the store! ... Read more

Editorial Review

The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker powers.

Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan's peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory.

Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what's ahead. ... Read more

Reviews

Westerfeld does it again!, October 7, 2010
I stumbled upon this series after finding and devouring his Uglies series. Levathian was an awesome book, and I loved the concept of evolved animalesques versus the mechanical technologies of the world. Scott Westerfeld has a knack at bringing so many aspects of life now into question in his novels.

While Leviathan was great at introducing us to its alternative steam-punk culture, Behemoth helps develop the characters of Prince *ArchDuke* Alek and middy *MR. Sharp* Deryn. I especially enjoyed seeing Deryn growing up with new responsibilities, challenged loyalties, and blossoming love. It is also very amusing when another strong female character Lilit is added to create a convoluted yet innocent love triangle between the three main figures.

One thing I was a little disappointed in was the fact that this book was not based in the mind-blowing evolving world of the Darwinists. Reading about the complex eco-culture of the Leviathan gave me a huge thrill as to the possibilities of our own future. But I guess this is to be expected. Leviathan is devoted to the world of the Darwinists, it is only fair that Behemoth is immersed in Clanker-land, a place with its own technological wonders.

All I can say Behemoth has got me extremely excited for book three. And unfortunately Behemoth has JUST come out, so it's going to be a really long wait.

PS. did I mention this series is gorgeously illustrated? My Kindle does not do the graphics justice but even there the fantastical details are extremely alluring.

TURKISH DELIGHTS, October 8, 2010
[NO SPOILERS]

For those that have read the first book, BEHEMOTH brings the whale-airship Leviathan to a wonderful location to serve as a backdrop for the plot:

Istanbul.

Scott Westerfeld even went to Istanbul to get a feel for the city in preparation of this book. Having been to Istanbul myself, I felt he captured the essence of the city without making one feel like they're reading an over-detailed travelogue.

In a nutshell, the book deals again with Deryn/Dylan, Prince Alek and his retinue, Dr. Barlow and a few new faces, to include one that forms the third point of an interesting "Bermuda Triangle" of sorts.
Not much new is revealed about Deryn/Dylan and Alek, the two main characters, but the two draw closer in their friendship as they work together against the Clanker threats that surround them . . . and one particularly annoying journalist--American, of course.

The non-human elements are just as fascinating this time around as they were in LEVIATHAN, although this time they focus more on the Clankers as they are, after all, in enemy territory. But just to be clear, there are SOME new Darwinist creations, just not many of them.

The plot moves at a nice pace--although I'm a slow reader I finished this book in about two days and the last 200 pages I read in one sitting.

Of course, an Alternative History book like this one wouldn't be what it is without a little homage to the real history, which is briefly but sufficiently detailed in the AFTERWORD. It's truly amazing how authors can find little historical details and transform them into new magnificent stories!

Finally there is the wonderful artwork of Keith Thompson. Once again his artwork never fails to capture what is occurring on the page next to it. Reading these books is like flipping through the HOLY BIBLE or THE DIVINE COMEDY and finding the brilliant black-and-white artwork of GUSTAVE DORE gracing the pages.

As for complaints, I only have a few nitpicky ones . . .

--The hardback cover art needs to match the hardback cover for the first book.
--The binding could be of better quality--it's just glue.
--The impact of some of the artwork is diminished by the fact that the crease between the pages gets in the way.

Despite that, this is still an easy 5-star title.

It was nice to be back on board.

Intrigue in Istanbul (not Constantinople), October 5, 2010
If Leviathan was setting up World War One with mechs and genetically engineered creatures, Behemoth was expanding upon the political ramifications. The book primarily centers on the political machinations between the Darwinist English and the Clanker Germans vying for the favor of the kind-of-sort-of Clanker Ottoman Turks in Istanbul. In the middle of this is Alek, son of the nobles whose assassination lit off the whole mess, and Deryn/Dylan the crossdressing girl serving on the English airship Leviathan and crushing over Alek.

I'm pretty sure that this could fall into the category of middle book syndrome for some people, but it didn't happen for me. I felt that the ending was a good spot to take a break. I also really like how the story is shifting locations from one aspect of the "war to end all wars" to another. I'm already decently familiar with the Western Front and it's nice to the see the scene shifting into more interesting and unfamiliar territory. Alek gets himself involved with some of the politicking using the time honored, traditional method of displaced nobles everywhere: revolution and rebellion.

The pace of action is pretty quick and there are quite a few new people introduced. It has a quite a bit of backroom dealing going on and the action doesn't get in the way of character development. Instead each big conflict is used to highlight an internal conflict as well, from Alek's and Deryn's differing reactions to the loss of a parent to what role each of them see themselves filling in the war. I especially want to see how Alek's suspicion that he could help end war the plays out.

The plotting was pretty good and made sense to me. Alek's decision to start taking an active role in events happening around him made him into less of a lost little princeling whose actions are dictated by his father's last wishes or Wildcount Volger. It was a nice little bit of character growth. I liked him more for it. I would even go so far as to say that Alek is changing from a lost and frightened kid into someone who could be a leader. I hope his instinct for people doesn't fail him and his ability to trust at all is a nice contrast to Volger's constant state of suspicion.

Deryn/Dylan also improved for me this time around. Rather than being slightly annoying, she managed to start having conflicts between her crushing on Alek and her sworn duty to ship and country, thus becoming more interesting. Also, the introduction of Lilit gives a splendid foil to Deryn, as Lilit is every bit as capable as she but not trying to hide her gender. I rather like Lilit's parting shot to Deryn. I thought the reactions on both sides really funny.

After this installment I eagerly await the next one all the more.

What Miss Kelley Is Reading: [...], October 9, 2010
Behemoth picks up where Leviathan left off: Alek, son of Archduke Ferdinand and potential secret heir to the throne, and Deryn, a girl masquerading as a boy in order to join the war effort, are aboard the airship/whale Leviathan, headed for Istanbul (Constantinople). Though one is a Clanker and the other a Darwinist, the two have struck up a friendship, and as Deryn reflects early in the book: "The Germans were still hunting Alek, trying to finish the job they'd started on his parents. Someone had to be on his side. . . ". Throughout the book, which is filled with action and adventure, their friendship grows. Deryn is called upon to save her ship more than once, and Alek is forced to pick a side in the political upheaval in Istanbul. The pair have adventures both alone and together, and I, for one, can't wait for the third book.

My one reservation about Leviathan was that it was very slow to start; Behemoth has no such problem. The action starts on page one, and though there are still incredible machines and impossible creatures, there is less exposition in this book than in the first. Fans of the first book will love this sequel, and I encourage those who might not have loved Leviathan to give Behemoth a shot.

Behemoth - whatchYAreading.net, November 28, 2010
I was so excited to read Behemoth, that when I held the ARC in my hands at Comic Con, I seriously considered running off with it. Christine had, apparently, planned out an escape route for us. Alas, I didn't get to keep the ARC (legally or otherwise) but I was able to gaze lovingly at the artwork every time we passed the Simon and Schuster booth. I love everything about these books. From the accurate historic facts, to the steampunk machines, to the crazy genetic-smooshing science (genetic-smooshing being the technical term, of course). I love the artwork, the writing, the cover (though I liked the original cover better) and, most of all, I love the writing.

Leviathan and Behemoth are the only books that I've read recently where I enjoyed the switching of point of views. It was always done smoothly and at points where the switch felt right. Scott Westerfeld always does a good job of showing you what needs to be shown from both point of views without ever repeating himself or having there be weird overlap.

The Leviathan series is, at its simplest, a steampunk retelling of World War I. Sure, Scott has taken some liberties with historic fact but the core motivations, alliances, and manipulations are still there. And the war is being told through the eyes of two young teenagers from opposite sides of the war.

What I love most about this book, and its predecessor is how it is faithful to WWI while still creating its own unique, fictional plot. The reader still gets a sense that it is a useless war, fought only so politicians could show their supremecy over one another. I also enjoy that, while there is a slight bias against the Germans, we see people from all over Europe for and against the war.

My previous review of Leviathan covers all the things that I love about Alek and Deryn, so instead I'm going to talk about a few other things.

Firstly, cross dressing. Deryn is still posing as a boy in the British Air Force, still a midshipman on the airship Leviathan. And I love all the wonderful things done with this. The number of characters that refer to her, sarcastically, as Mr. Sharp is funny and surprising. I especially loved the last one. I love how Deryn is of two minds all the time as well. She wants to continue being disguised, and she wants to reveal she is a girl. This resulted in two of my most favourite scenes in this book. The being when Deryn, confidently and wonderfully, realizes that Alek could love her if he knew. She isn't shy or self-conscience about it. She just knows. And she makes an informed, intelligent decision based on that realization and I loved her so much for it. The second scene was later on and used one of my much loved, sarcastic, Mr. Sharp's. I'm not going to say what it was for fear of spoiling it, but let's just say that Mr. Westerfeld managed to do a thousand things with one little scene and I laughed out loud. It was just perfect.

The second thing I wanted to talk about, intrigue and politics.So many different levels of it. The global level of what's going on what country wants what in the war, the personal level of Alek and his heritage, and the weird science level of...what is that creature following Alek around everywhere? And why does he even have it? He's a Clanker not a Darwinist. So many things to think about.

Everything was just so perfectly balanced. The action, the intrigue, the character moments. I was never bored or wanting something else to happen. A perfect cast of characters mixed with the perfect balance of fact and fiction.

And, and, and, and!!!!!! Reading this book totally helped me with a crossword answer one time. I LEARNED things. You can too!

So...yeah. I loved it.

Barking Magnificent!, October 17, 2010
It's been a while since I read Leviathan, so it took me a bit to remember everything I needed to know about the Darwinists, the Clankers, Alek and of course Deryn Sharp. Soon I was sucked right back into the author's alternate universe full of amazing machines and fabricated beasties. Leviathan was my introduction to the Steampunk genre and I have been a devoted fan ever since. Behemoth more than lived up to my expectations! The author does a wonderful job of pacing the novel so the reader barely has time to catch their breath amongst all the action. While this novel is a little light on the character development, it is hardly noticeable. I felt like I was falling back in with old friends who were just a bit too busy to have a long conversation since they really had an entire war to stop, thank you very much.

Most of the action takes place on the ground this time instead of on the Leviathan, but that in no way decreases the fun. Deryn and Alek are in Istanbul, a place at the center of the war between the Clankers and the Darwinists and it's up to our heroes to pretty much outwit everyone in order to stop the war. There's high intrigue, daring feats and even just a bit of unlikely romance. Westerfeld's Istanbul is so richly imagined that I was able to fully visualize all of it's exotic peoples and machines. The illustrations by Keith Thompson are wonderful and really add to the reading experience.

This is an exciting read that effectively carries on the story which began in Leviathan. The good news is that there's plenty of room left at the end of this one for another installment. The bad news is we have to wait so long to read it. This is a great series with loads of appeal for any kid grade 7 and up, especially fans of action/adventure and sci-fi. Adults will find much to enjoy here too, so don't pass this one by! Recommended.

Better Than the First, October 16, 2010
Usually middle books in a trilogy are just getting one place to another, but Westerfeld has made Behemoth an adventure in itself. The stakes continue to grow as Alek must start to command his own fate and Deryn/Dylan slinks ever closer to having her secret found out. Set squarely in Constantinople/Istanbul for most of the action, the reader is treated to an amalgamation of Clanker and Darwinist agendas that are as much at odds as they are balanced. The even writing makes this one easy book to gobble up while also being visually treated to the artistic stylings of Keith Thompson.

On top of the action, the characters feelings about their situations pervades more than in the first volume of the trilogy, but in an informative manner. Deryn, at odds with her desire to tell Alek that she's a girl, is growingly forced to confront the fact she's not like the rest of the crew on the Leviathan. And Alek, finally starting to find himself in a position to act in the war, must assume some level of leadership even if the people he's trying to influence aren't exactly cooperating as he'd like. And the eggs from the first book? Well, you'll find out soon enough, but that one's a nice little surprise that's still going to play out in the next book by the look of things.

A really solid volume that, in this reviewers opinion, is the rare example of a middle book in a trilogy being better than the first. Westerfeld is really hitting his stride and I, for one, cannot wait for the final volume. Very highly recommended for fans of steampunk, alternate history, and good reading.

Just as good as Leviathan, November 11, 2010
Behemoth is the sequel to Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan, an alternate history of World War I, filled with steampunk machines, biological monster-machines and exotic locations.

After being taken as a British prisoner of war, young Alek, heir to the Hapsburg empire, is taken to Istanbul, capital of the declining Ottoman Empire. Though the country has thus far been neutral in the war, both sides have begun to woe the sultan. When the Leviathan is attacked, Alek and his escorts must survive in Istanbul, which is crawling with Germans. I exotic Istanbul, Alek and co. join an underground revolutionary organization dedicated to overthrowing the Sultan in order to protect themselves and find their way back to the Leviathan. Chalked full of high-octane adventure and tones of political intrigue, readers will get caught up in Alek's story.

Behemoth is just as good as, if not better, than Leviathan. Westerfeld's phenomenal prose shines through and the lush detail with which he paints his exciting world is amazing. With exciting adventure, truly unique visuals and great characters, Behemoth is a must-read. Can't wait for the next book.

from Missprint DOT wordpress DOT com, November 5, 2010
Deryn is a girl posing as a boy and serving in the British Air Services aboard the Leviathan as it heads to the capital of the Ottoman Empire on a secret mission.

Alek, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, is also aboard the Leviathan posing as a commoner among his men. Together these Clankers and Darwinists have forged an uneasy alliance born out of necessity. But when war comes to the airship, everything changes.

The year is 1914. The British Darwinists and their fabricated beasties have declared war against Austria-Hungary and their Clanker war machines. The rest of the world sits, waiting, on the brink of war.

As the threat of war looms closer, Alek finds himself running out of options. He can't stay aboard the Leviathan any longer and risk becoming a prisoner of war. But can he ask his only friend, Dylan Sharp, to commit treason by helping him escape?

Deryn knows that Alek has to leave the airship. She knows the he should go. But no matter what she tells herself Deryn doesn't want him to go. How can the one person who trusts her completely also be the one she can't share her biggest secret with?

Alek and Deryn should be on opposite sides of this conflict but instead they have become fast friends. As the two make their way through the mysterious and dangerous city of Istanbul they just might find a way to stop this war in its tracks in Behemoth (2010) by Scott Westerfeld with illustrations by Keith Thompson.

Behemoth is the sequel to Leviathan. It's also the second book in Westerfeld's Leviathan trilogy.

This book is filled with everything that made Leviathan great and then some. Westerfeld's reimagined world is just as vivid and compelling as before. The action is just as exciting. There is alternate history. There is steampunk. There are beasties, walkers and a lot of people making insinuations by saying "Mr. Sharp" repeatedly.* There will be humor. Oh, and those mysterious eggs from Leviathan? They totally hatch in Behemoth.

Deryn's secret continues to weigh heavily, especially when it comes to Alek. Meanwhile Alek, almost literally, has the weight of the world on his shoulders as he works to find a way to end the war. Westerfeld also spends more time on a lot of favorite secondary characters (including Dr. Barlow and Count Volger, my personal favorites) and world building as we see an Istanbul very unlike the one we know and learn more about familiar characters. The scope and detail Westerfeld brings to this book (and which Thompson brings to his delightful illustrations) is truly astounding.

Behemoth is an excellent addition to a wonderful trilogy, possibly even better than the first in the trilogy. This is a book that really exceeds all expectations and will leave readers eagerly waiting for Goliath, the forthcoming conclusion to a stunning trilogy.

Possible Pairings: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, Flight of the Phoenix by R. L. LaFevers with illustrations by Kelly Murphy, Boneshaker by Cherie Priest, Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, The Time Machine by H. G. Wells, Firefly (television series) The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (graphic novel and movie), The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne (television series), Serenity (movie)

*Sometimes one line can really make a book. Believe it or not, "Mr. Sharp." might be the line of this book.

Awesome book, but I think it should have had a different title!, October 18, 2010
Behemoth starts about two days later still on the Leviathan heading for Istanbul. But, on the way there they encounter two German ships that have a Tesla cannon and are ready for the Leviathan! The Leviathan gets an unexpected jolt and everything seems to go down hill from there for Deryn and Alek. The war continues on with more countries entering and Alek finds himself among the enemy on the Leviathan with the British on the other side of the war and Alek must find a way to escape but nothing goes to plan!

Great book, but I don't think it should have been called Behemoth. Since the Behemoth only makes a small appearance in the book. I think it should have been called Bovril! But, maybe the Behemoth will be more prominent in the next book.

This book does answer some questions from the previous book, but not thoroughly. The question of what is in the egg is semi-answered in my opinion. You find out what is in it but not exactly what it is capable of. Also, there is Deryn situation, and whether or not to tell Alek she is a she. That is an ongoing problem for Deryn and it gets a little more complicated for her as well. I love the things Deryn says, she calls herself a "daft lassie mooning at a village dance" when she relates to her problem. She is quite funny.

There are some new characters that pop up in the book. They are not on the Leviathan for that long so they have some on ground friends as the book progresses. But, still all the old favorites are still there.

And of course, the book ends with you wanting more. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Harry Houdini. A poison injector ring. Alcatraz. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. What can they possibly have in common? Amy and Dan don't know, but fans of the 39 Clues series will soon find out.

The first Cahill card series features 56 thoroughly intriguing evidence cards that kids need to hunt down the 39 Clues. The oversize cards (3.25 x 5) are loaded with top-secret Cahill information and intriguing puzzles that unlock the family's secrets. Each pack contains 16 randomly assorted cards, with at least one rare or ultra-rare card per pack.

... Read more

Reviews

Fun Idea, May 1, 2009
What makes this series so unique is the fact that 7 authors are writing 10 novels to tell a single continuous story. In the series the Cahill's family matriarch passes away. In her will she leaves one million dollars to each family member, or they can trade that money-order for a clue that will lead to the treasure that will lead them to become the greatest Cahill of all time. There are four branches in the family: Janus, Ekaterina, Lucian and Thomas. Each branch has its own strengths and weaknesses. Our story follows Amy and Dan Cahill, orphans who choose to take the quest. The adventure crosses continents and has clues hidden in art, architecture, music and more. The books teach a lot about historical characters, events and places. These cards supplement the story, they are also used for online games to help you solve the 39 clues and the chance at $100,000 in prizes for solving the puzzles.

This Card Pack supplements books 1, 2 and 3. There are 16 cards per card pack and a total of 55 new cards in these packs. Each card has a unique code used to enter it online, and add it to your collection to help you solve the 39 clues. The cards are great as collector's items go.

One drawback is that you cannot really trade them, because even duplicate cards have different codes and can be used online for game play differently. The artwork is great and the cards are fun and interesting. There are distinct advantages and disadvantages to how Scholastic is working these books and card packs. The concept of numerous authors writing a series together is great; it will introduce readers to a number of authors, and fans of some of the authors will be introduced to other writers. The online games are fun and interesting, the puzzles challenging and entertaining. The drawbacks that I see are: first the online game zones close down as each new book becomes available, and the online puzzles for the cards will end when the books finish. Now what I have read of the books so far is great and the books will stand on their own without the cards or online puzzles, but the online interaction definitely enhances the books and the whole adventure of it all. What I wish is that the daily prizes for each game zone end with the next book, but the zone stayed open for future readers to have fun with. That way the card packs would also have a continuing interest and market.

The books are great, the cards are well done and enhance the books and supplement the online game component. The fact that the cards and online is planned to have an end is disappointing. Even without the daily prizes and grand prize these add to the adventure of following Dan and Any as they follow the 39 Clues. But be warned - they are addictive and you will want them all. As a side note it took me 6 Card packs to get the 1 Ultra-Rare card for this first set, and yet I was still missing 9 cards.

About the Cards in General:

* Each of the 39 Clues books also come with a Set of 6 specific cards
* Book 1 "The Maze Of Bones" you get cards No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6
* Book 2 "One False Note" you get cards No. 17, No. 18, No. 19, No. 20, No. 21, No. 22
* Book 3 "The Sword Thief" you get cards No.33, No. 34, No. 35, No. 36, No.37, No. 38
* There will be around 355 cards to collect for all 10 books
* The First Set has 73 cards - 55 From the Packs and 18 From the Books (No. 1 to 73)
* + currently 17 or 18 Promotional Cards (400s)
* (Additional cards will be created virtually online during the game and/or sold separately with specific packages and promotions)
* Most o f the 400 level cards are available at the sites below, and are general use cards, The codes can be used by anyone.

The 39 Clues:

The Maze of Bones - Book 1 - Rick Riordan
One False Note - Book 2 - Gordon Korman
The Sword Thief - Book 3 - Peter Lerangis
Beyond the Grave - Book 4 - Jude Watson (June 2009)
The Black Circle - Book 5 - Patrick Carman (August 2009)
In Too Deep - Book 6 - Jude Watson (November 2009)
Book 7 - Peter Lerangis (February 2010)
Book 8 - Gordon Korman (April 2010)
Book 9 - Linda Sue Park (June 2010)
Book 10 - Margaret Peterson Haddix (September 2010)

Card Pack #1 - Books 1-3
Card Pack #2 - Books 4-6 (June 2009)
Card Pack #3 - Books 7-9 (February 2010)
Rare Card Pack (June 2010)

(First published in Imprint 2009-05-01.)

Very Clever!!, October 6, 2008
These are very nice cards. As a baseball card collector, I was very pleased to see the high quality and attention to detail that these cards offer. My son has has a ball examining the cards and entering them on line to play the game. Naturally, card collecting is addicting and these cards coupled with the book and game are a kid magnet. The box that the cards came in is fantastic - it protects the card and offers information on how to read the cards and enter them onto the web site. This is a very clever item and worth buying more than one set.

Mom of happy 10 year old, October 9, 2008
My son read the book and we also bought the clue cards. He has been having a lot of fun with it. He loves the Percy Jackson series so he wanted to read this book. He was not disappointed and is following the mystery on-line. His older sister who is 13 is also helping him and enjoying it as well.

Overpriced . . ., September 10, 2008
My 10 year old loves the Percy Jackson series, and was excited by the arrival of this series. The book, however, seems to be more of a launch for the website and related products. Collecting 70 some odd cards, at $6.99 a pack, will certainly add up--and that's just the first series of cards. The website seems to be set up so that 'solving' the mysteries can only occur through purchasing more cards. Disappointing.

Kept my son busy for hours!!!, April 12, 2009
My 10 year old son LOVES this series. He really enjoys getting the cards & unlocking all of the clues. Very interactive & lots of learning to be done!

Loved this gift, April 8, 2009
The card pack was a wonderful addition to the book. My 7 year old grandson has continues to use the book and this card set to enhance the reading of the book. Very interactive experience. Even wow'ed his older brother.

addictive, April 3, 2009
My husband and son are addicted to finding the secrets of the series. High quality and great to get kids interested in reading. ... Read more

Editorial Review

What happens when a sheepish knight and a not-so-fierce dragon fight for the very first time? Well, it's no ordinary battle since the knight has to go to the castle library to learn about dragon-fighting and the dragon must dig through his ancestor's things to find out how to fight a knight! Spontaneity of line and feeling are backed by zesty colors and a jovial, tongue-in-cheek tone to which children can relateA top springtime choice. --Booklist There's a swirl of good-humored life to the book. --The New York Times Book Review ... Read more

Reviews

An excellent book for any age, May 3, 2001
This is one of my favorite children's books. A knight and a dragon, both perfectly content on their own, realize that they are not living up to society's expectations of them and begin preparing for THE FIGHT. They're terrible at it, though, and fare much better as restauranteurs. What a great lesson, and what a great way to tell it. The book itself contains very few words, but lots of diPaola's detailed, engaging pictures, making it appropriate for a variety of ages. We've read this to our two-year old, discussing how fighting isn't very helpful. I imagine we'll be reading it to her when she's four or six, discussing how you shouldn't do things you don't like just because others say you should. An added bonus is that the princess, who is never mentioned in the text, provides the solution for "the boys", who initially appear to be the main characters in the story. It's a neat twist on a classic theme.

A charming alternative to a traditional fight., January 16, 1999
I found this book as an insert in a book on how to compete effectively in business. It offers, in an easy to follow and very enjoyable way, some original thinking on how to turn traditional competition into cooperative endeavors. A must for parents who want to teach children ways to consider alternatives to fighting. The drawings are also charming.

Pure fun -- if you don't get too serious!, April 27, 2000
My almost-4-year-old son loves this book. He's interested in knights and fighting, like many little boys. We laugh and laugh at the silly things that happen to the knight and dragon as they try to fight and fail. As a parent I appreciate a book that doesn't glorify fighting, but still acknowledges that children are facinated by the knights of old who fought with swords and lances, and plays with that interest. Don't look for lectures on fighting, or serious displays of sword technique. This one is just for giggles.

I liked the Knight and the Dragon, November 4, 2004
In the Knight and the Dragon, the knight practices with a wooden dragon and the dragon practices with dummies. At first they're not good at it. The knight misses the wooden dragon and runs into a tree, and the dragon misses the dummies. But the next time the knight kills the wooden dragon and the dragon gets a hundred of the dummies. They give each other invitations and set a time for the fight...

I liked this book. I'm six years old. I know you don't know why I like it, but I'll tell you. I like it because at the end the librarian gives them books to make a barbecue!

Great Lesson told in a FUN way - encourages discussion, February 21, 2001
This funny lighthearted book encourages kids to discard traditional rivalries and consider creative opportunities for cooperation. Let your child interpret the amusing illustrations and open the door to two-way discussions of these issues.

A superb book for both children and not-so-young children., January 16, 1998
Despite the book is written in English,I've been using it in Central America for Spanish language young readers. My children love the book, because of its message of solidarity and friendship. We enjoy Sr. De Paola's books, but we still prefer this one. Enrique G.Dubon

Implication by Pictures, January 13, 2007
The interesting thing about this book is that its plot is resolved by a drawing instead of words. In fact, towards the end, the book seems to do away with words altogether and shows everything that happens with pictures only. Hardcore writers may not approve of this method. A princess appears out of nowhere to give both the dragon and the knight helpful books, and that's how the story ends.

I liked the colored-pencil-esque drawings, especially of the dragon making evil faces in the mirror. Gave me a laugh or two.

My little boy and I read this delightful book over and over without any diminishing joy, February 27, 2009
When I think of the hundreds of times, my sweet little boy insisted on reading this book, I am transported back to the happy cuddly times when he would sit on my lap and he would pour over the pictures of the knight making all this weapons and the dragon getting in shape for the fight that everyone expected them to fight. The sweet pictures, the humor and wisdom of the end was always a happy and satisfying tale to be enjoyed. Do not miss the art, the story and the "moral" of this timeless of what happens when mortal enemies discover that they don't have to be mortal enemies and can become friends in the funniest way.
Bravo Tomie dePaola! A masterpiece in children's literature.

Reading a Book 75 Times in a Week, February 13, 2007
We got this book out of the library, and my 18 month old daughter cannot get enough. We read it to her three times a day, two or three times in a row. So I've read a lot of "The Knight and the Dragon" recently.

I like it.

Like "Pancakes for Breakfast," this is a book about trying to do something that you read about in a book and being alternately proud and frustrated by the task. It breaks down the problem of fighting dragons into steps (as well as the problem of fighting knights) and shows the heroes practicing, practicing, practicing. When setbacks happen, our heroes overcome either through persistence or creativity.

The simple pictures give my daughter the most pleasure, I think, but she enjoys the story, too. She especially likes it when the knight and dragon both fall down. And she likes to point out the librarian character.

The Knight and the Dragon, March 14, 2006
This enchanting story about preparing to do something new offers an opportunity for parents and children to discuss the pictures, how a child might get ready for a new experience, and how to interpret the feelings expressed by a variety of faces. After a few sessions through the book, the child can manage to tell the story without being able to read any of the occasional words. For those who like to see that girls can be involved in challenges, too, the maiden from the castle who seems to be merely observing the action, has a hand in the very happy ending. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The creators of the New York Times best-selling Encyclopedia Prehistorica series offer a mythic look at the mysteries of the past with an entire pantheon of remarkable pop-ups.

For all of recorded history, humans have sought to understand Earth’s mysteries in the realm of the divine — and aspired to conduct themselves as heroes. Only gods, of course, could push the sun across the sky,forge entire continents, and impel mountains to touch the clouds. In this stunning volume, the incomparable team of Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda take us to Ra-Atum’s land in Ancient Egypt; above the Grecian clouds to Zeus’s Mount Olympus; up to Norse god Odin’s frozen north; to the Far East, where the Jade Emperor sits in the heavens; into the wilds of Oceania, where Pele’s volcanic rage simmers below the earth; and to many more lands and times, all rich with sacred myths and legends. ... Read more

Reviews

The Best One Yet, January 21, 2010
I have collected pop-up books for over 30 years. This is the best one yet! It is a combination of imaginative and mind boggling artwork. The illustrations combined with information works to a great degree for all ages. I highly recommend this as a great gift for anyone for yourself or a loved one.
Sara F.

An irresistible treasure and a very special look at the stories and figures of ancient and indigenous mythology, June 14, 2010
The myths of the ancient world hold much fascination for readers of all ages. Children especially seem drawn to tales of the Olympian deities, Viking legends and Mediterranean heroes. Couple this interest with the fantastic engineered paper books by Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda, and you have a book kids can truly experience. In Encyclopedia Mythologica's GODS AND HEROES, the bestselling duo teams up again for a three-dimensional exploration of the tales of the ancient world.

The book starts in Egypt, and opening to the first page releases a large pop-up of the falcon-headed god Horus, son of Isis and Osiris and the god associated with the ancient pharaohs. A smaller page on this double-page spread tells Horus's story with several moving parts (look behind that for Imhotep's pyramid). Next it's off to Greece, where the castle of Mt. Olympus springs forth as does the legendary city of Atlantis and the figures of several Greek goddesses. The section on the "Kingdoms of the Mighty North" features a fierce Viking and a glimpse of Freyja as she leads her Valkyries into battle and a lovely pop-up illustration of the mythical cosmic ash tree called Yggdrasil.

Unlike so many children's books introducing mythology, GODS AND HEROES doesn't stop at Europe and Egypt but takes readers farther east to Asia and Oceania and to the Americas as well. Spider Woman, from Native American mythology, holds a web made of silvery thread, adding an interesting new textural element to the book. Refreshingly, Reinhart and Sabuda also give female deities and figures equal attention, like the violent Polynesian volcano goddess Pele, who seems to be spewing and flowing out of the volcano in the center of the page.

The text is both exciting and easy to understand; the Norse god Odin is introduced as the "grizzled lord of wisdom and magic." We are told that in the Iroquois story of the Celestial Woman, after falling from her home in the sky, "gazing up from below, a giant turtle took pity and softened her landing, while other beasts offered protection." The writing is just as illuminating, informative and enchanting as the visuals!

While young readers may be initially drawn to the amazing Viking ship and colorful Aztec-plumed serpent Quetzalcoatl, there are even more amazing delights hidden in the book. The story of Japanese folk hero Momotaro is secreted behind another pop-up panel, and a peach opens to reveal the tiny infant. This whimsical scene is one of the best in the book, and in just a few sentences readers will be intrigued by the charming tale.

As with other marvelous Reinhart and Sabuda books, this one may be easily damaged by little hands. Special care needs to be taken in turning pages or putting scenes back into folded place. But the construction is sturdier than you might think, and even if torn and worn over time, GODS AND HEROES is an irresistible treasure and a very special look at the stories and figures of ancient and indigenous mythology.

Heroic indeed!, January 19, 2010
WOW! Matthew Reinhart has done it again! He, along with partner Robert Sabuda have, in the past, set the standard for paper engineering and artwork in their amazing repertoire of pop-up books, and this time they may well have surpassed themselves. Each spread is a lavish display of technological creativity, while at the same time imparting facts and intriguing information with the text. The little side pages which one expects to see from these artists/authors is, in this case, each a little gem unto itself. This is an amazing book. It would spoil the fun for me to describe what you will find in between its covers. Instead, I encourage you to purchase this treasure and get the enjoyment of an amazing experience for yourself. I wish I could give it twenty stars. Bravo, Matthew Reinhart! See other favorites here: Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the GalaxyCinderella: A Pop-Up Fairy Tale The Jungle Book: A Pop-Up Adventure (Classic Collectible Pop-Ups)A Pop-up Book of Nursery Rhymes (Limited Edition): A Classic Collectible Pop-Up

BEAUTIFUL!, October 1, 2010
This book is amazing! So much to see! Several different "pops" on every page. And just enough reading to give a good bit of background on the heroes and gods. Worth every single penny!

Another wonderful pop-up!, February 25, 2010
I absolutly love all the Sabuda and Reinhart pop-ups. Gods & Heroes is no exception- amazing detail, fun way to learn mythology. Many different cultures' mythology is included- Egyptian, Norse, Greek, Asian, South American & Native American. Would make a wonderful gift as well. A wonderful addition to my pop-up collection! ... Read more