Birthdays Books

The Wonderful Number One is chock full of colorful illustrations that caught my son's eyes from the very first reading. For a very long time, it has remained a mainstay in our bedtime repretiore. The simple text explores essentials in a baby's small world: a kitten, a puppy, a kiss, a teddy bear, a new tooth, a birthday cake, a bath. a rubber duckie, a rattle, a sleeping baby, etc... This book introduces simple vocabulary and fosters the beginning of word - picture connections. We have truly enjoyed this book. The one year old in your life will too!

Margaret Laurence is simply charming. She describes the story of the birth Of Jesus exquistely. A cheerful rendition of the orginial birth of Jesus with the plight his mother and father must endure to find a secure and safe place for this historical birth of Jesus. Delightful illustrations accompany this book. Hats off to you Margaret Laurence. We have read this heart warming story to our children for the past 20 years. You will enjoy this, perhaps even as a new family tradition. We will now read this treasure to our new grandchildren.

As both a "fan" of astrology and numerology, this is by far the best book on detailing someone's personality just by the day they were born. It gives specific "details" that are somewhat eerie.....just check out the dates for people close to you as well and you will not believe it. A few of the things I read were a bit unsettling, but a MUST read.

Delightful! This is the perfect gift book- and every page is full of whimsical illustrations by Jenna. This book is sweet, touching, clever and silly - my sister and mom just loved it. When a greeting card costs almost $4.00 for one piece of paper, it makes sense to buy this wonderful book for $10 and give my friends something they can enjoy for years. It's the perfect book- you'll adore it.

Robert Lee Camp is back! FINALLY!

I discovered Robert Lee Camp's books over ten years ago and they have changed my life forever. As an avid student of astrology and numerology, I can say that for me, by far, this is the most accurate divination system I have ever worked with. I have attended one of the author's classes and would consider myself an advanced user of the cards.

I have to say that this book is not new material - but it does a great job of capsulizing the info in his two more advanced books. In short, this would be a great intro for a novice... an appetizer piece before moving on to his more detailed work. If you have a friend you would like to share this system with, this is the place to start.

I have a feeling this book will help introduce a whole new crowd of readers to his other works. This book is smaller and more portable that the two previous books - easier to take wherever you go! It's great as a quick reference. I think I'll keep a copy at the office!

I give the book five stars for the info, because it is vital and accurate- but for advanced readers looking for new material, this is not the book for you.

Though not the last book in the series, this book concludes Zenda's quest to find the missing pieces to her gazing ball. The story was very good, and I found myself practically unable to put the book down until, before I knew it, I'd read the whole book in less then two and a half hours! Definately the most exciting book in the series, because it tells what all Zenda readers have been waiting anxiously for, this book was well worth my time and money! The "test of mirrors" was very entertaining, and I found the way the author described Zenda's emotions then to be very descriptive and realistic. I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that this book was fantastic, and will be a favorite of any Zenda reader!

The Kite Runner is a very well written novel that portrays the hardships of life growing up in the floundering world of war-time Afghanistan. Khaled Hosseini uses perfect imagery and truth to show the reader the world of his childhood. He describes everything, even (or rather especially) the parts of his life that he regrets the most. He gives the reader all the insight into his thoughts and feelings so that one feels as if they are right there with him while he experiences hate, jealousy, fear, and love. His style of revisiting scenes from his past gives one the connections to everything in his past, and the understanding of how much one small instant can affect him in such an enormous way. The way Hosseini has of describing every detail of an event with perfect clarity sets an amazing mood that, despite the tragedy and hardship in the novel, is actually extremely hopeful and determined. He reveals how good he is inside by showing everything that he has done wrong, and how remorseful he is for every moment of it. He tells it in a light that illuminates him as a coward, but by admitting this, the reader sees him as a hero. He shows that he has done so many horrible things, but he acknowledges them as that, and he feels grief and regret for every moment in which he wronged someone else. Instead of just forcing himself to forget all the things that he regrets doing, he dwells on them, and continually hopes for a way to make it all better. Hosseini truly gives the reader the feeling of living his life with him, and through his wonderful writing, he gives one the chance to experience everything he lived for.

The books begins with Amir, the son of a wealthy businessman and his very close, but poor and illiterate friend, Hassan, flying their kites. Later on Amir and his father, Baba, escape the dangerous political termoil in Afganistan and move to America. They live in San Francisco. The author of the novel lovingly describes the orange colored Golden Gate Bridge and the city's early morning fog.

Amir betrays Hassan by leading his father and Hassan's father to believe that Hassan has stolen Amir's watch. The years pass. Baba dies and Hassan disappears. Hassan's son, Sohrab, is placed in an orphanage where he is severely abused by a number of the other children. I will not say what takes place, but some of the novel's most powerfully evocative and very nearly tragic events occur in the book. Amir's great guilt over his conduct towards Hassan, leads Amir to make amends for his behavior. I will say that it involves Sohrab and Amir's great efforts to rescue him from his grave circumstances. There is enough here to make a grown man cry.

Mr. Hosseini writing is always moving and very realistic, particularly related to the friendship of the two boys and that of father, Baba, and son, Amir. The author even ties up the story by ending it the same way it began--with other boys running their kites.

The book is fascinating, throws you into a world that is hard to comprehend for some and yet a lot of what is being described are things everyone of us "westerners" feels and does as well.

A must read.

This review is for the original Kite Runner - I have not read the illustrated version:

The book is fascinating, throws you into a world that is hard to comprehend for some and yet a lot of what is being described are things everyone of us "westerners" feels and does as well.

A must read.

The book centers around an Afghan named Amir who as a child pretty much srews over his friend because of his weaknesses in Afghanastan then moves to America with his father and then lastly he has to go back to Afghanastan to save his friend's son to make up for the wrongs he has done. The first part of the book takes place in early 70's Afghanastan when it was doing pretty good and before the wars. I liked this part of the book the most because for one thing you get to see how nice Afghanastan was a few decades ago and you learn that there hasn't always been war over there or the Taliban. You don't really get to learn that much about the culture, or at least that's how I felt about it, but you get a little insight of it. Another thing is that I feel like this part of the book is more well written than the rest of the book because it seems more like an autobiographical account.

After Amir and his father move to America the story seems to lose steam and pretty much doesn't go anywhere for a while until he goes to Pakistan to meet his fathers old friend who sends him to Afghanastan to find his chilhood friend's son. I liked his visit back to Afghanastan because you get to see how horrible all the wars and the Taliban have transformed the once beautiful cities into wastlands. However during the middle part of the book there are a lot of coincidences which I was able to be okay with but with, because this is fiction, but some of them are just unbelievable. Another thing is that you could see what was going to happen way before it did.

Overall this is a decent book that gives a glimpse of Afghanastan past and present even thought the characters are ficticious and I wouldn't highly recommend it but I would recommend it if this sounds like your kind of book.

Not only is this book horrifically offensive to Christianity by comparing an irritating and presumptuously arrogant dwarf to Jesus, but it is also in need of major editing. I won't bore anyone with a description of the plot, since it's one of the most lackluster stories I've ever read. This book meanders in the sections in which the narrator describes his present-day life. Also, it gives endless boring descriptions of characters that nobody cares about. It's all "telling" and no "showing". The imagery is something that a first-grader could have come up with ("the lake was wonderful," "the grass was wonderful," "the pines were wonderful," etc.)
If this book had been written by a rookie writer, it never would have been published. It's only because John Irving's name was on it that it got published. Anyone who thinks it's the best book they've ever read (as many of these reviewers do) sorely needs to get a life. A complete bore, "Owen Meany" isn't worth the wood-sludge that it was printed on.

ABSOLUTE 0/5!!!!!

I had bought this book for friends of mine as a wedding gift and was not disappointed! With pain in my heart/hands I had to give the book away as intended - the book is one of my all-time favourites and the introduction by John Irving himself made it even better.

I LOVE this book. I am an avid reader and a writer, and I'm fairly particular about the fiction I read. This book was amazing. The characters are so clearly drawn that they seem like real people. The plot kept me enthralled till the end. The ending itself surprised me (and I'm hard to surprise). Irving is a great writer; his skill at putting together words made the story move along mostly effortlessly. (Though I agree with one of the other reviews - some of the flashbacks were hard to follow at times.) None of his characters are "perfect," which makes them all the more likeable. Parts of the story are totally hilarious, while other parts are sad -- a lot like life. This is the best book I've read in years - and I've read a LOT of books in the past several years! I recommend it to everyone I know who reads a lot.

What can one say about A Prayer for Owen Meany that hasn't all ready been said? If you have a heart and a soul, this is a book that will change you. Owen Meany will continue to remain a part of your life; an indelible character as profound and rich as any who has ever really lived or breathed. Read this book.

As with other John Irving novels, this one has a sometimes meandering style that is chock full of minutiae. The author is a master craftsman of descriptive language, and it may be initially unclear what many of the details have to do with the evolving story. The book is unquestionably not one that anybody would consider concise, and the content of each chapter goes well beyond the scope of what its title intimates. Yet in the end, everything comes together in a way that few books ever do.

The book becomes far more emotionally compelling once the reader reaches the point where the meaning of the title becomes clear. From then on, all the small details continue to gel with the overall cohesiveness of the story.

In typical Irving style, this novel jumps around temporally. Although some readers were put off by the "present day" Reagan era events, these read like the views of the narrating character, are consistent with how his experiences might have shaped him, and comprise relatively few pages of the overall novel. By placing the chronological ending prior to the physical ending of the book, Irving manages to build up to a crescendo without leaving loose ends, and without overshadowing the final chapters.

I did not find Owen Meany to be an immediately lovable character, but his is a character that grew on me. By the end of the book, when one truly understands what Owen was about, it becomes clear just how strong both the book and the character turn out to be. By then, all the details make sense, the meaning behind each chapter becomes clear, and you are left with the feeling that you have finished a truly remarkable book.

This is, of course, the classic beginning reader by Dr. Seuss.

What can I say about it that has not already been said? Honestly, I can't think of a thing. Just that it is a classic, and has taught many children how to read, and is a fun read-aloud to younger kids as well.

In my opinion, this is, besides being the most well-known concept of Dr. Seuss, one of the best things he has written save "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" Tis the season of Seuss right now, and as I read this book to my class I was once again enchanted by the sheer awesomeness of this story. The writing has an awesome beat and flow and the pictures are hilarious! Who can not love the banter between Cat and Fish with their surprisingly detailed personalities? Great book for a rainy day.

The Cat in the Hat
By Dr. Seuss

The Cat In the Hat was my first book. I remember reading it to my mom in the kitchen while she cooked dinner.

Any child who has to sit, sit, sit on a rainy day, would enjoy a visit from the cat in the hat. He made a game of balancing on a ball, adding items one by one, until the whole thing was overturned and the cat fell on his head.

The cat brought in a box with Thing one and Thing two, while the fish in a pot warned about the mess, and what their mother would do.

Your children's book collection would not be complete without a copy of The Cat In A Hat.

Jill Ammon Vanderwood, author
Through the Rug
Through The Rug: Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)

I couldn't imagine our children's bookshelf without

The Cat in the Hat
Green Eggs and Ham
The Lorax
How the Grinch Stole Christmas

This silly story centers around self-responsibility. The children panic because they know their mother won't be happy if she comes home and find the house a mess. The fish fluctuates between being an annoyance and a voice of reason.

The story stars a well-meaning cat who tries to release the children from an afternoon of boredom. He brings excitement, which quickly devolves into chaos...or so it seems.

This is a fun bedtime story, nothing more, nothing less. My sons weren't looking for a debate about latch-key children and abandonment. We'll leave those reviews to the sociology graduates.

If your children enjoy this book, I also recommend, "The Cat in the Hat Comes Back."

Times have changed. Little kids left home alone and shouldn't they have been told by their parents not to let anyone in?

This is the book that must of led to a lot of wild house parties and may have spawned many party while your parents are away flicks (Risky Business, etc).

A good fun read with a lilting cadence!

Lest I get carried away with verbose praise, I just want to say that this is superb storytelling by Donnelly. Admittedly, I had no knowledge of the real murder of a Grace Brown. And though her letters were indeed heartbreaking, and at turns, horrific to read, I was more fascinated with the lives of Mattie and Weaver - two of the strongest characters I've ever encountered. After reading this novel, I found myself grateful that I, as yet, have not gone through the kind of back-breaking, and, dare I say it, near soul-defeating hardships the people in this novel had. But it takes masterful narration like that of Donnelly's to infuse hope, laughter, and spirit in the stories of those living in Eagle Bay.

Mattie is as real a person as one could get - loves her family so much yet still aware of all of their flaws, including her own, torn between making right by her loved ones as well as yearning to break free of a suffocating way of life, so young still in so many ways yet mature enough to realize the kind of dreams she can have. And Weaver makes me envious as well for his fearlessness and strength.

A Northern Light will take you to heights of teasing glimpses of a happy-ending for all, as well as to the downs of heartrending drama and seemingly endless trials in a small, simple town. Very provocative. Intensely memorable. A must read for all.

I loved this book. I thought it was well written and the author is a great story teller. I will be looking for other books written by her.

The year is 1906. Mattie Gokey is only sixteen years old. She is fascinated by books and words and desperately wants to go to college. She has the brains, but not the means. Her family has been struggling financially ever since the death of her mother. Mattie feels that she'll be trapped in Eagle Bay until an interesting set of circumstances permits her to take a job at the Glenmore Hotel. With this opportunity, Mattie plans to save up as much money as she can so that she can make it to college.

But the death of a hotel guest, Grace Brown, leads Mattie to question everything in her life. Right before Grace's death, Grace asked Mattie to burn a packet of her letters. Going against Grace's wishes, Mattie reads the letters and learns the truth behind Grace's death. Other events, such as a marriage proposal, discovering that her idolized teacher is not who she says she is, and new that a poor neighbor's land is being auctioned, make Mattie reconsider her life choices.

A Northern Light was a simply amazing novel. it was so much more than I expected. It was a wonderful retelling of an actual historical occurrence, the murder of Grace Brown, and this made the story all the more interesting. I also enjoyed the incorporation of romance and Mattie's love of books. I see so much of myself in her because we are bother obsessed with books and want to go far in the world, and I think this made it easy for me to relate to her. There isn't much seen of the other characters because the novel is told from Mattie's perspective, but Mattie's interaction or descriptions of them made them realistic. I also liked how everything was tied up nicely at the end. What was a little confusing was how the story jumped around a bit. The story starts from after Grace's death, then goes before the event, and jumps around again. This made the story a little confusing to read, but in a way, it helped me understand the story better.

I definitely recommend A Northern Light to all readers, especially fans of historical fiction. This amazing novel definitely makes me look forward to more exciting historical novels.

[...]

I just finished a most remarkable and moving book! A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly focuses on Mattie, a sixteen-year-old girl growing up in the Adirondack mountains in the early 1900's. Mattie is very smart and loves to read and write. This is frowned upon by her father, who relies on Mattie to raise her siblings after the death of their mother. Mattie's dream is to go to college. This dream seems as though it may come true after she is accepted into Barnard, a college in New York City. But Mattie doesn't have the money for the train ride there or for room and board. Complications arise in the form of Royal Loomis, a local boy that begins to court Mattie. Mattie gives up her dream of going to college until a tragic event occurs at the Glenmore, a hotel where Mattie works to earn extra money. This event puts everything in Mattie's life into perspective. Will Mattie go to college or give up her dreams forever?

The language and writing in this book is lyrical. It moves seamlessly between past and present. The story is intricately woven together and the characters drawn perfectly. I was rooting for Mattie and her dreams all the way, but the obstacles in her life, i.e. her father and Royal, were also very sympathetic. Mattie's word of the day guided the events of the book just as much as the characters. Even though, at the beginning of the book, I knew what was going to happen, I was still amazed at the twists and turns. I love books that start in the present and go back in time to tell the story. It makes for such an interesting read. I drug this book out over a few weeks, but could have easily finished it in one long day! It is just that good! No wonder it's a Printz Honor Book!

A Northern Light by Jenifer Donnelly is a beautifully written book with well-developed, complicated characters who made difficult choices. It makes a great book to discuss in a book club, especially a mother-daughter book club, because it provides an entrée to discuss the limitations put on women by society in the early 1900s and to talk about how the girls' choices in life are so different now from when the characters were living or even from when the moms were growing up.

Set in upstate New York, A Northern Light weaves the real-life story of Grace Brown into the fictional story of Mattie Gokey (Mathilda Gauthier). Mattie's mother has died, exacting a promise from Mattie to take care of her younger sisters and her father and brother. But Mattie's father is isolated from his family emotionally, as he works non-stop to eke out a living on his farm. Mattie's brother has left, after a blow-up with his father, and no one expects to see him again. Mattie's sisters need parenting, but not from an older sister.

And Mattie has dreams of her own. She's a talented writer who's been accepted with a scholarship to attend Barnard College in New York. But how will she ever get the money to live while in school or permission from her father to leave? Told in flashbacks between a time when Mattie's story intersects with Grace Brown's, a young girl who drowned on a lake at a summer camp in the Adirondacks, and Mattie's life leading up to that point, the story moves along at a comfortable pace until we ultimately reach the point of Mattie's biggest decision. Donnelly flawlessly weaves in vivid details of life in the Adirondacks--lumbering camps, isolated farms, summer camps for wealthy tourists, supply boats, and one-room schoolhouses--that transports the reader back to that time in history.

It also deals frankly with several sexual situations. While the passages dealing with these situations were a little awkward to read out loud with my 13-year-old daughter, they were still appropriate for readers eighth grade and older, and they also gave us a chance to discuss some issues that are tough to talk about if you're not discussing a character in a book.