Birthdays Books

Like so many kids books, this one shows pancakes, suckers, bubble gum, taffy, little crackers, cake, ice cream, potato chips - repeatedly.

We avoid commercial TV and its brainwashing effects on what we eat... Wwhat a disappointment when our favorite characters to advertise this junk to us - no thanks!

This long and growing series is terrific for all kids, but especially only children. Although Henry has no siblings and his best friends are his dog Mudge and his cousin Annie (also an only, apparently in a one-parent household), with the exception of the first book, the series does not dwell on his sibling-free status. It simply presents a well-adjusted kid enjoying a wide range activities. Henry is constructive with his time (but not so much as to be unrealistic; see "Henry and Mudge and the Long Weekend"), sociable, not prone to loneliness and never portrayed as pining for a little brother or sister. As the parent of an "only", I find the whole series great for subtly conveying an affirmative message without beating it over the head.
To be sure, Henry's is a somewhat idealized, white-kid, small-town life and the books are not entirely p.c. - the illustrations of the family car never seem to picture seat belts and Henry's diet apparently includes lots of hot dogs, potato chips and refined sugar. But as part of a wider reading program, Henry and Mudge provide a great series of simple chapter books to be read to youngsters or read by beginning readers.

My children love this book. My 2 year old wanted this for hisbedtime story every night for 2 weeks. It is still one of hisfavorites. His 4 year old sister loves all of the Henry & Mudge books, but she especially loves this one. She keeps asking if we can have a pinata at her party. I like it because it is short enough for the whole book to be a bedtime story.

The Kid's Pick-a-Party Book has loads of ideas for children's parties. The party age ranges are from toddler to teenager, and are identified in the table of contents for easy reference. We have used a number of ideas for different theme parties. The book focuses on a wide variety of party ideas, but doesn't address the typical party themes, like Valentine's Day, holidays, etc. It does have a ghosts and goblins party and we used some of those ideas for a Halloween party. It is well organized and has ideas for invitations, costumes, decorations, games, food, favors and more.

If you have younger or older children, this is the book for you! If you have no ideas where to start or need great ideas. This book is wonderful! I needed some different and neat ideas and I found them in this book. I just can't say enough about this book.

This book contains good ideas for all ages. You can use ideas from one type of party and just change the theme. Also good ideas for school parties, etc.

I liked the "twists" in this story - thinking one thing was going to happen, and it didn't. I thought the book was scarier than the Goosebumps.

My daughter reads all of of the books in this series and begs for more.

Let's Get This Party Haunted is the sixth (out of eight) in R.L. Stein's Mostly Ghostly series and we join Max (about to turn 12) practicing for the magic show he has planed for his upcoming birthday project...working with Quinten a new friend who shares his love of magic and hoping that he can get Traci (the most popular girl at school) to come to his party. He's got a bit of a problem though...he's got two other friends, Nicky and Tara and they just happen to be ghosts who always seem to get Max into more trouble then he could ever get in on his own.

Max's goal is to invite Traci (and her cool friends by proxy), pull off a spectacular party that will wow them and prove that he's not the weirdo everyone thinks he is. Unfortunately, Max seems to have the worst luck of any boy ever written about...he's got a horrible older brother, his father thinks he's worthless because he's smart instead of a jock (like his brother), a mom who is indifferent at best, a best friend who is NEVER then when he needs a buddy (he gets grounded on Max's birthday, typical), and two ghost friends who are always lousing up his plans.

Will Max pull off a great party? Will he impress Traci and her friends? Who is that boy in black who is still lurking about? Where did those specters come from? You'll have to read to find out...and this one has more twists and scares than usual, but still this series is leaving me unsatisfied due to the nature of Max's life...I just don't like the abuse that is heaped upon him by his brother and father, it just plays into a poor me, my life is so hard mentality that a lot of kids have. Additionally, each book seems to start out with Max loathing Nicky and Tara for all the problems they cause him and because they are kind of selfish and pushy and ending with Max declaring that they really are the best friends he could have...yet, the next volume puts him back at the loathing point. I guess I would just chalk it up to the kid drama...they do seem to do drama well, but it just irks me a bit.

Overall, it's so-so...there is a big revenge twist at the end that left me stunned as it was something I just don't see an adult doing...but probably something a kid would think up that an adult might do as revenge. I give it a C, it's got a few genuine creepy moments...but overall, it's just a boy whose life never goes quite right and it's kind of depressing to continue reading about it...luckily there are only two more books in this series.

the typo mentioned below has been corrected in this book

Your child learns the value of family and friends and is the guest of honor at a surprise birthday party. What a fantastic way to celebrate this special day ! You may also personalize the book with the chld's name, as well as, family, friends, and hometown. When you receive the book, simply fill out the perforated information card, tear it out of the book, and mail it to the address shown on the card. Within one to two weeks, you will receive a sticker sheet with all of your child's information that includes simple instructions on putting the stickers on the book. After placing them in the book, they blend in with the graphics of the book to become a permanent part of this unique keepsake.

This is a very cute book, and a fun keepsake. The personalized stickers -- which I was very pleased to see arrive about seven days after I mailed in my info -- blended in perfectly with the book's kid-friendly illustrations.

I would have given this book an excellent rating if it hadn't been for the typo I found ("unknown" was spelled wrong in the middle of the book). I find this totally inexcusable -- after all, this book is intended to be one of a child's first reading books where he or she learns to recognize and sound out words, and eventually spell them out.

I would like to see the company reissue a corrected version of the book, and send stickers to correct the misspelled passage to anybody who requests one. I called the publisher requesting they send me a sticker with the correction and have not received any sort of response.

Shedding Light is a compilation of philosophical insights by gifted poet Harold Nash. In it, he touches on a range of topics, including such issues as religion, personal development, interpersonal relations, and the ultimate purpose for human existence. Broken down into two separate sections, Shedding Light begins with a nine-chapter sequence in which Nash delves deeply into the mercurial nature of humanity. Many of his reflections are expressed in anecdotal form, and the insights that he shares with the reader often come in crisp, laconic passages, such as this one from "Chapter One: Maturity":

"As much as most
people tend to equate seriousness
with maturity, the truth and fact
is that they are not parallel with
each other. To assume that they
are the same, or have the same meaning,
is not only a misconcept [sic], but it also
confirms the lack of enlightenment
that one may have."


And this one from "Chapter Two: Humility":

"In order to be humble,
you first have to learn to give up a
priviledge [sic] that you have, for someone
else to have that privilege."


Profound insights from one who obviously doesn't just talk the talk, but has also walked the walked on many an occasion.

The second half of Shedding Light features seven poems by Nash that are equally as philosophic as the mini essays in the first half of the book, and anyone familiar with Nash's poetic style is already prepared for the types of straight-ahead insights that they espouse, such as, for example, this passage from "When Truth is Told":

"When truth is deep,
eyes will weep; the heart will sink,
and tears will leap, and what you sow,
is what you reap.

When lies are made,
They run for shade, when burning truth,
Throws its parade."


And this passage from the impressively insightful "An Ancient Chinese Secret," outlining the different types of people that one will meet over the course of a lifetime:

"He that knows - and knows not
that he knows
He is sleep - wake him.

He that knows - and knows that
he knows
He is wise - follow him."


As with his previous work, in Shedding Light Nash provides the reader with helpful insights borne of a need to inspire, educate, and enlighten others. Most of all, though, his desire to connect on a deeper level with those who are hurting, dejected, or confused sets Nash apart and highlights the courage of a true artist committed to using his gifts & talents for the benefit of the greater good.


Wendy Paulson
Apex Reviews

This is a very good philosophy book that is guaranteed to get you to look at life on a higher level. The author Harold Nash talks about humility, and loyalty, and then covers the subject of karma as he enlightens you.
The book ends with a few very lovely poems such as " Sunny " and " My Pekoe Tea. " This book is a must read !!!

Shedding Light by Harold M. Nash is a philosophical look on the ways of the world. This book offers scenarios of situations that may occur in a person's lifetime; breaking down what type of reaction could possibly occur from a misunderstood action. The point Mr. Nash makes is to rationalize and to think before we overreact. Maybe if we conversed and listened to what was going on, rather than jumping to conclusions, a lot of unnecessary hurt and pain could be avoided.

Shedding Light by Harold Nash would be a nice tool for a teenager. The ideas are put together enough to help a hot head to cool off without making a wrong decision. There were some topics that left me scratching the top of my head, because I had no clue how they fit in with the rest of the book. With proper editing, Shedding Light would be easier to understand. I recommend this book to parents of teenagers. I, as a parent, would read the passages I feel can shed some light on life, out loud to my child.

Jennifer Coissiere
APOOO BookClub

It was about a girl who was picking out a present for herself. Her mom was buying it for her. She didn't know what to pick. But finally she decided. Read this book to find out what she picked.

This story is absolutely fabulous! The illustrations are great and the book teaches kids about saving money to buy something special. The child in the story looks at several things and finally deicdes what would be the best present to purchase. Best of all, most of the money she spends comes from a jar of coins - this is a wonderful follow-up to the equally charming story "A Chair for my Mother" also written by Vera B. Williams.

I discovered this book in 1986. As I read it, I was astounded by how much the book mirrored by wife's life. Rosa, my wife played the accordion and was introduced to the instrument almost in the same manner that the character of Something Special For Me was. My wife died of cancer on March 23, 1999,and every time I read the copy that I gave her I cry. Thank you Ms. Williams! All of my wife's friends will receive a copy of Something Special For Me.

Well, it starts out slow but after the first page it gets exciting. I would recommend this to anybody that is just getting the hang of chapter books. It's a great story. I'm just 9 but I love to read for my brothers.

I am now a junior in high school and i read this book when I was in fourth grade. I found myself to relate with this book at that time. It is an excellent childrens book, even a very youthful teen might enjoy this book. I would recommend it to children of all ages.

this book was about a girl named heather and as her 10th birthday is nearing, she decides that she does not want to get any older so she decides to have an unbirthday party which includes...well no celebration at all! But when her uncle's girlfriend comes for a visit, Heather starts to change her mind.This is a nice book if you wanted to do a book report in a short amount of time or something you might take with you on a car trip, but other than that,it doesn't seem to appeal to many people. a good age limit for this is 8-10. I mean, some of the book is kind of kiddy. I must admit that the author does have kind of a sense of humor and she can keep the teeny boppers occupied.

Except...let your child or student read the book to you. This is one of the best rebus stories that I have come across and use it every year with my students. Can't recommend it enough.

This book is very clever. As a little girl writes in her diary about a very bad day, the lights in her attic come on, and she finds directions (a clue) to follow. Each page after that has more instructions for the girl to decipher and follow to the happy ending surprise that turns her bad day good. Some of the clues, however, were hidden so well, they were almost too hard to read. The book might be too challenging for young children. With a parent's help, however, children will enjoy the challenge and surprise.

I liked this book because the author interprets Tolkien's story by relating details associated with Greek words.
This is very different from other approaches I have read and it gave the story a new depth.
It is easy to see Gandalf as described. I had not thought of the time frame as Pentecost to Parousia.

This book is easy to read and makes a lot of sense

The author of this book has, I believe, something valuable and interesting to say about The Lord of the Rings. However, his argument is hindered by very sloppy editing.

The book abounds with spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Now, I find errors in many books, but usually only a handful in the entire work. Open this book to any page at random and you will find a half-dozen at least. It doesn't appear that even a cursory spell-check was performed. Even important terms like "hobbit" are misspelled, on the back cover, no less!

Bold, italic, and underlined text are used idiosyncratically, rather than according to accepted editing practices. For example, titles of books, which should be in italics, are often bold instead (though sometimes they're bold and italic). Text the author wants to emphasize is sometimes bold, sometimes italics, sometimes bold and underlined, and sometimes bold, italics, and underlined.

There are also grosser editing errors. There is at least one place (page xi) where an identical sentence is repeated a few lines down from its first occurrence.

Furthermore, a book that makes such extensive reference to Greek terms should either transliterate them into Roman characters according to accepted practice or use Greek characters. Instead, this book often transliterates Greek words according to their appearance rather than their sound. For example, one sees gamma transliterated as "y" instead of "g", and nu as "v" instead of "n". This is distracting to those who know some Greek, and misleading to those who don't.

Depending on the reader, all this may go mostly unnoticed. For me, however, the effect was so irritating that I had to set the book aside. Perhaps I can attempt to finish it on another occasion.

This is the sort of romance which Jessica Hart does the best. A strong but ditzy heroine, and brooding but charismatic hero, a whole raft of errors, and the slow burn of the two getting together.

Claudia, in the middle of a mid-life crisis, decides to fly out to her friends in an Arabia.Everythign in her life has been a disaster, lost her job, her fiance, her flat, in fact the only thing holding her together is that she is going to have a 30th birthday with her friends. Except it isn't going to happen as she can't make the connecting flight. Instead she convinces the tight-lipped David who she has met on the way out to accompany her as her fiance so she can get a lift with a sheikh to get her friends house in time to celebrate her 30th birthday party. It is a recipe for disaster. Now she has to stay engaged to DAvid for the entire visit - something neither of them enjoy

This is a great romance, with the two slowly falling in love nicely. Jessica Hart generally writes a nice romance with fun characters, and thisis a really good example. Highly enjoyable.

Claudia is having an early mid-life crisis. She's lost her job, been dumped by her fiance, had her apartment robbed and, worst of all, she's turning 30. Headed for a getaway visiting friends in a remote desert country, she runs into the most obnoxious man she thinks she's ever met. David, burned by a failed marriage to a shallow career woman, immediately lumps Claudia into that same category and is unbearably rude when he finds her staring at him in the airport then seated next to him for the long flight. He's headed to the same country as Claudia to negotiate a big contracting job for his company. To their horror, they find that they are both on their way to spend time with the same friends while there. Trying not to be so mutually irritating, the two find themselves stranded in the desert by plane trouble and at the mercy of the sheikh. They must pretend to be husband and wife to get out of their predicament and to satisfy the sheikh's moral standards. Difficult, when each has started to notice some very appealing things about the other. Both eventually give in to the passion that has developed between them but neither is willing to talk of committment. When Claudia's vacation is over, she unhappily walks away from David and goes back to the "real world" where she has a new job waiting. David has been through this before--his real wife left him for another man who could further her career. He got over his wife, but Claudia? Claudia is something altogether different. When he heads back to London after her, how long will it be before one of them breaks down and calls the other to admit that their brief pretend marriage just wasn't enough?