( I ) Books

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Kate Dicamillo

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 226 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Beautiful tale, beautifully told 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I just finished reading this book to my 10 year old. I think it is an amazing, once in a hundred years kind of book. It is touching, honest and thought provoking. As an adult, you'll have to read it more than once to unfurl the layers and interpret the underlying meanings. Older children will pick up on the allegorical nature of the story, while younger children may be frightened by the sometimes harsh circumstances of Edward's life. I believe this book is ideal for children from 4th grade up. It should also be required reading for middle and high school English students as an fine example of the use of personification, metaphor and parable. Beautiful. Gives me the chills just thinking about it. I will read it again.

Editorial Review:

Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who adored him completely. And then, one day, he was lost. . . .

Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. Along the way, we are shown a miracle -- that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.

Great Joy

Kate DiCamillo

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Wonderful addition to my library 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I purchased Greatest Joy for my small rural library and it was received with rave reviews from my patrons. It is a fast read and the illustrations are beautiful. The children loved it.

Harkens back to a simpler time 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Frances is excited. It's the week before Christmas, and the shops in her neighborhood are festively decorated and brightly lit. Then, one dark winter night she looks out her bedroom window and sees a monkey and an organ grinder on the street corner below. The monkey is dressed in a green vest and red hat. He holds a tin cup and dances to the sweet, sad music played by the organ grinder with the lonely eyes and pushbroom mustache. The man wears a winter cap and heavy overcoat to protect him from the snow and bitter cold.

As Christmas draws near, Frances prepares for her part as an angel in the church's Christmas pageant. During the performance she will wear a halo, a white robe and wings. She has a speaking part but is not afraid; she has memorized her one line. Yet, in the warmth of her upstairs apartment, as her mother puts the finishing touches on her costume, Frances can't concentrate on the pageant.

When Frances asks her mother where the man and the monkey sleep, her mother says, "I'm sure they go somewhere. Everyone goes somewhere."

Frances is not so sure.

One snowy night Frances stays awake past midnight and peeks outside. When she sees them on the sidewalk, huddled against the cold, she grows even more troubled.

The evening of the Christmas pageant Frances and her mother ease down the snow-crusted steps. Frances drops a coin in the monkey's tin cup and invites the organ grinder to watch the play at church.

Later on, in the middle of the stage, Frances stands very still. All eyes are on her. She opens her mouth, but the words won't come out. The world is quiet and everyone waits, including Frances.

GREAT JOY harkens back to a simpler time --- to a world of childhood innocence, wonder, trust and compassion --- a time when Christmas was an occasion for reverence, warmth and joy. Kate DiCamillo has written a lovely story for readers of all ages to share and to cherish. This slim and graceful book, with its simple yet timeless message, lives up to its title --- it does bring tidings of GREAT JOY.

--- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt

Editorial Review:

Just before Christmas, an organ grinder and his monkey appear on the street corner outside Frances' apartment. Frances can see them from her window and, sometimes, when it's quiet, she can hear their music. She can't stop thinking about them, especially after she sees the man and his monkey sleeping outside on the cold street at midnight. Even when it is her turn to speak in the Christmas play, all she can think about is the organ grinder's sad eyes. Everyone is silent until Frances finds the perfect words to share, just in time.

The Little Match Girl

Hans Christian Andersen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Winter Favorite 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is one of my favorite stories to hear at Christmas-time. It really reminds you to be thankful of all that you have. My grandmother read this story to all of her grandchildren every year on Christmas Day. This story holds fond memories for me. Since she is no longer here to read the story to us, and now all of the grandchildren are adults, I wanted to have a copy of the story so that when I have children one day, I can read it to them. I want to carry on the tradition.

I read it as a child, and it has helped me as an adult to understand myself 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I want to agree with another reviewer that the meaning of the book for me was to look within for our own rich resources. That we can transform our own world if we transform our minds. The young girl used her imagination to picture herself out of the situation until it happened. Law of Attraction? Maybe from today's perspective. I just took it to mean that in this time in my life I have to go within to transform my own situation. God knows, I tried everything else :)

I was read the Spanish version "La Pequena Vendedora de Fosforos."

Editorial Review:

Andersen's poignant Christmastime classic is brought to life by the radiantlybeautiful paintings of Caldecott Honor Book artist Rachel Isadora. Full-colorillustrations.

A Countess Below Stairs

Eva Ibbotson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Parody of Great Classics 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Its been hard to find a teenage romantic fiction that is so delightful. The book is very well written. Ibbotsen is extremely clever. She creates complex and varied characters. Her story telling is filled with historical and cultural references without becoming a lecture. There were times where I couldn't stop laughing and other times when I stopped, reread the sentence, and acknowledged how witty it was written. I especially liked her caricature of the dashing Russian prince who has been relentlessly pursued by women since he was six. There are prima donnas, babies who cut their teeth on heavy gold crowns, a snobbish dog, pseudo-science, spirits, dignified butlers, gold diggers, and a club of Russian royalty scheming on how to regain their fortune. This book is incredibly entertaining, and I recommend it to anyone who likes a book in the style of the grand old classics with an extra dose of humor and wit.

Editorial Review:

After the russian revolution turns her world topsy-turvy, Anna, a young russian countess, has no choice but to flee to england. penniless, Anna hides her aristocratic background and takes a job as servant in the household of the esteemed westerholme family, armed only with an outdated housekeeping manual and sheer determination. Desperate to keep her past a secret, Anna is nearly overwhelmed by her new duties—not to mention her instant attraction to rupert, the handsome earl of westerholme. to make matters worse, rupert appears to be falling for her as well. As their attraction grows stronger, Anna finds it more and more difficult to keep her most dearly held secrets from unraveling. And then there’s the small matter of rupert’s beautiful and nasty fiancée. . . .

A Company of Swans

Eva Ibbotson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Favorite 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

This book is one of my favorites. I picked it up not knowing the author at all and became lost in a touching romance. I now try to find her books wherever I can. This is usually in libraries, because most of her adult books at out of print.

Editorial Review:

For nineteen-year-old Harriet Morton, life in 1912 Cambridge is as dry and dull as a biscuit. Her stuffy father and her opressive aunt Louisa allow her only one outlet: ballet. When a Russian ballet master comes to class searching for dancers to fill the corps of his ballet company before their South American tour, Harriet’s world changes. Defying her father’s wishes and narrowly escaping the clutches of the man who wishes to marry her, Harriet sneaks off to join the ballet on their journey to the Amazon. There, in the wild, lush jungle, they perform Swan Lake in grand opera houses for the wealthy and culture-deprived rubber barons, and Harriet meets Rom Verney, the handsome and mysterious British exile who owns the most ornate opera house. Utterly enchanted by both the exotic surroundings and by Rom’s affections, Harriet is swept away by her new life, completely unaware that her father and would-be finacé have begun to track her down. . . .

Kipper's A to Z: An Alphabet Adventure (Kipper)

Mick Inkpen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great Alphabet Book!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

My son loves the Kipper videos. I think he might even like the the books more. He takes them everywhere.

Love it! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

My 2 1/2 year old LOVES this book. She's a big Kipper fan, and this is such a great book - much requested at bed time. We love all of Mike Inkpen's work...

Cute! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Very cute book! My 2-year old son is a Kipper fan and he loves this book! Hopefully it will help us with learning the ABC's!

good book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

it's a v good book for children. Letters are big and characters are interesting.

very good service 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The book I ordered was shipped very promptly and arrived in brand new condition. I will deffinately order from them again.

Editorial Review:

Kipper and Arnold are on an alphabet adventure! What can they find for each letter? They find ladybugs for L. And toys for T. But what begins with X? That's a hard one.

A Song for Summer

Eva Ibbotson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

There Are Masters of Literature-And Then There Is Eva Ibbotson 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Finally! The highly acclaimed author Eva Ibbotson, (whose books were reviewed decades ago to justifiable superlatives of every sort known to readers everywhere have returned to print). No one writes like Ms. Ibbotson or perhaps ever will. "A Song For Summer, A Novel" will be among the best books you have ever had the honor (and I sincerely mean this...*honor*) to read and own. I do not know of any other author who creates such profoundly deep and complicated characters amid a sentence or two (when reader first meets the heroes and villains) creating the lightest of anecdotes that utterly defines them for one of the best stories you have ever read in your life. Also, in this masterpiece, I would defy anyone to match a wow-of-an-ending that will live as long as you do. In troubled times like ours, we all need a novel like "A Song For Summer" (certainly grand for all ages) not just because it is penned by this unique master of literature; or a fantastically appropriate summer book - but because the novel is so utterly gorgeous from its opening line, to the last sigh - conveying that Ms. Ibbotson brilliantly understands how to utilize art itself to keep us sane when seemingly one's world has gone beyond awry to the virtual reality of insane. I can only thank Amazon.com for bringing back books like this one and making it available at a giveaway price for the treasure it is, and always has been...beyond priceless.

Editorial Review:

Eighteen-year-old ellen never expected the Hallendorf school to be, well, quite so unusual. After all, her life back in england with her suffragette mother and liberated aunts certainly couldn’t be called normal. but buried deep in the beautiful Austrian countryside, ellen discovers an eccentric world occupied by wild children and even wilder teachers, experimental dancers and a tortoise on wheels. And then there is the particurally intriguing, enigmatic, and very handsome Marek, part-time gardener and fencing teacher. ellen is instantly attracted to the mysterious gardener, but Hitler’s reich is already threatening their peaceful world. only when she discovers Marek’s true identity and his dangerous mission does ellen realize the depth of her feelings for him—and the danger their newfound love faces in the shadow of war.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Washington Irving

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 56 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Mr. Rogers meets Saw 3 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I will keep this quick because it was already a waste of time to read this book. They used these horrible drawing for the book that look like my little brother did them. Basically they messed up the story and made it for kids. They made it a childrens book, if that is what your looking for then it is good.

Editorial Review:

When Washington Irving first published this collection of essays, sketches, and tales--originally entitled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.--readers greeted it with enthusiasm, and Irving emerged as America's first successful professional author.

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle," two of America's most recognizable and loved works of fiction, display Irving's ability to depict American landscapes and culture so vividly that readers feel themselves a part of them. And it is on the basis of these two classic tales that Irving is generally credited with inventing the short story as a distinct literary genre. This volume also contains gently ironic pieces about life in England that reflect the author's interest in the traditions of the Old World and his longings for his home in the New.

The First Christmas Stocking

Elizabeth Winthrop

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A Lovely Book 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I bought multiple copies of this book for neices, nephews, godchildren and young cousins. It's a great antidote to the overly commerecialized Christmas season. The writing is elegant but straightforward, and the illustrations glow. Although it has a strong spiritual message, it is not overtly regligous, so is suitable for all children who celebrate Christmas.

Editorial Review:

"Dream your dreams, my child, and knit them into the wool."

A long time ago a girl named Claire learned to knit by her mother's side. As the mother knit mittens, scarves and all sorts of clothing for the wealthy people of the town, Claire set about knitting stockings to keep her toes warm. Claire, her mother and father, you see, were poor. They lived in a stone hut, with little wood to burn and meagre food to eat. So Claire knit stockings and--with Christmas approaching--heeded her mother's words to knit her Christmas dreams into the wool.

Soon Claire became known as the stocking girl--with many orders for stockings to fill. One such order ensured her a handsome payment. Enough to fill her family's hut with light and food. But as she trudged through the snow to deliver the stockings on Christmas Eve, Claire was stirred to share her knitted dreams with someone truly in need.

The Morning Gift

Eva Ibbotson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

great book 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I loved this book!! So cute and romantic. If you are looking for one of those feel good romances, this is it.

A Warm Blanket 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

After reading Eva Ibbotson's 4 adult books, I want to say that I love her writing. It's like having a bit of a chill and her books are like the blanket fresh from the dryer you cuddle in. Descriptive, endearing and comforting. Thank you for these stories, they are truly beautiful

Editorial Review:

Twenty-year-old Ruth Berger is desperate. The daughter of a Jewish-Austrian professor, she was supposed to have escaped Vienna before the Nazis marched into the city. Yet the plan went completely wrong, and while her family and fiancé are waiting for her in safety, Ruth is stuck in Vienna with no way to escape. Then she encounters her father’s younger college professor, the dashing British paleontologist Quin Sommerville. Together, they strike a bargain: a marriage of convenience, to be annulled as soon as they return to safety. But dissolving the marriage proves to be more difficult than either of them thought—not the least because of the undeniable attraction Quin and Ruth share. To make matters worse, Ruth is enrolled in Quin’s university, in his very classes. Can their secret survive, or will circumstances destroy their love?