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From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

E. L. Konigsburg

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 309 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Still good after all these years 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I feel funny reviewing books that are older than I am (this was published in 1967), but I will share what I thought. I thought this was a cute story, and I don't know how I missed this one when I was young...it seems like it would have been just my style! And, except for a few details (such as how much things cost and the fact that Claudia wears a petticoat), it doesn't feel like it's outdated. I thought a couple of parts were particularly funny, like when Claudia and Jamie find an unopened candy bar on the ground, and Jamie wants to eat it. Claudia says "You better not touch it. It's probably poisoned or filled with marijuana, so you'll eat it and become either dead or a dope addict." How funny!

Editorial Review:

When Claudia decided to run away, she planned very carefully She would be gone just long enough to teach her parents a lesson in Claudia appreciation.  And she would live in comfort-at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  She invited her brother Jamie to go, too, mostly because he was a miser and would have money



The two took up residence in the museum right on schedule.  But once the fun of settling in was over, Claudia had two unexpected problems: She felt just the same, and she wanted to feel different; and she found a statue at the museum so beautiful she could not go home until she had discovered its maker, a question that baffled even the experts.  The former owner of the statue was Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler And without her help Claudia might never have found a way to go home.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

The Catcher in the Rye

J.D. Salinger

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2785 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Since his debut in 1951 as The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has been synonymous with "cynical adolescent." Holden narrates the story of a couple of days in his sixteen-year-old life, just after he's been expelled from prep school, in a slang that sounds edgy even today and keeps this novel on banned book lists. It begins, "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them." His constant wry observations about what he encounters, from teachers to phonies (the two of course are not mutually exclusive) capture the essence of the eternal teenage experience of alienation.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Boxed Set, The (Percy Jackson & the Olympians)

Rick Riordan

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Humans and half-bloods alike agree--Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a series fit for heroes! Re-live the adventure from the beginning with this boxed set of the first three books.

The Lightning Thief Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. When his mom tells him the truth about where he came from, she takes him to the one place he'll be safe--Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island). There, Percy learns that the father he never knew is actually Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon Percy finds himself caught up in a mystery that could lead to disastrous consequences. Together with his friends--a satyr and other the demigod daughter of Athena--Percy sets out on a quest to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

The Sea of Monsters After a summer spent trying to prevent a catastrophic war among the Greek gods, Percy Jackson finds his seventh-grade school year unnervingly calm. But things don't stay quiet for long. Percy soon discovers there is trouble at Camp Half-Blood: the magical borders which protect Half-Blood Hill have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and the only safe haven for demigods is on the verge of being overrun by mythological monsters. To save the camp, Percy needs the help of his best friend, Grover, who has been taken prisoner by the Cyclops Polyphemus on an island somewhere in the Sea of Monsters--the dangerous waters Greek heroes have sailed for millennia--only today, the Sea of Monsters goes by a new nameL: the Bermuda Triangle. Now Percy and his friends must retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Island of the Cyclopes by the end of the summer or Camp Half-Blood will be destroyed. But first, Percy will learn a stunning new secret about his family--one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or simply a cruel joke...

The Titan's Curse When Percy Jackson receives a distress call from his friend Grover, he immediately prepares for battle. He knows he'll need his powerful demigod allies, Annabeth and Thalia, at his side; his trusty broze sword Riptide; and... a ride from his mom. The demigods race to the rescue, to find that Grover has made an important discovery: two new powerful half-bloods whose parentage is unknown. But that's not all that awaits them. The Titan lord, Kronos, has set up his most devious trap yet, and the young heroes have unwittingly fallen prey. Hilarious and action-packed, this third adventure in the series finds Percy faced with his most dangerous challenge so far: the chilling prophecy of the Titan's curse.

The Magician: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

Michael Scott

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Fantastic Sequel 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The Magician does not disappoint as a continuation from the first book, The Alchemyst. Scott really does a remarkable job of blending history and mythology and magic all into one amazing adventure.

In this installment Sophie and Josh run into more trouble and adventure while both of their powers' grow stronger, while Nicolas and Pernelle grow weaker by the hour. I'm so looking foward to the third installment of this series!

Editorial Review:

After fleeing Ojai, Nicholas, Sophie, Josh, and Scatty emerge in Paris, the City of Lights. Home for Nicholas Flamel. Only this homecoming is anything but sweet. Perenell is still locked up back in Alcatraz and Paris is teeming with enemies. Nicollo Machiavelli, immortal author and celebrated art collector, is working for Dee. He’s after them, and time is running out for Nicholas and Perenell. For every day spent without the Book of Abraham the Mage, they age one year—their magic becoming weaker and their bodies more frail. For Flamel, the Prophesy is becoming more and more clear.

It’s time for Sophie to learn the second elemental magic: Fire Magic. And there’s only one man who can teach it to her: Flamel’s old student, the Comte de Saint-Germain—alchemist, magician, and rock star. Josh and Sophie Newman are the world’s only hope—if they don’t turn on each other first.

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)

Rick Riordan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 265 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Wonderfully Creative 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

12 year old Percy Jackson has always known he is different - he's been kicked out of several boarding schools, he's dyslexic, and he's never known who his father was. But he is about to find out just how different he is - characters from Greek mythology have entered his life and his best friend Grover is not who Percy thinks he is. Before he knows it, Percy is accused of stealing Zeus's master lightning bolt and has just ten days to find and return it. Percy and his friends Grover and Annabeth embark on a journey to find the lightening bolt that will change all of their lives.

"The Lightning Thief" is a wonderfully creative children's book by Rick Riordan. There are, perhaps inevitably, some similarities to the Harry Potter series - Percy has two close friends, a boy and a girl; he calls himself a half-blood; Annabeth has a baseball hat that makes her invisible when she wears it; only Percy can be the hero of the quest; and the trio even encounters a bunch of spiders. But Riordan is a talented enough writer to make readers forget the Potter comparisons and enjoy the series on its own merits. The concept of Percy battling Greek Gods and Goddesses is a unique one and Riordan does an excellent job of incorporating Greek mythology into the story. Children will no doubt want to know more about mythical characters such as Poseidon, Zeus, Chiron, Charon, Medusa, and more after reading the book. Percy's journey is indeed an epic one and readers will love reading about his dangerous journey across the country. The book is written in the first person from Percy's point of view and Riordan does an excellent job of capturing Percy's voice. The great thing about Percy's character is that while in many ways he is extraordinary because of who his father is and the adventures he has, he is also an ordinary 12 year old boy who struggles in school because of his dyslexia, who is a loyal friend but also gets into fights, and who loves his mother even if he doesn't always obey her. Children of all ages will identify with Percy on some level.

"The Lightning Thief" is the first in the five book "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series, a series that looks like it will be a lot of fun.

Editorial Review:

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse—Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy’s mom finds out, she knows it’s time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he’ll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena—Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

People of the Book: A Novel

Geraldine Brooks

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 136 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of March, the journey of a rare illuminated manuscript through centuries of exile and war

In 1996, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, is offered the job of a lifetime: analysis and conservation of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, which has been rescued from Serb shelling during the Bosnian war. Priceless and beautiful, the book is one of the earliest Jewish volumes ever to be illuminated with images. When Hanna, a caustic loner with a passion for her work, discovers a series of tiny artifacts in its ancient binding—an insect wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair—she begins to unlock the book’s mysteries. The reader is ushered into an exquisitely detailed and atmospheric past, tracing the book’s journey from its salvation back to its creation.

In Bosnia during World War II, a Muslim risks his life to protect it from the Nazis. In the hedonistic salons of fin-de-siècle Vienna, the book becomes a pawn in the struggle against the city’s rising anti-Semitism. In inquisition-era Venice, a Catholic priest saves it from burning. In Barcelona in 1492, the scribe who wrote the text sees his family destroyed by the agonies of enforced exile. And in Seville in 1480, the reason for the Haggadah’s extraordinary illuminations is finally disclosed. Hanna’s investigation unexpectedly plunges her into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultra-nationalist fanatics. Her experiences will test her belief in herself and the man she has come to love.

Inspired by a true story, People of the Book is at once a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity, an ambitious, electrifying work by an acclaimed and beloved author.

Inkspell

Cornelia Funke

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 221 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Audio Edition: Brendon Frasier does a really bad job as narrator 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Listened to to Inkheart and loved the book...Redgrave does a fantastic job as the narrator. Unfortunately, Frasier does not!! Could not finish this one. Shame on the publishers for not contracting with Redgrave again.

Ick D< 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Yay, I'm being immature with my titles. Anyways. I'm going to be honest and blunt: It's been a while since I read this book, or it least part of the book. Now, I really tried to read it, I swear I did. I tried to stick with it... However, the book wasn't as good as Inkheart.

I really liked Inkheart, it was original, fun, and entertaining to read. I was so excited when I got Inkspell, I could hardly wait to read it...Until I started reading it. I got bored, I've tried to read it a number of times, but I always put it down after the first fifty pages or so. I just can't get enveloped in the story again. I'm not sure why, maybe because my tastes have changed, or maybe because the plot of Inkheart was original, but something that you only hear once and find it exciting before you get bored with it.

I'll update this if I ever manage to plow through the book, but most likely it's going to stay on my book case for a long time.

-De

Editorial Review:

Although a year has passed, not a day goes by without Meggie thinking of INKHEART, the book whose characters became real. But for Dustfinger, the fire-eater brought into being from words, the need to return to the tale has become desperate. When he finds a crooked storyteller with the ability to read him back, Dustfinger leaves behind his young apprentice Farid and plunges into the medieval world of his past. Distraught, Farid goes in search of Meggie, and before long, both are caught inside the book, too. But the story is threatening to evolve in ways neither of them could ever have imagined.

The Fountainhead

Ayn Rand

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 967 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Fairy Tale 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Ayn Rand created a real, modern fairy tale with The Fountainhead. It is hard to find a more honorable literary figure than Rand's creation of Howard Roark. The focus of the novel is mainly set on the true natures of people. You find those who manipulate, those who bully, those who parasite, and one who stands only for purity in how he sees the world. You will also surely be able to point out appropriate figures in your own life as the are archetyped here.

The relationships among the players are complicated and seem at times to be become completely contradictory. The result is that those who need to build a common concept of purity ultimately lose out to those who bravely and independently create their own.

You may come away from this book actually believing in the fairy tale that honesty and purity (in purpose) can truly lead to poverty, but happiness.

Editorial Review:

Howard Roark is an architect whose genius and integrity will not be comprised. He has ideas that work against conventional standards.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Frank Miller

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Total reviews: 338 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

If any comic has a claim to have truly reinvigorated the genre, then The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller--known also for his excellent Sin City series and his superb rendering of the blind superhero Daredevil--is probably the top contender. Batman represented all that was wrong in comics and Miller set himself a tough task taking on the camp crusader and turning this laughable, innocuous children's cartoon character into a hero for our times. The great Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, Swamp Thing, the arguably peerless Watchmen) argued that only someone of Miller's stature could have done this. Batman is a character known well beyond the confines of the comic world (as are his retinue) and so reinventing him, while keeping his limiting core essentials intact, was a huge task.Miller went far beyond the call of duty. The Dark Knight is a success on every level. Firstly it does keep the core elements of the Batman myth intact, with Robin, Alfred the butler, Commissioner Gordon, and the old roster of villains, present yet brilliantly subverted. Secondly the artwork is fantastic--detailed, sometimes claustrophobic, psychotic. Lastly it's a great story: Gotham City is a hell on earth, street gangs roam but there are no heroes. Decay is ubiquitous. Where is a hero to save Gotham? It is 10 years since the last recorded sighting of the Batman. And things have got worse than ever. Bruce Wayne is close to being a broken man but something is keeping him sane: the need to see change and the belief that he can orchestrate some of that change. Batman is back. The Dark Knight has returned. Awesome. --Mark Thwaite

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)

J. K. Rowling

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Total reviews: 5870 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A New York Times Bestseller

As Harry enters his fifth year at wizard school, Lord Voldemort's rise has opened a rift in the wizarding world between those who believe the truth about his return, and those who prefer to believe it's all madness and lies - just more trouble from Harry Potter. Add to this a host of other worries for Harry . . . and you'd know what Harry faces during the day. But at night it's even worse, because then he dreams of a single door in a silent corridor. And this door is somehow more terrifying than every other nightmare combined. In the richest installment yet of J. K. Rowling's seven-part story, Harry Potter confronts the unreliability of the very government of the magical world, and the impotence of the authorities at Hogwarts. Despite this (or perhaps because of it) Harry finds depth and strength in his friends, beyond what even he knew; boundless loyalty and unbearable sacrifice.

• J. K. Rowling currently resides in Scotland
• J. K. Rowling has won the Hugo Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the Whitbread Award for Best Children's Book
• She has received special commendation for the Anne Spencer Lindbergh Prize, and a special certificate for being a three-year winner of the Smarties Prize, as well as many other honors
• With over a quarter of a billion sold, the Harry Potter books have been translated into 61 languages and distributed in over 200 countries
• All five Harry Potter books have appeared on bestseller lists in the United States, Britain, and around the globe