Reference & Nonfiction Books

Pulling Weeds to Picking Stocks

Beatty Boys

Amazon Price: $9.69 List Price: $10.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Tate Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 4 new & used starting at $7.14

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Reference & Nonfiction -> Business & Money

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 80 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Mediocre Capitalist Porn for Kids 2 out of 5 stars.
16 of 105 people found this review helpful.

Unlike most of the reviewers here, I've actually read this book. I'm not making assumptions about that either; almost all of the reviews say something like "I think this is just great! I can't wait to read it!" Obviously you're not going to get much other than vacuous assertions from this audience anyway. Plenty of people will buy this book because it reassures their fantasies about the Capitalist gang-bang, but I doubt many will read it.

I read the book in about an hour. I was hoping the book would not be 100% predictable, but unfortunately it was. I certainly applaud the boys for writing a book about something that interests them at such a young age. Any young person writing a book with competency on any subject would deserve a few stars simply for that. Bravo.

However, it is one of the worst books I've ever read. The writing is awful. I wouldn't normally fault a group of kids too much for poor writing, but the subject matter is even worse. It is the unremarkable story of 3 white, middle class boys, with apparently no noteworthy obstacles or challenges, setting out to make a bunch of money and...making a bunch of money. I don't recall any point in the book in which the authors put value on anything other than money, which I find particularly horrifying behavior especially for children of this age. Nowhere in the book do we read about how such wanton accumulation of personal wealth benefits the community or even the individual in any real way, other than the repeated, empty catch phrase of "investing in yourself." This is basically the core of the book.

One thing that bothers me about all of the "buzz" surrounding the book is that many people are suggesting that the boys are selfless in some way. For instance, one review here says:
"I kept thinking about my nephew, whom only thinks about himself and his personal entertainment."

I don't understand how the activities outlined in this book are anything but selfish. Picking stocks may be a more constructive form of selfishness than playing video games, but it is selfish and self centered none the less. The boys themselves say on their blog "We are kids, and we want things." I see nothing selfless, heroic, or even remarkable about that. I also see nothing desirable about the possibility of our children, at younger and younger ages, becoming capitalist prostitutes that value nothing but money. I applaud the boys for donating the profits from this book to families that were affected by senseless war, but even that effort comes off as an advertising gimmick more than anything.

And to all of the reviewers throwing "God Bless" around...remember that "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Editorial Review:

Teen authors The Beatty Brothers offer an account of common financial insecurities in their inspirational how-to, Pulling Weeds to Picking Stocks. Heeding their parents advice, David, Devin, and Deric Beatty have spent their childhood and adolescent years pulling weeds for extra cash, preparing and presenting marketing strategies, picking stocks, and investing in their future. Pulling Weeds to Picking Stocks includes their easy-to-follow tips for being rich at fifteen, thirteen, and seven, such as budget worksheets, work ethics, asset liability evaluation, and tithing. No matter what age, you can follow these practical guidelines to make cents of the change in your life.

Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension for Understanding and Engagement

Stephanie Harvey, Anne Goudvis

Amazon Price: $27.00 List Price: $30.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Stenhouse Publishers Amazon Marketplace: 29 new & used starting at $24.00

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Reference & Nonfiction -> Language Arts -> General
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Education Theory -> Contemporary Methods -> Language Experience Approach
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 35 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

When they say K-8...they mean it 3 out of 5 stars.
4 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Most of the reviews mention what a great teaching tool this is so I thought why can't it work for me? I'm an adult that was looking for a book to help increase my reading comprehension. My thoughts were to to go back to the beginning. Though there were some good ideas, this book was by far elementary. It does cover the basic reading comprehension skills about making connections, questioning, visualizing, inferring, etc. However, the articles, examples, drawings are all written for and by children. I can 100% understand how elementary teachers and children could benefit from this book. But if you are an adult who struggles with reading comprehension this is NOT the book for you. My suggestion is to try "Read Better, Remember More" by Elizabeth Chesla. It is fantasic. It has exceptional practice exercises and skill building ideas that can help you become a good reader who interacts with the text.

The Best book for the classroom 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is an AWESOME book. I had the opportunity to listen to Stephanie Harvey talk and she is amazing! This book makes such perfect common sense. We use the Comprehension toolkit in our school and this book goes right along with it. I actually want to expand and use this book more. It is great not only for the language arts classroom but for all content area classes. This is a must have for your professional library!!!!

Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary for Students

Amazon Price: $2.99 List Price: $2.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Federal Street Press Amazon Marketplace: 26 new & used starting at $1.44

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Reference & Nonfiction -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> People & Places -> Multilingual -> Spanish
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Home Computing -> Internet -> Internet & Education

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

My go-to book for Spanish definitions and translation 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I have 5 or 6 Spanish dictionaries and this has become #1. It has the most words for everyday usage and it is easy to tote around. I was tired of not finding the word I was looking for in the other dictionaries, and that's how this one became my favorite (it usually had the word I was looking for).

Just for kicks, if anyone wants the most heavy-duty Spanish dictionary try Harper Collins Spanish Unabridged Dictionary. It's about 4" thick and weighs about 15 lbs and it has everything you could ever possibly need as far as a Spanish dictionary goes. I love it but it's too darned big to use on a regular basis. I use it to find the words that the other dictionaries don't cover (or cover well enough). Bueno suerte!

Editorial Review:

Created by the editors of Merriam-Webster, this Spanish-English dictionary is a concise reference to the core vocabulary of contemporary Latin-American Spanish and American English. Appropriate for Spanish-speaking students learning English as a second language, as well as English-speaking students who are learning Spanish, it is an up-to-date, affordable reference.

Cracking the SAT, 2009 Edition (College Test Prep)

Princeton Review

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Reference & Nonfiction -> Study Aids -> Test Preparation
Subjects -> Reference -> Education -> Test Guides - College & University -> SAT & PSAT

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent review of needed material, but with a few warts 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

When I prepared to take my first SAT, I relied on this book to prepare. Let me first talk about the good aspects of the book:

It demystifies the SAT and takes a "student friendly" approach. That is, it helps convince the reader that the SAT doesn't measure intelligence, self-worth, etc. While this may or may not be true, it relieves one of a significant burden by believing that the test doesn't test anything innate, which prevents the formation of artificial mental barriers or blocks.

The vocabulary list is quite good, as it consists of a short, but sweet list of 200 words that are likely to show up on the SAT (either in passages or in the sentence completions). For such a short list, it sure does get a good number of "hits" on the real thing.

The math refresher is good -- it's not a math textbook in the sense that it will, in vivid detail, teach you the fundamentals of mathematics beginning with "2 + 2 = 4", but it does give you a great refresher of all the topics you (should) have learned. If you're shaky about performing basic algebra, then you don't need an SAT prep book -- you need a basic mathematics book. It also shows how these basic math tools can be applied to the SAT, by showing how to solve several "famous" or "representative" problems to give you a feel of the kinds of problems you'll likely encounter.

The grammar/essay sections are good, too. It goes over the fundamental errror that you'll likely encounter without attempting to write the next great treatise in English grammar. So with the rules in here, you'll feel comfortable answering the questions on the real test.

The best part, by far, of this book is the set of three very accurate, very SAT-ish practice tests. They're slightly more difficult than what you'll encounter on the SAT, but not by any significant margin. The math questions are sufficiently convoluted in wording and the content is great. The passages are of SAT level and the questions are very much in the flavor of the test. The writing/grammar questions are also superb -- any error that you can find on the real test, you'll find in this book on these practice tests. So, all in all, good practice that will demystify the content/format/questions on the test.

Now, for the bad:

Firstly, the reading comprehensions "tips and strategies" are just god-awful. This book explicitly states to "not read the passage and just skim it for the gist". Are you kidding me? That's how you miss out on big points on the reading comprehensions, especially the tone/overall meaning/theme questions. In fact, I was so naive as to follow their advice and got a lower score than I'd deserved (the first time I tried their method and scored 680CR, but when I retook and read through the passages without skimming, I scored a 760.) It's for this that I dock a star -- the section's called "critical reading", not "skim through and hunt for factoids which will invariably be out of context".

The book also doesn't have enough practice tests. The SAT is very much like any intellectual or artistic pursuit -- one's skill is directly proportional to the amount of practice that one has. And if you're using this book as your sole source of preparation, the three tests, while well designed, will run out quickly, and you'll very soon need to buy some more. For this, you can either buy PR's 11 practice tests or the Official SAT Study Guide which has 8 tests created by the ETS (guys who write the SAT). In this case, I'd go with the Official Guide -- no test can be as accurate as one written by the guys at the ETS. Not a huge downfall, especially since most people won't take that many tests, but it's nonetheless a caveat for those aiming for relatively high scores.

All in all, a very light and fairly entertaining read that will get you familiar with the SAT and help you raise your score. But if you're really serious, you're going to need to pair this with another book to provide an alternate perspective (I'd reccomend Barron's), as well as with the Official Guide for practice tests.

Editorial Review:

Cracking the SAT brings you proven techniques from the test prep experts! The 2009 edition includes full-length practices tests and exclusive free access to further review online. In Cracking the SAT, we’ll teach you how to think like the test writers and

· Master specific strategies for answering every question type
· Boost your vocabulary with our exclusive “Hit Parade”— a list of words that appear most frequently on the SAT
· Practice online with an additional full-length test, lessons, and drills
· Get the most out of your prep time with the study plan that’s right for you

We give you plenty of practice problems to help you master our proven techniques. In addition, this book contains 3 full-length, “paper and pencil” SAT practice tests. Our practice questions are just like those you’ll see on the real SAT—but with detailed answers and explanations for every question.

Vocabulary Workshop: Level E

Jerome Shostak

List Price: $10.40 By: William H Sadlier Amazon Marketplace: 19 new & used starting at $8.04

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Reference & Nonfiction -> Language Arts -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Vocabulary Workshop--all levels 3 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

I have used this at almost all the middle school and high school levels. It is ok, but if a student is not great at memorizing, or is not already a great speller, this is not as helpful as some other books. It is a very typical, rote way to learn. Worldly Wise is organized and structured in a much better way. It is especially great for teaching spelling/definitions, etc. to dyslexics or children with other minor learning issues. I also think Worldly Wise does a better job at showing definitions, showing how words are used in sentences and paragraphs, and also at showing homonyms, etc. Vocab. Workshop is great as an extra tool.

Take the diagnostic test beforehand 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

It's a good book. Offers pronounciation, definitions, synonyms, and antonyms, as well as good practice. Chances are there are at least some words you'll learn from the book, even if you do well on the diagnostic test but I still suggest that you take that test to see if you should get a higher level book.

Great Buy 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I'm usually concerned about purchasing items on line, especially books. I can honestly say that this experience was worth it. I would recommend this seller to anyone interested in purchasing good quality books at extremely reasonable prices.

Buy with confidence, I did!

Barron's AP Psychology 2008 (Barron's How to Prepare for the AP Psychology Advanced Placement Examination)

Robert McEntarffer, Allyson J. Weseley Ed.D.

Amazon Price: $11.55 List Price: $16.99 Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks By: Barron's Educational Series Amazon Marketplace: 25 new & used starting at $9.49

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Reference & Nonfiction -> Study Aids -> Test Preparation
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Study Skills
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Psychology & Counseling -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Fabulous study guide! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I used this book to prepare for the AP Psychology exam and was thrilled! I had never taken a psychology course before and thought it would be challenging to try to succeed on the exam to earn college credit. It was easy to read and the practice test questions were extremely similar to those on the actual exam. I was excited to hear that I received a 5 on my exam... and the only aid I used was this book! I would recommend this to anyone.

Editorial Review:

This updated manual presents an extensive subject review covering all test topics plus three full-length practice tests that reflect the actual AP Psychology Exam in length, subject matter, and degree of difficulty. All test questions are answered and explained. Test topics reviewed include research methods, the biological basis of behavior, sensation and perception, states of consciousness, learning, cognition, personality, abnormal psychology, and treatment of disorders. This manual also presents an overview of the test, extra multiple-choice questions for practice and review, test-taking tips, and an analysis of the test’s essay question with a sample essay.

Vocabulary Workshop: Level F (Vocabulary Workshop)

Jerome Shostak

List Price: $10.40 By: William H Sadlier Amazon Marketplace: 11 new & used starting at $10.77

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Subjects -> Teens
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Reference & Nonfiction -> Language Arts -> Vocabulary & Spelling

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An Excellent Learning Tool 5 out of 5 stars.
42 of 44 people found this review helpful.

As a foreign student who just started learning English 5 years ago, the verbal section is definitely my major obstacle to mastering the SAT. When I first took the PSAT, my verbal percentile was only a 49, but after working through all eight levels of Vocabulary Workshop (A through H) it has increased to a 99 (that was a year ago). Therefore I highly recommend this book to you (sincerely).

This book is a highly successful tool for guiding and stimulating systematic vocabulary growth for students. It has also been extremely valuable for preparing students to take the types of standardized vocabulary tests commonly used to assess grade placement, competence for graduation, and/or college readiness.

This book contains approximately 300 basic words, selected on the basis of currency in present-day usage, frequency on recognized vocabulary lists, applicability to standardized tests, and current grade-placement research.

The words in the book are organized into 15 short, stimulating units featuring pronunciation, parts of speech, definitions, synonyms, antonyms, and usage.

5 reviews (1 review for every 3 lessons) highlight and reinforce the work of the units through challenging exercises involving SAT-type critical-thinking exercises, definitions, synonyms, antonyms, analogies, sentence completions, word families...

4 accumulative reviews utilize standardized testing techniques to provide ongoing assessment of word mastery, all involving SAT-type critical-thinking.

Other features in this book include: a diagnostic test (which provides ready assessment of student needs at the outset of the term), a final mastery test (which provides end-of-term assessment of student achievement), word roots (which introduces the study of etymology)...

The Daring Book for Girls

Andrea J. Buchanan, Miriam Peskowitz

Amazon Price: $17.79 List Price: $26.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Collins Amazon Marketplace: 112 new & used starting at $6.83

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Reference & Nonfiction -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> People & Places -> Girls & Women -> Nonfiction
Subjects -> Outdoors & Nature -> Hiking & Camping -> Instructional

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 141 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

this book is for young girls and grown women! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I LOVE THIS BOOK!! It reminds me so much of my childhood. I bought it for myself, but had a wonderful time sharing it with my Nanny (my grandmother.) Although I'm pretty yound and my Nanny is pretty old, we both had fun reading through this book and remembering the things we did when we were little! This is a great book for a mother and daughter or a grandmother and granddaughter to share, and will be charrished for years and years!

Editorial Review:

The Daring Book for Girls is the manual for everything that girls need to know—and that doesn't mean sewing buttonholes! Whether it's female heroes in history, secret note-passing skills, science projects, friendship bracelets, double dutch, cats cradle, the perfect cartwheel or the eternal mystery of what boys are thinking, this book has it all. But it's not just a guide to giggling at sleepovers—although that's included, of course! Whether readers consider themselves tomboys, girly-girls, or a little bit of both, this book is every girl's invitation to adventure.

The Official Study Guide for All SAT Subject Tests (Real Sats)

The College Board

Amazon Price: $12.89 List Price: $18.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: College Board Amazon Marketplace: 64 new & used starting at $7.98

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Subjects -> Reference -> Education -> General
Subjects -> Reference -> Education -> Test Guides - College & University -> SAT & PSAT

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The only source of previously-administered practice tests for all 20 SAT Subject Tests

Every year nearly 600,000 high school students take one or more SAT Subject Tests. Many selective colleges recommend or require them for admission or placement. The Official Study Guide for All SAT Subject Tests is the only source of official questions and answers for all 20 SAT Subject Test exams, and it is the only comprehensive guide developed by the test maker. This all-new edition
includes the following exclusive features:
• never-before-published practice tests for all 20 exams
• test-taking tips and strategies from the test-maker
• two audio CDs to practice for the foreign language SAT
Subject Tests with Listening (Spanish, German, French,
Chinese, Japanese, and Korean)
• practice tests for the SAT Subject Tests in Chinese, Japanese,
Korean, Modern Hebrew, Italian, and Latin

Includes 2 Audio CDs for language tests!

Good Night, Gorilla

Peggy Rathmann

Amazon Price: $7.99 List Price: $7.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Putnam Juvenile Amazon Marketplace: 93 new & used starting at $0.01

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Animals -> Apes & Monkeys -> Fiction
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Animals -> Fiction
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Animals -> Zoos -> Fiction

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 167 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"Good night, Gorilla," says the weary watchman as he walks by the gorilla cage on his nightly rounds at the zoo. The gorilla answers by quietly pickpocketing the guard's keys, stealthily trailing him, and unlocking the cages of every animal the oblivious fellow bids goodnight to. Looking much like an exhausted father, the uniformed guard traipses home toward his cottage, while the lonely zoo animals softly parade behind him. The animals manage to slip into his bedroom and nestle unnoticed near his sleepy wife--until the bold little gorilla goes so far as to snuggle up beside her as she turns out the light. Author and illustrator Peggy Rathmann (creator of the Caldecott-winning Officer Buckle and Gloria) relies more on the nuances of her jewel-toned pictures than on words to pace this giggly bedtime story, making it perfect for observant preschoolers. In one inky-black spread, Rathmann lets only the shocked, wide-open eyes of the guard's wife tell us that the gorilla has been detected! Tiny details such as the faithful, banana-toting mouse and sky-bound pink balloon that appear in each picture keep this book fresh, magical, and fun--even after countless bedtime readings. (Baby to preschool) --Gail Hudson