Boys Books

Mary-Kate wants to throw a surprise party for Michelle but Ashley is having one for Jennifer the same day. Mary-Kate invites all of her friends and the same wiht AShley but then something bad happens for the both of them and they need help fast.

Mary-Kate and Ashley are in big trouble. Mary-Kate planned a surprise party for her friend which is great, but unfortunately Ashley planned a surprise party for her best friend the same night at their house. They came for the biggest surprise. A great book!

Ashley is throwing a party for her friend, Jennifer Dilber but Mary Kate wanted to throw a party for her best friend, Amanda Bennet. Her friend, Amanda got mad at her for not calling her back when Mary Kate's supposed to. In the ending, they both got a surprise party for their friends and everyone felt happy!

Another pretty cool Two of a Kind novelette.Mary-Kate and Ashley are planning a party each,for the same night.Now the competition is on as to who will recieve the most guests!

Mary-Kate plans a suprise party for her best friend Amanda on the same night Ashley plans a suprise party for her best friend Jennifer. Even though Mary-Kate and Ashley are twin sisters, they have totally different personalities so major arguments arise, not only with each other but with their best friends. I'd have to say this is the best book in the whole series that I've read so far because these kinds of problems are what everyday kids would probably have.

I love these North South Books. They are very nice stories for young children and very friendly. I love how little polar bear helps his friends and everyone is very nice. There is nothing scary in the book and everything always turns out alright. A very nice book.

My nephews love all the little polar bear series by Hans de Beer, and so do I. Great illustrations, he meets animals that he makes friends with, and a nice ending. I'd can recommend them all.

Author of "Hobo Finds A Home" editor "Of A Predatory Heart"

An adult might find the storylines a bit repetitive but my 3 year old loves all of the Lars books. We got her some at xmas and she was so pleased that we bought all the others for her birthday 5 months later and she wants them read to her over and over. She even 'reads' them to her younger brother!

My children love this author and the art. We change the polar bears name to Loopy because Lars is too harsh for a soft looking polar bear cub.

This beautifully illustrated book has wonderful characters and a fun plot. My 4 year old loves the Little Polar Bear. It isn't heavy handed, but sets a great example for how to get along with others and be a good friend.

After reading "Welcome to Fred" I had high--and possibly unrealistic--expectations for "Living With Fred". Turns out they weren't unrealistic at all. The plot is thicker, the humor is deeper, and the characters more realistic. As for insight into the life of a teenage PK... So this is what if feels like to be a fly on the wall. Hmm. "Escape from Fred", here I come!

Sequels are rarely as good as their predecessors. This sequel is even better than the first book, Welcome to Fred. And WTF was great. This one has more laughs, more heart, more insight - I couldn't put it down. They say a good writer gets the reader so engrossed that he doesn't even know he's reading. This is that book.

Living with Fred by Brad Whittington is the terrific sequel to Welcome to Fred. We've met Mark Cloud, son of a Baptist preacher in small town Texas as he tries to fit in with not just the world around him, but also God's world. Whittington does a wonderful job of getting into the head of the average teenager. Events like getting asked out by Jolene or a conversation with his father are major dramas described with intricate detail. Major events in the world at large like a murder trial or the destruction of a neighbor's life are treated with less importance and only as they relate to Mark. Sounds like the average teenager to me! But Mark starts to mature after he reads In His Steps and starts to ask himself What Would Jesus Do? That question leads him to some hard decisions and ultimately to learn more about himself and forgiveness. Whittington's wit again shines through in Mark's outlook on girls. This book is truly enjoyable to read. Some Christian fiction is hard to read, but this is a book I couldn't wait to sit down with and smiled often while I read it. Escape to Fred, here I come!

Very few books live up to the cover. This one will suprise you. I can't wait to read "Escape from Fred". Be sure to read "Welcome to Fred", the first in this series.

Like Welcome to Fred, reading Living with Fred has raised the bar for all other literature that I plan to read next.
Thus far, "Living..." has proven to be a hard act to follow for my summer reading list. Reading the last paragraph was much like bidding a close friend farewell, only made slightly less bittersweet with promises of one last visit with Mark Cloud in the approaching third ( and sadly, last) installment.

Loyal Fred-onians will find LIVING WITH FRED a perfect cure for that homesick gnaw they experienced at the last sentence in "Welcome to Fred", while those who have never had the great fortune to kick back on one of Fred's dusty porches will find it the perfect summer get-a-way ( in which case I reccoment BOTH books)

Furthermore- if you are in any way, shape or form a PK- this is required therapy for your soul :)

"There's no place like home....or Fred!"

In this book, Mallory finds that boys and gym are big bad things. The only good boys are her boyfriend and his brothers. But soon Mallory learns the truth about boys. And about gym.

I could relate to hating gym and being ridiculed but it was sooo funny when mal thought the hobarts were angels and learned the hard way that they were brats and her own brothers were the real angels. You have to read it to know what I mean, it's just sooo funny!!!

Mallory has never been a sports person. In fact, you could say gym is her least favorite subject. Nut now Mal's worst subject has turned into an absolute nightmare. Gym classs has gone co-ed.

I hated gym too so much, I was always clumsy myself and volleyball was a nightmare. I was always getting hit in the face just like mallory and it broke my glasses one time. I developed a phobia for big balls flying in my face ever since and I would be depressed after class because I wanted to impress them and do well, but it just wasn't my thing. And mallory's character spoke about myself.

I wish I had read this book when I was in jr high, because I can really identify with Mallory and what she goes through. I dropped out of P.E. in 8th grade because I couldn't take it anymore what was happening to me in our co-ed P.E. class. I wasn't the athletic type and was a klutz, and was harassed by the guys who would call me fat, etc. and it was a totally humiliating experience for me. I especially hated soccer, I just couldn't get it, and the guys took total advantage of this by slamming the ball into me ow!! They thought it was the funniest thing in the world to see me in pain. Like in Mal's situation, the school authorities couldn't understand why I'd refuse to go to P.E. Like Mal, I too was punished due to my failure to participate. By highschool I had a medical waiver so I didn't have to do P.E. at all. I was free! I don't think kids should have to suffer through P.E.; It is a dumb rule to have it as a requirement. What does it matter; it's not doing anything for your education...

A True Crime Mystery

MURDER AT MOUNT HERMON is a spellbinding true-life mystery of a sensational unsolved murder that occurred in 1934. Elliott Speer, the recently appointed headmaster of a well-known New England prep school, was shot dead through his study window by someone whose identity remains unknown. It was a little past eight on the evening of September 14, 1935 that a single blast of double-o buckshot from a 12-gauge shotgun tore through the screened window of Ford Cottage killing the thirty-six-year-old headmaster. The murder became one of the most sensational murder cases of the mid-thirties, receiving national news coverage.
Several elements assured that the murder of Elliott Speer would arouse national interest. Mount Hermon School for Boys was founded in 1881 by Dwight L. Moody, one of the best-known evangelist in American history. Elliott Speer was recruited to bring the school into the twentieth century. Many of the old guard at the school felt that Speer's progressive views were a rejection of the founder's vision and mission for the school. The man suspected at the time of being guilty of the crime was none other that Thomas Elder, dean of the school. Dean Elder was among those who felt the school's mission was endangered by Elliott Speer's progressive methods. Elder also felt that he, not Speer, should have been appointed headmaster in 1932.
The murder of Elliott Speer remains unsolved to this day, but Craig Walley, a Mount Hermon graduate and attorney, believes that his investigation of the crime comes as close as anyone ever will come to identifying the murderer. Adding to the mystery is the fact that Elliott Speer's two dogs did not bark during the night of the crime. One is reminded of Sherlock Holmes and the "Silver Blaze." Also, Elliott Speer was a fan of mystery novels, and among those in his personal library was a copy of The Public School Murder by R. C. Woodthorpe. This English crime novel published in 1932 was lent by Speer to Dean Elder when the latter was ill. The Public School Murder reads like a script for Speer's murder, right through to the fact that the crime was never solved. Was the Mount Hermon murder the perfect crime?
MURDER AT MOUNT HERMON is as well written as any fictional mystery novel, made all the more interesting by being a true mystery. Readers familiar with Josephine Tey's classic, The Daughter of Time (1952), will delight in this book. It is one of only a very few that this reviewer could not put down until finished.N

I was transfixed by this well-written account of a Mount Hermon legend. I attended the school in 1951-52 and remember it fondly. Reading about people and buildings and locations with which I am, even after all these years, familiar, the story was very real to me. I found the experience compelling and commend it to others.

Murder At Mount Hermon: The Unsolved Killing Of Headmaster Elliott Speer is a true crime story concerning the 1934 murder of a thirty-five-year old school administrator, whose efforts to bring progressive reform to the tradition-bound Christian prep school earned the good graces of many students and faculty. A shotgun blast through his study window killed him, and the murder was front-page news nationwide, yet no criminal was ever charged. Veteran attorney Craig Walley pieces together the clues of history and dares even to indicate the most likely killer. A fascinating, fact-filled study of murder and the shortcomings of a 1930's homicide investigation.

As a student at Northfield Mount Hermon in the early 1970s, little was said about the unsolved murder of former Headmaster Elliott Speer. I recall a rumor that the gun used in the killing was somewhere on the bottom of the school's Shadow Lake. Craig Walley's well-researched and -written book examines that rumor and many more in an absorbing murder mystery. Murder at Mount Hermon captures the school's history and religious roots, and how the forward-thinking Speer's efforts to break from the past and move the school and its students into a new era sealed his fate. While the murder remains unsolved, Walley's book comes closer than ever before to finding the "smoking gun."

The 1934 murder of Mount Hermon School for Boys Headmaster Elliott Speer remains unsolved today, legally speaking. What youngster could resist such a mystery's allure? Not Craig Walley, a Mount Hermon student from 1957 through 1961. During the years afterward, throughout his career as an attorney, Walley thought about it often. In 2001 he decided to research the case and write this book.

MURDER AT MOUNT HERMON tells the story, provides its background, and analyzes the available evidence with an attorney's precision. I think it's safe to say that you'll come away from it certain you know the murderer's name and understand his motives. More case study than murder mystery, the book reaches for broader relevance - and for a connection to our 21st Century present - by speaking of another time when "Fundamentalism" and "Modernism" clashed. Did that clash at Northfield and Mount Hermon, sister schools founded by the great 19th Century evangelist D.L. Moody, lay the groundwork for Elliott Speer's murder? To answer this intriguing question for yourself, you'll have to read the book.

My daughter and I just finished Oliver's Surprise, and we loved it. It was a perfect level for my 9 1/2 year old, and she had no problem following it. She loved the idea of going back in time, and of traveling incognito among relatives 80 years in the past. Some of the accidental slips Oliver made (such as using the not-yet coined term "no-brainer") had her laughing out loud. It was a good family read, and the first book in a long time we've read together. As we read various sections, we turned to the map in back to orient ourselves, and that made us feel like we were in Jamestown. We were fascinated by the history and Oliver's dilemma in knowing about the approaching storm but hesitating to change history. This would make a good read for families during the holidays, and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in boats, history, or just a good adventure.

What a creative read! Having lived in Newport, I was drawn right back into the small-town feel of Jamestown. Carol really captured the essence of boatyard life through the precociousness of young Oliver. This is definitely on my "gifts to give" list for Christmas!

Oliver's Surprise is definitely not just for children. It is a wonderful rendering of the '38 hurricane and in these days of Katrina and Ike, it is a fascinating reminder of what a hurricane meant in the "good old days." I was absorbed from the very first line and I was quickly lost in the descriptive, beautifully told story. I recommend it for everyone, no matter the age!

Oliver is my new buddy... I love the story, and the tie-in to the big New England hurricane that all the older locals still talk about. I actually had to pull out a map of Jamestown while reading so I could follow along.

Author Carol's got a great story-telling voice and this was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I'm waiting for the sequel.

A great way for anyone to spend a weekend afternoon. Highly recommend.

This new author weaves a great story, and takes you back with Oliver to a different time in New England history. Although the book is marked for young adult, its a great book for adults on an airplane ride or for an afternoon read while at anchor. Buy two and give one to a friend for the holidays!

This was a great book because my great grandfather lost his eye in an accident when he was little, so it was like reading his story but different. Since I like playing baseball, it was a real blast for me. You should buy this book because your child would love the experience of reading a book thats based on the authors husbands life.

One-Handed Catch would have to be an inspiration for any amputee to read, especially a young person. I love the way "Norman's" mother never let him slip into self-pity and dependency, but always encouraged him to learn to do things for himself.

Even as an adult who is not an amputeee, I couldn't put this book down!

As a mom of a child with one hand, this book was insightful and enjoyable to read. After Norm loses his hand in an accident at his family's store (not a gruesome description given), the author goes out of her way to carefully describe how this one incident affects so many others. The characters' reactions to this change in Norm's life are enormously accurate and heart-felt (and sometimes comical). I could relate to every single character as they progressed through the stages of grief to acceptance without even knowing it. It's all done in an uplifting way...not sad or awkward. An awesome quick read for anyone...you'll love it!

One Handed Catch is a marvelous turn-paging baseball book of all time. When you read this book you will be so into it you will not want to put it down until you finish the whole book.
One Handed Catch is about a twelve-year-old boy named Norm. One day at his family's butcher shop a terrible accident happens. While Norm was grinding meat for his father the grinding machine suddenly stops. He sticks his hand in there and the machine suddenly starts up again. His hand gets chopped off. Now he has to deal with only one hand for the rest of his life. Norm is a very athletic who loves to play baseball.

Mary Jane Auch's husband went through the experience when he was a kid. My father went through somewhat similar thing that happened to Norm. She teaches us that we have to deal with stuff that happened to us. Even though we can't do as many things as other people can do.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!
I am one of those readers who doesn't pick up a book too often but when I do, and it's a great book, I can't put it down. Well... this book was one of those.
It's a great book. I highly recommend it for people of any age.
Wonderful writing. A highly uplifting story.

This has got to be the best publication on P-47 air to ground work. The author details information such that you feel that you are right in the middle of the action. A very well put together piece of work. well worth the expense of purchasing and reading, for those interested in this type of action and history of the WW II Air War. I did.

Tom's book is less than 160 pages long, but in those few pages he has told one hell of a story. He has gotten down to the real nitty-gritty of what it was like to be a fighter-bomber pilot over Europe in WW2. The air war has always been portrayed as impersonal and clean. The job of Tom and his fellow 9th AF P-47 pilots was to support the ground troops. Their living conditions were similar to those of the ground troops, and they even fought much the same way - shooting it out nose to nose with the enemy troops and guns. It could get VERY personal and VERY dirty on occasion. I refer in particular to the chapters "The General's Decision" and "Retribution". In "Come Fly With Me" Tom takes the reader along for the ride and shares the highs and lows of a typical mission from start to finish. The "fighter-bomber boys" never got the press that their air-to-air counterparts did - no "glamour" in their type of fighting. Their contribution to the victory in Europe was vital, and I thank Tom very much for telling their story.

We owe Mr. Glenn a double debt of gratitude. He put his life on the line as a P-47 pilot in WWII and now he has put his experience in writing which has to be a courageous act in itself. I have read many accounts of aerial warfare. Mr. Glenn's Fighter Bomber Boys is by far the most exciting and captivating. This book is destined to become a military history classic. Finally a book to fill in a critical missing gap in the history of airwar, that of the P-47 pilot's down and dirty and tragic story of the strafing and bombing of the enemy. Mr. Glenn has a thoroughly unpretentious and enjoyable style of prose. His chapters are short, to the point, and graphic. You simultaneously feel that you are looking over his shoulder as he progresses through the war and you feel as if you are sitting across from him in his living room as he recounts his experiences. The book is a sheer joy to read. Mr. Glenn pulls no punches. Be prepared for the real nitty-gritty of the fighter pilot's struggle for survival. I am the son of a 9th Air Force P-47 Fighter Bomber pilot. My Dad could only tell me very little before emotionally choking up. Thank you Mr. Glenn for having the courage to put your experience in writing. You have helped me to further understand and appreciate my father.

Ihave the good fortune to know someone who flew with Mr. Glen, who wrote this book. I have read the book over and over. It makes you feel as though you are right there in the cockpit with them, which is something I have dreamed about doing since I was a child. These men truly were a breed apart. This book is time well invested for the Thunderbolt enthusiast.

Tom Glenn tells an exceptional story exceptionally well. Glenn brings you into his cockpit and his muddy tent. There you can inhale the horrifying, glorifying experiences of these air warriors. In their Thunderbolts, the fighter bomber pilots soar beyond incredible and dive to the brink of impossible. The book is insightful, riveting and an eye-opener. If you only have room for one book in your current time/money budget--pick this one. Sadly, the missions, the contributions, the victories (& the staggering casualty rate) of the fighter bomber pilot is barely mentioned or omitted entirely from most WWII chronicles. My thanks to Tom Glenn for not letting this bit of history disappear and to he and his fellow pilots who risked all for us.

Another story about Ernst, the young crocodile. It is a simply told heartwarming story showing the "out of box" viewpoint of a child. Wonderful illustrations.

I never would have thought of this concept for writing a book. Such a unique perspective. I bought 5 or 6 to give as gifts this Christmas. This book truly looks at life through a child's eye.

This is a sweet story about a young boy with an artistic imagination (Ernst the blue crocodile, the hero of a couple of other Elisa Kleven books...) Ernst goes for a walk with his older, more literal-minded brother, Sol, who is into collecting stuff like feathers and rocks and sea shells. Sol encourages Ernst to start a collection, too, but Ernst wants to collect magical things, like clouds or stars. He finally decides to gather up a bunch of puddles, because he can see so many other things inside their reflections -- a puddle can have flowers or clouds houses in it, as well as being all watery and wet. Ernst gathers different "kinds" of puddles together in one pail, and later uses them to stir his watercolors to life, when he wants to paint the things he saw. A lovely, allegorical celebration of artistic vision, creative thinking as well as the fun of doing things you like, even if other people think they're silly. Nice relationship btween the two brothers, too: Sol doesn't really get what Ernst is up to, but he isn't mean about it, and tries to encourage the younger boy to enjoy himself. Also, more of Kleven's delightfully detailed, kaleidoscopically colorful artwork, with plenty of stuff going on in the margins to capture the eyes of readers of all ages. This is one of my favorite Elisa Kleven books... Highly recommended! (Reissued by Tricycle Press in March '07.)

Ernst, the blue crocodile, wants to collect things. His brother Sol, a green crocodile, collects many different kinds of things.

The little blue crocodile thinks and thinks of the different things he can collect and decides that he wants to collect puddles. And he discovers that there are so many different kinds of puddles: shadow puddles, star puddles, cloud puddles, flower puddles and so much more.

Ernst uses his imagination and creativity to collect something that normally couldn't be collected. And along the way, Sol, learns to appreciate his brother's ideas.

The illustrations are busy, bright and provide children the opportunity to peruse the pictures and put names to new things.

Children and adults will enjoy sharing the adventure of Ernst and his collection.

Armchair Interviews says: Elisa Kleven is a children's book author and illustrator of many award-winning multicultural picture books.

This tender story about Ernst and his brother Sol touches the hearts of everyone. Our favorite birthday gift! It teaches us to respect the uniqueness in each of us. The incredible illustrations capture the imagination of young and old. We love reading this story over and over again.

I have read this book at least a dozen times. Each time I get even more from it. I am now reading it to my children. While they enjoy the "funny parts", I continue to learn to question my faith to make it stronger. This is a must read for everyone!!

This is one book that becomes a tradition. When the anniversary of the first time you read it comes around, you'll find yourself going to the bookcase, digging it out, and reading it again. It will give you a kind of sad, joyful feeling everytime. The book also gives you different perspective on the 1958 Ford Edsel. As for my daughter and I we bought a 1958 metal cast model of a 1958 Edsel convertible. Everytime we see it sitting on the shelf that joyful sad feeling sweeps through our hearts again. If you ever wondered what it was like being a preachers kid, "St. Ben" will dispell all the myths. So be prepared to make it a tradition the first time you read it.

This is about a young boy named Ben who has differant feelings about things. He meets a friend who is the only one who knows how he feels. But there is a secret that only ben and his parents know. Will Bens frind beable to face the shocking news about his friend? To find out read it!!

I am in the middle of reading this book right now, but I have already decided that it is one of my favorites. It has already created a great variety of emotions for me, and I am not even at the climax yet!!! Reading this book is making me think about not only myself, but about the people around me. I picked it up because reading the back reminded me of my godbrother, whose name happens to be Ben. But now, I can't put it down!!!

While a subscriber to "Campus Life" magazine, I agreed to read one of the many books the magazine had chosen to be reviewed. The book they sent me was Saint Ben. Since I'm a fan of action/adventure stories, I don't read a lot of "sentimental" fiction. This book, however, captivated me from the very beginning. The character of Ben (from his friend Jonathan's POV) is complex yet simple, charming yet troublesome. His story, in several ways, is our story: he says what so many believers think but don't dare say. Set in the backdrop of 1950's Pasadena, CA, Saint Ben warms the heart, giving the reader several chances to both laugh at the antics of Ben and Jonathan and cry at their misfortunes. Rarely have I read a book with characters, settings, and situations as rich and as real as they are in this one. (Of course, I might be a bit partial since I used to live in Pasadena and can therefore relate to the book that much more than the "average" reader.) If you liked "My Girl," you'll love Saint Ben.