Boys Books

This novel was a masterpiece. I grew up with Marc and we shared most of the same friends through High School, and we competed viciously to be recognized and loved by our peers. I hope through time and experiences we all have learned to be better people and more so better adults. This book will slam you back into the past and hopefully deliver you into the future. I really had no idea about the situations you witnessed as a child and young adult. I know your book made me realize the good and bad that I brought into peoples lives back in High School. Although we did not keep in touch after High School I am very proud of your accomplishments and I wish you well

I read this extroadinary novel and I am overwhelmed. I grew up with Marc and although we shared most of the same friends. This book is a brilliant piece that makes us all think of the good and bad we have brought into our fellow peers lives. I thought the book got right to the point in many ways. This novel made me realize that many people were not happy in our High School although we faught viciously to be the best and most recognized. Now that we have all grown and gone our own ways hopefully this novel can help people accept and appreciate people as a whole. We were all diffrent and very much the same in many ways and this brilliant masterpiece will definately make one think and hopefully bring closure to wounds that were inflicted by ignorance. This book is obviously a product of your growth. Best Wishes.

I found this book very interesting because it gives you a point of view of prejudice and rejection from all possible sides, sad but true. Hopefully this book will make people think and open up their minds to except all people as just human beings instead of black, white, asian etc.

It is said that a good piece of literature occurs when the words of a writer leap from the pages and land directly into the reader's heart. Words that evoke emotion, captivate the audience, and commence a journey. Marc accomplishes each of these feats with ease, as he takes the reader on an autobiographical tour and welcomes everyone to understand, to learn, and to grow. This text is written with a passion to overcome the darkness in the world and to see through the light in our own eyes. Everyone should read this book. Whether you are searching for a great piece of literature, or are willing to discover an incredible individual, Marc's talent brightly shines.

Devan Marc is a certainly a voice of his generation. I found his book simply riveting, for lack of a stronger word. Being Jewish I didn't think that I could much relate to anything about the black experience, but "White Boy" is so much more than that. This is a book that speaks on such a deeply human level, and it has something to say to all people. The voice of Devan Marc soon becomes the voice of us all, someone searching for his place in the world, and struggling to maintain his human dignity. Cheers to Marc for accomplishing this and for sharing with the world his stunning voice. Every once in a while a book comes along and just reading it changes your mind in such a profound way that you never look at life or at people the same way again. Devan Marc has written that book. It's called "White Boy".

My son's preschool sent this home and as a 3yr old trains and dino's are his favorite. We asked to get the same pack of books back the following week he liked the book so much. We have read it every night. Guess what he's getting for Christmas?

It's fun to read too and my son likes to 'read' it to me. My son likes to finish each phrase when I read it and I think I enjoy the illustrations as much as he does.

My 3 year old son loves this book. We read this book just about every night. It combines the two things he loves most with a hobby he loves more. That would be TRAINS and DINOSAURS and READING. This book never gets old for him. He loves to point out what is going on in the illustrations,which are beautifully done.The expressions of the dinosaurs are so amusing. We currently have this in a paperback but will be ordering the hardback to add to his collection.

This is such a fun book. My little guy loves dinosaurs and we read this book over and over again. Great pictures and a fun, fun, fun story. Love to see more dino books from Ms. Lund.

Deb Lund and Howard Fine have created another humorous ride that is as fun to read aloud as it is to look at. Deb Lund's playful poetic language makes it a book that we will enjoy for years. More please!

I have two young sons, as well as a baby daughter. My sons are obsessed with, respectively, dinosaurs and trains. So now I have a book that can satisfy both of them when they are on my lap and begging for a book. I must not be the only dad in this situation, since there are a few picturebooks about dinosairs on trains.

Before becoming a dad, it had never occured to me that there was a pressing need for books that combined paleobiology with locomotive transport. Who knew? But this is the best of the lot, and I still have not become bored with it. Given how many times I have now read it, that is the strongest recommendation I can give a children's book. If you are a parent, you know what I mean.

A very well written book. The writer seems to have insight to the way young people think. A good life lesson book for young people, as the main character has a very sensitive side to him and sees beyond the superficial.

This story grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let go...not even at the end. It is one of those stories that makes you stay up well past your bedtime so you can read just a few more pages and then before you know it you have read way more then a few.

You might think a story about a 14 year old boy is only for teen readers, but this one is for so many more. While a lot of teens will relate to it, it is a worthy read for all ages. This is mainly because the story has many complex twists and engaging characters developed around a truly intriguing plot.

The characters are very well developed and interesting. At completion, the author does an excellent job of giving the reader just enough answers to satisfy them but not enough to tie up ALL the loose ends. I can't wait for the sequel! Excellent read...I am recommending it to all my friends!

Many readers would agree that convincing them to continue past the first chapter is an author's biggest obstacle. For Brad Huff, that was the easy part. Alone Boy ensnares the reader from the first page. It's the author's seemingly carefree ability to maintain intrigue throughout that kept me with him to the end. Alone boy is a coming-of-age tale - for all ages. With a mature voice but young heart, Mr. Huff introduces us to Jesse, a boy who didn't make his circumstances, but makes the best of them. A boy who sets upon a journey that brings him joy, sorrow, fear, love, awe, acceptance...and more than a little mystery. And through Huff's poignant writing and inspiring perception, we get to experience everything right along with Jesse. You'll have a new friend in Jesse by the end of the book - and a new favorite author in Brad Huff.

I really loved this book. The first chapter hooked me, and I enjoyed the ride the rest of the way. There's enough mystery here to keep the reader engaged and turning pages, and more than enough humanity in the characters to involve the reader in the story. Huff has that oh-so-rare ability to say a lot with just a few words - that alone makes this a complelling read. Time with "Alone Boy" is time well spent.

Alone Boy by Bradley Huff is an exciting page turner from cover to cover! Huff captures the underlining troubles of a teenager in a world full of obstacles and uncertainties. This book is one of the best I have read in a long time. Considering its well developed characters and its creative but also real-life challenges...I would no doubt suggest this book to any reader. I absolutely enjoyed reading Alone Boy.

Somebody has killed an aging American veteran and Wesley Peterson has to find out who--and why. Old animosities between the U.S. soldiers and the English people uprooted from their homes come into play, but a psychic claims that the Armada Boy--a survivor of the Spanish Armada is the one to ask.

Kate Ellis writes a fine mystery but what makes this book so compelling is her descriptions of the people and countryside of England. Wesley Peterson, with his pregnant wife suffering from hormone overload, Detective Inspecter Heffernam, with is love for sailing and his need to escape from people yet desire to bond with them, and Detective Constable Rachel Tracey with her ambition, all make sympathetic characters you'll root for as they struggle forward.

The mystery is sufficiently complex and interesting. Ellis's approach of weaving the three eras together proves effective and, ultimately, the fabric of the story proves to be woven together more closely than would at first appear. This is an excellent novel.

Rest easy Ms Christie, your succesor has come through with another great mystery story. I can not wait for the next installment of Wesley's detecting prowess. Thank you Miss Ellis for a very entertaining series.

I have just finished reading this novel and could not put it down, it is superb! I feel that I must disagree with the above review by Kelly Flynn - if anything this book is more engaging tham "The Merchants House"

In Kate Ellis, British literature has a champion to contend with the commercial american heavyweights churning out their tuppenny paperbacks. In the Armada Boy, Ellis successfully produces three narratives of different periods of time, all around the same West Country area. She interweaves these timeframes in a refreshing fashion that rather than slowing and disrupting the flow and pace of the story make the novel flow seemlessly and intelligably between ages. The author maintains the characters from the previous novel but manages to find the right blend of introduction and continuity meaning no readers are alienated in terms of character development. The novel's star characters would appear to be the Americans who I assure you, after spending several hours in the presence of some American Vets. on Christmas Eve are spookily realistic. The interaction amongst the detectives is impressive, with real depth and life which adds to the novel rather than drawing away from the pace of the book.

Bottom line: A great read as either a stand alone novel or part of a sucessful series.

This novel grabbed my attention from the first scene and held it to the last. It is a truly great read.

For me, the real joys of 'The Armada Boy' are the fascinating blend of modern and historical crime; the rich diversity of characters (my personal favourite being Detective Constable Rachel Tracey - a real star in the wings who deserves a novel of her own); and the way in which three completely separate periods of history are woven together so effortlessly. Oh yes, and as with all great crime novels, I would never have guessed 'whodunnit'!!

I hardly put this novel down from the moment I picked it up.I couldn't wait to see what the next page would bring. I inherited my love of crime fiction from my late Grandmother who was a real connoisseur of the genre and as I read this novel I thought often of her. How she would have loved it!

Hond's book has a profundity seldom found in fiction today. Racial and class conflict are illuminated brilliantly and sympathetically. The descriptions of the inner city, of suburban middle America, of the old French bakery, are vivid and fascinating. The characters likewise attain a lifelike status: at times, the reader feels as though they are real people she/he might know. This is most true of the title role, Mickey Lerner, trapped between the past and the future, as well as his son Benjamin, caught between Gen-X-dom, cold capitalistic ambition, and the child needing to be loved. Nelson is a little more of a type, the boy-trying-to-escape-the-ghetto. Though there are points where the story seems to lag, the plotting is superb overall; subplot is used to good effect. Hond's prose flows like poetry!

Paul Hond's The Baker is a powerful and surprising first novel. Hond draws the world of Mickey Lerner, who runs a kosher bakery in Baltimore on the border between a Jewish neighborhood and a crime-ridden black neighborhood. He surrounds Lerner with solid, fully-drawn characters, complete with flaws, prejudices, and insecurities: Emilie, his cool French violinist wife; his undirected eighteen-year old son Benjie; Nelson, the teenaged, black driver for the bakery; and Donna, Nelson's gentle and voluptuous mother in whom Mickey sees the softness Emilie lacks. Tribalism and the temptation and hazards of crossing tribal boundaries permeate The Baker-the clannishness of Hond's working-class Jews; the mutual suspicion in the novel's black/white relationships; and Mickey's strained relationship with Emilie, who is ever the outsider looking in even after two decades in the U.S. Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities quickly comes to mind, not only because of the common theme of urban race relations but more importantly because Hond shares Wolfe's gift of creating the voices of his characters, complete with dialect, accent, and cadence, and his use of voice to position his characters in society. Hond also adapts his style to capture his characters' emotions: Benjie's thoughts flow into Faulknerian run-ons during a moment of panic about Emilie's distance, Mickey's dialogue of incomplete sentences during a tormented trip of self-discovery to Paris. The plot is as surprising as Hond's craft is deft. Hond creates a world of violence-physical aggression and abrupt decisions. Each plot turn comes as a complete surprise, such that the reader fully shares the characters' sense of shock. Because communication is more of a void than a bridge among Hond's characters, Mickey, Emilie, and Benjie announce decisions to one another, then leave the other to decipher the meaning. Emilie, in particular, is an enigma, and the deeply self-doubting Mickey and Benjie struggle to comprehend her distance. Hond's Baker also teems with passion, sensuousness, and food. The pivotal moments of Mickey's life are marked by bread and pastry, beginning with the beautifully-drawn explosive, first sexual encounter between Mickey and Emilie on the flour-covered bakery worktable. If The Baker has one weakness, it is that the sexual imagery of food is at times heavy-handed.

An urban morality play that is raised to the level of myth. There is a lot of emotional power in this book, and also many truthful social observations that make it seem as though these are real people in real situations. Though the racial aspect of the conflict in this book is certainly important, what is most powerful is the moving depiction of a good man trying to overcome his failings. I don't want to analyze the plot because it wouldn't be fair to give away the suprises in the story. But suffice to say, there is a lot going on here, from the relationships between the protagonist, Mickey, and all the other characters--his wife, his son, a black employee and the employee's mother--to the boxing sequences and also the section in Paris, which is filled with sensuous descriptions about bread and baking. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good writing and a good story.

Who amongst us has not bitten into a fresh loaf of well-baked bread - just bread- and not known what bliss is? In a neighborhood of halfed baked, over stylized, designer designed commercial publishing "doughs", The Baker is a standout. Rising like a "well-needed" examination of urban life with all its racial implications scattered like kimmel (seeds)between the slices, The Baker is utterly satisfying and totally filling. Thank you Paul Hond for enriching all my senses, and especially my appetite for good books.-

The Baker is a rich, complex yet simple story of family love and the complexities of inter-racial as well as cross-cultural relationships. There are so many elements and relationships to think about...the son and his search for a nurtuting mother, the black friend/employee's place in the Bakers and his own family....a look at family business....crime, father-son love....and much more. It's so refreshing to read about characters thought processes while grapling with so many plot intricacies....Wonderful and memorable, thanks Paul Hond... please write more!!

I purchased this book for my three yr old grand daughter. It was in her Halloween sack, and got more attention than the candy! Well done.

This book gave me a few "mommy moments". Our son, Nick, is now a dance major in college. He started out wanting to learn tap dancing at about 4 years of age after watching a friend, so we found a tap and ballet class- never thinking that this would go beyond a session or two. He got through the "being the only boy", and "do I have to wear pink" (and later the "wearing tights") speed bumps successfully. Like Nate in the book, he loved the costumes, loved leaping and spinning, loved moving to the music. For boys in the U.S. who want to dance (especially if they want to do ballet) there are very few popular role models and a lot of grief from their peers. As one professional dancer noted in a recent magazine article, male dancers end up having to be tougher and more focused than many young men, due to the negative image of male dancers held by those around them. A young man in a local ballet production with Nick loaned him a copy of the video about four ABT danseurs Born to Be Wild - The Leading Men of American Ballet Theatre and Nick watched it so often that he memorized it! So, as a "danseur's mom" (danseur being the term Nick was told related to male dancers), I support any book that would encourage a young man to follow his dream of dancing. This one is really resonates with me: the pictures are detailed and funny, the dialogue echoed similar conversations around our house, and the ups and downs of Nate's emotions as the book progressed dealt with situations Nick also had to face. I want to buy several and donate them to local libraries for their collections.
After I got the book, I read it aloud to Nick's older brother, who teaches elementary school music and band. We both had a good laugh about the page mentioning Little League (both boys played baseball and soccer, as well as playing in the band) and smiled at the pictures. And, by the way, Nick's older brother's name is Ben, and he, too, would like it known that unlike Nate's older brother Ben in the book, he has always supported his younger brother in his desire to dance.
This book is a treasure! Thank you, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and R.W. Alley for sharing it with the rest of us!

This frolicsome and high spirited story tells of a passion for dance through the eyes of a blossoming ballerina, who just so happens to be a little boy. After seeing a school ballet on the first day of his last week of kindergarten, Nate decides he wants to be a ballerina, but from the onset of his interest, his brother won't stop telling him, "boys don't dance." The ink and water color illustrations of canine characters dance throughout the book as smooth as a ballet itself. Slyly addressing gender stereotypes and the importance of following your dreams, uninhibited Nate ultimately overcomes his fear of being different after his mother takes him to a professional ballet and he meets a male ballet dancer. The dancer explains to Nate that although the word Ballerina is for women, men can dance too, and tells him that he is a Ballerino, leaving the reader with a joyously unrestrained look at dance from a refreshing male perspective.

My boy had been wanting to take ballet. I was looking into signing him up when one of this stoopid pre-school teachers told him that it was just for girls. After that, as much as he continued to spin and dance at home, and continued to love to watch professionals do it, he continued to not want to take a class. This book got him to understand what I had been trying to explain to him: yes, there are many more girls that take ballet, but that boys can do it too if they want to.

This is a great story about the fluidity of gender roles... and about dancing! When little Nate sees a student ballet production for a school field trip, he decides that he wants to become a dancer. His older brother teases him and tells him that boys can't be ballerinas, and that he'll have to wear pink dance shoes and a dress. Even though the teasing makes Nate anxious that "only girls" can dance, he isn't deterred, and with support from both his parents, he follows through and takes classes anyway. If you have a kid who is interested in dancing, particularly a boy, this is a wonderful, with warm writing and a complex emotional palette. Nice artwork, too, with lots going on to talk about while absorbing the message. Recommended! (ReadThatAgain!)

Love this book. It is perfect for kindergarten.
Great way to introduce the penny(money). Lots of
good follow-up activities can be found on the
internet that relate specifically to this book.

This is one of my favorite books. It is so simple and beautifully told, gently imparting an important message of selflessness. It is a modern fable. Each page is an amusing "chapter" to an adventure with a gratifying surprise ending. I love how the author respects kids' ability to be kind and creative without the prodding of adults. The illustrations, painstakingly, gorgeously rendered in cut paper, are facinating. Like the story, the pictures are a celebration of a conscientious approach to life.

what a wonderful book. I love the illustrations and the rhyming text. My 2 1/2 year old son (also named Benny!) loves to hear this book over and over. He has many parts memorized, too. It is nice to read a book in which the main character, who could easily spend the money on himself, finds something for his mother, brother, sister, cat, and dog, spending one of his five new shiny pennies on each of them. He gets nothing for himself, except many "thank you"s and that great feeling of giving!

My 2 1/2-year-old loves this book and was soon "reading" it back to me! Its simple rhymes relate a story of generosity and thoughtfulness. We read it every day for weeks, and return to it frequently after 4 months. Paperback version is not sturdy, though--pages fell out after repeated reading.

I really enjoyed reading this book to my daughter Emily,age 3. It is a wonderful story about a boy who had five new pennies and spent them buying things for others. In such a greedy world we need to instill the power of giving to our children. The story is well written and the illustrations are enticing.

This book was a great read that was almost impossible to put down. People who like golf or just want a good book should definitely pick up this one and get sucked right in. I somewhat connected to Billy because of his sense of humor and the fact we are both caddies at a fancy golf club. Not every chapter ended with a cliffhanger but the ending sure did. The plot was believable which made it a good fiction and stayed away from science fiction. Over all I thought this was a great book and I would recommend it to all.

A terrific book for both golfers and dreamers. Read it, then keep it in your golf bag next to your 7-iron for good luck.

This is a fabulous book. I could not put it away. It was a great story and was very dramatic. It was the ideal book.

When sixteen-year-old caddie Billy Boy, who's lost his mother to cancer and his gifted but war-damaged father to an explosion, finds a very old Bobby Jones seven iron in a roadside ditch, a whiff of magic drifts in on the 1950 Forth Worth, Texas air. The club belongs to famous golf course designer John Bredemus, who soon arrives in search. Bredemus seems to know a little too much about Billy Boy, but the lad needs someone to lean on while he gets his feet under him and the two quickly form an alliance.

By way of reward for finding the club, Bredemus buys supper, and the next morning loans the club to Billy, insisting that he bring it to the Colonial Golf Club, where he's trying to establish himself as a caddie. "It's a very lucky club," Bredemus says.

Sure enough, Colonial Golf Club's most famous member, the legendary Ben Hogan, notices the club and asks Billy Boy if he'd like to carry his bag for a quick nine holes, setting in motion a series of events that culminate in Billy Boy's winner-take-all match with Sonny Stonekiller, the club champion and rival for Billy Boy's flame Sandra Sandpaster.

If all this seems a little too pat, never fear. "Billy Boy" is great fun and a terrific golf read and Shrake's plot beautifully set up. You'll find yourself rooting hard for Billy Boy to win out. I recommend it for those who love sports adventure themes.

Art Tirrell is the author of The VITAMAN Effect a baseball yarn with a special twist. Available on Kindle now, and in print August 2008.

There are reasons why golf is described as 90 percent mental. It's primarily to sell golf literature like Shrake's novel. Ever read an intriguing golf book about swing plane and hip rotation?

Shrake's book is one in a long line like it. The main character, Billy, loses both his parents in a matter of weeks, and it is up to him to make it on his own. Set in Texas during the 1950s, two of Texas' golfing "Gods" guide Billy from being a caddie to beating the upstart young club champion. This book has all the cliched elements, including John Bredemus' role as a guardian angel, who unveils the mental elements of game, and Hogan, who teaches Billy "the secret" of the swing.

Had Sharke not written such a wonderful story, I would have cast it in the lot with all the other bad golf novels out there. There are life lessons more than golf lessons inside, including the drive to gain independence and what it means to honor yourself and family.

I just wish a golf novel could written without all those "Gods" watching down.

Written by a middle school principle and district school administrator, Knapp tells this story of his youth that is as every bit, if not more important to today's children. His solution of drawing from the strength and integrity of the founding fathers of this country to address the school violence issues of today is brilliant, inspiring. This book will make you proud.

Reading Bobby's Story aloud in a classroom or as a group is an excellent way to get kids to talk about intimidation and bullies and other issues that they might not be able to comfortably talk about. When discussing the events in the book, and what Bobby went through, these kids get to frame their thoughts using Bobby's experiences.

It is an amazing tool, written by a school principal, himself a victim of bullies when he was a child. He found a way to empower himself and the bully lost his control. It is an easy read for 4th-9th graders. The content is a compelling conversation starter.

Bobby's Story immediately engages the reader with characters who come alive and compel one to learn more about them. On his first day at a new school Bobby is dressed poorly and is the object of obvious derision by other students and Bobby soon becomes a victim of a notorious school bully. Bobby's adjustment to his new school might have continued to be difficult, but Bobby is smart and strong in character. He links up with other students who are tired of the bullying and with Bobby's leadership a plan to abolish all bullying in their school emerges.
The actions of Bobby and his friends are developed in a thoughtful, creative way that empowers students to stand up for what is right. With passivity there is an assumption that others accept or condone the bullying behavior. They found they were not aloe in longing for justice and respect in their school. They draw on their study of the Bill of Rights of the Constitution as a foundation for their principles of a safe, bully-free school experience. With the realization that they have the potential to stop bullying by joining together. Bobby's Story has a powerful, positive message for students and an emotional impact on the reader.

Great for the classroom!
As I read this story to my 4th grade students, they were completely engaged. This book is easy to read aloud, and my students hated it when we had to stop! As a teacher, I love the message it shares: bullying is NOT ok! This story really helps students understand what bullying does to another person.

by the school district of Santa Barbara.

Bobby's Story is an amazing story of one teen's courage, not only standing up to a bully, but empowering his classmates to do the same to end one bully's reign of fear.

It is a book that every student should read and the Santa Barbara school district is insightful enough to say so!

I really love this book it is good.I love the ending.It is about what happens when this boy is about 12 or 13 years old.If someone is looking for a book to read I would suggest this book!!

I am a teacher of 33 fifth graders. My children all loved this book---even the reluctant readers! It was an extremely popular book with the class and inspired many students to begin writing their own journals. We have also read "Jake's Journal" by the same author and are anxiously awaiting more from this author!

This book is the best book I ever read! It gets deep inside a young boy's life and tell things that just any body can understand about a teenage boy. He goes throgh times and trails, a lot children go through. It's pretty bad that can't nobody find this book anymore. Not even the places like the library carry this book, and they carry the oldest books!!!!????!!!!?!?!?! So I encourage every body that is looking at this ,order this book, you won't be unsatisfied!!!!!!!!!

I read this book pretty fast and I liked it. It has nice people in it and maybe bad people and all kinds of things happen to Boomer, who writes it. I wish there was more about Mary Margaret but it is Boomer's book so maybe she will make her own. Jake's Journal is what I am reading now which is so good. I keep a journal myself but nothing this exciting ever happens in my life. It is really good.

My name is Rory and I will be in sixth grade this fall. This book is about Boomer and his friends and they have adventures all the time. I think Boomer's Journal is one of the best books I ever read. I like Boomer he is nice and his friends too.