Boys Books

I read stories for my children in the evenings and books by William Steele really hold their attention. My children range in age from 5 to 14, boys & girls. His stories are early American tales from a pre-teen/teen perspective. They're full of adventure and emotion. I'd recommend books written by this author to any parent.

My son (11) and I have realy enjoyed O'Steel's book. My husband read alot of these books as a child and I can see why! Fast paced, action, adventure, wonderfully descrpitive....made me wish I was a kid again!

I also read this school, but grade school, and then read every other Wm. O. Steele book I could get my hands on. It was a great intro to the genre of historical fiction and good for girls and boys.

To everyone, I wanted to take a moment to tell you how wonderful this book is. I first read it in Junior High School, I fell in love with it. I mustve read it 3 or 4 times since. Its a wonderful story, like all Steele books it leaves the reader spellbound at the end. The description says ages 9-12 but you can be MUCH MUCH older to enjoy this book. It is really a book for anyone with a sense of adventure and an imagination. :)

This historical book transformed into an exciting fictional novel is both exciting and fun along the way! This book interprets real life events from the War of 1812 from the beginning to the end of the war. I loved the plot of the book it combines the lifestyle of the 1800s with the action and the adventure! This novel has been a masterpiece!!!

I think this was a great historical fiction. Very well-written with a very cool plot and shows the bravery of Thomas Roberts and James Fitz Gibbon. Eggcellent!

In this book you get to see what the war between canada and the US was like...but from the canadian perspective. Through the eyes of a child you participate in this phase of history. You see one of the Canadian war heros and family life around Niagara Falls during this time. It's written so that a child can enjoy it, but with a style that captivates adults as well. I highly recommend this book and any others that Mr. Walters writes. He makes it fun to read and slips in learning, too.

The Bully Boys is one of the best works of historical fiction that I have ever read regarding the War of 1812. Living in the Niagara area all my life, I learned much more about the War of 1812 - especially in this area - than I had learned in school. I suggested the book to my husband, who was so impressed that he wrote (and sent a copy of the book) to the Dean of Academics at our daughter's school and The Bully Boys is now part of their Grade 6 curriculum. This story is so well written that it appeals to ANYONE 8 years old and over! ENJOY!

I've read this countless times and the first time I read it I was already 18 years old. Claudia's the best character. There's also a sequel to this book, but that's not as good.

I love this book! You really get to know the characters, like they are people you actually know. I think thats why I liked it so much. Don't be hesitant about reading this book. It's funny, spirited, clever, deep and more. Once I read this book... I HAD to find out what happened so I read camp reunion.. a very good book too! I wish I had this book, I've ben searching far and wide...

I also want to say that I absolutely loved this book! After I read it for the first time, I had to read it again, and I wish I have the book. It was really, really funny, and everything about it was superb! I'd say the most important charachters were Marissa, Vi, Dark/Heath, Alicia, Cathy, Charlie, Claudia and Jamie. And I would really like to have the sequel, 'Camp Reunion', because since I have already fallen in love with 'Camp Girl Meets Boy', I'm sure that I'll also love 'Camp Reunion'.

Me again, D23H

P.S. This time I'll include my e-mail address.

Let me start off by saying thatI have read this book at least 13 times and it never lost its flavor. The book as a whole was, and still is, the best book I have ever read. It is deep, passonite and caring; witty and informative. Now I will review each of the main characters in turn. Marissa is a kind nature lover. I can really relate to her. Vi appears ditzy, stuck up, and fluffy at first, but as the book goes on you see that she is really quite deep. Cathy seems nice and caring at first, but you get to see her true colors later, mean, hateful, and insensitive. Sin looks like a Ken doll. He appears perfect, but as he makes mistakes (like falling in love with Cathy) you see that he is just another human being. Jamie is hardworking, honest, and most of all muscular. He is trustworthy. Jamie strives to be a woodsman. Dark (Heath) is just an innocent boy who has fallen into trouble. I perfer his mysterious, dark side and sexy smile to Heath, boy in pain. Charles is insensitive to others feelings, and most of all, he's annoying. Alica is a sensible person and has a typical nurse personality. Her biggest mistake- loving Charles. Claudia is my personal favorite. She is innocent and charming. She handles her parents divorce in a hunorous way but inside, she is really hurting. This book is very well written, and I would reccomend it to others

This is an excellent book, full of psychic powers and thrilling adventure. I wore out the copy at my local library when I was a child, I have been searching for another copy for years. Highly recommended.

I am 27 years old and I have had this book since I was in 7th grade! One of the best books I have ever read! Jan has powers I sometimes wish I had! Would love a better copy! Should be reprinted!

Way back in elementary school, I absolutely *adored* Alexander Key's books. His recurring themes of lost children or intelligent animals (all of whom are very unique and special in one way or another) must resonate in just about every child lucky enough to read his books. He weaves compelling adventures every time, as his characters work through their loneliness and fear. There's an amazing otter, a boy genius, and handicapped children confined to a hospital wing, just to name a few.

One at a time I checked out his books from the local library. Unfortunately, The Case of The Vanishing Boy was not in their collection. I wish I had experienced it back then.

I read it a couple of weeks ago, and it was very hard to put down. I'd force myself not to stay up too late reading it. Big mistake. As an adult, I found myself analyzing and anticipating plot developments. Very unfortunate, as I was accurate quite a few times. I highly recommend that you read it all in one sitting (it's short enough to allow for that). You can be swept up in the plot without thinking much about it.

Does anyone know why The Forgotten Door seems to be the only book still published? All of Alexander Key's stories merit immediate reprinting!

I'd give the vanishing boy 5 stars except ... don't worry, I won't give anything away. But if you're like me and don't want to know any little thing in advance, stop reading right here.
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The only disappointment I had was the sudden ending. Drawing closer to the end of the story, the action was building and driving along full force. All of a sudden, it was over. Just a few more pages would have been nice; The Forgotten Door has a beautiful epilogue that greatly enhances your reading experience. Again, this is just a grown-up's point of view. It'd be great to hear from some kids!

Despite the current abundance of mindcrime and psionics on the market today, I keep finding myself drawn back to this one, now dogeared smudged from rereading. Intelligent science fiction in a kid's book is not something I'm used to turning up - and this book got me through grade school when the only alternatives on my budget were my father's Jung and Kipling.

There's no comparison here to Kipling or his ilk - the language is comfortable but not flowery - but in terms of story, as well as a place to come back to, this book remains a good friend. Besieged as we are these days with family values and violence on the telly, my daughter will find this book on her shelf when she begins reading - coffee stains and all.

Should I happen to find it at a yard sale or somewhere online, a second copy will join (but not replace) the one I keep under my bed with the family photos and computer manuals.

One of a series of children's picture books by Idries Shah, this one includes a Spanish version along side the English. It contains all the elements of a favorite children's book: Lavish illustrations, frequently repeated phrases and a child hero. But adults will enjoy the surprises, too, as the protagonist frightens those he's trying to help and other developments. The costumes tell the adults it's a tale from the Middle East, and the lesson is clear in these post 9/11 days. There may be help from sources we are afraid to investigate.

Tragedies like Columbine are a wake-up call. It's clear that we need to provide our kids - especially boys - with tools to counter the violence and knee-jerk aggression ubiquitous in popular culture. These children's stories by Idries Shah are just this kind of tool. They're not preachy. They don't offer simplistic lessons or moral platitudes. They're more like exercises for "mental muscle groups" grossly underdeveloped in this culture: A strong sense of one's own value. Empathy. Flexibility in thinking and responding. Appreciating that not everyone is the same, not every outcome is predictable. Seeing that there are more than two sides to a situation. A sense that patience and perseverance can pay off, sometimes in unexpected ways. Not demanding easy answers. A sense that things are not always as they seem, that the viewpoint of "experts" - or even the whole community - is not always right. The experience of seeing something that even adults don't see, of creating clever solutions. The sense that taking positive action is possible and rewarding-even when one has to buck the tide. That help can come from where and when we least expect it. The sense that life has interesting "loose ends" for us to reflect on. And so much more. At least one of these books should be on every child's book shelf.

This beautifully illustrated book, part of a children's series by Idries Shah, is sure to delight kids and parents alike. Based on a tale told for centuries in Central Asia and the Middle East, it is about a boy who happens upon a village where the people are terrified of melons simply because they've never seen one before. In showing the villagers that their fears are unfounded, the boy teaches children some valuable lessons about fear. Yet unlike so many other children's books, THE CLEVER BOY AND THE TERRIBLE, DANGEROUS ANIMAL doesn't impose its lessons on the young reader, but instead gently offers them up to be digested and understood at the child's own pace. I wish there were more children's books like this one and the others in Shah's delightful series.

The children in our preschool love books with big bold images, lots of strong colors, and a big surprise in the middle. This one is a perfect example. The children especially seem to delight in the idea of a little boy taking what the big people see as brave action in the face of their silly fear that only the little boy can see through. I highly recommend this one.

Apollo can take my back any time. I was very surprised when I found out that he wrote this book when he was only 13. I think there should be a lot more books written by kidz for kidz like this one. Apollo spoke to me in my own words and I believe what he says. Some of these stories are sad or violent but all of them teach on tha real. I liked 'Four Wolves And A Panther' because tha white boy was really tha best panther of all. 'Trash Walks' was like a reminder that a lot of people don't care if kidz live or die. 'Bad Boyz' was an on point story about what being a black man should be all about and not what so many kidz think it's all about. 'Blackbirder' was a sweet story about how most of the 'history' we are taught in school is really European history. I hope Apollo writes a lot more books. Don't listen to 'Kirkus Reviews', and don't sleep on this book.

This is the kind of book that, if it had been given the media attention and respect it deserves, might have prevented some of the recent tragedies we have seen in our schools. Who better to capture the rage, frustration and alienation of young people that a thirteen-year-old writer. And when will we ever wise up and begin to listen, not to the so-called "experts" but to our own children who actually live thse lives? Each of these stories is brilliantly crafted and gripping. There is brutalitly, violence and despiar, but it is balanced by humor, comraderie and love. This book should be in every school library in the U.S. And, frankly, I don't think "Kirkus" would know a GOOD book if it walked up and kicked them!

What most reviewers can't seem to understand about this book is that it was written by a 13-YEAR-OLD. (I wonder what most of them were doing at 13?) It's a shame that Amazon chose to use a review (to advertise the book) in which it seems obvious the reviewer only skimmed..."Apollo" is NOT a "pseudonymous" name, nor are all of the characters portrayed as (this reviewer) describes. One might get the impression... at least from some whitefolk... that young innercity kids are "expected" to be doing something different than writing books that promote the positive for their peers. But, if you want the right information, go to the source.

Its really good to see that a young person was allowed to write a book like this for other young people like me. (I am 17) These stories are ON THE REAL and tell tha truth about what its like to be a kid in the innercity today. I wish I have found this book years ago so it would have saved me from doing a lot of stupid things. I think fictional stories like these tell it much better than any surveys or non fiction can do. Apollo has a very good way of writing and I hope to see many more books by this talented Brother!

This book is witty, enlightening for those wanting to know what it's like to attend anime conventions and touching at times. The author, Cheshire aka James Clayton, writes well of his experiences. Though some seem unlikely, I know some of the people who he speaks of (I married Ogre)and I've been told the events are true.

Could NOT put this book down! Incredible story and the author really makes you feel the emotions of what is happening. Definatley one of the best non fiction books I have EVER read.

even if you have never been to a convention, the stories held within this book are truly captivating.
the conversational style of writing makes this a very comfortable and quick read and makes you feel as if you really know the people described in the pages.
I couldn't put it down personally. It is a tale of finding your place within the chaos of life, family, and fandom. Can't keep a good fan down!

When I picked up Conventional Wisdom, I actually ended up reading it all in one sitting, because I couldn't put it down. There are parts that make you laugh out loud (and get strange looks) and parts that will make you cry. The book is wonderfully written, and what's great is even after i've finished it, i keep going back to it to read different stories. I highly recommend this book to EVERYONE.

This truly is a good book. It's not only for kids though, I think adults would enjoy this series also. My personal favorites are:
1: The Ruby Raven (#3)
2: The Viking Claw (#4)
3: The Coral Coffin (#5)

I would HIGHLY recommend this series to everyone. It is kind of strange, I'll admit it, but worthy of reading.

The Coral Coffin is about a boy named Finnegan Zwake and his Uncle Stoppard who is a famous mystery book writer. They go on an expedition to a remote island to find Finnegan's parents who had disappeared on an archaeological dig. On the remote island Finn and Uncle Stoppard get separated by a treacherous storm and drift away. They reunite after getting captured and are brought aboard a pirate ship and discover the mystery of the Coral Coffin. I would definitely recommend this book to a person who likes adventure and mystery.

The Coral Coffin is about a boy named Finnegan Zwake and his Uncle Stoppard who is a famous mystery book writer. They go on an expedition to a remote island to find Finnegan's parents who had disappeared on an archaeological dig. On the remote island Finn and Uncle Stoppard get separated by a treacherous storm and drift away. They reunite after getting captured and are brought aboard a pirate ship and discover the mystery of the Coral Coffin. I would definitely recommend this book to a person who likes adventure and mystery.

I have read all of the finnagen Zwake books, and i LOVE them. the only thing is two of them have wierd endings (the horizantal man+the vikings claw) but this one is sooo good
its a must read book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To enjoy listening to stories told by grandfather, you don't necessarily have to be a child! As a matter of fact, it is a life virtue to enjoy these stories told by Isaac Bashevis Singer, regardless of age. They are set in the now vanished Hassidic community of pre-II World War, but their moral content transcends time and space, and although they are soaked in Jewishness they equally appeal to the open-minded reader. Beware that out of the seventeen tales in this editon, 14 are included in "My Father's Court," by the same author.

I am Jewish, and I learned a lot from this book. I learned about life in Warsaw, and about the time period around World War I. It shows how that time compares to this, and how much more we have now than back then. Lots of people take electric lights for granted. This book shows what it was like to live through freezing weather, hunger, and stress about war.

I don't exactly like autobiographies, but this one really, really hit the spot!

Singer just has it. These vignettes of his childhood do not have the emotional power of his greatest stories but they are rich with life, insight and humor. And somehow he tells stories even when he is making simple descriptions of his early life. This work too tells the pain and poverty of his childhood and the difficulty of his parents' lives. It is too a tribute to a world - gone .

This book is a very good read for anyone and everyone that likes to read about foreign culture-- or even if you don't! I usually detest biographies and book reports, but reading this book made it FUN!

Wow! The book A Day with Wilbur Robinson is a fantastic book. The book is about a boy who visits Wilbur Robinson and his family in the future. I loved this book because it was funny when Wilbur and his friend are looking for his grandpa's teeth. In the end grandpa's teeth are found in a funny way. If you read the book you will know where they find his teeth. I recommend this book to anyone of any age because it is a good book and every age group will like it.

I first got this book from thr library to read to my children but I purchased it for myself. It is that entertaining. It has an inventive story line based on a visit with an average but somewhat unusual family. The illistrations are high quality, full of surprises, and reminicent of the Art-Deco world and Buc Rogers. Pictures and text each support one another and provide a new discovery with each read.

If you like Chewandswallow, you'll love Wilbur Robinson's family. Eclectic 90's techno family unique as the Adams Family and The Jetsons. The wacky way of life at the Robinson's and illustrations appeal to children while the moral of the story and outstanding imagination and wit appeals to the adults.

A book for young and old, laced with fantasy and whimsical delight. What other children's books have brain enhancers, dancing frogs, spaceships, and a rousing chorus of "Yes, We Have No Bananas?" Wilbur Robinson and his family are the coolest.