Boys Books

The previous reviewers did a great job! I just want to suggest you pair this book with Carole Boston Weatherfords "A Negro League Scrapbook" and you will be giving a great gift for a boy aged 10 - 16.
Enjoy!

Sharon Robinson's SAFE AT HOME (0439671973, $16.99) tells of Jumper, still reeling from his father's sudden death when his mother decides they should move back to her childhood home - in New York's Harlem. Jumper doesn't know anything about living in a city, and his mother signs him up for a city baseball camp, further complicating his life. He quickly makes an enemy of the team's bullying captain: can life get any worse, or can he make something of his problems? A fine story of handling bad odds.

I liked Safe At Home. This book is about making new friends and how important it is to try to overcome the obstacles in life. I liked this book because the story is just like mine. When I moved to CA, I had to make new friends and so did the main character, Jumper Breeze.

When Jumper moved to Harlem, he had no friends and was bad at baseball. Instead of basketball camp, like he wanted, he had to go to baseball camp. Jumper didn't like it at first, because it was too hard for him. But he kept working on his skills and got better and now, Jumper doesn't want to stop.

When he started camp he met Nia, Dakota, and Sabrina. He also saw Kelvin and Marcus who he met at the arcade. Kelvin was nice to him, but Jumper had a few confrontations with Marcus.
Unfortunately, Jumper became co-captains with Marcus on their baseball team. It was hard at first because they weren't friends. But the coach forced them to cooperate with each other. Jumper learned the importance of working hard as a team even if not all your teammates are your friends.

I give this book five stars. It was so good, I read it twice!

Ames
Age 8

Ten-year-old Elijah Breeze, aka Jumper, is going through a very tough time in his life. His dad just died, totally unexpectedly from a heart attack. Instead of staying in their Connecticut home with all the painful memories, raw reminders and empty rooms, Jumper's mom decides they'll move to Harlem in New York to live with Jumper's grandmother. So now Jumper faces a lonely summer in an unfamiliar place.

But that's not all. His mom and grandmother sign him up for baseball camp, even though Jumper despises baseball. Basketball is his game; he loves to play and he has a lot of talent. The only time he even attempted baseball turned out to be a disaster; he couldn't hit, was unable to catch, and even sprained his ankle. And to top it off, he felt bored. Jumper ended up quitting the sport, and that really upset his dad, who despised quitters. Jumper is all for skipping out on the four-week camp, but his mom finds a new job and doesn't want him staying home alone. Unfortunately, Jumper has no choice in the matter.

When Jumper arrives at baseball camp, he finds that it's even worse than he feared. Marcus is there. Jumper met Marcus briefly at the neighborhood arcade and found him to be rude, insulting and intimidating --- definitely not friend material. And as camp progresses, Jumper learns that Marcus is quite talented at baseball and not very patient with those who aren't. But their coach sees a lot of potential in Jumper, and pushes the two boys to work together. As Jumper slowly learns the sport and eventually starts to make some friends, he realizes that quitting something that's difficult isn't always the answer.

SAFE AT HOME is Sharon Robinson's first novel, though she is no novice at either writing or baseball. She proves her talent for both in this book that entertains as it touches the heart. She really captures the spirit of Harlem and her people, and especially young Jumper, who is dealing with the impossible situation of losing a parent and moving to a different place.

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author of FINDING MY LIGHT and THE BLACK POND

Katana Duet: Samurai's Forbidden Love is a story containing many layers which can be at once both surprising and unsettling, yet very intriguing and complex. First of all, it's set inbetween different times periods and locations, that of Feudal Japan, specifically, that of the Boshin war, and Wisconsin. It is at once many things, both a mystery and a thriller, but also a romance and an erotic romance. In addition, regarding the main focus of the book (the relationship between the characters), this story is also about taboos, and the issue of breaking them.

The characters are not all that they appear to be. This is a book of dark pasts and dark secrets. There is a strong element of "the double" employed, along with the interplay of duos here, mostly observed between that of twin mirror images and opposites, and the fact that what one sees is not often the truth of the matter.

The two main characters, Aki and Akeno, are an interesting duo and the subject of the title for this story. They live as boarders with a rather mysterious brother and sister (Klara and Konrad). Aki helps Konrad with experiments while Akeno appears to develop feelings for the sickly Klara. The thing is, even though at first everything seems simple and uncomplicated, there is much more than meets the eye here.

What I liked best about this book is was not only the interplay of the characters, but the extremely complex emotionally charged atmosphere. Ms. Jarun does a great job infiltrating her landscapes and even the very architecture with a hint of malice and foreshadowing. There are many themes in this story to be discovered that can be effective to make this a very fast-paced and heart-wrenching mystery, thriller, and romance/erotic romance. The subject of racism and homosexuality is also a main focus.

In addition, as I said before, this book is about taboos, but as Ambrose Bierce once said, "nothing is so improbable as what is true ," and after reading this book, I am convinced that this book will bring about a new perspective in the reader regarding taboo matters; and it is no doubt true this book does immerse itself in taboo matters that I am sure have happened and still happen to this day, that nobody really talks about.

Ms. Jarun's writing style is generally excellent. I was entranced from beginning to end of this story, as I found it to be an extremely effective psychological thriller.

Wow... where to start with this one. First off let me start by saying that I was asked to review this novel by the author and given a free copy of the eBook (this review is posted under the hard copy version). I jumped right into the story (it is a novella so shorter than a full novel but longer than a short story) and finished it off in one day. The eBook copy I had was full 8.5" x 11" size and, unlike yaoi novels, contained no illustrations other than the cover.

The story itself is best described as a psychological thriller with some twincest thrown in for good measure. The author, Silapa Jarun, has clearly done her homework when it comes to this historical novel. The main characters are the two twin samurai, Aki and Akeno, and a brother and sister duo who take them into their home upon their arriving separately in the U.S. The story deals with a few different intertwining issues: Aki and Akeno dealing with their feelings for one another as well as the push and pull of what it means to be a twin; the ongoing research into trying to find a cure for the plague that haunts the residents of the area as well as the sister, Klara; and the secrets Klara and her brother Konrad keep hidden from all around them.

This is not a light read and if you are looking for a fluffy yaoi novel, you will need to look elsewhere. If you are looking for an incredibly good novel, well researched, that will keep you guessing right until the end, this is it. Of all the novels I have read, the psychological games in this one kept me on edge right until the end. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, yet another twist would present itself that fit so perfectly into the story. All of the stray strands of the plot tied themselves so perfectly together in the last ten or so pages that I am still baffled as to how Ms. Jarun pulled it all together without leaving any unanswered questions. This is not your typical happily ever after story but I was very satisfied with how it ended. I can't really reveal any more than that without ruining the story.

The sex scenes between the twins, although only a few, were described in a way that pulled you into the deep emotions one would image twin brothers in love would have. You could almost taste their desire to consume one another while having to deal with outside influences that threatened their very existence. More sex scenes would have been even better but knowing the full story, I would rather it remain the same if it meant compromising the flow of the story. This is one story where plot wins out over sex for me (what!?!?).

As far as the other aspect of the book itself, there were a few things that I think could use improvement. I'm not a fan of the cover itself; I think if it were redone it would probably pull in more readers. The one other thing is that I would suggest the author have another editor take a read through. There were a few typos and a few scene changes that I think need to be looked into. Considering how well put together this story is, I don't think either of these things warrants not reading the book. They were really the only two things that I found fault with in an absolutely wonderful read. If you are hesitant to invest in the hard copy then for a mere $3.24 you can get the eBook in PDF format. Either way, this is just one story I feel those looking for substance must read.

Plot = A+
Characters = A+
Sex Scenes = A-
Cover Art/Editing = B+

Overall Grade = A

This is an awesome story about twin siblings who were removed from their homeland (Japan) and relocated to a setting (America) that was foreign to their culture and traditions. Drama emerged as the siblings tried to make a go at a new way of life and relationships with others outside of their twin-sanctuary. As the story developed I found myself suspended between the twin's internal struggle of attempting to identify to their situation as separate individuals while at the same time, they tried to reason with their desire to keep their unique connection as a single, undivided entity as events pulled them in separate directions. What goes on between them throughout this process was gripping and emotional. Brilliant!

I really enjoyed this story, to my surprise! I picked up this book expecting it to just be smut, but found myself intrigued by the story and complexity of human nature and love. Unfortunately, I found the sex to be the most lacking part of the book. I would have loved to trade in the smutty details for more details on story and characters. I just wished the book was longer!

Young Homer Easton's world crumbled around him when his parents divorced and his horse Benny Two Shoes died. Homer vicariously lived a life through the "Lone Ranger." A whiz at computers, Homer set up an online company to sell Western paraphernalia.

For his tenth birthday his father presented Homer with a magnificent white horse to replace Benny Two Shoes. The horse was repossessed due to a misunderstanding at the bank. Two desperado type characters loaded Bluestone Belle into their truck and hauled her away.

The story revolves around Homer, Dr. Willoughby, his psychiatrist, Joe, his personal trainer, and Maria, the family maid, and their efforts to save Bluestone Belle from a band of criminals.

Narrow escapes, thrilling chases, and death defying risks keep the reader in suspense throughout this fast paced adventure story, for kids, ages 9-12.

The characters are zany and loveable. Maria's frequent use of Spanish phrases gives the story an added dimension.

The illustrations by Mike Bitz are clever and expressive. The author has demonstrated an uncanny sense of understanding of this age group in her choice of vocabulary in both the narrative and in the dialog of her characters.

Young readers will identify with Homer's sense of loneliness as his parents choose career and freedom instead fulfilling parental roles. Romantic innuendos give promise to reconciliation when Homer is kidnapped while attempting to save Bluestone Belle.

This dramatic adventure story is an excellent choice for the classroom, for family night reading, and holds potential for an award winning family film. An excellent read for the whole family.

Saving Bluestone Belle is recommended for ages 9 to 12; however, this 70 year old found herself unable to put the book down until she finished it. What fun and excitement! Vivid descriptions make this book an enjoyable experience. You feel like you are there. Teachers and parents will find the hero, Homer, a good role model for young people to take control of their lives, no matter what their circumstances. Homer demonstrates that you don't need admiring peers or perfect parents to be successful. All you need is passion and wise persistence. Homer uses his wits instead of brawn and aggression. For a children's book to sell, adults have to enjoy it, too. I see 'Bluestone' as a novel that kids and parents can enjoy together. Also it will appeal to boys who normally are not interested in reading fiction.
N Lester, MA Counseling

Saving Bluestone Belle is recommended for ages 9 to 12; however, this 70 year old found herself unable to put the book down until she finished it. What fun and excitement! Vivid descriptions make this book an enjoyable experience. You feel like you are there. Teachers and parents will find the hero, Homer, a good role model for young people to take control of their lives, no matter what their circumstances. Homer demonstrates that you don't need admiring peers or perfect parents to be successful. All you need is passion and wise persistence. Homer uses his wits instead of brawn and aggression. For a children's book to sell, adults have to enjoy it, too. I see 'Bluestone' as a novel that kids and parents can enjoy together. Also it will appeal to boys who normally are not interested in reading fiction.
N Lester, MA Counseling

This is a delightful book. Fom the first page you get the exciting feel of being Homer, a smart 10 year old entrepreneur who sees every challenge as just something to overcome on the way to his goal: saving his beloved Bluestone Belle. There is a wacky cast of characters who range from the quirky adults whose job is tending Homer, his well-meaning but clueless parents, to the thrillingly rough villains. I read it to a group of wildly enthusiastic 4th graders. They loved the cover, and kept looking at it to guess what might come next: a meeting with a lion? a shark attack? We laughed a lot as we read, and the fresh modern vocabulary gave many opportunities to discuss idioms, new technology, and figurative language. They learned new words and phrases. The situations Homer encounters brought up discussions about loneliness, wealth, independence, loyalty, and characters who grow and change. It was perfect for asking "What would you do?" My own teenage daughter enjoyed the book too. I recommend it highly.

Describes the scotish history in a very simple way, which permits an easy comprehension of the historical facts, of that people and land, for those who are initiating these studies.

I picked up Scotland's Story because I loved Marshall's Our Island Story (about Britain) so much. Like that history, Scotland's Story is a personality-centric history: Each chapter tells the unfolding tale of Scotland through an episode (real or legendary; Marshall always indicates when something is not precisely factual) in the life of a famous Scot. There is just enough fact to educate and just enough fantasy to entice a young mind.

One important caveat: The story of Scotland--and every other nation, no doubt--is rarely one of sweetness and light. This is a story of one battle and war and imprisonment after another. Nevertheless, Marshall never forgets her audience, the upper elementary-aged child (although my 4-year-old has thoroughly enjoyed both Our Island Story and Scotland's Story, with occasional on-the-fly editing from Mommy). Another top pick: Naxos Audiobooks' unabridged Our Island Story on audio CD, surprisingly one of my daughter's favorite listens.

Scotland's Story is simply wonderful! It's an old classic that's finally available again at a reasonable price. Marshall writes for children, and my K- and 2nd grader have loved these stories, but I've been equally enthralled. She begins with legends of the earliest Scots, and becomes more authoritative as she gains the ground of documented events. Read about Macbeth and Macduff, Malcolm Canmore, the beloved William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, all the Jameses, Mary-Queen of Scots, and on up through their Union to England, the last of the Stewarts (a line birthed with a wonderful tale in the early part of the book), and into the 19th century a bit. The chapters are not especially long, but even so are broken up into short sections for quick, easy read-alouds. We're ordering this book, as renewing it from the library is getting tiresome....and it's one we want to add to our library!

This delightful book recounts the history of Scotland in language simple enough for a child to understand and appreciate, yet colourful and detailed enough to provide an accurate and comprehensive treatment of this vast subject. It transports the reader to another world, of mighty rulers, daring knights and heroic princes. It is so riveting that I read it three times in a row when I was seven, and remember it fondly to this day...

An emotional and disturbing tale of scoutmasters who have deceived whole communities, the boys they've molested, the parents who were somehow oblivious until it was too late, and the scout officials who didn't understand their own policies and for years underestimated the scope of the organization's problem.

Something a previous reviewer seems to have missed, and perhaps one of the reasons these things often go unreported, is that these guys aren't always forcing themselves upon the youngsters. Sometimes the men are master manipulators who convince the boys that what they are doing is normal and that they care for them more than their own parents. This is the case with one of the main characters in this book. Of course, this isn't always the case. Sometimes they use intimidation and fear to keep the boys quiet.

In any case, years later some such boys grow up to be abusers too and there is a cycle that goes on. This is also detailed in the book.

Fortunately, the Boy Scouts have put into place new policies in recent years, probably in part thanks to this book. Basically, it is against BSA policy for adult leaders to ever be alone with a boy or sleep in the same tent with boys. Also, leaders now have to go through a criminal background check.

Unfortunately, the fixes won't stop every molester, especially when parents aren't on the ball. It's important that the parents be aware of these rules and not just always trust the leaders to be following the rules. There was one story in the book of a group of pedophiles who worked together to start a scout troop, so if you see a troop where none of the leaders are parents you should be cautious. Make sure to know who these people are.

Finally, the main character in this book was not just a boy scout leader, he was also a junior high school teacher, and many of the boys he molested were not scouts. Bottom line is that parents should in general not trust other adults to be alone with their kids and watch out for any warning signs.

I think parents and community leaders should read this book to have a better understanding of the problem.

A word of warning to the reader: this book includes graphic details of molestation and can be disturbing.

Patrick Boyle does a masterful job of illustrating how adult male homosexual pedophiles could fool whole communities of parents into thinking they had the best interests of their boys at heart while at the same time were intimidating their boys into having non-consensual sex right under the parent's noses. It's chilling to learn how the parents defended pedophile after pedophile as being "falsely accused" or "good men" while often refusing to take the boys' word that the Scout leader had coerced them into having sex. When I read the newpaper articles about how the Roman Catholic church hid their pedophile problem for years, as did the Boy Scouts, I see the same play but with different actors. If you want to get an insight into how pedophiles think, work, and act, read Scouts Honor. Don't, however, make the mistake of thinking that when the Boy Scouts got rid of their pedophiles, the pedophiles quit molesting. They are probably just "working" another youth organization using the same methods they used to infiltrate the Boy Scouts. Good book.

As a victim and scout myself, I found this book to be an investigative feet with stories from all sides. It is a must read if you want to know how so many molesters can offend the nation's most trustworthy and honest youth in the worst way.

I wish there were books like it that dicussed abuse in other organizations such as church, and sports.

Oh my, if you like gay comics this is a must buy. Its not as exaggerated as those drawn by Patrick Fillion, but equally arousing.

Its a simple tale of 2 boys from the same small town who grow up and move to the city and fall in love with each other. Excellent artwork, and I hope Mioki does a 2nd and 3rd and more books.

This is a lusciously drawn graphic novel about two friends and lovers. The story is interesting enough, but I find that, in the end, the author is more interested in deopicting sex scenes than in developing the story.Not that I'm complaining: the sex scenes are hot!

Side by Side by Mioki is a very sweet story with all the zeal of young love. Mioki's comic style allows him to explore every side of the passionate love story of title characters, Rick and Evan. The artwork is bright and clean, with exceptional attention on the backgrounds as well as the men who's lives inhabit this story. The detail really drives home how much the two main characters love, need, and want each other. It's an intense passion that we all want in our own lives. Like a feel good movie or a great novel, Mioki draws you in, so you can experience all the rapture that this simple, yet amazing story has to tell.

Mioki. "Side By Side: The Journal of a Small Town Boy", Bruno Gmunder, 2008.

Evan and Rick

Amos Lassen

Mioki has been drawing comics for a long time and in "Side By Side" he gives us a new kind of graphic novel--one that is very gay and very, very bold.
"Side by Side" is the story of Evan and Rick who have been best friends since kindergarten days. They live in a small town and one rarely sees one without the other. Rick is gay and lusts after Evan who thinks he is straight. Evan moves to an unnamed big city and shortly afterwards Rick follows him there and they boys realize that they deeply love another. Evan and Rick meet Billie and Charlie and the four become the closest of friends who party and sleep together.
"Side by Side" is a look at gay life with the ups and downs, the sadnesses and the joys. But this is a book that is all visual and leaves nothing to the imagination. I am sure that some may consider it porn but it is more than that. The drawings are very graphic and Mioki shows many sex scenes but the book never loses its charm and heart.

So just what is going on here? How can teenagers be so gullable and what's with this fascination with firearms? Whatever happened to playing varsity and intramural sports, going to Friday night dances and trying out for the school play? For me the harrowing events depicted in Kathryn Eastburn's "Simon Says" serves as a stark reminder that evil really does exist in this world and that young teenagers are a prime target for those who seek to spread it. You will find yourself just shaking your head again and again when you learn about the senseless murders of three members of the Dutcher family in the remote hamlet of Guffey, CO in the wee small hours of New Years Day 2001. Incredibly, the individual who ordered the "hit" on the Dutcher family and the two young men who carried out the bloody deed were all students at Palmer High School in Colorado Springs. "Simon Says" is a chilling tale that brings to mind the likes of Charles Manson and the Reverand Jim Jones.
Author Kathryn Eastburn does a marvelous job of portraying the young men who would become caught up in this tangled web. The leader of the group was a young man named Simon Sue. Simon had moved to Colorado with his parents from his native Guyana. He was a natural born leader in search of malleable young minds to exert influence over. Sue was fascinated with guns and with the military and bragged to whoever would listen that he was part of a secret paramilitary group known as the OARA. In the fall of 2000 he found a pair of recruits in 15 year old Isaac Grimes and his older pal Jon Methany. Later on another young man named Glen Urban would join the group. Just a few short months later, Simon Sue would order his troops to kill the Dutchers and his willing accomplices carried out his wishes.
Of course, "Simon Says" offers comprehensive coverage of the investigation into this heinous crime and of the subsequent trials of these young men. You will meet the detectives who finally managed to ferret out the facts of this case and the lawyers who argued for both sides during the interminable proceedings that would follow. Then you will learn how each of the families, the students at Palmer High School and the community at large tried to cope with these sensational events. There are so many issues to ponder here and I am sure that each reader will attempt to make sense of it all. But in my estimation this is simply not possible. At the end of the day far more questions than answers remain. Despite Kathryn Eastburn's best efforts to help us to understand I don't believe that anyone can present a rational explanation for what went down on that cold January morning in the Rockies. Nevertheless, I found "Simon Says" to be an exceptionally well written book that managed to hold my interest from cover to cover. Highly recommended!

Make sure you have a significant amount of time available before you start to read this book, because you will have a difficult time putting it down. I read it in two sittings. It rates right up there with Judgment Ridge, the story of the two Dartmouth professors who were murdered by two Vermont teenagers less than one month later in January of 2001. Simon Says is an appropriate title for this new book because it is the tragic story of a very controlling and charismatic high school student named Simon Sue who manipulated those he saw as vulnerable into doing whatever he demanded. If they failed to do his bidding the threat of death to themselves and family members was made to appear real. One of the vulnerable boys, Isaac Grimes, murders his former best friend, Tony Dutcher, by cutting his throat as he slept while another, Jon Matheny, murders the boy's grandparents in their home by shooting them to death. The book covers the boys' relationship with charismatic leader Simon Sue, the murders, detective work needed to get confessions, the guilty pleas of each of the defendants, and subsequent appeals. This is a book filled with tragedy not only for the boys involved, but for other family members as well. It is a story without any winners. The only redemptive feature is a forgiving relationship between Isaac Grimes' mother and the mother of Tony Dutcher, the boy who Isaac murdered. It is the tragic story of an individual with a controlling and charismatic personality preying on vulnerable and younger individuals who otherwise would have never have become involved in such tragic behavior. The books' cover says it quite thoroughly, "A True Story of Boys, Gun, and Murder." I definitely got the feeling the boys, however belatedly, appreciated the beauty of their Colorado surroundings and would now not be able to enjoy the freedom they once had.

Kathryn Eastburn is at her best with the telling of this tragic tale. She approaches the subject with a reporter's objectivity, yet true to form with all of her writing, there is an underlying humaness that refrains from stooping to sensationalism or lecturing.

The shocking teen violence and depravity in this country that a decade ago seemed like a horrid anomaly, unfortunately now seems to have become a weekly occurrence. On New Year's Eve 2000 in the rural countryside outside of Colorado Springs, just twenty months after the Columbine massacre, a Grandmother, Grandfather and their fifteen year old Grandson were brutally and senselessly murdered.

The investigation that followed revealed that four teenage boys with ages that ranged from fifteen to nineteen years old were involved in committing the murders, planning the murders, and destroying crucial evidence. One of the boys, fifteen year old Isaac Grimes, who was later convicted of murdering fifteen year old Tony Dutcher by slitting his throat from behind with a knife in such a heinous way as described in the court records: "at issue, is the brutality with which the defendant killed Tony. The autopsy showed he sawed back and forth." "The D.A. demonstrated a sawing motion with his hand against the loose skin of his own neck." "He severed the spinal cord, not just the spinal column." What makes this repulsive crime even more incredulous is the fact that Isaac and Tony used to be best friends.

The Grandparent's Carl and Joanna Dutcher were slaughtered in a salvo of bullets. But the backdrop of this horrendous crime that joggles the imagination and all human sensibilities, is the relationship and "pecking order" of the four teenage criminal sociopaths Simon Sue, Jon Matheny, Isaac Grimes and to a lesser extent Glen Urban. (He destroyed evidence.) Simon at nineteen was the oldest high school student and he filled the role as a "Svengali" like leader. His parents were originally from Guyana a small South American country. None of the future criminals had many real friends, so Simon targeted them to become part of a non-existent "secret" paramilitary organization, "Operations and Reconnaissance Agents" (OARA). Simon said "OARA stood ready to serve should a coup arise against the standing Guyanese government, the People's Progressive Party. Under Simon's tutelage the boys learned to assemble and disassemble weapons, practiced shooting and planned and carried out burglaries. All without any of their parents knowing what was going on. When Simon demanded they murder Tony Dutcher and his Grandparents while Simon was conveniently out of the country, the other boys followed orders, later saying Simon's threats to murder their families kept them from telling anyone.

After the murders the police and CBI (Colorado Bureau of Investigation) during the course of their investigation turned up among other things at Simon's house alone; THIRTY SIX GUNS, MOST OF THEM MILITARY ASSAULT RIFLES, WEDGED INTO A CLOSET... THEY TAGGED UZIS, SKS,'S AND AK-47'S. As heart wrenching as the murders themselves are, the domino "death-affect" tremors of loss to all surviving family members is just as important in the telling of this tragic senseless crime. Charles Dutcher alone lost his son and his Mother and Father. The authors writing style is not poetic, nor does it revive memories of Hemingway or other famous authors. But what the author does succeed at is terrific investigative reporting. There is not a wasted chapter or a wasted page. The reader is taken step by step through this entire sordid mess. She cannot give you the big answers, because that's the problem with this heart-breaking catastrophe, no logical person with a heart beating with even an ounce of humanity can answer the questions that this story and far too many stories like this raise. As many scientists state: "THE BEST EXPERIMENTS CREATE MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS" AND PERHAPS THIS BOOK SHOULD BE FILED UNDER THE SAME HEADING!

Great reference book written in an entertaining manner. All the jargon I wanted to know in the media fields.
I question a few of the entries (the few I knew something about !).
The "Telestrator" was not invented by John Madden, and
ironically (if you read the introduction to the entry)I believe "clap track" should be "clap trap".
In the Introduction, the author solicits corrections, but only provides a snail mail address ! "Old School"

Who would ever guess it would be so much fun to weave one's way through the mysterious words that appear on mastheads and screen credits? Richard Weiner has provided us with delightful stepping stones into the glamour of movie sets and editorial rooms. He's a best boy, and then some!

Teachers, writers, midtown bartenders, and anyone else who needs a crash course in today's media terminology should pick up Richard Weiner's new book, The Skinny about Best Boys, Dollies, Green Rooms, Leads, and other Media Lingo. It's a great desk reference and a good gift for media junkies, theatre and film buffs and crossword types. The author has a wit as quick as Google and a nice prose style. I was informed and delighted by this book.

Ever wondered about the meaning of terms listed at the end of a movie? (It's called a "crawl".) Here's a book that, for the first time, explains it all. I found it indispensable for understanding the various terms involved not only in tv, but media in general. Weiner has provided an easy-to-read, interesting compilation of these terms, written in an engaging personal style. More than a straight-laced dictionary, it gives you insight into newspapers (see the entry of the Los Angeles Times), public relations (see marcom), politics (see Beltway), tv and motion pictures (see Lucille Ball), football (see John Madden), comics (see Borscht Belt) and thousands more. All in all, a fascinating look into the insider's world of communications. I can not recommend it more highly.

Snarking: sneaking out when your parents are asleep, esp. to go to the theater and see the latest (or oldest) movie. Master snarkers Winston, Walter, and Rat have the technique down pat and somewhat uneventful until one night when Rat decides she wants to go to the Dharma Buns Coffee House. That night begins an adventure replete with werewolves, poets, borgelnuskies, the Napoleon of crime, and other assorted good guys and bad guys.

The town of Baconburg has never seen such a hodgepodge of people and adventures. At least not since "The Snarkout Boys & the Avocado of Death." But as long as they don't run out of Indian fruit bats, everything and everyone should turn out okay.

First published in 1984, the story doesn't seem out of date for young people born in the past few years. But to adults, parents, even young senior adults, some references bring a sense of nostalgia: Drive in movies, shopping malls. Although this is not the first in the series, the story stands alone quite well -- it actually makes one want to find the rest and read/listen to them, too. The action is swift, the characters interesting, and the plot complicated in a witty, twisted sort of way.

Pinkwater takes the reader from the familiar to the bizarre to the impossible in just a short ride. He's created a weird alternate reality that is fun for readers of all ages. In his narration he rushes headlong from beginning to end, leaving the listener breathless and tickling your fancy.

When I was in fifth grade, I thought this was the funniest and most entertaining book in the world. Twenty years later, despite high school, college and law school, my opinion of it is just as high. This is a wild, wacky, cult-classic that kids, young adults and even parents can read, enjoy and re-read over and over.

The sequel to _The Snarkout Boys & the Avocado of Death_, the book features the return of snarkers Walter, Winston and Rat, as well as Uncle Flipping; Osgood Sigerson and Dr. Sacker; the Mighty Gorilla; and that rascally Napoleon of Crime, Wallace Nussbaum. Just as the young snarkers discover the Dharma Buns Coffee House and a rising Transylvanian poet, the city of Baconburg begins to be terrorized nightly by something dark and fast and ... furry? A werewolf?! Quick, grab your stuffed Indian fruit bat and defend yourself!

Just as in _Avocado_, Pinkwater writes simply and clearly, deftly weaving the different plot-threads into a (literally) blazing finale. Quite simply, this is a great, often gut-busting, blissfully zany ride. (I only wish he'd write another one!) I ordered a copy off the internet, read it twice, and am donating it to my local library so that kids can enjoy it just as much as I did, back 'in the day'. Praise St. Barbara of Blint, five burning stars!

Sequel to The Snarkout Boys and The Avacado of Death, this is another great book by D.M. Pinkwater. While it obviously couldn't compare to the original, simply because the first was SO good, this book is still great. I read the Avacado of Death when I was in middle school (for the first time at least), and didn't discover the sequel until I was in college. So naturally that's a rather long time and my expectations were a little high I'm sure. Still, it was great to see all the characters again, and see Walter and Winston having another adventure. This book is fun to read and I highly reccomend it.

When I read this book in my early nubile childhood , I thought it was just a pretty darn funny piece o' work. Now that I'm a wee bit older and wiser I look back on Snarkout with a sort of awe, respecting it for the sheer genious and underground artistry. Werewolves, crazy speeches, donuts, hotdogs, cult movies, bitter rejects and terrible poets. Every man woman and child should experience belly lauaghter. It deserves to be the first cult classic childrens book.

I read this book while I was a Physics student and was immediately captivated by this magical glimpse into the Physics of soap bubbles - an area where even today there remains unsolved mathematical questions.

While the likes of quantum mechanics and chaos theory often steal the limelight, I for one find it refreshing to find an equally intriguing subject in something closer to our direct experience. This is a fun, non mathematical introduction, written in a distinctively excentric English style. I loved it; if you love Physics, you will too.

In this thin, 156 page volume, CV Boys extends the love of physics to the study of soap bubbles. The book is a classic based on a series of lecture/demonstrations given at London Institution in 1889. The demonstrations explore surface tension and the forces that effect bubble formation. The demonstrations are straightforward and for the most part employ household equipment.

The book ends with a detailed description of the materials used in the experiments. Included is a recipe for a soap bubble solution (though commercial bubble solutions can be used) which is enhanced by the addition of glycerine. The formula consists of a 2.5% solution of sodium oleate (or home made soap from lye and olive oil) in pure water (distilled preferred or deionized or rain water), dissolved by allowing to stand 5 days. A one-third volume of pure glycerine is added and mixed thoroughly. An oily upper layer forms which is removed (as in a gravy separator) retaining the clear lower layer. Add a few drops of stronger ammonia. If stored in a well stoppered bottle and opened infrequently, the solution is stable for up to two years.

This book will be of interest to young scientists and their teachers, who may enjoy the delightful demonstrations using simple, non-hazardous materials. It may also suggest a few science fair projects. No index. No references.

This book serves as an excellent primer to the topic of soap bubbles and films. Using simple experiments the author establishes a practical basis for why surface tension and energy minimization exist, and why they are such a prolific and enigmatic force. Tailored for those without much background in the subject, the beginning of the book is nearly devoid of any serious numbers and the end of the book contains only simple equations, but the underpinnings of a more complex understanding of the bubbles is created by the end of the book. Ideas developed in lucid and concise experiments allow the observant reader to formulate their own practical understanding of soap bubbles, providing a much needed foundation for more serious studies in this field. The experiments are simple and easy, requiring nothing more than some soap, straws, and bits of rubber, yet the ideas they impart are both profound and fundamental to the science of fluids.

In short, this book is the first that should be read by anyone new to fluids and soap films, but contains no serious theoretical jargon.

Boys book is about 100 years old and is flat out the best first book on bubbles. It takes you through a lot of interesting experiments that Boys did into areas that are very remote from soap and bubbles. Full of "oh, wows", it is a book that I reread about once a year (I do bubbles professionally, and every rereading contains new insights for me).