Boys Books

I was captivated by this story of Ivy's Walk through Oddnia, and the unique world that Hall has created. Reading it as an adult, I appreciated the strong sense of rhythm in the sentence and chapter structure. The descriptions gave me a clear picture of each of the characters. I know that I would have also liked this book if I had first read it as a child, and would have delighted in the inventive language that gives imaginative names to the creatures and their habitats. There is a directness to the writing that enables a young reader to understand and follow the story, but much thought provoking material for older youth and adults, such as the idea that the characters were able to smell emotions and feelings. The short chapters are effective in building suspense and are conducive to reading the book aloud. The story has humor, adventure, danger, and tenderness. I eagerly await a sequel.

AN EXTREMELY CREATIVE WORK.

THE READER ACCOMPANIES "IVY" ON A LONG LONELY JOURNEY. SHE MEETS AND IS BEFRIENDED BY "ROK". TOGETHER, THEY EMBARK ON AN ADVENTURE WHICH IS FRAUGHT WITH DANGER AND EXCITEMENT.

THE CAST OF CHARACTERS DEPICTED ARE TRULY MEMORABLE.

ANNIE HALL POSSESSES THE ABILTY TO WEAVE A HIGHLY IMAGINATIVE TALE WHICH IS ALSO SENSITIVE AND COMPELLING.

PLAUDITS TO THE AUTHOR

Oddnia:Ivy's Walk takes the reader on a journey into Oddnia with Ivy, a tiny young sythe, who has been abandoned in the Valley East. Ivy is sweet, endearing, and strong, and kept me totally enchanted. The author, Annie Hall, has a fresh style and a presents a perfectly childlike point of view. Ivy finds herself in the company of Rok, a large lovable creature so unlike her to the eye, but who comes to love her as his own Tad. They have many obstacles and lessons ahead of them, and I found myself wanting to read it slowly, to better enjoy Hall's delightfully descriptive writing. I have just begun reading this story to my fourth graders, and they are loving it!

This narrative, the continuing saga of Baba(The first being Baba, A Return to China upon my Father's Shoulders), is apparently the second in Belle Yang's trilogy of a Chinese life-world and is summed up in the musings of Baba "Justice is not in the hands of man. Justice is not in the universe. There are only the inevitable, impersonal laws of change and flux...It is the Dao, the way of nature, the endless cycles of growth and decay, a cosmos spinning with opposing, conflicting forces.". I look forward to Belle's projected third volume of this trilogy (see [...])

Naren Jackson

I was unsure what to make of this book when I first ran across it. The title and colorful cover pulled at me, but the delightful story-telling style kept me reading.

It's a sophisticated story about the adventures of a young Manchurian boy, an Oriental version of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, if you will.

I enjoyed the story, but now that I have a son it takes on a whole new dimension. I'll be reading it to him years before he'll be able to read it for himself. It'll join the stories of Ruyard Kipling and J. R. R. Tolkien.

Highly recommended.

A very insighful story of author's dad and his travels to find freedom. His determination to keep moving south out of his home in Manchuria. Leaving behind his remaining family and all of what was left of their family lands. A very intense story of his travails and his natural intuition to get around problems when he was faced with some very dangerous situations. Knowing how he met his wife and finally moved on to the USA. A great story.

My daughter loves Miss Spider and the books and videos are often difficult to find in the USA. We are glad to have added this to our collection.

This is a must have for any bounce lover. It is a favorite at our house. The pages are so cute. It has all of Bounce's silly facial expressions and his funny sense of humor. I would like to get the rest of the collection. They are very sturdy and a great addition to any children's library.

Ya'ay! This book is all about Bounce --- Miss Spider's energetic, fun-loving adopted bedbug. Bounce is large and blue and can be very loud at times. Bounce loves eating and he also loves to play, play, play. He really has trouble sitting still sometimes.

Bounce may be from south of the border, as he often uses Mexican phrases and on the show speaks with a Mexican accent. In this book, Bounce is seen bouncing all over the place, but the final pages express that his family loves him no matter what.

This book bursts with Bounce's anything throughout. Fans of Miss Spider, Bounce and all their friends and family will go buggy for this large, brightly-colored, stylish board-book.

I find this to be a very good series,
where with one clue at a time, our protagonist, Goto, tries to discover why he was imprisoned for ten years.
So far, "Old Boy" is calm with a sense of sincerity, yet also keeps the reader at the edge of their seat, wanting to to know more in such suspense.
The art design is simple, yet so vivid and detailed. It's breath taking and different (although some readers may think of the "What's Michael" cat comics when turning the pages). And wow... a lot people eat out in these books (ha ha... of course this shows of slice of life).

In volume 4, more questions are answered, but the mystery is not over yet. Goto learns from the woman in volume 3 that his imprisonment involved someone from his childhood. He even meets the man at his best friend's bar, but he can't recognize his voice or face (readers find out why by the end of the volume).

This is an excellent story, and I am very happy to come across this title.

This is a good manga that pulls you farther and farther into it as the volume ends. The only sad thing is that you can't keep reading til the end. You must wait for the next volume. I recommend reading the manga instead of seeing the movie first. I am reserving the movie until after I finish untangling this mystery with Goto.

I was a bit disappointed with the previous two old boy volumes, but this one is just great. It's still not as great as the first book was, but it almost is. Finally, this book has the 'mistery' feeling, which the movie had, and now our protagonist meets with his tormentor, and they have a 'deep conversation'. Old boy is a real crime-noir manga classic, which sholudn't be missed by anyone.

This a a book that is so reminiscing of Brer Rabbit and Anansi stories. Finally there's a book our children of color can read and learn a lesson from. I had the opportunity to purchase the book in the Gallery in Philly where K. Christopher Toussaint was doing a book signing. I was able to get an autographed copy for my son who was then in the hospital in 2000 and now that he is 3 this is his favorite book and he is always asking questions about the moral. Thank you!!!!

I purchased this book for the beautiful ones that are not yet born.... This fable is so unique and the book is a keepsake. I fell in love with Toussaint's excellent storytelling ability and the simplicity of a childhood lessons learned. Mom always said "don't tease other children". If you didn't believe her, you'll be convinced once you read this book. I can't wait for the series.

After purchasing this book, i sat down to read it with my son. It was educational, fun, stimulating among other things. It got my child asking numerous questions on black History. He enjoyed it enough to want to share it with his friends, and said his school library needs it to. He's taking it to school with him to share with his classmates. This book is a fine example for children of all races.Thank you K. Christopher Toussaint, We will be buying the series.

First of all, this is more than a review about the book but also about the man Mr. Leeland. This book is the story of Mr. Leeland's son at a very young age, needing a marrow transplant, not only did the students at his school come together and help him out so did the whole community.... FROM THIS: Mr. Leeland has founded the Sparrow Clubs in schools around the country and has raised over $750,000 for "broken sparrows". . .and he believes in kids helping kids.

This book is not only inspirational for those who know cancer, and sickness, but for those of us who never dealt with that issue this book is VERY inspiring . . . and very full of hope and love. Mr.Leeland writes a easy to read, human, full of true feeling and very much full of his insight, and HUGE AMAZING heart. I recommend this book to anyone!!!!! Do yourself a favor, read about GOOD people doing GOOD things....

What do you do when you've just moved to a new school and a new job and your 6-month old baby is diagnosed with leukemia? What do you do when the operation costs $205,000 and the insurance company won't pay for it? This is the story of the Leelands, a Christian family who goes through a nightmare, and of the junior high school and community that reaches out to them to save the life of one small sparrow.

I was reviewing this book while creating a library for our middle school. It caught my attention immediately, as one of my former students has leukemia. As I read it, I began to understand the terrible struggle that my student and his family were going through. And I was touched by the honest description of the Leeland's ups and downs, by the sacrifices made by the kids in Kamiaken Junior High, and by the faith the Leelands showed in a God who sustained them as they went though this tragedy.

I was one of the students that attended Kamiakin Junior High when the Leelands went through their test of faith. This book accurately depicts the real life events that surrounded the events leading to the life saving bone-marrow transplant of Michael Leeland. It is refreshing to hear about a community pulling together and turning a desparate situation into one filled with pure hope and faith. Read this book if you ever feel there is something you can't accomplish in life@

Engagingly written by Susan Bartlett for preschool and kindergarten children ages 3 to 6, "Opening Day" is a 32-page picturebook which is beautifully illustrated in full color oil paintings by Luanne Wrenn. It's the story of a young boy named Sam whose best friend Eric loves to hunt. Eric and his Dad have invited Sam to hunt with them on the opening day of deer season. But Sam's mother is a vegetarian while his own father just wants to buy meat for the family table at their local grocery store. Sam is faced with the possibility of losing out on his friendship with Eric or possibly disappointing his family. A compellingly and skillfully presented story about friendship, "Opening Day" is enhanced with age appropriate information about deer habits and habitat, as well as tracking and hunting. A truly elegant story, "Opening Day" is as entertaining as it is thoughtful and a very strongly recommended addition to family, preschool, elementary school, and community library picturebook collections.

I'm a tofu eater, not a hunter, so I was curious about this children's book. What I found was a really marvelous book that clearly presents two different perspectives--those of the hunter and non-hunter--in an unbiased way. Actually what remained with me most was the sense of nature and the animals encountered in the snowy woods.

For a child interested in hunting or in the question of hunting this is an excellent book.

For me though one of the strongest points in OPENING DAY is the concept that people with different views can nevertheless be good friends.

As the father of a 9 year old who insists on being read to, and enjoys illustrated books above others, I liked this book and so did my son, Zach. I also fit into the almost-vegetarian category of the main character Sam's parents, and the truth is, i find hunters and hunting a bit scary, so i was really happy to share a book with Zach that made being in the woods and friendship the focus of a hunting book. Also, it helped me reflect on what my prejudice might be, like thinking there is something wrong about hunting. But in the end , my favorite part was the message that we all make mistakes, like Sam does, and that is ok, we can just keep trying.

I thought the ilustrations were a bit clumsy at first, but now i have read it a couple of times, i am noting how well they work with the text, and i am starting to like them alot.

This is a story about four second-graders named Owen, Joseph, Anthony, and Ben. Through detail and humor, Stephanie Greene gives us a superb story about four second-graders who want to become spies. I loved this book because it was humorous. Excellent. Five stars out of five stars.

I have read the two Owen Foote books that she has written so far and they are both ABSOLUTELY STELLAR!!!!!!! Even though I am 13 I have read both many times. The lessons in life they taught me are spectacular and I learned so much about how to be a nice homo sapien. I wish Stephanie would write many more books in this spectacular series!!!!!!!!!

I am the authors son, Oliver who is meant to be the inspiration for her writing the Owen Foote series. I think that my mom is pretty good at understanding children like me and trying to write realistically. She does not know that I am writing this, but I hope one day she will see it. I remember the happy day when she sold the book, and I am proud for her. I think that all young soccer players will enjoy this book.

Gurnah's second novel, the first to be published in the US, takes place in East Africa at the beginning of the wave of European colonization. At its center is Yusuf, age 12, sold to a rich merchant in payment of his father's debt.

Wrenched from his rural home to work in the urban shop of "Uncle" Aziz, Yusuf does not at first realize he has been sold. He finds himself in a place where Indians, Arabs and African Muslims coexist in a complex hierarchy of languages, religions and cultures, united by their common interest in trade.

Their exploitation of each other is ruthless but based on traditions of power and debt. But the Europeans, still just a fabled presence, inspire stories of madness, insatiability and invulnerability. While many merchants believe they want to gobble the whole continent (for unfathomable reasons) Aziz calmly proclaims, "They're here for the same reason you and I are."

Yusuf, who asks many questions and receives few answers, adapts to town life, only to be abruptly drafted into Aziz' trading journeys to the interior. His first trip exposes him to the dusty hardship of life away from the coast and the comforting sympathy of kind people.

His second is a spectacular trek through remote lands filled with warring, hostile peoples, poisonous snakes, treachery, strange diseases and sudden, devastating weather. Through it all Yusuf perseveres, watching and listening, especially fascinated by the nighttime tales of the alien Europeans, who come closer every day.

While Yusuf is more a metaphor for Africa's exploitation than an individual, Gurnah's story is breathtaking for the tumultuos color of the life he describes, the vividness of Africa and the rich energy of his prose.

The author succeeds in conveying a highly poetic vision of Islamic East African Culture, without embellishing it or denying its dark side. A beautiful read. I will certainly read more by this author and search for other Black Africans, moslem or not, who can teach me more about their fascinating culture.

A finalist in 1994 for both the Booker Prize and the Whitbread Award, Paradise hides major themes and ideas within the seemingly simple story of Yusuf, a twelve-year-old boy in rural East Africa whose father sells him to a trader to settle a debt. East Africa is in turmoil--on the verge of World War I and the fighting which eventually develops between the Germans in Tanzania and the British in Kenya. Cities are growing, populations are moving, merchants are trading and selling, and colonialists from many countries are vying for influence.

When Yusuf is sold to his "uncle" Aziz, he leaves his remote rural village in what is now Tanzania and joins a trading caravan, traveling to the highlands and eventually on an ill-fated trading safari to the remote interior, discovering whole new worlds as he goes. In eight years of travel, he "progresses" from the countryside to a coastal city, from simple subsistence to the complexities of urban, mercantile life, and from his childish pleasure with a shiny coin to adult love.

As a young child/adolescent, Yusuf is an obvious symbol of Tanzania itself at this early stage in its history. Just as Yusuf must come of age, so also must the country as the various groups contending for influence make choices about how much they will accept, reject, or adapt to outside influences. As Yusuf comes into contact with tribal chieftains, Muslim traders, Indian shopkeepers, and German empire builders, the reader observes the impact of all of these groups both within Yusuf and within the loose, artificial borders of Tanzania.

Creating vivid images primarily through his selection of the perfect detail, Gurnah uses simple, poetic language to tell a delightful story loaded with important social and political observations, conveying clearly and objectively the historical background of the country in which the author was born. Dialogue is often filled with humor, and Yusuf becomes a real person, not a cardboard symbol. A novel which begins as a beautifully realized coming-of-age story develops into a story of high adventure, social and political realism, and eventually love. Mary Whipple

Paradise Boys by Abby Mendelson is a MUST READ!!! Told through the voice of JoJo, the story is poignant and terrifying. Mendelson writes very well and conveys in a most concerned and loving manner the hopelessness of the situation of these boys. I routed for the boys all through their story, and I couldn't put the book down. I really felt that I had gotten to know these youngsters, and I wanted to be able to help them, especially JoJo. I cried for him at the end.

This novel is a glimpse into a world that absolutely terrifies me. I keep coming back to thoughts of the book, as well as Mendelson's description of his personal experience in the epilogue. Powerful, disturbing subject. It leaves me with a feeling of despair for these boys. Intriguing concept how the main character sought self-identity and invisibility at the same time. The former is quite clear from the outset where he always says "I'm JoJo Arnold..." expressing that by virtue of who he is he is better than the next `Boy' and the latter more subtlety with his avoidance of being in a picture. I think writing this book is in some way an act of kindness to those like the characters who are living so hopelessly. Written in the first person, I found that I quickly picked up the flow of the prose, laced with the strange parlance of the Paradise Boys.
A great read.

The author depicts a slice of life most people never see. The author's characterizations are brilliant. As the story develops, the reader is magnetized by the pathos and sometimes hopelessness of the "boys," which understandably elicits pathos and empathy. Mendelson presents a compelling drama, a completely absorbing story.