Boys Books

Scarbrough has written an impeccably researched, compelling book. I lived in Georgetown 1997-2007 and watched it change from a sweet little town, past the outskirts of Austin's development, into something almost indistinguishable from any other suburban city in America. It has happened in Mustang, OK...in Owasso, OK...in Universal City, TX...in Georgetown, TX...in Vancouver, WA, in Sherwood, OR. If one ignores the landscape, the towns are virtually indistinguishable from one another. The rich heritage of the Czechs, the Germans (e.g., German Corner in Owasso) has been drowned in a flood of one-size-fits-all development. Now, not to sound completely gloomy, I do think it is possible for a city in the path of development to resist the Goliath. I think it is possible for a city to choose its own path of development, one that builds on its unique characteristics. Leavenworth, WA, is one such town. And I think more cities should choose to preserve their communities, rather than selling out their birthrights for thirty pieces of silver, rather than sitting back apathetically while their homes are swept away in a tidal wave of materialism. It takes just one leader, with a vision, and a willingness to work really, REALLY hard. Those are pretty hard to find. Anyway, the book is definitely worth the read. I found myself in a state of suspense several times, which was surprising considering that I had gone fishing in Granger Lake myself, and my children were cared for as infants by some of those same elderly Czech folk. A very good read, even for a girl who usually prefers fiction. I have given copies to friends in my new town, including the city council president, who promised to pass it along to the mayor, and to the owner of the local bookshop, where the Democratic Party meets. The town is now facing a vote that will help determine the path of its future development, and I am very interested to see how it all turns out. I hope Linda's outstanding book will help to turn the tide.

Road, River, And Ol' Boy Politics: A Texas Country's Path From Farm To Supersuburb by Linda Scarbrough is an impressively researched, superbly written and quite original perspective of the complete history of the state Texas. Scarbrough's depiction of Texas' history is outstanding for its individuality and historical documentation in that its approach is of a philosophical outlook more oriented to the political reasoning for Texas' development. A highly notable and strongly recommended read, Road, River, And Ol' Boy Politics is an excellent read for historians of American history in general and students of Texas history in particular.

Some lines from the introduction to "Road, River, and Ol' Boy Politics" concisely relate author Scarbrough's thesis: " The story of Williamson County's metamorphosis from agrarian backwater to suburban juggernaut reveals a pattern of how several of America's most successful agricultural counties became supersuburbs over the last half of the twentieth century. The twin pillars of this growth surge, most notably in the Dry Sun Belt, were dams and interstate highways funded by the federal government.....Who decided where to put these massive projects and why?..."

While this is the story of the transformation of one American county, Williamson, County, Texas, it is indicative of what has occurred across our nation. Yes, times they are achangin', and to read about how some of it happened is fascinating.

The author identifies three essential ingredients which are necessary for dynamic growth: a new water source, a new major highway, and "a politically skillful and determined leader." In Texas, these men are simply called good ol' boys. If you wish to dispute Scarbrough's premise just take a look at the booming areas outside of Austin, Dallas, Phoenix, Denver, and Salt Lake City.

Scarbrough is publisher of the Williamson County Sun in Georgetown, Texas. With advanced degrees in American Civilization from the University of Texas, she knows her subject well. She was among the first to write about environmental issues for the New York Daily News, and when she returned to Texas in 1978 she continued to discuss that subject on the pages of her family newspaper.

"Road, River, and Ol' Boy Politics" is replete with illustrations, maps, bibliography, and index. It's an important addition to the archives of Texas history, and that of our country as well.

- Gail Cooke

Patricia Hickman tells a great story in language so beautiful that it's a feast for the senses. I felt as if I've known March Longfellow for ages--sometimes felt as if I WERE her, that's how emotionally involved I became.

This is a beautifully written book about a woman dealing with life after the tragic loss of her husband. I laughed, I cried and when I closed the back cover after reading the last page, I cheered. This is definitely a keeper on my shelf. Highly recommended.

Patricia Hickman is not afraid to explore the depths of grief and recovery from loss, packaging her journey in a story that invites the reader to explore her story's setting, North Carolina's coast and Outer Banks. March Longfellow's bumpy ride through grief is realistic and reveals the confusion, struggles, pain, and helplessness in the face of great loss, even as she plows her way through the fog and discovers a new way to live. March's life parallels my own; her struggles are much like my own, and her path through it all is helpful to anyone in the midst of similar problems. And, in the midst of the struggles, the book is a load of fun with March, her son, their pets, and their quirky neighbors!

Brilliantly assembled The Brickman Stories create a universe around a family with a collection of heart wrenching and well written stories. Saving Stanley, the opener is a phenomenal beginning and lays the foundation for several stories which bounce around in time and perspective all with the common thread of the same family. What I really love about The Brickman Stories is that it works both as a novel and as individual stories. It's masterfully crafted and should not be missed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The stories are serious, yet entertaining. Mr. Nadelson does a wonderful job of making his characters come to life - so much so that I feel I actually know the Brickman family. You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy "Saving Stanley".

Last week I had the pleasure of lunch with Jackie, a Yugoslavian exchange student and avid recreational reader, who told me (among other things) that I must read The Brickman Stories, i.e. Saving Stanley. I finished this smooth New Jersey family saga in six days. The book is built on engrams (persistent protoplasmic alterations hypothesized to occur on stimulation of living neural tissue and to account for memory), meat-pies, weightlifting, and Screaming Trees. I'm still sitting in the brown couch of the Brickman living room, Stanley (the cat) dying under the bed, Jared Brickman grunting over his weights, Mrs. Brickman late home from teaching, Mr. Brickman snapping his paper while the Mets lose five to four to the Phillies in the bottom of the seventh. In Saving Stanley there are no briefcases full of counterfeit money, no shootouts, no serial killers, no world salvation, no cleverly integrated political agendas. This is real life, hard lines laid down over clean wounds. It's what the modern, sophisticated urban reader (me) demands. Stylistically, Scott Nadelson reminds me of Carver and Charles Baxter. He knows how to lead, build, and pull. This is intimate, courageous writing. My favorite stories are "Kosher," the account of a young man's relationship with a crippled woman, who manipulates funds through a telephone solicitation scheme, and "Why Not?" the young-love story of a chemist and his new bride, who find an idyllic life they cannot keep.

This was a GREAT book! I would really recommend it to any body who likes Mysteries and exciting books because this definately is one of them! It has many sad, funny, exciting, even wierd. This book definatly keeps you on your toes! I never once got bored!

I think Mr. Winkler's book is well written. And if you'rereading this Mr. Winkler keep up the great teaching. You just getpulled into this book and you can feel the pain and happiness of the characters. Keep writing Mr. Winkler! END

Scotty and the Gypsy Bandit was so good. I've read and enjoyed all the Louis Sachar books and all of the Harry Potter series that is published, and I loved David Winkler's book, too. I liked the part when Scotty woke up, saw his mother in hair curlers and a facial masque, and replied, "Take me to your leader." The book is funny, exciting, sad, and heartwarming. It's never boring. It is an excellent book!

Scrib was my first summer read this year. What a glorioskey way to kick off fun in the sun. It's a wild west romp and as funny as a chimp being mistaken for a French spy.
But, hey, Amazon, this book is not for 9 to 12 year olds. My thinkin' is it's for older younguns.

Outstanding humor from a talented writer. Some of the scenes and images are laugh-out-loud funny. Parents, however, beware. Some words and topics are not suited for young readers. Curse words, topics of prostitution and drunkeness. All in all, Scrib is a great read for mature readers who enjoy young protagonists. Enjoy

Billy Christmas writes a goodbye letter to his mother on the night before his thirteenth birthday when he runs away from home. He takes his faithful horse, Gabe, and heads for the West, land of the cowboys and Indians. It is there that he stumbles onto his new occupation and his nickname, Scrib. All those lectures about grammar from his mother come in handy when he becomes a letter writer for lovestruck cowboys and hostile Indians.

SCRIB is a story of a young man's experiences in the Wild West. The story, told in Scrib's own words, is lively and full of cowboy speak. Scrib has regular customers on his route and the reader meets all of them in this funny tale. What would a Wild West story be without danger and outlaws? Scrib solves the mystery of who has been robbing and killing ranchers all over his territory. This leads to plenty of action and suspense in the exciting climax.

I have a word of caution for the youngest readers. Cowboy language is peppered with bad words, although they are disguised with dots and dashes in the text. Even so, the voice of Scrib rings true. He speaks just like I imagined a cowboy would. I found myself talking like him long after I put the book down.

David Ives is also the author of MONSIEUR EEK, a story about a chimpanzee who is mistaken for a Frenchman. Ives went to Northwestern University and Yale School of Drama, and is best known for writing plays. SCRIB, his second novel for young readers, is sure to be a hit.

--- Reviewed by Renee Kirchner (renee.kirchner@usa.net)

Secret of the Soldiers Gold


Author: Edward L. Stratemeyer AKA Franklin W. Dixon
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
Place of publication: New York
Copyright date: 2003

Have you ever been asked to recover a suitcase full of gold bars? Frank and Joe Hardy have. In this book Frank and Joe Hardy are asked to recover a suitcase filled with gold bars in Lisbon, Portugal. This task is not as easy as it sounds, Frank and Joe have to overcome finding the exact location of the suitcase and where to dig and a woman and her sons who are determined to get to the gold first. Throughout this story Frank and Joe learn about the importance of family tradition, how some people must stick to what they believe in no matter how hard times get, because at the time of WWII it was hard to practice your religion if you were Jewish. They learn how one little thing can make a big difference. Will Frank and Joe ever find the gold bars? Do Frank and Joe get to the gold bars in time? Read this high suspense, mystery, action thriller to find out. I give this book 5 Stars because this book is filled to the brim with action, suspense and mystery.

My grandson asked me some questions about this book, because he knew I grew up during World War II. Since I also read all of the earlier Hardy Boys titles, I decided to read this one when he finished. Wow! The Hardy Boys are still going strong. I would certainly recommend this title. It's very exciting.

The Hardy Boys and their family are headed to Lisbon, Portugal and when a friend asks them to search for gold hidden there by a relative during World War II, they agree. While hunting for the hidden gold, they are pursued and almost captured by neo-fascists and corrupt police and almost killed during a thrilling motorboat chase. The Hardys keep up their investigation and turn up the missing gold in a twist ending.

Now that Wally Shluffmuffin has helped (accidentally, of course) kill Dagmar Mandible and hundreds of ant babies, he is a marked man - the Ont Queen wants him killed. In order to do this Hedy Mandible commissions an assassin known as The Jackal to kill him. Unaware of all this, the usually pessimistic Wally has decided to become an optimist, even though he is concerned because his twin sister Cheyenne has been acting oddly. As if that wasn't enough, when Cheyenne becomes very sick, Vampire Dad makes a bargain that will give the twins to the Spydelle's if she recovers. Now he's not so sure he wants to fulfill his part of the bargain and Wally and Cheyenne aren't sure they want him to either. Who will Wally and Cheyenne end up living with? Will The Jackal succeed in killing Wally? Why is Cheyenne acting so oddly and going into the woods late at night? Why does everyone in Cincinnati have the flu?

"The Shluffmuffin Boy is History" is the fifth book in Dan Greenburg's Secrets of Dripping Fang series and it is as enjoyable and fun to read as the other books in the series. While the series is aimed for ages 8 - 12, readers of all ages will enjoy the book. Kids will love things like having a vampire for a dad, the concept of giant ants taking over the world, a troll doctor, giant spiders, gnomes, wolves, and slugs. Adults will appreciate the humor that children may not quite get - the hired assassin, The Jackal, is in fact a real jackal and the scene where Hedy hires him is hilarious; the ease in which Vampire Dad buys a gun; trolls as doctors and store clerks; and Vampire Dad trying to call 911, as well as the chapter titles. While there are some suspenseful moments, some seemingly involving death, none of the elements are too scary for children as the vampires, trolls, wolves, etc. are all played for laughs. Scott Fischer's wonderful illustrations also add much to the humor in the book. Since this is part of an ongoing series, the book doesn't wrap everything up. The teaser for the sixth book in the series, "Attack of the Giant Octopus" is also very funny.

"The Shluffmuffin Boy is History" is fun reading for young and old alike.

The whole Dripping Fang Series are a big hit with my 10 year old and 12 year old. If you order one, you may as well order them all-you will be eventually anyway!

A spectacular,imaginative, hilarious series. Father drowned in a Porta Potty (and returned as first a ghoul and then a vampire), kids abducted by giant ants who want to take over the world (but need their snot and smelly feet to feed ant larvae) vampires, maternal spiders, rampant cluelessness. And on and on.

It has it all.

My 8 y/o son and I eagerly await each new installment.

Not to be missed by anyone with a youngster in the house.

Me encantaba este libro! Aunque yo soy una mujer de 33 anos, y el personaje principal es un joven en la escuela secundaria, yo pude sentir lo que el sentia. Fransisco me capturo el corazon. Su actitud ante tantos obstaculos me asombro. Que hubiera mas jovenes como este! El carino entre la familia era sincero y puro. Me hizo querer regresar a los dias de mi ninez. No queria que el cuento terminara. Queria seguir leyendo. Sr. Jimenez, no vas a escribir otra continuacion? A muchos nos gustaria!

Este libro es una clasica lucha contra probreza,discriminacion, y
un padre fuerte. Este es una contuacion del primer libro, Cajas de Carton, y destaca los anos adolescentes. Con tristesa asi como deversion este autor mostra como supera las realedades de una vida sin recursos. Me gusataria recomendar este libro para adolescentes asi como adultos.

No yo lo ponia abio. Es el sengundo parte de la autobiografia. El primero parte es "Cajas de carton" que es tambien un muy bueno libro. Los dos dicen el cuento de un joven muchacho y su famalia que venen a Califoria a hallar a mejor vida. Es muy triste en partes y muy divertido en otros. La familia tiene a muy dificil vida. Son muy pobre. Este cuento comienza cuando el escritor esta en el grado de ocho y termina cuando va a universidad. Pero mucho sucede entre. Leelo.

Mr. Finkel's story is one that each and every one of us should read. For the last four years, I've had the honor of hearing him talk to my 8th graders. This gentle man tells his story of lost youth, survival, and recovery. Please, read this story.

Sidney Finkel, Sevek and the Holocaust: The Boy Who Refused to Die (2005) Paperback, 104 pp. ISBN: 0-9763562-0-1

Reviewed by Kenneth Waltzer, Michigan State University

Sidney Finkel, who remained silent about his youthful experiences during the Holocaust for nearly fifty years, and who, since the mid-1990s has become one of the most accomplished speakers appearing in schools and universities in and near Chicago, has published a memoir - Sevek and the Holocaust: The Boy Who Refused to Die. The book is a stirring, quick read, written in a voice that accesses the fright and fearful growing independence of a small boy who, from 1939 to 1945, was in the Piotrkow ghetto, in slave labor camps in central Poland, and then in Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany. On the day before Buchenwald was liberated, Sevek was marched out with hundreds of other youth and placed on a train to nowhere, and was not freed until nearly a month later when the train came to Theresienstadt. Sidney was among those who were sent thereafter to England and about whom Sir Martin Gilbert has written in The Boys (1995). He was thirteen years old and had lost nearly all his family. He was now told, as others were, simply to forget his pain.

Sidney Finkel has never forgotten his pain, although he long refused to address it. Nor has he forgiven himself for his wish at Buchenwald to be free of his father, who was also in the camp. Like many survivors whom American Jewish writer Meyer Levin, traveling with the U.S. Third Army as it reached the camps, came to know "had somewhere to have betrayed someone, through leaving" [In Search (1950)], Sevek had in a brief encounter at Buchenwald separated himself from his father in order to be spared. Sidney Finkel has spoken to large numbers of audiences and now written this memoir to address the enduring pain. In the process, because he is also smart, diligent, and a clear, unpretentious writer, and because he is connected to many other survivors and tied to remarkable networks of history and memory linked with Piotrkow, Buchenwald, and "the Boys," he has given us a strong and informed record of a young Polish-Jewish boy in the Holocaust.

Sevek was born in Lodz in December 1931 and raised, the son of a Jewish flour mill owner, near Piotrkow Trybunalski, about 16 kilometers south of Lodz. This same town produced Israel Meir Lau, former chief Ashkenazic rabbi of Israel and winner of the Israel Prize, and his brother Naphtalie Lau-Lavie, former Israeli consul general in New York. Ben Helfgott, British weight lifting champion in the 1950s, also came from Piotrkow. Sevek was in the closed ghetto 1939-1942 and, like youth elsewhere in the Nazi ghettos in Poland, grew increasingly independent of his parents - working as a runner at the Hortensia glass works and as a laborer unloading trucks at ten years old. He survived the deportations from Piotrkow to Treblinka in October 1942, which swept away his mother and a sister to the gas, and he was, while hiding or living with his father and an older brother, put to slave labor at a succession of factory slave labor camps, including the Dietrich-Fischer woodworks on the Bugaj in Piotrkow and later a munitions plant in Czestochowa. He chopped wood to be used as fuel in German steam-operated trucks. He has no memory of work at Czestochowa where workers filled shells with ammunition but recalls finding himself now alone, without his father or brother.

Sevek entered Buchenwald in mid-January 1945, and was registered as number 113752 in the camp. He arrived in the same transport from Czestochowa as Ben Giladi, 113653, who, for thirty years has been putting out The Voice of Piotrkow, a remarkable journal of town history, and who edited the town's yizkor book, A Tale of One City: Piotrkow Trybunalski (1991) Hungry, demoralized, all alone, Sevek stole food at Buchenwald and was punished by assignment to potentially killing work in the quarry. The clandestine camp underground rescued him by having him placed in block 66, the children's block, where - with other youth - he was sheltered from the worst conditions and from work altogether, either at Buchenwald or in outlying commandos. His encounter with his father occurred at this time and he shunned the older man, who gave him some of his scarce bread. He writes: "Who was I? What kind of animal had I become...? This encounter was so powerful that it stayed with me for the rest of my life." (p. 84) Sidney never again saw his father, who was probably sent to one of Buchenwald's outlying camps and died, and he himself was later marched out to what might have been his end had luck and endurance not aided his own search for survival.

Sidney Finkel participated in a symposium at Michigan State University in spring 2005 and told listeners that the traumas of his youth remained very much with him. This comes out in the book but in a delimited and controlled way. The book will not traumatize college or school readers and is developing a large readership in the schools. Indeed, the book also celebrates qualities of endurance and courage, including the obstinate will to live and the courage to confront fears and respond to new challenges. It is about independence of a fearful kind. Sidney's son, who wrote an afterpiece, notes "Every time he speaks or writes, I know he confronts the same demons - the fears and anxieties which come from being engulfed by evil." Yet speaking and especially writing helps the process of healing and of identity reintegration, as we know from studies about the transformation of traumatic to narrative memory and assists in remaking the self. The memoir also serves, because Sidney read well around his own story, incorporated suggestions from others, and became very knowing, as a good history of a Jewish youth making his way, hanging on to life, in a world of horrors in wartime Poland and Germany. After the war, Sidney would need to be reeducated in a different kind of independence that might reconnect him with others. England was the start of such a benign return to life.


Kenneth Waltzer is professor of history in James Madison College at Michigan State University and directs the Jewish Studies Program at Michigan State University.He is currently researching and writing on The Rescue of Children at Buchenwald.

Kirkus Reviews | Kirkus Reports | Kirkus Literar
March 2005 Vol 1 / Issue 1
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Since its launch in September 2004, Kirkus Discoveries has received hundreds of submissions, from self-published books to books from large publishing houses to out-of-print titles from corporate imprints. From poetry to novels to children's books to academic treatises, the variety of books flowing into the Kirkus Discoveries offices seems to be limitless.
Many of the books that Kirkus Discoveries has reviewed so far have not been "discoveries" so much as, well, disappointments. Our hope is that our reviews of those have at least been constructive. Within the rough, though, we're gratified to have found several diamonds. Thus, here, in the inaugural Kirkus Discoveries monthly newsletter, we present 15 of the books we're happy to highlight. They include a book that a major publisher bought after it was reviewed by Kirkus Discoveries and an unpublished manuscript that we hope will not go unpublished much longer." SEVEK" IS ONE OF THE 15

After years of self-repression, Finkel, formerly Sevek Finkelstein, now tells his powerful story of survival in early-1940s Poland. Prompted by his daughter and feeling a need to exorcize his demons, Finkel presents his (and his family's) experiences before, during and after the Holocaust. His straightforward manner, told in raw, spare language, renders his memories all the more affecting. He begins with a sheltered childhood in a fairly well-to-do family with loving parents and siblings and mischievous adventures, but then quickly shifts to years of countless atrocities and horrors including running for cover as German planes fired all around him; having his eldest and dearest sister shot dead in a cemetery after her newborn was thrown out of a window by German officers; living in a cramped and disease-ridden ghetto; constantly hiding from certain death at a bevy of concentration camps; eating grass for survival in the final days before reaching freedom; and, finally, resuming an education in a foreign country after a six-year lapse. The memoir also includes a harrowing account of death in the Treblinka death camp where Finkel's mother, sister Frania and 20 or more close relatives were killed, as well as his brother Isaac's miraculous survival as a Polish army officer caught in enemy territory. With the exception of certain passages that become slightly vague and out of touch with the narrative thread, the narration is smooth and free of pretension-particularly in the chapter entitled "Deportation" and the sections depicting the underground of Buchenwald Concentration Camp. Chalk up the infrequent moments of opacity to the protracted length of Finkel's silence on the subject, during which his memory, sense of time, and comprehension were surely distorted.
A poignant memoir with a refreshing absence of melodrama or pomp.

Not only did this book give me a chance to look at my self, it gave me a better perspective on what my daughter is going though and ways to help her deal with being a teen. Even if she won't addmit she got something out of this book, I can see it by the way she has changed her out look on life, friends and BOYS. I would reccomend this book to any one who knows a girl. Wheather it be your own, a niece, a friend or even a stranger. This book is easy to read and understand.

I happened on this book by accident and was thrilled. The title is somewhat deceiving because sex is only a part of it. The main theme of this book is female empowerment, which involves making good decisions and being true to yourself. This book touches on all aspects of any woman's life and I got as much out of it as they will. Hopefully it will inspire my girls to realize the importance of a strong, smart woman and aspire to be her.

this a great read. I recomend it to any teenage girl. it talks about a look of important things in a girls life, and i sugesset you buy it.