Junior Books

I love this book. I received it as a hand-me-down and read it after I had weaned my daughter, and I cried when I got to the part about breastfeeding. What a sweet portrayal of a special bond. The whole book is good - not just the breastfeeding part, so I hope no one is scared off by that. (The book does show the dad giving a bottle to the baby at one point.) The book is a great depiction of the life of a teeny tiny baby - I highly recommend it!

Amy Schwartz has captured precisely what it is like to be a new mom! Every mother who reads this will say, "My baby was exactly like that!" Adorable.

This book will ring true for every parent who has been there night and day serving every whim of their new baby. In those first trying weeks, we all need a big dose of humor which is sorely lacking in most post-natal reading material. Older kids especially love this book and will emphatically deny having ever been so demanding!

If only a baby could talk! This book protrays the life of an infant as seen through his eyes. It is humorous, sweet and I appreciated the reference in the beautiful illustrations to breastfeeding and attachment-carrying with the sling and Snugli. A new "must have" for baby shower gifts!

This is a must-have book for attachment parenting families expecting a sibling! It really helped my 4 and 2-year olds understand what a baby needs, and helped me remember that we've all been there before. Gently humorous, very baby-centered. I'm giving it as a gift to my sister struggling with her new teeny tiny one.

Ann and Ed, an elderly couple, are alone on Thanksgiving, and Ann burns the dinner. Depressed, Ann goes off to iron, but Ed encourages her to go with him to a cafe. They walk in to find a large table festively decorated for Thanksgiving. From the kitchen, members of the immigrant family who own the cafe are peering out, wondering who left the front door open when the restaurant was closed, and what to do about these strangers that had wandered in on their family celebration. The children want to scare them away, but Grandmother urges them to invite the strangers to join them. Thus Ed and Ann are welcomed into an old-world celebration with family, feasting, music, and dancing. It's far different than any Thanksgiving they've ever had, and great fun. At day's end, they warmly thank their new friends and head home. Ann asks Ed what he's most thankful for on this wonderful day, and he replies, "I guess I'd have to say, my dear, that I'm most thankful that you burned our dinner." Ann happily agrees.

I purchased this book to read to my 2 neices ages 5 and 3. The 5 year old was able to read some of the words to and with me. They both enjoyed the story and ask their mother to read it to them on a regular basis. The story is a wonderful tale of sharing of company and culture with an older couple who would other wise had spent Thanksgiving alone without a proper dinner.

What an enjoyable book! Very different storyline than most Thanksgiving Day books, but the spirit of the holiday is wonderfully, accurately captured and very well conveyed. The writing style also is a bit unusual but fits the story. Our 5-year old really enjoyed the book (as did we!) and right away noticed the Ukrainian heritage (dancing) and names. TERRIFIC BOOK!

In the beginning of the book we meet an older couple who look forward to a great Thanksgiving meal. The lady burns the turkey and they thik that Thanksgiving is ruined. The husband sugest that they try out the new restaurant down the street. The door is open so the couple assumes that they are open for business when in reality they are getting ready for a family celebration. Find out what happens when the grandmother that owns the restaurant tries to show the couple the true meaning of Thanksgiving.


I liked the illustrations in the book. They were done in folk art style.


We would recommed this book to read around the Thanksgiving season. It teaches that the real meaning of Thanksgiving is family and friendship.

Deftly written and colorfully illustrated by Debby Atwell, The Thanksgiving Door is the entertaining story of a family preparing their Thanksgiving celebration in the restaurant they own and run. When suddenly two strangers walk through the door unwittingly left open, the children try to scare away the undesired customers. But Grandmother in her wisdom invites them as guests and the children learn some sage lessons about what the Thanksgiving holiday spirit really means.

I looked this book up just to see if it was still available anywhere. I believe I bought it when it was published in 1981, and have probably read it at least once a year since then. Scary without being terrifying, hopeful without being simple - it's an excellent book! One of my all time favorites. I can't wait to read it to my children when they get a little older.

I can't imagine why more people (especially young people) aren't reading Alan Garner these days. His books, while still in print, aren't often found in the bookstores' active inventories anymore, which is a sad loss. Well, no matter -- you can get them through Amazon or (probably) at your local library. And you should, because they are wonderful!

I first read The Weirdstone of Brisingamen while in grade school, around the time I was discovering J.R.R. Tolkien and Lloyd Alexander. It's an exciting fantasy tale, the more so because it is woven into the hidden nooks and crannies of our own modern-day world -- unlike Tolkien and Alexander. You never know when you might look behind a standing stone, only to find a stromkarl chanting a spell, while other passersby would see nothing but a little man humming to himself ...

Colin and Susan are very likable young protagonists, and there are plenty of other characters -- both good and evil -- to keep the story engrossing. When I was young, I was terrified of the Mara and the Svart-alfar! And the Earldelving is enough to make anybody claustrophobic! The novel is full of surprises, excitement, and just good old fashioned adventure.

After many, many readings, I've come to appreciate what Garner's done from a more adult and "serious" standpoint -- integrating folkloric and mythological elements (particularly the Old Norse) into the fabric of a "modern" children's fantasy. Garner has much in common with Tolkien, Lewis, and the other Inklings, as well as Ursula K. Le Guin, Susan Cooper, and Lloyd Alexander.

But at the heart of it all, it's just great fantasy! Read it and see if you don't agree.

This is a delightful little book, and one that is guaranteed to keep young and old readers alike absorbed through a rainy afternoon. The author has a gift for story-telling and a lovely, slightly quaint style reminiscent of Tolkien or Lewis, and his sensitive use of language really helps to bring his vision and imagination to life. He also paints his scenery and setting beautifully, so that the reader is transported without much difficulty in to a world of dark mines and loathsome goblins, deep, mysterious woods and enchanted knights. Bring on the sequel!

This book although essentially for children is a wonderfully fast moving and magical chase across a landscape dotted with mystical creatures and races from past times, forgotten now in the minds of more sophisticated men. The story is based on the legend of Alderley that an ancient king and his knights sleep under the hill there awaiting the call that will come if ever the powers of darkness should threaten to overtake the land. The Wierstone of Brisingamen is an ancient, magic stone of such power that it keeps king, knights and their milk white steeds in a state of suspended animation, protected forever against the powers of evil who would destroy them and prevent their riding forth one day to do battle.... The stone has been lost and through a series of events it transpires that it belongs to a young girl called Susan who is now back at Alderly with the Wierdstone fastened to her slender wrist. This fact is not lost on the local witch, Selina Place, the Morrigan, a shape shifter out for power and who recognises the stone when she sees it one day. This draws the children into a series of terrifying circumstances as good and bad struggle to be the guardians of the powerful talisman. This tale is well paced and well written. It is full of good and bad characters whose struggle spills over into the world of mortal men and sweeps up the 2 children at the center of the story carrying them along on a tide of events which take them in and out of danger helped by their friend Gowther Mossock.....a somewhat grizzled old farmer who is still innocent enough of the worlds more cynical ways to be able to believe in the old ways, the magic ways..... Cadellin Silverbrow, the magician who had charge of the Wierdstone of Brisingamen and to his shame lost it, strides majestically through the story to a thrilling conclusion and a battle between the forces of good and evil It is a book which I read to my children many times and still enjoy myself today, it almost makes you believe that if you looked hard enough and in the right places that you would see the traces of those inhabitants of a world once familiar to Mankind, now sadly lost to all except those with the childlike ability to suspend disbelief. I thouroughly recommend this book

Wizards, dwarves, goblins and elves - Tolkien, right? Wrong. Alan "Weirdstone of Brisingamen," a spellbinding story in the true tradition of imaginative and inventive fantasy. Using various bits of Celtic and Norse mythology, Garner wound together an astounding story.

Colin and Susan, a pair of English schoolkids, are sent to Alderly for a six-month vacation with their mother's old nurse and her husband. Things start off normally enough, with the kids exploring the area and the myths, legends and superstitions surrounding it. But things begin to take an eerie turn when they encounter a spell-chanting old woman named Selina Place - and then a horde of svart-alfar, hideous and hostile goblins.

They are unexpectedly rescued by the wizard Cadellin, who is the keeper of a company of knights sleeping deep under Alderly. They will awaken at some time in the future, to combat the evil spirit Nastrond and his minions in the final, magical battle. There's just one problem: long ago, Cadellin lost the Weirdstone of Brisingamen, the magical jewel that bound the knights there in the first place. Susan realizes too late that the little misty teardrop gem in her bracelet is the Weirdstone - and it's been stolen. The kids team up with Cadellin, the dwarves Fenodyree and Durathror, the lios-alfar (elves), and their friend Gowther to find the Weirdstone - and save the world.

Written in the 1960s, this book effectively combines the English-schoolkids-swept-into-magical adventure subgenre with mythology and the overlap of our world with another. Garner's wizards, dwarves, elves and goblins are as legit as Tolkien's, as Garner draws heavily from mythos and legends. There are similarities to Tolkien's creations, but they are sufficiently different that not once do you feel the need to compare. Garner lifts from Norse and Celtic mythologies for this book (mentions of the Morrigan and Ragnarok are featured within pages of one another) and manages to cobble it together into a coherent and believable whole.

Alderly is effectively shown - from the moment the kids venture out of the farm, there is the sense that enchantment is thrumming through the land, and that a magical creature could be lurking nearby. The sense of atmosphere is somewhat stunted by the fact that we rarely hear the characters' thoughts, though, but such creatures as the svart-alfar and the lios-alfar are effective in the simple, evocative descriptions.

This is a book more for Tolkien fans than Diana Wynne-Jones fans. Though there are a few funny parts, it is overall a relentlessly serious book, with many of the characters using archaic-sounding language. Another good thing: the kids speak like twentieth-century preteens ("That WOULD have made a mess of things!") while such characters as Durathror speaking like warriors from centuries ago ("... for there I think it will be, and so to Fundindelve, where I shall join you if I may.") In addition, there is no cutesy magic or gimmickry, or casual magical elements popping up every page or two. The magic featured in here is deadly serious and very intense.

Colin and Susan are the archetypical kids-on-holiday-in-magical-place: brave, respectful, inquisitive, curious, and in completely over their heads. Cadellin is an excellent wizard, dignified and powerful but sufficiently human to be sympathetic, such as his reaction when he hears that the Weirdstone has been stolen from Susan. This guy deserves a seat right below Gandalf, and alongside Merlin, Ged and Ebenezum. The dwarves are serious and unusually cool-headed for the fantasy portrayal of dwarves; the lios-alfar are featured less prominently, but the "elves of light" passage is one of the most moving paragraphs in the book, both sad and beautiful.

The only problem with this book is its shortness, and its presence as only one of two. The tales of Alderly are so rich that you feel that Garner could have churned out fifty books and never grown stale. For fans of serious fantasy, this is a must-have.

On the first day of junior high, Randy, Sabrina, Allison and Katie are about as different as four girls can be. Randy, who just moved to Minnesota from NYC, is wild and outspoken. Sabrina is bubbly and talkative, everyone's friend. Shy Allison is a brilliant student, and preppy Katie is used to playing by all the rules. But against all odds, the girls become friends.

In the first book, the girls further bond against Stacy, the snobby principal's daughter who never ceases to gossip and try to tear down other people, as they try to get used to life in the seventh grade.

The one characteristic that makes Girl Talk stand out from other series is that each book includes several "transcripts" of telephone conversations between the girls, usually about whatever the chief problem of the particular book is. Some may find them enjoyable, but as a kid reading the books, I just found them irritating and usually skimmed through until it returned to the "real" book...

This was one of my favorites when I was a kid. I had the whole series, and loved all of them.

I found this book excellent...it made me buy 4 other books of ''Girl Talk''. I also just read ''The new you'' today. I just love them!! Keep up the good work, L.E. Blair!! Two thumbs up! Thanks

This book was so good I couldn't put it down!
This book was mainly about a girl named Sabrina Wells.She has just moved up to the middle school.There are lots of new people there that she does'nt even know.She has a enemy of couse who she calls:"Stacy the Great", but also she has some great friends named:Katie Cambell,
Allison Cloud,and a new girl from New York named Randy Zac. What boy will she decide to take to the Homcoming Dance?
You will have to read this story to find out.I would give this book 5 stars any day!!

This is the first book in the Girl Talk series and it was just great. The book was a comical mixture of romance, friendships, and the trials of starting a new school. I was highly disappointed when I found that this series was no longer being printed. I recommend this book and it's series for every adolescent female. I refuse to give up mine but maybe you can find someone else who will!

Troen and Boles give a grim outlook for the state of public education in the United States, but they offer hope and some real solutions for improving education. They believe strongly in professionalizing teachers and they should be listened to. I highly recommend this book!

Everyone's talking about the need for great teachers in every classroom. Almost nobody is encouraging their own smart, well-educated, creative son or daughter to consider teaching as a CAREER. This book explains the disconnect and what we need to do about it. How to make teaching an attractive career for well-educated young people who can write, who enjoy mathematics, who like being with children -- that is the key issue that no one else is talking about. This book gets real. - a former classroom teacher

The malaise of education seems pretty obvious to many people and the first half of their short book provides a summary of that common harangue in clear, solid, soundbite-proof language. The authors identify what they call a Trilemma Dysfuntion in schools that has a crippling effect on reform strategies. First, since there are "not enough academically academically able students...being drawn to teaching," the pool of talent and ambition has diminished. Second, "teacher preparation programs need substantial improvement," since their certification and renewal procedures have historically been much less than rigorous. Third, "the professional life of teachers is on the whole unacceptable," that is, professional development and growth opportunities remain stagnant. These three dysfunctions feed into and maintain a malformed culture in schools. What is worse, teachers have operated for so long under this cultural dysfuntion that they regulate themselves with their own myopic, bureaucratic chains (cf. Foucault's Panopticon).

What really made this book a wonderful reading and learning experience for me, though, remains in their providing hope, that is, a plan. Since teacher improvement lies at the heart of any educational reform strategy, the authors declare that empowering teachers to do their job well must be the premise and promise of the profession. Their blueprint for school reform contains the Millennium School, an attempt to revive the profession of teaching, re-organize the roles of educational personnel, and improve educational leadership. The bedrock principles that comprise the Millennium School consist of four tenets: first, "multi-tiered career paths for teachers," next, "teaching in teams instead of in isolation," then, "performance-based accountability," and finally, "ongoing professional development for all teachers and principals" (p. 185).

I suppose that I am a little jealous of the authors. They have written the book that I have always wanted to write. This is my way of giving it very high praise because it resonated with me in a profound manner. If I were to criticize it, it would be that for all its fine writing, eloquent arguments, and scholarly support, the authors do not provide a Millennium School model at the High School level (my arena), only at the Elementary School level. (Wait. Maybe there is still time to consider writing that book after all. Better go now--)

Do you have children in school? For anyone interested in education - whether they're a parent, teacher, policymaker, legislator - this book explains why education reforms fail. It's an inside look into the classroom, the culture of teaching, the reasons why teachers are so poorly prepared for the realities of classroom life, about the culture of schools, and mainly why there's a critical shortage of over 2 million teachers. Do you believe that classroom instruction is getting worse? Do you think that teachers of today are less capable than the teachers of 20 years aago? Do you think your children are getting teachers who are not as smart as the teachers you had when you were in school? Well, you're right, and this book tells you why. It's the truth, and yet it's so well written, it reads like fiction. The authors reveal the history behind how classroom teaching got to be the way it is, and then they tell you how it could all be better. How teaching could be a respected profession, like medicine or law, and what it would take. They describe the "perfect" school, and how to construct it. We spend, as a society, billions of dollars on schools and terribly much of it is wasted. This book tells us how we could make our money better spent, and how we could get the teachers our children deserve.

With all the talk about "Leaving No Child Behind," it's refreshing to read a book that explains clearly and credibly how the entire teaching profession has been left behind. While the state of teaching in the United States is truly disheartening, Ms. Troen and Ms. Boles give us hope that it can, in fact, be resurrected. One can only hope that enough people heed their sage advice.

I have been teaching for 8 years and love all the Words Their Way books. They help me teach spelling at my students instructional level. Love it!!!

This is one of the best book I've purchase to teach my daughter.
Each page is simple as I wanted and has enough activities with good key points.

This book is easy to use right away and very practical. A must have for K-2!

I've used Words Their Way for the last year and loved the strategies. This particular book gives lots more sorts for spellers in the letter name/ alphabetic spelling stage. It includes consonant blends and diagraphs as well as more short vowel sorts. These hands on materials have been a great help to me in teaching my mildly disabled elementary students, but all the regular lower grade teachers at my school are raving, and using these great strategies and materials.

This is a great resource for first and second grade teachers. Many of the skills addressed are those encountered in your classroom daily. Great companion to Words Their Way, and to offer a hands on opportunity for phonics, spelling and decoding words.

This book has great amount of English words in general, its good to have it a s a reference and use it for fun games

This is a very nice book for studying for the TOEFL. I agree that the 400 words that are listed in this book are must-have words for preparing for the TOEFL. But there are two things this book lacks. First, there are only one or two example sentences per each words. Secondly, there is not much practice problems. These two shortages make what's in the book so simple. To describe this book in two words: Too Simple.

As soon as I received this book, I put together a proposal to develop 40 lesson plans, using these activities as a base for the plans. It made me look good and my boss gave me a promotion and a $2/hour raise in pay. (It may sound a bit unbelievable, but it's absolutely true!). Students really appreciate these lessons too. I highly recommend this valuable resource!

This book does offer a nice variety of academic vocabulary. The fact that it is not only organized by academic discipline, but also by theme is a real bonus since iBT TOEFL draws topics from various disciplines. It also provides grammar and usage in the context of a text. This allows the learner to experience the "target words" in context. It's well done.

I bought this book several years ago because I'm a member of the Junior League of SLC, but it has some of the best recipes of any cookbook I own (>20). All of the recipes I've made from this cookbook recently have elicited "Wows" and "Yums" from my husband. We especially enjoyed the lamb chops and the pacific rim flank steak. The lemon thyme cookies are very unique and "grown-up" tasting. Old favorites include the spinach and apple salad and the cranberry glazed brie.

Always In Season: A Collection Of Recipes From The Junior League Of Salt Lake City, Utah showcases over 200 favorite seasonal recipes from Utah, as well as eight season oriented menus. Contributions from award-winning chefs are combined with scenes of gorgeous full-color Utah landscape photography to make Always In Season an excellent souvenir and cultural celebration as well as a just plain tasty cookbook. From Cache Valley Cheese Souffle; Picture Perfect Macaroons; and Great Salt Lake Caesar Salad; to Cafe Diablo Pumpkin Seed Crusted Trout; Deep Creek Ranch Fajitas; and Cranberry Eggnog Cheesecake, Always In Season will enable even the most novice kitchen cook to prepare gourmet quality dishes that enhance any truly special meal time occasion.

This recipe book is one of the best I have ever seen!

...she bought it for the Cowboy Caviar recipe alone (Cowboy Caviar is a recipe for a salsa type dish - no real caviar - just SOOOO GOOD)! Also, the Chili Blanco is TO DIE FOR! I love the way the recipes are grouped into seasons, but any of the recipes could be used any time of year. This book has everything from the recipes mentioned above to flavored butters, delicious margaritas and roasted chicken with rosemary. This is the best cookbook I have ever seen.

I saw this book years ago and missed the opportunity to buy it. Thankfully, I found it on Amazon and bought copies for my friend and my daughter also.
It is a great book, we love the tea section and have done it several times.
I am so grateful I was able to find this again.

With menus provided in each section comprising this culinary sequel to the Junior League of Columbus' America Discovers Columbus cookbook, America Celebrates Columbus is a superb compendium of "bountiful harvest" recipes that are as easy-to-prepare and kitchen friendly as they are nutritious and delicious. Of special note is that portion of this outstanding cookbook dedicated to teatime at the Kelton House. From Miniature Lavender Cheesecakes; Black-Eyed Pea Salsa; Green Salad with Jiacama and Orange Poppy Seed Dressing; and Kelton House Chicken Divan; to Salmon Tetrazzini; Barbecued Green Beans; Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Pancakes; Chili Pecan Biscuits; and Red Velvet Cake with Mock Whipped Frosting, American Celebrates Columbus will prove a seminal favorite for any family or community library cookbook collection.

In the new Columbus Junior League cookbook I found easy to follow recipes, ingredients for the most part you will have in your frig or pantry,beautiful artwork from Columbus landmarks and menus for dinners or teas already put together for you ( not literally but put together as a complete menu shall we say) Great going girls- I would suggest cookbook collectors and cooks who like easy menus with great results buy this book.

Just as my original Junior League of Columbus (Ohio) cookbook had started to fall apart, a new and improved version appears!! The new version is sturdy, atractive, and very professional. As with all Junior League cookbooks, the recipes are great tasting and easy to prepare. I have already shipped copies to my family around the country and am hearing rave reviews!! Thanks Junior League-you did it again!!

excellent luau recipies all you need is to learn the hul

This book is in print and is available in gift shops. I saw it today at the Menele Bay Hotel on the island of Lanii in Hawaii.

Bring the warmth of Aloha into your home and into your kitchen as you experience the flavors of island cuisine. Turn ordinary meals into a tropical feast for the senses - island style. With beautiful cover artwork by renowned Hawai`i artist Pegge Hopper, the award-winning A Taste of Aloha, contains over 360 recipes donated by Junior League of Honolulu members, notable chefs, restaurants and hotels reflecting Hawaii's diverse ethnic backgrounds. It includes a complete glossary, unique fish chart and a guide for a Hawaiian luau.

Recently our family went to Hawaii and formed cooking teams for dinner. We used Another Taste of Aloha for most of the recipes and found it to be FANTASTIC. I have just bought 5 more to give to the family as gifts as a memory of fantastic recipes that can be cooked at home to recapture the memories.