Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel

Book Description

In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

Download Description

Lisa See is the author of Flower Net (an Edgar Award nominee), The Interior, and Dragon Bones, as well as the critically acclaimed memoir On Gold Mountain. The Organization of Chinese American Women named her the 2001 National Woman of the Year. She lives in Los Angeles.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.......2007-10-03

I thought this book was very informative as to the life and habits of the Chinese around the turn of the 20th century. Relationships have changed little since that time, people are always misunderstanding situations. It was beautifully described and written.

True friendship.......2007-10-02

This book is not a "feel good" book, in fact you will be choking back the tears by the end of it. The book goes deep into the relationship between two friends starting with early days of footbinding and on to through the ups and downs of life. It is well worth your time to read!

So-So.......2007-10-02

Based on all the reviews, I had expected this book to be much better than it was. I found the chapter on the feet-binding process well-written and interesting, but the rest of the novel was fairly uneventful for me. I thought a lot of the messages the women were writing to each other were too "sappy". I really felt no emotional connection to any of the women - except maybe for Auntie (Beautiful Moon's mother). I'm glad I read the book, but I think it's overrated.

Easy Read.......2007-10-01

Easy read but distrubing to learn of the cultural practices that young chinese girls had to endure.

Everyone I Know Loves This Book.......2007-09-29

Once I read Snow Flower, I passed it on to a friend, who passed it on, and on, and on. Everyone has loved this book. For myself, I found it engaging and endlessly entertaining. It has a beginning, a middle and an end that are all wonderful. The writer has a beautiful way of telling the story of an enduring friendship. I highly recommend.

Average customer rating:

Pull-up! Pull-Up!
What was the point?
6th target
Patterson doesn't deliver with The 6th Target
Loved this latest edition in the Series!

The 6th Target
James Patterson , and Maxine Paetro
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0316014796
Release Date: 2007-05-08

Book Description

When a horrifying attack leaves one of the four members of the Women's Murder Club struggling for her life, the others fight to keep a madman behind bars before anyone else is hurt. And Lindsay Boxer and her new partner in the San Francisco police department run flat-out to stop a series of kidnappings that has electrified the city: children are being plucked off the streets together with their nannies-- but the kidnappers aren't demanding ransom. Amid uncertainty and rising panic, Lindsay juggles the possibility of a new love with an unsolvable investigation, and the knowledge that one member of the club could be on the brink of death. And just when everything appears momentarily under control, the case takes a terrifying turn, putting an entire city in lethal danger. Lindsay must make a choice she never dreamed she'd face--with no certainty that either outcome has more than a prayer of success.

Customer Reviews:

Pull-up! Pull-Up!.......2007-10-02

While a huge Patterson fan, this book was disappointing. We get three half-formed antagonists and a shiftless plot. More alarming, the ratio of mystery to melodrama is starting to head in the same direction that Patricia Cornwell did--not a positive development.

1st to Die was a taut, well-paced, page-turner. Sadly, this one seemed kinda tired and formulaic.

What was the point?.......2007-09-15

I kept waiting for the 3 storylines to somehow come together and they never did. Usually I read Patterson in 2 days and this one took me 2 months! Let's start writing alone again James!

6th target.......2007-09-15

I agree with the other reviews. I was eagerly waiting for the next instalment of the murder club and I wanted to throw the book across the room in disgust. Where was the excitement, the suspense - the feeling that you can't put the book down until you know. James Patterson re-read the first 4 books and give us something the rivals those books or don't bother.

Patterson doesn't deliver with The 6th Target.......2007-09-03

This was, in my opinion, the worst Patterson book I've read...and I've read almost all of them. He is putting out so many books with so many co-authors lately, I doubt he has time to read or edit them thoroughly. He's too busy counting his money. Jokes aside, The 6th Target is not worth the time or money!

Loved this latest edition in the Series!.......2007-08-30

I loved this book. It had 3 seperate stories which kept my attention. I wound up reading it in 3 hours!!!

Average customer rating:

Several Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Storytelling At It's Best!
Loved It !
Amazing storyteller
Captivating Listen

The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel
Diane Setterfield
Manufacturer: Atria
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0743298020

Amazon.com

Settle down to enjoy a rousing good ghost story with Diane Setterfield's debut novel, The Thirteenth Tale. Setterfield has rejuvenated the genre with this closely plotted, clever foray into a world of secrets, confused identities, lies, and half-truths. She never cheats by pulling a rabbit out of a hat; this atmospheric story hangs together perfectly.

There are two heroines here: Vida Winter, a famous author, whose life story is coming to an end, and Margaret Lea, a young, unworldly, bookish girl who is a bookseller in her father's shop. Vida has been confounding her biographers and fans for years by giving everybody a different version of her life, each time swearing it's the truth. Because of a biography that Margaret has written about brothers, Vida chooses Margaret to tell her story, all of it, for the first time. At their initial meeting, the conversation begins:

"You have given nineteen different versions of your life story to journalists in the last two years alone."

She [Vida] shrugged. "It's my profession. I'm a storyteller."

"I am a biographer, I work with facts."

The game is afoot and Margaret must spend some time sorting out whether or not Vida is actually ready to tell the whole truth. There is more here of Margaret discovering than of Vida cooperating wholeheartedly, but that is part of Vida's plan.

Margaret has a story of her own: she was one of conjoined twins and her sister died so that Margaret could live. She feels an otherworldly aura sometimes or a yearning for a part of her that is forever missing. Vida's story involves two wild girls--feral twins (is she one of them?)--who would have been better off being suckled by wolves. Instead, their mother and uncle, involved in things too unsavory to contemplate, combine to neglect them woefully. There's also a governess, a Doctor, a kindly housekeeper, a gardener, and another presence--a very strange presence--which Margaret perceives as a ghost at first. Making obeisance to other great ghost stories, there is a deadly fire, a beautiful old house gone to ruin, and always that presence....

The transformative power of truth informs the lives of both women by story's end, and The Thirteenth Tale is finally and convincingly told. --Valerie Ryan

Book Description

When Margaret Lea opened the door to the past, what she confronted was her destiny.

All children mythologize their birth...So begins the prologue of reclusive author Vida Winter's collection of stories, which are as famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale as they are for the delight and enchantment of the twelve that do exist.

The enigmatic Winter has spent six decades creating various outlandish life histories for herself -- all of them inventions that have brought her fame and fortune but have kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she at last wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. She summons biographer Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth, hidden by those who loved her most, remains an ever-present pain. Struck by a curious parallel between Miss Winter's story and her own, Margaret takes on the commission.

As Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good, Margaret is mesmerized. It is a tale of gothic strangeness featuring the Angelfield family, including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire.

Margaret succumbs to the power of Vida's storytelling but remains suspicious of the author's sincerity. She demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.

The Thirteenth Tale is a love letter to reading, a book for the feral reader in all of us, a return to that rich vein of storytelling that our parents loved and that we loved as children. Diane Setterfield will keep you guessing, make you wonder, move you to tears and laughter and, in the end, deposit you breathless yet satisfied back upon the shore of your everyday life.

Customer Reviews:

Several Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.......2007-10-02

This book is overrated. The best thing about it, several references to fairy tales, ended an eighth of the way in: (p 34) "a single lupine exhalation could reduce it to rubble;" (p 40) "[the bed] was so lavishly covered with cushions that there could be any number of peas under the mattress and I would not know it...;" (p 47) "I have cried wolf too often." After an interminably long time, when the contents of the Thirteenth Tale was finally revealed, all I could do was resent the fact that Vida Winter insisted on telling the story in such a painstakingly slow manner (p 52) "beginning at the beginning, continuing with the middle, and with the end at the end. Everything in its proper place. No cheating. No looking ahead. No questions." The result being that readers were forced to trudge through the hundreds of pages of nonsense that made up the story of her unlikely life (which appears to include a major theme from the novel Middlesex and several characters who would have fit right in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest). The who's who of the family members was a boring lesson in inequalities, and the mental states of several characters only served to confirm why familial relationships are not generally allowed to stray into the forbidden zone. Far from the end, I was tired of learning the details about the reclusive writer's ultra-dysfunctional family members and their pitiable but uninterestingly messed up lives. Better: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Jane Eyre, The Woman in White, The Turn of the Screw, The Wings of the Dove, etc.

Storytelling At It's Best!.......2007-09-29

I've read so many wonderful books by first time novelists this year, and The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield will certainly join the ranks of Audrey Niffenegger and Elizabeth Kostova. This is another one of those unread treasures that has been sitting on my shelf and it makes me wonder what other visionary treats lie there in waiting.

The Thirteenth Tale is a prime example of storytelling at it's top form. Margaret Lea is a young woman who works at her father's bookshop which specializes in rare and antiquarian books. She's been surrounded by books throughout her life and has grown comfortable with the classics such as Jane Eyre, Middlemarch, The Woman in White, etc. and has shied away from more contemporary literature. That is, until she is summonsed by Vida Winter, a top selling novelist with a mysterious past who has requested that Margaret record the story of her life. Margaret is a bit leary of the commission, but accepts and finds that she must face her own ghosts while recording the ghosts of Ms. Winter's past - a past that reveals that the truth is often stranger than fiction.

There are so many things that I loved about this book. The characters are wonderful. Vida Winter is someone that I wish truly existed just so that I could sit in her library in front of her fireplace and listen to her tell me her stories. But of course, the wonderful Diane Setterfield, who wrote Vida Winter's character does exist ;) The storytelling aspect of this novel was just perfect. There wasn't a single moment in the novel when I was bored. There's constantly a hook to grab you and the story is always appealing.

I haven't read Daniel Wallace's book, Big Fish, but much of this novel reminded of a gothic version of the film. It's a tale of a past that's truly bizarre, yet grounded in fact. This novel could easily be translated to the big screen and make a beautiful film by the way. Setterfield paints a very vivid picture in her descriptions of the landscapes, her characters appearances, the libraries, etc.

I'm so glad that I've finally joined the other half of the world that's read this book! I've been saying this a lot lately, but here's another author that I really look forward to following throughout her career. Setterfield certainly has a promising future ahead of her if she continues to turn out novels that deliver as well as this one did.

Loved It !.......2007-09-28

: ) ***** Dark, gothic, absorbing. I just couldn't put the book down. ***** : )

Amazing storyteller.......2007-09-26

Diane weaves a spellbinding story--she is a genius storyteller. You really can't put the book down until the end. When is the next book?

Captivating Listen.......2007-09-24

I listened to this book on the solo end of my carpool drives and was absolutely captivated. The story sinks into your brain and begs you to listen for just a bit longer- just until the next twist or dramatic reveal! The narration gives perfect voice to all the characters (with only two wildly talented readers). I hope Diane Setterfield is hard at work on another novel.

Average customer rating:

Makes You Feel Like A Kid Again
Bridge to Terabithia CD
Read this one with your child
What was this book about?
A wonderful tale of friendship and loss

Bridge to Terabithia
Katherine Paterson
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064401847

Product Description

Jess Aaron's greatest ambition is to be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. He's been practicing all summer and can't wait to see his classmates' faces when he beats them all. But on the first day of school, a new kid, a new girl, boldly crosses over to the boy's side of the playground and outruns everyone.

Amazon.com

The story starts out simply enough: Jess Aarons wants to be the fastest boy in the fifth grade--he wants it so bad he can taste it. He's been practicing all summer, running in the fields around his farmhouse until he collapses in a sweat. Then a tomboy named Leslie Burke moves into the farmhouse next door and changes his life forever. Not only does Leslie not look or act like any girls Jess knows, but she also turns out to be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. After getting over the shock and humiliation of being beaten by a girl, Jess begins to think Leslie might be okay.

Despite their superficial differences, it's clear that Jess and Leslie are soul mates. The two create a secret kingdom in the woods named Terabithia, where the only way to get into the castle is by swinging out over a gully on an enchanted rope. Here they reign as king and queen, fighting off imaginary giants and the walking dead, sharing stories and dreams, and plotting against the schoolmates who tease them. Jess and Leslie find solace in the sanctuary of Terabithia until a tragedy strikes and the two are separated forever. In a style that is both plain and powerful, Katherine Paterson's characters will stir your heart and put a lump in your throat.

Customer Reviews:

Makes You Feel Like A Kid Again.......2007-09-29

Katherine Paterson, with vividly beautiful prose, tells a story about the friendship between a young boy and a young girl, and how that friendship transforms the life of that boy from something dull and normal to something as spectacular as a imaginary fantasy land. The book itself is short and an easy read, but what the book really says to the reader is quite a bit bigger than its page count. Much like growing up, this book is both sweet and painful, and Paterson truly has a great handle on what its like to be a ten year old, fifth grade boy. So for all those readers who aren't afraid of a book that will make them cry (for both sad and warmer reasons) than I recommend this book. It doesn't matter if you're a child or an adult, "Bridge to Terabithia" is universal.

10/10 Classic.

Bridge to Terabithia CD.......2007-09-27

Love the CD. It is done very well. You may need to be aware however that there are curse words in the book.

Read this one with your child.......2007-08-22

There are some pretty heavy subject matters within this beautiful work of fiction. Yet, they are subjects that need to be dealt with, and what better conversation starter than a response to something you've read together? This is the story of Jess and Leslie, two outcasts of their 5th grade class (although I found both to be interesting). They become neighbors and fast friends, and make up an imaginary kingdom deep in the forest, called Terabithia. There, they have the confidence and control which eludes them in the real world. But an amazing thing happens in that they begin to see the world in a different, more favorable light. They find that people are not who they seem, and this makes them better and more compassionate individuals. The first time I read this, I was absolutely stunned by the tragedy that takes place. Even still, after several times rereading it, it tears at my emotions. I commend Katherine Paterson for bravely venturing into such sensitive matters, ones that will make children better capable of dealing head-on with their own emotions.

What was this book about?.......2007-08-10

I did not understand why this book was written. What was it all about? The only point it seemed to make was Leslie's death at the end of the book. Overall I thought that it was exteremly uneventful. Terabithia seemed to have a small role to play in the book. 'Much ado about nothing' fits this novel.
I cannot, however, ginve this book only one star. Giving it one star would be hating this book. I did not hate it I just thought that it never did get to the point. If it was a memior I would have liked it. As a memior I would have thought it was a good book because I would have expected this. (I wouldn't have picked it up though. Memior isn't quite my style.) I liked the characters and was sad when that girl died. I think that that is why I haven't given it one star.
Not a ringing endorsement, but if memior is what you like I'd give it a shot.
-cdm

A wonderful tale of friendship and loss.......2007-08-09

This book digs deep into the lives of two children just trying to make it in a world where everyone sees them as outcasts. The slow start to friendship is quite clear and gripping as we see Jesse struggle with his ability to allow a girl, someone that beats him at something he is supposed to be the best at, enter his life and transform his world.

This is a great book about a friendship that goes slowly, and ends too quickly. Wonderful fantasy lies within which will surely make your children want to create their own Terabithia.

Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood (Sisterhood of Traveling Pants, Book 4)

Average customer rating:

I liked the others better
Sisterhood
So Long Sisterhood
Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants)
One too many

Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood (Sisterhood of Traveling Pants, Book 4)
Ann Brashares
Manufacturer: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385729367
Release Date: 2007-01-09

Amazon.com

Ann Brashares has created a wonderful, heartfelt series for teens (and adults) around a pair of pants. In her breakout bestseller, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Brashares introduced readers to four girls, Lena, Bridget, Carmen, and Tibby, and to the magical pair of jeans that fit them all perfectly, and inspired them to live their young lives to the fullest. Forever in Blue, the fourth and final novel in the series, promises a dazzling finale--one "last glorious summer" for the four girls, and their fans. See a note from author Ann Brashares, below.--Daphne Durham

A Note from Ann Brashares

December 1, 2006

Dear Amazon Reader,

Well, here we are together again. If you are getting ready to read the fourth book, Forever in Blue, that means we've probably spent some time together. I hope you've enjoyed it. I know I have.

We don't know each other and we may never get to meet, but I feel like we are connected nonetheless. We've spent time with four fictional girls together. We've puzzled over their lives and their choices. We've rooted for them and sometimes felt annoyed by them. We've shared some hopes for them, I think, and in the process for ourselves.

So thank you for being part of the sisterhood with me. I have really appreciated your company along the way.

Happy reading,

Ann

Spend Time with the Sisterhood

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Boxed Set

Girls in Pants

The Second Summer of the Sisterhood

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Book Description

With unraveled embroidery and fraying hems, the Traveling Pants are back for one last, glorious summer.

Lena: Immerses herself in her painting and an intoxicating summer fling, fearing that the moment she forgets about Kostos will be the moment she sees him again.

Carmen: Falls under the spell of a sophisticated college friend for whom a theatrical role means everything and the heritage of the Pants means nothing.

Bridget: Joins a dig for an ancient city on the coast of Turkey and discovers that her archaeology professor is available in every way except one.

Tibby: Leaves behind someone she loves, wrongly believing he will stay where she has left him.

Join Ann Brashares's beloved sisterhood once again in a dazzling, fearless novel. It's a summer that will forever change the lives of Lena, Carmen, Bee, and Tibby, here and now, past and future, together and apart.

Book Description

As their lives take them in different directions, Lena, Tibby, Carmen, and Bridget discover many more things about themselves and the importance of their relationship with each other.

Customer Reviews:

I liked the others better.......2007-08-10

This was the book made to tie up loose ends. Everyone came to a conclusion about their life and the pants. The whole thing was sort of boring. Yes I liked the book, but in a way everyone was the same as they started. I suppose the point of it was to show how they had grown up and still stayed the same. Maybe it was that there wasn't enough excitement or maybe it's that I'm tired now but i thought it wasn't as good as the other books.
-cdm

Sisterhood.......2007-08-04

I have enjoyed this entire series...takes me back to my Judy Blume days. The girl in all of us can identify with these characters as they grow, change, and try to not lose themselves or each other in the process. The earlier on you learn that nothing means more than your girl friends...the better off you are! I think the quotes between the chapters are insightful, and I enjoy finding their relation to the story as I read on. That brings a literary aspect not often found in young adult novels. I appreciate that this book and its prequels can be light and real at the same time. A book about pants sounds like fluff, but you feel with these girls as they deal with real issues both internal and external. Real doesn't have to be dark...bittersweet seems more fitting. These books capture the laughter through tears that is what sisterhood is about. I highly recommend reading them all.

So Long Sisterhood.......2007-07-26

Although this wasn't my fave Sisterhood book, it deserves kudos for not only reflecting the maturity of the characters at this point in their lives, but also the realities of growing up and growing apart. This is the fourth and supposedly final chapter of the Sisterhood tomes, and is likely to provide a conclusive feeling for the readers of the series.

To recap, the Travelling Pants series details the summers four best friends spend, sometimes apart, sometimes together. They are of course, as per the legend, bonded together by a pair of 'magical' pants that give them the strength of the love they feel as friends even when they aren't together.

In all fairness I read the third book quite some time ago so reading the new fourth one was a bit of a cognitive leap - I could barely remember a lot of what happened in the past! Anyway in this one the girls are bridging the gap between their first and second year of university. They've actually shared the pants year-round this time because they have spent the year at different colleges etc. That should be your first clue something is up - the girls are very very much so a lot more individual characters this time around, which was both refreshing and problematic. Of the latter, it was good because I was sick and tired of how cheesy and overemphasized their relationship was - although some sappy moments still exist towards the end, they are certainly toned down. But in the absence of their friendship it almost defeated the purpose of the book, and the pants of course.

This time around the girls spend most of their summer apart. Tibby is still in New York working and taking a summer class and wondering whether she has made the right choices when it comes to her relationship with Brian. Bee (my fave as always) is in Turkey getting back to basics on an archeological dig site and wondering whether the best alternative to missing her boyfriend is not missing a single thing her hot professor does. Flamboyent Carmen has surprisingly shrunk into her shell over the last year, and fallen under the wing of a supposedly protective, glorious friend, who turns out to be anything but as their summer continues. Lena is at art school and enraptured with a guy, shockingly this time, not the love of her life, Kostos.

As I mentioned earlier, the book definitely took on a more mature tone than the others - most of it dealt with sex and relationships and very little of it focused on friendship and personal self-growth - although most of the storylines evolve to give the girls those girl power moments of epiphany. Although I enjoyed the storylines a lot more this time it almost felt like the characters were under-used and less developed because there was far less crossover opportunities given their summer was spent so far apart emotionally and physically.

Brashares does a good job wrapping up the series in a realistic way though - Upon finishing it, I realized why she decided to do a fourth (I completely assumed the third would be the last) as each book is kind of meant to represent each of the four girls.

All in all a fitting conclusion to the series that represented, quite honestly, the realities of growing up and moving away when it comes to those true blue friends you thought you'd never forget, and those true blue jeans you thought you'd never lose.

Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants).......2007-07-19

OMG!!! I loved every single one of the books preceding this book and this one hit the mark! It is so wonderful, and though it is so sad that it ends the series the finish is remarkable. Brashare's masterpiece is complete!!!

One too many.......2007-07-15

I thought the prime qualities of the first three books of this series were charm and innocence. For the fourth installment, one of our heroines poses nude for a male art student and another falls for a married man with children. Whatever other qualities the book may have, charming and innocent it is not.

Average customer rating:

Terrific!
An Important Novel
Wonderfully compassionate and complex
Special Siblings
Rigid Rules

Rules (Newbery Honor Book)
Cynthia Lord
Manufacturer: Scholastic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0439443822

Book Description

Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years trying to teach David the rules-from "a peach is not a funny-looking apple" to "keep your pants on in public"-in order to stop his embarrassing behaviors. But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a paraplegic boy, and Kristi, the next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?

Customer Reviews:

Terrific!.......2007-09-30

This is an award winning book that tells what it's like to be the normal sibling in a family with a special child. The protagonist is realistically drawn and her difficulties protecting her autistic brother from the harsh realities of prejudice and small-minded cruelty will touch your heart. Although targeted for the upper elementary or middle school audience, readers of all ages would benefit from the expressive and moving portrait Cynthia Lord paints of the conflicts faced by the members of families with special kids.

An Important Novel .......2007-09-08

After seeing Rules in countless Scholastic classroom book orders, I purchased the novel to read to my fifth grade students, wanting to expose them to a worthwhile piece of children's literature. I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome; they enjoyed the story (and the different rules included throughout the book) and seemed to really look at the way people treat others.

Rules not only deals with autism, but with disabilities in general. The main character, a twelve year old named Catherine, frequently accompanies her younger brother (who is autistic) to his occupational therapy clinic where she befriends a boy her age named Jason. Although Lord never specifically names the disability, Jason is in a wheelchair and is unable to communicate through speech, he instead points to word cards. The two develop a friendship, although Catherine continues to struggle with how the world views her relationships with disabled people. These situations provoked some very interesting, touching discussions with my students that I hope have helped them become more compassionate young people.

Rules is a very important books for kids to read or hear. Many children are not exposed to people that are different than them, and it seems that this lack of information often leads to bullying. This is an interesting, funny, touching read for kids, probably best for those ten and up.

Wonderfully compassionate and complex.......2007-08-25

I finally got my hands on RULES by Cynthia Lord, and I read it in one sitting. The narrator, Catherine, genuinely seems twelve. Her mannerisms and thoughts ring true, especially her artistic view on life and her lists of rules to help both herself and her autistic brother David. Catherine has more than shallow run-of-the-mill problems to deal with, and yet she's easy to identify with. In less capable hands, the story could have come across saccharine or depressing. Lord pulls it off in a way that seems effortless. She does a great job with pacing as well. From the premise of the book, I expected it to be a slower read, but the story strides along confidently.

I loved Catherine's blossoming relationship with wheelchair-bound Jason, who can't speak, beautifully shown in the vocabulary cards she makes him. At the start he has only a standard, bland set of cards. She's the first person to recognize his need to express himself through joking, sarcasm, and teen slang. I laughed when Jason's mother said, "Don't 'whatever' me, young man!" and felt a bit of shared triumph. As Catherine helps Jason communicate, she in turn reveals her own hidden thoughts and emotions. I even became a bit misty-eyed when I read the end, a rare occurrence. Catherine's life and the people in it are neither predictable nor perfect, but her compassion remains constant, and that's the beauty of this book.

Special Siblings.......2007-07-29

Catherine is between a rock and a hard place...like most siblings of special children are. Somewhere between protecting her autistic brother and protecting herself from embarassment of his behavior, she creates a list of rules for him.

This deeply moving story examines many facets of lives with challenges. Catherine is able to see the heart of the matter through the eyes of a physically challenged boy at her brother's therapy office. He can only communicate by pointing to words. She empathizes with his limitations and gives him new words to expand his options - like "Whatever"! They build a special bond together.

Meanwhile, outside of the world of doctors and therapists, Catherine longs to make friends with her new neighbor. She is concerned that the new friend will not understand her brother's behavior or her wheelchair-bound friend's challenges. Struggling with her own opposing feelings, she avoids bringing these two parts of her life together.

My favorite part of the story was the way that Catherine's brother was able to communicate through the words of Loebel's Frog and Toad Together story. Absolutely precious!

I was so touched by this story, because we have special needs children in our own family. The lives of our other children have been both challenged and blessed by dealing with the reality of a sibling with medical and mental differences. Of course, we tried to make sure that the hearts of all of our children were nurtured, but there was inevitably an impact on our other children. They have had extra responsibilities and sometimes felt that their needs were neglected to meet the demands of their sibling. Yet, in the end, their character was deepened and their maturity was advanced by living beyond themselves in a self-seeking culture.

This is an important story that EVERY child should read. Autism is growing at an alarming rate. It would benefit every child to get in the shoes of special children and that of their family.

Rigid Rules .......2007-07-12

Rules. What are they for? Catherine creates some for her brother to help him function in the normal world, and some for herself.

Her life and personal space is constantly overrun by her brother - either he comes to her, or their parents send him to her for various things. David's world is black and white, so Catherine creates personal boundaries in a language he can understand: Rules. Such as, "Pantless brothers are not my problem." However, rules are rigid. As a result, she falls into the same black-and-white trap, and her rules morph into excuses. Such as "I never dance unless I'm alone or it's pitch black." I loved watching Catherine figure out how her rules are limiting her life.

This story beautifully illustrates the difficulties around having autism in a family, as well as the problems that arise from creating rigid personal boundaries. At times, Catherine seemed more of a teenager than a twelve year old, especially with the bikini and boy scenes, but other than that I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Social Skills Training for Children and Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome and Social-Communications Problems

Average customer rating:

Great book!
very practical workbook
Great for Social Skills Training
Easy reading, understanding, and easy to use lessons
A must for all kids with social skill issues

Social Skills Training for Children and Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome and Social-Communications Problems
Jed E. Baker
Manufacturer: Autism Asperger Publishing Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 193128220X

Book Description

Finally a social skills program that covers all the bases!

Whether it's learning how long one can look at somebody without being accused of staring; how to shift topics, despite one's desire to stick with that all-consuming special interest; how to say no to peer pressure; or dealing with a sensitive topic - it's all here...and more. In this comprehensive and user-friendly book, the author translates years of experience working with students with Asperger Syndrome and social-communication difficulties. After brief introductory chapters on skills to target, instructional strategies, behavior management, promoting generalization, etc., as well as a special chapter by Brenda Smith Myles on relevant characteristics of autism spectrum disorders, the reader is presented with the essence of this must-have resource: 70 of the skills that most commonly cause difficulty for individuals with autism spectrum disorders and social-communication problems. The presentation of each skill consists of a reproducible skill handout, as well as activity sheets listing ways teachers and parents can demonstrate, practice, and reinforce the skill in the classroom and at home. A concluding chapter on promoting peer acceptance offers sensitivity training programs for both students of various age groups and school staff, making this a complete social skills training package for students of all ages.

Customer Reviews:

Great book!.......2007-09-03

This book has step by step instructions on social skills and I love the easy to read and teach format. I don't know if my son has Asperger's, but he really struggles with social skills and this has been a great help to us.

very practical workbook.......2007-08-06

I found this book very useful. It lists skills a child should have, which are so inherent to those who don't have this probelm, they are actually hard to think of on your own. For each skill it gives examples and ways to encourage gaining the skill. Every parent whose child's social skills aren't up to par with their peers will benefit from this book.

Great for Social Skills Training.......2007-03-10

This book is an excellent resource for those who want to assist children and young adults with social skills training. There are clear cut lessons and activities that cover a variety of topics from how to greet others to asking someone on a date. Very valuable for those who need concrete examples of the correct way to approach many different social situations. Could be used for children on the autism spectrum, but also for any child who could benefit from practice in social interaction, even those who are shy. Anyone who lives and works with students who have social skills defecits would find this book useful.

Easy reading, understanding, and easy to use lessons.......2007-02-23

This book is not only good to help those in the autism spectrum with lacking social skills, but they can also be applied easily to teaching any children without autism. It is straightforward easy to use, to the point. Definitely worth the money, and was recommended to me by several mothers with more than 2 children with autism. Thanks!

A must for all kids with social skill issues.......2007-01-09

Jed Baker has done it again. This is a nice follow-up to his social picture book. This is done nicely because you can pick and choose which areas you need to work on. Most children could use help with social skills to reduce anxiety, regardless of whether they have issues. My son does not have aspergers and his social skills issues are minimum but with practice the skills he has have been greatly refined.The program can be used in parts at home by parents with minimal training or in a school environment with speech therapists etc.

Average customer rating:

The Higher Power of Lucky
Heartwarming Story Deserving of Newbery Award
Overblown controversy aside, a sweet little story
okay but not great
Controversy for the sake of publicity

The Higher Power of Lucky
Susan Patron
Manufacturer: Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1416901949

Customer Reviews:

The Higher Power of Lucky.......2007-09-27

The Higher Power of Lucky

God Grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change,
Courage to change the things we can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

That little piece of wisdom is known as the Serenity Prayer, and it's read a lot at twelve-step meetings. It reminds me of my uncle who is chock full of wisdom-such as don't draw to an inside straight, don't gamble with a man whose moniker is the same as any city, and don't count your money at the table. Wait, maybe that was Kenny Rogers- anyway, he says, "the power of luck is that you don't know if it's bad or good, until after the fact."

I always consider myself lucky when I discover a great book. The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron and illustrated by Matt Phelan is one of those books. Winner of the Newbery Award for 2007, which is given every year for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children, this is a book that doesn't talk down to it's audience, which is 9 to 11 year olds.

Controversy has arisen over the book due to the word "scrotum" being used on the first page. A number of school librarians and teachers have called for banning or censoring the book. Lucky for Tioga County, the Green Free Library is not among those banning the book. I feel it's something the parent should decide, since not every book is for every person. Knowledge is power, but the ability to share that knowledge is freedom.

Some accuse the author of endorsing shock value, but the incident is based on a true story and she uses it to explain anatomy to developing readers. I've had a lot of Anatomy classes and every part of your body has a scientific name (usually Latin), and it comes in handy sooner or later. Scrotum: A pouch of skin, which contains the testes, epididymides, and lower portions of the spermatic cords. My nephews are 9 and 11 and they already have lots of words for this piece of anatomy. It's about time they read the proper word in context and not some slang word that you can't say in front of your Grandma.

The novel features Lucky, a 10-year-old girl who lives in a small town named Hard Pan (population 43) in the California desert. After her mother died two years ago, her father called upon his ex-wife, Brigette, to come to the United States from France to take care of Lucky. Lucky fears that Brigette is tired of being her guardian and of their life in Hard Pan. Her experiences lead her to believe that Brigette will abadon her and return to France. This anxiety prompts Lucky to seek help from her "Higher Power," a notion she gets from eavesdropping at her town's 12-step meetings.

I enjoyed reading about Lucky's world: the hard, dusty life in a remote California town, and the people who populate it. The book reads real. The reality of life is that kids in this age range have all kinds of scary ideas and powerful curiosities, letting kids read about Lucky going through some of the same problems can give opportunities to talk and think about what's going on in their lives. It's a story of a girl with a precarious family situation, trying to find her place in the world. She's a scrappy, intelligent girl interested in Charles Darwin and the search for truth, but the problem with the power truth is that you don't always know if it's good or bad until after the fact....

Heartwarming Story Deserving of Newbery Award.......2007-08-24

The Higher Power of Lucky is a small little book with an enormous amount of power. It's the most recent recipient of the Newbery Medal.

Lucky is a 10-year old girl living in the town of Hard Pan, California, population of 43. Her mother passed away two years ago while admiring the rain and accidentally stepping on a down power line. She is left in the care of her father's previous wife Brigitte, who has flown from Paris to take care of her. Lucky never knew her father as her father never wanted children and had no desire to meet her. Lucky and Brigitte get along well enough, but Lucky is left with the fear that Brigitte will surely leave her one day to go back to Paris leaving Lucky to an orphanage.

Lucky has one of the few jobs available in the small town. She sweeps up cigarette butts and picks up candy wrappers outside of the wind-chime museum where the alcoholics/smokers/overeaters/gamblers anonymous groups meet. While the groups are meeting, she listens from a crack on the outside of the building and here's stories of people reaching "rock bottom" and then finding their "higher power" and redeeming theirselves...finding hope in their lives. Lucky is on a search for her own higher power, her own hope.

Lucky's best friend is Lincoln, a boy who is misunderstood and is seen as a "special" child. Lincoln is a member of the International Guild of Knot Tyers and always has a piece of rope or string in his hand and is tying intricate knots. He sees the world through a different filter and offers a fresh perspective. Lincoln's mother wants him to be the perfect son...he's named after a president because she wants him to be president one day.

Miles is another boy that is somewhat annoying, but looks up to Lucky in an almost mother type way. Miles is 5 years old and doesn't know his mother. His favorite book is one of my childhood favorites: Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman. Miles is raised by his grandmother and is always looking for cookies and a story from Lucky.

Patron has crafted a beautiful, heartbreaking, and heartwarming story of coming to terms with the cards that life deals and finding hope in dark situations. There's a message of community in this tale...it's so easy for us to fall into the mindset of "I have to do this on my own" when in reality there is help all around us if we only take a second to accept it, for most of the time it freely offered.

The story is wonderfully illustrated throughout by Matt Phelan who I was unfamiliar with. The drawings go very well with the story and the whole book is very nicely packaged. I highly recommend this book for readers young and old. I certainly enjoyed it.

Overblown controversy aside, a sweet little story.......2007-08-22

Of course, being employed in the children's literature industry, I felt obligated to read "that scrotum book" that just won the Newbery Medal, but I ended up being sweetly charmed by Patron's innocent protagonist. Lucky is an effectively enthralling and multi-dimensional female character with universal appeal in her desire for a sense of belonging and acceptance. I certainly recommend it as a quick read or a great read-aloud if you have kids.

okay but not great.......2007-08-11

It's hard to say what all the fuss is about. This book is FINE, but nothing to write home about in this humble reader's opinion.

Controversy for the sake of publicity.......2007-08-03

I considered putting this book down almost immediately after a brief forray into a discussion of anatomy. It seemed like another attempt to shock readers, and I'm still not convinced that it isn't. I continued reading anyway and found the skeleton of a somewhat interesting story.

Lucky is dealing with feelings of loneliness and abandonment. She is a foster child who lives in a very small town. After eavesdropping on many Twelve-Step meetings, Lucky decides that she needs to find her "Higher Power." God, the true higher power of the Twelve-Step program, is barely mentioned. Lucky is left to search on her own. The real story is the relationship between the characters, which helps cover a pretty thin plot. The author does use some interesting metaphors, but this book is just about the same as every other Newbery in recent years.

This story seems like it is written more for adults than the middle grade students who should be the target audience. Newbery worthy? Not likely. The ALA is highly political, and there are plenty of other great stories that don't get recognition. As for the gratuitous lesson in male anatomy, does that really belong in a children's book? Where is the quality children's literature that kids should be able to read today?

Average customer rating:

A teacher told me about this book.
great book!!
The hiding place
Zapnes' Crew talks about Number the Stars
number the stars

Number the Stars
Lois Lowry
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0440227534
Release Date: 1998-02-09

Amazon.com

The evacuation of Jews from Nazi-held Denmark is one of the great untold stories of World War II. On September 29, 1943, word got out in Denmark that Jews were to be detained and then sent to the death camps. Within hours the Danish resistance, population and police arranged a small flotilla to herd 7,000 Jews to Sweden. Lois Lowry fictionalizes a true-story account to bring this courageous tale to life. She brings the experience to life through the eyes of 10-year-old Annemarie Johannesen, whose family harbors her best friend, Ellen Rosen, on the eve of the round-up and helps smuggles Ellen's family out of the country. Number the Stars won the 1990 Newbery Medal.

Book Description

Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943 and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated," Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life.

Customer Reviews:

A teacher told me about this book........2007-09-24

I really enjoyed the book. I went on a trip to Washington D.C. and visited the Holocaust Museum. Since then I have been interested in WWII and mostly the Holocaust. A teacher told me about this book. I read the book very quickly, it was so interesting. My mom liked it too, and read with me. I'm reading it again!

great book!!.......2007-07-12

My granddaughter,11, read this on our vacation, and she told me she absolutely loved it!

The hiding place.......2007-07-01

Annamarie has to hide her best friend away from the Nazi`s by going to Uncle Henrick`s and trying to flee Ellen and her family to Sweeden. This book is filled with adventure and excitement and reminds you of what happened during the Nazi`s reign.
You`ve got to read this.

Zapnes' Crew talks about Number the Stars.......2007-06-22

This book is about courage and bravery for Annemarie and Ellen during World War II when German Nazis invade and occupy Denmark, along with other European countries. The two families, the Rosens and the Johansens, are involved in a journey that many took to help Jews in Denmark to safety. We recommend this historical fiction to people who want to learn about WW II and read about the struggle of the Jews and Danes that lived in Denmark during the war. It's a heart-breaking story about love and danger.

number the stars.......2007-06-15

this book is about a girl annemarie and her sister kirsti. annemaries friend ellen is jewish and annemarie isnt. annemarie and her family hae to hide ellen and her family from the nazis.

Average customer rating:

Love it! Why Am I Not Surprised!!! :o)
Big disappointment
Inviting, Cozy Book
A one-of-a-kind tale of true camaraderie
Got better as it went on

The Friday Night Knitting Club
Kate Jacobs
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0399154094
Release Date: 2007-01-18

Book Description

A charming and moving novel about female friendship and the experiences that knit us together-even when we least expect it.

Walker and Daughter is Georgia Walker's little yarn shop, tucked into a quiet storefront on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The Friday Night Knitting Club was started by some of Georgia's regulars, who gather once a week to work on their latest projects and to chat-and occasionally clash-over their stories of love, life, and everything in between.

Georgia has her hands full, juggling the demands of running the store and raising her spunky teen daughter, Dakota, by herself. Thank goodness for Anita, her mentor and dear friend, and the rest of the members of the knitting club-who are just as varied as the skeins of yarn in the shop's bins. There's Peri, a prelaw student turned handbag designer; Darwin, a somewhat aloof feminist grad student; and Lucie, a petite, quiet woman who's harboring some secrets of her own.

However, unexpected changes soon throw these women's lives into disarray, and the shop's comfortable world gets shaken up like a snow globe. James, Georgia's ex, decides that he wants to play a larger role in Dakota's life-and possibly Georgia's as well. Cat, a former friend from high school, returns to New York as a rich Park Avenue wife and uneasily renews her old bond with Georgia. Meanwhile, Anita must confront her growing (and reciprocated) feelings for Marty, the kind neighborhood deli owner. And when the unthinkable happens, they realize what they've created: not just a knitting club, but a sisterhood

Customer Reviews:

Love it! Why Am I Not Surprised!!! :o).......2007-09-20

I bought this unabridged audio because I could relate to the topic. I belong to many beading classes... mainly because I love the days I can bond with other women via the beading. It's a wonderful experience, so I had a feeling I would love this book. However, I had no idea that this read would capture my heart and soul the way it did. Each character was so rich in their identity and I loved the way that they were given voice by Carrington McDuffie. The author Kate Jacobs must be so excited to know that her book is soon to be a movie starring Julia Roberts!!! How exciting is that! She will be perfect for the lead role of Georgia Walker, a strong single mother and owner of the knit store "Walker & Daughter" ...... I wonder who will play the other incredible cast of characters. I just loved them all and was so sad when the story ended. Truly this is one of my favorite books this year. I highly recommend it. I'd also like to recommend "The Knitting Circle" ... another truly fabulous book! 5 starz JMHO //(*_*)\\

Big disappointment.......2007-09-14

I was so excited about this book I bought 3 copies - one for myself, one for my friend who's preparing to open a yarn shop and start a knitting club, and the other for our knitting mentor. I read the book as soon as it arrived, and now I'm almost embarrased to give it to my friends. I was really disappointed in the quality of the writing and felt even I could do a much better job. The characters were shallow, the wording was awkward in many places, and lots of things didn't make much sense. For example, it was not believable that Georgia would keep James' letters for all those years and not read them. She would have thrown them away! The chapter about the crazy film student who was looking for Julia Roberts (what a coincedence, since she just happens to star in the upcoming movie) was strange and added nothing to the story. And what was the purpose of the use of the f-word? It didn't fit the characters. I also figured out the ending way too soon. Plus, knitting had very little to do with the book. When in Scotland, around all those sheep, for instance, there wasn't even a mention of the great yarns that were available!!! You'd think a yarn shop owner would spend time checking out the yarn and how it was produced. Tragic missed opportunity to add something authentic to a book about knitting. This novel was too predictable throughout. Save your money and wait for the movie. Hopefully it will be better.

Inviting, Cozy Book .......2007-08-07

I enjoyed this book so much that I'm rather taken aback at how divided the reviews are. I found the book to be like a blanket, warm and cozy and something you want to curl up in. I don't knit, but the references to the wool and the process made it seem very inviting.

The characters were diverse - of varying ages, walks of life and economic circumstances - and written so vividly that I began to cast them as if for a TV show. Overall, the book is about love and friendship and finding ourselves, with the store and knitting being the central theme that brings most of the characters together.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was sad to see it come to a conclusion, ending my connection with the colorful and enjoyable characters. Like some of the other reviewers, I would have liked a different ending because I'd grown attached to everyone, but I did see it coming and the author did tie it all together well.

My biggest disappointment in the book was discovering it's Kate Jacob's first and now I'll have to wait for the next one.

A one-of-a-kind tale of true camaraderie.......2007-08-07

Featuring tracks every three minutes for easy bookmarking, The Friday Night Knitting Club is the audiobook version of professional editor Kate Jacobs' debut novel, tantalizingly narrated by recording artist Carrington MacDuffie. Once a week, the regulars of Georgia Walker's little yarn shop gather for tips of knitting - and end up learning much more as they swap stories about themselves, their loves, their lives, and virtually everything else. When sudden change shake the women to their cores, they discover they've created not just a knitting club, but a tightly bonded sisterhood. Soon to be turned into a major motion picture starring Julia Roberts, The Friday Night Knitting Club is a one-of-a-kind tale of true camaraderie, highly recommended. 10 CDs, 12 1/2 hours, unabridged.

Got better as it went on.......2007-07-28

I'm giving this two stars: averaging one star for the first half and three for the second half. Through the first half of the book I kept thinking, "how are they going to make a movie of this?" It was just all these seperate women and their individual stories and none seemed to have anything to do with the others. They did all come together at the end, though. The first thing that really got my attention was in Darwin's story. She was talking about how she was a good girl, but she didn't want to be a good girl. She said that she didn't want to burn money for her dead anscestors on Chinese New Year. Having grown up in Asia, I can tell you no one burns money or anything else during Chinese New Yea (which lasts for 15 days). Money is burned for dead anscestors at the Feast of the Hungry Ghosts. I just hate it when authors write about something they don't know about and don't bother to check it out. She also mentioned about not wanting to go the Sunday School and skipping church. Anyone going to church likely isn't burning money for dead anscestors in any case. The part about Julia Roberts was weird, too. If the lady was so certain Ms. Roberts was going to show up at that particular yarn store on that particular, why not just hang around by the front door? If someone bought and returned the same item all day long at my store (if I had one) I'd put a stop to it. And why did she stagger in slurring something about "roooobbbeerrrs" at the end of the day? Was she drunk? Overheated? Dehydrated? Deranged? That was just kind of left dangling. I also didn't understand about the letters. Georgia had gotten two letters from James that she never opened. Yet he was sending checks to help with Dakota's expenses and she opened all those. How is it she opened the later envelopes that contained checks but not the first two where he said he wanted to get back together? I wondered, too, about the evening gowns Georgia knitted. If she was capable of doing that, why did she wait to be asked? She could have knitted a few and sold them to some boutiques. For someone who managed to be a single parent and run her own business and do a good job at both, she seemed to be short-sighted about breaking into the fashion business. Peri got right down to business with her knitted purses and had them in store windows in no time. And my final question was about the trip to Scotland. Georgia decided Dakota could miss a little school since it was "just seventh grade". I thought they'd only be gone a week. When it was revealed they spend a month in Scotland, I figured she'd just missed the last week of school. Then they came back and Dakota had to go back to school. It doesn't matter what grade you're in, missing a month means you're going to have repeat the grade. No one can miss that much school. They'd probably withdraw your enrollment.

I wasn't too impressed with the character who tricked her date into getting her pregnant. That was just uncalled for. Who conducts themselves like that? I also could have done without the bad language. These are all college educated women, surely they didn't have to resort to four-letter words to get their points across.

It could have been a good book, but there were so many thing that just made no sense to me. I think the movie might be better, though. If they just hit the highlights it should make a good story.

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