Charles Dickens Four Complete Novels (Great Expectations, Hard Times, A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities)

Book Description

Includes the major works by one of the greatest names in literature. Namely, Great Expectations, Hard Times, A Christmas Carol and A Tale of Two Cities. This Library of Literary Classics edition is bound in padded leather with luxurious gold-stamping on the front and spine, satin ribbon marker and gilded edges. Other titles in this Library of Literary Classics series include: Charlotte & Emily Bronte: The Complete Novels; Edgar Allan Poe: Selected Works; Mark Twain: Selected Works; Jane Austen: The Complete Novels: Lewis Carroll: The Complete, Fully Illustrated Works; and William Shakespeare: The Complete Works.

Customer Reviews:

Great value for the price.......2007-08-02

Let's face it, there are better editions of Dickens out there. You get what you pay for. This is not a top of the line leather edition. For the price, though, you can't beat it. It is what it is, a reasonably priced leather edition of four of his novels. At five dollars apiece, the price can not be beat.

Pretentious.......2007-06-07

Buying books because they look good on your shelf is pretentious and phony - and this book capitalizes on that. I got this as a gift and was amazed when I read it at the number of typos in it. There is simply no way this collection was proofed by an editor - that or the editing company is one of the worst in the world.

Buy these fantastic books, but not this edition, unless you just want people to think you read Dickens.

If nothing else, it looks good on your bookshelf........2007-03-13

You would do better off buying these books individually from a different publisher.
It sounds impressive, leather bound, gilded edges, but it is very cheaply done. On the plus side, it does have a ribbon book mark so you don't have to buy your own.
But this book was poorly edited, filled with needless typos, and with all four of these books available from numerous other publishers, I would suggest to just buy it from them.

Loved it,.......2006-02-12

I'm a big fan of long drawn out novles. I've always been a fan of Dickens. This book has on eof my favorite stories by his pen: Great Expectations. His style is very personal I found it a lot like Tolkien. His ability to tell a good tale is clear as the reader becomes part of the story. Very nice volume and worth the time and money in my opinion.

Lousy Binding.......2005-12-20

I've read all but "A Christmas Carol" in this edition. I've found several typos. Moreover, the binding is becoming unglued. I estimate by the time I finish "A Christmas Carol" the binding will be totally exposed. I value permanent books (otherwise I would buy paperbacks). I suggest anyone who enjoys Dickens buy a better edition.

Christmas After All: The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift, Indianapolis, Indiana 1932 (Dear America Series)

Average customer rating:

Five Stars
Zully's Review
Perhaps The Best Christmas Book I've Ever Read
The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift
Bad choice

Christmas After All: The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift, Indianapolis, Indiana 1932 (Dear America Series)
Kathryn Lasky
Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0439219434

Amazon.com

To 11-year-old Minnie Swift, Christmas, 1932, is not going to be the time of bounty she's used to. Instead, it has become the "Time of the Dwindling." The Great Depression has changed everything: Minnie's father is working fewer and fewer hours, her hungry family eats more and more aspic and "rumor of pork" (high up on the Vomitron, a zero-to-ten scale Minnie and her brother have invented to determine the vileness of their meager dinners), and a tiny orphan girl has joined their family from Heart's Bend, Texas. Minnie finds a worthy outlet in her daily journal, in which she records the sometimes troubling, sometimes exhilarating experiences of one winter month in Indianapolis during the depression. Nothing can subdue Minnie's lively spirit, although the disappearance of her father challenges her sorely.

Kathryn Lasky's latest addition to the Dear America series is chock-full of period details: Greta Garbo's hairstyle, The Shadow radio program, Charlie Chan, Hooverville shantytowns, Buck Rogers, Amelia Earhart, and phrases like yee gads and go-to-the-dickens. Minnie is an exuberant and witty chronicler of her family life, as well as the world outside. Young readers will come away from Christmas After All with a strong image of life in the 1930s, and a sense of the resiliency and ingenuity of many Americans during that deeply troubled time. A historical note and photos follow the diary, providing background to help readers understand the era in which the fictional Minnie lived. (Ages 9 to 14) --Emilie Coulter

Customer Reviews:

Five Stars.......2007-08-08

Another wonderful addition to the Dear America Series this one is about the Great Depression told through Minnie Swift diary about how the depression is effecting her family and those around her. The changes they have to make. Like only living out of the few rooms in their house their family can keep heated. As they prepare for what Minnie expects to be a joyless Thanksgiving and Christmas her cousin Willie Faye arrives from Texas and the Dust Bowl having an even harder life then Minnie. This book goes to show how far love in a family can go.

Zully's Review.......2007-01-26

Imagine you have to live with an orphanage girl that doesn't know what an adjective is. This is what Kathryn Lasky in the book Christmas After All talks about. It's a masterpiece of love ness. The love ness of the main character, Minnie is that she helps an orphanage girl that goes to live with them.
Minnie Swift is a young girl who is in 4th grade she is 11 years old. Minnie Swift lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.
One day an orphanage girl name Willie Faye got to their house she didn't know anything, so Minnie's parents put her in school and Minnie couldn't believe that they put Willie Faye in fourth grade, Minnie was so embarrassed. Minnie's fingers were tired from poking cloves into oranges.
Do people always help orphanages? Can we break our friendship with a person?
Minnie faces these issues in the book Christmas After All. Is four dollars a lot of money for you, well I don't think so, but in the book Christmas After All they think it's a lot of money. Would you use a fancy dress like a curtain? Well Minnie's sister wanted to do that, she wanted to put it in their room because they didn't have a lot of money to buy a curtain. Minnie didn't like that idea, and she didn't say anything because if she says that she doesn't like that idea lady her sister will get mad at her.
Jackie is Minnie's maid house. Jackie is kind of the color cinnamon, and Minnie wishes she could be that color of skin. In school Minnie was bored in Geography.
When they got back from school Willie Faye went to her room and start getting stuff so she could make earrings for lady that goes with her dress.
Christmas After All is a book of how people of the past help orphanage people. This book shows honesty for a lot of people. Christmas After All is for these who love a heart felt story and for those who have read this book before. For those people who help people will be a really, really good book.
I felt a good affection for this book, and you will too. " We have had Christmas after all."- Christmas After All.

Perhaps The Best Christmas Book I've Ever Read.......2006-11-22

The "Dear America" books are something I can take or leave. MY SECRET WAR was pretty good, as was WHEN CHRISTMAS COMES AGAIN (not really a Christmas book, but about the "Hello girls" in World War I), and the story of the Italian girl crossing the great plains. The Titanic book was average and the Pearl Harbor book was pretty bad. I've heard some pretty scathing criticisms about the two books involving Native American characters.

But in CHRISTMAS AFTER ALL, Kathryn Lasky has created a masterpiece within the diary format of the books.

It is the story of Minnie Swift, youngest of four sisters, her precocious genius younger brother Ozzie, and her parents during the days of the Great Depression. Dad's job is going badly and the family is reduced to shutting down rooms in their home to cut down on coal bills. They rarely have meat for supper, but eat a succession of aspics and "O'Grotons," as Minnie calls them. Then, as December begins, Willie Faye Darling comes into their lives. Willie Faye is the only daughter of cousins of Minnie's mother. Her parents, from a small town called Heart's Bend, Texas, have died after losing a battle with life in the Dust Bowl. Willie Faye is Minnie's age (11), but looks two years younger due to malnutrition and hardships. She arrives at the Swift home covered in dust and with a kitten named Tumbleweed whose nose she had to suction out morning, noon and night to keep him from smothering. Willie Faye has never seen an indoor bathroom, gone to a movie, read a Buck Rogers comic, or listened to the radio, so Minnie thinks that Willie Faye will have a lot to learn from them.

She never dreams what she--and the entire family--will learn from the fragile-looking but tough little girl from the Dust Bowl when the ravages of the Depression begin leaching away the family's security.

I have many of Lasky's other books and love them as well including PRANK, which takes place in East Boston, and her adult mysteries starring Calista Jacobs. But this story has a special magic to it, perhaps because it is based on Lasky's mother's experiences as well as her own and the characters ring true. Highly recommended.

The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift.......2006-10-30

The depression diary of Minnie Swift is about a girl trying to live during the Great Depression of 1930.It is cold, snowy, and miserable November right after Thanksgiving.Minnie and her family is trying to live through the troubles of the Great Depression. The biggest trouble is that her father lost his job and there is no more money coming into the family fortune.I really liked this book because it gives you an idea of what people faced during the Great Depression.The book reminds you of how fortunite that you have all that you need in life and that you don't have to worry about anything.

Bad choice.......2006-03-31

I did not care for this book. At first I thought it looked good because I used to find the depression interesting and I couldn't wait to tell my grandmother about I was reading about the depression. I didn't like it that much. It was very boring and Minnie writes so many entries in one day, she can't even write a full month's worth of diary entries. We all know about how hard it is during the depression and WHO CARES that she saw a bird at 11 PM or 12 AM!

Average customer rating:

A great gift for everyone from 0 to 90 years old
NEW YORK'S CHRISTMAS FINEST
Six striking pop-ups, but lackluster text & extras
Beautiful NYC at Christmas
Christmas in New York: A Pop-Up Book

Christmas in New York: A Pop-Up Book
Chuck Fischer
Manufacturer: Bulfinch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0821257021

Book Description

This interactive pop-up book makes the perfect gift for those who love the holiday traditions that originated in New Yorkfrom lighting the tree in Rockefeller Center to watching the ball drop on New Years Eve. Christmas in New York is a spectacular gift book featuring the world-famous holiday traditions of New York City presented in the three-dimensional art of a pop-up book. Its unique construction combines original art by Chuck Fischer with photographs of famous New York City landmarks and past holiday celebrations. Each pop-up spread will include short histories, architectural legacies, anecdotes, and fun facts contained in mini-pop-ups, pull-outs, removable booklets, and other extras. Destined to become a treasured keepsake, Christmas in New York will be a perennial bestseller for years to come.

Customer Reviews:

A great gift for everyone from 0 to 90 years old.......2007-03-08

It has been a surprise to open this book. Just amazing! I believe it is perfect for a baby, for an adult, for everyone, it is a pleasure to go through the colorful pop-up pages and the inserts.
I really love it.

NEW YORK'S CHRISTMAS FINEST.......2007-02-10

WONDERFUL POP UP BOOK COVERING ALL THE GREATEST NEW YORK HAS TO OFFER AT THE HOLIDAYS.
WOULD MAKE A GREAT VIEWING TRADITION AT CHRISTMAS.

Six striking pop-ups, but lackluster text & extras.......2007-01-21

First and most importantly - if you want big, centerpiece pop-ups, this book delivers. "Christmas in New York"'s main attractions don't boast Robert Sabuda-like paper architecture, but they do have bigness and boldness and are the book's greatest strength. You get six scenes (skip ahead if you don't want the surprise spoiled!) - the giant Rockefeller Center Christmas tree before its famous ice rink, a lavish pink marzipan fan to accompany George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, the Fifth Avenue shopping district on Christmas Eve, a photo-real Christmas tree bedecked with a flock of angels (impressive and satisfying to unfold), and Times Square on New Year's Eve.

All are brightly illustrated in vivid pastels and paints with, as appropriate, brassiness, cheer, or the soft, detailed charm of traditional children's books. It may be cliche to say, but it really is a joy to open them again and again. The treats don't end there, either - in the back, there's an innovative bit of packaging (which I won't spoil) containing an illustrated gift tag, a paper ornament that unfolds to a miniature of one of the book's pop-ups, and a tiny map of New York with the landmarks mentioned in the book and a snowy skyline on the reverse.

The backbone of the book, then, is solid. When you get to the all the little extras and flavor text, though, it sags. The additional pop-ups tucked in the side flaps and little booklets telling neat trivia stories are, in these deluxe "grown-up" pop-ups, like the crackerjacks you eat after you've rummaged for the toy. They tell you neat new stuff about the big images and engage your mind.

We do have some such bits here, like a section detailing the history and significance of all the massive works of art in Rockefeller Center (did you know one mural had to be replaced due to its depiction of Lenin among humanity's heroes?) or about a toy train in the Botanical Gardens that runs through a miniature New York made entirely of vegetation. An anecdote from John Rockefeller on the origin of the famous Christmas tree in the plaza his grandfather built is much appreciated, as are the sparse but enchanting photos of the Nutcracker ballet and the mention of the unusual role L. Frank Baum had in shaping the modern holiday. Often, though, the text bits read like publicity releases, vapid and mindlessly running down dates and statistics in lieu of something that grips the imagination. We're dutifully walked through the story of the Nutcracker, as if it were brand-new to us; we take time to acclaim the continued productivity of the corporate tenants of Rockefeller Center, where NBC, the author notes approvingly, "continues to create quality television programming". Seldom in a blurb does the author forget to begin by informing us with satisfaction how much we all love a given site or end by telling us how, we are assured, we will continue to love it for years to come.

Guys, you already got me. If I've shelled out $35 for a pop-up book on the subject, I already think New York City is great. Give me something I DON'T know - something that'll make me love it even more.

No extra little pop-ups are hiding in the flaps; beautiful the central works may be, there is a touch of laziness in the production. Some of the images are copied and pasted - both rows of Rockettes, the back buildings in the last pop-up. These're big images, so you do notice. One pop-up is bookended with photos of New York's famously lavish department store window displays, but the author's selection of displays is atypically drab, photographed as if dimmed to a brownish palette. There isn't much motion to the pop-ups - you can pull a tab to make skaters semi-glide, and the Rockettes kick a little bit. The author also cracks a couple "heh, heh, WOMEN, eh, boys?" comments in passing. They're very slight, almost too slight to mention, but - dude. This is a pop-up book. On CHRISTMAS. Leave the agenda at home.

Also frustrating - the text tantalizingly alludes to but never shows a number of intriguing and surely awe-inspiring sights, presumably because the author wants you to come and see them for yourself. (He opens the book with an account of how awed and changed his Midwestern family was by their New York City Christmas visit, and he chats up landmarks as if he's selling them, not spinning yarns for an already-curious audience.) Don't tell me about the three-story-high lit-up snowflake on 57th Street or the laser light show in the roof of Grand Central if I'm not going to SEE them, darn it.

I go on and on about the flaws, but the bottom line - you want nice pop-up tableaux, you've got six of them, well-chosen and -painted. At $35, it is overpriced; I wouldn't pay over $30. It's not in the league of "The New York Pop-up Book", to which it will be inevitably seen as a companion, but it's an enjoyable, if more conventional, addition to your Christmas.

Beautiful NYC at Christmas.......2007-01-21

This book is so spectacular I can't even describe it. Buy it for yourself if you can't think of someone to buy for. People will love it!

Christmas in New York: A Pop-Up Book .......2007-01-15

We purchased this item for a pop-up book collector in our family. She was very pleased with it.

Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters (Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner)

Average customer rating:

Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters
ONE OF THE BEST IF HAVE READ ON THE SUBJECT
Despite your fears, this book is pure gold
Beautifully illustrated and passionate.

Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters (Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner)
Pat McKissack , Fredrick McKissack , and John Thompson
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0590430270

Book Description

The year is 1859, and it's Christmastime on a Virginia Plantation. The slaves are cleaning and setting up the Big House--where their masters live--for the festivities. The Big House is filled with warmth, colorful decorations, and yummy food...but there is talk of war and a sense that times may be changing. In the quarters--where the slaves live--conditions are poor, dirty, and cold, but the slaves are filled with hope for better times ahead, and they sing songs of freedom.Moving deftly between two worlds, this beautifully illustrated book is a historical tale as well as a holiday treat.

Customer Reviews:

Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters.......2007-05-14

My five star rating comes with a single caveat: I don't believe this book, or any discussion of slavery, is appropriate for fourth graders, as has been suggested. This is a really well-done book, but despite the fact that it is a picture book, I feel it is better suited to grades 6-8, perhaps the occasional mature 5th grader. The topic is a painful one, especially if you are talking to large numbers of African-American children whose far-back families may well have lived in the quarters (kids like my history students). The thing I love about this book is that it doesn't try to present the slaves as essentially happy and festive, which is how they were depicted when I was growing up in the '60s. Instead, it is understood that they endure their position only because it is strategically the wrong moment to rise up and resist; you don't get the feeling these folks would really mind seeing the owners drop dead in their Christmas feast, but it isn't possible to make that happen right now, so they make the best of a bad situation, but only for the moment. The cluelessness of the white owners is beautifully rendered. That said, if you are shopping for a Christmas book to read with your young child at Christmas time to get that glowing, good-all-over feeling, this isn't the book you are looking for. Save this one for a serious discussion of slavery and the American Civil War.

ONE OF THE BEST IF HAVE READ ON THE SUBJECT.......2006-10-01

This is quite a fascinating book. Like another reviewer here, when I received this work I groaned inwardly, particularly when I noted the cover. I should have listened to the old saying "never judge a book by it's cover." This hold very true with this work. The book is the story of and a comparison of Christmas in the old south and how the folks in the "Big House" celebrated in contrast with the folks in the slave quarters. I found this work to bee extremely historically accurate. Social issues are meet head on with little or no surgar coating. The art work in this book is worth many more times the price of the book. It is truely well done. The only critical thing I might have to say here is that everything was depicted as rather clean and neat, a little too perfect. This includes the white owners living quarters and dress along with those of the slave. Things just were not that nice in those days. Other than that, I felt this was a very, very good work. I did enjoy the various recipes, discriptions of customs and songs. All in all, recommend this one highly.

Despite your fears, this book is pure gold.......2003-12-22

This book describes the customs, recipes, poems, and songs used to celebrate Christmas in the big plantation houses and in the slave quarters just before the Civil War. I was filled with great trepidation after seeing the cover of this book. It was a relief to me to find that, fortunately, the text was respectful and historically accurate. But observe, as I did, this cover. We know, after reading the book, that this picture symbolizes the rare moment when the slaves were invited into the "Big House", or home of the white slave owners, to view the Christmas trimming. Yet it cuts too closely to the ancient inaccurate image of plantation owners and their "happy" slaves (ala Gone With the Wind) for the casual person browsing this cover. The back cover does little to alleviate this fear, showing a scene of black children skipping merrily with a white child. Inside, however, the authors deal deftly with the subject. Making it very very clear that certain positive traits exhibited by the slave owners during Christmas towards their slaves were the exception and not the rule, the book gives carefully annotated scenes from the lives of white plantation owners and slaves. The pictures accompanying the text are, most times, beautifully presented. There is a shot of a bonfire that is one of the most impressive drawings I've ever seen of fire. Unfortunately, some of the models for these pictures undoubtedly suffered from hair circa 1994, since it is obviously permed to perfection in a couple scenes. Please note that the authors have a keen sense of irony that plays well. After hearing the slaves sing a song that is code for someone escaping to freedom, the plantation owner's daughter writes in her diary that the day has ended with, "the sweet sound of a happy, contented slave singing a carol". This point is not elaborated on, and is exquisite in its simplicity. The endnotes found in the back of the book, annotated per page, are excellently done. This book is a valuable part of any collection, and would read best to children a little older. Kids who read this book on their own may not catch all the references and points that the book brings up. This would pair well with Mildred Taylor's "The Well", as a before and after to the Civil War.

Beautifully illustrated and passionate........1998-12-08

This beautifully illustrated Christmas story explains the origins of many African-American Christmas traditions.

Chicago Christmas: 100 Years of Christmas Memories

Average customer rating:

A Trip Through Time
A wonderfull tribute to a great city.

Chicago Christmas: 100 Years of Christmas Memories
Jim Benes
Manufacturer: Cornerstone Press Chicago
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0940895455

Customer Reviews:

A Trip Through Time.......2000-11-28

This book takes its readers on a trip through time to visit Christmas in past years. It is filled with stories of Chicago's past - some funny, some poignant, some sad - but all entertaining.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone who loves Chicago and loves Christmas. I've bought multiple copies for gifts and would recommend it to anyone searching for a unique gift.

A wonderfull tribute to a great city........2000-11-18

Simply stated, Jim Benes did a wonderful job in putting 100 years of history in 203 pages. It brought together many great memories of Christmas Past, and allowed me to share my history with those not from this great city.

Book Description

This captivating book of recollections celebrates the holiday traditions of Appalachian families as passed from one generation to the next. Based on Foxfire students' interviews with neighbors and family members, the memories shared here are from a simpler time, when gifts were fewer but perhaps more precious, and holiday tables were laden with traditional favorites. More than just reminiscences, however, A Foxfire Christmas includes instructions for recreating many of the ornaments, toys, and recipes that make up so many family traditions, from Chicken and Dumplings to Black Walnut Cake, and from candy pulls to corn husk dolls and hand-whittled toy cars.

Customer Reviews:

Lost arts of days gone by........2007-06-07

Take your thoughts away from the commercialism of Christmas by traveling through time and re imagining how poor folks joyfully celebrated Christmas. We could learn many lessons from them.

Cozy Christmas reading!.......2007-02-10

Every Christmas, I read a book in the month of December about Christmas. This was my choice for 2006, and it really is a wonderful little book. The authors provide us with accounts from Appalachia's older folks who recall the Christmasses of their childhoods. It is almost like listening to them speak as we are told of a more innocent time in America, and the simplicity of their Christmas, which focused on the Lord. We learn about their gifts, which aren't much compared to today, their meals which sound delicious, games they played, church, and social gatherings. Recipes are included, as well. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wishes to incorporate more peace and simplicity into their Christmas season. Merry Christmas!

Outstanding........1998-07-12

This book along with the nine preceding this one, should be required reading for anyone interested in the day to day living of early days in the south.

Average customer rating:

A wonderful Christmas book

An Irish Country Christmas
Alice Taylor
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312135238

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A wonderful Christmas book.......1999-11-23

This is my favorite book about Christmas. Ms. Taylor makes you feel like you are part of her Irish family, and makes Christmas in Ireland seem like a very special place.

Average customer rating:

Merry Christmas Mr. Larry
Larry Hollingworth
Manufacturer: William Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0434002909

Felicity's Surprise: A Christmas Story (American Girls Collection)

Average customer rating:

Felicity's Surprise
One great book.
Wonderful Christmas Story
Great, as Usual
Great Historical Book!

Felicity's Surprise: A Christmas Story (American Girls Collection)
Valerie Tripp , Vignettes Luann Roberts , and Keith Skeen
Manufacturer: American Girl
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1562470108

Customer Reviews:

Felicity's Surprise.......2007-04-25

How would you like to read a book from 1774?
It involves a girl named Felicity, an apprentice named Ben, Her mom and dad and also some of Felicity's friends. You will see how not only Felicity, but the whole family works together to do something special for Felicity.
A spunky spiritedly colonial girl, full of energy and independence is invited to a very important Christmas ball. A ball that most girls don't get to go to .She needs something to wear though. She knows she can't just go to the ball wearing her grubby dress. So Felicity has her mom make the dress. Something bad happens to her mom though. I can't tell you what happens though. If you like books with adventure and horses and balls than you will like this book.

One great book........2005-05-11

Felicity's surpries is a great book for girls that like American
girl books.This book will give you a good picture in your head about what is happing.This is a really good book around Christmas time,because it is a Christmas story.Felicity's Suprprise is about when she gets invited to a dance lesson at the palace. I hope you enjoy it .It is a grat book.

Wonderful Christmas Story.......2002-03-20

The Christmas story is about a young girl growing up in colonial times. Felicity is extremely excited about her invitation to attend a dancing lesson at the Governor's Palace. It is every young girls dream to be there, and Felicity has received this wonderful honor. Felicity wants the most beautiful dress to wear, like the one on her fashion doll. Knowing how much it costs and that her family is very poor she wants it anyway. Her mother promises Felicity the dress. The plan was for her mother to make the gown by hand. However Felicity's mother become very ill. Felicity is worried that her dress will not be completed on time, and she is ashamed for being disappointed about the dress when her mom is sick. On the night of the dance when Felicity has come to realize that she would not go her mother gives her a wonderful surprise. She had found strength to finish the dress that was her daughters Christmas wish. Felicity is the most beautiful girl at the party and realizes that dreams do come true.
I believe that Tripp gave a wonderful representation of that the colonial times was like. She represented Felicity very realistically. Any girl in her palace would be disappointed if she could not go to the party, yet feel a sad burden that the mother is sick as well. Felicity hoped for a miracle simply that her mother would get better not even thinking of her own wish for a completed dress and ended up getting both wishes.
I loved the American Girl books growing up specifically Felicity's stories. I am amazed that Tripp can grab children's attention book after book. And you learn so much about the time period in the process of reading. I enjoyed reading this book again.

Great, as Usual.......2002-02-22

American Girl books are great, this one included. Felicity's fear when her mother becomes sick let us realize how feelings for what is really important to us - family members, a feeling of security, friendship - haven't change a lot since Revolutionary days, both in America and worldwhile. What changes is how we live the everyday life - we drive cars and not carts, at school we learn science and not how to serve tea... Just one question, how long will we have to wait for a Native American Girl, and for a Jewish American Girl?

Great Historical Book!.......2000-05-14

I read this book because I was learning about the American Revolution in class. This is a very touching book that anyone can enjoy. Learn about Felicity's dream doll at the store that she wished to get, the dance she was invited to by the mayor, the disease that her mother had. I really enjoyed this book because of the wonderfully illustrated pictures and the great story. In fact, all of the Felicity books are "da bomb"!

Average customer rating:

Facts, Activities, and Recipes Perfect for Christmas

Christmas USA
Mary D. Lankford
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0688150128
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Book Description

From the snow and mistletoe of New England to the festival lights of the Southwest, Christmas across the USA is celebrated with many rich and meaningful traditions. Whether it's foresting Christmas trees in Wisconsin, taking an elk sleigh ride in Wyoming, or decorating a gingerbread cottage in the White House, the nation's favorite holiday has something for everyone.

Here the creators of Christmas Around the World present a collection of American Christmas traditions and history that will fill your heart with the joy of the season. With fun facts, crafts, and recipes, they treat you to a nationwide Yuletide celebration and offer many tips and suggestions for creating heartwarming memories for your own family and friends.

Customer Reviews:

Facts, Activities, and Recipes Perfect for Christmas.......2007-05-14

CHRISTMAS USA is more than just a book of facts. Although the author has broken up the United States into several parts--Northeast, Southeast, Great Lakes, Plains, Southwest, Mountain, and Pacific--this is a book perfect for children and adults alike, regardless of where in the USA you reside. Filled with such interesting facts as when Christmas trees became part of the US tradition, when Christmas was first declared a legal holiday, and which US President instituted an offical tree in the White House, CHRISTMAS USA presents these facts in a fun, interesting way.

It's not just a book of facts, though. It's also filled with hands-on activities such as how to make a Christmas Journal, making your own Christmas cards, how to make cranberry or popcorn garland, easy directions for cookie Christmas tree ornaments, and creating a pomander and cascarones. It also includes some tasty, easy-to-follow recipes for aniseed cookies, nut crescents, and scripture cake, to name a few.

This is a great book to share with your children. Not only will they learn about different holiday customs and traditions around the US, but they'll be able to follow the easy instructions for the crafts and activities and, with adult supervision, might even be able to whip up some yummy holiday treats for the whole family!

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