Gregor and the Code of Claw (Underland Chronicles, Book 5)

Average customer rating:

the best

Wonderful Conclusion

Another outstanding, riveting Gregor fantasy.

The last Gregor

THE MOST IMPORTANT REVIEW

Gregor and the Code of Claw (Underland Chronicles, Book 5)
Suzanne Collins
Manufacturer: Scholastic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic | Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Family Life | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Children's Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Gregor And The Marks Of Secret (Underland Chronicles)

Gregor And The Curse Of The Warmbloods (Underland Chronicles)

The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3)

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (The Underland Chronicles, Book 2)

Charlie Bone and The Beast (Children Of The Red King, Book 6)

ASIN: 043979143X

Customer Reviews:

the best.......2007-10-18

This is the best book I have ever read it is dramatic with lots of action. Each chapter make you wonder and is hard to stop reading. If you like action and a tiny bit of love that will make you cry from happieness then get this book!!!!

Wonderful Conclusion.......2007-07-10

This book wrapped up many things in the Underland and ended this fantastic series adequately. With the warrior's death prophesized and an impending doom on gregor and all of the underland this book captured emotion through suspence, action, and saying goodbye, whilling to sacrifice for the ones you love. To be honest every time gregor said goodbye to one of his friends I cried, just knowing he'd accepted that he was going to die made tears come to my eyes. The only reason I gave this book four stars was because of the ending, how he just decided to leave, what about Luxa?? HELLO??

But other than that I thought it was a great book that wrapped up the story with style. I am going to miss this series.

Another outstanding, riveting Gregor fantasy........2007-07-10

Suzanne Collins' GREGOR AND THE CODE OF CLAW presents the fifth in the Underland Chronicles': prior familiarity with the other adventures will lend a satisfying uniformity to this story of Gregor, who finds out the prophecy fortells his death - and the time is coming to face off an army of rats. Somehow Gregor must defend his home and get his family home safely; and key to this and his survival is a code which must be cracked and a war which will change his world. Another outstanding, riveting Gregor fantasy.

The last Gregor.......2007-06-08

I've read all the books in the series and read through this one in 2 days. It does a great job of wrapping everything up. The battle scenes were quite a bit more graphic than in the other books, which disturbed me a little, and a few events were not what I "wanted" for the characters, but overall it was a very logical and good way to end the series. I especially liked how Suzanne Collins addressed all the characters introduced throughout the other 4 books. This is a definite "must read" for any fan of the series.

THE MOST IMPORTANT REVIEW.......2007-05-25

Look people I'm nopt here to ruin the book but you can ovbiously tell what happens at the end. When gregor defeats the bane he goes back thinking he is dead but NO WAY. He is very alive very sore but alive many things happen between that time and the time he has to leave. Everyone who has read the 4th book knows that gregor has the hots for luxa. And when it is parting time they are both very sad. Gregor family flys off with luxa and she sees her first glimpse of the overland. Gregor kisses her goodbye and say farwell forever. He goes home depressed that the people he love are gone. He then talks to himself he convinces himsself that he does not belong in the overland he says he does not belong anywhere. So he has a nightmere the night before about how Henry died exept gregor was in Henries situation and he hit the bottom and died. He woke up frightend expecting someone to be there comforting him but knowone was there. The next day he goes the the museum to see the thing that had helped him exept the fact that he was going to die and wanted it to comfort him now. He arrives and sees the stone soldier could not comfort him anymore the soldier had tought him how to die now he needed someone to teach him how to live. Surprisingly he does not find anyone to teach him how to live unless you look really closely and read the last chapter like 10 times. Its everyone he knows is the people that have to teach him how to live boots lizzie his mom, dad mrs.cormaci anyone who has helped in the journeis through the underland do read this unless you can handle the suspense of needing another book and there not being one. When the tragic book ended i wished i hadnt even started the series if i had known how bad it was going to end adn I am 13 not like 9 i feel very sad from what happend and i think we should like beg her to write new ones so whoever is reading this come to this page and find her email or her address and we will email her until she writes another book it left me heartbroken do not read it unlkess you can handle the suspense and the sadness.

O'Malley Chronicles, Volume 2 (O'Malley Series)

Average customer rating:

Great book
O'Malley Chronicles,Vol 2
O'Malley Chronicles, Volume 2
O'Mally Chronicles Volume 2

O'Malley Chronicles, Volume 2 (O'Malley Series)
Dee Henderson
Manufacturer: Multnomah Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Romance | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Regency | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books

Romantic Suspense | Romance | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Mystery & Thriller Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Romance Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1590524306
Release Date: 2004-10-27

Book Description

Three Bestselling Novels in One Volume The O'Malley Chronicles Volume 2 represents the final three stories of Dee Henderson's bestselling O'Malley series. The Protector, Book 4 - When an arsonist begins targeting his district, his shift, his friends, firefighter Jack O'Malley faces the ultimate challenge: protecting the one lady who encountered the arsonist before she pays an even higher price... The Healer, Book 5 - When a school shooting rips through her community, trauma psychologist Rachel O'Malley must find the child who saw the shooting...and locate the missing gun. The Rescuer, Book 6 - Stephen O'Malley is a paramedic who has rescued people all his life. But he'll never forget this night: a kidnapping, a storm, and a race to rescue the woman he loves...

Customer Reviews:

Great book.......2007-07-20

I love Dee Henderson. These are great books focusing on a patched together family. Lots of action, simple faith message, not overdone. Definitely fiction...wouldn't mistake it for real life, but I enjoy a book that gets me away from real stresses.

O'Malley Chronicles,Vol 2.......2006-06-28

I loved it. Will try to get all of her books.

O'Malley Chronicles, Volume 2.......2005-09-09

I think it is great having three books in one book. It makes it easier to read. I loved the books in this volume, although they were a little less suspensful than those in the first volume. Except for The Rescuer, these books where more of love stories than suspense. But I still loved them and would recommend them to anyone.

O'Mally Chronicles Volume 2.......2005-08-04

This is the last 3 books about the O'Malley's. This book follows the younget of the adults but they all seem to go in and out of each others lives just like a reqular family. They are easy to read and to follow but their lives. They are all looking for something and at the end they find it.

The Ironwood Tree (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 4)

Average customer rating:

The Ironwood Tree (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 4)
Series improves as it goes on.
ironwood tree
spider wick the iron wood tree book 4
AMAZING BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!

The Ironwood Tree (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 4)
Holly Black
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Twins | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Children's Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0689859392

Amazon.com

After a brief breather in book three (Lucinda's Secret), the Spiderwick Chronicles heat up with doppelgangers, then dwarves, then a dastardly double-cross, as this five-part series approaches its dramatic end.

The Grace kids (9-year-old twins Simon and Jared, and 13-year-old Mallory) might think that things have finally quieted down for them, but the nefarious faerie world has many more surprises in store. In the second chapter, titled, "IN WHICH the Grace twins are triplets," a mysterious and menacing shape-shifter shows up at Mallory's fencing match--and before Simon and Jared can suss out what's up, their sister disappears, presumably kidnapped. Eager to recover Mallory, the two descend into a strange subterranean world beneath a nearby quarry, only to find themselves prisoners and then privy to a wicked (and almost unbelievable) plan. The twins do end up tracking down Mallory, but only in very peculiar circumstances--not the least of which that she's wearing a dress.

Author Holly Black once again skillfully manages to weave in plenty of creepy details (including a bloody final chapter) without whitewashing or leaving young readers feeling too creeped out--and she gets able assistance from Tony DeTerlizzi's ever-evocative pen-and-ink drawings (especially in the looming menace of the Mulgarath). Fans of the series will have a hard time waiting for the final installment, titled fittingly, ominously, The Wrath of Mulgarath. (Ages 6 to 10) --Paul Hughes

Book Description

First a pack of vile, smelly goblins snatch Simon. Then a band of elves try to entrap Jared. Why is the entire faerie world so eager to get their hands on Spiderwick's Guide? And will the Grace kids be left alone, now that the Guide has mysteriously disappeared? Don't count on it.

At school, someone is running around pretending to be Jared, and it's not Simon. To make matters even worse, now Mallory has disappeared and something foul in the water is killing off all the plants and animals for miles around. Clues point to the old abandoned quarry, just outside of town. Dwarves have taken over an abandoned mine there. And the faerie world's abuzz with the news that a creature with plans to rule the world has offered them a gift to join with him -- he's given them a queen...

Customer Reviews:

The Ironwood Tree (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 4).......2007-01-16

We love this book. The series is so much fun. I have enjoyed it as much as my seven year old.

Series improves as it goes on........2006-12-14

Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, The Ironwood Tree (Scholastic, 2004)

The fourth installment in the Spiderwick series continues bringing the storyline together. Once again, character-building is dispensed with; the plot's the thing here, but by the fourth book in a series, you should know everything you need to know about the characters. And to be fair, you do know everything you need to know about what the main characters can do; you just haven't gotten to know them very well over the course of the series. But that's not the fault of The Ironwood Tree.

Things hit kind of a lull in the series' third book, but heat up again in The Ironwood Tree, where the Grace siblings encounter their nemesis, Mulgarath, the driving force behind all of the (unfortunate) events that have driven the series so far. Mulgarath's minions, the dwarves, have kidnapped Mallory to install as their queen, and Jared and Simon have to find a way to get her back.

As with all the Spiderwick books, the action is fast and furious, with Black's writing well-complemented by DiTerlizzi's drawings. The series is getting better as it goes on; if you'd previously given up on it, give it another try. The books are short (easily readable in one sitting), and everything points to a satisfying conclusion. *** ½

ironwood tree.......2006-12-07

I DIDN'T LIKE THIS BOOK CALLED IRONWOOD TREE IT'S AABOUT A GIRL THAT IS MISSING FROM SWORD TOURNAMENT.BECAUSE IT WAS HARD TO GET INTRESTID IN THE BOOK AND IT WAS SLOW TO READ.

spider wick the iron wood tree book 4.......2006-11-17

This is about 2 brothers going through a fantasy world to save there sister. This is a wonderful story of adventure and I think you will really enjoy it. Jared is the older brother and he is very mischievous. Chris is the younger sibling and he is just an innocent little thing. Mallory is the oldest and she is a very experienced fencer. She is kidnapped and taken to another world. That`s when Jared and Chris have to rescue her from the evil elves. Also Jared and Chris are taken as prisoners. Then they escape and rescue Mallory.

ONE of my favorite parts is "come on! I can't be late," Mallory said, smoothing her hair back unnecessarily." It's my first match "!

And my response was these few sentences really lead me to keep reading because I want to know what's going to happen next.

Just jump to the rocks, I'll give you the flash light.

I felt he said that just like it was nothing, so if he feels that way he should do it.

Mallory said shut up your so loud.

I think that's so mean and harsh to say to your own siblings.

AMAZING BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!.......2006-10-02

The spider wick chronicles have five adventures books!!!The books are about three children always getting in some trouble.There names are Jared,Mallory and Simon!!!In book four they loose there sister and have to go find her but there are dwarves procting here case!!!

The Conception Chronicles: The Uncensored Truth About Sex, Love & Marriage When You're Trying to Get Pregnant

Average customer rating:

Great for a non-medical view!
Great!
Its pretty good!
GREAT!!
Just what I needed

The Conception Chronicles: The Uncensored Truth About Sex, Love & Marriage When You're Trying to Get Pregnant
Patty Doyle Debano , Courtney Menzel , and Shelly Sutphen
Manufacturer: HCI
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Love & Romance | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Sex | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Fertility | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0757302386

Book Description

When we first started down the baby-making path, we thought we'd be pregnant in no time. We'd just toss out our birth control pills and before we knew it, we'd be rocking our little one to sleep. Little did we know what was in store for us, or the energy it would take to face all of the crazy, unpredictable and (sometimes) irrational emotions we felt along the way. Neither did our husbands. Sound familiar? If your idea of foreplay is screaming, "I'm ovulating; it's time!!!" to your oblivious husband... If your ovulation schedule is ruling your life and every trip to the drug store includes a bulk purchase of pregnancy sticks... If you're running out of answers to the chronic questioning from the pregnancy paparazzi about your plans for parenthood ... Then this is the book for you. Whether it's been three months or three years since you've been trying, the more complicated and overwhelming the process becomes. The Conception Chronicles shares candid humor, hold-nothing-back banter and practical advice on everything that goes along with trying to start a family: from dealing with your fertile friends to the battery of tests you may have to face; from surviving "sex on demand" to navigating the ins and outs of high-tech fertility treatments. This book will guide you through the emotional journey to motherhood, offering compassion and laughter like only your best girlfriends can. And we promise you'll never hear us say, "Relax and you'll be pregnant in no time."

Customer Reviews:

Great for a non-medical view!.......2007-08-16

When my husband and I first started talking about trying, I wanted a book that was going to give me a more light-hearted view of the conception process. I was pleased when I found this book! I have read most of it now, and it's informative, but keeps me laughing. If you are looking for something that will help you analyze your fertility with steps and procedures and all that medical mumbo-jumbo, this is not the book for you! The only downfall is that the last third of the book is all about infertility treatments, and doesn't fit my interests at the moment.

Great!.......2007-08-06

Thank God these women wrote this book. Until i read this I thought I was the only one experiencing some of these things or feelings. At least I know (or am reminded) there are other women out there who feel like freaks too. I would have liked to know how things turned out for them though. I did do a lot of back and forth to review things or skipped portions that didn't apply, etc. but since part of me felt like I was going through it w/ them (or them w/ me), I wish I knew how things turned out for them. But, for those of us whose girlfriends didn't have the same conception problems as us, this book was great!

Its pretty good!.......2007-06-26

This book is a really cute book and you learn about your body in a light hearted kind of way. After getting half way through the book I realized I wasn't learning anything new that I didn't already know. I really like Taking Charge of Your Fertility. Its a huge book filled of so much information and a book I can always refer to. If you want to get a book that is easy to read and you know nothing about your body and your cycles then this is the book for you.

GREAT!!.......2007-05-14

This book is smart and funny! A very candid look at the joys and struggles of trying to get pregnant!

Just what I needed.......2006-12-30

My husband and I have been trying for nearly 2 years and I was feeling quite alone in the process. This book helped me not feel so alone. There are other women out there struggling to have a child and the feeling I was having were common and normal. It gave some simple insight to the different treatments. I recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with infertility (took me a while to say that word). You aren't alone.

O'Malley Chronicles, Volume 1 (O'Malley Series)

Average customer rating:

Dee Henderson is an gifted writer
This book was awesome!
O'Malley Chronicles, Volume 1
O'Mally Chronicles Book 1
Intriguing Reading!

O'Malley Chronicles, Volume 1 (O'Malley Series)
Dee Henderson
Manufacturer: Multnomah Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Romance Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1590524292
Release Date: 2004-08-11

Book Description

The O'Malleys are a close-knit clan of seven men and women who have held together against all obstacles by depending on one another. They have each successfully taken on the challenge of a high-risk profession, heroically dealing with life-and-death situations every day. But when cancer strikes their sister Jennifer, can the family survive a crisis that threatens one of their own? The Negotiator , Book 1 FBI Agent Dave Richman never intended to fall in love with Kate O'Malley. As a hostage negotiator, Kate is willing to walk into any situation to save lives. When an airliner explodes, Kate is faced with the shocking evidence that the bomber may be someone she knows. And Dave is about to discover that loving a hostage negotiator is one thing, but protecting her is another matter entirely. The Guardian, Book 2 A federal judge has been murdered. There is only one witness, and someone wants her dead. U.S. Marshal Marcus O'Malley has been the guardian of the O'Malley family for twenty years. Now he'll have to risk everything to protect a woman being hunted by an elusive assassin. Marcus thought he knew the risks of the assignment going in...until he fell in love. The Truth Seeker, Book 3 Women are turning up dead. And when forensic pathologist Lisa O'Malley digs into the crimes, trouble is soon to follow. U.S. Marshal Quinn Diamond needs Lisa's help with an investigation, but he never planned to put her in danger. Where their cases intersect is a killer who will stop at nothing to see his secret remain buried.

Customer Reviews:

Dee Henderson is an gifted writer.......2007-01-09

I love all of Dee Henderson's books, but the O'Malley series stands out as my favorite, probably because they were the first books I read that were written by her. She is a gifted storyteller who obviously loves the Lord. I love characters that have qualities that are heroic, but also are still human. "Danger in the Shadows" is the prequel to this series and it is also a really good book. I am looking forward to reading everything that Ms. Henderson writes and wish her many happy years writing in the future!

This book was awesome!.......2006-10-10

Dee Henderson always writes the best books. These three books will really touch you in the characters struggles and triumphs. If you dont already own these books you should go out and by them. They are absolutely some of the best i have ever read.

O'Malley Chronicles, Volume 1.......2005-09-09

I love Dee Henderson and all the books in the O'Malley Series. I love the Chronicles because it made it easy for me to read all the books. I would definitely recommend these three books to everyone.

O'Mally Chronicles Book 1.......2005-08-04

There a three books in this one and it follows the lives of 7 adults who adopted one another as a family. The stories are easy to follow and it brings you in to what their jobs are. This book follows 3 of the O'Malley's but all seven are in each one. But the main charater is the most important. The are all searching for something and by the end the all find what the are looking for Christ.

Intriguing Reading!.......2005-07-07

You will want the whole series so you can go from one book to the next! I loved getting a glimpse of characters from the previous book as the story continues through the series. I appreciate that Dee keeps her characters real. They often have doubts and fears and ask God "why" just as we all do!The stories are suspenseful and wrap you up in the lives of the people portayed.
I often found my own thoughts and feelings expressed..my own questions asked..and occasionally ANSWERED! Great author..great series!

Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife

Average customer rating:

Could NOT Put it Down!
Amazing book; couldn't put it down
Hilarious!
I'm glad this book is out there
Absolutely riveting!

Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife
Peggy Vincent
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

Midwifery | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Parenting Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers

ASIN: 0743219341

Amazon.com

In a joyous, often hilarious ode to the Birkenstock-scuffling, tackle box-toting mobile midwives who flourished in the 1980s, Peggy Vincent chronicles her abundant life as a professional Baby Catcher. The wild ride begins during her nurse training years in the 1960s, when laboring women were expected to lie down, shut up, and submit to whatever drugs and procedures the doctor ordered. A rebellious patient who chants and dances through her contractions--and the hell that ensues when seasoned hospital staffers intrude--lights a permanent fire under Vincent. Her resolve to serve each laboring woman with compassion and respect carries her from obstetrics nurse to head of an alternative birth center within Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, California, and eventually into her own private practice as a licensed midwife. Like the most courageous home births, this collection of delivery experiences refuses anesthesia: plenty of bellowing, sweating, bleeding, and pushing accompany nearly all of the more than 40 tales. Tough confrontations with stubborn physicians, panicky labor partners, and one particularly nasty calico cat are dabbed with as many keen insights as Vincent's quieter, more heart-rending newborn encounters. Baby Catcher is an inspirational literary gift suitable for expectant mothers, fellow baby catchers, and anyone who loves reading about nature's greatest magical feat. --Liane Thomas

Book Description

Each time she knelt to "catch" another wriggling baby -- nearly three thousand times during her remarkable career -- California midwife Peggy Vincent paid homage to the moment when pain bows to joy and the world makes way for one more. With every birth, she encounters another woman-turned-goddess: Catherine rides out her labor in a car careening down a mountain road. Sofia spends hers trying to keep her hyper doctor-father from burning down the house. Susannah gives birth so quietly that neither husband nor midwife notice until there's a baby in the room.

More than a collection of birth stories, however, Baby Catcher is a provocative account of the difficulties that midwives face in the United States. With vivid portraits of courage, perseverance, and love, this is an impassioned call to rethink technological hospital births in favor of more individualized and profound experiences in which mothers and fathers take center stage in the timeless drama of birth.

Download Description

"She never tired of the miracle. Each time she knelt to "catch" another baby, beloved California mid-wife Peggy Vincent paid homage to the moment when pain bows to joy, one person becomes two, woman turns to goddess, and the world moves aside to make room for one more soul. Trained as a nurse at Duke University in the early 1960s, Vincent begins working in the delivery room of a local hospital in the San Francisco Bay area. Even after establishing an alternative birth center at the hospital, however, she is still frustrated with her lack of autonomy. Too often she witnesses births changing from normal to high risk because of routine obstetrical interventions. Vincent then devotes herself to creating unique birth experiences for her clients and their families. She becomes a licensed midwife, opens her own practice, and delivers nearly three thousand babies during her remarkable career. With every birth comes an unforgettable story. Each time Vincent ""catches"" a wet and wriggling baby, she encounters another memorable woman busy negotiating her unique path through the labyrinth of childbirth. Meet Catherine as she rides out her labor in a car careening down a mountain road, her husband clueless at the wheel. Megan delivers on a leaky sailboat during the storm of the decade. Susannah gives birth so quietly and effortlessly, neither husband nor midwife notice much of anything until they see a baby lying on the bed, and Sofia spends her labor trying to keep her hyper doctor-father from burning down the house. More than just a collection of birth stories, Baby Catcher is a provocative, moving, and highly personal account of the ongoing difficulties midwives face in the United States. With vivid portraits of courage, perseverance, and love, this is a passionate call to rethink today's technological hospital births in favor of a more individualized and profound experience in which mothers and fathers take the stage in the timeless drama of birth and renewal.

Customer Reviews:

Could NOT Put it Down!.......2007-10-22

I stumbled onto this book as I was purchasing my college textbooks last year. My college has a colloquium on the history/sociology of midwifery and this book had such a great cover that I just picked it up and read the first vignette about Zelda's birth experience and I just couldn't put it down. I ended up buying the book and reading it straight through in just a couple of days. I got a better idea about possible birth experiences and midwifery in the USA. After finishing it, I felt empowered about being a woman and a mother (one day). Even now, a year later, I still think back to some of the people and experiences Vincent shares.

Amazing book; couldn't put it down.......2007-08-27

I only finished this book an hour ago, after 2 solid days of nonstop reading. I've been sick, and as I neared the end of the book, I anxiously hoped I'd get well within the next few minutes because this page-turner was the only thing helping me through this horrible flu!!!

The birth stories are beautifully written; I cried when reading most of them :) There wasn't a boring moment throughout the entire book, and Peggy Vincent's own story of the legal troubles facing midwives was artfully woven in.

The book was not negative towards the medical establishment- Ms. Vincent gave examples of wonderful, informed physicians who advocated for and worked with midwives beautifully. She merely shows that there is another way to give birth, with a midwife and/or outside of a hospital, and that this experience can be one of the most awesome and fulfilling of a lifetime!

There are stories of typical as well as atypical births (where transport is required or a baby doesn't do so well), and Ms. Vincent doesn't mince words about pain, blood, mucus and complications... However, the overall feeling I had when I finished the book was one of excitement- I can't wait to have a baby of my own. What more can I say about a book that is so wonderfully written and inspiring that it makes women excited at the prospect of childbirth??

Hilarious!.......2007-08-17

This book is hilarious and touching and at times even a little sad. Her stories are shocking and amazing. Well written. You won't be able to put this book down!

I'm glad this book is out there.......2007-08-09

Bit corny, especially the first chapter but I've been waiting for a personal book written by a midwife. Easy to read and entertaining.

Absolutely riveting!.......2007-04-16

I read this book 4 years after I had my 8th and last child. It captured my absolute attention. Though, I must say this topic is a soapbox of mine. I am a 52 year old retired L&D nurse. I felt I was so aggravated by the system of American childbirth the whole time. I am very pro-midwife. It is refreshing to read of women who get wonderful care. I was frustrated as I finished the book to think that in 1986 I lived 15 mins. from Peggy Vincent and didn't know it. My husband was a Naval Officer based in Oakland. I went to a Military Hospital there because I didn't know of midwives then. I had my babies without drugs or epidurals but my care was lacking as I constantly fought the system to get what I wanted. I imagined how my birth could have been if I had known and had her come to my house. Oh well, I love you Peggy.
I now have people who want this care to read this book. One of my daughters has now had a baby using a midwife. She is due in June with her second and is paying out of pocket to see a midwife. She has re-read this book as has her husband to prepare!

Dragonwings: Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903 (Golden Mountain Chronicles)

Average customer rating:

A Good Book--4 stars
Upset
snooze fest
Dragonwings
Dragonwings

Dragonwings: Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903 (Golden Mountain Chronicles)
Laurence Yep
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Historical Fiction | History & Historical Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books

Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0064400859
Release Date: 2001-01-23

Book Description

Will Windrider
take to the skies?

Moon shadow is eight years old when he sails from China to join his father, Windrider, in America. Windrider lives in San Francisco and makes his living doing laundry. Father and son have never met.

But Moon Shadow grows to love and respect his father and to believe in his wonderful dream. And Windrider, with Moon Shadow's help is willing to endure the mockery of the other Chinese, the poverty, the separation from his wife and country'even the great earthquake'to make his dream come true.

Customer Reviews:

A Good Book--4 stars.......2007-04-27

Dragonwings is a good book to read because you have a good feeling to know someone's dream came true, like Moonshadow's father's dream. Moonshadow is a young man. When he was just eight years old, he had a chance to join his father who he had never seen before in the United States. He went through a difficult time passing immigration. This book talks about how Chinese people settled down in Chinatown and the experience in 1906 with the big earthquake in San Francisco, and then how Moonshadow and his father relocated to Oakland. Moonshadow's father is a good kite maker, and he has a fabulous dream to make a flying machine. Moon Shadow writes a letter to the Wrights telling them how his father likes to fly too, and wishes they can help him. The father's dream came true when he made a flying machine in 1909. Lawrence Yep's historical novels shows rich traditions and the culture of the Chinese community. I will recommend this book to people who are American born Chinese because they can learn from this book about how difficult it was for their ancesters to get into this country, and how they worked so hard and how they survived in white society, so they will appreciate them. Overall it is a good book to read, I just have some words that were hard to understand for me, maybe because they are too old fashioned.

Upset.......2007-04-18

I was honestly upset with this book not as good as i thought it would be, I mean the story was just boring overall.The only thing I thought was interesting that they used kites and I would be curious to ask the author why.

snooze fest.......2007-02-22

horrible
I am 13 years old and I hate this book
we read it in english class this year. About two people actually fell asleep reading it in 5th period. Really boring. There was one exciting part to the story. The names are hard to keep track of. I also don't like the fact that all throughout this book the boy refers to the white men as "demons". At first I thought the book was suposed to teach a lesson. But in the end it didn't
don't buy this book

Dragonwings.......2006-11-30

Wow,this is the best book I've ever read in years.This book starts off with a boy named Moonshadow,Moonshadows mom,and grandmother.They are in there farm allways workinging in the farm and not having any fun.
Moonshadow always wonders how the goldenmountains (America)looks like.When Moonshadow visits the goldenmountains and finds his dad there.The white demons (white people) are mean to the chinamen and all yhey care about is themselves.

Dragonwings.......2006-05-25

Moonshadow starts out as a shy little boy who lives in China who was curious about The Land of the Golden Mountain (America). Men from China would go to America in search for a better life. This is what Moonshadow's father did. One day Moonshadow was told that he had to choose between either staying in China and never knowing his father or being taken to his father in The Land of the Golden Mountain, he chose to leave. On the boat he was very frightened because he heard the older men telling stories of how they were almost tortured in America which did not make it any easier for Moonshadow to leave China. When he arrives he encounters a couple of "scary" things before they get to where he will be staying. Everyone with the last name of Lee works in a Laundry Shop, which is owned by Uncle Bright Star and White Deer. Moonshadow is greeted with Demon (white people) clothing. He already doesn't like what he sees. Moon shadow faces many difficulties such as being mugged, robbed, being picked on and racism through out the whole story. Towards the end of the story Moonshadow's father Windrider discovers that he wants to peruse his dream and he will need Moonshadow's help to achieve that dream. When he tells everyone that he will be moving out they are hurt and angry. They live by a white demoness and her niece, Miss. Whitlaw and Robin. While they are living there Windrider works as a handy man for Mr. Alger. Everything is perfect until the Earthquake comes. Miss. Whitlaw and Robin, Moonshadow and Windrider have to separate. It is up to Moonshadow to take over there new house because father is working on his dream but, will he finish in time and will it work? You find out!

The Seeing Stone (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 2)

Average customer rating:

Good but too short
Warning to cat lovers
"They Didn't Say Why. They Just Wanted It..."
The Seeing Stone Book 2
Great book

The Seeing Stone (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 2)
Holly Black
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0689859376

Amazon.com

In the Spiderwick Chronicles' second book, things get even more exciting--and kind of scary--for the Grace kids, as the strange faerie world hinted at in The Field Guide blooms to full life around them.

After making tentative peace with Thimbletack (a coveralled house brownie who's "the size of a pencil"), Jared chooses to ignore the creature's pleas that he destroy his great-great-uncle's mysterious tome, Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You. Thimbletack warns, "You kept the book despite my advice./Sooner or later there'll be a price." Sure enough, the brownie soon sniffs out a "fell smell in the air," and the disappearance of Simon's new cat starts to make sense. And if the chapter titled "IN WHICH Mallory Finally Gets to Put Her Rapier to Good Use" doesn't get your heart racing as fast as the kids', just wait till you get a load of the troll. ("Cooome baaack. I haaave something for youuu.")

The series' already-fast pace picks up quickly in the second installment, and we can begin to imagine what other sorts of trouble these three will turn up as they learn the rules to this odd (and dangerous) new world--while, of course, trying to explain away the strange goings-on to their mother. Next up, book three, Lucinda's Secret. (What's her secret? I want to know. Now! (Ages 6 to 10) --Paul Hughes

Book Description

we said no
still you looked
now instead

someone gets cooked

Customer Reviews:

Good but too short.......2007-10-19

The second installment of the 'Spiderwick Chronicles' is again very good.
It has an engaging story, good characters and interesting ideas, as well as excellent illustrations. Probably deserving of four stars, but it's just too short. I really don't see the need to separate the story into five small books. I can see if they were catering to very young readers, but with a storyline involving family pets being roasted and eaten by goblins the target audience has to be 9-12 year olds not 5-8 year olds.
Anyways well worth reading, but the series probably needs to be read all at once- at least for adult readers

Warning to cat lovers.......2007-08-08

The Seeing Stone, like its predecessor, is a very short book. It took me roughly 20 minutes to start and finish this book. For younger readers, this is pretty ideal since many children are intimidated by longer books. Unfortunately, I thought the drawings of a cat roasting over a fire, along with mention of eating cats, kittens, and various other small creatures, to be more than a little disturbing. My family loves cats, and even though there's nothing very graphic in this book, both of my children (10 and 12) felt upset about the drawings and descriptions.

Otherwise, my kids enjoy these quick-read books.

"They Didn't Say Why. They Just Wanted It...".......2007-07-20

This is the second of five books in "The Spiderwick Chronicles," and although it has since been released in a boxed set: The Spiderwick Chronicles (Boxed Set): The Field Guide; The Seeing Stone; Lucinda's Secret; The Ironwood Tree; The Wrath of Mulgrath, you can apparently still buy the books singularly. If you get one, you really need the whole set, so if you're interested, I'd jump straight from this review to the link provided. However, I thought I'd still do a review for those who buy them separately for whatever reason.

Created by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, "The Spiderwick Chronicles" make up a great little set of stories that deals with the experiences of the Grace children - Mallory, and the twins Simon and Jared, who move with their recently-divorced mother into the Spiderwick Estate. As they soon discover, the house and grounds are infested with faeries, and with the help of Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You (Spiderwick Chronicles) (found in a secret library), the three siblings must deal with the often-dangerous inhabitants that they share their house with. Treated as an adaptation of real-life occurrences (each book begins with a copy of a letter signed by the "real" Grace children, and includes other bits of evidence citing the story's authenticity throughout), Black draws on a range of fairytales and folklore in order to give the activities that the children and the assortment of faeries get up to a sense of resonance.

This being the second book, Black can skip the introductions and backstory, and jump straight into the action. Jared is fascinated by the Field Guide and the information it has to offer him, although his twin and older sister are less keen on the idea of keeping it - because the faeries are unhappy at a mortal having access to their secrets, they consider it too dangerous to keep around. But for Jared, the book is giving him a much-needed sense of purpose, and he's loath to part from it.

However, then things take a turn for the worst when Simon is snatched by goblins after the Field Guide (a Grace family member is kidnapped by the faeries in practically every book, and Simon is the first to go). Guided by clues in the Guide, Jared acquires a seeing stone from the house-brownie Thimbletack, a stone with a naturally-bored hole in the middle that has been designed to strap around his head. Through it, he can see the faeries (Black never adequately explains how he and his siblings can see Thimbletack without it) and he and Mallory take to the woods to save their brother - and on the way they outwit a troll, meet Hogsqueal the hobgoblin (one of the series' best characters) and learn more about Arthur Spiderwick, the author of the Guide and original inhabitant of the house.

A warning for parents: these series deal with the dark side of the faerie world, harking back to a time when fairytales were for grownups and could often deal with some pretty grisly stuff. Therefore, be prepared for a pet cat getting roasted over an open fire and a rather scary-looking troll - of course, all this is what I appreciate most about the series, but you might want to censor these books if your little darlings are sensitive to this sort of thing.

"The Seeing Stone" is followed by Lucinda's Secret (Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 3), the typical middle-installment that deals with answering questions and mysteries before heading into the action-packed final installments: The Ironwood Tree (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 4) and The Wrath of Mulgarath (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 5).

The Seeing Stone Book 2.......2007-02-28

The Seeing Stone takes place in the Aunt's house of 3 people named Jared, Mallory, and Simon. This exciting story had goblins, creatures, monsters, and trolls. Simon and Mallory went to look for Jared, who was missing, and the adventures begin. Jared finds a magical stone wrapped in newspaper in an old box, and he gives it to Simon. The goblins want this stone, and they think Jared still has it . Jared gets kidnapped and put in a cage. This magical stone lets you see things that no one else can see. Simon and Mallory end up rescuing Jared, and they return home. They all get grounded at the end of the story by their mother because she was worried about them being out so late. I recommend this book to everybody.

Great book.......2006-12-19

The book I am reviewing is the Seeing Stone. By Tony Diterlizzi and Holly Black. It is one of the Spiderwick chronicles. Three kids Mallory, Simon, Jared go on an adventure that is far away from the Spider Wick Estate. When the three kids go outside and Simon falls behind, he gets captured by trolls. When Mallory and Jared find out that Simon gets kidnapped they gear up in gadgets that they find in Arthur Spiderwick's barn. When Jared looks in one of the draws in the barn he finds a weird stone. That lets him see things other people can't see. I'd recommend this book to everybody in the world because it's a fun book.

Average customer rating:

Ada, our ardors and arbors
Rich Characters
"by turns ecstatic and esoteric..."
huge fan of most V.N. but not this!
Life is somewhere else

Ada, or Ardor: A Family Chronicle
Vladimir Nabokov
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0679725229
Release Date: 1990-02-19

Book Description

Published two weeks after his seventieth birthday, Ada, or Ardor is one of Nabokov's greatest masterpieces, the glorious culmination of his career as a novelist. It tells a love story troubled by incest. But more: it is also at once a fairy tale, epic, philosophical treatise on the nature of time, parody of the history of the novel, and erotic catalogue. Ada, or Ardor is no less than the supreme work of an imagination at white heat.

This is the first American edition to include the extensive and ingeniously sardonic appendix by the author, written under the anagrammatic pseudonym Vivian Darkbloom.

Customer Reviews:

Ada, our ardors and arbors.......2007-05-24

"Ada, or Ardor: A Family Chronicle", Nabokov's longest novel, is also, indisputably, his most involute. Without having read his entire oeuvre (nearly half-way through!) I can still assert this with confidence - and I'm sure most Nabokov fans would concur. Those who have read "Lolita" or "Pale Fire" will already be aware of the density of his writing, his penchant for allusions, puns, his rouguish tendency to deceive the reader. Some readers object to this; they like their prose "simple and sincere", easy to digest, as straightforward as possible. I would advise such readers to stay far, far away from this book.

I must concede, my first attempt wasn't a success. I got about half-way through before slamming it down in a frenzied rage (as I am wont to do). It was exhausting. "Nabokov has gone too far," I remember saying. But a few weeks later I had the strange urge to return to it, as if summoned by the characters. I'm glad I did - I'm glad they did.

Even for the Nabokov aficionado, accustomed to the density, "Ada..." proves startlingly abstruse. The first fifty pages in particular - in which he focuses on the genealogy of the family (the prefatory family tree is indispensible) and the Terra/Antiterra business - are apt to bewilder and discourage the ardent reader. It does then become less challenging, as the protagonist and "writer" of the book, Van Veen, travels to Ardis, the magnificent New England manor, where he meets and falls in love with his cousin (whom we discover, in the first chapter, is actually his sister). Their life-long love affair is persistently condemned and thwarted. But keep in mind that Nabokov himself isn't interested in condemning or advocating incest. As he said in an interview: "Actually I don't give a damn for incest one way or another. I merely like the 'bl' sound in siblings, bloom, blue, bliss, sable."

But the book is more than a 600-page cornucopia of enticing allusions and puns. It is an astonishing paean to memory, love and imagination. The prominent criticism of Nabokov's work is that he is so over-concerned with stylistics that his novels lack depth or poignancy (ugly word, but apt!). This accusation is not wholly unjust - at times he goes overboard; maybe he'd even admit that himself - but when he's at his best, Nabokov is unparalleled (well, nearly), both in emotional and aesthetic literary perfection.

I couldn't say that "Ada..." was Nabokov's greatest achievement - "Lolita" remains for me his total masterpiece - but this may well change upon rereading the book, which I most certainly will do.

Rich Characters.......2007-05-14

Lots going on here: great descriptions, complicated characters, interesting combinattion between historic and fictional period.

"by turns ecstatic and esoteric...".......2007-02-15

I haven't read Lolita, and am now somewhat mystified by my decision to begin reading Nabokov with Ada, his longest and arguably most complex work. The narrative is extraordinarily rich, not so much a generational saga (as the subtitle, "A Family Chronicle" suggests) but the measured, persistently vivacious pulse of a lifelong love affair between the novel's principal characters and narrators, Van and Ada.

Ada and Van are remarkable in their unfolding complexity, their abundances and deficiencies, their engaging humanness. Their lives are saturated with the sensual joys of sex and nature, a fullness that also includes the pleasures of language and literature. For me this is one of the most rewarding aspects of the novel, the warm embrace of the body and the mind in a celebratory vision of the world. And because the book is a memoir narrated by Van, with additions by Ada, the novel also functions as an exploration of memory, time, meaning and signifigance.

The prose is by turns ecstatic and esoteric, rapturously lucid and inscrutably convoluted. This is due, in part, to the novel and it's characters being tri-lingual, with substantial portions of dialogue written in a tumbling mixture of English, French and Russian. But the text itself is effusive and complicated, riddled with continuous verbal and thematic puns, allusions to Russian literature, ironical references and other demonstrations of cleverness, only a few of which are selectively explained (or further complicated) by 16 pages of accompanying endnotes.

Because the book is narrated by Van --"vain Van Veen"-- a certain amount of such embelishment and playful pretension is natural, even amusing. Nabokov seems to be extending his celebration of fullness through the size and complexity of the book itself. However, this tri-lingual density holds readers at a certain distance, and begins to feel more like the indulgences of a self-congratulating wordsmith than the craft of a gifted and sensitive writer. For this reader, it made for a somewhat long slog...

(3.5 stars)

huge fan of most V.N. but not this!.......2006-07-16

mon, i have de PHD in de comparative literature (true!) & my favorite novels be de "Lolita" & de "Pale Fire"; i have read ALL
Nabokov--& a number of de texts multiple times, mon. excepting dis piece of...unmitigated indulgence...perhaps N. was too close to de material. i no know. remember udder of me heroes--VS Naipaul & Paul Theroux--agreeing that NO ONE HAS READ THIS NOVEL. dees odder people be lying tru der teef, mon, if dey say dey made it tru dis turgid murk of a mucky-sloppy morass. avoidski, kiddies.
mon, havlf way tru de novel i realize "i couldn't possibly care less 'bout dees oafs, dees pawns in de hands of yes, de master, my favorite novelist, Vladimir... it truly an excercise in solipsism, mon"

Life is somewhere else .......2006-07-11

"Lolita" is Vladmir Nabokov's most famous book - but those who are able to read his "Ada or Ardor" that may not be his best. It is actually hard to pick one of them. Both novels are superbly written and unforgettable for different reasons. It seems to most readers that "Lolita" is easier to read, the plot is easier to follow and so is time and place. "Ada or Ardor" requires more attention, more ability to untie our bounds to reality and exploit an unknown world, as if life is not here, but in another place.

This place has a name, it is called Antiterra, and this is where narrative is set. `Where it is' is not the proper question - but reader should wonder what it is. And it requires quite a complex answer, that may take the whole book. Therefore, one should stop wondering and dive beneath the surface of the narrative, and get acquired with its characters. "Ada or Ardor" starts with an interesting quotation that could be from Tolstoy's "Anna Kariênina", but it is not. From the on, the narrator - and the reader, as consequence - starts to investigates the effects of memory and passion in the life of the characters - mostly Van, the main one, who falls in love with Ada, his cousin.

With "Ada or Ardor", Nabokov is dealing with the terrain where Proust is the king: memory. But in his version of a character trying to regain the lost time, Nabokov is also a master of language, narrative and effect. This novel is one of the most complex that readers can find in English - or any language, for that matter. There is a plot to follow, but it is the least important qualities when it comes to this narrative. The writer is more concerned with bringing his characters memories to life. And so he does with charm, intelligence and beauty.

Nabokov relation to the language is very peculiar. He has the ability to transform poetry into prose without making it read like pretentious. As a matter of fact, his superb language becomes vital to the narrative that unfolds slowly, on its own speed. This is when readers have to forget what they've experience with another books and let Nabokov's narrator conduce them to an unknown world, where earthy moral, judgments, feelings and relationships are not the law.

"Ada or Ardor" is more than a book, it is a complex and unforgettable reading experience. Its themes may cause strangeness, and the way Naobokov deals with them may disturb readers and leave others open-mouthed - but never indifferent. Since we are living an age where it is rare to book cause any commotion, "Ada or Ardor" stands as a unique piece that can cause the strongest feelings in its readers.

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (The Underland Chronicles, Book 2)

Average customer rating:

Not a fantastic sequel, but its adequate.
World Below New York City
Another big hit!
"Die the Baby, Die His Heart, Die His Most Essential Part"
Tragedy

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (The Underland Chronicles, Book 2)
Suzanne Collins
Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0439650763

Book Description

Gregor learns of his role in another Underland prophecy, yet he swears he will never return to that place. But his vow crumbles when his little sister, Boots, is snatched. Gregor knows it is a ploy to lure him to the subterranean world, but he gives in and heads back underground, where he is reunited with his bat, Ares, the princess Luxa, and new allies. Together, they descend into the deadly Waterway in search of an ominous rat known as Bane. But Gregor must face the possibility of his greatest loss yet, and make life and death choices that will determine the future of the Underland.

Customer Reviews:

Not a fantastic sequel, but its adequate. .......2007-09-21

I really loved the first book in this series, and I was excited to read the second one "prophecy of the bane" I have to admit that I didn't like this one as much.
In the first, Gregor returns after going on his quest to save the underlanders and their world. We met the Giant Bats, and Rats, and Roaches and are taken for an amazing journey under the streets of New York City. In this book Gregor is back home, where things are miserable, so he takes his toddler sister Boots to the park where she is kidnapped by the giant roaches. Of course Gregor follows her down and he finds out that the Underlanders took her to protect her from the Rats, and that lo and behold there is another prophecy concerning Gregor and he has to yet again save Regalia from the Rats, well a particular rat called the Bane. This mythical rat is supposedly all white and will lead the rats to destroy the underlanders unless Gregor kills it. Not once did Gregor say "hello underlanders you knew there were other prophecies the last time I was here why didn't you tell me!" No, the underlanders resort to kidnapping poor Boots to get Gregor back down!
So Gregor trains to fight, and realizes that he has superhuman reflexes, he is a "Rager" but no where in this book does this skill come into play, maybe the next? Gregor and his merry band of fireflies (to light the way), underlanders, roaches, Bats, and rats set out to kill the Bane in a boat. There is one new character, TwitchTip, who is a rat with a talent to smell things. She can smell what color shirt you are wearing miles away, which way to turn in a tunnel, what dangers are up ahead. I loved her; she was the best part of this book, wonderfully written. The best part to me is when she was stuffing cotton up her nose so she didn't have to smell the humans!
I wont give the ending away, but I will say that to me it never seemed to come to a climax, or satisfy the reader in me who wants some sort of closure. The action, the plot and the treatment of Gregor just managed to disappoint me. I have not however given up on the series; I will just treat this second book as a segue to the third book, since at the end of this one we know Gregor isn't finished with the Underland.

World Below New York City.......2007-02-25

GREGOR AND THE PROPHECY OF THE BANE is on this year's Sequoyah list at school. I ready to my 9-year-old all the time, and I enjoy exploring kids' books. I'd seen these books before, but I hadn't really picked one up. Now my son and I find ourselves hooked on Suzanne Collins's marvelous tales.

Gregor lives a hard existence with his parents. It seems his dad was lost in the Underland for a long time before Gregor found a way to rescue him. That story is told in Book 1.

This book begins as Gregor is struggling trying to help the family make ends meet financially. Gregor's father hasn't been able to go back to work and they have difficulty even getting enough to eat. While he's sledding in the park with Boots, his little sister, Gregor finds that she's disappeared. When he realizes that Boots is missing, he goes after her and journeys back into the Underland.

The story is filled with dangerous escapes and evil villains. My son and I thrilled to the heroic twists and turns of the plots and the characters, as well as the rich humor laced through the tale. The pacing in the story is incredibly fast.

Gregor learns that a new prophecy is in effect, and he's the warrior that's referred to. He's supposed to kill the Bane, the evil ruler of the rats. Temp the cockroach and his friends captured Boots because they feared the rats were going to take her.

The misunderstanding between Gregor and his bond-mate bat, Ares, is well done. Their friendship deepens in this novel, and they're a great team to read about. Not all of the companions that go on the quest come back. Although death is presented in the pages, it's not too gruesome or gory. But there are losses.

Although the ending satisfies, it does leave you wanting more. My son and I are going to pick up the third book next, but we want to go back and read the first one as well since we missed that one. Fans of fantasy, Harry Potter, and Artemis Fowl will enjoy this book.

Another big hit!.......2007-02-13

This book is the 2nd in the Underland Chronicles. I read the first book to my kids and they couldn't wait for the second. I was a little apprehensive at first. I was afraid that this book would be a lot like the first. It wasn't! It held it's own. Gregor and his little sister "Boots" go back down to the Underworld (not by choice) and are taken into another adventure with the Prophecy of Bane. There they have to stop the rats again. They have a secret weapon that could destroy the Underworld. Gregor sets out with some new characters and some old ones and finds that the secret weapon isn't what they thought it would be. You'll need to read more to find out. Can't wait to read the third book!

"Die the Baby, Die His Heart, Die His Most Essential Part".......2006-12-12

"Will the warrior drain your light?"

--- The Prophecy of Bane

In "Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane," Gregor is surprised once again to find himself heading deep under New York, to the Underland. His little two-year-old sister, Margaret ("Boots"), has been spirited away and he learns that the Underlanders believe that rats wish to kill her --- hoping to cause Gregor's "most essential part" (his heart) to die before he can kill the Bane. The Bane is a vicious white rat, who Gregor is supposed to be prophesied to kill.

As Gregor undertakes a new journey, he learns many new and startling things about himself and faces great loss. But in a story where nothing is as it seems, Gregor finds that little can truly be known before the fact and hope can be found when one has reached the depths of despair. He also meets many new allies, such as Twitchtip and Howard and discovers things he never knew about old ones, such as Luxa and his bond, Aries.

I found this to be another moving edition in the series and I think it's a wonderful story for those who enjoy series such as "Harry Potter." I'm a fan of Suzanne Collins, having seen her television writing work for such programs as "Little Bear" and "JoJo's Circus." With this second edition in The Underland Chronicles, Collins proves herself once again of writing a top-notch novel for young adults, and readers of all ages (well, except maybe those who are very young --- this may be a bit too disturbing for them.)

Audiobook Review:

I have also listened to this book on six-disc audio CD set. Released by Listening Library (who also bring you Jim Dale's "Harry Potter" audiobooks), this edition of the story is a masterful telling by Paul Boehmer (of "Frasier" and "Judging Amy," among others.) Boehmer brings the story fully to life as he conveys the tides of emotion in Gregor, the cries and playing of his sister Boots, the regal tone of various Underlanders, the savage ferocity of Ripred (underlaid by intelligence and a surprising compassion) and much more.

Tragedy.......2006-10-08

This book was great. It had adventure and action beyond belief. Warning: Contents contain extreme violence. But it was also a tragedy. Some charatcters you may have loved from Gregor the Overlander are killed off, not to mention charaters who were created in this book die. Suzane Colins didn't go as heavy on the tragedy portion in the last book. Characters died and all but all of them were either minor, unintresting or the bad guy. In The Prophecy of Bane a bat is killed along with a roach and a human and her bat. It is great but a real tragedy. So when reading this don't expect a to happy of an ending.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books