The Betrayal (The Fear Street Saga 1)

Customer Reviews:

Fear Street Rocks.......2007-09-03

I am 24 years old and I still love Fear Street. I read this saga over 10 years ago and I started thinking about it a few months ago for some reason. I looked in book stores but it was order only, so I didn't bother. Finally my husband told me to go on Amazon and order it. After all, we would be going to the beach for Labor Day weekend and I don't like going into the water, so reading material is a must.

I'm almost done with the first book, and I love it. I feel like a teen again.

Murphy's review.......2007-03-14

I really like this book because of the mystery and the betrayal and also the dark things that happen. In the book there is a example of betrayal between the two families because the Feirs light a huge fire
at the Goodes, house and believe it or not the Goodes and the Feirs use to be friends.

This book takes place in Massachusetts where two families the Goodes, and the Feirs have been in a battle for years.There had been a great fire that had taken two special people away from William Goode. One was his wife Martha Goode ,the other was Susannah Goode, his daughter. Now William seeks revenge on Matthew and his whole family.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery and horror books and R.L Stine books.There is a second book but I have not chosen to read it because it gets slow at the end and they talk about the same things over and over.

a betraying story.......2006-06-13

This book 'The Betrayal' is about a revenge that had lasted for three hundred years. I loved it so much I decided to read all the sagas. It took me less than one day to finish the whole book. I couldn't put the book down that i took it to the dining room!

It starts off when there was a pretty but poor girl called Susannah Goode. She was told that there was 'the Evil One'. She fell in love with a rich man called Edward Fier. But his father Benjamin Fier refused to let them marry. He wanted him to marry another rich girl. When Edward kept refusing to marry another rich girl that his father had arranged, Benjamin made Susannah and her mother go to prison by making her like a witch. Edward now felt that he was betrayed by her.

When the two women were burnt at stake, Susannah's father William Goode vowed revenge.

Many years later Edward's cousin, Mary, met a young man. She fell in love with him. But many horrible things happened. Then one by one some of the Fiers died except Mary and Edward. Have William Goode gone too far?

If you can read books without any trouble with killings and blood, this book can suit you.

my review.......2005-05-03

This book was okay, it was about two women were said to be witches and were burned at the stake. I didn't read the books in order, but it helped me to better understand the second book, The Secret. By reading this book it gave more information of Susannah, Martha and William Goode and also their family history on witches, I was able to figure out why the Goodes and Fiers were feuding. The book wasn't so great because of the whole idea of the story. Witches are exciting but there were no witches...just lies and betrayals.

The story takes place a long ago, because there are no witches to this day(that we know of) The story is about a poor girl named Susannah who is in love with a rich boy named Edward Fier. Around that time, people who were thought or said to be witches were burned alive on a stake that was stuck in the ground. When Benjamin Fier finds his son is in love with a poor girl, he gets angry. Benjamin goes to Susannah's house and accuses her and her mother Martha of having powers of the dark arts. William is the one with the powers though, powers that Martha and Susannah don't know about would he let his wife and daughter burn, or would he go as far as dieing for the ones he loves....

I recommend this book to any one who is a fan of R. L. Stine or enjoys books about magic and witchcraft. This book wasn't the best but it was Goode.

An intriguing story with a chilling climax.......2005-04-26

I decided to read a few of R. L. Stine's work after a long time. Unable to put the book down, I finished reading it within a few hours, and was not disappointed when I finished. This just show that Mr. Stine can keep a reader of any age interested in his books.

`The Betrayal' by R.L. Stine is the first book in the `Fear Street Saga' series. The story starts off with Nora Goode, a girl who runs out of a burning mansion, frantically searching for someone named Daniel, hoping that he escaped the fire too. After she sees the horrors of the mansion burning, she writes down a story which takes place 300 years before; about a gruesome tale of a feud between two families that would last on for centuries.

We go back in time to 1692 and meet the members of two families, The Goodes and the Fiers. Benjamin Fier, the Magistrate, and his brother Matthew Fier, are one of the most trusted and rich people in the Wickham Village. William Goode is a simple farmer, who lives with his wife Martha and their children, 16 years old Susannah and baby George. Susannah is in love with Edward Fier, son of Benjamin. Susannah and Edward secretly meet in the woods and declare their love for one another. However, things start going very wrong when Edward tells Benjamin about his love for the farmer's daughter.

`The Betrayal' definitely lives up to its name. People in this book get betrayed in love and money between their enemies and loved ones. The book ends in a very mysterious note, which urges you to buy the next book in the series `The Secret' and continue reading.

This is a good book to read. With an intriguing story and a chilling climax, you will not be able to stop reading.

The SECRET (FEAR STREET SAGA 2) : THE SECRET

Average customer rating:

ames review!
the secret
THE SECRET (FEAR STREET SAGA)
The family feud continues...
katherine's 5 star review!!!

The SECRET (FEAR STREET SAGA 2) : THE SECRET
R.L. Stine
Manufacturer: Simon Pulse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0671868322

Customer Reviews:

ames review!.......2006-06-13

'The Secret' is a story about revenge and secrets. it's quite good but too many killings.

anyway, it's about a fier called ezra who needs revenge. but instead, the curse still carries on. first, his daughter died. then his wife. his son, jonathan, fell in love with a beautiful girl called delilah. but does she have a secret?

100 years later a girl called elizabeth fier fell in love with a goode. her sister also love him. but they do not know that he is evil. at the end, simon, elizabeth's brother, decided to change his last name- FEAR.

this book is kind of good except there are too many killings.

the secret.......2005-10-04

Hi, im a 7th grader that goes to Greenfeild middle school,and i just read this amazing book called [The Secret.] This book is mainly about a family secret between the Fiers and the goodes family. I liked this book because it was exiting and scary, and there was fiers killing the goodes and the goodes killing the fiers. In the beging of the book the fier family went to a village and every body was dead. And so they left and as they were on there way they found a farm owned by the goodes. So the fier family moved into the farm and lived there. And when simons littlen sister wanted to go to the village, simon the brother told her [NO] but she refoused to go back. Simon was walking around looking for his little sister. When he found her she was playing with a little named Hester. And to find out the rest you have to read the book called The Secret.

THE SECRET (FEAR STREET SAGA).......2005-07-30

TO PARENTS, I USED TO READ THESE R.L. STINE BOOKS WHEN I WAS AROUND 9,AROUND THE AGE WHERE YOU'RE TOO OLD FOR PICTURE BOOKS, BUT TOO YOUNG FOR NOVELS.THESE BOOKS ARE THRILLING FOR KIDS AND SO ADDICTIVE. NOW,I HAVE A WHOLE COLLECTION. THESE BOOKS WILL DEFINATELY KEEP THE KIDS INTERESTED IN READING AND HAVE THEM BEGGING TO GO TO THE BOOKSTORE.

The family feud continues..........2005-04-26

`The Secret' by R.L. Stine is the second installment to the horrifying `Fear Street Saga...where the terror began' trilogy. This time, the story continues with Ezra Fier (son of Edward), now a grown family man, searching for the Goodes (particularly George), in order to take his revenge on them. Ezra, along with his wife Jane, and his children Jonathan (the oldest), Abigail (middle), and Rachel (the youngest child), visit the Wickham Village to search for any member of the Goode family. However, they receive a shock when they discover that all the residents of the village are now dead corpses, who perished when a plague hit the village. Later, Ezra and Jonathan learn that the Goodes were responsible for the plague, and that they escaped the village before they suffered. But are all the members of the village really dead? For Abigail makes friends with a small girl named Hester, of whom Jonathan feels a little suspicious of.
As the story continues, Jonathan meets a pretty girl named Delilah. However, is she really who she claims to be? Jonathan ends the family feud once and for all, but the evil rises again after 100 years later, when Elizabeth Fier digs out a metal box from the Earth and finds a strange looking amulet inside it. A new visitor suddenly drops in the Fier house by the name of Frank, claiming to be a drifter. The Fier family takes him in, only to realize the terror that lay ahead of them.

This book has so many twists and turns in it, that it is hard to put the book down. A village of dead bodies, a ghost who lives in the village, a witch who lives in the woods, are just some of the interesting elements thrown into this scary tale. R.L. Stine continues telling his story of the family feud in his own charming manner. All in all, this was a good continuation to `The Betrayal', which leaves in a mysterious note, wanting to read the next installment in the series `The Burning'.

katherine's 5 star review!!!.......2005-04-05

I liked this story because it was a horror story and that's what I'm into and I always thought that R.L. Stine was a great author. Even if you find out later in the end that the story part is kind of lame, I think the suspense thrill is just waiting to find out what happens next!

Part one of the story is about a boy named Jonathan who's family has just moved to this new town where everyone is dead because the Black Plague killed every one. Only one family survived, the Goodes. Jonathan's father decided to look for them for revenge of an old family curse. What happened was that a long ago, Jonathan's great-grandfather killed two witches because they were considered creatures of the devil, but William Goode thought them to be innocent and used dark powers against the Fiers ever since. In part two a few years later, the last of the Fier family takes in a drifter (they do not know he is a Goode) so the daughters of the Fier family don't just fall in love, they fall into a trap...

I think that anyone who likes mysterious horror stories will like this book .Any one who likes R.L. Stine may enjoy this book. So, it is a mystery and a ghost story all in one.

Average customer rating:

Great immigrant story
Widmer falls into the Memoirist's trap
Up From Orchard Street
Up From Orchard Street
The Teacher Takes One Last Flight

Up from Orchard Street
Eleanor Widmer
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0553383736
Release Date: 2006-03-28

Book Description

In the tradition of Like Water for Chocolate and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, this exhilarating novel centered around a memorable immigrant family brings to vibrant life the soul and spirit of New York’s legendary Lower East Side.

Up from Orchard Street...

...where three generations of Roths live together in a crowded tenement flat at number 12. Long-widowed Manya is the family’s head and its heart: mother of dapper Jack, mother-in-law of frail and beautiful Lil, and adored bubby of Elka and Willy. She’s renowned throughout the teeming neighborhood for her mouthwatering cooking, and every noontime the front room of the flat turns into Manya’s private restaurant, where the local merchants come to savor her hearty stews and soups, succulent potato latkes and tzimmes, preserved fruits and glorious pastries.

She is just as renowned for her fierce sense of honor, her quick eye for charlatans, and her generosity to those in need. But Manya is no soft touch–except, perhaps, where her adored granddaughter Elka is concerned. It is skinny, precocious Elka who is her closest companion and confidante–and the narrator of this event-packed novel. Through Elka’s eyes we come to know the fascinating characters who come in and out of the Roths’ lives: relatives, eccentric locals, doctors, busybody neighbors–as well as the many men who try fruitlessly to win voluptuous Manya’s favors. We live through the bittersweet world of these blunt, earthy, feisty people for whom poverty was endemic, illness common, crises frequent, and zest for living intense. Money may have been short but opinions were not, and their tart tongues and lively humor invest every page. In this riveting story lies the heart of the American immigrant experience: a novel at once wise, funny, poignant, anguishing, exultant–and bursting with love.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Great immigrant story.......2007-02-06

Great immigrant story, starting with one determined woman and spanning several generations.

Widmer falls into the Memoirist's trap.......2007-01-10

In her afterword, the late Eleanor Widmer describes her book as "part memoir, part social history, and part fiction." As I read, it seemed that memoir dominated both style and content -- not a good thing, in this case.

This book is episodic, describing one event after another. Many of those events are disproportionately detailed at best, and often serve no clear purpose in the story. They do not move the plot further or provide deeper insight into the characters. They are not even particularly interesting -- at least, not to the reader. Like many memoir writers, Widmer fails to distinguish between anecdotes which are significant to her (because they happened to her) and those which would stimulate the reader and enhance the book.

Beyond the vague plot line, the characters fail to endear themselves. Manya, the most clearly drawn, apparently inspires grand passion in a wide variety of men but only falls in love with the one who lies and abandons her -- not once, but twice. She also rejects other men who appear to be more genuine in their affections. This is at odds with the characterization of a woman who appears to be strong and down-to-earth -- the only mature, responsible adult in the novel. While this contradiction is not unrealistic, it is also not explored in sufficient depth so as to be comprehensible to the reader.

Manya, and her entire family by extension, also inspire a great deal of admiration and extreme acts of largesse (e.g., an offer of a large apartment in Manhattan, rent-free, for an entire year) from more fortunate individuals throughout the book, particularly the family doctor, a wealthy uncle, and a Connecticut family who hosts them (for pay) as vacationers. The reasons for this are unclear -- certainly, the characters fail to evoke similar responses from the reader. For the most part, my reaction to Manya was limited to a vague sense pity for her as the book's martyr figure. Jack and Lil disgusted me as two incredibly self-absorbed people and neglectful parents; Willy's distinguishing features were physical sickliness and an apparently pathological level of anxiety (although this, too, was not sufficiently explored so as to be experienced by the reader); and Elka, as other characters inform us, was intelligent and "interesting," overmature and perhaps parentified, but this is something which is told to us rather than shown.

Which brings me to a bone I must pick with the author, who had a doctorate in English Literature and apparently taught creative writing. "Show, don't tell" is a writing teacher's mantra. Widmer apparently attempts to do this by choosing to reveal a great deal to us in dialogue rather than narrative. While this technique has its place, her over-employment of it leads to highly artificial, overly detailed and revealing dialogue, much of which seems to be coming from left field. Interactions between the characters frequently feel forced and contrived as a result, rather than natural and seamless. Characters confide in each other at length, with no apparent purpose to either the spontaneous confession or the choice of recipient. Additionally, having the characters "tell" too much about the characterization and setting defeats the purpose of "show don't tell."

The choice of Elka as narrator also appears contrived. She witnesses, and sometimes participates in, events in which a child has no place. While it is realistic that boundaries between adults and children might be looser in this situation, I had difficulty visualizing a former lover visiting Manya (who must have been in her fifties at the time of this episode) and immediately pulling her [...] out of her dress as her granddaughter held her hand and looked on. Throughout the book, adults confide things to Elka (who has, perhaps, reached early adolescence by the time the book ends) which would be highly complex for a child to grasp -- even a child as supposedly gifted as Elka.

In general, despite efforts to paint this family as "poor but loving," a great deal of dysfunction characterizes them, only some of which could be fairly blamed on poverty. Why are Jack and Lil wearing expensive clothing and attending Broadway shows when their children don't even have clothes that fit them? Why are the family's entire collective assets being pawned for a 2-week vacation in Connecticut? It is surprising that, with such bizarre choices on the family's part, rich admirers are frequently arriving on the scene to expensively bail them out of all sorts of situations. Even more surprising is that these rich admirers are there with open pocketbooks in a dramatic crisis but don't do something about all the rats in the apartment!

Other things are also difficult to understand. How did the family and their Connecticut paid hosts become so close? While the relationship is described, it is never developed in a way which renders it realistic. What is the place of religion in this novel? While the family seems to overtly reject its Jewish heritage in a variety of ways, its influence manifests itself in suprising situations. This contradiction, like others in the book, is definitely plausible in theory; however -- again -- the author's failure to explore this interesting paradox creates confusion rather than empathy on the part of the reader.

I gave this book two stars rather than one because it was readable in spite of its flaws, and something inspired me to finish it (don't ask me what). However, I generally do not enjoy memoirs unless they read like fiction -- interesting to the reader as well as the author. This book, officially billed as a work of fiction, read like a memoir.

Up From Orchard Street.......2006-11-10

Even if you are not a New Yorker, this book tugs on your heartstrings. It is a story of a loving, closely knit family with all the trials and tribulations of immigrants in the lower east side of New York. Our bookclub enjoyed it immensely.

Up From Orchard Street.......2006-11-10

I could not put this book down! I felt that I was actually living the story. Because I loved this book so much, I even bought a book for my daughter.

The Teacher Takes One Last Flight.......2005-07-31

Eleanor Widmer has written a beautiful memoir of her life growing up on New York's Lower East Side during the 1930s. In the tradition of E.L. Doctorow and Isaac Bashevis Singer, Ms. Widmer has created a poignant portrait of one family's struggle to beat the odds and survive. I had the good fortune to be a student in Dr. Widmer's creative writing classes at San Diego State University, and her stories of growing up poor in New York were lessons for us all. Her charisma, her wit, and her razor-sharp intellect echo through the pages of "Up From Orchard Street." Her voice in these pages takes me back to her classroom of the 1970s. She was an amazing professor and her book is a joy to read. I'm thrilled to see that Random House has published this beautifully-written work. Bennett Cerf, who selected Ms. Widmer for top honors in a writing contest back in the early sixties, would indeed be proud. Eleanor Widmer has left a resplendent legacy for her students, her friends, and her family.

Brady Kelso, Ramona, California

Long Way Home: The Unseen Trilogy, Book 3 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel crossover)

Average customer rating:

Super Reader
You'll need a seatbelt, this is one bumpy ride!
Didn't care for the characterizations
Loved it
Great Series

Long Way Home: The Unseen Trilogy, Book 3 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel crossover)
Nancy Holder , and Jeff Mariotte
Manufacturer: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Door to Alternity: The Unseen Trilogy, Book 2 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel crossover)
The Burning: The Unseen Trilogy, Book 1 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel crossover)
$Monster Island (Buffy the Vampire Slayer\Angel) (Buffy/Angel Crossover)$ Monster Island (Buffy the Vampire Slayer\Angel) (Buffy/Angel Crossover)
Heat (Buffy/Angel Crossover)
Seven Crows (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel)

ASIN: 0743418956
Release Date: 2001-08-28

Book Description

Buffy and Angel find themselves launched into a frightening reality where fierce dragons and other fairy-tale monstrosities rule supreme. Once they locate each other, they rally the missing teens -- including Salma -- and attempt to make their way through the interdimensional portal back to Sunnydale. Little do they know that two unlikely allies have also come through to alternity: Spike and the rogue Slayer, Faith, both with their own respective -- and complicated -- MOs.

Back in L.A., gang violence and vigilantism are at a fever pitch. The Slayerettes -- now an extended unit -- are holding down the fort, awaiting Buffy and Angel's return. But Slayer and Vampire are feeling moral conflict that rivals the physical strain of demon-slaying: each wonders if a reality exists where their love could have survived. And when one of the duo's charges is suddenly killed, the portal to Sunnydale is sealed. Now, before they can worry about ridding their own universe of supernatural chaos, they've got to find a way to get back to it....

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-06

This line about sums this book up :

He looked grateful at the fantastic four, Slayer, Slayer, vampire, vampire. "Now you see why I'm glad you folks showed up."

Spike helps himself to a leap through the door, and when none of them come back, and no children are returned, Riley and Gunn go to break Faith out of jail to help, being all out of superpowers at their end.

So, the gang is most definitely all here in this book.

You'll need a seatbelt, this is one bumpy ride!.......2005-10-13

WOW! That was a whirlwind of chaos and loose ends never tied up.

I loved the first two books in this trilogy and couldn't wait to get my hands on the last book, the conclusion of what, until now, had been a great story.

Things kinda fell apart in this book. Okay ... not kinda. They totally fell apart.

The authors tried to pack so much into this one novel that it's almost impossible to keep up with without a map! It was rushed, and as a reader I felt it. It left me feeling winded and exhausted.

As others have mentioned, the continuity in this novel leaves much to be desired. There were storylines left unfinished, big ones.

Willow stops breathing and dies in one chapter, steps out of the room looking pale and ill and says to Cordy, "I feel dead," in another chapter, and then is her usual self in the rest of the book. It ends with no conclusion or even acknowledgment that it even occured at all. I kept waiting for Willow to go evil and betray them, or take some kind of unexpected action as a result of apparently dying, but nada.

Faith is thrown in the mix in a slick, almost after-thought manner that doesn't do her character justice. (And that says a LOT coming from me, because I'm not a Faith or Eliza fan.) She comes in and saves everyone, despite their obvious distrust, and then hugs Buffy and Angel before willingly going back to jail. She didn't even get a Thank You. It just didn't fly, it was never rang true or came to life for me.

And then there's Spike. I love this guy. Love the wit, the naughty undertone to his character and the huge heart he tries to hide. (Figuratively speaking, of course.) He's a great character, and provides great comic relief. But what in the world happened to him? What was the ending supposed to mean? The story ended with him, in his pre-vamp body, running like a coward and hurling himself into a light, begging for help.

Huh?

When this book ends, it leaves the reader feeling like the story is unfinished. They crammed too much into it and it got sloppy. They could've easily fleshed it out and added another novel to the series.

A disappointing ending to what had otherwise been a terrific story.

Didn't care for the characterizations.......2002-03-16

This book seemed pretty flat to me, compared to the characters on the TV show. Especially the sub-plot surrounding Spike. There was a lot "happening" in this book, but I couldn't be moved to care much. Unlike the show, where you can go from tears to laughing out loud in a heartbeat.

Loved it.......2002-03-15

I heard these were coming out, and it was approaching my birthday of last June, I got thise and play tickets from my mom after serious begging. She bought me them as soon as each one came out, funny thing is my best friend who doestn live at all close to me, got me the first one. But this is on the third one, it was a very well written book. The scenes between Buffy and Angel were pricless and touch the b/a shippers heart. A problem was of how much Buffy acted as if she loved Riley more than anything of the world, and Angel was past, why he dreamed about her and their forgotten day. Otherwise it is a good read, as a fan of either show, or the B/A or even b/r(gag) relationship. Just one thing to people who read my review or somethign that would never happen Nancy and Jeff read this, what the hell happend to Spike?! Is there a new crossover triogly in the making*looks hopeful*

Great Series.......2002-01-23

Nancy Holder deserves a huge Buffy fan award. Not only did her hardcover book, "Book of Fours," provide fans with one of teh Slayer's best stories, it fit logically into the Buffy-verse without taking many great leaps.

I'm not sure why she stopped writing with Christopehr Golden but I have no complaints. She blew his "Tales of the Lost Slayer" out of the water with this trilogy. It all fit neatly into the recent story lines of both Buffy and Angel (Seasons 4 / 2 respectively).

Customer Reviews:

Fear Street Rocks.......2007-09-03

Danny's review.......2005-12-12

I was reading The Burning by R.L. Stine. This book was a pretty good book; out of ten I would give this book a high eight. I liked this book because of all mystery and horror combined.

In this book it is told by Nora Goode, who is married to one of the Fears. In this book it is about how this guy Simon Fear goes to this party and falls in love with Angelica Goode. But Angelica has two guys that are really wealthy and smart and handsome. So Simon kills both of them and marries Angelica. Then bad luck comes back to Simon. He kills his own daughter. Now Daniel has to go for Simon's birthday.
and mystery. They would like this because it is all mystery and horror. So read this book
A person who would like this is a person who likes horror

Best One Of The Fear Street Saga Series.......2004-10-23

This is the 3rd book in the series. It's about a girl name Nora & a boy name Daniel want to stop the curse of the family. They think that the only way to end it forever is to get married. This book actually need 10 stars because it was better than the other 2.

Cursed Forever.......2004-07-31

The Burning is one of the sagas set in days of old explaining the curse that possesses Fear Street.it is an interesting read but it involves much death and is not a cheery book by any means.So I am wondering if it is really worth it.There isn't really a positive aspect or moral to it.Except, perhaps, that the Fear family's own evil is what eventually destroyed them.

the burning.......2004-05-22

ummmm for the reviwer of August,23, 2001
A customer from Connecticut it was William Goode the father of Susannah not George that was her baby brother that moved to another family. Just so you know

Elsie's Children, Book 6 (The Original Elsie Classics, Book 6)

Average customer rating:

Martha Finley's Writing Sickness of Skipping Years
A Great Book - One of my favorites.

Elsie's Children, Book 6 (The Original Elsie Classics, Book 6)
Martha Finley
Manufacturer: Cumberland House Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1581820690

Customer Reviews:

Martha Finley's Writing Sickness of Skipping Years.......2005-03-31

The Elsie Dinsmore series are some of my favorite Christian books. While the writing style is questionable, and I don't agree with all their beliefs Elsie Dinsmore was a very popular girl in the 1800s. During that time, Martha Finley was the second most popular author after Louisa May Alcott.

This book, the sixth in the series, is not one you'd want to read without reading the previous five. After reading those books you'll find that Elsie is married to her father's best friend, Edward Travilla, and they have five children-Elsie, Eddie, Vi, Harold and Herbert. This book begins with the announcement of another child, Lily. Of course, in the previous book there was no mention that Elsie was pregnant and it seemed to me like a stork had come and dropped the baby on the arms of Elsie's mammy and somehow Elsie had become sick. Martha Finley's ignorance on pregnancies is one of the many things that tick me off about these books.

However, Lily is not a healthy baby and so the children go to Elsie's friend, Lucy's, house for the summer. Because only the Travillas can behave well in these books (and there is no mention of any discipline that Elsie might have done to contribute to the good behavior), Lucy's children are treated like brats. While at Lucy's house, the younger Elsie comes upon the older Elsie's old tutor, Miss Day. A good fifty pages or so is devoted to charity bestowed upon Miss Day and her daughter.

The Travillas go back to their estate, Ion, and six uneventful years go by, but we learn that seven-year-old Lily is still ill and the two Elsies and Edward have gone up North to see if anything can be done to save their daughter. There is a lot more to this book, but because I don't want to give anything away I will stop here.

I miss the stories about the children in "Elsie's Motherhood" and what they did. To me it felt like I was either reading about the people at Roselands or nothing at all in "Elsie's Children." The ending was mediocre, and I'm only giving it three stars because Violet is becoming a lovely woman.

A Great Book - One of my favorites........2000-04-05

"Elsie's Children" continues the story of Elsie Dinsmore, which begins in "Elsie Dinsmore". The book opens with Elsie, who is a mother, joyfully telling her children that they have another sibling. From settling her children's quarrels, to calming their tears this is a darling book that I really enjoyed. Elsie's Christian attitude, and her loving example should be something we all try to portray in our daily lives. The "Elsie Dinsmore" books are some of my favorites, and Elsie is the picture of the ideal sister, daughter, wife and mother we women should all strive to become.

Elsie's Motherhood, Book 5 (Original Elsie Classics)

Average customer rating:

A Wonderful Elsie Book
I think this is a very well-written book about Elsie.

Elsie's Motherhood, Book 5 (Original Elsie Classics)
Martha Finley
Manufacturer: Cumberland House Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1581820682

Book Description

Elsie and her husband, along with their five children--from nine-year-old Elsie to baby Herbert--have planned a wonderful party with friends and family to celebrate ten years of happy married life. In an unexpected turn of events, things get ugly when Mr. Travilla, Mr. Dinsmore, and Mr. Leland, the new Northern owner of Fairfield, come under attack as scalawags and carpetbaggers. Even close family members become involved as the Ku Klux Klan attacks Fairfield and Ion. Read how distant kin and ventriloquism play a part in the conflict. Join Elsie and Mr. Travilla as they do battle and then share a winter respite with many relatives and friends in Louisiana at Viamede, the beautiful restored mansion of Elsie's mother.

Customer Reviews:

A Wonderful Elsie Book.......2003-01-13

"Elsie's Motherhood" is one of my favorite Elsie books. Elsie is a good mother to her children, and her children are very virtuous and obedient. I think Elsie handles her children's problems very well. I enjoyed reading this book, and it is very well-written for girls of all ages.

I think this is a very well-written book about Elsie........1999-05-12

I love all of the Elsie Dinsmore books, but this is one of my favorites. Elsie Dinsmore Travilla makes a wonderful Christian parent along with her husband Edward. Their children are not perfect, just like all of mankind, and yet they train their children in a godly way. As always, one can see how Elsie puts her faith in God, especially when the Ku Klux Klan attacks their house in the intent to harm her husband, and when her eldest child, Elsie, becomes very sick. Also, she learns to grieve for herself and for others, yet rejoice for those who are Christians and have only gone before to that wonderful place called heaven. I recommend this book to girls and ladies of all ages, mothers, married, and single.

Average customer rating:

Good book
He did It AGAIN!
Fear Street Rocks
Evil was his birthright.
Enlightning, life changing, read that left me breathless

A New Fear (Fear Street, Saga 1)
R.L. Stine
Manufacturer: Simon Pulse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0671529528

Book Description

The Fear name brings fortune...and doom.

The dark power of the Fear family consumes all those connected with it. The Fears. Those they love -- and hate. The entire town of Shadyside. All are tainted forever by the evil of the family's curse.

No one can escape.

Nora Goode and Daniel Fear hoped to end the curse of the Fear family. But on their wedding day, a horrible fire swept through the Fear mansion, taking the life of every member of the doomed family.

Except one. A new Fear. The child of Nora and Daniel. Will he be able to live his life untouched by the evil of his family? Or will the dark forces claim yet another Fear for their own?

Customer Reviews:

Good book.......2007-10-09

I never get tired of reading this book. But my book is all torn up but I still like it! :) And R.L. Stine is still my favorite character.

He did It AGAIN!.......2005-07-08

R.L.Stine Did it again! ThIS BOOK was really good!!!! Just like the others that he wrote! This book is so good I finished it in one day. I kept on turning the pages... couldn't stop reading! You would NEVER firgure out wat or who the ________ was! I mean It was really a shocking ending... like thats a surprise! Lolz! Neways you should really read the book! I think you might like it! I mean the book was great! Even my friends like it! Enjoy Reading!

Fear Street Rocks.......2004-11-26

This books is great and is very intense. There is a lot of gore in this book but thank goodness no pictures.

Evil was his birthright........2004-11-25

Nora Goode is trying to forget the giant fire that killed every single member of the Fear family. Unfortunately, her story about what really happened the night of the fire has landed her in an insane asylum, where she must raise her and Daniel Fear's son, Nicholas. Fortunately, she is able to escape with Nicholas to a new village where no one knows about the terror they have faced.

Eighteen years later, Nicholas is much older, and right as Nora dies, she tells him about a legacy in his family. Now, Nicholas is determined to find out the truth of his family's legacy. But one thing he doesn't know is that his legacy holds more terror than he could have ever imagined. Will he be able to survive the ancient curse that has terrorized his family for so long?

A NEW FEAR is a much-needed sequel to the Fear Street Saga trilogy. I think this book is pretty good. It's interesting knowing Nora's future. What I didn't like was that it took quite a while for the novel to get scary. But when it finally does get scary, you'll be gripping on the edge of your seat to find out what happens. I thought I had it all planned out, but I was wrong. This is a must-read for all Fear Street fans.

Enlightning, life changing, read that left me breathless.......2004-06-10

This wonderfully crafted novel has opened an new chapter in my life. I will never be the same after reading this amazing book. The story, so like my life in too many ways to count, has shown me how to get through my problems. This is not just a book, it is a spiritual cleanser and a modern-day bible. I keep this book next to my bed ever night, and before i got to bed and when i wake up, I read a short passage as to learn how I can make my life better for myself and those around me. When I think of my life before this inspiring classic, I almost break down and cry. Thank you. Thank you, Ruddegar Leslie Stine VII. Thank you from the deepest pit of my once lifeless heart, which you have brought back from the wallows of despair. Thank you.

The SIGN OF FEAR: FEAR STREET SAGAS #4 (FEAR STREET SAGA)

Average customer rating:

These people are CRAAAZY!!!
Better Off Dead!
A informational book that ties it all together
This explains it all...
Very good, but could've been improved.

The SIGN OF FEAR: FEAR STREET SAGAS #4 (FEAR STREET SAGA)
R.L. Stine
Manufacturer: Simon Pulse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0671002910

Customer Reviews:

These people are CRAAAZY!!!.......2005-08-07

I love that this is the story of how all of the Fiers/Fears are from Fieran. It was very creative, and unexpected! This is the most revengeful, and deceitful book of all the Fear Streat novels. It really takes the cake! I would suggest you read this book before any Fear Streat novels. You know the truth about how it all began.

Better Off Dead!.......2004-03-23

I picked up this book thinking is going to be more interesting this book was more fiction than real. I was reading this book for my English class period 4 this book was easy to read and easy to understand. I think people should read it if they like fiction.

A informational book that ties it all together.......2002-09-02

I personally thought that this book was one of the better ones it starts out with Christina her father has just died and she lives with her aunt that hates her she listens in on a conversation her aunt has and she thinks she has hired someone to kill her so she runs away and runs into matthew fier who is looking for his family heirloom which she found. It also tells of how the pendant came to be by revenge on Conn the lifetime sworn enemy of one of the most feirce warriors of the Celts...Fieran he makes the amulet and is later killed by his wife Breanna because she wants the power for herself and she reveals that she is having his child and that the family will go on for centuries...I personally loved this book and if you really love this series you will enjoy this book.

This explains it all..........2002-07-16

This book was more of an informational book becasue it explained the reason as to why the Fier family is cursed. I didn't really enjoy this book becasue the plot was boring and it was set too far back in the past for me. I thought how Brianna betrayed Fieran was just plain wrong. He trusted her with all his heart and she just got him killed. So much for trust. I would recommed this book to all Fear Street readers, because it explains the whole reason as to why the Fear family is cursed.
(I would also recommend "Awaking Evil" by R.L. Stine)

Very good, but could've been improved........2001-07-13

I liked reading this book. I think it had great descriptive language and an intriguing premise about the mystery of the Fier amulet. However, I think The Sign of Fear could have been improved. The way Conn, the villain in the story set earlier in this book, became chief confused me. The character of Fieran has many visions and at times they become rather tiresome. Brianna was a predictable back-story, and Fieran was stupid for trusting her. In the tale that is set in the late 1600's, the character Matthew has a really see-through secret. It's mostly the characters that are all too familiar in these types of books really don't have any mystery to them. All that excluded, I can still recommend The Sign of Fear for its originality (R.L. Stine uses the idea of having blood to survive in Dance of Death also), the way it makes you think about the story after reading and the fabulous descriptions. It may not be as recommendable as some other Fear Street books, but I read it without too many groans.

The Strongbow Saga, Book One: Viking Warrior (The Strongbow Saga)

Average customer rating:

Not just for teens!
An enjoyable read with points for history
An Enchanting Story
the strongbow saga book one viking warrior
Riveting action story that will keep you turning the pages

The Strongbow Saga, Book One: Viking Warrior (The Strongbow Saga)
Judson Roberts
Manufacturer: HarperTeen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 006079996X
Release Date: 2006-06-13

Book Description

A young man only at peace when he is at war

Young Halfdan is a slave. He is crafty with a bow and arrow and wise in the ways of the animals, but he can only dream of a warrior's life. That is, until the dark day a Saxon's blows lay his father on his deathbed, and his mother makes a tragic bargain for Halfdan's freedom.

A boy's destiny can come at the most terrible price. Halfdan must suffer a grave loss in order to grasp what he most desires: to train by, to live by, and, if the fates decree it, to die by the force of his sword and the swiftness of his arrow. He is to be a warrior -- a great warrior.

Bloody, furiously paced, heart-wrenching, and unflinching, this is a story of a land where the destinies of boys and men are forged in the heat of battle. Young Halfdan shall come to know the glories of true brotherhood and the unspeakable horrors of true evil. In this first book in a saga teeming with thrilling details of the Viking world, young Halfdan emerges as a new hero . . . a new myth . . . a new legend.

Customer Reviews:

Not just for teens!.......2007-09-04

This is a marvelous book. I am old enough to be Halfdan's mother so this is NOT just for teenagers. This is storytelling at it's finest. I can't wait for more from Judson Roberts!! If you like this book try Nigel Tranter's novels, these are not about vikings but are good historial fiction.

An enjoyable read with points for history.......2007-05-21

Judson Roberts has in this book started a historical series well worth reading, first and foremost because it's an enjoyable read but also because he takes the reader inside Viking society and culture as it existed in real history rather than in the inaccurate portrayal we are familiar with from the movies.

The characters are complex and well-drawn, and Roberts does not flinch from setting the stakes high for them or from killing off characters that you come to care about. I thought he was particularly good at showing Halfdan, the story's narrator and main character, himself has to reassess what he thinks of people as events bring sudden changes to his life, realizing that what he once perceived things was not necessarily the whole picture. His thinking is forced to change, sometimes in very difficult ways, as when at fifteen his situation abruptly evolves from that of a mere thrall (slave), to that of not only a free man but an acknowledged son of a Viking chieftan, and then all to soon to that of a fugitive fighting for his life. A passage towards the end provides a good example:

"Though my heart protested, in my mind I knew Einar's counsel was wise. It was ironic. I'd often dreamed, as a thrall, of crossing the seas as a Viking raider. I'd dreamed of it as a path to adventure and glory. Now, it seemed, it was to be my path to vengeance. I wondered how long a journey it would be."

Roberts does a very good job of taking his time to develop the characters as real people and to show what Viking life was really like, particularly in how they viewed themselves and the rest of the world. But at the same time the action parts of the novel, particularly when Halfdan and his brother Harald and their companions come under attack and later as Halfdan must survive on his own, are very compelling and draw the reader completely into the struggle.

The only reason I do not rate this as five-stars instead of four is that, while Roberts does a very good job in taking the reader into the heart of Viking times and culture, it is not quite on the level I have seen achieved by writers like Bernard Cornwell and Patrick O'Brien. This in no way detracts from the merits of the book as a read, however, and I do recommend it for anyone interested in that period of history and for anyone who just enjoys a good read. I very much look forward to reading the next volume in the series.

An Enchanting Story.......2007-03-31

Halfdan is just a slave. He is crafty and knows the way of animals but is only a slave to everyone he knows. When Halfdan's father, whom is the leader is about to die and asks his mother to join him in Valhalla, Halfdan is shocked. Why his mother? But his mother says that she will join him if her son, Halfdan is freed. Halfdan's father agrees.

When Halfdan is freed he is now royalty and has a great half brother and half sister. When Halfdan goes to see his new land that he now rules trouble starts. Halfdan finds himself being chased while little do the people chasing him know that he is not the criminal.

This book is adventurous and has a great plot. I hope everyone reading this will try out the book and enjoy it while I wait for the sequel.

the strongbow saga book one viking warrior.......2006-10-30

A little slow starting, but once i began it, wanted to finish it in one setting.

Riveting action story that will keep you turning the pages.......2006-09-30

"In one moment the Norns changed the pattern they were weaving in the fabric of my fate."

From the first line of Viking Warrior, Book One of the Strongbow Saga, I was drawn into the story of Halfdan, a fifteen-year-old boy who starts life as a slave but soon must meet the challenges of becoming a warrior. Set in the world of the 9th century Danish Vikings, Halfdan's life story is changed radically when his mother offers to sacrifice her own life so he can become a free man.

As the illegitimate son of a captured Irish princess and a Viking chieftain, Halfdan labors as a thrall, or slave, in his father's household. His only escape is into the woods he loves, where he masters the use of a bow and arrow. Whenever possible, he works for the estate metalsmith, becoming skilled at creating fine weapons out of molten iron.

When his father, Hrorick, is mortally wounded in battle, the Norns, or fates, weave Halfdan's life in a new direction. His half-brother, Harald, and half-sister, Sigrid, are forced to acknowledge him when his dying father makes him a free man. In exchange, his mother is sacrificed and buried beside the father that Halfdan has despised.

After his mother's death, Halfdan struggles to adjust to wearing fine clothes, dining at the head table in the longhouse, and accepting his new status as master instead of slave. Harald trains Halfdan in battle arts. Soon Halfdan has mastered the use of a sword and shield. He proves himself superior to his brother in the skill of archery.

Halfdan is thrilled to learn he has inherited lands of his own from Hrorick. But before he can claim his inheritance, he must survive the treachery and deceit of Hrorick's stepson, Toke. In the heat of battle, Halfdan faces danger and death, and discovers the hidden depths of his own warrior spirit.

Viking Warrior is a page-turner. Once I started reading the book, I was hooked and found it difficult to stop. There's something for everyone here: history, mystery, action, danger, and even a little romance. Historical details give the book depth and a sense of immediacy that draws you into the story from page one. More books are promised in the series, but this book comes to a satisfying stopping place in what one hopes will be a continuing saga of Halfdan's adventures.

Readers should be warned that the book doesn't wince away from describing the heat and fury of combat. Parents of readers under 12 may want to read the book along with their children. Halfdan lives in a violent world, but nothing is gratuitous. Every detail moves the story along at a fast clip.

Viking Warrior is a gripping story for young and old alike, and will appeal to male and female readers alike. Teachers will definitely want to include this on a reading list for any study of Viking history. It left me wanting to know more about the Vikings, so I was happy to find that the author has set up a website, [...], where you can find interesting articles, bibliographies for further reading, and links to websites.

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