Nonfiction Books

I very much dislike this book. I dread taking this class because of all the beliefs my teacher is trying to cram into me using material from the textbook.

. . . of a simply OUTSTANDING series!!!

This is simply the single best Catholic Moral Theology textbook for High School aged students that I have ever seen in my life. It would be equally useful on the collegiate level.

I was first made aware of "The Didache" series about two months ago, when I learned that a local Catholic High School had chosen to use this title. One of my closest friends, the theology teacher at my son's High School, then ordered the entire series, and will be implementing the first two volumes for the next school year.

As a professional theologian -- and as a professional educator -- I can only sit back and be amazed. This book explains the moral theology and teaching of the Catholic Church in a format which is easily understood. It is thoroughly faithful to traditional Catholic morality -- and to the Magisterium. It is brilliantly illustrated and laid out. As someone who examines texts for a living -- it simply blew me away. I will be ordering a copy for my parish library as soon as possible. I only wish that a parish edition, suitable for CCD classes (and the limitations under which they labor) could be forthcoming. I'd love to use this in confirmation classes!

Very, very highly recommended!

I have studied 5 languages before this (Latin, Greek, French, Spanish and Italian) and I have been continually perplexed at the layout of this book. Swahili is fairly complicated, but the approach in this book makes it overwhelming. New concepts are introduced willy-nilly and in such a manner that as soon as you feel you are grasping something, they throw in an anomoly or a new concept. I never felt that I was able to close a chapter, confident that I had everything down. They also introduce concepts without explaining them until many chapters later... The dialogues at the beginning of each chapter are never translated and these anomolies become really frustrating - you try to translate something only to find that you haven't learned it yet (wish I'd known that one before I spent 20 minutes trying to look it up). Verb tenses are not introduced as such (past, present, future, past perfect) and they are not introduced in the infinitive which is possibly the most perplexing thing. You can't say much without a verb/tense. The CDs are useful for hearing Swahili, but once again, if you never get the translation, it is pretty hard to learn without sitting in front of the CD player with the book and your finger on the pause button (not useful in the car!) I would most definitely not recommend this series, although I definitely recommend learning Swahili. It is a really fun language to speak and anyone else who can speak it will be happy to chat with you whether in the US or Africa. (As a matter of interest, I was reading this book in a coffee shop the other day and someone who had studied the same book approached me. She agreed on everything I've said here - prompting me to spread the word).

i liked this book. it wasn't quite as "simple" as the info suggested- but it was very thorough and i found myself learning swahili despite being more complicated than i had anticipated. it was broken up into easy to follow sections and there are lessons at the end of each section to do with answers in the back and that was helpful, too. the CD was nice for pronunciation clarification.

This course is excellent. From the very outset it was teaching me vital communication skills for Swahili, and my Swahili friends are impressed how well I am speaking their language already. For the price, this course is excellent!

Based upon my previous experiences in learning foreign languages, it is my starting point to have a correct pronunciation. That's why I bought this textbook with 2 CD. Now I am convinced that my choice is right. The only point to be improved is that there is no system for chosing any part of a given section( 1-33). Otherwise, it is perfect for me.

I wonder if this is an English speaker speaking Swahili. This doesn't work for me like the typical language lesson plan book.

I work with children aged 2-6 and when I am trying to get an idea of what level of information they will be comfortable with I always turn to Magic School Bus. The kids love the pictures and the Frizz. This book in particular is useful for the next 5 units we'll be teaching.

We read this as a reader but would be equally as good as a health or science book. My 8-year-old son really enjoys these books even though he does not care for the show. In this one the kids explore the 5 senses by shrinking the bus and entering several individuals to experience and discover. Of course there is an explanation of what is true and which part is fiction at the end. Recommended for ages 6-9 years and written on a [...] reading level.

In 1986, author Joanna Cole and illustrator Bruce Degen published their first book together. It was a story about a funky-cool teacher with frizzy-red hair, who led her class on the most extraordinary, in-depth, and out-of-this-world field trips like no instructor before her. The adventures of Ms. Frizzle and her students quickly became a hit with real-life children, parents and teachers alike. No one could have predicted the success that awaited Cole and Degen once "The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks" hit the shelves.

Thirteen years and ten collaborations later, Cole and Degen wrote the final chapter to their long-running series. Appearing in 1999, "The Magic School Bus: Explores the Senses" was a bittersweet end to arguably one of the best ideas in the history of children's literature.

The tale begins, like all those before it, inside the Friz's classroom. Her students are learning all about the five senses: seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, and smelling. Notes one student, "We were even learning a song about the senses to sing at an important parent-teacher meeting."

There's a problem with this, however. Ms. Frizzle thinks the conference is tomorrow evening. But little does she know that for once in her life, she's wrong! Incredible though it may seem, the meeting between parents and teachers is actually that evening! At least, that's what Mr. Wilde, Walkerville Elementary's new assistant principal, claims. But because Mr. Wilde doesn't find out about this latest development until the end of the school day, he can't inform the Friz -- she's already left the building!

"I've got to catch up with Ms. Frizzle!" exclaims Mr. Wilde. And, to the students' surprise, he plops down behind the wheel of their bus. Knowing the kind of trouble a new assistant principal is likely to have, the students also climb aboard. It marks the first time anyone other than the Friz has driven the bus, and there's no telling what might happen!

As with every adventure in the "Magic School Bus" series, things get a little crazy in a very short amount of time. Mr. Wilde, in all his enthusiasm, fiddles with a switch he shouldn't touch and -- PRESTO! -- the bus shrinks until it's no bigger than a speck of dust.

Despite being in a rather sticky situation, all is not lost. Instead of fretting over the fix they're in, Mr. Wilde and the students decide to make the best of it. In fact, they turn the experience into a learning session, centered on all things about the five senses. This would include the different parts and functions of seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, and smelling. Before the adventure is done, Mr. Wilde and the students will have traveled through a police officer, a little boy, Ms. Frizzle herself(!), a dog, and a cat!

This book works on a number of levels. One such level, for example, is the symbolism in this final chapter of the series. Even though Ms. Frizzle is not with her students during their inside-story of a field trip, leading them along, feeding them tidbits of interesting information, they manage to hold their own just fine without her. In their first escapade together ("At the Waterworks"), the Friz was literally holding her students by the hand. In this book, however, she casts her class adrift so the children can figure things out on their own, a test they pass with flying colors. It's a sign of just how much they have grown under the instruction of Ms. Frizzle and her unusual (yet highly effective) teaching techniques.

It's a nice send-off to the series, instilling the message in children that, yes, eventually there won't be an adult around to point out every little thing. But don't worry! You will have learned so much during that time, you won't need someone to fulfill that duty. You will discover the beauty of independent thinking. And it ties in with one of the Friz's most basic principles: "Take chances! Make mistakes! And get messy!" The students, as well as readers of the book, are ready to move on, to grow, to take the next step.

Unlike the nine books that precede it, this story ends a little differently than all the rest. Yes, the pages that distinguish fact from fiction in the tale are still firmly in place. But the sly hints, the wily clues, pertaining to Ms. Frizzle's next great adventure are a mystery.

"Where will she take us next?" inquires Keesha, a student.

"That's the big question!" answers Arnold, a fellow student.

Thankfully, that "big question" is answerable. Because the "Magic School Bus" series became such a triumph, it's still riding strong almost 20 years later. There's a cartoon show, television tie-in books, chapter books, computer games, and a website, just to name a few things. There have even been card games, posters and plushie dolls!

The reason for its success is a simple one: it made learning fun. And when you combine those two ingredients, you've got a winning formula.

There just isn't enough that can be said about such a finely-crafted series. Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen have made the world of children's literature a better place because of the part they played in it. The adventures of the Friz and her students deserve a permanent home on bookshelves in classrooms, school libraries, and personal collections everywhere.

As Ms. Frizzle herself would say, "You never know where the Friz may go!"

This book is based on the television show the magic school bus, with Mrs. Frizzle. The book contains great factual illustrations for the reader. The students of Mrs. Frizzle's class are learning about the senses so they get into their magic school bus and shrink down, and go into a students nose and from there they continue to the other sensory organs. I like the format of this book because it is very active instead of reading from a textbook the children can get the same information but have fun while they are learning. I also like hands on activities and this is as close as hands on with a book as you can get. It also gives small science experiments and reports that the class has written for the child to read. The author has such great imagination and brings the fun back into learning science.

My science-loving eight-year-old son really enjoys reading books from the Magic School Bus series, and the topic and plot line of this one engaged him as well. But early into the book, he was asking me about nearly every other word. When I looked more carefully, I realized the reading level was higher than other books he had read in the series and many of the facts were things I had learned in junior high. I decided to take over, reading the book to him and explaining many of the topics in more detail. Don't get me wrong -- he really enjoyed the book and learned some "cool" new things about the senses. It just wouldn't have made much sense without my involvement.

I decided to save some money for my wedding by making paper flowers instead of using real flowers. I started to research paper flowers and came acruss the Klutz book of Tissue Paper Flowers. I bought it and when I got it, I was so amazed at how easy the flowers are to make. I started out by making one of each flower and was so impressed at how real some of them looked. I can't wait to get white tissue paper to make my wedding flowers! This book has such easy step by step instructions. The only down side is that it shows so many other flowers on the front that aren't actually in the book. However, once you tackle all the flower projects in the book, it is very simple to look at a real flower and figure out how to make it out of tissue paper. These flowers are fun, hard to screw up, and are so pretty! I think doing projects like this with kids would be a lot of fun, too.

I just received this book. I bought it as a birthday gift for an 8 year-old niece. She will love it and so will her 5 year-old sister. In fact, their mother will love making the flowers too. I can see this being a great book for all ages because you can customize the flowers according to your skill level ie. more detail for older kids and simpler designs for younger kids.

It looks fun. I see projects in the book showing how to use them on wreaths, hats, headbands, etc. The book is colorful and the directions look clear. The book looks like it will last too. The back cover is thick chipboard and all of the book pages are thick paper. I am impressed!

Like many of the other reviewers, I am a grown-up who bought this book to share with children and ended up enjoying it tremendously as a craft project for myself. This book is so beautifully designed with clear easy-to-follow directions and plenty of supplies to get you started. I think it would make a great gift for children as young as age five all the way up to the most crafty adult crafter.

a very fun craft project. my kids have spent hours with this one. the patterns are fairly easy for kids, and a few need adult help. i recommend this craft.

I bought this book for my 5 year old daughter thinking that I would have to sit down with her and show her how to make the flowers. I was HOPING that once I showed her she would be able to do it herself. Well, before I could even show her how to do it, she disappeared into the kitchen; with the book; to her play table, brought her 4 year old brother with her, and next thing I know both children are bringing out all these interesting and detailed flowers of various colors. They are still sitting on our piano in a little vase I found for them, and they are quite proud of their flowers that they made.

For older children and adults you can get VERY precise and detailed with the flowers and make them not only beautiful but also very realistic. I suspect this book will be a huge hit in my house for years to come, and they will "re-discover" the book over and over as their abilities rise with their years.

This book and the other two in this series don't make history less complex but they sure make it readable!

My older sister originally bought me and my younger sister the computer program. That was a few years ago, but it was a nice dry sarcastic, but silly humor.
Then I ordered this book, which has much the same type of humor. I wish it were in color instead of black and white, but otherwise, a fun way to "read" history.

I highly recommend this book. It's well written, it's occasionally funny and very readable. Volumes 1 to 7 starts with the Big Bang, to the evolution, to the first great civilizations (Sumer, Egypt and the Greeks), and ends with Alexander the Great reaching India.

I was so impressed about the presentation that I thought - why isn't there an animated version of this book (and the other volumes)? Wouldn't it be nice for kids to be able to get their history lessons via Cartoon Network?

But then I reached the part about what early Greek women did with their goats and sheep and how the Spartans treated young boys and I thought "well, maybe it's better if it stays in book form".

My only gripe is the lack of an index. Certainly handy when important names and places are regularly mentioned (like any other history book) .

This book is amazingly good. It is funny and educational and incredibly well drawn. You should BUY it.

You know it takes a comic to get to heart of humanity. In most history books you get a narrow point of view, and one that is usually "politically correct" according to the standards of the day. By making a comic version of history, the author can get around all of the "PC"ness of most history books and really hit home with the way humanity *is* and *always was.* The "sheep love" of early humans was a laugh riot. I never learned so much while having such a good time.

I recommend these for history buffs and non-history buffs. Really it's just a good read period. Forget that it's history.

I was glued to this book for the two days it took me to read it so
you can imagine my utter shock and frustration when the book took a
twist turn at the end concerning Leota and a medical technician.
It was so unnecessary. It would have been nice for Leota and her daughter to reconcile or at LEAST die a normal peaceful death. I was very disappointed but overall enjoyed the dialogue throughout the book.

The Halloweeen "skit" was too drawn out for my liking but Leota was such dear I read to find out more and more about her sweet self. Other parts of the book caused me to raise my eybrows... How "predicatble" that the black kids would have an absentee father who was probably "in jail." There were enough odd placed comments concerning race to make me squirm in my seat but I suppose that was the author's intent. Bottom line is this was a good book but I probably wouldn't recommend it. The "feud" between mother (Leota) and daughter (Nora) seemed entirely overblown. And Annie was too perfect to be true. It was a pleasant book and this is Just my two cents.

Leota's Garden
I absolutely loved this book! I can't wait to read other books by Francine Rivers now. It was just the neatest portraial of a granddaughter's love for her grandmother.

Francine Rivers is an amazing writer. For those who have not, you must read
Redeeming Love and the Mark of the Lion series. That said, Leota' Garden did disappoint. I agree that it was unbelievably slow (I contemplated stopping prior to completion) and quite redundant. But, I'll give Francine Rivers a break...not every book can be a masterpiece.

I picked up the book and sincerely looked forward to reading it. That said, I think the story could have ended about 125 pages sooner than it did. There is so much repetition...I became quite frustrated with it and just began scanning pages. Sorry I don't share the same love of the book as others here... it became a 400+ page tome when instead could have just been a story of life with all its many problems. I won't be keeping it in my collection.

Francine Rivers has done it again! This is a great work, so good, I couldn't put it down! My kids and hubby just know they will not see me for a few days when I start reading one of Francine's books. This is a touching story, one you'll read more than once.

Pretend Soup is great. Love the illustrations and kid friendly directions. The recipes are not only healthy, but they taste great! And a good variety too.

Don't let the vegetarian status of this turn you off if you are die-hard meat eaters. Really who wants to deal with food safety of meats with preschoolers anyway?

My mom got me this book when I was a little kid - about 14 years ago, I think. This was my FAVORITE cookbook growing up, and I used it for years. All the recipes are healthy and delicious! The Zucchini Moons were my favorite, but I made just about every recipe in this book. Now I'm a college student, and my mom sent me my old copy in a package a few months ago. This morning I was inspired and whipped up some pretend soup, and it's still delicious :) this book is a classic that I will keep for many years to come.

Because of this book, "bagel face" is the newest endearment in our house. Also because of this book, my three-year-old has cooked and eaten vegetables three times in the last week. Enough said.

My son, 4, loves this book! He loves that he can follow a recipe without having to read and he loves the outcome. Really helps kids get in touch with how food is put together and the joy of the process. The pictures are cute and colorful and the recipes simple and delicious. With most food coming in boxes and bags, this a great way to introduce kids to home made food.

My 3 (and a 1/2) year old son LOVES this book, LOVES IT! He really does sit me down and ask me to read it through as if it were a story book. We also cook out of it. He is always thrilled to make a new recipe. We've made 7 of them, and we've only had the book for 2 months. He can't get enough. Buy this book, really.

This book is a good enough resource, but it just isn't all that interesting or "earth shattering". I would prefer to read a book about how to bridge the gap between what men think and what women think.

I started with a book for myself called For Women Only and grew so much in my understanding of how God created men so different from women that I wanted my daughter to understand this as well. For young ladies attending public school I think you could introduce this book as early as 10 years old...with the ideal age being 12. For young ladies in private school that may be a bit more secluded from sexual information I would recommend introducing it a bit later. I gave it to my daughter at 14 and we went through it again at 15 1/2. It is good to go through it together to clarify things and keep that communication door open. Don't get caught up in the world views of dating at young ages and sex before marriage becasue of experience - Keep God as the Authority and stand firm in your parenting...God Luck! [...] author

I liked the book. It was an easy read. Being a little older myself and dating a guy that's younger than me I found it helpful to read how young guys think. It's very basic information and it's all that we know, but never think about (it's almost too easy). I definitely recommend this book to younger girls and I recommend that you girls take it seriously. It's all true. My boyfriend took a peek inside the book and decided to read it after he saw a couple of great sentences. I also bought "What You Need to Know about How Men Think" and "What You Need to Know about How Women Think", for me and my boyfriend. I'm convinced after reading these books we'll have more understanding of each other.

My teenage daughter requested a different book for Christmas, but when I read it, I was deeply concerned about the negative messages for young women. So I did some looking on my own and found For Young Women Only. I gave her both books and explained my concerns about the one she had asked for. She read both and threw the first one away because she didn't want to donate it and have some else read it. She thought that For Young Women Only gave her insights into young men that she didn't have before, but at the same time, it doesn't encourage young women to try to be something other than what they are. She has loaned her copy to her friends and recommended it to others. This book isn't as extreme as others on this topic, doesn't recommend that girls pretend to be things that they aren't and doesn't place all the responsibility for responsible behavior on the girls. It does help girls understand the struggle that their male friends face and should help them make better decisions in terms of clothing, behavior and dating situations. The book gives realistic and modern guidance to young women who want to avoid casual sexual relationships and to better understand their male friends.

This book is very beneficial if your looking for an upfront, inside look of what guys really think and how they tick. Some subjects touched in FYWO I knew of - because I am blessed that my dad has always been straight and upfront with me on guy issues - but only to a certain degree. Like me some things (being a girl) may shock you but it is how guys are made, and half the time (mostly in our ignorance) we have a responsibility in what occurs. I was especially thankful that the quotes and statistics came from real life guys not just some fixed survey. I totally Recommend this book if you truly want to help guard not only your purity but that of the opposite sex.

I just love reading this book to my grand child. It is a great introduction to unconditional love. This book should be on every bookshelf! All of us have times when we wonder if we are loved. It would do us well to remind children, starting at a very young age, just how special they are to us. I Love You Stinky Face

I love this book!! It is a must have!! This book is great for all ages and it has a great message! There are little puppets that can be purchased to go along with this book; they are really cute and get students really engaged.

The best childrens book ever! I almost cry everytime I read it to my daughter. She loves the illistrations and the story will melt anyones heart.

No matter how many times we read this story, my boys laugh every time. It is a warm-hearted story with a nice amount of spunk in it.

this book is fantastic, even for newborns! My sister-in-law reads this to my 5 week old nephew before bed every nigh and she adores it!

I thuroughly enjoyed this book. I'm a huge Grisham fan, as well as a huge Anne Rule fan. I don't know if it's good or bad that I kept forgetting it was a Grisham book and not a Rule book. I felt the detail and the realism were right on. I didn't read anything about the book (summary or any reviews), I just picked it up and bought it and I'm glad I did. It's a big step from his usual lawyer dramas and I loved it!

I started reading this book over the weekend while at my sister's house, and it was so amazing, that I started reading it to her and we were instantly hooked! We finished the book in three days! He grabs your attention in the very first chapter.
I actually lived in Ada, Oklahoma from 1997-2000...three horribly long years. I never really knew what the town was like until after I read this book. I was pretty naive, I guess! Thanks for a great book, John Grisham! I am purchasing the other books mentioned in your story now...so is my sister!

John Grisham is a good author. I don't usually read nonfiction but this intreagued me. I bought other publications to read other's accounts of this true story. All were in agreement with what happened.

I hope that this is the last non-fiction book that John Grisham writes. I have not read a book of his that I didn't like until this one.

It reads like a bad episode of Dateline NBC. It's hard to keep up with all of the people involved. AND I don't know if I can emphasize this point enough, IT IS EXTREMELY DEPRESSING. Stories like this about fictional characters can be enjoyable at times b/c they are seperated from reality, but when it happens to real people it just makes you sick.

Brief synopsis:
A woman is murdered.
A man's life begins to fall apart.
A man's life continues to fall apart.
Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, it does.

There's no nice neat bow on the end of this one. There are no answers. There is no final resolution.

Pass.

Ron Williamson was at one time one of the favorite sons of Ada, Oklahoma. He was a young man with tremendous athletic skills and many locals believed that he just might be the next Micky Mantle, who is still the greatest baseball player to ever come from that state. But largely because of chronic injury problems that started in high school, Ron was not destined to become a great professional ballplayer. He got his shot, and managed to stay in the minors a lot longer than he probably should have, but baseball is not the thing for which Ron Williamson is remembered by citizens of Ada, Oklahoma.

No, when the people of Ada think of Williamson, what they recall is the rape and murder of which he was convicted and the years that he spent on death row. They remember that he came within five days of actually being executed for a crime with which he had absolutely nothing to do. Well that's what most of them remember, anyway. Other Ada locals perhaps still want believe the local prosecutor who refuses to admit that he was wrong to ever charge Williamson with the crime, and who still wants to hold out the possibility that the DNA evidence that exonerated him does not prove that he was not involved in some way.

When it came to pinning the rape and murder on someone, Ron Williamson was certainly an easy target. Ron's drinking problem began in high school and, when his baseball career unraveled, alcohol, drugs, and struggles with depression made it impossible for him to hold a job or to move on with his life. So when the baffled investigators and prosecutors in Ada decided that the crime was so brutal that it had to involve two people, Ron and his running buddy Dennis Fritz were "chosen" as the crime's most logical perpetrators.

Now all they needed was the evidence to convict the two innocent men and cover themselves in glory as great crime fighters. There was no evidence to be found, however, something that did very little to slow down the police investigators or the local prosecutor who had already decided that Fritz and Williamson were guilty. A combination of creatively coerced "confessions," testimony from local lowlifes (one who was later to be convicted of the very crime in question), sloppy testimony from experts, a judge who proved his own incompetence, and lies suggested to, and regurgitated by, jailhouse snitches, managed to convict both the men.

Their story is one that most of us would like to believe never happens in this country. Unfortunately, as Grisham proves in The Innocent Man, it probably happens much more often than we know. All it takes is the right combination of incompetent policemen, investigators, expert witnesses, prosecutors and judges to make it possible. Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz had years stolen from them and their lives were largely ruined by the very people charged with protecting the public welfare. This is one scary story.

Grisham tells the Fritz and Williamson story in a very straightforward way. There is no attempt to "novelize" what happened through the use of extensively recreated dialogue or by speaking from the points-of-view of its main characters. That does make for some rather dry reading at times but the details resulting from Grisham's research makes his straight reporting of the facts a fascinating one. The 10-disc unabridged audio version of The Innocent Man is read by Craig Wasson who does a particularly effective job in giving a voice to Ron Williamson's frustration and outright anger about the situation in which he found himself.

Fans of John Grisham's novels, in which the action seldom seems to stop, might find the pace of this one to be a little slow. But Grisham had an important story to tell and he told it well.