Nonfiction Books

I was very happy with this book for my son going into 5th grade. I wanted him to keep up his math skills - the book is wonderful for that! There are some sections (social studies, history) that I ended up crossing off because I thought it was just too hard. Some of the writing I changed up a little to make it more interesting for my son (who doesn't want to write!) I will definitely do this again next summer.

Summer Bridge Activities-we have used these for 4 years. We use them to help the children keep up their school/academic skills over the summer break. They are a GREAT adjunct to summer reading. The books have various "exercises" covering all subjects in a day by day format and have "grading" pages with stickers and stars for completion. The children initially balk at doing them but soon enjoy "remembering" what they did in school!!!

I really like this workbook for summer practice, review and introduction of new material. This book includes a variety of subjects especially math.

My daughter loves these workbooks. They have a great calendar and pacing marks. She sets the goals and goes for them.

I have used this series for my children for years. This year they actually reminded me to purchase them. Much of what was learned in school can become fuzzy when mixed with the sand and surf of summer. This workbook series helps keep it fresh. We usually do three pages every three days, paired with 30 minutes of daily reading. Still plenty of time for swimming, water balloons, and catching fireflies, and your child will return to school knowing that Marco Polo is not just a game you play in the pool!
This edition has a good balance of math, science, social studies, and language arts. By reviewing what they learned in 4th grade, and using the opportunity to research included information that they may not be familiar with, your child can start the 5th grade with confidence.

I highly recommend this Handbook for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Not only does it address historical, religious, and cultural issues, but it does so in readily accessible prose and format. The authors shared insight into important tenets of their faith in a personal, conversational, witty style certain to appeal to younger readers--while not alienating those long out of their teens.

The text would constitute an outstanding addition to school and local libraries throughout the U.S. and beyond!

This extremely accessible book is an easy introduction to Islam for those
who do not follow or are unfamiliar with the basic tenets of the religion. It also provides a much-needed divergent viewpoint about American Muslims from that provided by the mainstream media, often in attempts to heighten public anxiety and, unfortunately, leading to increased xenophobia.

American Muslims are, first and foremost, Americans. No one should differentiate between American Buddhists, American Catholics, American Jews, etc. Unfortunately, our society has tended to ostracize the general Islamic population in this country, primarily due to ignorance. This fine addition to any library's or bookstore's religion section fills a once-empty niche, allowing students of all ages to learn about the world's fastest-growing religion, also amongst the most peaceful, which many do not realize due to fundamentalist elements worldwide that stress their own skewed versions of what true Islam espouses.

The authors are dynamic speakers, well-versed in their faith, beliefs, and research concerning viewpoints from Muslim teens nationwide. If the
opportunity ever arises for them to speak to your organization, as it did
for the one at my school, you will be the recipient of three extremely
intelligent, open-minded and well-informed speakers.

I recommend this book to anyone, anywhere, of any religion, who wishes to understand more about the basics of Islam, the continued importance of fighting ethnocentricity within our society, and the challenges which American Muslim teens, as well as non-Muslim teens, face on a daily basis in a continuously changing political and global atmosphere.

I highly recommend "The American Muslim Teenager's Handbook," a book written to give voice to the issues and concerns of Muslim American teens and to let them know they are not alone. It educates and stimulates all of us to learn more. It offers insight to the importance of charity in Islam, why Muslims perform the Hajj, how Muslims pray, answers questions about dating, dancing, drinking, drugs and dress, teaches us about the basics of the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad and even offers Ramadan recipes. It is a book that presents to those of us unfamiliar with Islam a straight forward look and what it means to be a Muslim teen in America. Whether we are teenagers, parents, children or adults familiar or totally unfamiliar with Islam this book tells us about an enchanting, interesting world in an often hilarious and easily assessable writing style. In these days where there is so much misunderstanding about those we do not know and have been taught to fear this delightful, informative guide is a must read for all of us. It is time embrace our children, to listen to their questions, and to heal our world. I believe that it is books like "The American Muslim Teenager's Handbook" that offer us this opportunity and we can not afford to close our hearts or minds to the message it provides.

This book works within the reality that there is often a gap between the ideal of religious practice, and what people actually live up to. By dropping judgment and encouraging thinking about faith and building a relationship with the Creator while striving to do the best one can, this book holds out an open and helping hand for young people struggling to find their place in the world.

Succinct and informative, encouraging and funny, this is a must for anyone-- Muslim or not-- who wants to learn more about the reality of modern Islam.

This book takes a lively look at some of the questions that Muslim teens in America need answers to. The style of writing and the layout is engaging and accommodates readers afflicted or blessed with short attention span.

While the book is sprinkled with frequent quotations from the Quran, clearly it is not meant to be an in-depth treatise on Islam, either in the personal sphere or as an adequate source of history and facts with which the reader can maintain serious discussion with non-Muslims, or even with other Muslims. To its credit, the book encourages its young readers to learn more about their religion, but it doesn't guide them or warn them of things that they will discover.

Considering the large number of subjects covered, it is inevitable that this slender book leaves the reader short here and there. On the question for example of whether Muslim girls should wear hijab, one who does, says, "My religion tells me to - I have to wear one if I'm a Muslim.", and one who doesn't, says, "I don't feel that my religion requires it." While earlier in the book it is stated that most of the Quran is clear in meaning, and at the beginning of this section appears a quote (33:59) that suggests that women should "draw their wraps a little over them", the question is by no means cleared up. The naive Muslim girl is not prepared to defend herself in conversation with other Muslims, such as her parents, who may claim to know the correct answer, and can force the issue.

On larger issues - political aspects of Islam - page 90 shows a street rally poster reading "ISLAM MEANS PEACE". If a Muslim teen reader goes no further, he will not be prepared to hold his own in a discussion where someone informs him that "Islam" means "submission". And that someone could be a Muslim - say, a Jihadic recruiter - as well as non-Muslim. When confronted by the kinds of posters that sometimes appear in pro-Muslim rallies, such as "BEHEAD THOSE WHO MOCK ISLAM" or "ISLAM WILL DOMINATE", the teen will be helpless - not only uninformed, but misinformed, and he may realize that this book has let him down.

In summary, this book is about preparing Muslim teens to be able to make their way in America, to assimilate, and yet to retain their Islamic identity. It accomplishes parts of the task nicely, but sometimes it falls short of protecting its young readers and warning them of the dangers and complexities that they will face, from other Muslims in America as well as non-Muslims. Put aside all of the personal questions about dating - hamburgers (hold the bacon!), clothing, making friends, etc.; the essence of being an American involves the freedom to educate oneself, to question everything - including and especially authority - to speak, write, criticize freely and in safety, to pursue happiness and to choose representatives to express ones' political inclinations.

I rate this book 3 stars to balance its high intentions and accomplishments with its limitations and consequent dangers.

I like the recording very much. But without any written material, it's very difficult to figure out the pronunciation and spelling of words. It's not a complete course without written material but can be used to supplement other learning methods.

I am working my way through the CD's in my car and so far they are just what I needed. I may end up purchasing the next inthe series after I finish these.

My husband and I have, in the last few years taken two trips to Europe and though we were only staying for a couple weeks wanted to learn a bit of the language in order to make an effort to at least be able to say the polite phrases and to understand the basics. I was not looking for a comprehensive program, nor was I looking to continue on to a more challenging program.

This set was recommended by my sister who has a degree in Language and has learned and speaks several languages fluently. She advised me that Pimsleur was one of the best programs on the market for what I was looking for, and she was right.

I have found that any effort that I have made to speak the language (no matter how horribly mangled-it appears that it is all about the sincere effort) has been met with appreciation and has often resulted in a more friendly and pleasurably stay. I'm NOT fluent, nor am I a quick study. I used polite/useful phrases from the series frequently in my travels such as: Hello, How are you, excuse me, do you speak English? I do not speak Italian, Where is the bathroom, the list goes on. Any attempts seem to be appreciated, and for me it is worth the time for me to learn a little to be able to get around a little easier. Also, it is fun. I can take the cd's in my car and work on them on my commute. Perfect!

This will not teach you all the Italian you want to know if you are looking to speak fluently, but for a traveler, I thought it was perfect and it was both useful and fun.

I would highly recommend this product for those traveling to Italy that would just like to know a bit of Italian. You can always build onto it later if you wish to, but for the traveler it is a very nice program.

My one wish for these sets would be a booklet that gave a basic run-down on the chapters. With an audio only format sometimes I did not catch the word immediately and found myself looking up a few words on-line in order to understand how they were spelled so I knew if I was pronouncing them correctly. I'm a visual person, what can I say? Other than that I felt this was a highly effective program and would definitely look at other items in this series for our next adventure.

I thought this was a great program. It focused on practical things first like saying "I don't understand" and "I speak English" and finished up with "I'll have dinner/drinks with you at nine o'clock". I liked the format, often the narrator asked you in English to say things and then you had a chance to do it in Italian before the speaker gave you the response so you weren't just using repetition.

As other reviewers have noted, it would be nice to have a booklet with the words for review... I spent two lessons not sure I was hearing a certain verb correctly. I have had a lot of Spanish lessons so found a lot of similarities between Italian and Spanish and the format of their sentences and conjugation of verbs so perhaps the CDs were good for me because I wasn't exactly starting from scratch.

I have since purchased the Italian I course to further work on my Italian. It should be noted that the 5 CDs (i.e. first 10 lessons) in the Basic Italian are also the first 5 CDs out of the 16 CDs in the Italian I. So if you think you'd like to learn past the "I'll go out to dinner with you", you might want to just buy Italian I and skip the Basic Italian.

This CD set is a great way to receive a simple exposure to the musicality (?) of the Italian language. The Italian language has a flow to it, like music. It is to Spanish what an Irish brogue is to English, if that helps. This CD set will not make you an expert by any stretch of the imagination. But it will get your ears and tongue accustomed to Italian, which is a good thing. I bought it and used it to get my feet wet in Italian and have since gone on to speak the language with mild fluency. It's great for the morning commute, in the car, listening to Italian. It goes at a good pace and tests your short-term memory along the way. There is no background music or sound effects, either.

Advice or information given in this book may not work for all students?
What may work is worth knowing!
About a 3.9 Star buy!

Great how to guide. I bought it for my daughter who will be a Freshman this Fall. Lots of the same things I've been saying (with greater impact coming from someone else other than Mom), plus a whole lot more. Knowledge is power and this guide offers hints from study habits, avoiding weight gain in the dorms, to dealing with roommates - even an appendix on common errors in English! I also appreciated that the proceeds from the sale of the book go to the Boulder Valley Humane Society. Bravo Mr. Kennedy!

This book helped me get over $11,000 of free financial aid. Obviously to say it paid for itself would be an understatement. The book not only shows you how to get good grades at the college level with less studying, but also shows you how to get free financial aid and scholarships, which I found the most beneficial.

The author shares his tricks for applying for and getting all kinds of scholarships, grants, and loans and also low-interest Federal Student Aid (FSA). The amount of free college money out there for you to get is amazing. For example, the book talks about one little-known scholarship for students who are left-handed called the Frederick and Mary F. Beckley Scholarship lol.

Long story short, this book is a great investment and will pay for itself hundreds if not thousands of times over. My total haul amounted to over $11,000. Not too shabby I'd say.

Everyone at OU is talking about this book!! I just got a $3700 scholarship with the help of this book and am so encouraged I'm now going to go for more!! The key is knowing where to go to get it and persistence. I'm here to tell you it PAYS OFF BIG TIME! Great advice about college success too. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

Im a high school junior and got this book. I've applied a lot of the tips to my high school life, and my grades are doing a lot better!

I recommend this to anyone in any level of school, from high school and onward.

it has great pictures and is short but to the point that for things to work out well there needs to be rules.

I bought every title in this series (13 so far). And while they may seem a little expensive I truly believe they are worth it becuase of the positive social lessons they teach. The books are simply worded and straightforward. Because of this, they would also be very good for children with special needs. They are uncluttered, the print is large and they are ever so cutely illustrated. I'm sure you will love them and I know your child will learn something from them.

I love this book! I'm an Elementary School Counselor and I use it for Classroom Guidance. It's also been fantastic with my toddler! The pictures are so bright and engaging. When we have one of those naughty moments, when all is calm again we read the book. He really enjoys it. The message is simple enough for him but also hits home with early elementary kids. I highly recommend this book as well as the whole series--"Learning to Get Along".

we haven't used this book yet. I"m waiting for Christmas time. Now I won't have to look around for it later.

This book has provided hours of fun for my 7 year old son and I. The pictures themselves are just wonderful to look at! This I Spy book has been one of our favorites. If your child likes pirate themes, then this book is for you!

Wonderful book. I loved it. My students loved using them too.

My husband and 7 kids love these books. They sharpen the mind. We love all I spy except for Spooky Night. Treasure Hunt has great pictures and scenery. You will not be disappointed!!

I think the I Spy Series is Wonderful and Treasure Hunt has great pictures. My only negative is that the age range listed in Amazon is wrong, and even the 4-8 age range usually listed for this book should be a little higher, like 6-8. I have to admit that I have a hard time finding the pictures, so my 4 year old gets frustrated with this one.

I think the Picture Riddles is a great one for 4 year olds to start with.

I homeschool several teenage students and I tutor math as well. I love this book. I think Saxon makes math understandable above any other books I have seen or used. Thorough explanations of each concept and lots of practice.

This book make algebra easy. I would recommend it to anyone.

The service was great, but when the book arrived, it had much more writting in the book than stated. But what was worse, all the back answer pages were cut out. There was no mention of pages missing. I certainly would not have bought this book if I had known that pages were missing.

The illustrations as well as the sentiment are beautiful in this book! We find new details in the pictures each time we read it. The way this story is presented does a great job of making the idea of having two "real" mothers more concrete for our 6-year old daughter. I could almost see the lightbulbs popping up above her head! We have dozens of adoption related titles; this one makes my top 5 and is easily in my daughter's top 10.

This book is absolutely wonderful! I would recommend this to anyone who is adopting internationally.

Beautiful illustrations and a lovely poem about the adoptive child's two mothers (birthmother & adoptive mother).

We brought our two adopted daughters back to Jiande orphanage as preteens in 2006 and addressed the birthmom question not for the first time ... we had relied on the "Choco" book and other fables available in the mid-90s when we first had these discussions of the "tummy Mom" and the "real Mom." Too bad this book had not been available then. However, it is such a graphically beautiful book and has such a simple message that I thought I would add it to our China book shelf. The girls tend to act disinterested in those books now--unlike when they had been younger--but a book like this is easy to flip through in a few minutes and can easily re-ignite that on-going conversation our family has been having about how it feels to be adopted.

Motherbridge of Love is a masterfully illustrated and touchingly eloquent tribute to both birth and adoptive mothers. This beautifully illustrated version of a fairly well-known poem truly illustrates how the love of two women for one child come together to make the child who she is...the result of both of their love...expressed in very different ways.