Science Fiction Fantasy Books

With each new Bone book I get, I never get disappointed. Each book is more and more engrossing. While the black and white issues are the originals, the colors add more to the overall story than I would have guessed. The art is great, the epic story is amazing and the colors just help bring everything together even more.

I gotta say that once you get into the Bone series, it's hard to stop reading it, and I really enjoyed this volume, which is mostly about the antics and schemes of Phoney Bone as he tries to swindle people out of their money, hurting others along the way as things backfire terribly. Definitely great stuff!

The Bone series really hits its stride in this volume. Continuing the excellence from previous volumes, the story deepens and builds into a truly great fantasy tale, on par with classics of the prose fantasy world. I'd give this volume more than 5 stars if I could. Highly recommended.

Side note: - While I understand the all ages appeal of the Bone series; I find it odd that these books get shelved (and buried from a wider range of readers) in the young adult sections of the major chain stores. It would be better to shelve them with Graphic Novels or SciFi/Fantasy.

Jeff Smith's BONE: THE DRAGONSLAYER provides another fine graphic novel in Book 4 of the Bone series. Here the forces of evil are growing - and the roots may be within the Bone family itself. Full-color graphic novel pages entice kids to read the Bone adventures, and even newcomers will find it easy to jump in.

Action, suspense, mystery, with a winning plot and great characters, this beautifully mastered chapter in the bone series is top notch! I can't wait for the next book in the (assumed nine-part) series to come out!

Our boys, 5 and 7 love the book series. It is informative on various
subjects and creates their curiosity to know more about for example the Civil War.

My four year old son is in love with this chapter series! A friend suggested it to us since he seemed ready for a more advanced reading material at bedtime. My husband reads him a chapter every night...sometimes more because they don't want to stop. It's become a great tradition for them, and something they both look forward to. We love that there are so many in the collection! Start with number 1 and just continue. :)

Revolutionary War On Wednesday (Magic Tree House 22, paper)This book was a great way to introduce our daughter to the American Revolution. While she completed it within a few hours, I would highly recommend it along with American Revolution: A Companion to the Revolutionary War on Wednesday (Magic Tree House Rsrch Gdes(R))To start studies for homeschoolers, or to have a great set of books that help explain Why the American Revolution began. The resource guide has the true facts of the Revolution and is something we returned to several times throughout our studies.
And at the price it definitely was an added bonus!

My 1st grader hates to put it down, he would rather read Magic Tree House books, than play video games. He even reads them to his class and explains the story for show and tell. In his kindergarten class the teacher would also let him read the Magic Tree House books out loud, not to give her a break, but to promote reading out loud. Great books!

COME ON PEOPLE! First of all this book and the entire series is meant for KIDS NOT ADULTS so go with the flow. Imagine you are a boy or girl who is 5 or 6 and is just starting to enjoy stories and reading. You will love it! The whole point of a book is to have children begging for more. This book and the series does just that! ENOUGH SAID! My 5 yr old loves this book and as a result he has become interested in American History. This appetite he has led us to purchase many more books on history. In my opinion, the book has accomplished what I wanted. AN INTEREST IN LEARNING! AN INTEREST IN HISTORY! AND AN INTEREST IN READING! The text should be simple! The text should be silly at times! Thank you to Mary Pope Osborne for creating a wonderful series which I believe has turned my child into a history buff eager to learn everything about America!

Pretties
Scott Westerfeld
Young Adult Paranormal

Rating: 4 Enchantments

Zane is a Pretty. However he has always been different than the stereotypical Pretty. He does not share the same attitude as them. He is more serious than the Pretties who all seem to share the same "blonde" mindset. Zane is also the leader of the clique known as the Crims. The Crims are pretties who act like the uglies. They play tricks and get into trouble. These are things that are unheard of in the Pretties community. The Crims goal is to stay bubbly. Bubbly is where they stay on almost an adrenaline rush.
Tally Youngblood is a Pretty. Tally has given herself up to the Specials so that she could get the antidote that will cure the lesions in the brains of the Pretties. Tally is introduced to the Crims and later on becomes the female leader of them. Zane and Tally work side by side to stay bubbly and get the antidote.

The story of the Pretties is about Tally and Zane defeating the Specials and helping the new smoke rise. Fighting alongside Tally and Zane are most of the Crims, the new smokies and some uglies. Zane and Tally get the antidote. It is two pills, and they each take one. Tally is cured, Zane is also but he has horrible headaches as a side effect. Shay, one of Tally's friends, becomes obsessed with Tally and finds that cutting yourself will also make you bubbly. She gets a lot of followers to start cutting themselves as well. The Crims try to escape from new Pretty Town to get to the New Smokies headquarters. This is not an easy task because the Specials are keeping the new Pretties in, and they are monitoring Tallies every move. While escaping everyone gets separated from each other and Tally gets lost without any gear to help her survival. When she gets to new smoke the doctors tell her that she was never cured by the antidote, she had cured herself somehow. And that Zane had nanobytes eating his brain the pill that she took was supposed to cure that. Zane has now lost his motor skills. The specials arrive because they had a tracking devise in his tooth. Tally refuses to leave Zane so the specials forcibly make her a special.

The Pretties kept me up all night reading. I had to work the next day on only an hour of sleep because I could simply not put it down! The book was different than the normal books I like. Futuristic but no aliens or overly science fiction. They talk about us the rusties which I thought was cool. I like how it opened my eyes on how we are destroying the planet, because the rusties almost kill everyone and the earth. The one thing that the book was missing was romance. There was a definite chemistry between Zane and Tally but I wish it would have been more elaborated on. Zane and Tally are going steady but they never get too mushy. They say I love you which are a big deal in the story. I like this because it seems that every relationship that teenagers have means that they are in love, but I wanted nice mushy romance. The other thing that was missing was all the definitions of future technology. It took me awhile to figure out what bubbly was even. I really like the way the book ended. Tally became what she was fighting so hard against, and it leaves you craving the next book.

Scott Westerfeld has written three other young adult series. To find out more about him and his books please visit www.scottwesterfeld.com


Krissy
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
July 2008

I read The Uglies and could not put it down. It is a great book.

The Pretties annoyed me with the whole doing things to be "bubbly." They used this term all the time. That, and things are "happy making" and "pretty making" and "funny making." They were supposed to be like mindless robots, but this use of language got on my nerves.

I loved the Uglies and the description of the sights and sounds Tally experienced in "The Smoke." It was so exciting to watch Tally learn how to do simple things outside of her ultra modern city.

At the end of the Uglies when she turned herself in in order to help Shay become cured, I was so excited to see what would happen, when David would come rescue her.

It was so annoying how long it took for her to become reunited with David. Her friendshipe with Shay completely fell apart, and Shay ended up being hte completely mindless one, when in the first book, Shay was the adventurous one with a mind of her own who was all for staying ugly and running away.

I was just extremely disappointed in what I thought was going to be an extremely promising book.

Tally has become pretty and it looks like everything is working out for her at last. She pretty, she's popular, has a fantastic wardrobe and boyfriend, but looks can be deceiving and in this case they are. Tally has received a letter from her past self and remembers why she became pretty in the first place and why it needs to be fixed. This knowledge is dangerous and the authorities don't want her to live to talk about it.

Pretties is the second volume of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies Trilogy. It picks up almost exactly where Uglies left off and the story is fairly involved so I strongly recommend reading Uglies first. If, however, you decide to ignore me, here's a brief explanation of what's going on which will necessarily include spoilers (and yes I am quoting my own review):

"Uglies is set in the distant future after a mysterious global catastrophe precipitated changes to the foundations of what readers would call modern society. Fearful of war and violence cities now operate as independent states (think Renaissance Italy as opposed to contemporary Italy). Isolated and self-sufficient, the cities have agreed to certain standards for the greater good.

"New technology ensures that citizens never want for food or luxury items, weapons of any kind are largely illegal, and at the age of sixteen everyone undergoes a series of extreme surgeries to better conform to societal standards of beauty. The logic being that, since humans are preconditioned to respond to certain visual cues in each other already (big eyes are non-threatening, a clear complexion and good teeth indicate that a person is healthy), applying these beauty standards will reduce conflict and create a more harmonious society.

"But in a world where everyone is movie-star-gorgeous (oldies like Rudolph Valentino and Greta Garbo are considered "natural pretties"), normal people are so not pretty. In short, they're ugly."

At the end of the first book, our heroine Tally Youngblood also learns that normal people are smarter than the Pretties. As part of the government's plan to keep the population in line, Pretties' brains are surgically altered with lesions to make Pretties more complacent. The government's logic can be summed up in four dangerous words: for the greater good.

At the end of Uglies, knowing now that the operation has to be stopped, Tally makes the ultimate sacrifice--she allows herself to undergo the Operation in order to become an undercover operative of sorts. The only problem is that, because of the Operation, she forgets everything she learned about the Operation, the government, and perhaps most importantly about Special Circumstances (Westerfeld's interpretation of secret service/black ops types).

In other words, Tally starts Pretties with a basically clean slate. She and best friend Shay know that they lived with the resistance group known as The Smoke, but little else. Looking for something "bubbly" to do as Pretties, the girls decide to join the Crims--a clique known for pulling dramatic stunts in order to stay bubbly and consequently think a little more clearly than Pretties usually do. As Tally becomes more involved with the Crims and their leader, Zane, pieces of Tally's past begin to fall into place. But, the more Tally learns about her past, the more confusing things become as she has to decide between her past and her present.

Of the trilogy, this one is my least favorite. The characters, being Pretties, seemed the most unreal. Although Westerfeld evoked a very realistic world in Uglies it all rings a little less true here. I love how much slang these novels use and how easy it is to follow, but that too got to be a bit much.

The novel ends on a dramatic note, Tally once again rallying against those who would maintain the status quo. But at the same time, like in Uglies, she is once again a victim of circumstances. So, although the ending is great, it's also a bit too familiar. Since Pretties is part of a trilogy, it is a must-read to see what happens to Tally. But, in this reviewer's opinion, the second installment in the trilogy doesn't quite live up to the hype created by the first.

I'm more of a person interested in good stories. I love Star Wars, Harry Potter, Narnia, etc...This book and the others that are in the Trilogy fit right into that genra for me. Good read! And, great purchase!

It was great timing the product arrived just after I had a job interview. I've been eagerly waiting for this to arrive and a few days after the estimated delivery date it did. At a perfect timing even.

Howl's Moving Castle is one interesting book. Diana Wynne Jones puts it in a way where one has to keep reading in order to understand what the deal really is. As I read, my mind wanders off to what could happen next given all the details I've read so far and I couldn't be quite too sure at first, especially with Howl's unpredictable behavior. The story takes place in Sophie's perspective and as I was reading I seem to think and feel like her as well.

I loved the part where everything slowly revealed (it was almost near the end of the book) itself until in the end the good always prevailed. I have to agree with one of the reviews that the ending seemed to be a bit hurried and I would've wanted a little more detail to it. But then again, it is normal for writers to want to hurry finish putting their ideas into writing that sometimes it affects the ending. It is understandable.

As for the book copy, it may just be me but I think I found quite a few typographical errors but it doesn't much affect the standard of the book.

As for the extras, I was expecting more than just the interview with Diana Wynne Jones. It's funny yet quite true what she said about girls falling in love with Howl. It just goes to show that this book is very inspirational. Thank you, Diana Wynne Jones for this amazing novel.

This goes along with the other book, "Castle in the Air". Really incredibly fun. I loved these 2 books. Good for any age !

Sophie is the first-born daughter of a deceased hatter. She makes hats in the shop, now run by her step-mother, resigned to her fate of being a homebody when the Witch of the Waste, for reasons of her own which she is not sharing, changes Sophie into an old woman. Fearing rejection Sophie makes her way out into the wide world and finds herself housekeeper to the dread wizard Howl. As you might guess adventures and self-discovery abound in this enchanting book for young readers, and not so young readers like me.

Diana Wynne Jones has managed to weave a wonderful new fairy tale with everything the old fairytales have that make them so timeless and wonderful! The prose is beautiful and very intelligent, but simple enough that readers as young as third or fourth grade can easily follow it. There is nothing predicable about this tale and you will find yourself turning the pages quickly wanting immerse yourself deeper in this world where wizards and witches are business people and the distance between the mundane and the miraculous is as close as the nose on your face.

I watch a lot of anime, so of course I saw the movie before I read the book. Of course I had to read the book (being a bigger lover of books than anime) As my title states is blows honorable Miyazaki's film out of the water. The world is so intricate, the characters so imperfect (in a good way) I love them. Howl, Sophie, Calicfer and Micheal all became as precious as Bella, Edward (Twilight), Kate and Marak (Hollow Kingdom) in my mind. And for those of you who don't know there are sequels!

I would suggest this book to anyone. I work at a movie store and have turned many a movie lover into book lovers. READ HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE!!

Reviewed by Avni Gupta (age 15) for Reader Views (7/08)

When I got the book "Howl's Moving Castle" in the mail, I was elated. I had been going through a dry spell where I did not have any books that I had not already read. As soon as I got it, I sat down and started reading. A few hours later, I was finished with that masterpiece of a book. Of course, it being written by Diana Wynne Jones is another reason that it is a masterpiece.

This book is about Sophie, the oldest of three sisters. In her day and age, the oldest child is usually the most unsuccessful. This being known to her, Sophie decides to live with her fate. Fate, however, does not want her to bend to this rule and has a different outcome in its eyes for Sophie which involves the mysterious wizard Howl who lives in the floating castle near her town. This plan that fate has is all put into place when the wicked Witch of the Waste comes into Sophie's mother's hat shop when Sophie is the only one in there. Sophie angers the witch, and in her angered state, the witch turns Sophie into an old woman. Sophie has no idea how to break the curse, but she thinks that wizard Howl might. So, Sophie walks up to the castle. There she continues the plan set in place by fate with help from her new house (well castle really) mates, Michael, the apprentice, Calcifer, the fire demon, and wizard Howl himself, who is a lot more than meets the eye.

I thought that this book was amazing! It was a perfect balance of wit and magic all with a touch of mystery. I feel that this book is a book that all fantasy readers will enjoy. The humanness of Calcifer, the fire demon, ties the story all together. Without him, I know that the story would not have gone anywhere, nor would it have made any sense at all.

Of all of the fantasy books that I have read, "Howl's Moving Castle" by Diana Wynne Jones is the one that I have found to be the most plausible. I also think that people who generally do not read fantasy will like this book as well. And the best part is that this book has been made into a movie, so you can read the book and then watch the movie or watch the movie and then read the book!

"Who will defend Redwall Abbey,
in its days of peril and strife?
The beast who shuns both armour and sword,
Torn from the simple life.
He with destiny marked on his brow,
Who walks with the banished one.
Send forth a maid to seek out the Flame,
To rule when the old Lord is gone!"

Mad Maudie
Assistant cook Mad Maudie (the Hon.) Mugsberry Thropple has been asked to go on a mission. Not only is this an important mission because the great Badger Lord Asheye of Salamandastron has asked her, but it is her last chance to redeem herself and stay in good membership with the famous Long Patrol. Despite the warnings of terrible danger, the young haremaid is more than happy to seek out a giant badger named Gorath. After all, how hard can it be? Little does she know the perils that await her and the great adventures she will encounter as she plunges into battle with the Salamandastron war cry "Eulalia-a-a-a-a-a-!".

Gorath
Afflicted with the "Bloodwrath," Gorath, a giant badger, is scarred across his forehead (Gorath the Flame) from a vicious beating by the evil pirate captain Vizka Longtooth. Gorath is bent on avenging his grandparents' deaths and saving Redwall Abbey, but he does not understand that he has been chosen by Lord Asheye to succeed him at Salamandastron. It is not until he meets the fair Salixa that he is able to see a different future for himself and the friends he has met on his journey to Redwall.

Vizka Longtooth
A handsome golden fox and Captain of the ship Bludgullet, the sly, quick-talking Vizka Longtooth creates fear and death wherever he goes. He captures the giant badger and practically kills him. When he discovers the Badger's "Bloodwrath," he decides to use it for his own purposes in his quest to conquer Redwall Abbey.

Gruntan Kurdly
The warlord Gruntan Kurdly, a brownrat of great height and girth with a "mind that was teetering on the brink of madness," loves his hard-boiled eggs and being pampered. In fact, his physical comfort is so important that he wears down his crew as they carry him from place to place and try to meet his demands. Though Kurdly proves no match in leadership to Longtooth, he and his wildly painted crew manage to create plenty of trouble for the defenders of Redwall.

Rangval the Rogue
This overactive squirrel travels with Maudie as he offers his services while she looks for Gorath. He is full of mischief but is also a great soldier. Fighting beside Maudie, he uses his wit and quickness to achieve many impossible tasks. He provides humor and a great appetite for the delicious foods offered at the Abbey and from Maudie's limited menus on the road. Maudie's little troop soon comes to appreciate this wild and wacky little guy.

Orkwil Prink
Orkwil Prink is just a young hedgehog, but because of his propensity toward stealing things, he has been forced to leave the Abbey. Though good-hearted, Orkwil simply cannot help himself when it comes to "borrowing" things from his friends. In an attempt to teach the feisty hedgehog a lesson, he has been told to stay away from the Abbey for a whole season. Though he leaves in disgrace, Orkwil will become a great hero in the battles that threaten the Abbey and his friends. Orkwil, Maudie, Rangval and Gorath will find their paths crossing in most spectacular ways.

Author Brian Jacques again creates the fresh, unforgettable characters who abound in the world of Redwall. Badgers, otters, weasels, squirrels, shrews, mice, rabbits and rats are given even better definition with the fine drawings of David Elliot. An excellent map of the woods and plains surrounding the Abbey helps follow the travelers as they move toward the great climactic battle outside of Redwall. EULALIA! is yet another delightful tale to be enjoyed by the many fans of this series. For those who haven't read these books, what a treat they have in store!

--- Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts

in my oppinion this book is one of the most action packed books i have ever read. it is a outstanding book full of friendship and bravery. yet again brian jacques catured my attention inthis thrilling tale of redwall abbey and salamandastron. i recommend this book to anyone who loves action.

I enjoyed this book. It was based on the tried and true formula that made Brian Jacques so popular and it is always interesting to see previous characters and locations included in the storyline.

I have read nearly all of Brian Jacques' books, and this one gets my vote for best! It is full of surprises, action, and cliffhangers. Even so, I was never hanging on those cliffs for more than an hour, I just couldn't get away from that book.

I have been an avid Redwall reader ever since I found Mossflower in my school library in grade six. I was immediately taken with the series. so when I got Eulalia! I was thrilled. Do not listen to 1 star reveiwers on this or any other Redwall book. They will tell you the series has worn itself out. I say different.

Sure, there are repetitive instances such as there being a rat in Mossflower who has the same name of another rat in Lord Brocktree, but the main stories are vastly different to each other.

I had to take points off this book because of some repetitiveness like the slight overuse of the Badger's bloodwrath in every book and Vizka Longtooth trying to dig his way into Redwall. Vizka was the second vermin to try that. Cluny the Scourge tried that in the first Redwall book. He succeded but if I remember correctly he was stopped by the Redwallers pouring caoldrons of hot porridge among his troops. Vizka did not succeed but the idea was the same.

I will not reveal too much of the plot now because you might want to read it yourself. but take my word for it: great book, great author, great series. Mossflower (Redwall, Prequel to the Redwall Series)
Lord Brocktree (Redwall, Book 13)
Redwall (Redwall, Book 1)
Redwall, Mossflower, Mattimeo, Mariel of Redwall,Salamandastron, Martin the Warrior, Bellmaker, Outcast of Redwall, Pearls of Lutra, Long Patrol, Marlfox, Legend of Luke, Lord Brocktree, Taggerung, Triss, Loamhedge, Rakkety Tam, High Rhulain (Redwall, 1...

After Snow Crash, a sci-fi masterpiece, I can't tell you how genuinely excited I was when I picked-up and began to read Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age. I was particularly drawn to this book given that it was set in a future Shanghai, the city in which I now reside. I cannot even begin to express the disappointment I had in The Diamond Age. Although there are a lot of interesting ideas and compelling characters, almost all of the elements involving China fall very flat. It is clear that Stephenson has never lived in, or perhaps even visited China. He obviously did some interesting research on Chinese history and took some trends, particularly infanticide of baby girls, and brought those trends into the future to look at possible results. But almost all of these elements come across as extremely contrived and far-fetched. Stephenson just doesn't get China. It is also worth noting that there is not one likable Chinese character in this book.

I believe in writing about what you know. That is certainly what Stephenson did in Snow Crash, one of my favorite sci-fi books of all time. But if you want a genuine glimpse into a possible future with China at the center once more, my strong recommendation is to check out the entire Chung Kuo series by David Wingrove. As per my review of Chung Kuo: The Middle Kingdom, Wingrove obviously has real life experience in China upon which to base his brilliant science fiction.

Absolutely one of the best science fiction novels I have ever read. Mind blowing in its scope and vision. It's images and idea will stay with you long after you read the last page.

I only wish Neal Stephenson would continue to explore the world created in The Diamond Age.

Snow Crash was brilliant, this story was pathetic and poorly put together. There is no point to the majority of what happens in this novel and the ramblings of the author could have easily been cut in half. Worse still, all the possibly interesting contents -- Hackworth's story, Dr. X, CryptNet -- weren't flushed out and instead ignored in this tale about nothing. A war happens at the end, unexplored and for no purpose to the plot. Read a different novel, as this one isn't worth your time. I want the time I spent on it back.

As is often the case within the science fiction genre, the novel relies too much upon the whiz-bang intricacies of a Victorian-retro future ruled by nanotechnology. Too often it veers into tangential details about this gizmo or that advancement which can be tiresome after a few hundred pages. Even worse, the conclusion of the novel features an abrupt, extreme shift in gears which seems forced, at best. However, despite all that, it retains Stephenson's manic charm, his innate ability to combine the wry and the cool into something more. There are dry spells, to be sure. Stephenson offsets them with moonlit martial arts duels, dashes of steampunk, swarm technology programs/orgies, and etc... It is a patchwork fantasy, and flawed. But it is still a great read, especially in snippets. Personally, I kept it in my bathroom for a few weeks. Worked well. Recommended for those who need some idle, interesting reading with more continutiy than the funny pages or Popular Mechanics or... yeah. Buy it and see! Or don't! }:-)

I'd read Snow Crash about a year ago, and despite some problems with pacing and blatant Deux Ex Machina, I liked it enough to give Stephenson another go.

I gather Diamond Age is his second novel, and he certainly has improved in style over his original offering (Snow Crash.) This book consciously imitates Victorian (late 18th-century English) prose and dialogue, which can be awkward to the unsuspecting but is very much justified by the narrative framework.

The setting was intriguing, and quite-likely cutting-edge for when it was written. Nanotechnology plays a major role, and Stephenson does a good job of running with it to show the logical conclusions: a superficial utopia that is quite dark once one delves beneath the surface. To his credit, the technology isn't heavy-handed in this, and anyone with even the most basic scientific knowledge can follow (and appreciate) what's going on. I also have a soft-spot for Chinese history and culture, so he gets a few bonus points for including it as a setting subplot. Speaking of subplots, Diamond Age includes one that at first struck me as suspiciously similar to one of the subplots of Mona Lisa Overdrive (ie: an interactive book that helps a young girl cope with her surroundings) but I quickly found the similarities were superficial and Stephenson does go into new territory with his handling of it.

That said...

The last 75 pages of this book were a jumbled mess, with key plot points being introduced way too late, others (from earlier) completely forgotten, and overall left me with a feeling of "where the heck did THAT come from?!?" It honestly struck me as if 400 pages into it, he got tired of writing it and just wound things down as quickly as he could. Ironically, there's a fair amount of padding in that last section (notably a too-long sequence of a character at an interactive theatre.) Most of my complaints about the book come from the last 75 pages, but alas, I can't give specifics without breaking my personal reviewing oath of not divulging spoilers. Suffice to say that he again resorts to intervention from the Gods of Plot Convenience **a couple of times** in ways that are as unconvincing as they are unsatisfying.

That said, if you liked Snow Crash (or presumably any of his other works) you will probably like Diamond Age. It **is** necessary to keep your expectations in check, though. On a personal level, one of the aspects I really liked about Snow Crash was the wry narrative tone woven throughout, and that was very-much lacking throughout Diamond Age (I think I cracked a smile twice.) By all means, give it a go, but beware: the ending isn't so much a "let down" as a "plummet from 75 stories up."

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA pop-up book begins with a roar --- almost literally. In a two-page spread that chronicles the creation of Narnia, a splendid Aslan the lion practically leaps off the page as planets swirl and flowers and plants burst into life. It's a magnificent beginning to this superb pop-up overview of Lewis's novels, with paper engineering by Robert Sabuda.

Each of Lewis's novels is given a full two-page spread, dominated by one or more fantastical, multi-dimensional pop-up creation. For THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER, for example, a sailing ship, complete with sails and rigging, bursts off the page as the mouse Reepicheep declares his courage. In other pages, fierce battles rage, a horse bounds across the landscape and a whole parade of beloved Narnia characters seem to march right out of the pages toward the reader --- and toward Aslan's Country.

The text accompanying each pop-up creation is spare, reducing the summary of each novel's plot to a handful of sentences. For example, the perennial favorite THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE is summed up as follows: "Many years later, four children enter the wardrobe and discover the snow-covered land of Narnia. They meet all kinds of magical creatures, but they find danger, too. The White Witch rules now, making it always winter but never Christmas. With Aslan's help, they break the Witch's spell and become great Kings and Queens."

This textual brevity is entirely fitting given the audience for this book, which certainly will be made up primarily of Narnia aficionados who will eagerly anticipate Sabuda's interpretation of their favorite novels. And what an interpretation it is. On the pages I've quoted above, snow-covered trees and menacing icy towers rise up majestically above pages that sparkle like new-fallen snow, where Mr. Tumnus the faun holds up his umbrella and four children emerge from a wardrobe when the reader opens a secret flap. Fans of Lewis's novels will be thrilled to find them come to life in this new way.

For years, I've given Robert Sabuda's classic pop-ups, from THE CHRISTMAS ALPHABET to THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS, as holiday presents to family and friends young and old. This year, I know I will be giving his latest masterpiece as a gift. For fans of Lewis's classic children's books, devotees of paper engineering or those who just marvel at fantasy worlds, you can't go wrong with THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA POP-UP as a gift this holiday season.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

What a delightful work of art. The mechanics and cut out art work are superb. One must understand that the pop up book depecits all the stories within Narnia. If you have the complete series as shown on BBC or have read all 3 stories by C.S. Lewis then you will be able to relate to each page. Walt Disney has only released one movie "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" so one can only connect the first pages of the book to the movie. But even if you have never seen any part or read C.S. Lewis books, this is wonderful pop up book to own. I bought one for my granddaughter and one for me.

I expect my daughter to grow up enjoying this book. It's so beautiful I will be showing it to her for a few years. My nephews looked at it and now want to see it everytime they visit. I won't let them touch it, for fear they may break it and my daughter won't get to enjoy it when she is older. I would buy it again.

I enjoy looking at this book. It is a pleasure to share with others. The art and engineering are great. I would recommend the pleasure of this book to anyone.

I bought this book for my niece but have loved it myself. The artwork is beautiful and I enjoy looking at it over and over again.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves the Chronicles of Narnia books.

Summary of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Mrs. Frisby, the main character, is a field mouse with four children. One of her sons, Timothy, is sick. She starts him on the road to recovery; then the farmer starts his plow. Will he plow today? Timothy can't leave bed or he could die! Mrs. Frisby decides to gather imformation. She finds out that the farmer will plow in five days. What?! Five days?! But Timothy can't leave bed for a month and Mrs. Frisby's husband died last summer! How will she ever get her family to their summer home on time?

She soon goes through a lot of scary trouble and works out a plan with the rats of Nimh. But now will it work? They keep running into problems! Mrs. Frisby solves many by deciding to risk her life for her two sons, two daughters, but mostly for Timothy.

Now Mrs. Frisby learns of an instant danger the rats are in! Can they leave on time? Two rats are killed, but the rest escape. Is Justin one of the rats killed? Robert C. O'Brien leaves you to decide. To find out what adventures and misadventures Mrs. Frisby and the rats of Nimh have, read Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.

NIMH is a great book for young readers (11-13). The book is a great story about survival, sacrifice, and challenged me to root for a mob of rats.

Mrs. Frisby is a very sympathetic character that shows that regardless of species in literature, moms are moms, and they'll do whatever it takes to take care of their family.

I think that young readers will enjoy this book, but older teenage readers could balk at the subject rather wanting to read something more intuned to their interests.

I've read this book over and over again since I was a kid and it continues to be one of my favorites.

O'Brien, who frequents the sci-fi-esque world, has totally translated it into a surprisingly belieavable world dominated by rats, crows, and other critters of the woodland. Fused with this is the concept of... lab rats, held in captivity by the very real National Institute of Mental Health.

Simply put, this is a story about a widowed mother mouse who needs to help her family. It's charming and exciting enough, but it all becomes deeper as she involves herself with the one group that can help her--The Rats of NIHM.

Here the story becomes a stunning fantasy and a close look at how people (vermin or human) act and think. In some ways it's a social commentry, but first and foremost it is just an incredible story.

I bought this book for my grandaughter, who's 13, at the suggestion of my daughter, who's 36 and still reads her copy of this book occassionally to enjoy the story again. I'm 61 and wanted to know what is it about this book that is so entertaining, so I read it too. My only comment, at any age, this story is delightful and a "must read" for all ages.

The cover art shipping now (July '08) is the beige one in the alternate images -- a useless and dull cover compared with the exciting view of Mrs. Frisby and the crow Jeremy against blue on display at this page. I wish I'd bought this in a bookstore instead, and might have had another choice of cover art. At least the interior art is the excellent classic version.

This book is worth it's money. It has so many different story's and is just flat out fun to read! so if you like Ivader Zim you will defenatally like (Johnny The Homicidal Maniac)

Here we have the entire collection of Nny. This book is violent, repugnant, and yet still amazing. With its charming wit, deadpan humor, and brilliant character interactions, this book is a well-deserved 5-star.

OMG... This was some of the funniest and darkest humor Ive encountered... Johnny... Nny for short had me rolling

For any who have not had the joy of viewing any of Jhonen Vasquez's work this is the best there is.

Simply put JTHM covers a vast array of emotions and feeling that we all have from time to time Johnny just acts through with them, which can give you a sense of that same outlet Jhonen vents through johnny

Well, heck, if this isn't just one of the cutest things I had ever had the pleasure of reading. Yes, I have read Ms. Osborne before, but I was still sadly wary of a book like this. How surprised I was to see her skill put into an excellent and educational fantasy that works wonderfully for the kids? My first-graders (at least the ones with the capability of listening to longer books) were entranced, and I have to admit that the tight, creative plot had me absorbed, as well. I realized shortly though that "The Magic Tree House" is best read serially, but this still was perfectly understandable on its own. Great job!

When I first suggested this book to my four year old she exclaimed "Where are the pictures?" I told her that she could create her own in her imagination and she sure did!
We both enjoyed this book and look forward to more of the series.

"The Blizzard of the Blue Moon" is a very good book. We have a 10 year old Autistic grandson who did not like to read. We started reading for 20 minutes every day and sometimes longer because he wanted to find out what would happen next. During the holidays, he read 3 of the Magic Treehouse books! I like this book and the series because Mary Pope Osborne weaves historical facts that we can discuss together, in her fictional books. I am so happy that there are many books in the Magic Treehouse series, and we look forward to the next new book in March! Thank you, Mrs. Osborne, for helping our grandson become very enthusiastic about reading!

This book is about two kids named Jack and Annie who have a magic tree house. They have a mission to find a magic animal, but it is snowing really bad. They meet a giant who plays the weather band. Teddy and Kathleen help them. They think the magic animal is at the zoo, but is it?
The magic animal's powers may go away forever! Will they find the magic animal? Will it keep its powers? Find out in the book, Blizzard of the Blue Moon!

I read this wonderful book to myself the day I got it. I was thrileed and couldn't wait for the next book to come out. It takes place in New York City in 1938 during the Great Depression. jack and Annie have to find a unicorn. But how will they find one in a big city? Finally Jack and Annie find the unicorn, whose name is Dianthus. But just then two teenagers named Balor and Grinda burst in and try and take Dianthus. Jack and Annie escape with the unicorn, and stop in Central Park. There, Balor and Grinda show up, and Annie recites her favorite magic rhyme, Turn Into Ducks. Balor and Grinda turn into ducks.

Teddy and Kathleen, Merlin and Morgan, show up and the two other teenagers ride Dianthus home to Camelot. Jack and Annie travel home in the Magic Tree House, and merlin and Morgan take a ride around New York City.

For ANY fans of the magic tree house, MAGIC TREE HOUSE #36: BLIZZARD OF THE BLUE MOON, I reccomend you read this wonderful book. You will be so surprised that you read this book over and over again!