Magic Tree House Boxed Set 2, Books 5-8: Night of the Ninjas, Afternoon on the Amazon, Sunset of the Sabertooth, and Midnight on the Moon

Book Description

This Magic Tree House set including the following titles:

Night of the Ninjas (Magic Tree House, No. 5)
Afternoon on the Amazon (Magic Tree House, No. 6)
Sunset of the Sabertooth (Magic Tree House, No. 7)
Midnight on the Moon. (Magic Tree House, No. 8)

Customer Reviews:

My daughter loves the series.......2007-08-09

The Magic Tree House sure has the magical power to keep my daughter, a very active 7 year old, in her room for at least a few hours everyday. She just love these books! I will get the rest of the series for her very soon!

Great buy.......2007-06-27

My grandson loves this book series and was excited to get this set for his birthday.

magic treehouse books.......2007-06-04

My son checked one of these out at school. He did not put it down until he finished it and asked for more. So I gave him 3 sets. He did not like reading until he got these books. Service excellent.

Wonderful reading experiences.......2007-05-13

My grandchildren love these books. My daughter says the kids all look forward to their reading time and learn so much from these books.

The Ninja book is scary for younger children........2007-03-29

The Treehouse series is very good overall. We read 2-3 chapters a night as part of the bedtime routine for our 3 1/2 year old. The stories hold her interest and there are just enough illustrations to anxoiusly await the page to turn. Her vocabulary has also increased due to some less common words and names used as part of the stories.

A word of caution. The Ninja story is scary for younger children and the illustrations are frightening and creepy. We had to throw this book out in the trash.

Afternoon on the Amazon (Magic Tree House, No. 6) (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

Average customer rating:

Awesome...just brilliant!
Cool Book
Cruising down the river
Jack and Annie on the Amazon
MY BOY LOVES READING IT

Afternoon on the Amazon (Magic Tree House, No. 6) (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
Mary Pope Osborne , and Sal Murdocca (Illustrator)
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Sunset of the Sabertooth (Magic Tree House #7)
Midnight On The Moon (Magic Tree House 8, paper)
Night of the Ninjas (Magic Tree House #5)
Mummies in the Morning (Magic Tree House, Book 3)
Pirates Past Noon (Magic Tree House #4)

ASIN: 0679863729
Release Date: 1995-08-29

Book Description

Jack and Annie travel back in time to a South American rain forest in search of the elusive magician Morgan le Fay. Will they find a new clue to her whereabouts before they are trampled by stampeding killer ants?

Customer Reviews:

Awesome...just brilliant!.......2007-09-30

Mary Pope Osborne is a brilliant writer. She captivates the audience to whom she writes for in a magical way. Anyone who critizices her is just jealous and wishes that they had thought about writing the Magic Tree House Series themselves. I volunteer at an Elementary School Library in California, and I must say that the most seeked for Series by students is without a doubt the Magic Tree House Series. Mary Pope Osborne is able to charm children of all ages, even those who normally are not really interested in picking up a book. I have to say that I, myself love reading all her books. My grandchildren love the magic within them, and I love how they learn tidbits of information that no child would go out of their way to learn. Furthermore, the introduction to those subjects always inspires them to ask questions and talk about the books that they read. I hope that she continues writing for many years to come. My youngest granddaughter has the entire collection, and we look forward for future books.

Cool Book.......2007-04-12

Do you like the rain forest? If you do then this is the book for you. It is about a brother named Jack and a sister named Annie.They both travel to the rain forest. It is a really good book. Some parts are funny and some aren't. If you love the rain forest and want to know more read this book . Recommended for people who love suprise endings. Does Jack and Annie survive the rain forest? Read on to find out. Will they be attacked? Read on. You have to read this book. Recommended for second graders and up. By Hayden

Cruising down the river.......2007-04-08

These tiny Magic Tree House books
Promote imagination
Reading's better for your kids
Than games on a PlayStation

A tree house filled with many books
That's like a time machine
To travel to another place
Just wish, and choose a scene

This book takes on the Amazon
Upon the mighty river
Snakes and ants and crocodiles
May make your backbone shiver

They have to find a special thing
To take back to Frog Creek
A furry friend helps them to find
The object that they seek

Through the eyes of these young kids
The reader soon discovers
Learning can be lots of fun
Just open those book covers!

Amanda Richards, April 7, 2007

Jack and Annie on the Amazon.......2007-01-21

Mary Pope Osborn is one of my favorite authors. She has written many books and she has a great imagination.
In the book, Afternoon on the Amazon, Jack and Annie find themselves Amazon rain forest. Here, Jack and Annie thought that they were in a bush, but they were on a tree that went over 150 feet. The forest was filled with trees like this, and it had three layers. They met many animals like monkeys, snakes, and crocodiles. I suggest that you read about their adventure in and enjoy it for yourself.
Reviewed by my child, C. B. Patras.

MY BOY LOVES READING IT.......2007-01-07

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!

Average customer rating:

Love it, love it, love it!!!
Disappointment....
Another Amazing Allende
To people who want to go the Amazon River
Painful, Painful, Painful.

Ciudad de las Bestias, La
Isabel Allende
Manufacturer: Rayo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Forest of the Pygmies
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Paula

Accessories:

Dream Cream Hand and Body Cream by LUSH
Avon ANEW CLINICAL 2-Step Facial Peel

ASIN: 0060510323
Release Date: 2003-09-16

Book Description

Alexander Cold, un joven de quince años está a punto de embarcarse con su temeraria abuela, en el viaje de su vida. Una expedición de la International Geographic se dirige hacia la remotas y peligrosas tierras salvajes de Suramérica para documentar al legendario Yeti del Amazonas, más conocido como "La Bestia."

Alex y su amiga Nadia descubrirán que el impenetrable mundo de la selva tropical esconde mucho más de lo que jamás hubieran imaginado. Con la fuerza de sus dos animales totémicos -- el jaguar para Alexander, y el águila para Nadia -- ambos jóvenes se embarcan en una apasionante e inolvidable aventura que los lleva al descubrimiento de . . .

Customer Reviews:

Love it, love it, love it!!!.......2007-10-06

Love this book!!! great story, very original!!! It's a only a little long, but you get hooked by it! what are you waiting for, buy it!!!

Disappointment...........2007-09-20

City of Beasts is a book that rockets off to a great beginning, a mediocre middle, and a plunging, just awful ending. In my opinion, it are the books like City of Beasts that disappoint me the most. I mean, you have a fantastic opening. GREAT! Keep going before you lose both the suspense and the momentum! However, the plot just keeps slowing down and twisting. By the time you reach the end, BAM the book finishs with a crash, and you end up with wasted money and time. I bet if Isabel Allende had spent a couple more months revising the ending, City of the Beasts would have been an A+ novel. But sadly, it isn't....

Another Amazing Allende.......2007-07-21

This book is the first of three books and it was something I first read in 4th grade. It just was a very powerful book and gave me a different look on life and the rainforest. The Indians were being murdered and it was made me think how evil some people in the world are by cutting down the rainforest and how in history making the tribes see civilization. In history many have died from being exposed to sickness, but in this novel they are given what is basically a dose of death.

To people who want to go the Amazon River.......2007-05-30

I'm a High School Freshman. In my class I read this book in for my book club. This novel is very interesting because I like the story of adventure. Also, I very much enjoyed the secret and conflict in this story. You can see the main character named Alex is growing up in bad situation, and I can think about if I will go to the Amazon River. Furthermore, this book is so exciting when I read the person is attacked by an anaconda. I really hate things that kind of snake. Because the author described that as real, I was excited about that. However, I think this book is for pretty young student such as middle and primary. It is easy to think about each character. However, I like the last the turning over part that kind doctor changed to bad person. In addition, you can feel that about family. After I read this book, I had to think about that family is a sacrifice for themselves. The main character tries hard for his mom. It seems very nice. These things made me interested and excited. This book has very clearly events, so you can figure out the special and important events in the book very easily. It helps to you read this book very comfortable and easy. Therefore, the very young teenager can understand and figure out the important things about character, situation and lessons.

Painful, Painful, Painful........2007-05-30

When I first began "City of the Beasts" I was pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable and readable it was. . .until a quarter way through the book. That's when the book, which could have been an amazing, adventurous tour of the Amazon through the young eyes of Alexander Cold, morphs into some lame, supernatural "save the planet" hoopla. Don't get me wrong, I think it's imperative to remind people the importance of preserving the earth, but it would have been better delivered solely through Alexander's experiences rather than adding in all the mythical Beasts, and the ability to morph into animals, and "The People of the Mist" who can become invisible, etc. Seriously, after page 100 the book reads like one seriously bad peyote trip. Since there are allusions to hallucinogenic drugs in the book, I have to assume that this is what the reader is witnessing, the Amazon through a drug induced stupor.

"City of the Beasts" was a really disappointing read. And just because supernatural/mystical plotlines are hot right now in children's lit., it doesn't mean that every book fits nicely, nor should be forced into that genre. Allende really should have stuck with what she had, an awesome coming of age adventure through the Amazon.

Race Forever/Escape/Lost on the Amazon/Prisoner of the Ant People/Trouble on Planet Earth/War with the Evel Power Master (Choose Your Own Adventure 7-12) (Box Set 2)

Average customer rating:

Choose Your Own Adventure
Great reading for people of all ages
NOT the original books
Paths Too Short
My 9-year-old LOVES these

Race Forever/Escape/Lost on the Amazon/Prisoner of the Ant People/Trouble on Planet Earth/War with the Evel Power Master (Choose Your Own Adventure 7-12) (Box Set 2)
R. A. Montgomery
Manufacturer: Chooseco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Lost on the Amazon/Prisoner of the Ant People/Trouble on Planet Earth/War with the Evil Power Master (Choose Your Own Adventure 9-12) (Box Set 3)
Choose Your Own Adventure - The Abominable Snowman
Mystery of the Maya/House of Danger/Race Forever/Escape (Choose Your Own Adventure 5-8)
Race Forever (Choose Your Own Adventure #7)
Escape (Choose Your Own Adventure #8)

ASIN: 1933390921

Product Description

This 6-book boxed set of interactive, children's classics include: Race Forever * Escape * Lost on the Amazon * Prisoner of the Ant People * Trouble on Planet Earth * War With the Evil Power Master

Customer Reviews:

Choose Your Own Adventure.......2007-09-10

These books are fantastic - I have fond memories of them from my childhood. As a school teacher, they are a wonderful read aloud. I let the children vote everytime there is a choice. They think they're great!

Great reading for people of all ages.......2007-09-03

We have read Choose Your Own Adventure 1-6, and our 7 year old son, my husband & I were glued to every book. The books are well written, interesting & intriguing. Not too scary but gripping. We highly reccomend these books to everyone. They can be read & reread, a real plus.

NOT the original books.......2007-04-20

My children have been enjoying some of my old Choose Your Own Adventure books from the 80's, so when I saw this rerelease of several classic books for such a reasonable price, I bought it for them. Well, apparently R.A. Montgomery wasn't able to get the rights on the original illustrations, so he had a bunch of freelance designers from Thailand draw replacement pictures for each of them, and they are AWFUL. Not just 'different,' but shockingly, unignorably BAD -- they look like cartoons drawn carelessly by teenagers, with no sense of proportion, anatomy, lighting, or anything else. The drawings in "Mystery of the Maya" are not bad but most of the others are so terrible they render the books unreadable. Leaving them unillustrated would have been better than this. Find used copies of the originals (most of which are for sale cheap on Amazon) or just pick something else to read.

Paths Too Short.......2007-03-30

You make one or two choices and the book is over. They should only have a few endings and make each path longer.

My 9-year-old LOVES these.......2007-01-10

We bought these books for our son because we remembered how much we loved them at his age. They are much quicker reads than I remember, but he loves them, so they get 5 stars. One book takes him less than 45 minutes to get through. He hasn't gotten to the stage where he goes back and makes different choices yet, but I'm sure he'll become even more fond of them then.

Running the Amazon (The Adventure Library , No 3)

Average customer rating:

Good good good
A Classic in adventure writing
Adventure literature classic
A Classic In Travel/Adventure Lit
no title

Running the Amazon (The Adventure Library , No 3)
Joe Kane
Manufacturer: Adventure Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Savages
In Trouble Again: A Journey Between Orinoco and the Amazon
Tracks
Into the Heart of Borneo
Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific in a Raft

ASIN: 1885283024

Amazon.com

In 1985 a team of hand-picked adventurers, including writer Joe Kane, embarked on a journey that would take them to the remote headwaters of the Amazon Basin. But that was just the beginning of the trip. Their goal: to navigate the world's longest river from source to mouth, a feat never before recorded.

After reaching (via a goat trail) a glacial trickle above 17,000 feet--debatably the farthest source of the Amazon--the team descends to a point where kayaks can be deployed. From there the trip entails kayaking through one of the nastiest white-water canyons on the planet, a stretch of water that has previously claimed the lives or quickly halted the plans of all who attempted to conquer it; navigating an unmapped gorge known affectionately as the Abyss; sneaking through the "Red Zone," an area closed to foreigners and occupied by the notorious Shining Path rebels; and, finally, paddling to the Atlantic by sea kayak through 3,000 miles of hot jungle.

Hired initially to chronicle the project from dry land, Kane quickly assumes a more integral role as a much-needed paddler, and as such he is able to provide vivid, first-hand descriptions of the treacherous water encountered. But in many ways the water is the least imposing obstacle to success. Along the way the team is beset by financial difficulties, a crisis of leadership, attacks from armed rebels, and the defection of team members. Kane's account of this six-month ordeal is much more than a travelogue of athletic endeavor--it's a fascinating portrait of the planning, politics, and personal struggles involved in mounting a modern-day expedition through a vast expanse of largely uncharted territory.

Book Description

Until the summer of 1985 no one had ever traveled the 4200 miles of the Amazon River. It looked just too formidable. But in late August of that year nine young men and women made the attempt. They had an incredible journey.

They came from all over the world...for sport, for science, for the thrill. In the event there was something for everyone. But the biggest reward was to have done it, to have conquered the endless Amazon from its source to its Atlantic spillway.

"A first-hand account of adventure in the grand manner." (Publisher's Source)

Customer Reviews:

Good good good.......2007-04-21

One of the top adventure books I have read. Great descriptions of whitewater hell as well as political manueverings in the group. Best kayaking book yet.

A Classic in adventure writing.......2007-02-18

Even though this adventure happened over 20 years ago, it's still worth a read.

Like other reviewers have already stated, this was a very ill-matched expedition. The wrong people were leaders. There was poor and no planning and I suspect, mismanagement of the money each participant had paid. (Kane paid $7000). The potpouri of participants just goes to show that you can't conduct a river expedition for exploration, adventure, excitement, recording, documenting and science. It's just too much to focus on at once when the river provides for all the dangers one could imagine. The Lewis and Clark expedition realized the same thing 180 years earlier: it's impossible to both chart a new river and conduct science projects AND record the journey AND ward off "savages" all at the same time. The Roosevelt expedition wasn't any luckier.

Kane does an excellent job describing the journey, from the hike up to the Amazon source to the day-to-day river adventures. Scenes of black outs after near-drowning experiences are heart-pounding. Visuals of the river as just as descriptive. Arguments between the Alpha members allow for personal opinion of each participant. This story is not just about the six months of paddling and rafting, but also about the human-to-human conflicts of very different people and how they interact in and after crisis after crisis after crisis.

The writing is rock solid. Each chapter is a prelude to the next. This is my second read of the Amazon (the previous one was "The River of Doubt" about Theodore Roosevelt's trip down the Amazon in 1913) and I am convinced that the Amazon and its tributaries are not worth the agony and defeat that whitewater thrill seekers want. I have no desire to visit the Amazon, no desire to experience the water in any way.

Adventure literature classic.......2007-01-25

Adventure literature classic. National Geographic ranked it #57 in its top 100 Adventure Books of all-time.

A team of nine, mostly strangers, attempts to be the first to traverse the Amazon river--from its source in Peru down to the Atlantic--the longest river in the world. Joe Kane is invited as a journalist to document the journey, but who has no boating or adventure experience. Crisis among the team leadership leads to a breakdown and in the end things don't turn out as expected. Reads like a novel. New found love, personal conflicts, peasant revolutions, and the dangers of the river propel the story forward to the sea, "it's all downhill from here".

A Classic In Travel/Adventure Lit.......2006-09-17

If it isn't already, Joe Kane's RUNNING THE AMAZON will definitely become a real classic in travel and adventure lit. Among the many travel narratives out there, this is one of the best you will find.

Kane was invited along on a half-baked expedition to run the length of the Amazon river, from its' Andean source to it's broad end at the Atlantic Ocean. After hiking across the continental divide from the Pacific side of Peru (trekking alongside the Rio Colca gorge, the deepest outside of the Himalayas), the descent begins.

Along the way, the splintering expedition dodges falling rocks in cleft gorges, narcotrafficers, Maoist rebels, storms and other assorted hazards along the way. Kane's descriptions of the journey, and every stop along the way, are remarkably vivid, doing what every great travel book should do, but so few actually do.

An unforgettable account of an admirable trip; highly recommended.

-David Alston

no title.......2005-11-12

What a wonderful, thrilling, adventure-packed, suspense-filled book! It has everything, even a love story. Well written, as the author shares all his feelings, hurts, thoughts. And vividly outlines his fellow members of the expedition. Much is learned, also, of Peru and Brazil.

How the Amazon Queen Fought the Prince of Egypt (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards))

Average customer rating:

Historical Fiction for the Younger Set
Beautiful and Edifying
Beautifully told and illustrated

How the Amazon Queen Fought the Prince of Egypt (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards))

Manufacturer: Atheneum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0689844344

Book Description

CAN WOMAN EVER CONQUER MAN?

Queen Serpot rules the Land of Women, where the Amazon women live free, without men, and hunt and fight their own battles. But one day their peace is broken. An army of Egyptian soldiers is approaching their land, led by their prince, Pedikhons.

Pedikhons has heard stories of these warrior women. Now he has come to see them with his own eyes -- and to challenge them to combat. But the brave Serpot and her women are full of surprises. Can woman truly equal man in strength and courage?

This story of love and war is based on an actual Egyptian scroll from the Greco-Roman period. Hieroglyphic translations of key phrases, intricate paintings in the Egyptian and Assyrian styles, and extensive notes about both cultures enrich this fascinating, untold legend.

Customer Reviews:

Historical Fiction for the Younger Set.......2005-10-13

Strong women, battling men, first at war, and eventually in love. Loosely based on real-life ancient history, this book is a feast for young imaginations with glimpses of past Assyria (the modern day Middle East), Egypt, and hieroglyphics. The book is educational as well as entertaining.

A fairly short book that won't overwhelm younger children (artistically stimulating for the pre-reader), but also keeps us old folks visually engaged.

Beautiful and Edifying.......2005-05-08

Applause to Tamara Bower for bringing back to life a story heard by ancient ears. Her attention to artistic detail makes this book a visual feast. With all of the information included in this book it is interesting for children as well as for adults.
Thank you Tamara Bower for this treasure!

Beautifully told and illustrated.......2005-05-05

This story is an ancient tale with a modern sensibility. Two great leaders, a prince and a queen, who do not know much about each other at first, rise to battle each other, then learn to respect each other and join forces. It's a great story of adventure, empowerment and acceptance, beautifully told with Tamara Bower's rich, colorful, hieroglyphic style paintings. This is a great book for anyone who likes Egyptian art and classic storytelling.

Wonder Woman: The Journey Begins (Wonder Woman)

Average customer rating:

Wonder Woman for young readers

Wonder Woman: The Journey Begins (Wonder Woman)
Nina Jaffe
Manufacturer: HarperFestival
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060565217
Release Date: 2004-03-16

Book Description

As Wonder Woman leaves Paradise Island to spread the Amazons' message of peace and justice, trouble erupts the world over. She suspects that Ares, the god of war, is to blame for this dark shadow of hatred.

Now the Amazon Princess must use all the tools at her command -- her Golden Lasso of Truth, her silver bracelets, and, most important of all, her great wisdom and quick mind. But is she powerful enough to defeat the menace of Ares and restore peace to Mortals' World?

Customer Reviews:

Wonder Woman for young readers.......2004-06-03

This book is very cute. It is a light, easy-to-read story with a few B&W illustrations throughout. The story is fairly simple and has only a few words that may require explaining to little ones. There is no violence in the plot even though Wonder Woman carries a sword and shield. A must-have for Wonder Woman fans or anyone with hero-loving children!

Secret Water (Swallows and Amazons, No 8)

Average customer rating:

A slower paced Ransome
Explorers and savages
One of the best
A step backwards for the S/A series...
Not my favorite S&A, but...

Secret Water (Swallows and Amazons, No 8)
Arthur Ransome
Manufacturer: David R Godine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea (Godine Storyteller)
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The Picts & the Martyrs: Or Not Welcome at All (Godine Storyteller)
Coot Club (Godine Storyteller)

ASIN: 1567920640

Product Description

In the eighth book in Arthur Ransome's beloved Swallows and Amazons series, the five Walker children are left on a "desert island" by their parents with provisions for a long stay and a blank map to fill in. Like all of Ransome's books, this is at once a real adventure and a lesson in the practicalities of exploring - in this case, of surveying the inlets, coves, mudflats, and estuaries of "Walker Island." Naturally, there are enemies to overcome (another clan named "The Eels") and friends to meet (who else but the intrepid "Amazons?"). And, as always, the children do it all solo.

Customer Reviews:

A slower paced Ransome.......2007-08-01

After writing some of the most thrilling children's stories ever (including those featuring a certain H. Potter), Ransome slowed the pace with Secret Water. Actually, the plot is just a bit feeble and while it has its moments of excitement, this may be the weakest of the Swallows and Amazons series. I read it directly after We Didn't Mean to go to Sea and Great Northern and it lacks their power and drama. Yet in Secret Water the reader is among friends and that, plus the usual Ransome writing skills, make it well worth reading.

Explorers and savages.......2006-09-27

Set immediately following the events of "We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea," this volume in the Swallows & Amazons series finds the Walkers once again sunk in gloom as their father, Cdr. Walker, has been denied his hoped-for leave, which will apparently prevent them from going on their planned family cruise to a region of marshes and islands suggested by their friend Jim Brading. Then Daddy gets his Great Idea: he and Mother will "maroon" the children (including Ship's Baby Bridget and Ship's Kitten Sinbad) with camping gear and provisions while they go up to London, and the "shipwrecked sailors" will explore and chart the unknown regions in which they've found themselves. The large island that will serve as their headquarters is surrounded by mud flats at low tide and has a farm (promptly christened a "native kraal" by Titty) near the middle of it, and with a small sailing boat of their own, the "Wizard," the self-sufficient and experienced Walkers anticipate no real trouble.

They've scarcely set up camp when they meet a local boy whom they dub "the Mastodon" (for the queer round tracks he leaves while walking with his "splatchers," a kind of snowshoe for use in mud) and learn that he's anticipating the arrival of his "tribe," the Eels, who camp on a nearby island every year for a spell of pretend savagery. (Why they're so late in coming--it's almost the end of the summer holidays--is never properly explained.) Then, to their astonishment and delight, the Amazons, Nancy and Peggy Blackett, join them with another small boat, "Firefly," and Nancy, as always, starts livening things up by suggesting that the explorers become blood members of the tribe. The Mastodon is willing: he thinks Bridget would make a much better human sacrifice (the centerpiece of the annual corroborree) than the usual one, skinny Daisy. Then the Eels hear of the explorers' presence and send word to him to get rid of them any way he can, and at first it looks as if the whole expedition will be ruined. But this time it's Bridget, though only four, who saves the day when she gets "captured" by the Eels and explains the situation to them. Immediate friendship results, and the mapmaking and corroborree are both resounding successes.

As always, Ransome draws his characters and setting with skill and avoids "talking down" to his readers. Titty and Roger, the Able-Seamen, though still young enough to get in trouble, are clearly growing and maturing through their past experiences, as is shown in one episode where they're stranded on the mudflats with the tide coming in. Suspense and tension abound almost to the very last page, as the Amazons in "Firefly" and the AB's in "Wizard," having resolved to complete the blank map left by Cdr. Walker, race the returning "Goblin" to the explorers' camp. The harum-scarum Blacketts, who always improve any book they appear in, add their special brand of imagination, and while it still isn't quite as good as the adventures set in the Lake Country, this volume in the series is a definite keeper.

One of the best.......2006-08-10

This Arthur Ransome is as good as the rest, well written and with a new venue. This is a real location in almost all respects. What I missed reading this as a child was the context. Commander Walker gets an urgent summonds from the navy. As an adult, looking at the date of publication, I see that the book came out in November 1939. This was immediately after WWII was declared by Britain and Commander Walker was obviously very busy!
The plot of this book uses the usual Ransome themes, sailing exploration and a human sacrifice! You may not learn as much about sailing in this one, but that's all been covered in the others. As usual some of the main characters are strong females, in this case two!
Read and enjoy!

A step backwards for the S/A series..........2005-09-19

...but still worth reading.

After the serious adventure in the last book, WE DIDN'T MEAN TO GO TO SEA, we have the Swallows and Amazons back in the pretending and exploring mode. The major difference this time is that they're completely on their own, since the Swallows' parents were so impressed with their responsibility in the last book.

We get John's growing sense of responsibility toward the others, and some of the pains of growing up. We also get a boat race, some pretend-cannibalism, and a serious problem when some of the kids are trapped by a rising tide.

The scenery and setting are well-described; one really gets a visual sense of where they are and what they're doing. Some new kids, the Eels, are introduced, and are fairly interesting, but are never seen again in the course of the series.

Next: The D's return in THE BIG SIX.

Not my favorite S&A, but..........2002-12-27

..not at all bad. SECRET WATER finds our heroes & heroines very much in the process of Growing Up, with the inevitable tensions that late adolescence brings. Here we find the Swallows grimly determined to carry out a mapping task that their father has set them, and confronting the Amazons, who would rather ally themselves with local children who have their own "game" of tribal warfare among the marshes of the East Coast. There is a lot of good stuff here & some high adventure, and the book reads very "true" to the series. My daughter Clare regards it as one of the best, and I doubt that anyone will be disappointed with either the plot or the outcome.

Amazon Stranger: A Rainforest Chief Battles Big Oil

Average customer rating:

vivid, fascinating, heartbreaking and hopeful

Amazon Stranger: A Rainforest Chief Battles Big Oil
Mike Tidwell
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Savages

ASIN: 1585743402

Book Description

One man obsessed with the Ecuadorian jungle and desperate to save it and its people chronicles the struggle of the Cofan people against Big Oil.

Customer Reviews:

vivid, fascinating, heartbreaking and hopeful.......2002-05-27

This book is at once an adventure story, a profile of a fascinating individual, a heartbreaking account of one of the greatest environmental crimes taking place in the world today (the destruction by oil companies of one of the world's richest ecosystems, Ecuador and Colombia containing the greatest biodiversity of the entire Amazon Basin) and a David-and-Goliath story of a tiny Amazonian tribe, the Cofan, battling for survival against multinational corporations. As all of those things, it bears comparison with Joe Kane's "Savages," but the Cofan have already dealt with much more destruction than have the Waorani, and this book spends more time on first-hand descriptions of both the riches of the Ecuadorian rain forest and the consequences of oil exploration. (I would recommend this book not only to activists who are trying to save the Amazon, but also to those who are working to save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil exploitation, to explode to smithereens the notion that oil exploitation would not devastate the ecology there.)

The editorial reviews here cover just about everything else I would say about this book, so I won't repeat their comments, just direct the reader to them.

Book Description

O'Hanlon takes us into the bug-ridden rain forest between the Orinoco and the Amazon--infested with jaguars and piranhas, where men would kill over a bottle of ketchup and where the locals may be the most violent people on earth (next to hockey fans).

Customer Reviews:

exotic travel, exploration and adventure in the remote Amazon.......2006-11-02

"In Trouble Again" by Redmond O'Hanlon is a book about exotic travel, exploration and adventure in the remote Amazon jungle and along its rivers.

O'Hanlon continues the flourishing line of eccentric English explorers who did so much to penetrate the far reaches of the known world a century or so ago - and indeed into the middle of the 20th century. To a man (and, with a few notable exceptions, they were mostly men) they relished hardship, discomfort and danger in the hope of extending the range of human knowledge of the physical and living worlds - and testing their own limits in the process.

It is a pity that similar challenges are disappearing for young men today, although not entirely as this book proves. O'Hanlons adventures would not have been out of place in the 19th century, yet the expedition described in the book took place in the mid-1980s.

The book describes O'Hanlon's expedition into the remote Amazonas jungle of Venezuela. Although the term "expedition" is perhaps too strong a term to describe a trip with idiosyncratic guides and companions that frequently went awry. He also encounters frightening animals and inhabitants. As a treat, the Yanomami inserted a long blowpipe into his nostrils and blew in yoppo, a mind-altering drug, during an evening hanging out in one of their villages. He met the dreaded assassin beetle, carrier of Chagas Disease.

However, the misadventures are very entertaining. O'Hanlon woke one morning to find his testicles looking like a bunch of green grapes. They were covered in ticks from a tapir killed the previous evening for food. Apparently some ticks migrate to the genitals of a new host because they have learned that the genitals are the only part of the body that a tapir will not scrape against a tree to dislodge parasites.

Anyone who has travelled down the Amazon and into its jungles as a conventional tourist will recognise many of the things described in the book: palm trees covered in long thorns, eating piranhas, the sounds of frogs, fire ants, curare arrows and much more. I highly recommend reading the book either before or after undertaking such a trip.

WELL WRITTEN AND FUNNY, OVER THE TOP AT TIMES.......2006-09-08

Redmond O'Hanlon is a good travel writer, bringing the reader into his canoe as he faces a torrent of dangers and unpleasant situations. His British humour is very well placed in presenting some of the absurb situations he gets himself into. Especially with Simon as his sidekick (which gives the reader a somewhat normal view of things), the story is quite captivating.

However, some of his descriptions and stories did leave me with the feeling that he may have augmented the danger of situations to make the story more interesting. He also blew up the stupidity of some characters, giving in to what sounds like basic stereotypes of indians and the fears white people have of indians.

Overall, this is a decent book. If you are into Amazon travel, this is a nice adition. However, if you just want an intro to the Amazon through the eyes of an adventurer, there are better books, such as David Campbell's (1st person, more scientific pop writing with lyrical qualities) or Candice Millard's (old travel, relating Roosevelt's exploration in the Amazon).

possibly funniest travel book ever.......2006-03-01

dry british humor. The funniest passage ever written may be Simon's tirade when he has had enough and tells O'Hanlon he wants out of this miserable trip. O'Hanlon is the master of travel gone bad.

You man never need to visit the Amazon Jungle.......2005-10-12

Reading Redmond O'Hanlon is like going on the worst camping trip ever, (bees, mosquitoes, ants, snakes and cannibals) without leaving your own living room. O'Hanlon has such a gentle way of describing the worst possible situations as though they were just par. I am glad I don't have to wade up piranha infested waters, but I am glad he did and lived to tell the tale.

Endearing. After reading this book I went and found all his previous and current publications. He gets better and better.

Oops! - Leeches are Infesting My Shorts.......2003-06-30

Madcap and hilarious, this is a travel book written by a travel writer like no other. The natural history of the Venezuelan jungle, combined with an eclectic mix of characters so goofy and improbable as to seem fictional, told by a man who, if he wasn't already a science writer, would have made a nice addition to the Monty Python crew.

It's amazing that Mr. O'Hanlon is still alive, but I'm glad he is. I'm most definitely looking forward to reading some more of his adventures.

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