Amazon.com
Mark Haddon's bitterly funny debut novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is a murder mystery of sorts--one told by an autistic version of Adrian Mole. Fifteen-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone is mathematically gifted and socially hopeless, raised in a working-class home by parents who can barely cope with their child's quirks. He takes everything that he sees (or is told) at face value, and is unable to sort out the strange behavior of his elders and peers.
Late one night, Christopher comes across his neighbor's poodle, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork. Wellington's owner finds him cradling her dead dog in his arms, and has him arrested. After spending a night in jail, Christopher resolves--against the objection of his father and neighbors--to discover just who has murdered Wellington. He is encouraged by Siobhan, a social worker at his school, to write a book about his investigations, and the result--quirkily illustrated, with each chapter given its own prime number--is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
Haddon's novel is a startling performance. This is the sort of book that could turn condescending, or exploitative, or overly sentimental, or grossly tasteless very easily, but Haddon navigates those dangers with a sureness of touch that is extremely rare among first-time novelists. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is original, clever, and genuinely moving: this one is a must-read. --Jack Illingworth, Amazon.ca
Book Description
Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.
This improbable story of Christopher’s quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years.
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Narrated by a fifteen-year-old autistic savant obsessed with Sherlock Holmes, this dazzling novel weaves together an old-fashioned mystery, a contemporary coming-of-age story, and a fascinating excursion into a mind incapable of processing emotions.
Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow. Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. Routine, order, and predictability shelter him from the messy, wider world. Then, at fifteen, Christopher's carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds his neighbor's dog, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork, and he is initially blamed for the killing.
Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer and turns to his favorite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents' marriage. As he tries to deal with the crisis within his own family, we are drawn into the workings of Christopher's mind.
And herein lies the key to the brilliance of Mark Haddon's choice of narrator: The most wrenching of emotional moments are chronicled by a boy who cannot fathom emotion. The effect is dazzling, making for a novel that is deeply funny, poignant, and fascinating in its portrayal of a person whose curse and blessing is a mind that perceives the world literally.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is one of the freshest debuts in years: a comedy, a heartbreaker, a mystery story, a novel of exceptional literary merit that is great fun to read.
"Mark Haddon's portrayal of an emotionally dissociated mind is a superb achievement. He is a wise and bleakly funny writer with rare gifts of empathy."
IAN McEWAN, AUTHOR OF
ATONEMENT AND AMSTERDAM
"I have never read anything quite like Mark Haddon's funny and agonizingly honest book, or encountered a narrator more vivid and memorable. I advise you to buy two copies; you won't want to lend yours out."
ARTHUR GOLDEN, AUTHOR OF
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
"The Curious Incident brims with imagination, empathy, and vision -- plus it's a lot of fun to read."
MYLA GOLDBERG, AUTHOR OF
BEE SEASON
Customer Reviews:
Light read.......2007-10-10
Light, pretty easy ready. Mark does a great job of narrating from an autistic teen's POV. However, that was about it for me. Didn't get too wrapped up in the actual story line, I just enjoyed the frame of reference.
Awesome book!.......2007-10-09
Mark Haddon is skilled at narrating from the point of view of Christopher, an autistic boy. The story of Christopher's investigation weaves in math and numbers. Personally, I love math, and I finished this book in 2 days during a busy weekend! This book is great for all readers: light and amusing.
How the mind works.......2007-10-07
"It was 7 minutes after midnight." Every detail matters in the solution of the mystery of the neighbor's murdered dog, which is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. That's partly because the detective on the case is Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15-year-old boy with autism, a penchant for numbers, a genius for math, and a determination to solve the mystery and write a book.
Clues abound, but Christopher's strictly literal view of the world prevents him from seeing or understanding them, even as he records them. In his mind, metaphors are "lies," and phrases like "raining cats and dogs" and "you'll catch your death from cold" are incomprehensible nonsense. As the story behind Wellington's death unfolds, Haddon masterfully gives the reader the clues that escape Christopher while allowing him to pursue the more logical details he does understand and to get help with the more subtle ones.
Along the way, Christopher offers insight into the autistic mind and people's reaction to it. While he cannot read emotions or pick up on verbal cues and body language (unless they are explained to him; for example, he knows that a raised voice may indicate anger), his mind processes details the average person would miss. While we might see cows and some flowers in a field, he knows how many cows, he can draw each of their individual patterns, and he can name the species of flowers.
Just as Christopher doesn't understand why everyone won't or can't notice these important details, the people he encounters, while quickly picking up that he is different, can't figure out how and adjust themselves. His working-class father tries to, but his understanding of his son seems limited to an intellectual rather than an emotional one. He knows that Christopher hates to be touched and is wise enough to develop a hand signal that signifies love in lieu of a hug, but he doesn't understand at an emotional level the pain that touch causes his son. Not surprisingly, he can become frustrated when Christopher can't behave in the normal way. If Christopher's perception is limited by autism, his father's is limited to what he knows and can see. He cannot feel what it's like to be Christopher any more than Christopher can figure out that his father's quiet, slow speech indicated tightly controlled anger.
As Christopher works on the mystery and his book, he learns how to do things he may not have thought possible; for example, he survives the ordeal of going to a crowded train station and traveling alone. More significantly, he learns how to twist and withhold the truth when necessary. When his father makes him promise not to do something, Christopher rationally determines what he can and cannot do within the very literal sense of the promise, thereby breaking it in spirit. As he pursues his investigation, he seems to grasp that he is on questionable ground according to his own standards, even as he senses that the mystery is important enough to justify his rationalizations. By the end, he can say with pride and with some truth, "I can do anything."
Haddon uses a simple technique to convey the linear, mathematical nature of Christopher's mind and thought process; as the story builds, Christopher begins many if not most of his sentences with "and." "And I bent down . . . And I walked after him . . . And someone said . . . And I said . . . And the man . . . And then I heard . . ." The use of "and" not only sounds genuine, but it is also additive--that is, mathematical. For someone who squares numbers in his head to stay calm, "and" is one way to manage the sensory and emotional overload he encounters in his quest to determine the killer.
Only someone who is autistic can say whether Haddon has captured the thought process and emotions accurately. Even if The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is not a complete insight into the autistic mind, it is a valuable one, and a reminder that not everyone sees the world we see in exactly the same way we do.
©Diane L. Schirf
7 October 2007
Inside a Different Kind of Head.......2007-09-30
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" is a fascinating novel about an autistic teenager who runs away from home. The story is narrated by the disabled teen himself, so the reader is immersed in a world of bizarre obsessions and pointless details, where other human beings are question marks and math problems are a safe haven from the onslaught of unfiltered perceptions. The book is unsentimental -- the narrator never "outgrows" his autism and his parents are hapless and selfish -- yet it succeeds in expanding our minds and deepening our conception of humanity. It does so by giving a vivid human voice to a mentally disabled person. No one who takes the message to heart will ever dismiss a lost soul holding his hands over his ears and groaning in a crowded public place as a "freak."
That said, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" is not a conventional novel. Since the narrator is autistic, all of the descriptions are flat, the characters are undeveloped, and the dialogue is stenographic. There are long passages like this:
"Then I imagined a red line on the floor and I walked over to the wall where there was a poster which was a list of places to go and it was alphabetical and I saw 'Willesden Green' and it said '$2.20' and then I went to one of the machines and there was a little screen which said 'Press Ticket Type' and I pressed the button that most people had pressed, which was 'Adult Single' and '$2.20,' and the screen said 'Insert $2.20' and I put three '$1 coins ' into the slot and there was a clinking noise and the screen said 'Take a Ticket and Change' and there was a ticket in a little hole at the bottom of the machine and a $.50 coin and a $.20 coin and a $.10 coin and I put the coins in my pocket and I went up to one of the gray gates and I put my ticket into the slot and it sucked it in and it came out on the other side of the gate." ['$' has been substituted for the 'Pound' sign.]
I'm sure this monotonous passage, so filled with meaningless literal details, faithfully recreates the way autistic people perceive the world. But while writing like this can be justified as verisimiltude, it started to eat into my enjoyment of the book after 100 pages or so. The bottomline is that "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" probably works better as phenomenology than as fiction. But it should definitely be read.
An insightful novel........2007-09-26
Mark Haddon does a good job of writing as an autistic child. You really feel like you know what it is like to be in Christopher's mind. A few parts were a little boring, they went into a lot of description about nothing interesting, but that's Christopher's mind at work. You can forgive the boring parts because it's all part of how Christopher thinks. Well done!
Book Description
Merlin sends Jack and Annie on a mysterious mission to Paris, France, over a 100 years ago. There they must find four magicians and give them an urgent message from Merlin himself. When Jack and Annie land in Paris, they make their way to the 1889 World’s Fair. Below the Eiffel Tower, built especially for the fair, there are thousands of exhibits from all over the world. But how will Jack and Annie find the magicians in the crowds of people? And who are the magicians anyway? Jack and Annie are about to find out in another adventure filled with history, magic, and amazing surprises!
Customer Reviews:
From a grandson's perspective.......2007-09-16
My grandson has done nothing but rave about how GOOD this book is. Perhaps part of it is because he loves magic as well as reading.
Night of the New Magicians.......2007-06-03
I would recommend this book to kids who like books that have magic, adventure, and information about other cultures. That is why I would recommend this book.
A Great Work.......2007-06-03
Magic Tree House #35: Night of the New Magicians, is another wonderful installment in Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House series. In this book, Jack and Annie go to Paris, France for the World's Fair of 1889. There they have to find "four new magicians" and warn them about an evil sorcerer who is planning to steal the secrets of their magic.
I am just a kid, but i highly suggest that any fans of Mary Pope Osborne should read this book AND the entire Magic Tree House series.
A belle époque perspective on the magic of science.......2007-05-18
One of the best Magic Tree House books I've read with the kids. As usual, Osborne brings history to life. In this case, she turns science and technology into mystery and suspense, with the Eiffel Tower as a beautiful gathering place for brilliant minds and tales of inspiration. The World Fair attendees are awed by inventions that seem commonplace and even old-fashioned to us. This book taught my kids to take nothing for granted... and it gave them the desire to climb the Eiffel Tower - a pretty nice ambition for land-locked Mid-westerners!
Another great one from M. Pope Osborne.......2007-05-14
I purchased this book for my son as an Easter present. He read the whole thing that day and said it was just as good as the rest of the series. We struggled with him to try and spark an interest in reading, and these books were the only thing that worked. Even now, when he reads much more advanced books, he still comes back to these adventures.
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
|
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
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Similar Items:
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History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
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History: Fiction or Science? Astronomical methods as applied to chronology. Ptolemy's Almagest. Chronology III
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They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies
ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Average customer rating:
- Bravo!Mary Pope Osborne Rocks!
- Fright on a Summer Night
- MY BOY LOVES READING
- There isn't a bad book in the series...both my boys love them
- This book was really, really, really good!!
|
Stage Fright on a Summer Night (Magic Tree House #25)
Mary Pope Osborne
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0375806113
Release Date: 2002-03-12 |
Amazon.com
Spurred on by another mysterious rhyme from Morgan le Fay, the magical librarian of Camelot, siblings Jack and Annie climb into their magic traveling tree house once again, this time on a journey to Merry Olde England--and Shakespeare's theater. Their quest? To find "a special magic" that will, "without wand, spell, or charm / turn daytime into night." Armed only with their backpacks and a book about 16th-century England, Jack and Annie manage to solve the riddle, save a bear from a cruel fate, and make their stage debut in "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Following the wildly successful formula of her Magic Tree House series (Earthquake in the Early Morning, Twister on Tuesday, etc.), Mary Pope Osborne delivers another exciting chapter book for young readers (and read-aloud listeners). Additional information about Shakespeare is included, plus a partial list of the more than 2,000 words and expressions he invented. As always, illustrator Sal Murdocca's appealing black-and-white drawings are well matched to Osborne's story. (Ages 5 to 9) --Emilie Coulter
Book Description
In the latest offering from the Magic Tree House series, Mary Pope Osborne treats readers to an inside look at one of her favorite subjects—the theater. Jack and Annie are whisked back to Elizabethan England where they meet the Bard of Avon himself, William Shakespeare, and luckily for them he is desperate for two small actors for his latest play! A wonderful adventure as well as the perfect introduction to Shakespeare for young readers.
Customer Reviews:
Bravo!Mary Pope Osborne Rocks!.......2007-04-22
This was my first Magic Tree house book and I was really impressed. The story was well-done, and the concept of the tree house time machine reminded me of when I was a kid with a tree house in the woods with books strewn across its floor. In a way, many of us did or do have a tree house time machine to carry us away on wings of imagination, and I guess that's one of the reasons why these books are so popular. Osborne is a skillful writer, and I liked that she was realistic about the medieval culture that the siblings visited while still remaining a children's fantasy. Many young adult books set in medieval times shy away from the fact that civilization smelled horrible in those days and life was lived unhygienically by today's standards. A modern person entering the culture would be shocked by the smell, and most time-travel books ignore this, even the adult ones. But it adds to the suspension of disbelief that in this story, Jack and Annie notice such things.
I also learned things about Shakespeare and his era from this book, even though I've taken classes on the Bard in both highschool and college. Osborne includes facts in an unpatronizing way that really supplements the story. The extra facts listed in the back of the book are a great added bonus, and I'd be willing to bet that most kids read and remember them as well as the story.
I'll be ordering more of these great books next time my kid brings home the old Scholastic form for sure!
J. Lyon Layden
The Other Side of Yore
Fright on a Summer Night.......2007-01-16
Mary Pope Osborne has found a way to make it enjoyable for young people to read. There is a series of her books which will keep the student spell bound for the next chapter book.
MY BOY LOVES READING.......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!
There isn't a bad book in the series...both my boys love them.......2007-01-04
I could write the same review for every "Magic Tree House" book. We were introduced to the series when my oldest son was 5, and just starting to read. We got the #1 book (the Dinosaur one) on audio when he was learning to read independently. Then he started to read the book along with the audio. Now, at 7, he is bound and determined to read every book in the series, in order, of course. He just finished this one. The words are fairly simple, so the series is great for kids ready to tackle chapter books - they won't get frustrated by having too many words they cannot sound out. They are all ten chaper books, with a little larger type and good line/paragraph spacing, making it easy for kids to keep their place. They all tell a little slice of history in a very interesting way. Everyone in the family learns something everytime.
This book was really, really, really good!!.......2005-09-03
Stage Fright on a Summer Night happened in England, which is where I live. Jack and Annie got to see Shakespeare, which I like alot. They did one of my favorite shows, which is Midsummer Night's Dream. I really liked this book alot because it was the 15th one I read this summer. Magic Tree House books are great because they teach you about all different places, people and things. They are great adventures!
Book Description
Stage Fright on a Summer Night
The show must go on! That's what Jack and Annie learn when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to Elizabethan England. There they meet William Shakespeare who’s having a hard time with some of the actors in his latest show. Are Jack and Annie ready to make a big entrance? Or will it be curtains for Shakespeare?
Good Morning, Gorillas
Gentle giants or giant monsters? That's the question Jack and Annie have about gorillas when the Magic Tree House sweeps them to the mountains of Africa. There they meet a group of amazing and sometimes frightening gorillas. Will the gorillas be able to teach him some special magic?
Thanksgiving on Thursday
It’s a time for giving thanks when the Magic Tree House whisks Jack and Annie back to 1621 on the first Thanksgiving Day. The Pilgrims ask them to help get things ready. But Jack and Annie don't know how to do anything the Pilgrim way. Will they ruin the holiday forever? Or will the feast go on?"
High Tide in Hawaii
Catch the wave! That's what Jack and Annie do when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to a Hawaiian island of long ago. They learn how to surf and have a great time - until strange things start happening. Jack and Annie soon discover the cause: A tidal wave is headed their way! Can they help save their new friends in time?
Customer Reviews:
Love these stories.......2007-08-25
My son loves these stories and he learns a little about each destination. The only problem I have with the books is that proper sentence structure is not always used. Did the editors not notice? These books are for beginner readers, so it is confusing to them not to have proper "subject/verb" sentence structure.
Higher numbered books are longer.......2007-07-17
I have the audio CD versions of every story 1-24 and 29-32. I can tell you that the stories 29-32 are much longer than any of the books in the first few sets.
For example, books 17-24 have a total play time of almost exactly 5 hours compared with books 29-32 with a total story time just over 5 hours. So, you get 50% less "books", but the same story reading time.
I am just purchasing this set 25-28 now, and I do not yet know the running time of these stories. But.. you should evaluate the hours of audio enjoyment, not just the number of books when making your comparisons. Perhaps Amazon will add this information to the details, or perhaps I just missed it.
Why only 4 books.......2007-06-01
I agree with the other comment 100%. I am dissapointed at such a blatent marketing ploy to charge more money for less content. Done in the best "bait and switch", new and (not) improved tradition. I'll buy it for the same reason, but it is frustrating.
Why only 4?.......2007-03-23
Why are there only 4 stories on this set for nearly the same price as 8 on the previous three audio CD releases? I'll buy it because my daughter loves them, but I can't say I'm thrilled with paying only $2 less for half the content.
Average customer rating:
- MY BOY LOVES READING IT
- Night of the Ninjas
- Nigh of the Ninjas
- Night of the Ninjas
- An imperfect series that nontheless captures children's attention
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Night of the Ninjas (Magic Tree House #5)
Mary Pope Osborne
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
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ASIN: 0679863710
Release Date: 1995-03-21 |
Book Description
The tree house is back--but where is the enchantress Morgan le Fay? The search for her begins as Jack and Annie are transported back to ancient Japan, where they find themselves in the cave of a ninja master. Will the evil samurai warriors get to Jack and Annie before they can learn the secrets of the ninjas?
Customer Reviews:
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!
Night of the Ninjas.......2006-11-02
Night of the Ninjas
By Mary Pope Osborne
Would you like to hear about a book called Night of the Ninjas? The two main characters are Jack and Annie. They find a Magic Tree House that allows them to travel through time. In this book, they go back to the time of the ninjas. They are captured and taken to the head ninja. I'm not telling what's next. The series is Magic Tree House. This is book number five. Read the book to find out what happens to Jack and Annie.
Terry, 7 years old
Cunniff School
Watertown, MA.
Nigh of the Ninjas.......2006-05-12
This book is a very nice mystery chapter book. When you finish it, you want to add a chapter or 2. This book is mostly about ninjas. Jack and Annie have a big problem to solve. Their friend, Molly, was in a trap! She sends them a letter. It says, "Help! In a land of ninjas! In a tree house!" Jack and Annie are afraid! They want to help Molly but they can't, that's because they don't know how to get to ninja's land. I won't tell you any more. If you want to know more, then read the book. I think it's a good book to read.
Night of the Ninjas.......2006-03-14
Raymond Georges 3/13/06
Ms. Hillgardner Class: English
Title: Magic Tree House #5
Night of the Ninjas
Author: Mary pope Osborne
Illustrator: Sal Murdocca
Jack and Annie the two main characters. They go to the magic Tree house. It whisks them to ancient Japan. Their mission is to find their friend Morgan, while their friend Jack and Annie get seen by two ninjas. Jack saw them as a treat so he was very caution. They followed the Ninjas through valley up mountains and in the forest. They saw a few samurai warriors who were looking for the ninjas since they are with them the samurai see jack and Annie as emesis.
On their little journey they way of Jack and Annie met the ninja Master. He told Jack and Annie," Use nature be nature, Follow nature, if you use these three things you will find your way to the tree house and find your friend Morgan pg 38. I'm not going to tell you anymore because I do not want to spoil it
An imperfect series that nontheless captures children's attention.......2006-02-10
The Magic Tree House series is a great idea that could be executed much better. I agree with some of the other reviewers comments regarding limited and in some instances dubious information on their subject matter. However, I am giving this book four stars because my five year old son loves it. I have found it a struggle to finds books that he will sit down and read with me and the fact that this book grasps his attention is a great credit to it. In fact, now that I have bought the first eight books in the series, his ten year old sisters are reading and enjoying them, also. These books serve the purpose of introducing a topic (usually historical) and sparking a child's that can then be pursued in other books.
The original Magic School Bus series (by Joanna Cole - not the ones taken from the TV show) is a much better series that incorporates a lot of science with a fun story line.
Customer Reviews:
Illustrations are wonderful.......2007-08-28
This is a very good book full of information, and stories, I most captivated by the illustrations. A wonderful book to add to your collection.
Beautifully illustrated mythology.......2004-12-09
This book is one in Time Life Books' The Enchanted World series. Each of these books covers a different aspect of folklore and mythology, and they are an excellent set. They tell stories in a similar format and complement each other well without repeating the content. Each is about 140 pages.
This is a beautifully illustrated well printed volume. Artists include Matt Mahurin, John Collier, John Jude Palencar, Marshall Arisman, John Howe, Kunio Hagio, Michael Paraskevas, Brian McCall, Gary Kelly, Willi Glasauer, Yvonne Gilbert and Sam Bayer. Older depictions of night creatures are mixed in, including Henry Fuseli's Nightmare.
Stories are retold in a style that makes for a good read. These stories come from all over the world. Often there will be smaller illustrations and captions in the margins to the main story. These tell variations of the story and related stories from other cultures.
This is a beautifully bound and printed book. The binding is just cloth to collectors, but it is printed to look like a wizard's book. The cover shows a dragon holding a picture of a spooky night creature (I think its a vampire). I think it was the cover that got me reading this when I was child (this would be for older children because of the spooky nature).
Chapters include:
Perilous Paths through the Dark: A reckoning with Fianna's ancient bane
Visitations from the Realm of the Shadow: Charting the kingdom of dreams
Blood Feasts of the Da__ed: Nightstalker of Croglin Grange
The Way of the Werebeast: The fox maiden
This is a well researched nicely produced series. For me one book in the series (I think it was Fairies) had me hooked. If you are interested in mythology and all things magic then it is definitely worth trying out the series. High school and middle school libraries should consider the series. Some books might cause issues since they are about the occult, but some like The Legend of Camelot book will be completely Kosher.
Great way of knowing what people used to think of the night........2002-11-09
Excellent book, with beautiful pictures representing the stories. This book describes everyones hidden fears of what goes bump in the night all the way back to the beginning of recorded history.
Customer Reviews:
Insight Into Aspergers Syndrome.......2007-05-14
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time is fictionally authored by Christopher, a 15 year old boy with Asperger's Disorder - a pervasive developmental disorder. Opening with a curious and dark incident, the story develops into a sometimes humorous, heartwarming and even disturbing narrative following Christopher on his journey. I enjoyed this light and easy-to-read novel. It allows insight into the supposed world of a boy with a form of Autism. This quick and light book would be perfect reading for an airplane flight!
Extremely Raw - and a Super read.......2007-01-01
In a murder, there is usually one mystery to solve, even though plots are far-fetched and convoluted. This murder (of the dog mentioned in the title) has the actual killing, the highly involved world of the detective, and the question of whether "they all live happily ever after" to unravel.
I read this book on recommendation after hearing a very inspiring talk by a Danish gentleman at a software testing conference. His story concerned a company that employed predominantly autistic people. Whilst autism and the less severe Asperger's Syndrome are not the same, there are many similarities. Mark Haddon`s tale does not describe life as a sufferer of AS (Asberger's Syndrome), but more lets the reader experience it. For the story is told in the first person by a 15-year old.
Most people will have come across autistic or AS people, possibly at school, but the condition is only more common today because it is better understood. However, never has society been so excluding of people who do not conform. The 15 year-old Christopher lives in his own world. His world is conveyed very powerfully though the chain of events that begins with him finding a neighbour's dead dog. I had already worked out the unusual chapter numbering by the time this is described, and the narrative is also about writing a book, with a very understanding teacher at the special school giving advice and encouragement.
The killing of the dog is solved in the middle of the book, not by sleuthing, but by confession, and this leads to a paradigm-change for Christopher. Notwithstanding that, the book is a story, a mystery, a parable and a warning for all readers. It may make you feel guilty about how you treated others in the past, but I hope it inspires you to act differently, to consider that the vast majority of individuals have a useful contribution to make to society, and to understand the massive pressures that having a disadvantaged child bring to a once-loving, stable relationship.
Most of all, seeing an AS person, with obsessive behaviour and a compartmentalised world, may help us all realise that autism is not a disease. It is a spectrum. Most of us are on that spectrum, somewhere. Many are further to the autism end than they would have realised hitherto.
Read it. It will do you good.
Peter Morgan, Bath, UK (morganp@supanet.com)
An absolute gem.......2006-12-30
As a person who works with people with autism, I found this book sensitive, touching, and extremely accurate (from an external point of view). I can only surmise that the people who find it "boring" or "poorly written" haven't spent much time in the company of people like Christopher. Otherwise they may see the simple brilliance.
Just a note to other reviewers. Autistic is not a noun. It is an adjective. Referring to a person with Asperger's or another form of ASD as an "autistic" is extremely offensive.
Good overall, but I expected more.......2006-12-28
As a novel from the point of view of an autistic child, "Curious Incident" is an ambitious attempt, but in the end, it left me curiously unsatisfied. The autistic point of view didn't "feel" completely true to me (though I don't pretend to have any special knowledge of its effects; I'm just speaking literarily). It seemed a bit consciously gimmicky. But overall, it was good. Just not quite a top-tier effort. Worth reading, but probably not worth re-reading.
Five stars for being so different as well as a well written book!.......2006-09-01
I really liked that it was 'Christopher's book' we were reading. It made me view things I do naturally as part of social communication, such as laughing to put someone at ease, in a totally different way. Actions like that or touching someone in a friendly manner has a completely different effect on Christopher.
Christopher is a really likable character and you can sympathise with his confusion in this mixed up, top speed world we live in and understand his actions totally, yet at the same time we could understand the thoughts and reactions that strangers showed.
He's such a thinker too and I loved his thoughts on metaphors being lies "...a pig is not like a day and people do not have skeletons in their cupboards." and different facial expressions and how they can mean so many different things...I found myself trying them out! :D
Although I don't have a family member with Asperger's, I do have a brother who is special like Christopher and I could certainly relate to the need for organisation and routine in his life and there were many points in the book that made me smile.
Haddon helps us view situations from all points of view and it was refreshing.
Book Description
"Remarkable….Ekirch has emptied night's pockets, and laid the contents out before us."—Arthur Krystal, The New Yorker
Bringing light to the shadows of history through a "rich weave of citation and archival evidence" (Publishers Weekly), scholar A. Roger Ekirch illuminates the aspects of life most often overlooked by other historians—those that unfold at night. In this "triumph of social history" (Mail on Sunday), Ekirch's "enthralling anthropology" (Harper's) exposes the nightlife that spawned a distinct culture and a refuge from daily life.
Fear of crime, of fire, and of the supernatural; the importance of moonlight; the increased incidence of sickness and death at night; evening gatherings to spin wool and stories; masqued balls; inns, taverns, and brothels; the strategies of thieves, assassins, and conspirators; the protective uses of incantations, meditations, and prayers; the nature of our predecessors' sleep and dreams—Ekirch reveals all these and more in his "monumental study" (The Nation) of sociocultural history, "maintaining throughout an infectious sense of wonder" (Booklist).60 illustrations; 8 pages of color.
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating.......2007-04-11
The author adds to, and brings together (with elaboration) a number of minimally reported facets of culture in earlier centuries, and presents a fascinating picture of life after dark before the advent of electricity. There is much here that relates to current day fears and habits that illuminates [pun intended] and explains why we do what we do at night.
Interesting but not great........2007-03-18
I enjoy reading non-fiction books like this, a book I would put in the same category as "Cod" and "Salt" by Mark Kurlansky or "Wind" by Jan Deblieu. While there was lots of interesting stuff in "At Day's Close", I thought Ekirch didn't do a great job of tying it together. I thought Kurlansky did better along those lines with "Cod" and "Salt". Another thing that bothered me about "At Day's Close" was his focus on Europe and North America. I think it would have been more interesting if Ekirch had compared European attitudes with those of other cultures.
Interesting yet repetitive..........2007-02-21
The farther in the book I got, the more I felt a sense of deja-vu. Have I read this before? Yes. In the first chapter. The books reads like a broken record: what at first is interesting quickly becomes tiresome.
Has the author ever gone out at night?.......2006-11-13
I love well-researched non-fiction, particularly history. I heard about this book on NPR and thought it would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the most frustrating, boring reads of the last several years. The book is well-researched. The author writes well. The subject COULD BE inherently interesting. But jeepers -- I kept wondering whether the author had ever actually been farther than 20 feet from an light bulb. The book goes on an on about walking unpaved paths at night and how rough uneven ground made the going tough except under bright starlight or a full moon. Uh.... OK. This is maybe dramatic to city-folk or those who've never even made it as far as a weekend camping. But to the rest of the world, it's kind of obvious and boring. Similarly, the author talks about loss of inhibition and night-time revelry with the awe of of someone who's never been out for an evening to a bar or party. This book holds no surprises or even very interesting anectdotes for the vast majority of us who don't go to bed at 6PM or live in Manhattan.
Exhaustive research is appreciated, however...........2006-06-14
I have read too many poorly-researched books to complain much about exhaustive research. However, plenty of passages leave the reader to exasperate "ENOUGH CITATIONS ALREADY! WE GET THE POINT!"
While the book is large and dense with information, the author's admittance, via his appropriate writing style, that the subject matter is not exactly dire, makes for pleasantly lighthearted reading.
Average customer rating:
- This reads like a 16 year old wrote it...
- Hmmmm......
- A book that you just have to finish once you pick it up
- A First Effort
- Astounding
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In the Forests of the Night
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
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Hawksong: The Kiesha'ra: Volume One (Kiesha'ra)
ASIN: 0440228166
Release Date: 2000-05-09 |
Amazon.com
Three-hundred-year-old Risika looks darn good for her age. Thanks to her "blood mother," a vampire named Ather who turned Risika (nee Rachel) into one of the undead back in 1684, she will always look as fresh as a 17-year-old. Now Risika is a world weary night stalker who sleeps in Concord, Massachusetts, by day and prowls New York City by night, in search of fresh blood to slake her inhuman thirst. One of the benefits of living such a long life has been discovering that most of the popular myths about vampires are not true: "Holy water and crosses do not bother me... and silver does not burn me. If someone hammered a stake through my heart, I suppose I would die, but I do not play with humans, stakes or mallets." In fact, there is little in the mortal world that surprises Risika anymore, until she returns from a hunt one night to find a black rose on her pillow--the same flower she was given on the eve of her mortal death. Knowing that the rose is a taunt from Aubrey, a vampire she believes murdered her human brother, Risika decides to confront her nemesis. In a bloody battle with Aubrey, Risika finally unearths her brother's true fate.
While the plot of this vampire tale may not stand out from the fanged masses of the genre, what does stand out is the fact that the author is 14 years old. Teen horror fans of Anne Rice and L.J. Smith will surely want to experience for themselves how In the Forests of the Night stacks up to their favorite adult titles--and will be especially interested in seeing how one of their young peers plies the writing trade. (Ages 12 to 15) --Jennifer Hubert
Book Description
I was born to the name of Rachel Weatere in the year 1684, more than three hundred years ago.
The one who changed me named me Risika, and Risika I became, though I never asked what it meant. I continue to call myself Risika, even though I was transformed into what I am against my will.
By day, Risika sleeps in a shaded room in Concord, Massachusetts. By night, she hunts the streets of New York City. She is used to being alone.
But now someone is following Risika. Someone has left her a black rose, the same sort of rose that sealed her fate three hundred years ago.
Three hundred years ago Risika had a family -- a brother and a sister who loved her. Three hundred years ago she was human.
Now she is a vampire, a powerful one. And her past has come back to torment her.
This atmospheric, haunting tale marks the stunning debut of a promising young novelist.
Customer Reviews:
This reads like a 16 year old wrote it..........2007-10-02
...which is a compliment, I suppose, considering she was 13 when it was penned. It's actually quite impressive for such a young woman, but the sheer wall of angst, the repetitive use of such overdone terms as good, evil and innocence, not to mention 300 year old creatures who react like high school students when approached with conflict...well, suffice it to say that the high rating this novel has received overall leaves me baffled. The tone, conflict and resolution call out the author's adolescence. I suspect in time, as she gets more life experience, she will be quite good at the craft, but for now? Not so much.
If you are in high school yourself, this might be a good read. Otherwise, skip it. There's plenty of YA lit of high enough caliber to appeal to adult sensibilities. On the plus side, this is an extremely short book, so you won't waste too much of your life if you feel the need to actually complete it.
Hmmmm.............2007-05-21
This is a unique book. It's unique in an obvious way in that it's only about 150 pages. It's also unique in that it delves into vampire world without getting sexually explicit (which I appreciated). Now, because it was so short, the book did lack some depth. With that said, I still found it to be quite captivating. A good read by a promising young author, this book is certainly worth your time.
A book that you just have to finish once you pick it up .......2007-05-05
A thrilling experence that you just want to read over and over again and you feel like you're right there watching the action in your own mind. I borowed it from my teacher for a week and I read it about six times.
-Adam Slavik
A First Effort.......2007-03-22
This is the story of a vampire, living today in Concord, Massachusetts. She wasn't always a vampire, though. Back in the sixteen hundreds, she was a real teenaged human being named Rachel, living with her father, younger sister Lynette, and twin brother Alexander. Alexander had been trying to tell her that there were evil things in the world that might try to hurt her, but Rachel ignored him, despite the fact that he seemed to have strange powers himself. Shortly after that, Rachel was transformed into a vampire and given the name Risika.
Risika has been living the life of a vampire for centuries, but still isn't quite satisfied with what she is. She had a hard time adjusting to the lifestyle and being able to kill humans without guilt. She still seeks vengeance for the death of her twin brother at the hands of Aubrey, another vampire who was there when Rachel was transformed. Now the time seems to be drawing near--Aubrey is challenging her and causing her the anger that may lead to her challenging him. But there is a surprise in store for Risika, something she would never expect.
I liked how this book challenged the basic myths about vampires, making them seem more realistic. The writing, though, was simplistic. I saw the surprise at the end coming, but I didn't think it seemed plausible. It didn't fit into the rest of the story.
Astounding.......2007-02-06
This book is yet again another divine book written by the one and only Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. Of course , it is filled with vampires and Witches and mysterys. Aubrey is a popular charactor in some of her other books that is in this book although, the great thing is although some of the charactors and events are similar or close to her other books you do not have to read them in order to understand whats going on in this particular story.
I also need to single out how well she brought in Charactors. She gives them such a personality that I fell in love with some and hated others.
This book had tons and tons of action and Mystery
No matter what kind of reader you are or what , the plot is so amazing that you have got to read it.
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- The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency 8)
- The Kissing Hand
- The Little White Horse
- The Master Cleanser
- The Nanny Diaries: A Novel
- The Simplest Path to Personal and Planetary Awakening, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND: 10 Keys for Unlocking Your Personal Potential, Achieving Spiritual Awakening, ... of Humanity's Ultimate Cosmic Destiny
- The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America
- The World Of Normal Boys: A Novel
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Beyond Initial Response: Using the National Incident Management System's Incident Command System
- The New York Apartment Houses of Rosario Candela and James Carpenter
- The Complete Book of Bible Prophecy
- Shooting from the Hip: Photography, Masculinity, and Postwar America
- The Roots of Evil: The Origins of Genocide and Other Group Violence
- The Water is Wide
- The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost his Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Cris
- Capital Investment & Financing: a practical guide to financial evaluation
- The External Control of Organizations: A Resource Dependence Perspective
- Overcoming Isolation: Information and Transportation Networks in Development Strategies for Peripher
The Kite Runner
The Time Traveler's Wife
Life of Pi
The Secret Life of Bees
The Glass Castle: A Memoir
