The Gingerbread Girl
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Great new twist on an old story
  • A hit with my three
  • great twist on a classic
  • Cute story; some negative language
  • Empowering tale for Smart cookies! (Especially little GIRLS!)
The Gingerbread Girl

Manufacturer: Dutton Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

GeneralGeneral | Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0525476679

Book Description

The lonely old woman and the lonely old man decide to bake a girl this time, but when they open the oven, she runs off like her brother did. Never fear, this smart cookie has a plan to outfox the fox. Will it work? Let's just say that the ending is sweet for everyone.

“Ernst's familiar art, here placed against gingham-check backgrounds, utilizes the oversize format to best advantage, with large characters leaping out of their frames. On the cover, the candy-studded Gingerbread Girl with licorice-whip hair stares boldly out at readers. Kids won't be able to resist following her inside.”—Booklist

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great new twist on an old story.......2007-07-19

The Gingerbread Girl is much smarter than her older brother. She's not about to end up as the fox's dessert. She fools everyone and comes out on top. A great twist to the old tale with a girl in charge!

5 out of 5 stars A hit with my three.......2007-06-24

I purchased this book to use with my kindergarten class, but I have shared it with the three cihldren I babysit for this summer (ages 4yrs.- boy, 6 and 8yrs.- girls). We have read this book A LOT. They have loved listening to it and have had a lot of discussion about comparisons to the Gingerread Boy. I llok forward to sharing it with my class. It is a great story that the children love.

5 out of 5 stars great twist on a classic.......2007-06-21

found this book by chance at our local library, and my daughters (2 & 4) wouldn't let me return it. so i had to buy it. the artwork is great in the story, and we loved the refrain, "i'll run and i'll run with a leap and twirl." only line i don't read is one where the wolf refers to her as an "airhead." other than, it's my favorite book, too.

4 out of 5 stars Cute story; some negative language.......2007-06-18

My five-year old daughter LOVES this book. They read it in her kindergarten class and she has read it over and over again. I just wish it didn't have the words "dumb" and "airhead" in it.

5 out of 5 stars Empowering tale for Smart cookies! (Especially little GIRLS!).......2007-06-02

This was such a fun follow up to the tale of the doomed Gingerbread boy. It's about time someone outsmarted that darn fox. My girls giggled and loved the illustrations but the felt SO proud when in the end the little girl triumphed. What a fun retelling!!!
The Story of Women Who Shaped the West (Cornerstones of Freedom. Second Series)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • This book tells you what women did to help shape the west
The Story of Women Who Shaped the West (Cornerstones of Freedom. Second Series)
Mary Virginia Fox
Manufacturer: Children's Press (CT)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

GeneralGeneral | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
1800s1800s | United States | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0516047574

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars This book tells you what women did to help shape the west.......1999-04-04

I pleased to know that people care to write about women in such great ways. Everyone should know that it was not only men who shaped teh west they needed us ladies.
Fox Girl
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • My favorite book!!!
  • Haunting and Beautiful
  • survival vs. morals
  • Gritty life in America Town
  • Okja Keller rocks!
Fox Girl
Nora Okja Keller
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0142001961
Release Date: 2003-03-25

Book Description

Nora Okja Keller, the acclaimed author of Comfort Woman, tells the shocking story of a group of young people abandoned after the Korean War. At the center of the tale are two teenage girls-Hyun Jin and Sookie, a teenage prostitute kept by an American soldier-who form a makeshift family with Lobetto, a lost boy who scrapes together a living running errands and pimping for neighborhood girls. Both horrifying and moving, Fox Girl at once reveals another layer of war's human detritus and the fierce love between a mother and daughter.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars My favorite book!!!.......2007-05-12

I love this book! It made me cry, laugh, angry, empathic, and scared. I cared the main character as if she were my sister. I felt like I was living life with her as she strugled though so many hardships. Many times I wished I could fly to Korea and take this troubled girl back home with me. If you like reading about the struggles and triumphs of strong, troubled girls and women, this book will beocme you favorite too.

4 out of 5 stars Haunting and Beautiful.......2006-11-07

This is a beautiful book that will haunt you for days after you finish reading it. Even though it's grim in several places, you will keep reading to find out what happens to the characters. You should not read this book if you have a faint heart. Nora Okja Keller never shrinks back from telling the truth of the realities of post-Korean War Korea. I love the ending because Keller shows that education is the key that allows women to overcome awful situations. I recommend this book especially to readers who are interested in Korean history and culture, the realities of military life, and women's fiction. In addition to this book, I recommend researching [...] web site to find articles on military bases overseas and prostitution.

5 out of 5 stars survival vs. morals.......2006-07-25

I randomly bought this book at a discount store, because the cover looked interesting. What I found was one of my favorite books ever written. I love when writers tell the unheard stories of those who may not lead such prosperous and attractive lives. Keller beautifully renders the hardships of a young Korean girl during the 60's/70's. Through Keller's descriptions, one is able to see what a person can endure for survival. The book was graphic to the point of being overly sordid, but that is what I feel Keller wants the readers to see...that dirtiness and darkness can be transformed into goodness and compassion. I absolutely could not put this book down, for I wanted to know the final destiny of the young girl.

5 out of 5 stars Gritty life in America Town.......2006-01-13

When reading "Comfort Woman," I felt that though the book was poetically written, it was a bit too much peppered with descriptions of Asian mysticism to impress Western readers. "Fox Girl," on the other hand, was an excellent read.

While most of the story would not ring true today, in the 60's and 70's it was a very real situation that occurred as American GI's were a ticket to money and a better life for Korean girls who had no jobs and no way to feed themselves. Descriptions of going to the "Monkey House" for treatment of VD's and how women needed to carry a working license when they were as young as 14 were fascinating. The main character was someone who had a typical situation but had a headstrong attitude... and Lobetto, the biracial pimp who dreams of his black father sending for him to live in the United States was quite heartbreaking.

Having lived in Korea for four years, America Town still exists but it is a very different place. Even so, I learned quite a bit about the history of what the situation was like 30 years ago. This book will make you wonder what you would do to survive.

5 out of 5 stars Okja Keller rocks!.......2004-04-13

I saw the cover and of this book, and that was enough to pique my interest. I read the exerpt and bought the book. This was the first book of this particular topic that I read, and I must say, bravo! It captivates life as it was right after the Korean war between young Korean women and American GI's. It depicts the life of Hyun Jin and her friend Sookie, and the boy Lobetto and how there lives take place from childhood up until early 20's. The time line of the book begins when the three are youngins and their lives eventually go seperate ways. The book portrays life as Korean "prostitutes" as you may call them evolve. The Hyun Jin and Sookie want to make it to America and the path along the way takes several intersting turns and halts. There are rapes, beatings, friendship, relationships, family, and the brining of life.
The Lost Girls: A Novel
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • So frustrating!!
  • a unique book
  • Heart Spinning Fun
  • The Lost Girls is a Delightful Book!!!!
The Lost Girls: A Novel
Laurie Fox
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 074321790X

Book Description

Wendy has long heard the family legend -- madness strikes the Darling women at a certain age, traditionally after romance visits in the form of an overgrown boy. The Darling girl will fall in love, the boy will desert, and the girl is left on her heels, heartbroken and flirting ever after with lunacy's lure. Wendy knows she should be grateful for her childhood adventure, but instead she finds herself adrift; resenting the heartache-turned-eccentricity of her mother; envious of the oddball antics of her Great-Nana; and consumed by the mystery of her grandmother Jane, whose disappearance following her own youthful romance remains unsolved.

When Wendy falls in love with Freeman, an exuberant and irreverent man-child himself, she finds herself perpetuating the pattern she thought she had missed. And then along comes her daughter, Berry, the precocious but sullen child with the eyes of a sage. When it is Berry's time to go off to The Neverland, Wendy, like so many mothers before her, questions who she has become. Is she "barking mad"? Is Berry?

Wendy's journey to self-realization takes flight from the themes suggested in the classic novel Peter Pan. Fox's dazzling prose and elegant insights into love and loss make this story universal; the characters and their heartache make this novel deeply personal. The Lost Girls contemplates the contradictory human yearnings for freedom and safety, flight and stability in a moving and ultimately uplifting story of motherhood, love, and reenchantment that speaks to women of all ages.

Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars So frustrating!!.......2006-11-29

I was disappointed and find that it spoiled my own happy Peter Pan fantasies.

It was an interesting idea but I do not love the story the author chose to tell. Intentionally or unintentionally, she doesn't show Peter's charm or attraction or display any reason at all why these women would have loved him so much that they would attempt suicide and go crazy once he left them. I didn't understand the -why- of their bizarre dynasty. And then the author gives the narrator this awesome, tough, no-nonsense daughter and I would really have enjoyed reading a story about her adventures in Neverland, kicking Peter's rear into shape or going off and doing her own thing on the island if all they'll grant her is domestic servitude. But the author chooses not to explore this path at all. Then why create such an awesome character with such potential? Is it just to drive me nuts?

4 out of 5 stars a unique book.......2005-06-26

The Lost Girls features Wendy Darling Braverman, the same Wendy from the beloved Peter Pan story. All the Darling women have to be whisked away to the Neverland in their teenage years, and they all fall in love with the whimsical boy, Peter Pan. Wendy thinks she will not grow up, but eventually she does, and so continues the Darling women legacy that began with her great-great grandmother, Great-Nana. Wendy struggles with her love for Peter in Neverland and learning how to live and grow up in the real world, and her ambivalence puts strain on her new family of an eccentric sound-loving husband and her Goth daughter. Wendy and her daughter Berry both have to deal with growing up, wild imaginations, and learning how to cultivate a healthy mother-daughter relationship. This book has outstanding characters, including her author mother who writes about men who cannot grow up and her great-great grandmother with an impressive bosom and a knack for telling stories. Wendy's grandmother is missing in action for the longest time, but she eventually makes a charming reappearance in Wendy's life. I really have not come upon many books like The Lost Girls, with this blunt but interesting prose writing. Adorable and cute, although the book tends to ramble and leave me wondering where the narrative was going. Interesting book indeed!

5 out of 5 stars Heart Spinning Fun.......2005-02-24

I just finished _The Lost Girls_ and absolutely love the book. I
don't remember ever laughing this delightedly, this often, and yet feeling,at the same time, the profundity of the analysis of the human condition -- all around.

5 out of 5 stars The Lost Girls is a Delightful Book!!!!.......2004-01-25

A whimsical and darling story with a luminous ending. You won't want it to end. Read it over a weekend, didn't want to leave the warm and engaging characters or the lyrical and magical world Laurie Fox created in these pages. Her writing is assured and poetic -- treat yourself to this book!
The Teen Survival Guide To Dating & Relating: Real-World Advice on Guys, Girls, Growing Up, and Getting Along
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Can You Relate?
  • Much needed, much appreciated advice for teens
The Teen Survival Guide To Dating & Relating: Real-World Advice on Guys, Girls, Growing Up, and Getting Along
Annie Fox , and Elizabeth Verdick
Manufacturer: Free Spirit Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

NonfictionNonfiction | Dating & Intimacy | Social Issues | Teens | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1575421909

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Can You Relate?.......2000-01-28

This really is a book for anyone, and given to me by a friend, I was suprised with just how much I learnt.

The book gives advice for all kinds of relationships, with real life examples from letters she has recieved and answered. Its not the cheesy "Dear Abby" (well "Dear Deidre" in Britain) that you read in the newspaper, nor does it tell you what you HAVE to do. Instead Annie helps you to listen to your inner voice and be respectful in each of your relationships, along with more common sense advice, that its perhaps easy to forget.

It has helped to highlight key areas in my current and past relationships that were problamatic, and whilst giving me the determination to improve on these, also helped confirm what I was getting right. In both ways the book has helped me with relating better to my friends and family...So thanks Annie!

Finally this is an invalueable source for you to find further help, either on the internet, by phone, or even writing to Terra herself. I hope the books a huge success, then perhaps we'll have more of Annie's insightful advice soon ?

5 out of 5 stars Much needed, much appreciated advice for teens.......2000-01-12

I LOVED this book! With the ease that the author "related" to the letters that she recieved from teens all around the world, I wouldn't be surprised if she was one herself. Every teen and every parent with a teen should read this book. The information in here is invaluable.
Fortune Cookie Fox: Sabrina, The Teenage Witch #26
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • sabrina
  • A Magical Fox on the loose
  • This author how to keep people on their heels!
  • Another Great Book
  • Fortune Cookie Fox
Fortune Cookie Fox: Sabrina, The Teenage Witch #26
Cathy East Dubowski
Manufacturer: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Action & AdventureAction & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0671028170

Book Description

Warning: Practical joker on the loose!

Okay, the hairy rubber spiders in Sabrina's cafeteria lunch were kind of funny. (At least she could identify something on her plate.) But the avalanche of popcorn from her locker, the bedroom slippers full of cold and slimy noodles -- well, it's getting a bit old. Positively prehistoric, actually. Who's behind these pranks?

Sabrina has her suspicions. There's something about that new Chinese exchange student, Mei Hua. Sabrina's friend Val warns her not to start an international incident. Besides, she thinks Mei is sweet. And Harvey...well, the only thing he's noticed is that Mei Hua is a total fox. But Sabrina suspects there's magic involved...and she smells a rat.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars sabrina.......2002-05-29

This book is a good book,Because it's funny at times and it's a kind of book that you can just sit down and readwithout having to worry about what'sgoing to happen next!It has so much creativity in it thats why you don't have to worry.This book is about a teenage witch that is living with her two aunts,Zelda and Hilda.She is having a hard time these days especially being a teenager and a witch at the same time.it's hard for her to just get through the day without anyone figuring out that shes a witch.If i had to rate this book eith a 1to10 i would give it a 8.

5 out of 5 stars A Magical Fox on the loose.......2002-03-09

A bucket on fruit punch in her head? An avalanche of Popcorn, in her locker? A cold banana pudding on her bed? A TOOTHPASTE ON A TOILET SEAT? Now that's a definite "eww!". All this happened to Sabrina the day the new exchange student from China named Mei Hua came in Westbridge. She, with her Mona Lisa smile looked like a nice shy girl but... yeah right! She has a big crush on Harvey Kinkle and she has Libby Chessler and her family as family guest in Westbridge. Doesn't mean she's mean like Libby, but she's a mischievious fox according to Grandmother Chu. Sabrina is on the pursuit to get the fox from Chinatown, New York City to the Great Wall of China. Two thumbs up great book filled with magic and laughter. Also recommend: Harvest Moon, I'll Zap Manatthan and Eight Spells A Week (Super Edition)

5 out of 5 stars This author how to keep people on their heels!.......2001-01-01

The best! I don't blame Sabrina for being jealous- Harvey's a HUNK!

5 out of 5 stars Another Great Book.......2000-05-27

This book is yet again another fabulous Sabrina. In this book Sabrina is hit by some bad luck and this all happened when a new exchange student comes to Westbridge. Mei seems pretty nice and she has an effect on Harvey. Sabrina knows something is up and she's going to find out!

5 out of 5 stars Fortune Cookie Fox.......2000-05-04

This was probably one of the best Sabrina books I've read. I liked it a lot. If you can't figure out what to read, read this book!
Courtney (Red Fox Picture Books)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Quite Different Book - My Son Loves It
  • This is what adults should be reading to kids
  • A Children Librarian's Recommendation
  • PEDIGREED POOCHES WATCH OUT - MONGRELS RULE OK.
  • Perhaps the best children's book ever written!
Courtney (Red Fox Picture Books)
John Burningham
Manufacturer: Red Fox
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0099666812
Release Date: 1996-12-09

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Quite Different Book - My Son Loves It.......2006-06-19

After reading the book, you are left pondering what exactly has happened. I don't believe Courtney ran away because the children loved him exactly as he was. The parents were terribly judgemental but happily accepted Courtney's favors. Perhaps the authors point of the whole story is to get you thinking - did Courtney, who arrived with a trunk that appeared to have travelled the world, run off to some exotic destination? Or, did the "old, mongrel dog" just pass on? My 4 year old son and I prefer to believe that because he was old, he went on to doggie heaven. And when the children were lost at sea, Courtney was sent down as an angel from God to save them. This version warms our heart. (We're not at all religious but I do like to believe in miracles from God.) Whatever the author intended, my son loves this book! =)

5 out of 5 stars This is what adults should be reading to kids .......2005-12-31

What a wonderful book. I adore John Burningham's books, and this one is my 4-year-old daughter's favorite (and mine!). It has a wonderful messsage and is genuinely touching without being condescending, a real rarity these days in children's books.

5 out of 5 stars A Children Librarian's Recommendation.......2005-07-16

Courtney is a wonderful book to read aloud to school-age children. There's enough interesting characters if you enjoy changing your voice to match each one. (Mother, Father, child, policeman....) The story opens with a brother & sister who desperately want a dog and eventually get their parents to agree. They go to the dog pound and choose the biggest, ugliest mutt you can imagine. But the dog is wonderful!
Courtney cleans house, mows the grass, cooks, plays a violin and turns into a juggler to entertain the baby in the family. There's a catch, though; Courtney likes to roam and one day just disappears, but returns at the end of the story in dramatic fashion- It's a wonderful book-one I will always have on my shelves!

1 out of 5 stars PEDIGREED POOCHES WATCH OUT - MONGRELS RULE OK........2001-03-26

.

This is a very English book. What is it about the Brits and their obsession with pedigreed pooches? The parents of the little boy and girl who are looking to get a dog tell them " Make sure it's a proper dog. One with a pedigree".

Courtney is the least popular dog at the Dog's Home. Perversely, it was the children's' choice.

The parents reaction was "What on earth have you got there" .... He's a mongrel"

Courtney turns out to be a real wonder-dog. He was a top chef, who could entertain the family with his violin playing and juggling, and in his spare time could do the house work and save baby from a house fire.

Is there some sort of class-consciousness here? Courtney is a great servant to the family, but he is very poorly bred and no doubt, poorly rewarded. There is no meritocracy in Courtney's world. When this marvellous dog decides to leave the family, all Dad could say, "If they are not thoroughbreds you cannot rely on them."

The climax of the book is the great sea rescue, where the children are pulled to shore in their runaway rubber boat by some mysterious force.

"I wonder what it could have been", is the lingering last line of the book. We all know who it was. After all the insults from Dad, it was the last favour old Courtney was going to give that family.

Another strange book from John Burningham. It is illogical and confused. Ill considered messages are his trademark.

His illustrations are ink drawings, colored with blunt crayons and crudely applied watercolors. This naive style when done well can be effective. In this case, the ink lines are hesitantly staccato, tracing still visible lead pencil sketching. Not a good look. Not a good book.

5 out of 5 stars Perhaps the best children's book ever written!.......2000-05-19

This is one of the most beautifully written children's books that I have ever read. When I first read it to my little brother, he asked me to read it to him again -- it's that good! A simple story about two children and a magical dog, Courtney is wonderful. It's a shame that this book, along with another great Burningham book -- "Avacado Baby" -- remains out of print. I know that I was disappointed to learn this, wanting a copy of my own. This book is just beautiful!
Katie Morag and the Wedding (Red Fox Picture Books)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Katie Morag and the Wedding (Red Fox Picture Books)
    Mairi Hedderwick
    Manufacturer: Red Fox
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0099463415
    Release Date: 1997-06-23
    Sallie Fox: The Story of a Pioneer Girl
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • ONE TOUGH NUT!
    • TOUGH AS A WALNUT
    • A vivid picture of life on a wagon train...a great read!
    Sallie Fox: The Story of a Pioneer Girl
    Dorothy Kupcha Leland
    Manufacturer: Tomato Enterprises
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0961735767

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars ONE TOUGH NUT!.......1998-06-16

    This slender volume is based entirely on history, with most incidents painstakingly gleaned from diaries, letters and subsequent interviews with survivors, family members and descendants. Actual conversations and minor details are fictionalized to provide a smoother account. Bound by historical accuracy, the author has faithfully portrayed a real wagon train journey. Although commendable from a researcher's viewpoint, this makes for uneven pacing; after a light-hearted tale for the first 2/3 of the book, we wallow in a veritable disaster scenario all packed at the end. But then real life rarely conforms to literary formula.

    The story of 13-year-old Sarah (Sallie) Fox and her large family makes enjoyable and interesting reading in general. Starting out from Iowa in 1858, they had the benefit of the Donner Party's ordeal 12 years prior. They fully realized the dangers of needless delay and possible starvation in the mountains. But this wagon train is atypical, in that the leader drove a huge herd of cattle to start a business out West--including each family's modest livestock.

    The high risk and trials of wagon trian life are grimly familiar from other such books: heat, drought, river fordings, buffalo hunts and stampedes, birth along the trail, Indian raids on livestock and actual attack. Plus the inevitable debates and bruised egos over which route to take. No Sierra Nevada Mountains for the Rose party, although their goal was near the Gold Country in northern California. They chose the southern route to protect their extensive herd from hostile Indians; this Santa Fe trail snaked its way through New Mexico territory close to the Mexican border.

    This is an excellent book to introduce middle school children to the ordeals of Wagon train life, especially from a child's point of view. Girls will relate to Sallie's coming-of-age during her Year-long trek of dust and despair. Boys will revel in the grim and gory adventures. All readers will see how the spunk and perseverance of a yo! ung girl--to plant a walnut which she found along the sandy trail--blossomed into more than a mighty tree, but also a thriving family business for future generations. This book reveals California's hardy heritage from these gritty pioneer children who, like their parents, were seeking a better life. Even though The Nut Tree Inn has passed into history, their story can inspire us still.

    4 out of 5 stars TOUGH AS A WALNUT.......1998-06-12

    This slender volume is based on historical fact, with most incidents painstakingly gleaned from diaries, letters and subsequent interviews with survivors, family members and their descendants. Actual conversations and minor details are fictionalized to provide a smoother account. Bound by historical accuracy, the author has remained faithful in her description of a real wagon train crossing. Although commendable from a researcher's viewpoint, this makes for uneven pacing; after a light-hearted tale for the first 2/3 of the book, we wallow in a veritable disaster scenario all packed in at the end. But then real life does not conform to literary rules.

    The story of 13-year-old Sarah (Sallie) Fox and her large family provides interesting and enjoyable reading in general. Starting out from Iowa in 1858, they had the benefit of knowledge about the Donner Party's ordeal 12 years prior. They fully realized the dangers of needless delay and possible starvation in the mountains/desert. But this wagon train is atypical, in that the leader drove a huge herd of cattle as well--not just each family's modest contingent of livestock.

    The dangers and trials of the overland route to California are all too grim and familiar from similar books: heat, drought, river fordings, buffalo hunts, stampedes, Indian raids on livestock and actual attack. All accompanied by the inevitable human elements of birth, courtship, bruised egos, and heated debates over which route to take. No Sierra Nevadas for the Rose party, although their goal was near the Gold country in northern California. They chose the southern route (the Santa Fe Trail) to protect their extensive herd from hostile Indians--plodding their weary, blistering way through New Mexico territory, snaking a path close to the Mexican border.

    This is an excellent book to introduce middle school children to the ordeals of Wagon Train life. Girls will relate to Sallie's coming-of-age during this Year-long pilgrimage of dust and disaster. Boys will revel i! n the grim and gory adventures, identifying with ourageous youths who sacrificed much of their childhood for their parent's dreams of a new start in the golden west. Readers will realize how the spunk and perseverance of a young girl--to plant a walnut which she found along the sandy trail-- blossomed into more than a mighty tree. From that nut, still alive inside its tough and wrinkled shell, sprang a thriving family business for future generations. This modest book reveals California's hardy heritage from these pioneer children--like their parents seeking a better life; their story can inspire us still.

    5 out of 5 stars A vivid picture of life on a wagon train...a great read!.......1995-12-23

    This book is based on the true story of a 12 year old Iowa girl who traveled west by wagon train in 1858. After many harrowing experiences, including being shot in the torso by an Indian's arrow, Sallie reached her uncle's ranch in Vacaville, CA. This tale of heroism and survival is also filled with the everyday details of life on a wagon train that will make the story come alive for children who read it. Age 10 and up
    Katie Morag and the New Pier (Red Fox Picture Books)
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • a delightful and enchantingly illustrated story for 3-7 yrs.
    Katie Morag and the New Pier (Red Fox Picture Books)
    Mairi Hedderwick
    Manufacturer: Red Fox
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    Picture BooksPicture Books | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    FictionFiction | Girls & Women | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 0099220822
    Release Date: 1997-06-16

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars a delightful and enchantingly illustrated story for 3-7 yrs........1998-07-19

    The drawings are beautiful and humourous and the story is richly crafted.Katie Morag is a young girl who lives on the island of Struay, off the west coast of Scotland (a fictitious island, I think!) and this story tells of the impact on the islanders when a new pier is proposed...there is excitement (Katie Morag,and those islanders whose business will benefit) and there is doubt(Katie Morag's grannnie,who fears that the "old ways" will be forgotten) but in the end there is positive for all concerned.My daughter adores, as do I, all the Katie Morag books, partly beacause of the strong Scottish flavour which we keenly relate to,but also because the stories are funny and touching,with a good dose of reality woven in,and the illustrations are enchanting.

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