Children Books

This story centers on Tamara, a young woman living in rural Mayville, NY in the 1950's. By the age of 15, she's moved more times than she can count. Well, she can count them, but she's not happy about the loose ends she always feels upon relocation. Once she realizes that the other kids in school have histories with their classmates and roots, she feels cheated and wants to settle down.

Her family is somewhat dysfunctional but very loving - her father, a landscape artist and the traveling nature of his job is the reason behind their frequent relocations. Her mother is beautiful and a little wild, but she has a strong bond with Tamara's father and allows his lifestyle to effect their family. Tamara has a younger brother and sister who have their own difficulties leading such a nomadic life and at times, Tamara takes out her frustrations on them and even on herself.

Sarah Willis adds the concept of atheism to the story, as both Tamara's parents practice it. The neighbors across the street are devout Christians and manage to get their permission to take Tamara & her siblings to church, which opens up a whole new world for Tamara and she starts to question her beliefs and make bargains with God to keep her in one place.

Tamara's life gets even more stressful when she learns that her mother has an illness that takes her away from the family, perhaps permanently and Tamara is forced to fill her shoes around the house. This is where Tamara begins to rely more heavily on God and asks him to help heal her mother. She also discovers that her complex feelings for her mother are a foil for the love she feels in her heart and through letters, they grow to understand each other better.

Tamara also finds the stirrings of her first love when she connects with Rusty who also lives next door. Sarah Willis portrays the feelings of wonder, fear and joy that we all feel when we find what we think is love and the other person feels it too. Willis does a fine job of providing excellent, solid characterization, and precisely detailing their neurosis so precisely that we can relate to them and their shifting, complicated connections to each other.

I loved the way she uses words to create pictures in the mind of the reader. I enjoyed the section where she uses colors to stress the importance of the situation comparing them to the colors her father uses in his artwork - a unique way to show the similarities between father and daughter when neither feels they have anything to share - masterful! I thought about this book and its characters for a while after I finished reading it and that is always a sign of an excellent story - I have found a new favorite author in Sarah Willis and look forward to reading more of her novels.

I bought this book because of the price and it looked interesting but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved it. It was one of those cannot put down type of books and I actually finished it in one day. It was a captivating coming-of-age story and Sarah Willis did a beautiful job of bringing her characters to life. This would be an excellent book club book as there is so much meaty stuff to discuss. I loaned my copy to a friend just so we could talk about it. I highly recommend this book!

This is a really touching coming of age story in the 50's. The mother has to go to a sanitarium with Tuburculosis. The father is stuck in his own world of painting. There are 2 siblings, Robert and Megan, that are coping in their own ways with the abandoment issues that arise from not only the mother's illness, but the father's inability to handle the situation. Tamara is left basically in charge of everyone. Besides the obvious issues that are going on, there is the storyline of the number of moves the family has endured and how much they are wanting a permanent home.

I enjoyed reading this book very much, but it didn't touch me as much as some of the other coming of age stories like, Whistling in the Dark, The Book of Bright Ideas and Cold Rock River. Those stayed with me after I was done and while I really enjoyed this coming of age story, it's not one that will stay with me like some other ones.

Still it is well worth reading and I highly recommend it.

This is a story you were waiting to read, full of life-size characters... the type of book you don't want to finish.

And a first novel? ... wow. I can't wait to read her next one!!!!

I just love Sarah Willis' writing style and felt this book was equally as wonderful as her book: THE SOUND OF US. It didn't take too long for me to be totally drawn into this story of Tamara and I felt myself rather sad at where the story ended. I just wanted to keep knowing about her and her family and how their lives turned out. I highly recommend this book and hope anyone who reads it becomes a Sarah Willis fan. If you haven't yet read THE SOUND OF US, do yourself a favor and read it! It's real good reading. There isn't a single downside to SOME THINGS THAT STAY. I loved Tamara and her view of her world. The characters seemed utterly real and engrossing. The last sentence of the book was the perfect uplifting end to Tamara's story.

The book is a great cautionary tale for young and old. The art work, beautifully spooky.

Ah, what a spectacular combination. The breath-taking artwork of DiTerlizzi with the sing-song poem-with-a-moral of Howitt. The art adds a new dimension to the already incredible poem with a noir style that is intricate and revealing to the story--not a distraction to Howitt's incredible poem. I only hope younger readers aren't turned off by the old-school voice.

This book is great! The illustrations are so impressive that even though they only black and white your children will love them. We spend time on each page just looking over the illustration each time we find something we didn't see before. And the story, WOW! This story is a must for every little girl. The story teaches young girls not to be niave and believe every little flattering word someone is telling you. In the end all that sweet talk may just be fooling you so someone else can get what they want, like the spider getting the fly. I will be reading this book more often to my daughters as they get older!

This style of the book reminds me of Edward Gorey. The illustrations are fabulous, if the matter is a bit dark. I have bought this for numerous friends after finding it at a unique bookstore in Portland, OR. Everyone who reads it ends up loving it.

wonderful story with a twist at the end. Wonderful illustrations. Don't in an old spooky way.

This book does not only tell the history of art, at the same time, the history of architecture, since the two are so much interrelated. Therefore, as an architecture student, I recommend you guys to read this book to gain the knowledge of how art and architecture evolve throughout history.

This is a beautiful book with comprehensive text. It is written in common English that anyone should understand. I already have a copy I received as a gift and bought this copy for my grandaughter who will enter college this year to study Art History.

That may sound a bit strange, but this is a great book to take on the plane or train with you -- or even to the beach.

It is a compact volume (though about 1 1/2 inches thick). Because of this compact format the text is in front (thin paper) with the plates in back. Phaidon provides two ribbon bookmarks. That also means that it is easiest to read using both hands.

That said, Gombrich leads the reader along with a style somewhere between a conversation and a lecture -- more like what you might expect from a learned uncle or family friend. Pleasant delivery, but leaving you no doubts about the value of the information that is to be passed along.

There may even be an advantage to having the plates in the back. I found myself dwelling on them perhaps a little longer than if they had been in with the text -- and the text calling for my attention.

You can read this book in long sessions, or in little bits. It doesn't matter, because the information is always there, and in the case of this book, the journey itself is important.

Enjoy.

For somebody interested in art, a book with many pictures is easy to read and enjoy.

An excellent book in an easy to read formatt. My professor used it for my art history class. Beautirul illistrations. Highly recommended. Great reference book as well.

I've heard of "gentle readers" but this author is a "gentle writer". She has taken a subject that could be horrifying for kids and made it a "spooky adventure". When I was a little girl I had a metal dollhouse with little rubber people and hard plastic furniture. To me it was a mansion with soft contours and real life. As an adult I love the giant dollhouse at the Smithsonian and reading about Tasha Tudor's dollhouse. I used to pretend that when I was watching them they were watching me and how strange that would be. I never imagined a mystery in my play - but this author did and she accomplished it in an entertaining and imaginative way. This is a wonderful book - now on my children's shelf - and recommended to all.

I read this book for the first time when I was in middle school (about 13 years ago) and I was hooked. I read it a million times throughout the next couple of years and enjoyed it each time. I was drawn in to the point that I thought I was living the book. Recently, I wanted to read this book that I loved long ago and searched for it on Amazon. I am so happy to see that many people love this book and feel the same way that I do. I just became a mom to a little baby girl, and I can't wait for her to enjoy this book as much as I did.

This is the most amazing book!!!! I don't even know how many times I've read it! It's my favorite book ever and I've read alot of books!!! Strongly recommend!!!

My book, Time Windows, by Kathryn Reiss was mysterious and full of suspense. It was so great it kept me up for hours after my bed time. The main character, Miranda, moved to an old house in the middle of nowhere from New York City. At first she doesn't like the house. Then she entered the attic and found a dollhouse that can reveal a secret about her house's past. This book made you feel like you were sitting in the attic with Miranda peering into the windows of the doll house. By Nicole

I AM ONLY ON PAGE 100 AND ALREADY I LOVE THIS BOOK. I LOVED IT FROM THE FIRST WORD THE END IS EXCITING! [I ALWAYS SPOIL IT BY READING THE END FIRST BUT I WILL NOT TELL YOU ABOUT IT!] I AM 25 AND THE GIRL IN THE BOOK IS THIRTEEN SO I COULD TELL THIS IS FOR YOUNGER PEOPLE BUT I STILL LIKE IT COME AND READ THIS BOOK... IT TAKES YOU FOR A RIDE AND A RIDE OF MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE IT IS SO IF YOU LIKE MYSTERYS AS WELL AS SUPER NATURAL STUFF LIKE I DO COME READ THIS! I JUST WANTED THE AUTHOR OF THIS BOOK TO KNOW THAT SHE DID AN AWESOME JOB!!

No matter your age, this book offers smiles and surprises with each turn of the page. The pop-outs are delightful, and this joke simply never gets old. I've given this to "children of all ages" and smiles are guaranteed.

This book was given to me over a decade ago by my family for completing a year of college. Well, I'm known as the "wide mouthed frog" of the family, so it was quite apropos.

I now have a 16-month-old daughter, and this is one of her favorite books. The pictures and pop-ups are really nicely done, and it's a simple and cute story. She loves to touch the protruding snouts on each of the creatures, and the whiskers on the little mouse. She squeals nearly every time I open it up and show her the first page with the frog's big old tongue flapping out of that wide mouth.

Recently, I bought it for an adult friend going through therapy for post-cancer oral surgery, partly to encourage her to open that mouth wide! It's a real lift-me-up, and a sweet book to give for many occasions.

I highly recommend it for anyone.

This is a really cute book. We've had it for so long, and it was torn and ragged, so I tried to put it with a bunch of other books to take to Goodwill, but my daughter would not allow it. She rescued this book, and we taped up the torn pieces and read it over and over again.

The Wide-mouthed Frog is a wonderfully illustrated pop-up book, with great, detailed pop-ups. The story is simple: a wide-mouthed frog states what he eats and asks other denizens of the swamp what they eat, until he comes upon an alligator who eats... Well, the wide-mouthed frog becomes a small-mouthed frog and leaves with a big spalsh, which always elicts a laugh. This book is full of teaching possibilities, wonderful artistic details to pour over and a funny, simple story told in a great way.

I have been giving this book as a gift for many years and inevitably I hear that this pop-up book quickly becomes a young child's favorite, the one most requested to be read. Children love the pop-ups and their eyes grow wide when they see them for the first time, and the story is one they can enjoy and laugh at the punch line! Adults will recognize that the story was orginally a joke.

This was a surprisingly emotional book that helped solidify my love for this series back in the day. Applegate was smart enough to take the classically funny guy with hidden pain and turn into a storyline that affects the main plot of the entire series. Great action sequences as well.

It was a fun book, the first one Marco, his jokes are just soo funny, another reason why I read these books, no matter how bad they get in trouble or how hurt someone is he can always make you laugh. I likes when he beat up those muggers with his gorilla morph.

I like this book a lot. The best Animorphs book I've read. Right after I read it, I swore to myself that I would always read Marco books. (He's an Animorphs character.)

Review by a 9 year old Animorphs fan

Marco never wanted to be an Animorph. He never wanted to risk his life saving the world with his animal-morphing powers. He knew that if he died, his father would go insane--since both his son and wife would be gone forever. Now, the two year anniversary of Marco's mother's death is coming, and Marco is nervous. And after a dangerous mission that almost got he, Jake, and Ax killed, Marco decides to quit.

But before he quits, Marco decides to go on one last mission to steal a Yeerk ship from Visser Three so Ax can use it to return to the Andalite planet. However, the kids' plan goes terribly wrong and they end up trapped. But while everyone else worries how to escape, Marco is shocked when learning a terrible secret. Now, he has a reason to fight the Yeerks. And no matter what it takes, he'll kick butt.

THE PREADTOR contains one of the most shocking secrets in the Animorphs series. And this is definitely one of the best Marco books. Although it was a great read, I had a problem with this book. The first half of the novel was about the Animorphs' adventure at the mall with Ax who keeps running away. Even though it was funny, I would've preferred more Marco dealing with the secret.

In this fifth installment of the popular sci-fi series, Marco and the other Animorphs attempt to help their alien friend Ax return to his homeworld, only to make a shocking discovery that forever alters Marco's attitude toward their cause. For sequel see "The Capture."

This book does an outstanding job of presenting how a child's experiences of early maltreatment can cause significant difficulties and how these can be effectively treatment using a gentle and evidence-based approach; Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy.

Assessing Children with Complex Trauma & Attachment Disorders
Principles of Attachment Parenting
Creating Capacity for Attachment: Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy in the Treatment of Trauma-Attachment Disorders
Building the Bonds of Attachment: Awakening Love in Deeply Troubled Children
Attachment-focused Family Therapy

This is a great book for anyone who is adopting or recently adopted a RAD kid. Great information and real life scenarios. You follow a child's journey and learn what makes them do the things that they do. It is a day-to-day parenting guide, with some of the best techniques, logic and insight you will find any where! Easy to read, and not a lot of technical jargon.

This book was very helpful and gave much insight from the childs point of view as well as the CYFD worker, therapist and therapeutic foster mothers point of view. Very helpful for anyone working with RAD diagnoses children. Highly recommended!!!!!

As a social work student, I found this book valuable in both its discussion of attachment disorders, including descriptions of how they manifest in children's perceptions and behaviors, and its demonstration of effective interventions. A better understanding of attachment trauma and its effects is essential for preparing case workers, therapists, educators and willing foster parents. It seems we are losing too many children to often ineffective behavioral interventions for conduct disorders because we don't first develop the prerequisite conditions of trust and safety these children need. Hughes makes the point that children can't give what they haven't received, and that includes empathy, affection and authentic kindness.

Excellent book! A must-read for anyone who works with children. It includes information that I believe anyone around children can utilize. Great information on how to deal with children who have been traumatized but it also has important information about parenting in general and helps us understand how children see the world.

When our son was diagnosed with Aspergers 4 years ago, I bought dozens of books on the subject. This one has been the best way to help educate family and close friends. It is NOT intended to be an in depth resource.

We read through it with our son, then 9, and edited it to explain his personal quirks and interests. (We just wrote in his personal quirks, or crossed out what he felt didn't apply). We then shared it with grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Over the years, there have been a few good friends we have shared the book with as well, and it has been an excellent resource.

I really enjoyed this simple yet very compassionate perspective of a reality not that well understood. I live with NVLD ( a common attribute of Asperger's ) and it is wonderful to read a simple story that can help relationships flow easier. Every teacher and every class room should own a copy of this simple book, it is simple and very informative, I am very glad to have read it, it is a great resource, thanks!

This book is great to help Asperger kiddos understand they are not the only one w/these challenges.

My 8 year old Asperger daughter related to the boy in the book. She claimed, "He does some of the same things I do." I've shared the book with friends, family, school students and personnel. A quick easy way to educate those not familiar with Asperger's. Illustrates some common issues that Asperger kid's have to face and the resultant behavior.

It is important to remember with any book you purchase regarding Aspergers and Autism that people on the Autism spectrum are not "cookie-cutter-cases". Each person is an individual and no book will cover ALL aspects. This book is written in a childs voice and is very easy to understand. Are you going to walk away from reading it profoundly enlightened? No. Are you going to have a more simplistic understanding of the day to day situations and life of a child with Asp? Yes. I purchased this book for my son's grandparents, his older brother and for him. It gives him a voice and something to relate too (not on all issues, but most). The book is extremely easy to read and fast. I read through the entire book in under an hour while helping my son with his homework. A great addition to your personal and lending library.

Fourteen years ago, my mother read this book to me, and it is something I have never quite forgotten. Sure, many of the chapters' images were lost to the background of my mind. But I remembered the book's sense of adventure and the magic behind its words. Hearing my mother read it, its story was completely enthralling and its characters were real to me. Also, many of its images did stick with me and, when I have tried, I could always call them fondly to mind. Now, fourteen years have passed and, having re-read it, I am just as impressed as I was, before. But now, having also read selections from Emerson and Thoreau, I was also amazed by how much transcendental philosophy is packed into this book. Reading it can be a real learning experience, even though it doesn't feel like that at all. It feels like a great, fast read, with wonderful characters and an incredible tale. Why did I choose to re-read it? Two weeks ago, I was considering my life, trying to figure out what path to choose, and I realized that I was picturing this book's character, Eddy, staring into a mirror. (You'll probably know what I'm talking about after you've read this book.) Anyway, this one of the best children's books EVER! You should read this!

This was such a great book, I read it when I was a kid and recently something jogged my memory so I bought it. I read it again and it was still just as great, perhaps even better than when I was a kid. A classic. I'm going to pass it on to my kids!

The Diamond in the Window is the story of Eddy and Eleanor Hall, who live in a fantastic house in historic Concord, Massachusetts. I particularly enjoyed these books as a kid because I grew up in Lexington, right next door to Concord, and it was easy for me to picture the Hall's house and neighborhood. Langton's children's books also have just the right touch of magic, mixed in with real-life, to make a real-life kid feel like anything is possible.

Things are tough for Eddy and Eleanor. Their Uncle Freddy is perpetually confused, and their Aunt Lily is overworked, struggling to pay back taxes on their house so that they don't lose it. And then a wonderful thing happens. Eleanor and Eddy discover a hidden staircase that leads to a secret room at the top of their house. The room has toys and books, an elaborate castle built of block, and two small beds. They learn from Aunt Lily that the room belonged to their aunt and uncle, Ned and Nora, who disappeared when they were children. Aunt Lily's fiance, and Uncle Fred's friend, Prince Krishna, also disappeared.

Eddy and Eleanor promptly decide to search for the missing Ned, Nora, and Prince Krishna. They uncover a clue-filled poem, and start having fantastic shared dreams (or are they dreams?), in which they uncover secrets from the poem. These dreams are wonderful experiences, overlaid with menacing fright. But slowly, the determined children work through the clues, and the dreams, trying to find their missing aunt and uncle, and uncover a treasure that will save the family home.

The Diamond in the Window is filled with excellent adventures: kids turning into toys, and mice, and wandering inside of mazes. Some of the adventures hide larger lessons about loyalty and being true to who you are, but the lessons are rarely overt. The story is also filled with historical references about the Revolutionary War, and Walden and Thoreau, and Louisa May Alcott. Again, not so overt - these things are part of the world that Eddy and Eleanor, and especially Uncle Freddy, live in.

I couldn't really say how well this story will hold up for kids who aren't from Lexington and Concord, and who don't fondly remember it from their childhood. But I suspect that that Jane Langton taps into universal themes of mystery, adventure, and fantasy fulfillment that will please anyone. I'm glad that I visited again.

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on June 17th, 2006.

I read literally hundreds of books in my youth, most of them long ago forgotten, but never forgot this one! I found this book in my elementary school library around 1979/ 1980, and read it several times in the next couple of years. I looked for it later- in every bookstore/ used bookstore I went into for years- (I could remember the title, but not the authors name) and couldn't find it anywhere. Then, along came the internet, and Voila! I found it, ordered it and re-read it. As an adult, I'm surprised and pleased to find that this absolute GEM of a book has lost none of it's charm and mystery. A wonderful story, intriguing mystery, lovable characters, perfect! Highly recommeneded for any young person- entertaining and educational at once- and truly Unforgettable!

While I was a voracious reader as a child, there are a very few books from my childhood that stand out in my memory like beacons. This is one of those books. I was probably eight or nine when I first read it, and I still remember to this day lessons I learned from this book -- like putting the interests of others before your own, for example. One of the author's gifts is that she was able to teach such important lessons without this reader realizing he was being taught. As far as I was concerned at the time it was a vastly entertaining and enjoyable read. It was also my first introduction to the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (albeit at a level a child could comprehend). If this book were required reading for every child, our world would be a better place.

There are so many other good reviews, that I do not feel the need to say much except read this book. It was great through and through, cover to cover.

the ending made me switch to 5. I liked the happy ending. I think what made it kinda bad for me reading this one was that I saw the movie first. So while reading I kept trying to copy parts to scenes in the movie.

What makes this book great for me is the fact that it's written by a black man about his troubled life. Most black men won't even tell the people close in their lives things like this let alone write a story for the world to read.

End child abuse today.

This is an awe inspiring piece of literary work. The narrative from the beginning inspires the reader and allows almost a walk-along journey into the author's life and the actual steps that he took. The movie was good in its setting and up to date account of a life in the 60's. The book adds so much story that went untold in the movie and is that much more moving. Antwone Fisher writes as if he has been doing this since a child.

The novel Finding Fish by Antwone Fisher is a very good book. The book is far better than the movie and i reccomend it to all. It entails his life as well as select readings from his poetry. It is a a story of struggle and beating the odds to become a success

If you have any interest in human behavior, this is a must read. It is a true story of a man who has to overcome so much to succeed. The challenges he faces are so harsh, as he struggles through life as a foster child.