Children Books

Read betwee the lines

Dr. merwin has stopped talking about good signs and her mother iws never getting better.

I liked this book well enough. I think Sunny was truly unfair to her mom. I would have stuck right by my moms side. I can see why Dawn got mad at Sunny. She is incredibly selfish and VERY boy-crazy. I liked the other California Diaries a lot better. Thats why i gave it 4 stars. P.S. Maggie is my favorite character.

I think this book was poorly written. It made Sunny seem selfish and stupid. She was incredibly rude to Dawn. Also, she was treating Dawn's house like her private hotel. Also, she acted terrrible to her mom. She could have been there for her mom, knowing she had cancer. Another thing is, Sunny had so many boyfriends in this 1 book and she only cared about what they looked like. Not there personality. All in all, this book was pretty good.

Sunny is a selfish, boy-crazed lunatic who doesn't realise that DAWN and MRS. WINSLOW and MR. WINSLOW NEED Sunny to HELP them. SURE she DOES have her OWN PROBLEMS, that's fine, but DON"t MESS EVERYBODY else UP, Sunny, and expect everyone to FORGIVE and FORGET the way Carol, Mrs. Bruen, and Dawn's dad did about the stew pot that YOU LEFT UNATTENDED while CAROL and an unborn BABY were in the house. SUNNY IS SELFISH, STUBBORN and CONCEITED. she doesn't realise that in this time of heartbreak and upset (her mother's illness) she is NOT the only person SUFFERING. Everyone NEEDS to PULL together and SUNNY IS NOT HELPING THIS by running away with loner 17-year olds and nearly burning people's houses down!
DAWN IS THE GREATEST FRIEND< a person always there to help. I can see why she doesn't understand SUnny - sunny is so oneminded and stubborn. Dawn is just TRYING to HELP sunny and bring her back to sanity, but SUNNY PUSHES EVERYONE AWAY aND is that DAwn's fault, i think not!

Sunny #6 was a good book; it was the book in which the fight between Dawn and Sunny REALLY begins; it showed both sides of Dawn and Sunny's personalities; good and bad.
Sunny is a troubled teen dealing with the fact that she may lose her mother to cancer; she has a lot of anger, pain, and sadness to deal with. She, unfortunately, solves her problems by, as Dawn pointed out, running away; and this isn't the greatest thing to do; although one aspect of it is good; you learn from your mistakes and work on solving your problems in a different way; so truly; Sunny is experimenting with how to deal with her pain and grief. This is what Dawn, Sunny's long-time best friend; doesn't see. She sees Sunny as being stubborn, selfish, a changed person; and a person who doesn't visit her mother at all.

I would just like to point out here that Ann M Martin; the author, has done a fantastic job of making us feel sympathetic towards Sunny in this book; so much, that by the next book, Dawn #7, we feel resentful towards Dawn. Great work, Ms Martin!

Anyway, back to the Dawn and Sunny Saga : Dawn is also experiencing grief, she has a close friend and 'second mother'in Mrs Winslow (Sunny's mother), and is just as saddened by Mrs. Winslow's illness as Sunny is. Dawn is also experiencing confusion as her stepmother, Carol, is carrying her father's baby. One interesting thing is this; Dawn visits Mrs. Winslow more often than Sunny does, but Sunny gets on a LOT better than Dawn with Carol. It's almost as if they had switched mothers; and this adds to the tension and rivalry between the two girls.

I think that there are a lot of aspects to this fight; really, i don't side with either Dawn or Sunny; i just try to understand their problems and what they're feeling; the way Ducky does with Sunny.

However, i do believe that Dawn could be more understanding; she could see that Sunny doesn't know how to act because of the situation she's in; Dawn could try to understand Sunny better and empathize, not criticise. Dawn doesn't seem to realise that when people are faced with a tough problem/situation, they don't always know how they'll act; after all, when it boils down to it, this is SUNNY's mother and SUNNY has the bigger problem; her mother is dying. And Dawn may feel equally saddened by this but; she has Carol and her mother in Stoneybrook. So Dawn doesn't TRULY know how Sunny feels...she just THINKS she does.

Sunny, in turn; could also be less stubborn; she definitely let her guard down when she went out to flirt with that guy, putting Carol and her unborn baby in danger, by leaving the stew pot unattended; Sunny was definitely pretty selfish when she did this; but one thing has come of it, Sunny realises her mistakes and apologises. But i do feel Dawn's confusion that Sunny, Mrs. Bruen, Dad and Carol are all sitting around having a friendly chat just hours after Sunny made that tremendous mistake; while Sunny seems to be 'off the hook'. I can also understand Dawn's annoyance that when Sunny makes a mistake, everyone blames it on the turmoil caused by her mother's illness; again, Sunny off the hook...

I do think that Sunny needs to see what a great friend she has in Ducky; after all, he always listens and understands and doesn't judge her by her actions. He's a terrific friend, but Sunny needs to be a good friend back to him. In the book, an example of this was when Ducky was majorly upset about his depressed friend Alex, and Sunny listened for about half a second, cut Ducky off, and started chatting about her upcoming date with another guy. She asks Ducky's fashion advice in the middle of Ducky explaining a serious problem! The ONE time Ducky needs desperate help, and asks Sunny for it, she won't listen. I have to admit that when you don't help a great buddy like Ducky, that's pretty low...

However, Dawn comes across as a patron saint, as Sunny describes; Dawn blocks Sunny's view of Mrs. Winslow and starts spouting 'lies' (as Sunny thinks), "You're looking so GREAT today, Mrs. Winslow, what can i do for you, Mrs. Winslow? Today's such a pretty day, you're looking better than ever, Mrs. Winslow! Come on, Sunny, let's get your mom some food, call the nurse, give her flowers..." I can definitely see how this could REALLY get on Sunny's nerves.

So as you can see there are two very different sides to this fight...keep reading all of the California Diaries to see how it goes! And, oh; by the way, Sunny Diary Two #6, 'Waiting. Watching. Crash." is a great book, definitely worth buying, and an important milestone in the Dawn and Sunny Fight: you can't miss it!

This book was a joy to read. My daughter read it to her 3 oldest daughter's, a chapter at a time. They could hardly wait for "reading time" and begged for more at the end of each chapter. The life lesson in this book is so valuable. I am pleased that I have my own personal copy.

I loved this book when I was a girl. Now, reading it to my four children, I get quite emotional when I realize how much I was impacted by this story. It really did partially make me into the mother and home-educator I am today. It amazes me how deeply the wisdom of this book sunk into me. Everyone who homeschools their children should read this - for themselves and for their children.

This is a wonderful story for girls. Read it aloud, savor it, laugh and even cry over it.Whatever you do, though, just get it! You'll be glad you did.

I had never heard of this book until it was listed in the AmblesideOnline curriculum. We checked it out and my girls fell in love with it. I finally bought them their own copy and they treasure it. We read it again, and now they argue over who owns it, and who gets to keep it for their own children.
Great read!

Understood Betsy" was one of my favorite books from childhood and I was happy to see that it was available from Amazon. Even though it was first published in 1917, it is very contemporary in it's message about the importance of gaining self-esteem through accomplishment. In this day and age when parents tend to hover and worry over every small concern, this book show how Betsy, when sent to a farm to live, became a very confident and happy child due to the adults in her life who let her stretch her wings. Many of the ways in which these adults gave her a new life are very subtle but moving. Highly recommended for mid-elementary girls.

The Water Hole is an amazing book. The illustrations are pieces of art and the message is one of great importance. If you love wildlife and animals, this is a book for you. My daughters love looking for the hidden animals in each picture. I bought it as a Christmas gift for my daughters, but I think I purchased it more for myself.

Another beautiful and entertaining book by Graeme Base! I enjoyed every page and bought more to share with my favorite young readers.

enjoyed by children learning to count and by kids that love to find the hidden animals. What I like is how my 3 and 7 year olds both love it and I can make story time long or short depending on if I just read it or if we search out all the animals. also has a great message.

Don't get me wrong, this is a really great book. This book was just not what I expected. Illustrations were great and words in this book were minimal - very appropriate for preschool kids. I had intended this for my school-age kids and it was too simplistic for them. Also, this book make it sound like the earth will restore itself on its own (raining solving drought problem) when in fact, the earth needs our help to restore it by not wrecking havoc Mother Nature.

I give this book to children all the time and the joy is given ten fold back

My 3 1/2 son loved it. It's beautifully illustrated and just fun to open the flaps to find the poop. The end is spectacular and a surprise!

Our 2 1/2 yr old LOVES finding the poop in the book. She will ask me where the poop is and go through each flap saying 'that's not it'. When she finds it she gets excited and yells 'there's the poop!'. Kind of a gross book, but it has really helped her with potty training. Would definitely recommend and plan to use on our baby girl when she arrives and is ready to potty train.

My 19 months old daughter loves it and she likes to lift the flaps and finding animals so much!

This book has been so entertaining for my newly potty trained daughter and her older sister who loves reading it with her. They laugh hysterically at the end. My two year old was still resisting going poop in the potty and I believe this book helped to change her mind.

My son is two years old, and he absolutely loves this book! When I ask him to chose a book to read, this one is always in the running. The title of the book "Where's the Poop" is not a phrase that is used throughout the book (as it would seem) But it is implied that parents can/should use the phrase when reading with their child. This book is definitely useful for potty training. In fact, so helpful that now my child is extremely curious when our cat goes to the bathroom in the liter box, or the dog going to the bathroom in the yard. It was almost like a light bulb went off, and my son realized that every living thing has a proper place for poop. Potty training is going very well, by the way. I highly recommend this book for children who are curious by nature. It definitely helped a lot with my son.

I LOVED to read as a child, but never had this book. Then one day I stumbled on it at the library and without even really getting a chance to look at it, grabbed it (along with a few others I can't remember) and checked it out. Once we got it home, I glanced at it quickly and thought, "This one looks a little weird." And off to the side it went. Then after a few days I said to my 2.5 year old "Let's read this one." just because it is wacky and weird looking. Within that day it became a family favorite and our kid was running around asking anyone who would listen "Who needs donuts when you've got LOVE!" Totally fabulous and fun story and now I want to buy our OWN copy from Amazon. Enjoy this one!

Maybe it's a trans Atlantic thing, but please don't buy this book for any adult in Britain. I couldn't believe how badly drawn and banal it was. I think it's a good nostalgia trip, and I don't knock it for that, and I can see why little kids would like it, but please don't surprise any grown up in the UK with it.

I had this book when I was little and now I read it to my daughters. The illustrations are unbeatable--you could spend an hour looking at each page. Every time you read it you see something new, and I've been reading it for years. The lesson learned from the story is that while you can go off and travel the world for something you think you love, the place where the most love really is is at home.

This book is just brilliant. The illustrations are incredible. Kids just stare at the pages just to see the pictures. The message is one to take home as well. Highly recommended

Every page of Mark Alan Stamaty's masterpiece contains a picture or reference to a donut. A plain donut, no frosting. Sam, a slender little boy who wants more donuts than his parents could every buy, embarks on a mission to find donuts in the big city. I won't spoil the ending to Sam's wonderfully-illustrated journey except to say that donuts can save your life. So, who needs "Who Needs Donuts?" You do.

I love all the dummy book series and this is one of the best. It guides you step by step and gives you a notion of children's book, how to start and publish your book. Although, I wish the book had more explanation about illustrations as I try both writing and illustrating.

We all have an idea for a Children's book. This book is the key to answering your many questions about how to sculpt that great idea into something that will get your book noticed, in the stores and sold. If you are serious about Children's books or want to be, then this book is the place to start. Really! -Warner McGee (children's book illustrator)

This book was very enlightening. Straightforward, simple to understand and it answered all my questions as well as giving me lots of new ideas.

THIS BOOK GAVE ME THE IN SITE I NEEDED TO SEE IF I COULD BE CAPABLE OF WRITING A CHILDRENS BOOK

This book lived up to its advertised benefits. It is clearly and concisely written and very encouraging to beginning as well as experienced writers wanting to write in this genre. I highly recommend to anyone desiring guidance to successful children's book writing.

Wonderful! Age appropiate. My horse loving pre-teen is really enjoying them. She started with the #1 series. We are ordering 5 series at a time.

Bought this for my 15 year old daughter. She loved it and actually read it. Which is always nice to have a teenager read!

Amy has decided to take in a horse named Spartan, which is the horse that they went to save in the big storm. Spartan was in the same car wreck that Amy and her mom were in. Spartan is still scarred from the wreck. When he comes to Heartland he remembers Amy, and he doesn't like her because he remembers her from the wreck. Amy has to start working with Spartan, but it is dangerous because he keeps trying to hurt her because he is scared. At first Amy didn't want to work with Spartan, but then after a couple of weeks she decides that she will work with him. She goes into his stall and he starts kicking and raring up at her, but Amy doesn't get hurt. Amy's sister and grandpa just happened to see it all happen. They don't think that Spartan is a safe horse and they want to put him to sleep. Amy doesn't want that though, because she knows that Spartan will get better. Amy's Grandpa and Amy's sister decide to go to the movies and invite Amy to come. Instead Amy acts like she is sick and stays home so she can join up with Spartan, which means she is going to try to get him to trust her again. When they leave to the movies Amy goes to Spartans stall and takes him out to the round pin. She starts lunging him. Then she takes the lunge line off and Spartan doesn't do anything and he doesn't try to hurt Amy. When her grandpa and sister got home she showed them that Spartan wouldn't hurt her. That changed their mind about putting him to sleep. Amy started working with Spartan more and started taking him to some shows. At one show Amy finds Spartans old owner, Larry Boswell. Larry see's how good Spartan is doing and decides that he would like to buy Spartan for his grandaughter Hannah to show. And he did, and Hannah ended up showing Spartan after he was healed at Heartland by Amy.

Attention all Heartland Lovers! I have made a website dedicated to everything about Heartland. It is filled with info on all the books and the author. You also may review a book and log into the chat room. There is also a weekly poll that changes every week. I also have a little section for Chestnut Hill. The URL is http://www.freewebs.com/horse_lvr13/ . Come check it out.

This book is a very good but I think it could of had a better ending because it would be so sad to see someone read this amazing bookand end not finshing it because it is so sad and such a bad ending. Most people like a ending where the person who really wants something it better when they get it.So if you ever read this book you should finsh it to the end because there is no story better than a sad story because it exspress you r true emotions

A friend recently recommended this as a new series I could read with my six-year-old daughter. We had already read all of Little House on the Prairie, as well as some children's novels, including Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little.

We love these books. The main characters, Betsy and Tacy, are just about five years old when they meet, so my daughter instantly related to them. She loved hearing about how they liked to sit on their bench at the top of the hill, make up stories and get into mischief.

One interesting note: It's always hard to see the characters age from book to book. Although my daughter enjoyed the whole Little House on the Prairie series, she really preferred the books where Laura was young. Still, she remained attentive as Laura aged, partly because the books didn't dwell too much on the trials of adolescence, crushes on boys, etc. These issues came up, but they didn't dominate the books, which were more focused on survival issues, life on the prairie, encounters with Indians, etc.

Betsy-Tacy is slightly different. While it does give a good sense of life in a small town in the early 1900s, the primary focus is on the characters themselves. Right now we're on Book 4, Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown. In it, the characters are 12, so quite a bit older than my audience.

The other night, I almost choked when the characters began discussing whether or not Santa exists - in my household, Santa does exist. We haven't really questioned him yet. So I had to skip over the (otherwise endearing) passage. I was grateful that I was the one reading, because I'm not sure grandma would have picked on that had it been her turn to read.

Book 4 makes only a glancing mention of crushes on boys, which is fine, but it looks like Betsy-Tacy will get more and more wrapped up in boys in the next few books, and I don't think my six-year-old will relate. So I'm going to give this excellent series a break for awhile. For now, we're on to The Secret Garden and the Tale of Desperaux.

I highly recommend the Betsy-Tacy series, but your little one's interest may not keep up as the girls get older.

My daughter and I have LOVED sharing Betsy-Tacy as a read-aloud. The way that the author weaves the girls' fantasies right into the chapter is a perfect illustration of just how real imaginary play is to children (or at least used to be when kids were allowed to imagine). Beware, parents: Have a hankie on hand for the Easter Eggs chapter. I had tears running in rivulets down my cheeks. The only sad thing about Betsy-Tacy is that my daughter wishes that she had a kindred spirit of her own as they do. Highly recommended!

I was introduced to Betsy and Tacy at 5 or 6 by my mom. She adored the series growing in the 50/60s. I grew up in the 70s/80s and fell in love with Betsy, Tacy and Tib. I have 3 daughters that now love these books also. If I had to name the best gift I ever received, I would name my Betsy books. I read the books at just the right time in my life. I would look forward to receiving my Besty/Tacy book at Christmas. When I had my 1st child, my mother gave me the final book in the series when Betsy also has a baby. I was overjoyed yet sad because I knew it was the end of the books.
These books were so important to me growing up that I still think of the characters often. They are wonderful classic stories of a simple time and true friendships.

B-T fans rejoice! Sutton Foster acquits herself well, and brings the characters and Maud's distinctive writerly voice alive in her reading of B-T.

Tired of reading the book over and over and over to your children? This audiobook can take over the chore. Or guarantee that you arrive at work in a good mood, by listening during your commute.

Don't hesitate, just get it before it goes out of print. Let's hope they issue more of the books on CD too.

I was recently reminded of the Betsy-Tacy books I loved so much when I was a young girl. You can not imagine my horror at seeing the current editions' illustrations of the girls, though. Part of the original books' charm was the simple illustrations. Whoever decided to change them should be ashamed. Ashamed and fired. Seriously.

Contact me if you want to join a campaign to have the real drawings returned to future editions of these timeless classics so many of us loved so much.

Wally Hatford is a 10 year old boy who started a war between the Hatfords and the Malloys. He has three brothers, Peter, Josh, and Jake. The Malloys just moved in from Ohio to the Bensons' (The Hatfords' best friends) old house, and the boys want to want to oust the Malloy girls, Caroline, Beth, and Eddie (Edith) out of Buckman.

Wally is in Mrs. Applebaum's class, right in front of Caroline, the wanna be actress. He is the mastermind for the boys in the war between the Hatfords and the Malloys. Wally wants peace between the boys and girls to see how long it takes for a waffle box to travel down the river, to jump off a tree, and to climb a church steeple.

I could relate to Wally. He is like a kid in my class named Jake. Jake, like Wally, can think up of ideas to win a war against anybody, boy, girl, or parent. Jake also is curious of just things in normal life.

The Boys Start the War is a book just for children seeing that adults aren't interested in wars between boys and girls. It is easy to understand all of the humor and vocabulary in the book. I loved the book and went on to read the whole series.

The Hatford boys were looking out the window with their binoculars waiting to see three boys moving in their friends house across the river.When they see their girls moving in and not boys.They makea plan to sent the Malloy girls back to Ohio.Throwing dead animals to dead bodies.Playing bad tricks on the girls.Will the girls get back on them?Is the war barly begining?Are the girls going to get even with the boys. This is a really funny book to read.

This book is a hilarious book. The Hatford brother's best friends, the Bensons, moved away from Buckman to Georgia. The boys were expecting 3 boys to move into the Benson's house, but they were surprised when they found out that it was actually 3 girls. The Hatford brothers decided that they would try to make that the Malloy sisters so miserable that they would want to move back to Ohio and the Bensons would move back because no one would rent their house. The boys are in for a surprise when they have to go against the Malloy sister's cleverness. The pranks go on from dead fish to dead bodies and from floating heads to washing windows. The boys and the girls keep going at each other. They both can't tell their parents because then they would have to tell about all their other pranks. The war goes on and on to other sequels.

I like book because of all the pranks. The pranks are all thought up cleverly but something always goes wrong. A quote that shows something going wrong is, "`You got the flashlight?' Jake asked Wally breathlessly. `Heck, no. You were carrying it.' `I thought you grabbed it,' Josh said. `Someone did!' But that someone was already inside the house." This shows how the Hatfords lost their flashlight while pretending to be a floating head outside Beth Malloy's window.

Another reason I liked this book is because it's a humor book. I don't read many humor books but this book made me laugh. This book is filled with many hilarious events. Caroline Malloy draws a funny picture of her teacher but Wally manages to steal it and blackmails her. The things that go wrong are also funny. Just when one side thinks they've won, the other side finds a way to get even. There are many other books in the series and this is only the first.

My favorite part of the book is at the end of the book when the final prank is played. When the girls go to get Caroline from the Hatford's tool shed, they think they won because they made Jake say to them, "Your faithful, obedient servant." As they were leaving Wally comes out with Mrs. Hatford saying that the girls were coming over to help peel the bushels of apples the Hatfords had picked. I thought this was hilarious and was a great way to end the book to keep you hooked.

Just when the Hatford boys were expecting three boys to move into the house across the river the Malloy girls arrived instead. Wally and his brothers decide to make Caroline and her sisters so miserable that they'll want to go back to Ohio, but they haven't counted on the ingenuity of the girls.

Cast of Characters:
Malloy's:
George Malloy-father-football coach
Jean Malloy-mother
(Edith Anne) Eddie-11-6th grade
Beth-10-5th grade
Caroline-8-4th grade
Hatford's:
Tom Hatford-father-mail man
Ellen Hatford-mother-hardware store worker
Jake and Josh-11-6th grade
Wally-9-4th grade
Peter-7-2nd grade

"The Boys Start the War" is a hit in my small Catholic library. After the first girl returned the book, she asked for Book 2, "The Girls Get Even." I had acquired only the first one, waiting to see the reaction. She was so delighted that I bought the entire set. The rest has been popular history!
As with this series, let one student read and spread the word, then a reading frenzy follows!

In historical lore the Hatfields and the McCoys lived in West Virginia across a retaining wall on the river from each other. Bitter feuds ensued. One reason this story is so notorious is that the origin of the feud is buried in time. No one remembers, yet the war continued for generations. See Wikipedia for more information.

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor chose intriguing family names for the "war" in the book: The Hatfords and the Malloys. The setting for the book is West Virginia. The two families live across a loop in the river from each other. The two families are connected by a swinging bridge across the river. For a much shorter route to school, the Malloys must cross the bridge, going alongside Hatford property.

This is how the war starts: The former neighbors, the Bensons with five boys moved, leaving their house up for rent. The Malloys take it. The Hatford boys are overjoyed because they think a family with three boys are moving in. Perched on top of their house and carrying binoculars, the four boys eagerly await moving day. Instead of three boys, three girls get out of the new family's car.

The boys decide to leave dead animals on the Malloy side of the river to make them think the river is polluted and leave to go back where they came from. This is not the day of wimpy, prissy girls. The three Malloys have gumption. They create their own form of retaliation. The war has begun!

What Wally, the middle son and brains of the boy feuders, later concludes is that this will be a war of wit. The skirmishes are often humiliating to one or another of the two clans, even though humorous to the reader. I will say that pranks go into the school, each family house, the neighborhood, wherever they can plot a new embarrassment.

That's as much as I'm telling. One prank after the other. One-up-manship. Match queen. However, by novel's end, the reader grasps the tiniest gleam that the reason for the feud will be forgotten. Origin: To drive the girls back from whence they came.

Note: Except for the historical allusion, this series is simple entertainment, yet anything that gets reluctant readers to engage in a book is a winner. This series should appeal equally to girls and boys.

Book 2: The Girls Get Even (Boy/Girl Battle)

The reason I didn't give the book a 5 rating was because it could have had a better ending. Greg was SO timid and let everyone else run his life for him. It never improved until the end. And this bit about him always being scared to come out of the closet--geez. Who did he think he was-Tom Cruise or somebody really noteworthy or famous?? He was a gold medalist from an Olympic contest for Pete's sake--it would have made the news for a day and then blown over. I kind of wonder what his life would have been like if he had run it himself.

But--it was a good book and I did enjoy it and I loaned it to a friend, and both of us had it read in 4 days.

This book provides further gut wrenching proof that outward success is no guarantee of happiness or spiritual wholeness. Almost the opposite it seems. 4 Olympic Golds, a body and a smile to die for, and yet trapped in self loathing and an abusive relationship.

Greg Louganis is not alone in recovering from this paradoxical situation, but his story is a moving and powerful one nonetheless. It also provides hope to us who will never be Olympic medalists but still suffer from self doubt and self destructive ways.

This was a candid autobiography by Greg Louganis. It discusses his struggles with coming out of the closet, being pushed to the limit by his father and diving coach, an abusive relationship, prejudice, being tested HIV positive, and other ordeals he had to live thru to get to where he is today. I learned a lot about Mr. Louganis by reading this book and hope you will too. It was that good.

It is a great autobiography in the sense that the author is very honest with his readers and being true to himself.

The author has made great introspections on his life and through the chapters on his childhood, family, diving career as well as relationships, you will be inspired to think along of your own and relate it to his stories. It is not only readng a story of the author but also a soul-searching journey of your own.

It does not matter that you are not a professional diver or have little interest in the sport since the chapters on diving do not include technical details that bore the non-sportlovers. Instead they display how Greg Louganis accomplished his achievements through years of hard work and perseverance rather than depending on his good look or luck, if any.

His story of success in career is as thought-provoking as the later chapters on his struggle to live with HIV-positive and pursuit of the cause of non-discrimination against gays.

Also the photos in the book are fantastic. You can see some on his childhood, friends and family, diving and a few of them are gorgeous and sexy(e.g.centerfold in Playgirl)that won't disappoint you.

We must give the author a credit that he did not show off how many important people he had ever taken pictures with but included those who are important to his life. If you challenge me about the two photos of the presidents, don't judge him too soon, look at the caption and you will know why.

The third last sentence of the book is "I just hope I have enough time to make a difference". After reading the book, you will agree with me that he did and did it amazingly. Thank you, Greg Louganis.

The reason that I first read this book was that I wanted to read a book written by a gay author. I knew nothing about Greg Louganis or the fact that he smacked his head during the Olympics. All I knew was that he was gay and was a swimmer. I checked it out from the library and ended up reading it in two days, which is a record for me because I procrastinate.

Greg and Eric put together Greg's story very well, never once causing me to wonder what was going on. From the very beginning I was amused by Greg's thoughts and concerned although he was talking about something that had happened over a decade ago (seven years ago when the book was written). Greg did not tell his story from a casual perspective. He was upfront with his emotions and I felt like I really got to know who this guy was and I came to care a great deal about him.

Greg Louganis is the sort of person that should be admired and respected not only for his athletic and acting (let's just think about Jeffrey here...) accomplishments but for his strength and courage. For someone who used to have such a distorted self-perception he grew into a rather wise and very beautiful man. He tells his life story with such compassion, humour, and care that it's difficult to believe he used to think so poorly of himself.

This man is one of my role models and I highly suggest that anyone and everyone read this book.