Product Description
Felicity and her fairy friends know how to have fun, even when it involves tidying up! Told in three stories, perfect for first readers. Clutter Clean Out -- Felicity's compulsive shopping habit means it's time for a clear out but what can she do with it all? Surely her creative fairy friends will have some ideas...River Rescue -- The fairies think a picnic by the river is the perfect way to spend a day, but someone has been there before them...Seed Surprise -- Felicity's terrified of creepy crawlies so Daisy's organic garden idea doesn't appeal, but the lure of organic strawberry milkshakes may change her mind! ... Read more

Product Description
Felicity Wishes and her friends have lots of fun on a school trip to Sparkle Towers fairground. Told in three short stories, perfect for first readers. Coach Commotion - It's the day of The School of Nine Wishes annual outing and the fairies are going to Sparkle Towers. Felicity has bought a few sweets for the trip. Maybe a few too many! Fairground Fun - Felicity is looking forward to the fairground but she keeps missing out on the fun of the rides. Will she have chance to ride the famous Flutter Wheel? Star Surprise - Felicity's convinced that Fairy Godmother is taking them to a boring lecture on rocks. Little does she know that her biggest dream is about to come true! ... Read more

Product Description
Felicity Wishes and her friends set up a fairy fashion club and make lots of new friends in these three short stories, perfect for first readers. Cinema Collision -- Felicity is bored of the school holidays already. She decides to take a job in a cinema but things don't go quite to plan! Will Felicity ever find her perfect job? Fashion Passion -- A fairy fashion club is the perfect way for Felicity and her friends to stay at the cutting edge of fashion, and make lots of new friends! If Felicity can only find a suitable clubhouse...Designer Drama -- Stella Fluttiano, the most talked about fashion designer, is giving a talk on the latest trends in Fairy World. But the event's going to be popular and Felicity and her friends want to be first in the queue! ... Read more

Product Description
This book has been designed to help explain inter-country adoption to young children. Any child who has been through the adoption process will naturally ask questions about the story behind their adoption. For children who have been adopted through inter-country adoption this is sometimes even more prevalent. This book has been designed for parents, teachers and social workers to read with children who have been adopted from a different country to the one they live in now. By reading the story with your child and discussing the experience of a child in a similar situation, you can take the opportunity to discuss any feelings of unhappiness or doubt that the child might have as regards his/her own situation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

a very good resource
This is a nice little book for introducing the concept of adoption to young children. It tells the story through joe's eyes who is currently going through the adoption process. The illustrations are really nice and overall I think this is a very good resource. ... Read more

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Publisher: A. GrossetPublication date: 1899Subjects: Short storiesIndiaFiction / AnthologiesFiction / Short StoriesHistory / Asia / India ... Read more

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My First Stories are short imaginative fiction stories told by preschooler Ethan Waugh at ages 3 and 4, written down by his Grandpa or slowly typed on the computer by Ethan with Grandpa's help for the spelling.It includes photos of young Ethan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Imaginative short stories
My First StoriesYoung Ethan tells his imaginative stories at 3 and 4 years old, typed with his Grandpa's help.It includes photos related to his short stories.A creative collection of short stories about helping one another.

The titles of his short stories are:
The pineapple that was stuck
The farmer
The farmer's birthday
Mary and the cat lost their hat
Mary and the cat didn't lose their hat
The cat got lost in the garden
The girl and the boy

I enjoyed these stories from a 3-4 year old boy.Pre-schoolers would enjoy them, and early grade readers would enjoy reading them. ... Read more

Product Description
This collection of stories is packed with fun, adventure, mystery and fantasy. ... Read more

Product Description
The Future Boldly Imagined From Breathtaking New Perspectives

The world as we will know it is far different from the future once predicted in simpler times. For this newest collection of the finest short form SF to appear in print over the preceding year, acclaimed editors and anthologists David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer have gathered remarkable works that reflect a new sensibility. Courageous and diverse stories from some of the finest authors in the field grace this amazing volume -- adventures and discoveries, parables and warnings, carrying those eager to fly to far ends of a vast, ever-shifting universe of alien worlds, strange cultures, and mind-bending technologies. Tomorrow has never been as spellbinding, terrifying, or transforming as it is here, today, in these extraordinary pages. Hang on!

New tales from:
Kage Baker • Gregory Benford • Terry Bisson Rick Moody • Michael Swanwick • John Varley and many more ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Some Good and Some Very Good SF Stories
Working my way backward through the Year's Best SF series, I have arrived at number nine.I enjoyed most of these twenty stories.The story introductions were of the usual high quality--I fear that Hartwell and Cramer are spoiling me in this regard.I take for granted how well they prepare me to understand each author, each author's other works, and the story to come in such brief, readable introductions.I may wander around disoriented in lesser anthologies, unable to find my way without them.

My five favorite stories from the collection are:

Most of Octavia Butler's "Amnesty" takes place in a group job interview as a long-time employee of the very alien "Communities" explains to six new recruits what they can expect.The aliens are imaginatively alien, the humans are all too human, and the flashbacks are very instructive.I can't believe that my favorite story basically takes place in a corporate meeting.

John Varley's "In Fading Suns and Dying Moons" introduces aliens whose strangeness is based on their superficial similarity to humans.Suddenly the Earth is host to successive lines of identical, mannequin-like figures combing the environment for butterflies.They can't be destroyed, don't have much to say, and are relentlessly thorough.There is nothing to do but wait for the last one to finish.

Gregory Benford's "The Hydrogen Wall" lets us look over the shoulder of Ruth, a trainee librarian trying to communicate with the Sagittarius Architecture, an unfathomably complex artificial intelligence downloaded from a space transmission.We are reminded that communication is two-way, and that hidden agendas are often the important ones.

Ricard de la Casa and Pedro Jorge Romero collaborate to bring us "The Day We Went Through the Transition," a time travel story that combines the convolutions of Robert Heinlein's "All You Zombies--" with the emotional resonance of The Time Traveler's Wife.It is worth feeling your way through.

Nigel Brown's "Annuity Clinic" introduces us to a grim future where elderly pensioners sell off their prostheses to pay for a diminishing quality of continued existence.Eloise finds escape, first through the web, and then through a half-remembered doll from her childhood.

I recommend this collection and feel well-repaid for the time I spent reading it.Although all of the stories were at least good, there were fewer great stories than I have encountered in other Year's Best SF editions.Not a complaint; just an observation.

Not Free SF Reader
The editors state : "We have remarked in the past that the average paperback anthology of fantasy or SF does not contain as many good stories as the average issue of Asimovs or Fantasy & Science Fiction."

Can't disagree with that. In general, those magazines do rate more highly than your standard original anthology for fiction.

An interesting strategy they seem to be pursuing is publishing the odd non-English work, translated.This year it seems that was a bit easier with a specific volume already done, Cosmos Latinos, and a couple of stories here come from that.

Live Without a Net, Stars, and Space, Inc. are anthologies mentioned.Anders, Resnick and Czerneda.

This volume is easily the lowest rated of the Hartwell anthologies so far, and only a 3.55 average, with a lot of decent, and a few average or worse, and nothing standing out.

Stating in the past that they are only choosing obvious SF gets a bit wobbly with the Swanwick, etc., I think.

Year's Best SF 09 : Amnesty - Octavia E. Butler
Year's Best SF 09 : Birthdays - Geoff Ryman
Year's Best SF 09 : The Waters of Meribah - Tony Ballantyne
Year's Best SF 09 : EJ-ES - Nancy Kress
Year's Best SF 09 : Four Short Novels - Joe Haldeman
Year's Best SF 09 : Rogue Farm - Charles Stross
Year's Best SF 09 : The Violet's Embryos - Angélica Gorodischer
Year's Best SF 09 : Coyote at the End of History - Michael Swanwick
Year's Best SF 09 : In Fading Suns and Dying Moons - John Varley
Year's Best SF 09 : Castaway - Gene Wolfe
Year's Best SF 09 : The Hydrogen Wall - Gregory Benford
Year's Best SF 09 : The Day We Went Through the Transition - Ricard de la Casa and Pedro Jorge Romero
Year's Best SF 09 : Nimby and the Dimension Hoppers - Cory Doctorow
Year's Best SF 09 : Night of Time - Robert Reed
Year's Best SF 09 : A Night on the Barbary Coast - Kage Baker
Year's Best SF 09 : Annuity Clinic - Nigel Brown
Year's Best SF 09 : The Madwoman of Shuttlefield - Allen M. Steele
Year's Best SF 09 : Bread and Bombs - M. Rickert
Year's Best SF 09 : The Great Game - Stephen Baxter
Year's Best SF 09 : The Albertine Notes - Rick Moody

Stranger Community close job.

3.5 out of 5


Reproductive success strategies.

4 out of 5


Alien Suit Compliance life force.

4 out of 5


Medical remains.

4 out of 5


Immortality maintenance.

3.5 out of 5


Pastoral life breakdown.

3.5 out of 5


Purple power creation.

3.5 out of 5


Canine fable overload.

2.5 out of 5


Multidimensional collection switchoff.

4 out of 5


Mind blown.

3 out of 5


Alien library mind analysis Artificial assist.

4 out of 5


Power armour chase all over the place.

4 out of 5


Ancient inhabitant needed.

4 out of 5


Botany monopoly Frisco misery

3 out of 5


Artificial extensions, Clever Dolly.

3.5 out of 5


Not too chicken for music to return.

4 out of 5


Bad snow and strange candy.

3 out of 5


Muddy Star Wars.

3 out of 5


Blasted drug memories.

3.5 out of 5




4 out of 5

Best Year's Best SF in Years
I have been reading Year's Best book from Year's Best SF 3.I was somewhat disappointed with stories in SF 7 and 8, but SF 9 delivers extremely interesting and thoughtful stories.I really enjoyed stories by Gene Wolfe, George Benford, and my favorite "Four Short Stories" by Joe Haldeman.Buy and read this book, you will not be disappointed.

Butler, Swanwick, and others deliver some great tales
"Year's Best SF 9," edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer, collects 20 stories into a 500 page anthology.The stories range in length from 6 to 71 pages.Some of the highlights are as follows.

"Amnesty," by Octavia E. Butler: looks at relations between humans and a radically different intelligent species of communal life forms that have invaded Earth.This story deals with issues of power, control, language, and communication; it is as penetrating and thought-provoking as Butler's other great works."Birth Days," by Geoff Ryman: explores human reproduction, homosexuality, and biological research and experimentation."Ej-Es," by Nancy Kress: a very moving story about a team investigating a seemingly failed human colony; the story addresses themes of disease, communication, cultural difference, and the human brain. "Rogue Farm," by Charles Stross: a funny tale about a farming couple defending their property against a mutant creature; this story is full of bizarre dialogue and images."In Fading Suns and Dying Moons," by John Varley: an entomologist is enlisted to discover the meaning behind an invasion of the Earth by weird, butterfly-collecting aliens.This story refers to and cleverly builds on the ideas in the science fiction classic "Flatland."

Also worthy of note--"The Day We Went Though the Transition," by Ricard de la Casa and Pedro Jorge Romero: a time travel story with a Spanish setting.This story also deals with terrorism."A Night on the Barbary Coast," by Kage Baker: a colorful, highly entertaining tale about a pair of time-traveling cyborgs--who also happen to be father and daughter--on an adventure in 19th century San Francisco."The Madwoman of Shuttlefield," by Allen M. Steele: a story of life in a human colony on a distant planet.This is a full-bodied, richly evocative tale that covers many aspects of life in the colony--food, architecture, government, etc.Steele creates memorable characters and powerfully drawn human relationships.

But my favorite piece in the anthology is the brilliant "Coyote at the End of History," by Michael Swanwick.This cluster of five short fable-like tales, reminiscent of Native American animal trickster tales, tells about Coyote and his relations with the "Star People."Sort of like folk tales from a distant future, these Coyote tales are ironic, deliciously funny, and surprisingly poignant.Overall, "Year's Best SF 9" is a wonderfully diverse and mind-expanding anthology.This is the kind of book that reminds me why I fell in love with the science fiction genre in the first place.This collection offers excellent examples of why the short story is such an ideal format for science fiction.

This book ain't the one
I've been working hard on a Ph.D. so it was with great relish that I turned to this book after getting some time for myself.However, I was sorely disappointed with what I read.Octavia Butler's story started off quite decently but the ending was not up to the rest of the story.And it was downhill from there.I've never read two science fiction stories in a row I haven't liked but this book represented a series of them.Some of the stories had good potential but the writers didn't develop them well and some were just not good. It is my opinion that many of the stories would have been much better if the writers had a publisher/mentor like the early sci fi authors who critiqued their stories and helped make them better.Perhaps critiquing or mentoring is what sci fi needs more of.I have started another sci fi anthology and already it is better than this one. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (5)

Pick up your feet for "Dance, Y'all, Dance".
Slathered in country and western, "Dance, Y'all, Dance" hearkens back to the days when farmers, ranchers, and rural folks would gather at the local dance hall on Saturday night. Kelly Bennett's boot-stompin' verse assembles the townspeople into an event that makes us feel like one of the regulars. Accompanied by Terri Murphy's quirky character studies and thick-paint style, together they create a warm atmosphere both old-fashioned and immediately accessible to children, and to readers of all ages.

Fun for all ages
A picture book by the prolific children's author Kelly Bennett, //Dance, Y'all Dance// perfectly captures a time in rural America when the Saturday night dance was the biggest thing around. Being from the country myself, I remember these dances fondly, and hope somewhere in this great land of ours this tradition lives on. Bennett seems to have found such a place.

Inspired while taking country dance lessons in Texas, Bennett explains, "// Dance, Y'all, Dance// depicts one magical night at the dance hall where everyone in a community comes together in joy -- to talk, laugh, share news, and dance. The message is one of intergenerational community. It's not a "big message," but it's an important one. In the same way a picture book connects the child and adult with the story, a night at the dance hall does the same thing -- connects people of all ages, unites them in laughter, memories, and shared experience. Anyone can relate to this story, no matter the age or culture. It might not be a Saturday night dance for others, but maybe a wedding reception, or other social event where people come together.

Artfully drawn by Terri Murphy and labeled a children's book, this is a book adults should have to enjoy, then donate to the local library, or perhaps just hold onto it until you want to visit those magical memories again. Printed and bound to high standards, //Dance Y'all Dance// should last to be handed down to the next generation.

Reviewed by Dave Broughton

Beautiful, nostalgiac book
DANCE Y'ALL, DANCE, is a wonderful tribute to country life, gathering with friends, and family.I especially enjoyed the artwork, which tells a story in itself.I recommend this book for kids of all ages.Teachers will love keeping this one on their shelves.It's a great starting point for classroom discussions on family values in grades K-3.Definitely worth purchasing!

The dark Texas dancehall is no longer in the dark for kids!
Growing up in Texas, I had never darkened the doors of a "dancehall" as a kid since my grandmother was convinced they were just the public parlors to houses of ill repute.College at Texas A&M changed that!Kelly's fun rhyme and Terri's illustrations bring the true feel of the V.F.W.'s, the Knight's of Columbus halls and the Gruene Halls of Texas into the light, showing them for what I found most to be: a place for families and neighbors to have fun dancing together.Who needs Wii Fit when we've got Texas dance halls?And who needs to stay in the dark about dance halls when we've got "Dance Y'all, Dance"!

The joy of dance
Dance y'all Dance captures the joy of a country hoedown in warm yellows and cool blues. Kelly Bennett's rhyming text recalls the the rhythms of an old fashioned square dance caller while Terri Murphy's paintings bring to life the characters of this Texas town. Murphy uses a variety of clever ways to depict the dance hall, from overhead views among the swinging lights to crouching beneath tables with mischievous children. Young readers who know "The Depression" as mere dates in a history book will have see how real, live people found love and joy in small-town America. ... Read more

Product Description
The Universe is our school, nature our teacher, and every species has a lesson for us. With delightful simplicity, Lifetimes introduces some of nature’s longest, shortest and most unusual lifetimes. David Rice’s "tell about it, think about it" questions for each lifetime are perfect for engaging a young person in a stimulating conversation. This is a favorite book for children and teachers alike. ... Read more

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The Wombles have just gratefully returned to their burrow on Wimbledon Common. They had had to leave because heavy lorries thundering up and down the nearby road threatened to make the burrow fall down. Now the Wombles are safely back.However, there is another problem they have to contend with. It seems that the Humans have realised they have an energy crisis and are throwing much less away. The Wombles' supplies begin to run low. What can the Wombles do? It is time for EMERGENCY SPECIAL PROJECTS - with DIY king Tobermory in charge! ... Read more

Product Description
This reissue tells the story of Doone Penny, a child with a gift for dancing matched only by his passion for the Dance. The author also wrote "Listen to the Nightingale", "Candy Floss and Impunity Jane" and "A Kindle of Kittens". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Review and question
I remember reading this book as a child and I read the cover off of it. I was wondering does anyone know if there was a follow up to the book? Why do I think there was one?

Love It!
I searched for this book for years! My parent's had bought it a long time ago and I first read it when I was 10. But when we moved it got lost. I've looked and looked but couldn't find it. It's one of the most uplifting, interesting, and downright inspiring books I've ever read. Read and enjoy!

Timeless
When I was 12 years old I was forced to make what I would later call A LIFE DECISION:to dance or to swim.Both took up so much time and I was at the age where for training purposes the decision had to be made...I picked swimming...

Although I had been swimming for 2 years without looking back, I found this book at age 14, picked it up and reclaimed the part of myself that had been left behind when I made the decision to swim, and now, even with swimming behind me, this is the book I pick up when I need to remember who I am, and what growing up was all about.

Rumer Godden is an unbelievably talented artist in her own world of artistry.She tells the story of a young dancer (a boy!), struggling to overcome the odds of his maleness, his place on his family's totem pole, his own idiosynchrisies, his prima donna sister, his neglectful though well-meaning mother and a thousand other battles so convincingly, that the reader forgets that this is just a story.Godden makes her words truly take on a life of their own, and the story just, well, dances...

This is a must read, especially for anyone who has ever tackled the daunting task of childhood, and even more especially if within that childhood, ballet was involved. This story is a gift.

A wonderful coming-of-age story of a boy who wants to dance
Doone Penny knew he wanted to dance in the ballet when he was five years old and had to go with his sister after school to her ballet classes because no one was home to look after him.He would listen to the music ashe waited for his sister and one day he stood out in the hallway andpracticed the steps on his own.A young cleaning lady observed him fordays before coming to correct his stance; she was once a famous ballerinabut an injury put a stop to her carreer.She had a daughter who was takingclasses and she would clean the studio and home of the instructor as a wayto pay for her child's dance lessons.She saw something rare in Doone,which compelled her to help him get those first positions right.

Doonecontinued on with his passion for dancing, and he met people who would helphim or hinder him.He had to deal with prejudice from other boys, hisfather and brothers, who thought ballet was for sissies and he had to dealwith the jealosy of his sister who couldn't bear the thought that herbrother might have rare natural talent that would overshadow heraccomplishments.His mother was not supportive, she felt any complimentsto Doone were taking away something from her precious only daughter, Crystal.So Doone had to fight very hard for what he wanted but he hadteachers and friends to give him lessons and support and help him on to the path where he might one day realize his dreams.

I love this book andone day hope to add it to my personal library.It is a book I can readover and over again.The characters are interesting and real, evencharacters you don't like at first will grow a bit and soon you understandwhy they are the way they are.You will find yourself rooting for Dooneevery step of the way, and wondering and hoping that he will get where hewants to be.

This is a great book
This book is a favorite of mine. It is a little out of date, but it is such a good story that never really matters. I LOVE this book! ... Read more

Product Description
Sheila Burnford, the author of The Incredible Journey, offers the spellbinding tale of a small dog caught up in the Second World War, and of the extraordinary life-transforming attachments he forms with the people he encounters in the course of a perilous passage from occupied France to besieged England.

Nameless, Burnford’s hero first turns up as a performing dog, a poodle mix earning his keep as part of a gypsy caravan that is desperately fleeing the Nazi advance. Taken on ship by the Royal Navy, he is given the name of Ria and serves as the scruffy mascot to a boatload of sailors. Marooned in England in the midst of the Blitz, Ria rescues an old woman from the rubble of her bombed house, and finds himself unexpectedly transformed into Bel, the coiffed and pampered companion of her old age.

Bel Ria is an exciting story about a compellingly real, completely believable dog. Readers of all sorts and ages will find in Bel Ria a companion to take to heart. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

One of My All-Time Favorites
This is not a story for young children and it is not a light read !!!It has been over 15 years since I have first read this story, I picked it up because it was by the same author as the Incredible Journey (which I enjoyed), but I thought that this was a much better book than the Journey. It is one that I pick up and read every couple of years and there are certain points in the story which always bring a tear every time I read them.

It is a story of the effect & horror of war on the innocents (namely the animals). It is also a story of love and the companionship provided by animals even at the darkest of times.

A wonderful and astonishing book
Whether you read this book and come away moved by the heartfelt simplicity of its narrative, or whether you put it down after the final page and realize you've just experienced a complex metaphor of war and innocence, BEL RIA will never leave you. Like BLACK BEAUTY, this book is not just a children's book, although children will understand it completely - maybe better than adults. Like many earlier children's classics, it's a book of the real world, genuine and not at all diluted for young audiences. BEL RIA is a classic story of a dog's journey though a baffling human world as well as a simple and profound comment on the violence of war and what it means to the most innocent; the animals. Personally, at the instant I finished the book I understood that, when it comes to war, we are all Bel Ria. Professionally, as a writer, I deeply admire the author of this book and wish she had written many more books than she did. This is a book that will come into it's own, time after time, and I can think of no better answer to a child's question, "What is war all about?" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

a treat for all booklovers
What a wonderfully produced book! It beatifully captures the essence of an era through its generous use of evocative illustrations of children's books dating from the first half of the twentieth century. The authors cover British writers primarily, but there is a good representation from the States, Canada and Australia.
The book is organized by decades, which gives the reader the chance to see more clearly how each particular period panned out: a refreshing change from the unimaginative alphabetical strategy usually favoured in such tomes.
Each featured writer is given an introductory essay. A complete bibliography for the decade is appended. This is fascinating.One can easily compare the output of famous writers (Enid Blyton - manic; Arthur Ransome - considered). The content of the essays is informative and ungushy. The authors also have a nice line in dry wit - Beatrix Potter's "Tale of Pigling Bland" is described as "a crackling good tail" for instance.
The pictures are the stars, however. Largely of highly rare dust jackets, they are enough to make any collector both ecstatic and jealous. For once it is probably not an exaggeration to talk about "the only copy in existance". The jacket of "Children's Fiction" is itself a work of art. Ultra scarce jacketed copies of books by Milne, Blyton, Henty, Brazil, Brent-Dyer, Crompton, Ransome and WE Johns lie, as if scattered, before a blue background.
I suspect that the comparatively high retail price is the only thing that has stopped this book reaching a wide audience. If only Ashgate (or another publisher)could reissue it in paperback (perhaps without the bibliographies and with more colour) then this would surely be a widely heralded addition to the ever increasing nostalgia genre. As it is, I recommend it to those thousands who, like me, love this era and collect children's books. You will not regret the purchase. ... Read more

Product Description
Never one to sit prettily around the palace, waiting for her prince to come, Princess Florizella is always on the lookout for adventure. In this story she sorts out a giant who is trampling down crops and houses in the Seven Kingdoms. Originally published: 1992 ... Read more

Product Description
Charles Dickens, who was born in 1812, is considered one of the greatest of English novelists.Certainly he is the most popular. Not only did he have an important place in nineteenth-century literature, but he was also an outspoken and influentialcritic of society.He wrote fifteen novels as well as a number of stories and Christmas books.In lots of these children were important characters.
In his day, no one understood children better than Dickens, and he was the first writer to describe what children thought and felt and to capture the way they spoke.And he was not afraid to write about the hard and sad lives that many children led.
In the stories in this book,which have been retold by Charles Dickens's granddaughter, Mary Angela Dickens, you will meet some of the children who appear in the works of Charles Dickens.
There is Oliver Twist, who had many misadventures after he escaped from the terrible workhouse where he was born, and David Copperfield, the hero of Dickens's most popular novel, much of which records his own experiences.Little Paul Dombey is the young son of Dombey and Son, and Amy is the heroine of Little Dorrit.
On these pages, you'll also make the acquaintance of Tiny Tim, from A Christmas Carol, the fat boy from The Pickwick Papers, Jenny Wren from Our Mutual Friend, and the blind little toymaker from The Cricket on the Hearth, and Little Nell and the marchioness from The Old Curiosity Shop.
Howard Copping's wonderful paintings and drawings bring Dickens's fascinating characters, both young and old, to life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book to introduce children to the prose of Dickens
Recently I had to spend a couple of months camping with my 8 year old daughter away from home and mom. We enjoyed reading and even rereading some of the stories from this book containing Ten children from ten differentDickens tales -- including Tiny Tim, David Copperfield, and Oliver Twist.They are featured in a generously illustrated colorful compendium. Whilethe depictions of the children's lives are true to the originals,abridgement may infact encourage the young reader to read the original whenthey grow up. My daughter could empathise with homeless,motherlessDickensian kids, however she could not understand what is the big dealabout Oliver asking for more if he is still hungry ! This tells us how farwe have come in terms of feeding our kids well (if not good homes and bothparents) since Dickens, at least in the developed countries. In onesentence this book was a nice trailer to the poignant prose of Dickens tobe read aloud as well as read by curious children themselves. ... Read more

Product Description
Addlesbury Tower is haunted by Rich King Cole, a mean old man who fell off it long ago in mysterious circumstances. Enter Amanda Phillips - a spiteful, greedy girl, much feared by her family, who is determined to claim the tower for her own territory. As Mandy and King Cole lock horns in an ever more devious battle for supremacy, neither realise how much they really have in common. ... Read more