Product Description
Fascinating, easy-to-understand book for would-be cryptanalysts of all ages teaches how to invent and decipher a host of codes and secret messages, including the "Moving Ahead" cipher used by Julius Caesar in his secret dispatches; dots and pinpricks, as used by the secret Rosicrucian society; and even a system used by Sherlock Holmes involving open spaces between important words. Includes stimulating brain-teasing projects that include all the codes described in the book. 14 b/w illus.
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Customer Reviews (1)

I needed this book for my club in middle school
Like most boys growing up in era of the cold war and the original James Bond movies, I was part of a club where we created our own secret codes. It was great fun and we were constantly improving our codes to thwart the efforts of others who wanted to read those "important" messages. Had this book been available back then, we would have devoured it. Written at the level of a middle school student, the basic codes are thoroughly covered, yet not at a level beyond the child of the early teen years. No mathematics beyond simple arithmetic is used.
As befits the original publication date of 1975, computers are not part of the codes, which I found to be an attractive feature. Writing simple codes is an exercise in thought, a process that computers sometimes interfere with. This is a book that can be read for enjoyment, and it can also be used as a book for class work designed to be fun. It should be in every middle school library. ... Read more

Product Description
There is hope for your dyslexic child—
here are practical ways to achieve real progress!
Not just a reading problem, dyslexia can affect many areas of your child's life—including understanding words, descerning left from right, and counting money. These problems can have a devastating effect of your child's self-esteem and can make you feel powerless to help.
But you can help your dyslexic child. Eileen Cronin, Ph.D., founder of The Raskob Learning Institute, has studied dyslexia for many years and has developed a working program that parents can use to help dyslexic children significantly improve their reading, writing, and spelling. Beginning with a simple test that you conduct at home Cronin presents you with a comprehensive and holistic program that any parent or teacher can easily use.
Inside you'll find these helpful chapters:

• Is Dyslexic Real?
• The Growing Mind
• Parenting the Dyslexic Child
• Help at School
• Helping the Dyslexic Child with Reading
• A Monster Called Homework
• And Many More Chapters Filled with Invaluable Information

With Eileen Cronin's guidance, you can begin right away to help your child overcome dyslexia and achieve greater self esteem. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excelent
Its a wonderful, economis book. Im a Special Education teacher and learned more in this book that in many of my classes. Very easy and interesting to read.

Helping Your Dyslexic Child: A Step-By-Step Program for Help
Easy to read.The best part about this book is that it gives you actual exercises to do with your child to help them.For this reason alone I am going to purchase this book.

I felt that this book did not provide enough resources.
This book did not offer enough resouces for parents.It was also pessimistic in terms of the outcome for dyslexics.It was very helpful in terms of identifying characteristics that are not often associated withdyslexia,yet it still appeared to be very general in catergorizing thesecharacteristics.One of the methods for teaching reading skills, howeverwas very helpful but other methods should have been given as well. ... Read more

Product Description
Writing for kids is fun and rewarding--if you can break into the fiercely competitive world of children's book publishing. With this guide, you'll learn how to write and promote a children's book that will impress any publisher. Whether you have a basic idea or a manuscript ready to go, you'll find all you need to build a successful career as a children's book author.

This clear and concise guide helps you:

• Formulate an original idea, create an outline, and write the book
• Learn the basics of children's storytelling, from point of view to story pacing
• Find helpful writing workshops and conferences
• Design a winning book proposal, get an agent, and negotiate a contract
• Create a marketing and publicity plan
• Use professional and social networking sites to promote your book

Full of eye-opening insider information and invaluable writing advice, this book should be on every aspiring author's bookshelf! ... Read more

Product Description
This book takes readers through every stage of writing for the YA market. Aspiring writers and established authors hoping to move into this flourishing genre alike will find instruction on writing for this special audience as well as tips on getting published. The book covers everything from plot, setting, characters and dialogue to revision and approaching publishers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Awesome book!
This book was incredibly helpful. I felt walked through the process the whole way! The best part is that KL Going has a manuscript critique service for a very affordable fee. So after reading the book, if you decide to pursue a writing career, she is willing to help you get there!

Not helpful
This book, unfortunately, was not very helpful at all.The suggestions are very basic and broad; most of what is suggested is common sense.There were also several typos (obvious typos) in the book, which was very disappointing.

A very different side of Charlie Byrd
I've always known that Charlie Byrd was a classically trained guitarist, but this album demonstrates that fact more clearly than any other I'm familiar with. It's a beautiful Christmas album...and for those of us who like Christmas albums that are all carols, it's perfect.

helpful for teens and adults
I found this book to be very helpful and I think it will be useful for teens who want to write for other teens and for adults who want to write YA novels. There is a lot of information in here and its easy to find what your looking for. Plus it was not boring like so many how-to books. I know an adult who read this too and she liked it also.

Good how-to writing book for YA writers!
I think this is an excellent resource if you are a YA writer or thinking about writing YA. There are not many current YA writing books out there and the ones that do exist were too basic and generalized for me. The thing I took away the most from this book was the teen Q&A sections. They were so relevant that I ended up changing a major part of my YA WIP. I would have liked even more of these sections.

Some of the information in the book was basic (for example, instead of spending a lot of time on POV and other beginning writing topics, I would have liked to have known more about YA itself or seen more examples from YA novels). I also didn't care for the way the sections were broken down by school subjects (too gimmicky).

But it is very rare that I read a how-to writing book from cover to cover, and I did so with this book. Overall I really enjoyed it. (Way more so than The Idiot's Guide to Writing for Young Adults).
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Product Description
Now includes a subscription to CWIM online (the children?s publishing area of writersmarket.com). The 2011 CWIM offers more than 650 listings for book publishers, magazines, agents, art reps and more. It?s completely updated and is the most trusted source for children?s publishing information. CWIM also contains exclusive interviews with and articles by well-respected and award-winning authors, illustrators, and publishing professionals as well as nuts-and-bolts how-to information. Readers will learn what to do, how to do it, and get loads of information and inspiration. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Children's Writer's bible
Don't even think about trying to write for kids without this essential reference from Writer's Digest books. Every year I eagerly await the new version of this book and am never disappointed. There are articles about various types of children's writing and interviews with both new and famous authors, but the most important part of the book are the listings. You will find literary agents who specialize in children's books, publishers with contact info and what they are looking for, nationally known writing contests, and essential info on how to write a proposal and letter to a publishing company that will get results. This is perfect for both newbies and long time pros.

A highly recommended 'must'!
No general lending library should be without the 2011 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market! It packs in over 450 updated listings to help writers sell children's stories and illustrations, appears in its 23rd annual edition with extensive updates on publisher listings, and offers nearly 200 pages of articles on everything from blogging to online promotion and writing. A highly recommended 'must'!

A Great Resource
I've bought this book for many years and every year the articles have been extremely informative, helpful, and motivating--for intermediate writers as well as beginners. I especially enjoy the stories behind the debut authors. One nit-picky, little thing: This edition seems plagued by typos, the kind that exist when only spell checking is used instead of proof reading. I think this is odd, since we aspiring authors are told how professional and meticulous WE need to be. My favorite typo is within a publisher's listing where the time from contract to release is listed as 112 YEARS! I've heard publishing works at a snail's pace, but I don't think I have that kind of time.

A necessary tool for any writer
If you write children's books or stories, then you will need this market guide. It gives the information you need to locate potential markets for your work. (Though you will then want to consult the market's website for more detailed and up-to-date information.)

I've been writing for a couple of decades now, and have been buying this book annually for almost as long.And I will confess that I'm beginning to find it quite depressing.The book is about the same size as it was 10-15 years ago, but the page count is misleading.Type is larger and white space more abundant, making it very clear that there are FAR fewer markets for our work than existed a decade ago. And a significant percentage of the listings state that they don't accept unsolicited materials. (Often this info is buried in several paragraphs of detailed description of the type of work they publish. In other cases, there is no info BUT "Submit through agent only.")
I realize that this isn't the fault of Writer's Digest Books, but is a reflection of changes in society and reading practices. Still, it's hard to NOT feel frustrated at paying the same price for access to half the number of markets. ... Read more

Product Description
This book will help early years educators to understand how children learn, in parallel, to write in more than one language. Case studies of six-year-olds growing up bilingual reveal the processes involved in becoming biliterate and show how children’s learning is supported in home and community contexts. The research points to approaches to supporting literacy achievement in early years settings.

The book draws on the research project called ‘Signs of Difference’, conducted by Charmian Kenner at the London Institute of Education from 2000-2002 in collaboration with Gunther Kress, Arabic adviserHayat Al-Khatib, and Chinese advisers Gwen Kwok, Roy Kam and Kuan-Chun Tsai. Six children were observed learning Chinese, or Arabic, or Spanish as well as English as they engaged in literacy activities at home, community language school and primary school over one year. Parents and teachers were interviewed about children’s literacy experiences in each context and their progress in learning.Particular insight into children’s thinking was gained by observing peer teaching sessions in which children taught their primary school classmates how to write in Chinese, Arabic or Spanish.

With so little research on biliteracy, this book is particularlyimportant.Although teachers are recognising that bilingual experience can be beneficial, they know little about it. So they worry lest children be confused by dealing with more than one writing system, or wonder whether teaching methodologies used at community language schoolare ‘correct’. The research described here shows clearly that young children are flexible learners who can respond to a range of teaching styles and canunderstand how different writing systems operate and produce symbols in different scripts. It shows how they take the input offered by teachers, parents and siblings and transform it to create their own ideas about how writing works.


Becoming Biliterate is for early years educators and teacher educators and will also interest undergraduates and MA students in language and education. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Spot on
Phyllis Whitney's advice on writing children's literature is right on the money, and proved an invaluable guide when writing "Gumboots - the Asylum Seeker Sniffer Dog" detailing the adventures of a patriotic old spaniel charged with the duty of protecting the realm. ... Read more

Product Description
This accessible book examines the nature of children's writing, and helps teachers discover how to best nurture in children's creative potential.A thorough explanation of the practices and strategies needed to understand young writers and their writing, the book provides a wealth of information and ideas about the language, interests, and creative capabilities of today's children. Strong pedagogy offers explicit, practical examples with direct application to instruction. Each chapter begins with a brief vignette that captures the drama and excitement of becoming a writer. Boxed features summarize the best approaches to putting instructional concepts and strategies into practice.For Elementary English Teachers. ... Read more

Product Description
Whether picture book or novel, fiction or nonfiction, writing for a young audience is about establishing a connection with the young people who read your work. To create that connection with your young readers, you need an understanding of the fundamental elements of a children's story and the craft of writing. This book will show you how to create stories that will inspire and educate young readers, and meet the needs of your publishers. From learning to find their own voice to finding markets within the many genres of youth writing, this book is invaluable. Loaded with illustrative samples and helpful worksheets, this book will show you how to transform ideas into stories that will delight, intrigue, and satisfy readers - and ultimately result in a manuscript that sells. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Clear, Concise and Well Organized
I found this book on writing for kids and teens to be very helpful.It was easy to follow although I wish there had been more information on writing the non-fiction children's book. I especially liked the way the author organized her material and presented it in an easy to read manner. ... Read more

Product Description
These twenty pieces address the politics, culture, and literature of Russia with both flair and erudition. Passionate and opinionated, often funny, and using ample material from daily life to underline their ideas and observations, Tatyana Tolstaya"s essays range across a variety of subjects. They move in one unique voice from Soviet women, classical Russian cooking, and the bliss of snow to the effect of Pushkin and freedom on Russia writers; from the death of the czar and the Great Terror to the changes brought by Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin in the last decade. Throughout this engaging volume, the Russian temperament comes into high relief. Whether addressing literature or reporting on politics, Tolstaya"s writing conveys a deep knowledge of her country and countrymen. Pushkin"s Children is a book for anyone interested in the Russian soul. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Self loathing Russian
There is a certain kind of well-educated, privileged Russian who loathes his country's Orthodox, monarchist past
but is also embarassed and ashamed of its brutal, murderous foray into communism.Tatyana Tolstaya seems just one
more cynical, ironic "nihilist lite" voice from Russia who offers nothing really interesting or insightful into her
country's plight or future.Her observations on cultural matters are neither original nor particularly thought provoking accept
for an occasional criticism of the duplicitious nature of Russian politics.However, she does herself a great dis-service in
her shameful and rather shallow criticisms of Solzhenitsyn.Whatever one may think of Solzhenitsyn's criticisms of modernity, he
is a decorated soldier who was then persecuted in some of Stalin's worse gulags, who even survived cancer while living in
their deprivation and squalor.He also had the courage to openly criticize the worse demonic, blood drenched regime history
has seen, placing his life on the line with each thing he wrote under the watchful eye of the KGB and soviet state.And Ms. Tolstaya?
Due to the respect afforded the Tolstoy name, her family lived in comparatively luxurious surroundings in Moscow,
relatively untouched by the brutal repression of the Soviet state.When one reads her criticisms of Solzhenitsyn, it becomes
clear that his biggest offense in Tolstaya's eyes is that he eventually discovered what it means to be Russian: Orthodox and
Monarchist.Nothing offends the sensibilities of Russian liberals like Tolstaya, fermented in so much Soviet nonsense during
their formative years, as someone opposed to modern liberalism.In one of the most ridiculous essays in the collection, Tolstaya
even goes so far as to place some of the blame for the Yelstin coup, and subsequent chaos, on Solzhenitsyn: apparently, the wily
old unrepentent Orthodox monarchist fomented an anti-soviet, anti-modern sentiment that resonated with enough folks to cause
impatience with the pace of reform.It seems to slip right by the benighted Tolstaya that Solzhenitsyn, perhaps more than any
other public figure, did more to bring down the oppresive, totalitarian soviet system than any one else.One last note of irony:
Tolstaya belittles Solzhenitsyn's short-lived broadcasts that were aired during the 90s and his campaign to encourage
Russians not to import too many foreign words into their language.When Tolstaya and her husband decided to return to
Russia, part of her stated reason was so that she could return to and be enriched by her mother tongue which, she feared, she
was beginning to lose a sense of while living in the West.In the end, Tolstaya has nothing to really offer -- she curses the darkness
but does not try to light a candle.In fact, it isn't clear that she believes in anything in any case.Ms.Tolstaya, if you happen
to read this, take some advice and return to the faith of your forefathers.Vigil is every Saturday evening, followed by the
Divine Liturgy on Sundays.Check for times at the church nearest to you.

In search of the Russian soul
Tolstaya demonstrates just how hard it is to size Russians up in a collection of book reviews and essays on the Russian character.These stories sparkle with many telling anecdotes, drifting back and forth over time.Pushkin has long held a dear place in the Russian heart because of his "inner freedom," Tolstaya noted.The unconquerable spirit that managed to survive one regime after another over the centuries.

Book reviews dominate this collection, from her appreciation of Robert Conquest's The Great Terror to her witty dismissal of Gail Sheehy's book on Gorbachev.She also takes aim at Russian authors, in particular the cult that formed around Solzhenitsyn. The Russian soul is something that continually eludes authors.Exceedingly hard to pin down as is the Russian language.

Jamey Gambrell worked with Tolstaya on this translation, giving it the character of her voice.Although most of the pieces were written during the death throes of the Soviet Union, her observations are still timely and present a compelling portrait of Russia in transition.She takes a stab at the enigmatic Vladimir Putin and the events that led up to his ascension to power. She packs into these essays more meat than many scholars do in their massive tomes on Russia. It is a voice that is both fresh and enlightening.

Not stupid, but really funny
Intellectuals have problems fitting in with the big buddies in the world.This might be more true in Russia during the last few centuries than elsewhere, but PUSHKIN'S CHILDREN by Tatyana Tolstaya does not have an index, in which to look up Lenin, for his opinion on the intelligentsia, to illustrate the point.The intellectual freedoms which literary people in Russia had been seeking since the time of Herzen were finally granted by Gorbachev.But then the Partocracy, "accustomed to doing nothing concrete, to producing a lot of empty talk, they were shaken from their usual rut by the very mystery of what was happening.They were so baffled that it was easy to sweep them from their posts.When someone has fainted, you can quickly throw them out the door."(p. 44).People who live in democracies should recognize the ability of voters to do this to rulers on a regular basis, if the voters have enough reason and are given the opportunity.

In the case of Gorbachev, the larger question of how he managed to preside over the collapse of an empire and an economic system is of unusual interest for people in democracies whose outlooks for wealth are not stable.Tolstaya pictures the intelligentsia as being too moral to grasp the downside of what would happen when "Gorbachev made his first, and perhaps his most serious, mistake.He forbade the people to drink.
"The intelligentsia forgave him for this (they were `moved by their own perdition').The Partocracy was happy.Here was a concrete task, and a familiar one:to fight, to root out, to fire people from their jobs.They set to tearing out grape vines, paving over rare vinyards in the Crimea, uprooting muscat so fine and expensive that `the people' couldn't get near it.They only counted the monstrous losses when the campaign was over.During the campaign, however, people cursed Gorbachev, bought up all the sugar, perfected their knowledge of moonshine manufacture, and most important of all, grasped that they could do everything their own way and not get caught or punished.An epidemic of hoarding began.Sugar, soap, matches, and lightbulbs disappeared, and then sheets and pillows, and then clothes, shoes, eggs, and finally bread."(p. 45).

Most of the people in the world live in countries where they do not need to depend on their government to supply them with such items, and even the United States, rich as it is in so many ways, might expect to be able to conquer anyplace it chooses without having to furnish such items to everybody.Even the current road map might appear to create a state for the Palestinians in an area in which Jewish settlements are the hoarders of anything they might really want.Long before, this book, PUSHKIN'S CHILDREN, starts with a book review of SOVIET WOMEN:WALKING THE TIGHTROPE, by Francine du Plessix Gray, in which reality conforms to the old maxim, "Women can do everything, and men do all the rest."(p. 3).War and prison camps kept men away from homes and jobs in the first half of the twentieth century."An honest person tried his or her best not to participate in this `official' life.Those who did get involved in the hellish machine were broken:either it destroyed all traces of individuality and compromised them morally and ethically, or--if a person rebelled--it threw him out of society, sometimes sending him as far as Siberia."(p. 11).

Things change as the essays in this book were written."In January 1994, no one talks about politics and no one explains anything, no matter how much I ask.No one understands anything.No one believes in anyone or anything."(pp. 127-128).With incredibly high prices, "But there are happy surprises, too:a medicine that I bought in America for $50 turned out to be so cheap in Russia that I bought fifteen jars and paid only five cents for it.(I should have bought thirty jars.)"(p. 128).

Another explanation for the collapse of the Soviet Union was in the personality conflict between its primary leaders."In February 1991, Yeltsin was dying to speak on television and Gorbachev wouldn't let him. . . . Many people understood that the conflict between these two strong personalities did in fact threaten the country with collapse--and with unforeseen consequences."(p. 147).Then, "Having rushed to `seize' Russia, he didn't know what to do with it."(p. 151).Yeltsin is pictured as dreaming that things would be better for him if he were in America."(I wonder whether, somewhere in the depths of Yeltsin's subconscious, he is remembering the last house of the last Russian tsar, given to Nikolai II by the Bolsheviks, which Yeltsin himself had blown up on orders from Moscow.)In any event, I rather think that if an American president willfully decided to get rid of California, Nevada, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, the two Virginias, both Carolinas, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, the grateful American people wouldn't build him anything more than a hut in Alaska, at best, and wouldn't give him any sled dogs either."(pp. 151-152).

This book is really too good.Even if you know a lot of what this book covers, the point of view is unusual and witty enough to make it entertaining.But in our times, even PUSHKIN'S CHILDREN has to admit, "Recently Americans have not shown much interest in what is going on in Russia."(pp. 185-186).The final paragraph, dated 2000, includes the kind of things that feed current fears."Russians began to remove everything they possibly could from institutes and factories, and to sell everything they stole, including state secrets--actual, not imagined ones.They stole poisons, mercury, uranium, cesium, and vaccines.Even, in one instance, smallpox virus."(p. 242).Take it from an author who "used to buy meat patties at some tank factory.No one ever stopped me."(p. 242).

wonderful
This is a wonderful collection of essays.Tolstaya is sharp, opinionated, and savvy.Full of insight into contemporary Russia -- its leaders and its people. ... Read more

Product Description
Designed for writers of any childrens' literature, be it fiction, non-fiction or faction, this popular and successful title has been fully updated and expanded to include the latest developments in the field of children's publishing. In addition to the already substantial coverage of everything from what to write to how to submit, it features new material on the'crossover' genre introduced by Harry Potter, on the implications of television and film projects, on new ways of producing your work, the latest technologies and even how - if you so wish - to self publish. Further additional material includes a number of exercises to develop your skills, in addition to the usual indispensable teach yourself resources and supporting materials. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Resource for book making
This is a really well-put-together book!Great instructions/lessons.Really good to use for anyone who does lapbooks!

How to Make Books with Children - Math & Science
I have used this book more than any other.I teach workshops all over the state and have shown this book countless times.When it was not returned to me after a workshop I was sick when I heard it was no longer available.When it came out in reprint I bought 3 copies, just in case one was taken again.Well worth the money. ... Read more

Product Description
Your daughter can now read the classics and improve her reading skills at the same time!This book in the Learn'Em Good Reading Comprehension series provides students with the essential reading comprehension and language skills needed for school and in life.The first section of this book contains reading comprehension strategies, tips, and worksheets that students can use while reading this book. Parents are also given clear and simple strategies to help their child improve reading, writing and communication skills.In the second section of this book, parents will find questions and reading strategy cues that can be used throughout the entire text.Finally, the third section of this book delivers the original texts of classic fairy tale stories for girls.Here, students can develop a passion for reading while, at the same time, practice important reading comprehension strategies.In this book you will receive a 50% off code for any Tutorgiant.com membership. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is for parents and teachers who want to do more when it comes to their children's (students') language skills. This book contains 206 different activities, concentrating on different skills: spelling skills, reading skills, writing skills, speaking skills, and finally, listening skills. The activities can be adapted to the child's level or subject. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very disappointing!
I found this book to have very few original ideas and really did not feel it was worth the money.You are better off to purchase Strategies That Work by Stephanie Harvey for ideas that are easily implemented but long lasting. ... Read more

Product Description
This guide covers the writing of picture books, plots and planning, teenage fiction and non-fiction books. The author also deals with the business side of publishing, including market research and finding a publisher. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful advice!
This book is packed full of solid, good-sense advice for anyone interested in writing for children. The author uses clear examples and includes samples in many cases. Besides being well-written, it is easy to read and understand. Just follow her suggestions step-by-step and you'll see how you can improve your writing, even if you're already a published author. ... Read more

Product Description
Twenty black and Puerto Rican children write their poetic impressions of growing up in the ghettos of America. ... Read more