10-K Books

Any Ellen Hopkins books are great for teens. They show a light into a dark world that teens sometimes are not showed.

I'd like to say that reading books made of poetry wasn't really my thing until a short while ago, then I came across impulse. Besides the red cover screaming at me I decided to open it up and read a few of the pieces but not before long I was hooked. The way Hopkin's poems differ from each perspective so distinctly is amazing and I love how the stories go in unexpected ways. It's a great book and I've read her other books as well, although it's a great book, it is something not everyone will enjoy so those who prefer a high school romance between a girl, a jock and her best friend aren't in the right section.

SPOILER AHEAD
I loved this book it was awsome out of all her books this was hands down my favorite. I kind of figured conor whould be the one to kill himself (secreatly i hoped i was wrong) but i always thought it would be when he got home. but i guess this was y the book was named IMPULSE.He was my favorite one in the book.I wish she had written about his funeral and his friends reaction to reading the letter his parents sent.

Ellen Hopkins did a phenomenal job writing the book Impulse. She has such a unique style of writing. I don't know how her writing could keep someone less than eager to keep on reading. Every page is written differently and is formatted in its own unique way. The way Hopkins goes back and fourth between three different troubled teenagers, each with their own problems, is remarkable. She manages to tell each story of each troubled teenager simultaneously. She writes in detail about the problems these kids have in their life, and what problems added up to get them to where they are today. The kids are all on different pages in their life, but they all share one thing. They all share major problems that have resulted with them being in rehabilitation facilities. Hopkins does a wonderful job describing the three kids' difficulties trying to survive after suddenly being dropped into a completely different world. They are separated from reality. They must fight to overcome their problems, and the person they were the day they were admitted in the facility. Hopkins describes it as a journey in life that must be taken in order to change the page. I absolutely loved the book, not only for its content, but as well as Hopkins writing skills. She is one of the most talented authors in my opinion for a couple of reasons. Hopkins has the guts to write about real life problems that most tend to ignore, let alone considered to be written and published about. She has the talent to write about people as if you knew them to be your closest and most cherished friends as a result of her intense details. Lastly, she can have three or more different stories going on at one time. The stories are completely different and have no connections with each other yet somehow, in the end, they are all closely related to one another and that takes talent to accomplish.

To be fair I haven't read this author's other works. So this review will be judged basically on first impressions alone.

All in all, this is not a bad book. But it is very predictable. At least for me it is. I figured out how the characters were going to end pretty early on. But that may be intentional, may be not. Anyway what I did enjoy and did not enjoy out of this book was:

1) The style. I took getting used to the poetry style that the three characters use. But it was kind of neat in some parts. The beginning especially works well this sort of style, but it fell a bit flat in the middle and toward the end.

2) The characters, more or less. I liked Connor best to be honest, mainly because he felt the most real to me. Vanessa was fine, but I could take her or leave either way. Tony was the weak link for me though. I just had a hard time connecting with him.

3) The descriptions of the families, was really well done. Vanessa's and Connor's were really well done. Tony's was fine, but it felt a little to melodramatic for my tastes. But a big complaint was when they went home as part of their rehabilitation, the author didn't go into much detail with them about what it was like to be back home. Which is a big problem, especially if they are/were trying to get better from their problems. They need some sort of closure, and I think as a reader so did we with their stories, but I feel a bit robbed that we didn't get that.

All in all, I 'd give this 6 out of 10.

I keep getting these books as gifts, and they aren't terrible to read, but they're certainly not good.

I don't believe Holly Black's characters. Her plotlines follow a cliche sort of already-done model.

This book was better than books one and two, though, so I guess that's something.

This book is even better than the first two. It ties Tithe and Valiant together, really making it feel like a series. I was excited we got to find out what happened to realKaye. While this was a nice wrap-up, I'm hoping there will be more... or maybe another series about these wonderful characters.

In Ironside, the sequel to Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale, world-weary Kaye, who's discovered that she's actually a pixie and not a human teen, pursues her love of Roibin, faerie king of the Unseelie court. Roibin, recently crowned king of the dark beings after seizing the throne by force, sends her on an impossible quest: find a faerie who can lie.

Kaye is still struggling with her newfound magical nature as a pixie, while her friend Corny, still grieving over the death of his sister, falls hard for Luis, the human they enlist to help them negotiage with the faeries. Kaye is the only one to know Roibin's full name, giving her complete power over him. The only problem is that his former lover Silarial, queen of Seelie, also wants to use Roibin as a pawn to control both courts.

Ironside contains much more graphic violence as the war between the faerie factions kicks into deadly high gear. The Seelie and Unseelie courts are locked in fierce battle, with high casualties on both sides, and Kaye may hold the key to preventing the death of those she loves.

An enchanting sequel, Ironside gave a much deeper look at Roibin's horrific past and the physical and emotional scars he bears. As with Tithe, there is a great deal of swearing, drinking / drug use, and violence, so sensitive readers beware. I can't wait to see what the future holds for Kaye and Roibin.

Ironside is the third book in the Tithe series. After defeating the queen of the Unseelie Court, Roiben was finally going to take the crown and become king. But at his coronation, things don't go the way they're planned. Kaye overhears some fairies talking about a declaration and decides that she wants to declare herself to Roiben. In response he sends her off on a quest to find a faerie that can lie, in other words, he sent her on a seemingly impossible quest. However, the quest is the least of Kaye's troubles. Her best friend Corny has been cursed by a faerie and Roiben is on the verge of a war with the Seelie Court. Will Kaye be able to complete her task and return to Roiben's side in time to help stop the war? And what about Corny? Will he be doomed to be cursed for the rest of his life? Read Ironside to find out!

Holly Black has done it again! She definitely kept up well with the first two books of the series, Tithe and Valiant. Her books are filled with vivid descriptions that make you feel as if you were there inside her stories. Ironside is full of adventure, love, and the thirst for power. This book will keep you up late at night reading. The only problem I have with this book is that the ending wasn't as final as I would have liked. It seemed a bit open ended and I felt that there should have been more explained in the end. I had many unanswered questions like, What happens to Corny and Luis? And Will Roiben be able to rule over both Courts peacefully? Even though I was a bit dissatisfied with the ending, I still thought that it was a good and sweet ending and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I highly recommend this book to fantasy lovers. If you haven't read the Tithe Series, you are really missing out. So go get yourself a copy now!

I bought Ironside and Valiant at the same time, although Valiant came before Ironside, i read Ironside first. I wanted to read more about the changeling faerie, Kaye, and her adventures. I then read Valiant. i would recommend to read the books in order to fully understand the plot. the three books flow really nicely. Valiant explains a lot of what Kay and her Friends go through in Ironside. I think that Tithe is the best of all three leading into so much revealing of characters and feelings. I would most definitely recommend one to buy all three of these amazing faerie tales at once. These books will open your mind to new thoughts and expand your imagination to higher creativity's.

Teen Charlotte knows little about the world outside her vicarage childhood, and her grandfather has arranged to have her marry a man who repels her - but she's rebelling, and searching for her freedom. Set in Victorian England, SNOWFALL reveals a girl's struggle for independence and her own life, and is fine reading for any young adult.

I personally loved this book.i thought the characters were well described so by midway through the book you got to know each characters individual personality.through the book charlotte slowly grows up and as her romance with milo deepen so do marrs feelings for her so she is tied between two men that love her.she soon realizes what she thought as love can turn out as a simple fling.If yoru into romance then this book is a wonderful book.its intruiging,passionate,and suspenseful youll find that once into it you cannot seem to put the book down

I've read some of the other review, and truly, it's great. Not horrible. The characters are loveable and completely real. I seriously cried for days by the ending. It's great. It gets you right in the heart. Sad but beautiful. I highly recommend.

KM Peyton has been one of my favorite writers since I first discovered A Pattern of Roses and then the Pennington books back in the '80s. She is incredibly adept at creating characters we want to be close to, and then placing them in a world so complete and so realistic that reading her work is like traveling. SNOWFALL, terribly ripped by the professional critics, is more of Peyton's magic at work. Charlotte and Milo, Mar and Kitty, all of them are very like people we know, or would very much like to know, and the details of their lives can be followed like those of dear friends. And Peyton is not shy about breaking a reader's heart. Don't pay attention to the critics who apparently were reading another book with the same title. Read it and weep.

i have read hundreds, if not more, books in my life. And never has my heart been broken by a book. until this one. It was perfect and intense and despite what professional "reviewers" say - wonderful. Everyone should read this book. It is worth every minute of heartbreak.

What a great way to gain understanding about what it is to "Go". The people recognized in this book are Christians. So many times in America we think that means to just live a good life so that others can see that something is different. That isn't a Christian life at all. We do live out a difference but that difference is an outward VOCAL expression of our faith to those around us. K.P. and GFA lives this out on a perpetual basis. They put into motion the Great Commission and truly live by "to die is gain." It is a very inspirational book in which you very well could gain vision for where you are to go in your life. Maybe even a life over in Asia with the writer of this book.

This is a must-read book as a Christian. In the middle of reading, this book threw me some moments to think subjects like, why do I live? why did God put me on earth in the first place? what does He want me to do here in earth? Well, answers came very clear to me. I am sure God has plan for me which I've been still looking forward to hear. Whatever He want me to do, all I could do is to try to find something that will please Him in every moment. And I also realized how horrible and sad for people who have never heard of Gospel before during their lifetime and died. I become more careful wih spending money and learn how to use it. Thank God. I believe You lead me into this georgous, attractive and fabulous Your plan. Thank God with all my heart!

Basically, one of the best written books I've ever read about missions.

KP is very right. From now on, the gospel must be preached to people by people from within their own culture, instead of people who tink they know better.

I read this volume shortly after taking a "Perspectives on World Missions" course, and found an enormous difference in approach between the two missiological models. "Perspectives" assumes, to a great degree, that westerners are the ones going to foreign fields, but acknowledges the increasing degree at which non-western churches are sending out missionaries to other non-western countries. South Korea is an excellent example of this. Yohannan, however, places a much greater emphasis on what he calls the "native evangelism" model.

What's the difference? It's actually rather huge. Rather than trying to train, equip and support western missionaries to do evangelism work in cultures that are dramatically different from their own (like an American family serving in the "10/40 window"), Yohannan advocates supporting local evangelists to minister to their own people. The native evangelist, he argues rather convincingly, has enormous advantages over a western missionary in terms of familiarity with the language and culture, and is far less expensive to support. Thus, more effective ministry can be done with far fewer resources.

It was on this model that Yohannan built "Gospel for Asia" ministries from the ground up. Once an itinerant Indian evangelist himself, he was afforded the opportunity to come to the United States as a young man. When he arrived, he was shocked at both the affluence of the western church, and the degree to which it used its enormous resources in a way that did little to advance the gospel. The book goes on to detail the birth and growth of his ministry.

The one place where he lost me was toward the end, where he argues, in effect, that with the rise of the native evangelist model, there is no longer a need, or at least a very minimal need, for westerners to go to the foreign field. I disagree with the proposition for this reason. While cultural natives may be best suited for evangelistic efforts in their own countries, westerners continue to have a valuable role to play in training and discipling the native evangelists. A good example is our church's partnership with a church in Albania, where we are trying to foster native evangelism, but the leaders of that body are begging for western believers to come train them in theology, biblical counseling, small group methodology, spiritual leadership development, etc. These things take time and relationship-building, and that takes a long term missionary. Thus, while the role of the western missionary may be changing, the need is not diminished.

In short, this book provides excellent insights into the growing native evangelism movement, and issues a challenge to the western to pour its resources into this highly effective model of ministry. However, the author should take caution against becoming so enamored with his own ministry that he rejects the legitimate, indeed necessary, role that the western churches must continue to fill in world evangelism.

I enjoyed reading about KPY's perspective on the Western church and the current native missionary movement in Asia. I agree wholeheartedly that we in the West desperately need to open our eyes and share our material blessings with the rest of the Body of Christ. In many ways, our wealth has been our spiritual downfall because we have kept so much of it for ourselves and have been blinded by it. It was also exciting to read about the adventures of faith that God took him through in his life.

On the other hand, I think that the book erroneously asserts that the Western church *primarily* has only financial gifts and prayer support to offer the 2/3 world. If we followed KPY's recommendation, I think that missions would suffer, not because we're so great, but that God has commanded every member of the Body to minister cross-culturally to the other members. Jesus said "Go to the ends of the earth," not just to the 2/3 church but to all believers. Just like we need the perspective and unique gifts of the church in India, for example, we likewise have gifts to share with them. Also, as for the argument that native missionaries are more effective and economical than foreign missionaries, that needs to be balanced with the fact that missions began with disciples going to other cultures and lands to share the gospel. Cross-cultural missions should not be excluded on the basis of economy, but on the contrary we need to obey our calling by inciting more Christians in the West to go and reach out to the unreached peoples.

GFA seems to be a great ministry for planting churches in Asia, and we should support such ministries enthusiastically and work in partnership with them...but don't be discouraged to not send Western missionaries abroad or go yourself.

I was traveling to Germany with my husband and a friend, and wanted to know enough of the language to get around, and I achieved it with this book. I was working long hours right before the trip, and had only studied for a couple of weeks, and really for about 10 minutes a day. On the plane ride over, I put in a few hours of intense studying.

We had heard that "everyone will speak German" - which was not the case. I was able to negotiate hotel rooms, food in restaurants, and even tickets to a concert in Cologne, which was tricky because the ticket sales booth wanted to send me to the concert hall to buy the tickets, and vice-versa.
I was able to say in broken German, "Woman says no. Woman says we must buy tickets here." And the man sold us the tickets, and the concert was lovely. If I hadn't been able to resolve that issue, we would have just given up, I'm sure.

My German was far from perfect, but I could make myself understood. My husband teased me about how intense I was when I was speaking, because I was concentrating so hard. Once, we arrived in a small town - we had rented a car - way past the lunch hour and we were starving. I laugh to think about it. We walked into a restaurant that was empty except for two women chatting. I intoned in German, "We are hungry. We must eat." They looked startled, perhaps even frightened - the intensity, again - but jumped up and got us menus. The menus would have been indecipherable except for the book's menu with translations, which you can pull out to take with you. We had a wonderful lunch, and I was able to thank the ladies.

These 10 minute a day books are well organized. First, they teach you pronunciation, so that you can properly say any word you encounter. Then, you learn phrases that you'll really USE while traveling. (None of this "Edith is at the pool" nonsense, sentences you'll never use that are so prevalent in traditional language books. That one was actually in a French textbook. However, it pales to the Polish textbook that taught me how to say, "Why does your new cow look so sad?" Oh, yeah, I'm really going to be using that sentence soon.)

I really love the stickers that you place around the room on objects so that you can learn the name for things, making the visual connection.

I love the "free words" - words that are the same in English - that are at the bottom of each page.

The flash cards are helpful too.

This isn't a grammar book. You can learn enough of the language to travel, and if you really want to know the nuts and bolts, then when you return, you can take a hard-core class, and learn how to say "We're watching television, but we don't know why." - (another gem from my Polish book.)

I'm such a fan of these 10 minute a day books. I'm using the Italian one now, anticipating a trip, and my husband, who has always wanted to learn French, is trying that one. I have a knack for languages, he doesn't - but he's really improving his French!

And may I just say that everyone we encountered in Germany was terrifically polite and friendly. Once, we were sitting in our car in a rainstorm reading a map, and a man came over and rapped on our window. Turned out he wanted to know if we were lost and needed help finding something!!

After purchasing this book I took a college course - guess what, this book was the curriculum. Excellent book with lots of pictures and many engaging exercises.

I'm using this book to teach a group of senior citicens to speak and understand basic level German. The pictures are great and the exercises are very helpful. The book focuses on learning words and phrases in an organized manner and does not frighten learners with grammar and sentence structure. I think an audio CD would go well with this, just so the audience would have a way to practice at home, or while traveling. Don't let the title mislead you...it takes more than 10 minutes to learn...practicing 10 minutes several times a day will do the trick. With language it's all about repetition.

I found myself somewhat overwhelmed at my local bookstore by the number of books they had for learning German, so I decided to go with the easiest, most user friendly book they had, and picked up this one. I am very happy I did. I have really learned quite a bit from this book and have enjoyed doing it. This book has taught me enough, to know that I can in fact learn German, and has encouraged me to contiue onto more in depth books. Even though I agree, a CD would have made this so much better, the pronuciation guides are really excellent. The sticky labels are really a great way to not only learn a word, but remember it. If you're not sure you want to learn a language (or if you have to learn one and quickly) this is a really great book to start off with. Granted I spent more than 10 minutes a day on it, but only because I enjoyed learning from this book.

The author seems to have her heart in the right place and the book is well organized, but I really doubt anyone will learn more than number, colors, or other such items.

I've been working through a number of German books in my middle(ish) aged quest to be bilingual so I'm not a total beginner. I wanted an exercise book to do over lunch and I found this book on sale (<$5). I would say I got about that amount of knowledge out of it.

The matching, fill in the blanks, and crossword puzzles were good, but so much is left out that you can't really understand any of what you are doing, you are just memorizing. For example, the author has you conjugate the verb 'sprechen' but never mentions it is an irregular verb that changes to 'du sprichst'. Later, the sentence structure where a second verb is unconjugated and moved to the end of the sentence is used by the author, but is never mentioned to the reader.

It was a good way to keep my head in German, but I can't say I got very much from the book.

i was happy with the book and the phonetic structure that gives you an idea of how the words are pronounced. i have a problem learning a new language and this book makes it easier. the spanish version already has a home in my library and has been very helpful. however, i was disappointed when i put it in my cd player and got no response. i didn't realize that it was a cd rom and not a regular cd.

All I want is to learn to communicate the essential needs of a tourist when I travel to France. This book includes sticky labels to label all sorts of items in your home, flash cards, and other tools that help to learn basic French with less effort. You will need other materials if you want to learn this language more fluently and a CD to help with pronounciation. Regardless, this book can be a helpful tool.

I doubt that you can learn a language in just ten minutes a day but this one at least gives you confidence to at least try to speak some french as a traveller and people always respond well to the fact that you have made an effort.
One of the most attractive features of this book is the simple system of pronuncation. Next is the logical way it sets about teaching you ie., the order of gettin to the heart of the matter. Some of the suggested ways of learning vocabulary can be expanded onWell worth the cost.

Although I believe the sequence of the training is good, I would have liked the CD to strictly follow the book. The tape also uses several French speakers and they all pronounce the words very differently, which to a beginner like me, is very confusing. The intent was good as they wanted folks to hear people with French accents from all over the world; however, to someone hearing and learning the language for the first time, I personally found this to be frustrating. For my level of expertise (none), I needed consistency in pronunciation and pronunciation I could understand so I could repeat. Folks who already are familiar with the language, may find this CD useful.

I bought these right after returning from Paris knowing I was going back the following year. I didn't know one word of French before these CD's and when I returned to Paris I felt quite competent getting around. I wasn't fluent by any means, but these CD's focus on what you need to know as a traveler i.e. asking basic questions, making reservations, going to the post office, airport terms, ordering food, menu item names, names of shops and conjugation of common verbs. I learned a tremendous amount just by listening to the CD's. The use of different people on the CD's introduces various accents and helps reinforce pronunciation. The workbook lessons are a nice beginner level and follow the CD's and are good to reinforce the spellings and vocabulary. There is a glossary in the back which is also helpful. I highly recommend this set to anyone wanting a good first step to learning French or just wanting to be able to get around France on vacation. It made a huge difference in my confidence from the first year, not knowing a word to being able to walk into a place asking for a table, ordering my meal and paying completely in French.

when i went to look at this book i felt that it might be worth a try. since i usually read books with a mix of dark twists and tough people i instantly warmed up to this book. i was captivated by the realistic points of view he has and how his feelings are so well blended with the story. some stories today forget to mix plots and add enough drama to make a good book. this book is mixed just like a good soup.
when i read of harry's betrayel i felt his pain and i thought how dumb could this DA be she just had to know her son was innocent but no she let him be thrown to the dogs.
like good soup, to write a great book you must feel their emotions as if they are your own.

Just a GREAT book. This story has so many twists and turns you won't be able to put it down. My 7th and 8th grade (mature) students always have it on HOLD since I only have two copies. If a none reader picked it up, they would be suprised with themselves that they actually read a 400 page book for the (first time in their life)while holding their breath with each page.

A well planned story with a gripping, many-layered plot, and characters that came alive. I felt I knew Jude very well: an angry, stubborn, yet honorable kid dealing with his issues just like everyone else. Through Jude, I got to know his father - an intriguing way to show someone's character. But I think my favorite was Dolores and her terse, simple statements.

The dialog was excellent, the pacing was wonderful (I couldn't put it down), and the resolution left me with a smile. If the writing were more polished, this would have gotten five stars. But a re-read is definitely in the future.

This book is the best book that I have ever read. I was almost instantly caught up in the story, and I never put it down once istarted reading it. The characters were very compelling, and I discovered that by the mid-point of the story I was feeling the main character's emotions without the author even having to describe his emotions. When he feels betrayed, I found myself feeling betrayed as well. The story is masterfully crafted, and it kept me reading until I finished it at about two in the morning. The author actually made me feel the passage of time in the book as well. The main character starts at age 15 and ends at age 22. five of those years he spends in prison. I really felt like I was living those seven years with him. All in all it may not be the most enjoyable book I have ever read, as it can be somewhat depressing at times, It is without a doubt the best written book that I have ever read, and I have read everything from Shakespeare to Steinbeck.

A Boy's Struggle


"Pops, I don't think you should do that." Jude said in reference to mixing powder with drugs. Jude knew one day a customer would find out his father's scams. Jude was right. While watching television, Jude hears a gun shot from the kitchen. When he goes to see what has happened, he finds his father dead and the killer still there. Jude and the murder talk and Jude agrees to tell no one about what has gone on. When the man leaves, Jude dials 911. Soon after, Jude's life is turned upside down. He is the main suspect in his father's murder. He is shipped away to live with his mother who he has not seen since he was two years old. Jude starts going to a new school where kids know about his rough past. Kids begin to ask for drugs, but Jude says no. He does not want to end up like his father. But eventually, Jude gives in, attempting to fit in. Rumors soon fly about the boy supplying the school with drugs. They begin to ruin his school career and his mother's chances of being elected mayor. Anthony, Jude's mother's boyfriend, devises a plan to end all rumors and save his mother's chances. Jude agrees and ends up being prosecuted for dealing drugs. Anthony says he will get Jude out of jail after the election, but Anthony lies. Jude ends up spending five years in prison. After serving his time Jude is let out and decides to turn his life around. He also wants to reveal the truth about his father's murder and clear his name. Jude, by Kate Morgenroth is a superb book. The characters are easy to connect with, the plot is suspenseful, and the details are amazing. I would recommend everyone read Jude.
I found it very easy to connect with the characters in this book. Jude was made to be a character that a reader can relate with. I actually cared what happened to him. A reader could feel the pain Jude went through, the disappointment of his mother, and the betral of Anthony. For instance, when Jude realizes he was lied to and will really be spending five years in prison, the felling of let down and being stabbed in the back was present and real. I believe that being able to relate to characters really adds to a books overall affect.
The suspenseful plot of Jude makes a reader want to keep reading. With something always happening, a reader will be anxious to learn the fate of every character. When the book seams to be coming to a conclusion, another thing happens. Jude will defiantly keep a reader turning pages. Personally, I found Jude to be a quick read despite the length because I could not put it down.
The details in this book are amazing. I felt as if I was in it. The description brought the book to life. It was easy to picture the setting and characters. The description of the dark, small, disgusting jail cell made me feel as if I was there going thought all Jude was.
Jude is an amazingly well written book. A reader can connect with characters and feel as if they are part of the book. Jude is a gripping novel and hard to put down. I recommend everyone add Jude to their reading list.

I really liked this book when I first read it in a local library I knew I had to have this book. The story takes many twists and turns and is always eventful. Plus it has a great way of making you fond of the charaters in the story. I highly recommend this book to any fantasy or adventure readers.

Talents. Elementals. Good guys. Bad guys. We've seen it all before. Blade of the Poisoner joins a multitude of other generic and contrived young adult fantasies. There's nothing new or particularly inspired; while it does move quickly enough, there's absolutely no substance. 'All sound and fury, signifying nothing...' If you liked this, try The Secret of Dragonhome by John Peel. More of the same doggerel.

This is one of the best fantasy books I have ever read. It has action,wizardry,villians,heros,and romance. A must read for any fantasy fan. If you can find it read it and the sequal.

This book (and the sequel) is great, one of the reasons being that it affected me so deeply. I read this book when I was 14, and I have read it 3 more times since then. This was the book that started my interest in the genre of fantasy. The only complaint is that it's not as long as I'd like it to be. Of course, that didn't bother me back then, but now (after reading the likes of Robert Jordan) I am left fiending!!!

And Mr. Hill's books are becoming VERY hard to find. A pity....

A young boy who is more than he seems, a cast of unusual companions who must help him, and an ultimate evil in the land to be defeated. Sound familiar? Unless this is your first foray into fantasy, you've encountered all these elements before. Douglas Hill's first book in this two-book young adult series published during the 1980's is not spectacular by any means, but it is a nice action-packed, short adventure story.

Young Jarrel has suffered a wound from the evil Poisoner's blade, and is destined to die by the next full moon. Only by destroying the blade that gave him the wound can Jarrel be saved, and it will be up to Jarrel's new companions--Archer, Scythe, Mandra and the wizard Cryl-to help save him. What follows is a lively journey to the Poisoner's lair to ultimately defeat the evil-and to discover what remarkable powers Jarrel may possess. The book is only 192 pages long, which means the story detail remains pretty thin, without much complexity and more than a bit cliché. There isn't much recommend Hill's villains, they are two-dimensional evil caricatures that must be defeated, likewise the fantasy world itself mirrors just about any D&D fantasy setting. But the brevity of the story does have its benefits-the story doesn't bog down in exposition, the chapters are often less than ten pages long and it reads quickly. All of these elements make it an appropriate and appealing read to a preteen reader, especially boys, who might be discouraged by longer books, and who are just beginning to discover heroic fantasy. The author's storytelling is strong and his writing is decent , which makes even this bare-bones tale come to life and allows the reader to have a vested interest in the outcome. The book ends with a clear lead in to its companion volume, THE MASTER OF FIENDS, so if you do pick this one up to read, be forewarned, you might want to have the sequel to hand when you finish.

Douglas Hill's published a number of books in the fantasy/SF genre, most of which have been out of print for quite a while. But, if you enjoy this tale be sure to check out the sequel, and also Hill's YOUNG LEGIONARY. Probably any intense fantasy reader will find this paltry fare, but for a new reader interested in action tales and pure entertainment, these may be a comfortable introduction.

Happy Reading!

It's a fun book. But please be aware --this is NOT a children's book. Very adult content. Rated "R."

I unashamedly admit I loved this book. It was such a glorious flash back to my youth. And the silly songs/rhymes we used to sing/chant. I even shared this with my 11 year old son. Who was rather confused by this practice of "stupid songs" but enjoyed learning a few with me, and I even caught his singing "greasy grimey gopher guts" to my baby the other day..who adored it.

As the other reviewers have stated, this is a great collection of naughty rhymes and chants from childhood. However, I have to agree with the psychiatrist. I would have liked more analysis. This seems to be a great topic for somebody's doctoral thesis. How do these verses originate? Are most of them created by children for children? What can we learn about children from them?

On second thought, maybe it is best that these verses remain under wraps. There is something to be said about an under the radar way that children have to harmlessly express their rebelliousness.

If you love subversiveness, I'd also suggest Nick Bantock's , "Averse to Beasts," a book with a cassette filled with creepy little ryhmes!

i swiped this book from my brother who swiped it from my mother who got it at a used book sale- so its been around the block a few times. i am now 16 an begin using this book at the age of 10. manny a days were spent at the lunch table with my frineds laughing at- and using these rymes( such as; hark the harold angles shout! # more days till school gets out! grab you ball and grab your chan, and run like hell to the nearist train) sooner of later it became known as " the bible" to my groop.all thse yesrs it has been a tresured posetion of mine, and from time to time i bing it out once more to my friends- and it still keep us laughing.

I was never really into reading until I grabbed this book! I was so interested in it that the next week, I went to the school library and got other books to read! It's amazing how just by reading one book, u can read so much more! It's really interesting how Chip stays by Abby's side while she's going through tough times with her family. I recommend this book to anyone who likes novels that deal with teens and how a friend can help you deal with family problems. Sometimes, the person u think is least likely to help you, is the first person to help you.

I never really liked reading until I read this book. The only reason I even I read this book was because I needed to read a book for my World Literature class. When I fist started reading this book I instantly fell inlove. I couldn't put it down. It was like I was addicted or something. This bok seems so real and the emotions are so real it's like your there you can feel everything they feel, see everything they see. it's like you have someow become a part of the story.I have never enjoyed a book like that before.Now I have a real interest reading and I could never say that before until now.

When I started this book I thought it wasn't going to be very good, but I was wrong! I couldn't put it down. I read in 2 and a half hours and I read again after that. It is so touching how Chip never left her side through all the troubles she had. I definitly recommened this book!!

This was probably the worst written book I have ever read. I only had to read it because I was doing a repport on child abuse. The author only said one paragraph on the abuse. It was incredibly unreal and reading about Chip's boring life was like a punishment. The author skipped around too much and had no real sense of time. It was confusing, since it made no sense. Do not read it! Pick another book! Anything is better!

I love this book. Every significant character is real, appealing, and three-dimensional. Even Abby's abusive father is portrayed as a person with both good and bad traits, not a monster. There's wonderful detail, humor, drama, and a sweet, tentative love story. It's a mistake to bill this as an "issue book". Sexual abuse is not the main focus, Chip and Abby's relationship is.