MC

This book grows quietly on you. The first chapter is, perhaps, the weakest which is a pity as it may put one or two people off. But after that it hits its stride and takes you on a world tour full of sharp observation and wit. Oh yes, and a bit of fishing is thrown in too.

It's really three books in one: the first bit is pretty much memorabilia - the stuff we all have from our childhood and from the familiar; then there are some great stories about specific trips and countries that almost take you right there onto the beach or the boat. Finally there are some alternatives to fishing and the whole work finishes in a hard hitting piece about the threats to the sport and a reality check for the anti-fishing lobby.

McSherry's touch is light and ironic at all times with just a touch of the polemic about it. It makes you smile and think in equal measure.

A very good book from a first time author and worth a read whether you fish for trout, salmon, sailfish or marlin...or even if you don't fish at all.

IRON SCOUTS OF THE CONFEDERACY is about the American people in the 1800s, the war between the North and the South, about 2 teenage brothers growing up in Missouri. I realize there were 2 sides to the war. The Iron Scouts were hired off the farms, to cross enemy lines, put on clothes of the enemy and gather information about the movements of the enemy troops. They had to wear at least one piece of their southern colors, so they would not be mistaken for yankees, and shot as spies. The younger brother Ben was left with the rich neighbors when older brother Gant went to fight in the war. Mother died when Ben was 3 and their dad was killed in the war. He was only 14, short and was looked down on, but was a good hunter and tracker. Gant went to war with a man from Texas who was looking for recruits for the Iron Scouts, Ben was too young, even for the scouts. With his older brother in the confederate Iron Scouts, Ben wants to be an Iron Scout, and spy on the Union Army, too. He travels across the countryside to join the scouts,gets captured by the Yankees, and makes friends with the bugler for the North who is also 14.

This is an excellent story, it has adventure and loyality. It makes you think about the real people who were in the war. The story was accurate and had authentic heros from the Civil War.

Es una novela actual, bien manejada interesante todos los personajes, te atrapa la trama. Es un buen libro que recomendar.

Any 8-year-old child who fancies him or herself a young comedian will love this book.

Children have loved the Looney Tunes for years and this book is enjoyable even if the boy or girl hasn't seen the movie.

This fun read will benefit a child's reading ability, and makes an inexpensive gift for Sunday School workers, teachers, or extended family to purchase for a child.

A book that will bring out a lot of smiles!

This book has great examples of coding. The book will step through an example, then give more examples for you to try with solutions. The book's appendix is packed full of good references. It includes the assembly language op codes with details on the CCR changes, and ASCII table, review of binary and 2's compliment arithmetic operations, and more. This is a great reference or addition to any books you currently have.

Color book for teen-agers and adults that want some occupational therapy. Images (as with Escher) are often redundant and beauty is in contemplating the infinite. Don't do this to your kid unless they are already well-advanced into neurosis! (Note: Two-page (non-redundant) "poster" is wonderful for those that like the whimsical style of Escher's creatures.)

Una excelente guía para todos aquellos que deseen concer más aobre el vino y su mundo. De forma amena y sencilla explica los principales conceptos y orienta sobre temas básicos como la elección del vino corecto, principales tipos de vino, cómo comprar vino en restaurantes o tiendas, etc.

In the introduction, Richard Montgomery states "...where facts were lacking or where reasonable doubts appeared, I was content to advance opinions frankly stated as such." I found this very true, and am not sure whether I like or dislike the many occasions where the author "filled in the blanks." Also in the introduction, the author wrote "...my principle aim was to collect, between the covers of a single volume, such information about the 'White-Headed Eagle' as has heretofore been accessible only to the more enterprising students of western history." True to this aim, Richard Montgomery delivers a wonderful account of one of the greatest heroic figures of the Northwest, Dr. John McLoughlin. This book is definitely worth your while.

I saw this book at my son's book fair and the title caught my interest. All I needed to do was scan through it for about 5 minutes to become thoroughly disgusted with this woman's one-sided view of revisionist history. The book calls the early founders and fighters of our country a group of drunken, fighting gamblers, all of whom had whordes of slaves. She even takes pleasure in ridiculing and demeaning George Washington's mother (which is so historically relevant). The really sad part is that this book was labeled with a "scholastic" tag, which I assume makes it "good" for children of this age to read. They should be ashamed also, but I don't think so. Looking at their website there were more books in the history category of African Princesses and French Queens than of those who have built this country into what it is today. I strongly urge anyone considering any books sold under the "scholastic" label or this author to go elswhere. P.S. I would have given this book "zero" stars but the software on Amazon didn't allow it.

I am a fifth grade teacher and thought this was a well written non-fiction book. It gave great details about the beginnings of this country and the key players. The author includes contributions made by women in history. I thought the novel was respectful with a dap of humor. The reading level would suit my class and I order each student a copy to read. I feel it is important for our young citizens to take an interest in the formation of this great nation. We need to find books that keep them interested. Elizabeth Levy's style is just right. Thank you.

The person who wrote the review before mine is obviously so "Daughters of the American Revolution" conservative that (s)he's completley lost his/her sense of humor. (S)he's also completely forgotten that MOST kids are smart enough to realize when something's obviously altered for humorous purposes.

This is a great series! (Some of the books are labeled "America's Horrible Histories", an offshoot of the popular "Horrible Histories" series.) Levy definitely edits the facts, but the point of this series is to take the most interesting and engaging people and events in history and reveal them for all their foibles, so that kids can develop critical thinking skills while having fun. These books work with that purpose in mind, although I wouldn't recommend teaching anything with them as the sole source of information. They pique kids' interest in history, and let them laugh.

The only criticism I have is that the level of the humor (about 7th grade) is, in some cases, above the reding level (about 5th).

I don't know what to do about this book now. I don't want to give it away because someone might think I support this homophobic, misogynist book. I can't give it to a used book store because I really don't want anyone else to read this book. I don't want to send back the book to the author because I don't want any more of my money to be associated with this book, and I can't burn it because I am against censoship. I do think that the author has a right to write. I guess that's what I get for buying a book in a bar. This is my only recourse...write this review: This book is wrong. It is wrong because it was overtly anti-lesbian, it was wrong because it used language to degrade all women, and it was wrong because the entire middle of the book could have been condensed into one page. The positive attributes of this book are that the cover of the book is green, Kurt Vonnigut reviewed the book, and that it mentions Terre Haute.

McMillen's Darren Crawford has repetetive and circular arguments dealing with the question as to whether his wife is being unfaithful to him, which can be tiresome. He is just showing his obsessive stubborn side that will not give up the dilema handed to him. So Crawford isn't Sherlock Holmes, but the reader has a chance to share in the detective work. McMillen can appear offensive, but if you can allow some of the more scrufty moments pass by, then it can take on an air of irony. The epilogue hilarious and that alone makes the read worth it.

After first picking this book up, I couldn't put it down. Mysteries don't normally intrique me, but McMillen spawned an intricate plot with an enormous amount of humor. The characters are all "straight to the point" people, and the dialogue and emotions are very realistic. This book made me think, laugh, but most of all proud---it was very exciting that my own university advisor published a book, while I was one of his students. I recommend this book to anyone who doesn't want to read the same old boring stuff.