Product Description
Lennie is addicted to television. Even reruns are more exciting than real life, and Lennie likes to pretend he's the one experiencing the drama. But Lennie's daydreams lead him into a real situation that could cost him his life-and suddenly he's in trouble more terrifying and dangerous than anything he's ever seen on TV. "Byars infuses the story with her special magic. Lennie is a likable, funny, moving, and always entertaining character." -Publishers Weekly ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

An Ok Book
it was an ok book.I think it's more for boys than girls.Not one of my favorites.

Unforgettable
I read this book when I was a child and loved it then. For 30 years I have remembered the part about the mother cutting open the cocoon too soon, and have often thought about it. I just read this book to my 7-yr-old son and he enjoyed it just as much as I did. I wondered if the emphasis on TV jingles might confuse my son, but I guess the concept of advertising is a pretty easy one to grasp even if those particular advertisements were unfamiliar to him. I can't understand why this particular book is one of the author's least popular, because the character of Lennie is so likeable and so easy to relate to. The life-changing event Lennie experiences (snake bite) is the pivotal incident he uses to help redefine himself, and some readers seemed to object to this - and yet this is what kids do. They grow up and draw from their experiences to help them focus. I found the book a pleasure to read 30 years ago and it still is today.

Interesting Psychological Study
The TV Kid uses discussion of tv-watching and other lonely activities (including housebreaking and falling asleep in someone else's bed!) to indicate the difficulties of not having the ideal American Dream family and home.Our hero has to learn to appreciate what he has and who he is.And he does.But he apparently has to get bitten by a snake first.Not a brilliantly constructed narrative, but a good case study of the complexities of today's families.

Loved it, still love it...
What a shame this book has gotten some bad reviews here--it happens to be one of my favorites!

I first read it at age 10 or so, and really liked it then.In fact, I kept my copy all these years (I'm now way more than 10!), and it sits on my shelf with other childhood "classics."

I appreciate the characterization of Lennie, a lonely boy who wishes he were on his favorite TV shows.His constant daydreaming is causing him problems at school, and his dangerous hobby of breaking into unoccupied summer cottages near his home leads to a life-threatening encounter with a snake.But the plot (boy meets snake) isn't really the issue here--this book is really a character study.Lennie is a good kid--well-meaning, but somewhat lazy.As a kid, I felt drawn to his predicament.Perhaps you will, too.

Does Lennie learn anything in The TV Kid? Yes (and it's not "too much TV is bad for you").I think the other reviewers here have missed the point (it's not about the TV, people!).AND I think Byars' book is top-notch writing.Funny, touching, and exciting, too!Give this one a chance--it deserves it!

The Way I Don't Want To Be!
Do you like TV? So did a boy named Lennie. Lennie is a boy that lives with his mom in a motel. He loved to watch TV and he loved to fall asleep and dream that he was on TV. In One of his daydreams, he is on a game show called "Give It A Spin" The host sends Lennie to a haunted house. He tells Lennie to always have an imaginary friend with him and he would be okay.
I liked The TV Kid because I like to watch TV and sometimes fall asleep, but I don't dream about being on TV. If the reader did like the book, I would go out and buy a different book by the same author. I would recommend this book for readers because it tells you how much TV you should watch and how much you shouldn't. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Everybody is Somebody
This unusual story comes right in the middle of the Not-Just-Anybodyseries. Some of the other titles are funnier (The Not-Just-Anybody Family)and some are even more touching (Wanted:Mud Blossom), but none is moreeffective in depicting friendship and expanding our sympathies outward.

Junior makes a most unusual friend--a homeless woman whose use forvultures I won't even mention. The way we come to appreciate her and seethat everybody IS somebody is done subtly and gracefully.

It's a greatread-aloud. Byars is a master and this series is her masterpiece.

A funny and exciting story!!
In "The Blossoms Meet the Vulture Lady," you will learn that you shouldn't always judge a book by its cover. If you like books about adventure you will love this book. You won't be able to put it down!

"Now what are you doing, Junior?"
In the book The Not Just Anybody Family, Junior was jumping off their barn and in the book,The Blossoms Meet the Vulture Lady, Junior is up to something again.I would say that this book is a 5th or 6th grade readinglevel.One more thing, the vulture lady's name is Mad Mary but she is notmad.Read this book if you like the Blossoms and their weird adventures. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Find!
This is the first book written by Betsy Byers; in 1962.It was a favorite of my sister's when she was in second grade.I purchased it as a birthday gift for her 54th birthday.She loved it and plans to read it to her 3 children as a bedtime story; in chapters.The book is a big hit with us. ... Read more

Product Description
With their mother dead and their father working nights, Retta tries to be mother to her two younger brothers but somehow things just don't seem to be working right. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Night Swimmers
ISBN 0440458579 - Betsy Byars always manages to make a story more interesting than I expect, and Night Swimmers - winner of the American Book Award - does it again.

Retta, Johnny and Roy are the new kids in town.Their mother is dead and their father, a has-been country singer, is almost irrelevant as a parent, usually choosing to ignore a problem until it goes away.Retta has stepped in as the primary parent to her brothers, a role that she clings to desperately.Deciding to broaden their horizons, Retta searches for experiences outside their own limited world and finds a pool in the neighborhood where she takes the boys swimming at night.When Johnny makes a new friend and begins to do things without his siblings, Retta feels that her position is threatened and that she's failing as a parent.

Shorty, their father, had one hit in his musical career - a song about the death of his wife.Since then, he struggles to support his family by performing locally.Beyond the very basics of a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs and food on the table, Shorty doesn't seem to know what to do for these people who are his children.When tragedy brushes up against his youngest son, Shorty is brought into sharper focus: his once glittering appearance is shabby and worn.His parenting skills are highlighted in his words - none.

Roy's certainty that the Bowlwater Plant is a magical Jack-and-the-Beanstalk type of plant is, in the end, the perfect symbol of the entire story.The suddenly arrived at conclusion that it is, indeed, just a factory, is sad but important for Roy.The entire family needs to get back to reality before the whole loose bundle that is their lives falls apart.

the night swimmers M.A.Channon
The Night Swimmers Aislinn Channon
That pool gave the night swimmers a feeling of belonging and happiness, even though the pool didn't belong to them, it made them feel good pretending. Reality was not as good as the life they pretended when they went out at night. Retta, Roy, and Johnny are the new kids in town. Their father doesn't spend much time with them, he is usually at a club at night, there he sings his country music. The kids spend their nights at the Colonel's pool, the neighbors disapprove of their family for this among other things, which doesn't' make a new family feel better at all. Their mother died and with her, the normalcy of their family died. Retta, the eldest, has tried her best to replace their mother, but Johnny, the middle child, is fed up with Retta. He refuses to let her have any control over him. Desperate to try be a mother to him, she follows him one night when he slips out to be with a friend. She scolds him, but his friend sticks up for him, she can't help be angry at both of them. Roy, who was left at home, is upset because he was left out of some "secret operation". He thinks they are at the pool and he is determined to fearlessly cannonball into the pool and make a big loud splash that would wake the Colonel and he would be running ahead and lead them home and they would admire him and he would be in charge for the first time ever. That was what he hoped for anyway, but instead, he finds they aren't there and the Colonel busts him and takes him home. When Retta and Johnny get home, their father, Roy, the Colonel, and their father's sweet , maternal, girlfriend is there. They all get a wake up call, they all realize each other's, and their own imperfections. In the end, Brendelle, the girlfriend, points the family in the direction of improvement, and will hopefully come to replace their mother. I really loved this book and would recommend this to anyone who thinks they have a mediocre family.
I liked this book because of its characters, it was one of those books that could pull off the few clichés. I felt I could identify with each character because at different times I feel like each character. Retta, the responsible older sister trying to replace mom, frustrated by the lack of appreciation for her efforts and is hurt by the lack of loyalty from her brothers.Johnny, the pre-teen experiencing a need for rebellion and independence. He's trying to make a splash because of the lack of attention he gets and how fed up he is with being told what to do. He is relishing the annoyance he causes in his older sister and his younger brother. Roy is the young, stupid, naïve little kid. He always gave into his sister, loving her especially when she was like one of those "stern grocery store moms". He gets frustrated when being left out because he seems like a young little pest. He is upset by the constant loss of the magic and happiness that was once in his life.
Something else that made this a good book was the detailed descriptions. The author found ways to describe actions and images creatively and effectively without frustrating the reader. Some problems that I often encounter when an author is describing something is either a lack of detail or so much that it makes one ask when the author will get to the point. The author cleverly avoided these and also used metaphors that fit in with a sort of country theme (the father is a struggling country singer). For instance, Roy slipped like he was on a greased griddle.
I also liked this book because it was bittersweet. When they described the father in his pink velour suit (his favorite for performance), it described how he was chubbier and paler than the kids remembered, the seams of his suit were stretched, I found this sad because at one time he had a hit song and then he got lost.I thought the ending was kind of sweet, even though everyone was arguing and making sad realizations about each other, a new hope for better times came.
My best reason for liking this book was that I felt a maternal connection to the kids. I felt a bit of pity for them and wanted to take care of them, or at least for them to have someone to take care of them. Their father is always away and they don't know much about taking care of themselves, and most of the burden is on Retta, but her brothers are wiggling out of her control. Retta's feeble attempts at making things better make me want to fix things for her, so. that dinner isn't either spaghetti made by putting tomato soup over noodles or grilled peanut butter sandwiches. The dinners they have make me want to cook for them, it's almost tear-jerking. I really liked this book and I highly recommend it.

To Read or Not to Read?
Reading is about exploratation, making friends for a few hours, then returning back to life.Betsy Byars allows one to do this in her book, The Night Swimmers.I was reluctant to read it at first(because of the cover)but I never put it down--literally.I recommend this book for children and parents.I want all my children to expierence the fantastic writings of Betsy Byars.

One of THE WORST BOOKS I have ever read!
We open on the story of three kids who sneak into nieghbors' pools to swim at night without permission. Sounds like a regular story- right? Then as in all bad kids at a secret pool stories- one of them almost drowns! Oh, no! How sad and depressing! This book is dreadful! Don't waste your time reading about skinny-dipping kids who get yelled at by a bunch of western singers in bright pink outfits!

The best book you could ever read!
This is an awesome book and you just could not stop reading it when you get into it. This is a book that has many cliffhangers in some parts of the book. This book gets you very excited, frightened, and very surprised. You can usually never put it down. This is probably one of the best books I have ever read. So if you are looking for a book to read get this one and it will completely change your life. It has some good lessons to learn. Well if you have any questions about this book and if you have any complements, if you have read this book, e-mail me. Thanx for reading this and remember to read this book you will love it, trust me because I hate reading but this book changed my life. Now I love to read. See how important this is. ... Read more

Product Description
When Herculeah Jones discovers a letter in her secondhand coat, sheinstantly recognizes it as a cry for help. It doesn’t take Herculeah long touncover the clues and track down the truth. But what Herculeah doesn’trealize is that someone is stalking her—someone who would kill to keepthe truth under wraps. . . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

freaky
This book was freaky and I was unable to put it down.The rest of my family could barely talk to me, I was so into it.It is very well written and makes you feel like your the one it is happening to.

Exciting, but weak, youth mystery
This story has some pleasant and interesting parts.The basic plot is Herculeah Jones stumbles across a letter that leads her to a mystery.

Having grown up on Hardy Boy Mysteries, and having read a number of Nancy Drew Mysteries to my own daughters, I can see the market niche this book is trying to fill, but I don't recommend this book.

The biggest problem with the book is for a "smart" girl, Herculeah does some really stupid things.The Hardy Boys got into danger, but they were normally fairly careful.(The Hardy Boys' mysteries are better then this, but they did have their own problems.)Herculeah rushes into danger.It is exciting to read about, but in reality Herculeah was doing some stupid things.She could have very easily been dead.She is not a good hero to read about.

If you have children who like mysteries, there are better ones to read.

Dead Letter
Join Herculeah Jones and her accomplice Meat for their third edge of your seat adventure. While visiting a thrift store Herculeah buys a coat and later discovers a letter in the lining of the coat. The letter is from a lady being held captive; afraid she is going to be murdered. After a little research Herculeah discovers that indeed the lady who had wrote this letter was dead, and died an accidental death. But Herculeah didn't believe that so she set out on an investigation to see what really had happened. But while looking for the ladies killer, Herculeah almost became the murders next victim. Afraid of death while being held hostage and guarded by angry Doberman Herculeah can do nothing but hope that her best friend meat will save her.Meat a boy who is not as adventurous or brave as his pal Herculeah, doesn't even realize how helpful he really is to her.Now just wonder what adventure Byars will put Herculeah up to in her next nail-biting thriller.

Lettered Coat
Lettered Coat

The book Dead Letter is about a very suspicious girl named Herculeah and her friend Meat. Herculeah buys a coat and she later notices the coat has a letter in the lining. She then got it out through a hole in the pocket. When she read it, her hair frizzled. Every time her hair frizzles, danger awaits her. The note was from a woman that had a huge amount of stress put upon her. I would tell you more but you will just have to read it yourself.

I enjoyed reading this book. I could just sit and read while someone else figured out the clues. I liked this book because it did not have a lot of suspense and everything happened right after I found out about a clue. I liked this book because I don't like books with a lot of suspense. If you like books that make you figure out the ending then this book isn't for you. But if you like the total opposite, then this book is for you!

Dead Letter
This book is an exciting, suspenseful book.You can't waitto turn the page and see what is going to happen next. Although you can predict some of what might happen, you are never possitvely wrong and there's always a surprise, hiding around the corner. ... Read more

Product Description
When Herculeah Jones’s best friend, Meat, decides to take acomedy class, he just expects to get a few laughs. But then hediscovers a dead body in the bathroom, and realizes that there’snothing funny about murder. Things can’t get any worse—untilthe body disappears! Meat needs Herculeah’s help to uncover theclues, but she’s busy investigating a case of her own . . . one thatmight just change Meat’s life forever! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Great book!
I loved this book it was one of my favorite books ever. When i saw this book at the library i thought that it wasgoing to be funny because it was about a comedy club. I had to do a book report about a mystery so thats how i got to read this cool book.

From J. Kaye's Book Blog
This mystery is about Herculeah Jones's best friend Meat who has signed up for comedy classes at a club called Funny Bonz. When he goes to the boy's bathroom, he finds a female dead body in one of the stalls. He runs back to his class to tell someone. When the manager of the club investigates, there is no body. He suggests to Meat that it could be a prank. Meat knows better. He and Herculeah are on the case.

The reason I couldn't give the book a five out of five was the ending. I don't want to say more and give the story away, but I just didn't like who the killer turned out to be.

The Best Herculeah Jones book yet!
This book will keep you turning the pages while you wonder, what job does Meats dad have? Who's blue wallet is it? And will Herculeah and Meat solve it all? You better find out in this heart pounding story of fate.

Disappearing Acts
I have read many of the Herculeah Jones Mysteries but this one is my favorint!It had a certain pull to the book some would say the same effect of HarryPotter.With this having two stories to it you had to keep on reading more if you wanted to know what was going to happen in the other story.An exilent book! Read it!

I Love It
I love the book Dissapering Acts. It is such a great book. Usually I am good at putting books down but this I could not put down ! It is so exciting and you never know what way they'll solve it . Every chapter in the book is so exciting!Now I am a big fan of Betsy Byars! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Kids young and old love the Gollys!
I'm in my 20s, and this is still one of my favorite books! The Golly Sisters are delightfully quirky, imaginative, and believable. Two irrepressible performers on the road with their act, May-May and Rose make every day a hilarious adventure. The illustrations perfectly complement the clever stories, adding wonderful subtle detail (the horse's reactions to the sisters' predicaments are priceless!)Read it to your kids or pick it up when you need a good chuckle, this book is a sure winner.

Great for Kid and Adult !!
My son and I have been reading "The Golly Sisters" books as part of his nightly first grade home reading.They are very entertaining, easy for a young reader, and wonderful illustrations.He enjoys reading them over and over and as a parent I don't mind listening again.
They are delightful characters who find themselves in such unique and Hilarious situations with their horse and wagon. These are not like other sappy kid books,... very clever!!!!!

Hilarious stories for kids who love to laugh
My kids are in high school and they still remember the antics of the Golly sisters, siblings with funny adventures and fancy dreams!Along with Amelia Bedelia books, the Golly sisters encouraged my kids to begin readingat a very early age just to relive the antics on their own without Mommy'shelp.Highly recommend the Golly sisters with a whoop and a holler! ... Read more

Product Description
As soon as Cybil grins and crosses her eyes at Simon, he's in love. But the road to Cybil's heart is bumpy--mainly because of Simon's best friend, Tony, whose outrageous lies keep Cybil and Simon apart. "Young love, fifth-grade variety, portrayed with warmth and humor and that extra, penetrating touch one expects of Byars."--Kirkus Reviews. 10 illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

the cybil war
i read this book in grade school. it was good and i ordered ithave passed it onto my niecesthey liked it very much.

Cybil War Review
This story is about Simon and Tony fighting over a girl named Cybil. The main characters are Cybil, Tony, and Simon. The story takesplace in Simon's home town in present day. Simon and Tony are best friends. Simon has been in love with a girl named Cybil for 3 years. Then Tony decides he loves Cybilso Tonytries to get Cybil to hate Simon. Simon finds this out and prevents her from hating him. Read this book to see who gets Cybil.
I think this story is funny when Tony said his grandma told him his brother`s small shoes were magic shoes. It was also funny when Tony said Simon had to go out with a fat girl named Harriet Haywood. It is also funny when Simon was bragging that he won the war for Cybil. That's why this book is funny.

The Cybil War Review
In The Cybil War Tony and Simon are fighting over Cybil. The story takes place intheir home town in modern days.
In The Cybil War two guys , Tony and Simon, fight over a pretty girl called Cybil .Their war travels between places. Simon doesn't realize that Cybil hates Tony but likes him. In the end Simon wins The Cybil War.
I really enjoyed reading this book because the characters are great and it had a very detailedbeginningmiddle and ending. I thought that a lot of the scenes were funny like the pet show. I thought some of Tony lies were mean but some of the others were funny. I hope I can read more great books like The Cybil War.

The Cybil War Review
The Cybil War was a great book which took place in a modern day town. It was about a girl named Cybil and two best friends named Simon and Tony who liked her.

This story was about Simon and Tony who both love Cybil. When Simon hears that Tony told Cybil Simon said she has popsicle legs, he is furious. That is how they start the Cybil War.

I found this book really funny and I became curious as I read. For example when Simon and Tony both liked Cybil I became curious to read what would happen next. I found it funny when Tony told Cybil that Simon said she had popsicle legs.This book was a book you would want to read.

Two guys and a girl
This book was easy to read.This book is so typical in the life of a fith grader.The plot is two boys like the same girl and the main character,inthis case Simon, always gets the girl. It was love at first sight forSimon.He had to work hard to get her.He lost his B.F. (best friend) inthe process. ... Read more

Product Description
Introducing Bingo Brown, a young man ready for the first big step into adulthood--if only someone would tell him what to do. "Byars does a superb job of presenting a boy just on the edge of maturity. Witty, offbeat, yet beautifully real, Bingo's story scores."--ALA Booklist. A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

bingo brown
bingo brown is kid that goes to schoolto met his new teacher when he finds out that the teacher is acttually pretty cool.
after a few weeks he breaks his pencil so he could find out what the three gurls that he likes are writing about till he does it so much that the teacher finds out what bingo is doing.
Thena few weeks later a kid wears a shirt that the princpal doesn't like, so the princpal made a a rule that if you wear a shirt with letters on it he will send them home. After ever thing ends Bingo finds out that what he did was write and that he won the rule over the letters on the shirt.

The Burning Questions of Bingo Brown
it sucked like hell. just dont read it. its for 1st graders.

There's no one else like Bingo Brown!
I read this book more than 10 years ago in elementary school. It was such a memorable experience that I bought a copy of it recently. Its quitecharming - funny and serious at times. Bingo Brown reminds me of one ofthose kids from the Francois Traffaut film Argent de poche (Small Change).I would recommend it for 4th-6th graders and to those grown-ups whoremember that they were children first.

I have a schoolgirl crush on Bingo Brown
Bingo writes that he falls in love with three girls in one day! That gets me. Better yet: he falls in love with one (Melissa, by far the most charismatic of the three) because in an assignment she says she wants to be a scientist by day and a rock star by night. I don't know about you, butthat gives me new career aspirations. I love everything Bingo does. Hewears a "Mozart Rocks" shirt. He gets freaked out by theneighbor's misty eyed poodle. He misconstrues his mother's sarcasm andstarts a schoolwide rebellion. He writes many, many burning questions. Thisis a witty, emotional book, the best of the Bingo Brown series. Read it toa kid, or just read it for a fun, light read.

Bingo Brown battles censorship and oppression
Bingo Brown is an ordinary kid who tackles The Man and battles censorship in this action packed laugh-a-minute snap of a read ... Read more

Product Description
The strength of family love triumphs in this adventurous third title of the best-selling Blossom Family series by Newbery Medal-winning author Betsy Byars.Junior Blossom has created the most spectacular invention of all time: a homemade UFO. The Green Phantom took all of the garbage bags and Day-Glo paint Junior could find, but now it requires one more very special ingredient. Although Junior needs help, his family seems too busy to care about him. Then when Pap and his dog, Mud, don't come home from town, the Blossoms are pulled apart even farther. Are Pap and Mud in serious trouble? Can a Blossom promise bring everyone back together again? ... Read more

Product Description
The return of a hopeless "romantic and a heart-breaker to boot--surely one of Byars's most enduring characters."--Publishers Weekly. "If there is such a thing as a typical American kid, Bingo Brown is it. He is funny and bright and lovable without being precocious. . . ."--The New York Times Book Review. 11 line drawings. ... Read more

Product Description
Together with her best friend and reluctant sidekick Meat, HerculeahJones meets a famous mystery author, Mathias King, aka The MurderKing. King’s novels mirror gruesome, real-life murders—particularly ASlash of Life, which is about an unsolved local stabbing. Many peoplebelieve Mathias King knows too much. Could he be responsible for thecrime? With a little help from Meat, Herculeah’s sure she can find out.But Meat seems too busy with his new girlfriend to give Herculeah ahand. Can she solve the mystery on her own, or will Meat find a way tojuggle dating and sleuthing? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

It was great
King of Murder is a great mytery. The king of Murder is about Herculeah Jones and her best friend Meat. (His real name is Albert but Herculeah calls him Meat as a nickname) An author in the book Mathias King writes murder mysteries such as slash of life and sip of death. Herculeah is suspicious of him people read his books and say "It's almost like he really committed the murder". During the book Herculeah has to go through secret passageways, Meeting new people, and solving a crime.
I think this is one of Betsy Byars best. You think you have solved the case but then it takes a turn and you find out you are completely wrong. I was so surprised about the ending. While I was reading it I couldn't put it down. I'm a slow reader but I read this book so fast because I liked it so much. So in the end I really liked this book. ... Read more

Product Description
The Blossom spirit endures as the family confronts the frailty of human life in Newbery Award-winning author Betsy Byars's fourth Blossom Family book.It's a time of ups and downs for the Blossoms. Maggie is thrilled to be the youngest member of the rodeo circuit...until she witnesses Mom kissing a handsome bull rider. Back at home, the family has weathered the worst flood in the state's history. Now Vern and his friend Michael can't wait to test their homemade raft down at Snake Creek, but they don't count on the creek's raging current. Hearing their screams, Pap lassos his old rodeo rope and runs to the rescue when suddenly a heart attack strikes. As Pap clings to life, the Blossoms must rely on the strength of their family and pull together as never before. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Warmth and realism
We have read and reread all of the Blossom family books to our 6 year old, and each reading is still fresh. Betsy Byars has a gift for creating quirky and believable characters and situations that touch upon the essence of family and larger social relationships and their many facets. These are not "Leave it to Beaver" vignettes that resolve to apple pies cooling on the sill. Instead they tell the tales of a modified nuclear family with myriad stressors from within and without, and how we all get by better with a little help from a friend. Though written for young readers they make fine adult reading too. ... Read more

Product Description
Amen McBee, the youngest of five sisters, gobbles up words the way other children gobble up sweets. She couldn’t be more different from her elder twin sisters Arabella and Annabella—called the Bellas. The mischievous Bellas constantly frighten Amen with stories of Mr. Tominski—the old recluse who lives in the woods nearby and mysteriously tends to a flock of doves.The Bellas insist that Mr. Tominski is a dangerous bogeyman who eats children whole, but Papa vows that the "keeper of the doves" wouldn’t hurt a soul. When tragedy strikes the family, Amen must decide once and for all who is right. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Good Start
I think this book has a good start but I also think that the dad overeacted when he found out that Amen was a girl!!

Keeper of the Doves
The book is very different than any book I have ever read. It is about a girl who has three sisters when she is born and her dad really wants a son. All of the children's names have to start with an A. So her name is Amen. She was the fifth one born after her older sister died after 9 days of living. Her and her sisters are all scared of their neighbor Mr. Tominski, a mysterious man that saved their father from death. Mr. Tominski is the keeper of the doves behind an old church. There are some sad parts. But I would still recommend this book any day.

The best book you will ever read
I loved this book!
This book is about Amie and a man named Mr Tominski. Hehad doves in a nearbychapel. He trained his doves. This story is placed in 1899 in Kentuky. One day Amie meets Mr Tominski in the grave yard. Amie hasacamera.Mr Tominski talks in German. He was pointing at himself. Amiesaid do you want me to take apicture of you?Mr Tominski shook his head. Amie took 2 pictures of Mr Tominski. This book is aboutdifferences. I recommend this book to anybody!!!

keeper of the doves
Keeper of the doves is a tear wiping book if you don't like tear wiping books I dont recomend you read this but lots of people say it is good!! So take a stab at it!! It is about a girl whos dad wanted her to have name like amen her mother said that is not a girls name her father left them and her mother whispered to her will call u amie!!I hated the book though I thought it was booring. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The Cartoonist
ISBN 0440410460 - Betsy Byars always does a good job with the various worlds of her young characters, and The Cartoonist is a great, if somewhat disturbing, example.

Alfie isn't just the youngest in his family, he is also the least.His mother loves her oldest son, Bubba, almost to the exclusion of her other two children.His grandfather, who also lives with them, rails against the government and has begun to feel useless, a feeling Alfie's mother reinforces often.Alma, Alfie's sister, is really the only adult in the house and through the book she slowly becomes vocal about Alfie's, and her own, dislike of their older brother, Bubba.

Alfie's family has moved many times, but this time they're in a house with an attic and Alfie has laid claim to it as his own retreat.Alma understands, but no one else seems to.Upstairs, Alfie draws cartoons, which he believes are works of art.Other things take a backseat to his interest in drawing, even school.His drawing and the attic are the most important things to him, so when Alma tells him that Bubba will be moving home, and bringing his wife, and that the couple will be living in the attic, the single thing Alfie has to call his own is threatened.His art isn't impressing people the way he thought it would, and now Bubba's going to take away Alfie's private space unless Alfie can find a way to stop him!

It's interesting that Alfie chooses humorous cartoons as his outlet, when throughout the book, he feels badly about himself that, unlike Bubba, he cannot make his mother laugh - worse, the only time he HAS made her laugh was by telling her a story about Bubba, but Alfie doesn't seem to realize that.Other than Alma, Alfie lives amongst people who don't seem capable of thinking of anyone but themselves.This Byars book is well worth reading, as usual.Richard Cuffari's illustrations are few but perfect.

very hilarious
This book was sooooooooooo funny!
It's about Alfie Mason, who lives with his topsy-turvy family. His mother is somewhat drunk and his grandfather, who has a point but never shuts up, and his sister, Alma. He spends every minute he can get drawing cartoons in the attic. But when his spoiled brother, Bubba, comes back to live with them, he has to sleep in the attic. Alfie decides to keep his beloved attic to himself, by shutting himself up in there. His family tries to get him out, but it is no use. He even skips school to stay in there. But I can't tell anymore, or I'd spoil it.

Wonderful Children's Book
This is a great example of what children's literature should be about.It tells a lot in a very few pages about how sad a child's life can be when the adults are less responsible than the children.We see Alfie's grim world through his eyes.

Alfie lives with his mother, grandfather and sister.Alfie's only interest in life is to draw cartoons.He draws at night, at school and any other time he can manage to sneak away.In the evening, he climbs up to the attic and closes the world of his loud abusive obnoxious mother behind so he can draw and dream about a better life.

Betsy Byars does a wonderful job of realistically portraying a grim world with an alcoholic mother and grandfather who do nothing but argue and watch television without beating the reader over the head with the harshness of it all.I felt real hope in Alfie as he tried to control his little world and keep it out of the hands of the irritating mother who fails to understand his artistic interests.

This book is Great!
This book is really good. It's about a boy who loves to draw cartoons buthis mother doesn't. He stays up in the attic drawing all the time. One dayhe finds out his older brother, who he dislikes, is moving in with them.Also he will be staying in the attic. Read the book to find out how Alfiedefends his attic ... Read more

Product Description
Spanish language translation of The Computer Nut by Betsy Byars. For ages 9-12+ ... Read more

Product Description
This comprehensive resource is just like having a personal visit by award-winning author Betsy Byars.The book begins with a personal note from Byars to the students and personal information about her.Cross-curricular activities span everything from art and music to science and social studies, often including the Internet.Reproducible activity sheets encompass specific reading skills, Internet and library skills and literal and critical comprehension.Includes library program ideas, additional teacher/librarian resources and a bibliography with reading levels of Byars' books.Answer key included.For use with grades 3-8. ... Read more

Product Description
Mystery is in Herculeah Jones' blood. How could it be any other way, with a father on the police force and a mother who runs a private eye business? Herculeah can't resist the case of Dead Oaks. The old estate is a local legend, the site of a murder and an unsolved disappearance. Now history could be repeating itself--unless Herculeah can crack the case. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

my book review
I give this book 5 stars because I like books about mysteries.I like it because the book makes me wonder what is going to happen next. My favorite part is when Herculeah goes in the house and then she finds the body. Herculeah reminds me of myself because I like mysteries. I would recommend this book to people who like mysteries and people in 4-8 grade because there are some hard words.

My Dark Stairs Review
I like this book because I like mysteries.If you like Betsy Byars books,you would like the Herculeah Jones mystery books, because they are funny but they have suspence.My favorite part was when Herculeah found a dead body.I recommend this book to any 4th-8th grader because I think a lot of kids that age would like her books because the words are at their reading level.

Dark Stairs-Too Spooky!
The Dark Stairs is a great book that that is kind of spooky.It's about a girl named Herculeah whose parents are divorced but both work with different sorts of crimes.Her mother is what Herculeah focuses on most because there is one case that she calls the moloch. She calls the person Moloch because her mom got her name from a movie where Hercules had to fight a moloch. Herculeah finds out how the Molochs family acted and how they died by taking pieces of history and glueing them together. There some big long heartbeats at the end,not only for Herculeah but for me too! You'll love this book if you read it and I reccomend this book to anyone that can understand it.

Johnny Pasquale's review
The Dark Stairs


A crime...With deduction of evidence or clues, no suspects or alibis, and no witnesses. Can this crime be solved by a little girl named Hercleauh? You might think it's impossible, but guess again. A man was looking for his dad, who vanished out of nowhere. He went to the Hercleauh's mom for help. Hercleauh snoops around the suspected murder scene. The second time she went deep in the house. Then she heard someone come, so she hid in the closet. In the closet she smells something and falls through the wall, helping her solve the mystery with a shocking twist. I thought this book was a good book. I think this because each chapter they get closer and closer to solving the mystery.




By: Johnny Pasquale

It's good enough for a mystery book...
I've just finish reading this book. It's about this girl named Herculeah, try to solve a hidden mystery that hasn't been solved for many years. With a help from her friend, Meat, they both dare them-self to solve the mystery of the old house called, "The Dead Oak's".

I seriously recomend this book to any person, for their first start reading a mystery book. ... Read more