Product Description
In the ancient Scottish ballad "Tam Lin," headstrong Janetdefies Tam Lin to walk in her own land of Carterhaugh . . . andthen must battle the Queen of Faery for possession of her lover’sbody and soul. In this version of "Tam Lin," masterfully craftedby Pamela Dean, Janet is a college student, "Carterhaugh" isCarter Hall at the university where her father teaches, and TamLin is a boy named Thomas Lane. Set against the backdrop ofthe early 1970s, imbued with wit, poetry, romance, and magic,Tam Lin has become a cult classic—and once you begin reading,you’ll know why. This reissue features an updated introductionby the book’s original editor, the acclaimed Terri Windling. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (110)

Unusual, captivating
It's been said before: this is probably a book that some will love a lot, and others just won't.(Which book isn't.)

I loved it and am online now seconds after finishing it to buy something else of Pamela Dean's.Tam Lin is incredibly well-controled, tantalizing, atmospheric, mysterious, etc.I think it will appeal most to those who love Shakespeare, Milton, etc and who enjoy a read with lingering and evocative moods and pace.

Fabulous book.(And in my opinion, an even greater read when you don't quite know what you're getting into. Like the movie Happy Accidents.)

Poetic Snoozefest
This book is very peaceful, dreamy, and slow paced with a lot of exposition.It is really a work of literary fiction with a magical subtext running through; not a genre fantasy.While there were many successful elements, such as literary allusions and the evocation of 70s college life, I thought it was extremely boring with minimal plot development and the characters were such geeks they made me want to scream.

The truly Fae...
I acknowledge that some might detest this book. Those who are looking for flamboyant faerie stories are definitely in the wrong place. The story told here is a beautiful interpretation of the ballad of Tam Lin and sets the idea of what it would be like to encounter a fae court hidden in the American Midwest during the 1970s. This book will probably only be the favorites of wordsmiths, wizards (as defined in Diane Duane's 'So you Want to Be A Wizard'), folklorists, and Classics Majors. None the less is it the most wonderful interpretation I have read of any lore since I started reading Shakespeare on my own at 12.

There is literally no story
The cover suggests an actual amount of fantasy involved. All I got was "Diary of an English major". Here's my summation of the plot. Girl goes to college, reads books, gets a boyfriend, reads books, thinks there's something fishy about the Classics department, reads books, time goes on, more reading of the books, excessive disscusion of the reading of the books, girl finds out boyfriend is not for her and breaks up with him, reads more books, more talking about the books, tiresome quoting from the books, develops a mild interest in exboyfriend of aquaintance, reads books, sleeps with him in a practice room, finds out she's pregnant (oh, and he kinda tricked her into getting pregnant), finds out he's the magical slave of the weird head of the Classics department, and finally reenacts a scene from classic literature and saves boyfriend from the evil Classics department. This book was so laden down with books and talking about books and quoting book after book (98% of which I have never heard of) trying to find the actual plot or any amount of action was like an going on an acheological dig. I was so bored I failed to notice at what point any of the fantasy elements started to happen. I still didn't figure out when exactly she fell for the guy or when she discovered this great secret about the Classics department, or even what that secreat was. Did the author forget that actual people were going to read this? I mean other than ones who were English majors in college. I paid a good amount of money for this thing, hoping for a retelling of Tam Lin in modern day. Instead I get a recount of what obviously was the author's college years (or what she wished they had been like.) All I have to say Pamela Dean is that you robbed me, of money and time. Go back to that college you remember so fondly and learn how to be a storyteller again.

Outdated Fairy Tale Retelling at a Liberal Arts College
I feel like this is one of those books that you either lovelovelove or hatehatehate. Those who love it do so because of Pamela Dean's skillful descriptions of life at a liberal arts college in the mid-70s. Those who hate it complain about the fake, pretentious characters, the slow pace, and the too-detailed descriptions and dialogue.

Me, I guess I'm in the second camp. I heard such good things about this book and so ordered it with high hopes. However, I found the characters annoying and unrealistic. I'm attending a liberal arts college now, but no one I know speaks in such a high-fallutin', quote-filled manner. I found myself irritated at the overexuberant descriptions of the campus; must NOTHING be left for me to imagine? Must I know the location of every building, bridge, rock, and tree on Blackstone's campus?

TAM LIN is more a detailed sketch of college life rather than a retelling of a fairy tale. I was disappointed that there was not more fantasy in it--guess I was expecting some. I have a feeling that those who love this book are those who can relate to the liberal arts college student life back in the 70s. It's the 21st century, college is so much different, and I just couldn't get into this book. ... Read more

Product Description
For the past nine years, cousins Patrick, Ruth, Ellen, Ted, and Laura have played at "The Secret"-a game full of witches, unicorns, a magic ring and court intrigue. In The Secret, they can imagine anything into reality, and shape destiny.Then the unbelievable happens: by trick or by chance, they find themselves in the Secret Country, their made-up identities now real. They have arrived at the start of their game, with the Country on the edge of war. What was once exciting and wonderful now looms threateningly before them, and no one is sure how to stop it . . . or if they will ever get back home. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

wonderful YA fantasy
If you know Pamela Dean's work at all, it's usually because of her novel Tam Lin, which is my absolute favorite book in the entire world (and let's be honest- most people who read my blog have heard me rhapsodize on my utter adoration of Tam Lin on many an occasion). Through that, however, I became acquainted with her Secret Country trilogy, a lighter fantastic romp through a not-quite-imaginary land with five not-quite-magical children. What would you do if your game of make-believe turned out to be quite real and in need of your help? If your answer is quote great literature and use your knowledge of fantasy to help you impersonate a person you spent nine years "making up..." then you'll quite enjoy this series.

Possibly the best book I have read in 40 years
This is not Narnia. These are real kids and real adults too (seen through kids' eyes). The language is deft, dense with layers of meaning and allusion - the more you bring to this book, the more you get from it. (The third book also works as a great source of enjoyable poetry.) Run, don't walk, to your nearest source and buy all three now.

The Secret Country
This book and its sequels are three of my very favorites. By chance I found them in the book store. I was just browsing, and the cover page caught my eye. Grabbing it, I read the back and was immediatly intrigued. It was a book about something that made me think. I bought it and its sequels, and immediatly fell in love with them. Pamela Dean's expressive and realistic characters are so inviting that you can't put it down. The dialoge is amazing, and the plot intricate with its many slip-ups and twists.

For years five very different cousins Ruth, Ted, Patrick, Ellen, and Laura have played a game they call the Secret. It is filled to the brim with mystery, drama, court intrigue, mystical beasts, enemy kingdoms, and most of all, magic. The Secret has characters that the cousins have based off of themselves, or who they wish to be. Lady Ruth, Prince Edward, Prince Patrick, Princess Ellen, and Princess Laura, are the royal children. There are many other quirky characters that fill the game and keep it interesting. Then, by chance or by fate, the five find themselves in their Secret Country, playing their pretend roles as the many twists and turns of their plot unfold. The cousins soon realize that they must stop everything they acted out at home, and that they have to find a way back to their real lives.

The Secret Country is a book that describes every book-lover and play-maker's dream: what if the imaginary worlds we dream about become real? It is a book every lover of fantasy should read.

the secret country
Ted and Laurie found a sword that took them into the wondrous world that they and their cousins Ruth, Patrick, and Ellen created. Many different events have been happening and few have turned out the way they were supposed. It seemed that their fantasy world was taking control now and they were just visiting. It was time to play their roles and find out what was happening. If you are interested to find out what happens next, read The Secret Country by Pamela Dean. I would highly recommend this book to all teen readers.

The first reason I would recommend this book is because of its plot. For example, the "secret country" took years to prepare and to make choices. Another instance is when Ted has a dream of a fencing match with Lord Randolph and uses the dream as a base for his fencing techniques. The last instance is when they use Sham's Ring to pause time in their own world so they stay out of trouble.

Another reason I would recommend this book is for its indifference from other fantasy books. Such as, the Unicorns are the most powerful beings. Another example is that five kids are to change the country's destiny and to save it from the Dragon King. A third example is that there are swords that allow them to travel at will between the worlds and are able to cast light. One last example is that their game is turning real and that they have no control.

The final reason I would recommend this book is because of its creativity. Like, the children must not get caught in their other world clothes. The characters each have their own abilities and weaknesses. Ruth is a witch, Ted is a practiced swordsman and Laura is a princess and there are more abilities for each character. And that the secret country is on Pennsylvania's time meaning that it's hard to sneak out and not get in trouble for all of the kids.

I would recommend this book to all readers that prefer fantasy books. This book starts out slow, but eventually the plot speeds up and it becomes more interesting. The plot will keep you wanting more as you get further into it, although it will still have slow parts. There is some action throughout the book, but the amount increases as you near the end of the book. If you liked this book be sure to grab a copy of the next two books in the series.

N. Koester

The Secret:Each Book Gets Better
I originally picked up this trilogy because it looked interesting and the other reviewers raved about it.Chapters into the first book, I began to wonder why it was so beloved.More questions than answers swam across the page, drowning me in confusion and frustration.I felt thrown into a sea without a life preserver.The language was too archaic at times, and I constantly felt I was not being given enough information to process the storyline.

I felt like I was plowing through the book with an old, tired horse in a massive field full of rocks while the burning sun beat down from above.Being a complete-ist, however, I trudged on and picked up book #2.Halfway through, I pleasantly discovered that my horse was more spry, the rocks had disappeared from the field, and I was wearing a broad-rimmed hat.I was still plowing, but it wasn't nearly as painful.By book #3, I had a tractor, cool breeze, and lemonade in my hand.The work was no longer a chore but a welcome vacation I found thoroughly enjoyable.

I can hardly account for the transition, but it did happen.I recommend the trilogy to those who are not afraid to persevere in the beginning to achieve a great reward in the end. ... Read more

Product Description
Three things have the power to destroy the Secret Country: the Border Magic, the Crystal of Earth, and the whim of the dragon. The cousins have faced the first two; now they face the third. The Country's most trusted counselors know that the five are impostors, but no one knows who has been playing with their destinies. They must find and speak with Chryse the unicorn and Belaparthalion the dragon in order to learn the truth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

The Whim of the Dragon
The end of this book was terrible. The end of a series should be catacalismic for someone, but in this book everyone, even the bad guys, get what they want. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

The Secret:Each Book Gets Better
I originally picked up this trilogy because it looked interesting and the other reviewers raved about it.Chapters into the first book, I began to wonder why it was so beloved.More questions than answers swam across the page, drowning me in confusion and frustration.I felt thrown into a sea without a life preserver.The language was too archaic at times, and I constantly felt I was not being given enough information to process the storyline.

I felt like I was plowing through the book with an old, tired horse in a massive field full of rocks while the burning sun beat down from above.Being a complete-ist, however, I trudged on and picked up book #2.Halfway through, I pleasantly discovered that my horse was more spry, the rocks had disappeared from the field, and I was wearing a broad-rimmed hat.I was still plowing, but it wasn't nearly as painful.By book #3, I had a tractor, cool breeze, and lemonade in my hand.The work was no longer a chore but a welcome vacation I found thoroughly enjoyable.

I can hardly account for the transition, but it did happen.I recommend the trilogy to those who are not afraid to persevere in the beginning to achieve a great reward in the end.

Great news!
Review-wise, I can't really add much to those who have spoken before me (see below), but I can pass on that the series is to be reprinted starting in 2003!Great for those of us who were having problems finding all three books!

This book should not be out of print!
The Whim of the Dragon is the final book in an incredible series, and it lives up to the first two splendidly.

In this book the children are forced to grow up, to realize that their game really has affected otherpeople's lives.They have to take responsibility for their Secret. Deanpulls no punches.The book is bittersweet; it made me cry and laughtogether, not sure which emotion was in control.

Definitely one of thebest things I've read.I would recommend it to everyone, but since it'sunavailable that's not very useful.It's now almost impossible to find, afact which I find frustrating to the point of tragedy.

Six stars!
_The Whim of the Dragon_ is the last book in the trilogy that begins with _The Secret Country_ and _The Hidden Land._ I cannot praise Pamela Dean's unique writing style highly enough.It sings. Magic and poetry areinterwoven in a setting in which the mage's talent is essentially poetic;literary allusions, most commonly to Shakespeare, are everywhere. Asuperlative read for children and adults alike. ... Read more

Product Description
Deans excellent fantasy takes its inspiration from the oft-told folktale. With truly marvelous skill, Dean weaves together adolescent social and romantic fumbling, hints of magical feuds, a Nancy Drew-like mystery, urban fantasy in the manner of Charles de Lint. ~ BooklistAmazon.com Review
In Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary, Pamela Dean explores the life of15-year-old Gentian (the middle of the three titular sisters)--thehomework, the Halloween parties with her best friends, the spats with eldersister Juniper.Gentian is a student at an "open" high school, and hertelescope and astronomical observations are her paramount interests. Thenher well-ordered days are disturbed by traces of a mystery. A housesuddenly appears next door, complete with a darkly handsome boy who speaksonly in quotations. Is he interested in Gentian, or Juniper, or evenRosemary? The final conflict of the book involves a time machine in theattic and unfurls with a hallucinogenic intensity. In her first series, which started withSecret Country, Dean depicted an absorbing fantasy world with anold-fashioned flavor.Here, she shows herself to be a careful,highly controlled writer with a thorough knowledge of the heart of a gifted teenager. --Blaise Selby ... Read more

Customer Reviews (35)

What's worse nor a woman was?
You spend a lot of this book waiting for something to happen and then it happens all of a heap - or seems to; a lot happens for most of the book but it's everyday - but that's appropriate for a story about time, absorption, obsession and friendship. You have to find quotations engaging and intriguing rather than offputting, you have to feel these girls make sense to you and then this is a wonderful, intriguing book. The end is only puzzling if you ignore the many hints and think angels and devils have to be different things.

Fascinating - leaves one wondering
This book is very Pamela Dean-ish; drawing one deep into the world of a geeky, literate teenager.I loved the experience of reading it because I love the way she deals with relationships and friendships; the way in which things do not have to be spelled out between people; the way in which her characters run on assumptions in the way that we all do... but few authors capture quite as well.

The supernatural boy-next-door element left me feeling a bit like there was something I had missed - and that the something was not even included in the book.I felt that perhaps there was some literary or allegorical reference that I should have known, but didn't.

I agree with some reviewers that the big plot resolution was disappointing in some way, and then Gentian's conversation with her parents seemed shockingly low-key, but the fact that the book ends with her inner struggle about how to fix her relationship with her friend is spot-on.Again, we are not told how Gentian is feeling, but we "feel" it anyway.

Has its moments
When Pamela Dean is at her best, her books are well-written, intelligent, funny and clever. Her plots are intricate and exciting, with frequent nods to the great English literary masters. Tam Lin was an example of this. Juniper, Gentian and Rosemary, however, is not.
The problem with this book is that it's chock-full of Mary Sues, to such an extent that it would make an enthusiastic fanfiction writer blanch. This is a book about children, but they are all smart enough to be multiple Nobel prize winners -- they excel at astronomy and poetry, quote Shakespeare like English scholars -- and they act like adults. I have yet to meet a 13-year old with the intellectual capacity and vocabulary of Gentian, the main character and heroine. The way the children speak to each other, their musings -- it doesn't feel real.
In addition, the plot is too thin. Too many threads are left hanging loose at the ending, and this, I am sad to say, makes for quite an unsatisfactory read. It is a shame, because Pamela Dean can be a really good writer (even though, at times, she seems to have a somewhat militant atheist agenda; but, alas, that is a whole other discussion).

I haven't decided yet...
I picked up The Secret Country Trilogy a couple of months ago and absolutely fell in love with it.I love Dean's writing style, her characters, the story, and the fact that I can re-read it four times (and counting) and still discover things I missed the first time.The point of this digression is that I was highly motivated to seek out other books by this author, and now I almost wish I hadn't.While her characters still had some of the same sparkle, and the vocabulary was refreshingly erudite, this book was somehow lacking in substance and ultimate resolution.I enjoyed the interplay of characters, but there were too many issues that never got wrapped up at the end.At several points during my reading of the book, I had the strangest sense that I'd read the book before, because it all seemed very familiar to me.Upon further reflection, I decided it reminded me of another book I just finished, "Alison, Who Went Away."And quite frankly, that book dealt with many similar themes in a much more satisfactory manner.So if you're looking for a wonderful story with exquisite characters and a satisfying end, skip this one and find a copy of "The Secret Country."You won't be sorry.

A rite of passage.
This is a terrible book that I have read four times. Some books seem to have a character that are not quantifiable by the credibility of their plot or the fickle nature of their characters. Although dealing with fantasy this story is not in essence fantastic. The warmth of friendship, both within and outside the family, is the factor that first comes to mind when thinking of this book and it is this that has provided the impetus for my repeated readings. It is not a book that sits comfortably within known genres, on my bookshelves it sits alongside "Franny and Zoey," as a great book to read when you are ill. ... Read more

Product Description
Receiving an enormous responsibility as Physici for her people, the only individual in the Dubious Hills capable of experiencing and understanding pain, fourteen-year-old Arry seeks to protect her world from a wolf invasion. Reprint. PW. LJ. K. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Charming, subtle, intriguing
I'm not a big Pamela Dean fan -- I found most of her other books disappointing -- but this charming little gem is very different. Its a strange and somewhat quirky tale about a rural community under a magical spell. Because of this spell, designed to protect them from war and other atrocities of humanity, things are truly known by only one person among them. For example, to know if something is beautiful you'd have to ask the keeper of that knowledge -- you'd never be certain yourself until you were told, and even then, you'd just be parroting what someone who really knew told you. There's a lot of play here in discovering what learning, knowledge, memory, perception, and pain are, and how these change through the process of growing up and/or through experience. Its not perfect, and there are some flaws, but, this book is subtle, unique, and well worth reading.

Difficult, but Beautiful
This book... I read it a long time ago, and wasn't sure I understood it. And I've just read it again, and understood it quite a bit more - it's one of those things that can catch a little piece of your mind, and hold it, but that you might not understand for a long time.

It's really amazing - it's so difficult to understand a truly different way of knowing something, but she does it. It's told from the point of view of a fourteen year old girl whose province of knowledge is pain. This sounds painful, but it's not; what's painful is learning, and change.

It's also, inceidentally, a werewolf story; but not the traditional sort. This is not what you come looking for when you look for a traditional werewolf story, which is why at least one reader was disapointed in it. This is a metaphor, a poem, a story about change and the casual way it can cause us harm, and choice and a fully functioning society utterly different from anything else I've ever read. It's beautiful and should probably have a lot of awards.

I have never been able to get it out of my head. I hope I never do.

a fascinating exploration of knowledge
A wonderful rural fantasy in which a small hilly community is the result of an experiment that renders all the inhabitants with the ability to only know one thing for certain.Only one person in the village knows the proper name for things, only one person knows, truly, what is beautiful, only one person knows when something is broken, and only one person knows how to fix something.People are unsure, dubious, about everything else.Children are not born with their knowledge, they grow into it, and sometimes the revelation can be painful.Arry is the 14-year old physici of the village, the only person that knows when something is broken, she feels the pain of others and must tell them when they are hurting.This is a lot for a 14 year old to deal with.Since her parents disappeared, she must also look after her younger brother and sister, quiet Beldi and spirited Con.She has her hands full, but there are other problems, she feels as if Beldi is hurting, but nothing seems broken.Who's jurisdiction is such a thing?Can she help him, who would know what is wrong?Beldi, of course, is hurting at the absence of his parents, but Arry does not have the 'knowledge' to know this.

The precise nature of knowledge in this story creates the opportunity for some wonderful jokes.There is a constant going from person to person in the village verifying information, as no one can be sure if what someone else says is the truth, there is the perpetually dubious reply 'who says so?', the response of a taunting child in our world, but an earnestly serious response in these dubious hills.When Arry is frustrated, she curses by saying 'Doubt!' and calls the damnable family cats that get into everything 'doubtful' because they are always under her feet.Doubt, of course, is the most frustrating and tentative thing about this hilly place, rendering it perfect for cussing.Dean also takes the lines from poetry by Keats, Gerald Manly Hopkins etc and makes it into the little spells children under 5 use to help out around the village.The lines of such familar poetry used for the little magic that is used in the village is a homely and lyrical touch.the magic is not invasive, it adds just enough of an otherworldly quality to this wonderfully realised world.

Dean is an exceptional world builder, right up there with Ursula Le Guin, but the thing that I love is theminature size of her worlds.They are child-sized worlds for adults.She treats the presence of evil intelligently and delicately in her work, understanding that it is a complex part of being human.Someone in one of the other reviews here critisied the ending of the Dubious Hills, but if you don't appreciate the ending, you've missed the point of the whole book.They have found a way to escape the doubt that plagues their lives, and think how gratifying it is to know things for certain.I think the Dubious Hills is a critical utopia, and an exceptional exploration of knowlege.I'm agog that such a simple story can have such a deeply philosophical edge to it.Dean is, in truth, a master storyteller, she can weave such complex and delightful worlds in so few words.Her language is deft, quiet, simple.But she creates complex, realistic places and situations.This is a superb book.

Not what I had hoped/ expected/ wanted...
My milage varies considerably from the other reviewers of this book.I finished it, but resentfully.

I bought it because it was inexpensive and I didn't like Dean's _Tam Lin._I wanted to give her another shot.I also was hoping, thinking that it would be like _The Giver._Superficially, it is, but then it gets into the whole werewolf: should we or shouldn't we question.To me, it was a silly question, a silly simple society and characters I found I didn't care about.

Rather than this I recommend Peter David's _Howling Mad._It's about a wolf that gets bitten by a werewolf and becomes a man every full moon.

Beautiful
I've read it about five times so far, and I know I will keep picking it up every once in a while.It's a seductive world Dean creates.And unlike most fantasy writers, Dean does not write for the lowest commondenominator.This is literature.

A while ago, when my mother (an Englishmajor and Yeats fan who often asks me when I plan to read real booksinstead of fantasy) was desperate for something to read, I handed her thisbook.

She loved it. ... Read more

Product Description
The five cousins are still trapped in the Secret Country, and must play their parts. When the King is poisoned, Ted-Prince Edward-must take the throne, even though he has no idea how to rule a country, battle magic, or inspire followers.Soon enough he will have to do all three because the Country is on the verge of war with the treacherous Dragon King. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The Secret:Each Book Gets Better
I originally picked up this trilogy because it looked interesting and the other reviewers raved about it.Chapters into the first book, I began to wonder why it was so beloved.More questions than answers swam across the page, drowning me in confusion and frustration.I felt thrown into a sea without a life preserver.The language was too archaic at times, and I constantly felt I was not being given enough information to process the storyline.

I felt like I was plowing through the book with an old, tired horse in a massive field full of rocks while the burning sun beat down from above.Being a complete-ist, however, I trudged on and picked up book #2.Halfway through, I pleasantly discovered that my horse was more spry, the rocks had disappeared from the field, and I was wearing a broad-rimmed hat.I was still plowing, but it wasn't nearly as painful.By book #3, I had a tractor, cool breeze, and lemonade in my hand.The work was no longer a chore but a welcome vacation I found thoroughly enjoyable.

I can hardly account for the transition, but it did happen.I recommend the trilogy to those who are not afraid to persevere in the beginning to achieve a great reward in the end.

Hidden away
Pamela Dean's Secret Country Trilogy has only recently come back into the spotlight, when reprinted by Firebird Books. Now the second volume of this quirky epic is out: "The Hidden Land." It suffers from a bit of middle-volume syndrome, but it keeps up the pace and builds up suspense and plot for volume three.

In the first book of the trilogy, five cousins suddenly got swept away into the Secret Country -- a magical land of wizards, dragons, unicorns, nobles and kings, which they thought they had made up as a game. Now they have taken the parts they set down for themselves, ranging from sorceresses to crown princes -- and a person they never made up has shown up: the mysterious Claudia.

Now things take a not-so-unexpected turn, when the kids try to keep the King from being murdered. But the king dies anyhow -- and the question of whodunnit only makes things more complicated. Since he is the crown prince, Ted has to ascend the throne, but since he isn't really Prince Edward, he's uneasy about it. But despite his lack of experience, he must find a way to ready the Hidden Land for war against the Dragon King... even if he dies in the process.

Dean jumps headlong back into the story without missing a step. "The Hidden Land," like its predecessor, takes a lot of basic fantasy elements and whips them together into something fresh. Kids in a fantasy land, wizards, unicorns, evil dark lord, and plenty of other stuff. Don't worry -- Dean's sense of whimsy and mystery carries it through.

Her descriptions are detailed but avoid being grandiose. Dean takes the story seriously but doesn't make it pretentious. She also mixes together "ye olde" speak and modern English, keeping the medieval people from sounding like modern Americans, and Americans from sounding like ye olde medieval types. You can't forget that these scared, confused kids are not native to the Secret Country.

Ted is perhaps the character who grows the most in this book, since he's struggling to keep afloat as the new King. But all the cousins have become more confident and able. (In a few cases, they act oddly because of their adventures). Some are stronger, some are wiser, and some are just handling the situation well. But they are still portrayed as kids stuck in a fantasy game gone wild.

"The Hidden Land" suffers from the awkwardness of being in the middle of the trilogy. But it remains a budding classic, with its whimsically serious story and likable characters. Highly recommended.

Good news!
Just passing on good news I've heard -- the series is to be reprinted starting in 2003!If you couldn't find The Whim of the Dragon, the third book, just wait -- relief is in sight!
Aside from that, it's a worthy follow-up to The Secret Country, but very much dependent on it -- don't try to read this alone.Good reading to you!

Six stars!
Nobody, nobody, nobody writes like Pamela Dean. Some writers have written as well, but no writer of prose has ever had a voice that somehow manages to feel like Tom O'Bedlam's song.

_The Hidden Land_ continues the storybegun in _The Secret Country_ and finishing in _The Whim of the Dragon._The protagonists are a group of kids of various ages, and the story isentirely suitable for either children or adults. I can't recommend it toohighly; the writing sings. It's replete with literary allusions interwovenin a fashion entirely suitable to the setting and the subject.

Just as good as the one before!
Absolutely excellent book!In this book, Ted, Ruth, Patrick, Ellen, and Laura find out that the things that sound romantic, heroic, and exciting in theory aren't much fun in real life.This is a must read if you've read The Secret Country,as it continues the tale of the children as they try to avoid the dilemmas they'd created for themselves in the safety of their own home when living their story in The Hidden Land. ... Read more

Product Description
Read on Target offers an easy-to-use four-step process to strengthen reading skills. This series can be used in portfolios, for assessments, for standardized test preparation, and for intervention. Skills addressed include: analyze character, plot, and setting; evaluate author's purpose, organizational structure, cause and effect, and fact and opinion; infer and predict; compare and contrast; evaluate, critique, and summarize. It assesses both fiction and nonfiction and can be used in conjunction with any reading program or series. ... Read more

Product Description
Read on Target offers an easy-to-use four-step process to strengthen reading skills. This series can be used in portfolios, for assessments, for standardized test preparation, and for intervention. Skills addressed include: analyze character, plot, and setting; evaluate author's purpose, organizational structure, cause and effect, and fact and opinion; infer and predict; compare and contrast; evaluate, critique, and summarize. It assesses both fiction and nonfiction and can be used in conjunction with any reading program or series. ... Read more

Product Description
Contents:~~1)The Desperate Hours (Hayes)~~2)General Dean's Story (Dean)~~3)Mr. Hobbs' Vacation (Streeter)~~4)The Power and the Prize (Swiggett)~~5)The Duchess and the Smugs (Frankau)~~6)Tomorrow! (Wylie). ... Read more

Product Description
Read on Target offers an easy-to-use four-step process to strengthen reading skills. This series can be used in portfolios, for assessments, for standardized test preparation, and for intervention. Skills addressed include: analyze character, plot, and setting; evaluate author's purpose, organizational structure, cause and effect, and fact and opinion; infer and predict; compare and contrast; evaluate, critique, and summarize. It assesses both fiction and nonfiction and can be used in conjunction with any reading program or series. ... Read more

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Non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used for the prevention of pain and inflammation.Since, however, the solubility and bioavailability of NSAIDs are generally poor, encapsulation of these drugs in cyclodextrins was attempted in order to alter their dissolution properties.Under different thermodynamic and kinetic conditions a chemical substance may crystallise into different crystalline forms (polymorphs). These different species, due to their different crystal structures have different physical properties such as solubility and dissolution rate and therefore the most appropriate polymorph needs to be identified for optimum bioavailability.In the work reported here several NSAIDs, were studied for possible inclusion or novel crystalline phase isolation. In addition, some insight is provided as to why the popular NSAID, Vioxx®, was pulled off the shelves. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from The Oral History Review, published by Oral History Association on June 22, 2002. The length of the article is 644 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Ordinary Heroes.(Theater Review)
Author: Pamela Dean
Publication: The Oral History Review (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 2002
Publisher: Oral History Association
Volume: 29Issue: 2Page: 155(2)

Article Type: Theater Review

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This book accompanies the student workbook for grade 3. Using Reading Maps to Improve Reading Comprehension and to increase critical thinking skills. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from The Oral History Review, published by Thomson Gale on June 22, 2005. The length of the article is 5074 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Oral History Online.(Product/Service Evaluation)
Author: Michael Frisch
Publication: The Oral History Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 32Issue: 2Page: 89(12)

Article Type: Product/Service Evaluation

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