5 comments about The Executioner (Flare original mystery).

1. "The Executioner" is a great book; if you love mysteries you will love this book. You open the book and you start to read it soon you find yourself reading chapter after chapter. I had a hard time putting the book down. A boy named Bruce went out to a party with Raymond. The boys started to drink, but Bruce had a little more then Raymond had. On the way home Bruce went for Raymond's hat. When Bruce woke up he realized that his life was never going to be the same. Bruce knew that he was the cause of the accident but people had thought that it was Raymond who had been drinking too much. Was his life ever going to be the same? Would people find out the truth? Will he ever tell everyone the truth?
   I loved this book and I think that you will too. This book is for mystery lovers, so if you love that type of read then you will like to read this book.



2. This book is about a group of teenagers that are in a car accident and someone is trying to get them back because the driver died and the rest of the passengers lived. This is a really good book if you like mysteries.



3. This book is about a group of teenagers that are in a car accident and someone is trying to get them back because the driver died and the rest of the passengers lived. This is a really good book if you like mysteries.



4. I am recently reading this book in English class with myteacher Oswaldo. I think this book is great it keeps you on the edgeof your seat. Whenever i finish a chapter i have to read another one because i need to know what is going on in the story. The killer came as a surprise to me! I hope that everyone of you has a chance to read this book at one point in your life because you will never forget it, it is truly a great book!



5. After Ishmael, this book was the worst book I ever read. It's about a group of kids that smash into a tree while drunk. That part's fine. But the rest of the story, involving a murderer known as "The Executioner," is unbelievable. The characters do things that no one would do in real life. The main character Bruce, for example, gets a phone call. He immediately thinks it's a murderer. Not too realistic. And, the story is too predictable. I knew who the killer was before the second death. These reasons are why I hated this book.

5 comments about Daughters of Silence (Fear Street, No. 6).

1. Angelica and Simon Fear plan to bring back their daughters from the dead. With the murder of two innocent girls, these girls with learn how dark and deep are the Fiers.



2. Was Rob really Robert, Simon and Angelica's oldest son? Would they really kill their own son? It wasn't that clear unless I missed something.



3. When i first saw this book i saw it and i said to my self its just a book. After i heared i was suppose to read it for 15 min so i did. When i started readin it i didn't want to put it down. This book is fiction but if you like scary books you may want to read this.



4. Jenna is visting her best friend Hannah who has recently moved to Shadyside. Jenna and Hannah run into Angelica and Simon Fear, whose daughters died a few years ago. Jenna doesn't trust the Fears, but Hannah loves them since they give her free things. But there's a terrifying secret Angelica and Simon are keeping from the girls. They have a plan to kill Hannah and Jenna so their dead daughters can start living again.

   I really loved this book, but there were some boring parts which convinced me to give this book four stars. If you take away the boring parts, this book is awesome. The beginning and the ending are the best parts. There are usually never surprise endings in Fear Street Sagas, but there is in this one. Well, it's not a huge surprise. It can be guessed if you think hard about it. Anyway, Simon and Angelica are my favorite Fears. They're so evil that it's funny.

   Read this book!




5. This is the SCARIEST book i have ever read. The begining is freaky, and every part of the book kept me on the edge of my seat. This book should defintally become a movie. It's the scariest!!!!!!!!!!!

5 comments about The Thirst (Fear Street Seniors, No. 3).

1. I bought this whole set for my reading class, and my students really took an interest in these books. They capture your interest and keep you wanting to read more.
   "The Thirst" is the 3rd episode in R.L. Stine's on-going saga about a cursed group of High School Seniors who encounter evil and mayhem throughout their final year of High School.
   This book opens with school finally starting, and there is a murder during the first week at Shadyside High. This has all the makings of a vampire loose on campus. Either this or a sick copycat murderer. Everyone has a theory. Trisha thinks it has something to do with her vision of a doomed senior class. Josie blames it on the doom spell she cast. Others think it's Clark Dickson - AKA Count Clarkula - that's killing all those people; after all,he acts and dresses like a vampire. Is Clark a Vampire? The reader has to wait and see. The reader is introduced to two new students: Jon, who Deirdre just started dating, and his creepy, accident-prone ex-girlfriend Anita. This story centers around twins Deirdre and Dana as they struggle to find out who the real killer is before they become the next victims! Deirde starts to get threatening phone calls (Typical R.L. Stine Form) and is being stalked by an unknown killer. Some parents and teachers may object to the black magic, that is part of the story. The girls perform a "Seance" to sum up the dead student's spirit, in hopes he/she can lead them to the killer's identity. This may not sit well with some people.
   This is your plot for this 3rd volume and it's is quite good. This is a good read, with lot's of suspense and it flows quite well. One particuarly good read is the chapter where a teacher is killed off, since we don't know the identity of the killer, but we can imagine the teacher's horror as she is attacked by the vampire. The chapters end on cliffhangers and there is a huge twist at the end, as for those who don't read ahead, it does surprise you. This is fun book, especally if you like vampires stories.
   
   
   Criticism:
   
   The senior who is killed off, is not one of the originals we are used to seeing in the "Yearbook". It's almost as if R.L. Stine was not ready to part with one of his original characters, so he made up one for this book. Neverthless, this starts the "Body Count" and we're already into the 3rd volume of the series.
   The "Clarkula" storyline is pursued here, but then after this volume, it's swept under the rug. Readers don't hear anything about the "Is Clark a vampire" conspiracy for a couple of volumes. I felt this was a storyline that could of been a major storyline throughout the series, but this is the last the reader hears about this for a long time. (As far as the series goes). The reader learns Debra "Officially" broke up with Josh to date Clark, this is mentioned at the beginning of the book, and not brought up again. Since this was a major storyline in Volume One, (ignored in Volume Two) I felt perhaps more could of been addressed concerning this. Another storyline introduced was Gary Fresno is dating Trisha Conrad, and he apparently broke up with Mary Connor, but again, this is mentioned in passing, and you think it's going to be a major storyline but then it's just another sidestory. I just felt that R.L. Stine could of developed these stories a little more and got the series really moving along.



2. I recommend this book to anyone. Once you get started you won't want to put it down. I think that if you like vampires and horror, you will definitely like this book. In a way I can relate to this book because I sometimes have visions that something will happen and then within the next month they usually happen. Some people find it very scary that people can do that, but I don't I call it a gift. This book is very suspenseful; the author makes you want to read more. I'm not fond of reading, but I found that I couldn't put this book down. I suggest before reading this book to read the series one and two first.



3. I recommend this book to anyone. Once you get started you won't want to put it down. I think that if you like vampires and horror, you will definitely like this book. In a way I can relate to this book because I sometimes have visions that something will happen and then within the next month they usually happen. Some people find it very scary that people can do that, but I don't I call it a gift. This book is very suspenseful; the author makes you want to read more. I'm not fond of reading, but I found that I couldn't put this book down. I suggest before reading this book to read the series one and two first.



4. I believe this book was only the beginning ( or third ) of many good books to come. I have read up to the 6th book and it has become a very addicting saga. Get this book of you can but before u do, read #1 and #2 first. It can be kinda confusing, if u don't.



5. I remember this was a awesome book. I havent read it in ages. i cant wait to read them all.

5 comments about Luck Be a Lady (Charmed).

1. What can i say about this? Not much. I liked that the author went back in time but thats like another Charmed episode....the ancestor thing was weird because the author didn't bother to explain how it was possible.



2. although i dont think this is the best charmed it's definatly up there at the top it's considerably more up to date with whats been going on with the tv series, with cole and pheobe split up. plus this book is set mainly in a different time so it adds to the uniqueness i cant wait to read the new book of three it looks to be great! overall this is a great book but if you havent read the other books it might be confusing



3. cole is trying his best to win phoebe's trust and love back. but when they go up against some luck demons, the charmed ones plus cole find themselves overwhelmed and thrust back into the year 1942. with the knowledge of his demon half, cole helps the sisters learn how to cope 60 years in the past.

   paige finds a job at a movie studio, filling in for the lady who just left who just happens to look just like paige. but the evil they thought they left in the 21st century has set up shop and if they charmed ones are not careful, they will have bigger problems than they can imagine.

   the book had lots of historical references in it, but not enough believable action. overall it was an ok book.




4. This book is good but yet it goes into way to much detail baout things that are not at all important like when they talk about the way the cars look different they talk about everything from the wheels to the color and it just gos on and on.It is also a little confusing. Over all it is a good plot and is a good book.



5. I'm not really sure what to make of this one. The Charmed Ones go up against some luck demons and fid themselves transported back in time to LA. This is supposed to be bad luck but is actually good.

   The sisters and a powerless Cole are stuck in the past. To help find a way back, they become involved in film making and organized crime. Paige manages to double for an actress who looks just like her and is apparently an ancestor of her adopted parents (this is never developed).

   Eventually the Charmed Ones must take on some more luck demons and try and save the future as they know it.

   The resolution is a little odd and make no sense (how Cole defeats the demons' abilities, that is). But, as this is not the TV show, we know they must all survive and return to the present.

   When I finished reading this one, I just had to think, what's the point? I had thought the discovery of an ancestor that looked like one of the Charmed Ones and how it could be would play a major part but it was just left unexplained. Oh, well, I am sure many fans will like it.

5 comments about Spiders in the Hairdo: Modern Urban Legends.

1. This is a book for older kids who want to have some different reading, besides chapter books. My daughter likes to read this book before bed. It has some off-the-wall stories which appeal to her sense of humor. It has some "adult type" topics [like the woman hiding in her closet naked] which may not be suitable for all children.



2. Spiders in the Hairdo is a collection of well known and in most cases frequently told myths, camp fire stories and I heard from a friend of a friend or a friend rumours. The majority you will have heard before but this is a good compact sized collection of some of the best tales. You've got the knife wheeling maniac in the back seat (as told by Auto on the Simpsons) who in this book is a rope strangler. The unwashed hair full of poisonous spiders, the hook on the lovers' car door, scuba diver in the tree after a forest fire and all the world's favourites.
   
   They are quite good versions in this book and this collection is just as good as as lot of other books out there such as The Big Book of Urban Myths or the Darwin Awards Trilogy.
   
   Spiders in the Hairdo is not however in the same high quality league for this genre as Hippo Eats Dwarf by Alex Boese, Great Mythconceptions by Karl Kruszelnicki,The Truth Behind Old Wives Tales by Thomas Craughwell



3. All those fun stories that you grew up with as a kid are here in this book. The next time you complain about all these new legends on the Internet, remember we all told the one about the bloody hook attached to the car door. And you know that story about the roach eggs in the taco meat made your skin crawl, no pun intended. This book is too much fun and a good source for nostalgic reflection or for retelling to all those people who you just want to scare a little! ...



4. This book does not explore anything new in terms of presenting new Urban Legends. But, it does dramatize well known legends giving them a new flare. Very good book.



5. I laughed and laughed and laughed some more. My teenagers love this book, too (I think that's a first--Mom and the kids liking the same book!). Yeah, I've heard some of the stories before, but that doesn't make them any less funny. And the illustrations are a hoot, too. Good fun all around!

5 comments about Blind Date.

1. This is a story about a guy named Kerry who couldn't remember what happen to his brother Donald. His friends and family knew what happen to him but also knew not to tell Kerry, he is suppose to find out himself. His father was a cop. Kerry was a football player and he was ranked numer two. He accidentally fell on the number one player's leg and broke his leg. It really was an accident but no one belives him. He gets a phone call that night. He has a blind date!!! He talks to her for a while. He is going to take her on a date. When he gets done talkeng to her he gets another phone call. It sounds like some girl pinching her nose and saying " The toe bones connected to the foot bone... the foot bones connected to the leg bone... I'm going to break every bone in your body." At first he thought it was Sal's girlfriend, Sharon. Sal is the one who broke his leg. One night, Kerry and Mandy, his bline date, went to the dance, when they came back out the car was vandlized. The windows were smashed in with a mallet and the tires were slashed with a hunting knife. He got a ride home and when he got home the phone was ringing. He didn't want to answer it but he did. It was Donald at a pay phone. He said, Becareful, I'm coming...," Kerry hung up before Donald could say anything else. Mandy came and wanted to go to a safer place because she thought that Donald was following her. She was scaired and wanted to bring Kerry with her. They went to an old cabin that her parents had owned. then they had hot chocolate. She had slipped some white into his and he feel asleep. When he woke up he was tied to a chair and couldn't move. He found out it was Mandy who was making those scary phone calls. She claimed to be Amanda's sister and then swung the mallet and his foot. She went to the wall and pulled a big moose head off the wall and jamed it on Kerry's head. She was going to smash the other foot but...



2. When I got this book, it was passed on to me from a friend. I wasn't going to read it before many of the other books I had, but then I met someone else who loves R.L. Stine. I decided to pass it on to him when I found out this is the first book he ever wrote for teens. I thought that by itself was very cool.
   The story is pretty good actually. The plot and theme sound a little familiar, but once you start reading it, you realize that Stine made an original story out of it. Character development, suspense, and details made this a remarkable story.
   Stine is notorious for his use of details to pull the reader into the story. One of the most adored characteristics of the Goosebumps series is his use of gory, creepy, or mysterious details that make the reader really think. Because stine does this well, I can really picture the events and the characters as if I was there. I like authors that can do that.
   Stine also builds suspense throughout the story. Even though the plot is an obvious one, the complications Kerry faces are still unexpected. I certainly didn't know what was really going on until he revealed it all in the end. He kept me guessing throughout the story.
   My favorite part of this story was character development though. Kerry is a typical boy. I didn't really like his personality much, but he is familiar to me and a lot of kids my age. I know Kerry is representative of teenagers and because of that, readers will be able to associate. The best character however was Mandy.
   The story is told from a third person point of view looking over Kerry's shoulder. If it had been told from Mandy's point of view it might have been less suspenseful, but Mandy is awesome. Her personality sticks to the reader like glue. She even captured my affection early in the story. By the end of the book, even though she scared me, I still wanted to know her.
   Stine wrote a really good story here. I know all of his current readers will like it. Since its his first, all his fans should read it.



3. It all starts out with a boy named Kerry ended up breaking the best football player on the team on accident, but everyone thinks else. Then things start to look better when he meets his blind date. When it's time to finally meet Mandy, a piece of the memory he had forgotten for almost a year ago comes back to him.
   It is a mystery for him and the reader to find out what happened in his past as well as the mysterious Mandy. It's a spine-tingler and a good book for any thrill seeker.



4. R.L. Stine's first horror book is no doubt one of his best. You can actually tell he put effort in it, unlike most of his goosebump books which seem to display that he is merely pumping out books just to meat the demand. Although this book isn't a nightmare-causer (non of his books are) it is frightfully realistic (most of his books aren't) and thus creates a kind of unexplainable-horror that is what makes books so fantastic, great job R. L. Stine. . . its a shame all of your books aren't this good.



5. Blind Date is a roller coaster ride for the reader. This book is packed with the ups and downs of adventure and teen life. The story starts when Kerry, a boy in high school, just tackled the star-quarterback, Jess and broke his back and went into a coma. Jess's cheerleader girlfriend, Sherri swears she will get vengeance on Kerry. At the hours of darkness, he gets a phone call, and a sexy, kitten like voice purrs, "Hi, I'm your blind date." But what you don't know is that Kerry's bigger brother Donald is in a mental hospital the year before and that plays a major part in the story.

   I was dreadfully interested in the events that happened, for instance Kerry's tires get slashed after the school dance. This is one of the only R.L. Stine books that captured my curiosity. The characters were exceptionally believable because Kerry was a shadow in his older brother Donald's footsteps. Kerry also was believable because he didn't get many dates and I know some guys; they don't get loads of dates.

   I liked this book because it had a lot of twists and turns. At the conclusion of each chapter, a new surprise would arise and would make you what to read more. I recommend it to anyone and everyone because it will keep you guessing until the end.

5 comments about Master of Murder.

1. Pike has a very strong voice as a writer and it's his voice, and firm grasp on the types of characters that will likely appeal to teenagers, that will have you following even the most bizarre of plots.
   
   Master of Murder is dark and twisted with an anti-hero who keeps you hooked until the very end, despite his moral depravity. At least I was hooked. I just found the voice so witty and charming, often in a dark way. The ending was a bit convoluted and confusing, but I didn't care because I was just so into the characters.
   
   I read this when I was 13. The sexual themes are probably too mature for anyone younger than that.



2. This is my favorite Christopher Pike book. I think it the most honest and truthful as to what Mr. Pike is really like behind the scenes as a working writer.
   
   Yeah, Pike is much older in real life than the character of Marvin, but this book shows Pike is a kid at heart. If you read between the lines, it reveals that all elusive "mysterious creative process" behind all great works of fiction.
   
   I'm in college now, but, mainly because of this book, Christopher Pike remains one of my favorite authors!



3. As a huge fan of Christopher Pike, I loved this book. I read it for the first time years ago, and have since gotten my own copy and love it even more.
   Tip - if at first a Pike book seems confusing, then read it again later. I began reading Christopher Pike in late primary school, and then in high school. While I thought they were entertaining, when I read them again now (at 20) I enjoy them so much more, and on so many more levels.

   This book is one of Pike's straight horror/criminal type reads - there are no spiritual or esoteric themes that the later books have.
   A great book to introduce yourself to Pike, if you haven't already. Once you start reading, it is very hard to stop!!




4. This is one of my all time favorite Christopher Pike books. Actually it's one of my all time favorite books period. The story is delightful and the characters are wonderfully real. I've read this book many times over and it never gets boring or old. I definately reccommend this book to anyone wanting a good book to read. Also in both of Pike's Tales of Terrors we hear more of Marvin and his life.



5. When i first began reading, it was intresting but once i kept reading i wouldnt let go of it ,it suked me into it, I couldnt help but Wait to see what was guna happen next and you think he did it but then you just cant make up your mind and its alot of twist and turns to whats gona happen next and what did happen was different from what you thought. So it keeps you thinking How? is an awsome novel and is worth buyin because once you finish it, all you want to do is pick the book right back up and start reading it all over again.

5 comments about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Pacemaker Classics).

1. "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" has been called a Victorian parable, and it must have been groundbreaking in its time, but Robert Louis Stevenson seems to draw heavily on this passage from the Apostle Paul: "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do...it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me." (Romans 7:15&17) He explores this spiritual struggle with unabashed fervor in a tale still talked about over a hundred years later.
   
   The story, no longer than a novella, reads quickly. Told through second-hand accounts and letters (similar to Stoker's "Dracula"), the tale's violence and mayhem are never directly experienced through the eyes of a victim or the perpetrator, which made it more palatable for its original audience, but makes it somewhat distant for those bred on "Silence of the Lambs." We have no clear protagonist, no clear definition of the next victim of Mr. Hyde's brutality; we have only snippets of letters and glimpses of a broken body. Stevenson manages to create a sense of foreboding, and the good doctor's final confessions are chilling, in that they describe the common struggle that all humans encounter within, fighting for the moral and ethical high ground.
   
   Sadly, the story doesn't hold up as well as hoped to the test of time. It lacks true suspense, and there's little mystery to be found. In an era of Victorian virtue, though, it was surely shocking to have a writer admit to that struggle within and portray it in vivid terms.
   
   I'm glad to have read the book for myself, and I believe it was foundational in the evolution of psychological suspense.



2. Jekyll and Hyde is commonly evoked to describe someone with a split personality. Stevenson's novel is not really about a split personality, but rather a dual physical and spiritual nature struggling for control of one person. In this struggle, Dr. Jekyll doesn't just assume a different personality, he actually becomes Mr. Hyde.
   
   Presbyterian Pastor Tim Keller has a good, brief analysis of parts of the Jekyll and Hyde story in his book The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (Hardcover). Keller pinpoints a key point in the story, noting that it's in a moment of vainglory that Dr. Jekyll involuntary transforms into Mr. Hyde. This transformation occurs as Dr. Jekyll sits "on a bench in Regents Park, thinking about all the good he has been doing, and how much better man he was, despite Edward Hyde, than the great majority of people."
   
   All this to say that Stevenson's novel goes far deeper than a psychoanalytic study of a split personality; it's about a profound spiritual struggle of the evil and good nature within a person.



3. This is a great classic. This story brings to life the battle each one of us has within ourselves. Dr. Jekyll calls it his "dualtiy of purpose". The struggle of good versus evil; told in that colorful language of classics.



4. Most readers may be surprised at just how coy and evasive this short novel is. We get only fleeting images of the villain and his transgressions. For a work that has become so well knit into our cultural standards and mores, it's perhaps remarkable how little actually goes on.
   
   You think you know the story. But what most people actually know is the 1936 movie starring Frederic March. Who Hyde is, his relationship to Jekyll, even how one becomes the other: all of these have been changed in every movie, TV, stage, and comic book adaptation ever made.
   
   For what's reputedly a horror novel, this book is remarkably unscary. Maybe in 1886, when its ideas were new, it was terrifying. But now, when its core idea has become part of our culture, it's more thought-provoking than frightening. As Stevenson hints at dribs and drabs of Freudian, Darwinian, post-colonial, and other ideas that have become common coin, remember that he wrote before any of these were popular notions.
   
   Start right in on the novel. Vladimir Nabokov's introductory essay states a lot that is obvious, and should be read only after the novel itself. On balance, Dan Chaon's afterword, about the novel's cultural impact, is probably more revelatory, and more accessible to general audiences.
   
   Remember, this book is probably not what you think you know. It's at once more ambitious, yet far harder to pin down, than the cheapened versions in the mass media. It's smart yet understandable, familiar yet strange. It's the kind of book too few writers create these days.



5. Alright, so I've never read this book before (terrible I know). My Secret Santa bought me this book, along with a bunch of others, as my present and I finally had time to read it.
   
   The plot is straightforward, starting off with a problem before gradually growing into heightened suspense that pulls and leaves hints all over the place towards the climax. Of course since this is a classic, much of the plot twists are already known to the well read, so it wasn't much of a shock, but it was interesting nonetheless. The metaphor/symbolism doesn't really show itself until the very end where it blazes loud and clear with the writer's subtle metaphors, or maybe not so subtle. It's written in 3rd omniescent, before the end where it switches over to 1st.
   
   I actually like how the story revolved around two people investigating the actual main character of the book (or rather the person the story is about) versus it just being about the person and his descent into the clutches of evil. It was refreshing and gave every character their equal time in the spotlight. The themes of this book are very skillfully played through succinct prose. It wasn't overstated, nor written in a dense, complex way that makes the reader pause and think a bit more harder than needed. The writing was simple, direct, and to the point without being bogged down by excess descriptions or philosophical/political musings.
   
   Another plus was that the chapters were very short, so this book is a super fast read, not to mention that it's only 54 pages long. I mean, if you can't sit down and read that, I don't know what else to say. Okay, sure perhaps the font is a wee bit too small, and there is a lot more semicolons in his sentences than any other story I've seen, but that shouldn't detract you. The only real section that tends to drag was the final chapter, which was from the perspective of Henry Jekyll. My mind started to wander a lot and I found myself skimming a lot of the passages. (Okay, so maybe I was tired and reading this around 1:30 in the morning) It's probably because there was such a great buildup to the climax and when we get to his chapter we're stuck reading about how he grew up and blah blah blah that wasn't directly attached with the ending. I mean, we want to know what happens, not how he was raised! By the middle of the chapter is when the real meat of the story comes to its conclusion and I had my eyes glued to every word, even though I had contemplated sleeping a few minutes earlier.
   
   I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who likes to read, and if you wanted to try some classics out, this would probably be the easiest of them to do.

5 comments about Deadly Offer (The Vampire's Promise 1).

1. Althea doesn't fit in at all in school. She wishes she could be popular and have tons of adoring friends. The vampire who haunts her house can make her dream come true, but at a price. Will it be worth it?
   
   This book is a great start to The Vampire's Promise trilogy. The descriptions throughout this book are excellent. You'll feel like you're right there with Althea, experiencing what she's experiencing.



2. These books are simply horrible. They have large gaps in the plot but the worst part is the shallow nature of the characters. The girls in all three books want to be pretty or popular. For these silly aspirations they hand over their friends to the vampire. Do they feel bad afterwards, have a moral conflict perhaps? Hardly. They easily justify their betrayals because they get asked out by a cute boy or they get to hang out at the coolest table. I wasn't only disappointed with my purchase, I was disgusted.



3. The theme in the story is suspense. Althea wanted to be popular, pretty, and loved by guys. But she didnt seem to fit in. Then she meet a vampire who could make her popular, all she has to do is bring him a human. She first brings Chelste, pretty, popular, a girl everyone wants to be. Then she gives the vampire Jenny. She was Altheas friend before high school.
   I can relate to this story because sometimes its hard to fit in with certin people. Im glad they made this story because its suspenseful and fun to read.



4. I have read many books that I don't like, but this book is one of the few I really do like. One of the reasons why I like it is because, although it's fiction there are parts that could be true. For example Althea, the main character, who was popular in middle school, is not popular at all in high school and all she wants is to be popular again. I think that that example is something that could truly happen. Of course the fictional side of the story is that she gets the help of a vampire and the vampire makes her popular.
   The house that Althea lives in, creeps me out. She lives in a big house, with a long gravel driveway, and a big garden. There is also one tower, with 3 windows, which have both inside, and outside shutters. And to me it's no surprise that the vampire chose this house to live in.
   I compare the vampire to Dracula. Maybe it's because they are both vampires and both wear capes. But the vampire just reminds me of Dracula. The weird thing about the vampire in the book is that he waits for hundreds of years just to find somebody who is curious enough to open the shutters in the tower and who agrees to his proposal. Althea of course, did just that. She didn't care what the consequences would be, she just wanted to be popular again. It's only after he almost took the 3rd victim that she realizes the consequences. And believe me the consequences are not good.



5. Not only is this book an excellent vampire mystery, it also relates some very real feelings of teenagers in protagonist Althea. All she wants is to be popular - what's so wrong with that? Then she makes a deal with a vampire who can grant her her wish, but only if she will bring him innocent victims. Will she make the right decision and go back to being unpopular? Deadly Offer is gripping and creepy. I would recommend it to anyone who is a mystery or a vampire fan.

5 comments about The Sherwood Ring.

1. "The whole family were always a little beside themselves over Rest-and-be-thankful, but your Uncle Enos was the worst of the lot. Would you believe it? The last time I saw him, he said with a perfectly straight face that as long as he owned the place the first Enos Grahame could come back whenever he liked and find the whole house just as he remembered it."
   
   From her father's dying words, seventeen-year-old Peggy Grahame formed some very definite impressions about her family home in upstate New York, Rest-and-be-thankful. But when she arrives at the house, she finds some things rather different than she expected--namely, her Uncle Enos. Enos, though a historian with a reputation for talking too much about Rest-and-be-thankful, refuses to answer Peggy's questions about her new home. "Run along, child," he answers her. Enos flatly refuses to discuss local history with Pat, an English student and acquaintence of Peggy's who has traveled to New York to research his family's involvement in area guerilla fighting. In fact, Enos rudely orders Pat off the property and forbids him to see Peggy again.
   
   Peggy's father had warned her that Rest-and-be-thankful was haunted, but she never expected the monotony caused by Enos's caginess to be broken up with the appearances of four ancestral ghosts who tell a fascinating story. Richard Grahame was commisioned by George Washington to find the mastermind of the Tory guerillas in the area. Eleanor Shipley assisted Richard in breaking a code that led to the breaking of the guerillas. Barbara Grahame, Richard's sister, helped Richard escape from the clutches of guerilla leader Peaceable Drummond Sherwood--but not before Peaceable offered a proposal she found herself unable to refuse. Their combined tales offer many explanations about the heirlooms stored at Rest-and-be-thankful. But can the tales help Peggy understand Enos's animosity toward Pat?
   
   "The Sherwood Ring" is one of the most fascinating books I've read. A very lively history mystery, it deals with the past without delving into creepiness, ghosts or no ghosts. Some families may feel uncomfortable with the introduction of ghosts into the story at all; that is a matter of personal conviction that each family must settle on its own. However, this superbly written book provides an unusual glimpse into Revolution-era New York that any history teacher will appreciate.



2. Fell in love with the characters and the story immediately. I'm not a real ghost story fan, but this was a charming and delightful tale.



3. loved it loved it loved it!!! a must read for all history lovers and for all fanasty lovers!!



4. I read this book after reading (and loving) The Perilous Gard. Although not quite as good as that book, it is still DEFINITELY worth reading for any historical fiction or fantasy fans. I loved it and couldn't put it down!
   
   The book weaves together the stories of several different characters, some from the revolutionary war and some from modern times. Peggy is a young orphaned girl who goes to live with her uncle in the family's historical home. She meets up with an Englishman named Pat, one of whose relatives fought in the war, but her uncle kicks him out of the house upon hearing his name.
   
   The other four main characters, Eleanor, Dick, Barbara and Peaceable, are all ghosts. One by one they appear to Peggy, each telling a bit of their story. Gradually,a pattern begins to appear. Somehow, the story of the ghosts is related directly to Peggy's own life and problems.
   
   There is a good bit of romance in the book too, if you like that sort of thing. But it's a sweet and gentle kind, not overdone or sappy. I really liked seeing the characters (Dick/Eleanor, Peaceable/Barbara and finally Pat/Peggy) get their happy endings. The characters aren't developed as much as they could be, but the story is still great with an unexpected twist at the end. Not as good as The Perilous Gard, but close!



5. It's been more than 40 years since I first read The Sherwood Ring, and it remains one of my very favorite books. I reread it often, but I think of it even more often, as my New England neighborhood is full of colonial-era houses, paths through overgrown woods, and little lakes like those in the story.
   
   I'm not sure why this book works so well. The characters are well-drawn but not so terribly original, and the heroine's situation is unbelievable even for the repressive 50's. However, the ghosts' narratives are so vivid, concise, and well-crafted that I get a thrill at each rereading. I love the way the author cared enough to set each section in a different time of year, evoking each season with just a few sentences.
   
   There is something fundamentally cinematic about the presentation of The Sherwood Ring. The emphasis on visual details, the intercutting of modern and historic scenes, and the snappy dialogue remind me of a movie. There's about one feature film's amount of plot, as well. When I was younger, I thought it would make a good film, but I'm sure now that it would get messed up in the process.
   
   When the author's later book, The Perilous Gard, came out many years later, I found it flat in comparison, though maybe I was suffering from an overdose of pseudo-Celtic mythology at the time. The American Revolution setting is unusual, and the issues around the loyalist opposition in New York State actually inspired me to do some research on this subject for a college paper.
   
   I agree with other readers that it's a pity Elizabeth Marie Pope published only two books. I'm so grateful, though, that she never got into writing the sequels and bloated trilogies that crowd today's bookstores. The Sherwood Ring is one little jewel of a book, a unique treasure.