Dragon's Egg (Del Rey Impact)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • trudge through the middle half and be rewarded
  • Dr Robert Forward's gift
  • Not Free SF Reader
  • Regretting using your service
  • Alien aliens, flat humans, and a mind-bending story
Dragon's Egg (Del Rey Impact)
Robert L. Forward
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 034543529X

Book Description

In a moving story of sacrifice and triumph, human scientists establish a relationship with intelligent lifeforms--the cheela--living on Dragon's Egg, a neutron star where one Earth hour is equivalent to hundreds of their years. The cheela culturally evolve from savagery to the discovery of science, and for a brief time, men are their diligent teachers . . .

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars trudge through the middle half and be rewarded.......2007-10-11

The reader gets to witness the evolution of a fast-minded, fast-living alien species (the Cheela) on the face of a neutron star. Most of the book is reading about this civilizing of the Cheela race, only sparsly mentioning the humans around the neutron star. There should have been heartier reading about the scientists on board their vessels, which would have been more interesting to read than groups of Cheela gathering pods or trekking across the "hard way." Only when the interaction between the humans and Cheela begin does the book take an interesting turn.

Once messages are relayed between the two races, the Cheela become bored with the "slow-minded" humans while humans are astonished to find that they live 1,000,000 times faster than humans do... and they also send messages at 1,000,000 times the speed as the humans do. Thence on, it's impressive to witness the technology of the Cheela rise. The ending is, ultimetly, satisfying. The only low point was suffering through the infancy of Cheela culture.

5 out of 5 stars Dr Robert Forward's gift.......2007-09-30

The fact that the late Dr Robert Forward was a geniune physicist didn't prevent him writing a vivid, exciting science fiction novel. While still reading it, it moved to the top of my scifi list along with a few others.

While it seems that Forward's principal agenda was to teach us about neutron stars, I think his greatest gift in this book was to make the neutron star creatures seem real, and to make them recognizable by employing familiar biological and historical processes. Because their evolution is accelerated relative to ours, we get to watch many generations of the creatures. Their evolution enlightens us about our evolution.

In my opinion, this is one of scifi's greatest novels. It's too bad I discovered it shortly after Dr Forward's death. When he lived, he often made appearances at my favorite local bookstore which I never attended. Oh well. This book is all I need to know of him in order to admire him.

4 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader.......2007-08-05

Neutron fast breeder encounter.


A human expedition to a Neutron star finds an alien race living there, but stuck in a low tech level of development. Communication between the two becomes a tricky exercise because of this, the conditions, and the fact that the lifespans of of the species are actually measured in minutes, by human terms.

The appendices for this book are also quite entertaining, perhaps the best part.


1 out of 5 stars Regretting using your service.......2007-04-03

It took so long I had forgotten I had ordered it and almost bought it at a book store! Beyond that, the cover was horribly bent and torn, it was yellow, the spine was nearly shattered from use, and it wasnt even the same edition I ordered! Ugh!

4 out of 5 stars Alien aliens, flat humans, and a mind-bending story.......2006-08-27

As others have noted, the alien cheela, despite being only 0.5 mm tall, have far more depth than the human characters in this novel. This story is about the cheela, and the humans serve mainly as a plot device. Further, the cheela are a *very* different from us, in almost every way -- size, speed, environment, and culture. This will doubtless put many readers off, as there is little to relate to our frame of reference. If you prefer your aliens to be humans with bumpy noses, look elsewhere.

If, on the other hand, the idea of aliens that really *are* alien appeals to you, this is a great read. Reading about the development of civilization in such an alien context is fascinating. There are parts where the story of the cheela becomes very compelling. Swift-Killer's Climb is nothing short of heroic (yes, something unexciting can still be heroic). The brief "Visit" between humans and Cheela is a blast.

I don't give it five stars, because the human characters *are* flat. It may well be impossible to place both truly alien beings and interesting humans in the same story (as opposed to two different, co-located stories). A separate human story would still be something, though, and it appears the author either did not even try to develop one, or failed completely. The humans are a plot device -- they give the author a reason to tell the story of the cheela, nothing more. Likewise, the human discovery of the "Egg" and the expedition reads as very contrived. Every work of fiction is contrived, of course, but good fiction keeps the reader from noticing. These drawbacks mar what would otherwise be a true masterpiece of science fiction.

While it is radical fiction, this book is based on a strong foundation in reality -- both science fact and scientific speculation. The successful combination of strict science and pure fantasy is part of what makes for great "hard sci-fi", and this book has it, in spades. It truly does "stretch the mind", as one cover blurb says.

Strangely, I also found the story to be inspirational. The aliens live their lives in fullness in their frame of reference, but a cheela lifespan is only 30 of our minutes. Reconciling those differences and establishing a conversation over many generations is, to me, a truly noble act, for humans and cheela alike. Despite the differences between them and us, the cheela are people. If I can be as good a person as the cheela in this story, I will have lived my life well.
The Egg of the Phoenix: Special Module I12 (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    The Egg of the Phoenix: Special Module I12 (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons)
    Frank Mentzer , and Paul Jaquays
    Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0880384719
    Harry on the Rocks
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Poor Harry!!!!
    Harry on the Rocks
    Susan Meddaugh
    Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    Ages 4-8Ages 4-8 | Children | Bargain Books | Stores | Books
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    1. George Hogglesberry: Grade School Alien (Golden Kite Awards (Awards)) George Hogglesberry: Grade School Alien (Golden Kite Awards (Awards))
    2. Molto's Dream Molto's Dream
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    4. The Red Wolf The Red Wolf
    5. Scared Stiff Scared Stiff

    ASIN: B000F4LMN0

    Book Description

    An afternoon boating excursion goes terribly awry when Harry drops his oars and the tide takes him and his little yellow boat out to sea. A storm washes him ashore on an island with nothing but sand and rocks and one windblown tree. Hungry, Harry hopes to eat an egg he finds amid the rocks, but after warming in the sun, the egg doesn't cookit hatches! So instead of dinner, Harry finds a friend. But just what is the little, quickly growing, colorful, winged, lizardlike creature? Harry's in for more than one surprise as he discovers the true nature of the bizzard's identity and the friendship they share.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Poor Harry!!!!.......2004-02-15

    This is one of the funniest books that I've encountered in some time. All Harry wants to do is take a little boat trip, maybe do some fishing, and relax. If page one is an indication of the things to come, it's not good news for Harry. We see a seagull trying to break open a clam shell by dropping it on Harry's head. He gets caught in a storm and is stranded on an island with a lot of rocks, a scraggly tree, and an egg. As the egg hatches Harry figures it must be a bizzard, but comes to the realization that it's actually a dragon, a dragon that is continually eyeing Harry going "Mmmmmmmmmmm". The ending is a delightful twist and a valuable lesson is learned--there are fates far worse than death.

    Don't pass this book up. A good number of titles out there can have the reader laughing on the first page but, can't deliver. This one does.

    Poor Harry!!!
    The Dragon Snatcher
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • Wonderful illustrations!!
    The Dragon Snatcher
    M.P. Robertson
    Manufacturer: Dial
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    Action & AdventureAction & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 0803731035

    Book Description

    One night while reading in bed, George hears a familiar noise outside. His dragon has come for his help, but this time they face a daunting foe—an ice wizard who is stealing dragon eggs and keeping them locked up in his frozen castle. Luckily George knows how to outwit even a powerful wizard, although things don't turn out quite the way he expects.

    In this companion to picture book favorites The Egg and The Great Dragon Rescue, George embarks on a spine-tingling, surprising adventure that will thrill children—especially those too young for a certain other wizard! M. P. Robertson lives in England.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Wonderful illustrations!!.......2006-11-10

    The illustrations in this book are gorgeous and are a good reason to buy it for your dragon fans. In the story the boy rides his dragon to an evil castle where a wizard is hoarding and freezing dragon eggs of every variety. The boy helps save the dragon eggs while riding his own dragon. A nice fantasy story.
    The Egg
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • The Incredible Egg
    • beautiful illustrations and a fun story
    • Mystical Wings
    • Un-Stereotypical Behavior in The Egg
    • George and the Dragon
    The Egg

    Manufacturer: Dial
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    ASIN: 0803725469
    Release Date: 2001-01-15

    Book Description

    When George finds a large, mysterious egg in the chicken coop, he can't resist taking it to his room and waiting to see what will happen. He nurtures the giant egg with bedtime stories and makes sure to keep it warm. Then one day out hatches a dragon! George is excited to take on the responsibility of raising his newborn friend and quickly instructs him in all things dragon-y-how to fly, breathe fire, distress damsels, and defeat knights. But what to do when his dragon becomes lonely for other dragon friends? This gentle fantasy with charming illustrations offers an original take on the relationship between a boy and a beast, suggesting the pangs parents might feel when their own little one grows up and becomes more independent.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars The Incredible Egg.......2006-02-19

    I was immediately drawn to the beautiful artwork of this book. The cover page was so very descriptive. The illustrations throughout the book are wonderful and very little text is needed to complement the art of the pictures. On the discovery of the egg in the henhouse, George takes the egg to his bedroom to keep it warm and safe until it hatches, reading to the egg all the while. George seems to believe that the egg can hear his words and continues to read to the egg. On hatching George continues to read to the dragon before bed each night after training the dragon during the day in dragonly characteristics. Reading plays an important part in the book, and is a good example to be setting for young people enjoying this book. The storyline and most especially the beautiful illustrations make this a really fantastic book for the young adventurer. All that is needed is an imagination and a sense of adventure to enjoy this book.

    5 out of 5 stars beautiful illustrations and a fun story.......2004-03-25

    The Egg has some of the most beautiful drawings I have seen in a modern children's book. Even I found myself caught up in them.

    The story is very pleasing as well. My son enjoyed learning about dragons and their "dragony ways." Although he was somewhat saddened at the end as he could not understand the need for the separation.

    4 out of 5 stars Mystical Wings.......2003-03-02

    In all the books I have read, there has only been a few that have captured my attention and actually held it. But I have found what I have come to call a books soul or in simpler terms a books meaning. Yes this book was probably written for a young person, to put them to sleep or to just keep them occupied. But to a dragon lover this book is much more. It is in a way a ticket to another world. A world in which the imagination can be free to explore the deepest and darkest corners of the universe without being restrained by reality.
    In this remarkable book there is a young boy, whose name is George, who discovers a large egg. After the egg hatches he and the dragon become great friends and they teach each other the importance of having a friend. While George teaches his new found friend all he could about being a dragon he couldn't give his friend one thing, another dragon to play with. If you want to find out what happens to this special young boy and his mystical flying friend than you want to read the book The Egg, by: M. P. Robertson.

    5 out of 5 stars Un-Stereotypical Behavior in The Egg.......2001-12-03

    Robertson, M.P. The Egg. New York: Phyllis Fogelman, 2001.

    In The Egg, a little boy named George finds an enormous golden egg in his mother's chicken coop. He takes care of the egg until much to his surprise, it hatches into a dragon! George takes good care of the dragon until one day it leaves to find its own dragon kind. The little boy is sad and misses his good friend but receives a great surprise in the end that helps him deal with the fact that the dragon has to leave.
    The Egg conveys a breakthrough in modern stereotypes. The big issue in this story that breaks through is the fact that a male character is doing the stereotypical "mothering." Starting at the very beginning of this story, the narrator stresses maternity and nurturing. Most of this is done through text but some through illustration. Most of the action pictures in this story take place on the right side of the page, setting up the anticipation of action on the next page. George finds an egg that a hen has laid, sits on top of, and keeps warm and protected in the hen house. In the full-page spread when George takes the egg inside, he immediately sits on top of it to keep it warm in his bed. In addition, the integral parts of the story, in which the dramatic action takes place between George and the dragon, and is very important for the flow of the story, appears as a full page of color with no white showing. When the author is trying to get a reader to focus on one thought or sentence, which is not as important or outstanding, he puts a small, colorful picture in the middle of a white page in order to draw your attention. George mimics the hen and takes care of the egg like he thinks a good mother would do with her young. The series of four pictures on the next page shows the egg hatching and George being pleasantly surprised that it is a dragon!
    The first main time in the book when George obviously breaks through a modern stereotype is when the egg hatches, and the dragon says his first word to George: "mommy." This is taken to mean that the dragon wants the boy to be his mother, and George proceeds to take care of him like he thinks mothers do. George has obviously only ever been exposed to the traditional type of female mother figure; therefore these experiences shapes his behavior with the dragon. This is a prime example of how George breaks down traditional stereotypes because he is exhibiting a behavior that he has only learned, but does the job of "mother" so well that the dragon thinks that he is a mother. The narrator comments, "George had never been a mother before, but he knew that it was his motherly duty to teach the dragon dragony ways." Another series of pictures shows and describes how George teaches the dragon to fly, breath fire, help a damsel in distress, and defeat a knight. These lessons are synonymous with the integral and important things for dragons to know, and each one is taught to him by his "mommy." Again, George is "mothering" the dragon the only way he knows how; a way he learned from a woman, the central caregiver he has observed, and it makes no difference that he is male because he is only coping a behavior pattern. If George is the example, gender has nothing to do with good parenting.
    The point in the story when George makes the largest noticeable break in stereotypical behavior, is a line that comes toward the end of the story. On a full color page, which makes it seem important, appears a night scene of the dragon and the little boy in a tree. It reads, "Every evening, as all good mothers should, George read the dragon a bedtime story." This is a great example of the proof that the behaviors he is exhibiting are stereotypical to female mothers. This indicates what a "good mother" does, but George, a male, does the "natural" things that mothers do, only he is a male. The great thing about this book is that a non-traditional character plays a traditional role. A male can be just as good a mother as a female simply because he has learned to reproduce mothering behavior. This book does a good job of showing that you do not need to be a female in order to be the picture of motherhood, you only need kindness, care and unconditional love associated with good mothering and learned rather than innate behaviors. All in all, this was simply a good, easy picture book for children, but it has a certain deeper context that we may not even notice until a child thinks it odd that a boy is doing the "motherly" jobs.

    5 out of 5 stars George and the Dragon.......2001-05-19

    George knew something special was about to happen when he found a gigantic egg in his mother's henhouse. He carefully took it back to his room, kept the egg warm and read to it until it hatched. The dragon inside took one look at George and made a sound of happiness. George didn't speak dragon, but he knew the sound meant, "mommy" and he was determined to teach the dragon dragony ways just like any good mother would. They worked on flying and breathing fire, distressing damsels and defeating knights and every night George read his dragon bedtime stories from a book of dragon tales. But soon, George realized that the dragon was sad and lonely and missed being with other dragons..... M P Robertson has written a gentle fantasy of love and friendship that will delight youngsters with it's simple text and beautifully expressive artwork. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, The Egg is a charming bedtime story, full of imagery and colorful detail, kids will want to read again and again and a wonderful addition to all home libraries.
    Vietnamese State Industry and the Political Economy of Commercial Renaissance: Dragon's Tooth or Curate's Egg?
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Vietnamese State Industry and the Political Economy of Commercial Renaissance: Dragon's Tooth or Curate's Egg?
      Adam Fforde
      Manufacturer: Chandos Publishing (Oxford) Ltd
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

      Development & GrowthDevelopment & Growth | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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      ASIN: 1843342200

      Book Description

      Summary: This book is based upon extensive and repeated fieldwork, close observation and familiarity with institutional detail. It traces Vietnam's early attempts to create in State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) a basis for a military-industrial complex, and the ways in which these attempts failed, which explains the nature of state commercialism through the 1980s and into the present. Since the 1990 breakout to a market economy, Vietnam has shown outstanding development success, with rapid GDP growth, macroeconomic stability, swift poverty reduction, maintenance of social spending and extensive globalisation. Her SOEs have played a major role, not only in showing that performance gains in 1989-91 could compensate for loss of the large Soviet bloc aid program, but also as major players in the rapid economic change of the 1990s, during which the officially reported state share of GDP remained high. By the middle of the 2000s, however, a rising private sector was, in harness with a large presence of foreign companies, sharply increasing pressures upon SOEs. Against this background, the book concludes with an assessment of the extent to which Vietnam's commercialised SOEs are now no longer seen as an effective compromise, but acting as a major hindrance to Vietnam's development. Key Features: 1. Historical analysis of the process by which Vietnam's SOEs shifted from central-planning to operation in an increasingly globalised market economy 2. Draws upon regular and repeated fieldwork going back to the late 1970s 3. Uses a wide range of Vietnamese language and other sources 4. Draws upon the author's extensive research into other aspects of Vietnamese development, as well as his theoretical work on transition processes 5. Positions Vietnam's experience within key areas of academic interest The Author: Adam Fforde is a Principal Fellow at the Melbourne Institute of Asian Languages and Studies, University of Melbourne, and Professorial Fellow and the School of International Development, Melbourne University Private. He studied Vietnamese in Hanoi in 1979-80 whilst researching his PhD (Cambridge 1982). He has published widely on various aspects of contemporary Vietnam. Readership: Policy makers; decision makers leaders in private and public sectors; academics; consultants; postgraduate students. Contents: Preface Introduction and overview The DRV and the traditional development goals of Vietnamese Communism - what had gone wrong? Vietnamese state industrial reform: policy debates prior to 1979 Neo-Stalinism and its feet of clay - from Reunification to August 1976 The transitional model: a new solution? Spontaneous decentralisation 1979-80 The attempted recentralisation 1980-85 From the 1986 VIth Congress to the end of central planning in 1989-91 State industry: from the early 1990s and the 'big' surprises to the gathering problems of the mid 2000s Conclusions - State industry and the Vietnamese experience
      Dragon's Egg/Starquake: 2-in-1 (Two Novels in One)
      Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
      • One of the best in the 'Hard Sci-Fi' arena
      • Top Of The Line Science Fiction
      • One of the best science fiction books I have ever read
      • excellent hard-science novels
      • Good scientific piece, yet very boring.
      Dragon's Egg/Starquake: 2-in-1 (Two Novels in One)
      Robert L. Forward
      Manufacturer: Del Rey
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Mass Market Paperback

      Forward, Robert L.Forward, Robert L. | ( F ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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      ASIN: 0345388984
      Release Date: 1994-07-02

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars One of the best in the 'Hard Sci-Fi' arena.......1999-02-22

      This is 'the' book that hooked me on 'hard Sci-Fi'. It is way out there but it is also very plausible. The story grabs you and pulls you in..you live it as the main characters.. not knowing what is going on.. and you discover, with them, great things. The aliens are us!

      5 out of 5 stars Top Of The Line Science Fiction.......1998-10-17

      This is the very best in Scifi that I have read. I have loaned it out to numerous people who felt the same way and one friend wouldn't let go so I am searching for another copy now! It has twists and turns that leave you breathless and the characters are extremely well developed. Read this!

      5 out of 5 stars One of the best science fiction books I have ever read.......1998-06-25

      Dragon's Egg, I feel, is a better book thn Starquake, but they are both excellent stories. The narrative device used, especially in Dragon's Egg, adds interest as it leaves the reader to make a very important discovery about the Cheela. In addition, Dragon's Egg gives historians something to chew on as it is not only based on hard science but also historical theory as well. Would such a different society pass through the same developmental stages as human society? Dragons Egg is one of my four all-time favourite books; I re-read it (again) to celebrate World Book Day and it is still an excellent read. There are not many books that can stand re-reading and still maintain the reader's interest. Ideal for people who think they don't like "hard" science fiction.

      5 out of 5 stars excellent hard-science novels.......1998-02-03

      If you're not excited by feeling your mind being stretched by science that is right at the very edge of theoretical physics, then you may be someone who thinks this book is "boring". If you aren't filled with wonder as an entire utterly alien civilization is presented to you, then you might not like this book.

      But if you're enraptured by a plausible alien civilization that uses almost future-magic technology which is nevertheless comprehensible (especially if you're an avid reader of physics journals or popularizations), then this book will be one of your favorites.

      Negatives: Bob Forward is at his best when writing about the science; he is weakest when writing dialog. For the alien dialog, this isn't really a problem, but sometimes the way his human characters phrase their sentences will make one wince. I found this fairly easy to overlook, but others may not.

      2 out of 5 stars Good scientific piece, yet very boring........1997-04-10

      This book gives a fantastic look into the scientific aspects of neutron stars, but is very boring to read as a novel
      Dragon Bones and Dinosaur Eggs: A Photobiography of Explorer Roy Chapman Andrews (Photobiographies)
      Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
      • Roy Chapman Andrews: A Real-Life Indiana Jones
      Dragon Bones and Dinosaur Eggs: A Photobiography of Explorer Roy Chapman Andrews (Photobiographies)
      Ann Bausum
      Manufacturer: National Geographic Children's Books
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

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      4. The DRAGON SEEKERS.  How an Extraordinary Circle of Fossilists Discovered the Dinosaurs and Paved the Way for Darwin. The DRAGON SEEKERS. How an Extraordinary Circle of Fossilists Discovered the Dinosaurs and Paved the Way for Darwin.
      5. Secrets from the Rocks Secrets from the Rocks

      ASIN: 0792271238
      Release Date: 2000-03-01

      Book Description

      "You have written a new chapter in the history of life upon the earth."

      When Roy Chapman Andrews read these words from American Museum of Natural History president Henry Fairfield Osborn, he was being congratulated on his discovery of a new species of dinosaur. A stunned scientific community named it Protoceratops andrewsi in his honor.

      Andrews led five scientific expeditions to Mongolia's desert, the Gobi, from 1922 to 1930. He was a pioneer of modern field research, but it was his team's fossil discoveries that amazed the world -- especially the first-ever complete nest of dinosaur eggs. These were remarkable achievements for a man who began his scientific career scrubbing floors at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

      It wasn't easy. Along the way, he battled sandstorms, snakes, and bandit attacks. He drove through parts of the desert that had never seen cars before, and he had to have spare tires -- and every drop of gasoline -- carted in by camel.

      Roy Chapman Andrews had a love of adventure that took him all over the globe. This action packed story, actual expedition photographs, and quotes from Andrews himself present a great explorer of his century -- and a grand tale of adventure!

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars Roy Chapman Andrews: A Real-Life Indiana Jones.......2002-01-28

      Real-life is usually so much more interesting than the movies, and Ann Bausum's wonderful photobiography of Roy Chapman Andrews - Dragon Bones and Dinosaur Eggs - will be ample evidence of this to any young Indiana Jones fan. Roy Chapman Andrews [1884-1960] was an explorer and is best known for the Central Asiatic Expeditions, which he led on behalf of the American Museum of Natural History and during which the first dinosaur eggs and nests were found. He is also a probable model for the character of Indiana Jones. Dragon Bones and Dinosaur Eggs puts its main focus on Andrew's life from his employment with the AMNH through to the expeditions to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. The book is a well-done combination of photographs, text, and block quotes. The text is well-written and exciting [even for an older person like me], and the pictures help the reader to put themselves into the story. Did Roy Chapman Andrews wear a cool looking hat? [YES!] Did Roy Chapman Andrews dislike snakes and did he have a run-in with them on one of the expeditions? [YES!] I recommend this book to any young person of late elementary age who is interested in exploration and paleontology.
      Red Eggs and Dragon Boats: Celebrating Chinese Festivals
      Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
      • Great for Kids
      Red Eggs and Dragon Boats: Celebrating Chinese Festivals
      Carol Stepanchuk
      Manufacturer: Pacific View PR
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

      GeneralGeneral | Holidays & Festivals | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Social Science | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
      Similar Items:
      1. Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes
      2. Mooncakes and Hungry Ghosts: Festivals of China Mooncakes and Hungry Ghosts: Festivals of China
      3. Made in China: Ideas and Inventions from Ancient China (Dragon Bks) Made in China: Ideas and Inventions from Ancient China (Dragon Bks)
      4. Celebrating Chinese New Year: An Activity Book Celebrating Chinese New Year: An Activity Book
      5. Chinese Lullabies Chinese Lullabies

      ASIN: 1881896080

      Customer Reviews:

      4 out of 5 stars Great for Kids.......1999-04-14

      This is a good book for younger readers as an introduction to Chinese festivals. As a parent of a child adopted from China, I feel it is important to give her as much knowledge about her birth country as possible, and this volume is colorful and easy to read.
      Falcon's Egg (Yearling Book)
      Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
      • Egged on
      • Fantasy and Adventure!
      • Awesome
      • Falcons Egg
      • Falcon finds a mysterious egg and wants to keep it.
      Falcon's Egg (Yearling Book)
      Luli Gray
      Manufacturer: Yearling
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

      Science Fiction, Fantasy, & MagicScience Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic | Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Family Life | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
      Similar Items:
      1. Lincoln: A Photobiography (Houghton Mifflin social studies) Lincoln: A Photobiography (Houghton Mifflin social studies)
      2. Letters from Rifka Letters from Rifka
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      ASIN: 0440412471
      Release Date: 1997-08-11

      Book Description

      Eleven-year-old Falcon has just found a mysterious egg in Central Park--a dragon's egg, though she doesn't know it yet. And when the egg hatches, magic will hatch with it. Falcon will begin to see her hectic life and eccentric family in a different and altogether more joyous way. After all, when magic comes into someone's life, it comes for a reason.

      Customer Reviews:

      4 out of 5 stars Egged on.......2004-11-15

      Well-written fantasy books work on several different levels. You have your fantastical elements on the one hand and your down-to-earth heartfelt story on the other. Your fantasy must be rooted in basic human problems that we all deal with (or at least can sympathize towards). In "Falcon's Egg" the fantastical elements are firmly in place. Magic heated eggs? Check. Mythological creature from another time and place? Check. The basic human groundings are there too. Impossible matriarch figure? Check. Kid who doesn't have any friends in school? Check. So you'd think that the simple addition of one element to another would yield the ideal story. It doesn't quite work that way. Sure, "Falcon's Egg" is a fine telling of a magical tale. It's all well and good for what it is. But there's something lacking in this tale. Though a nicely written book with plummy plotting and choice characters, it is merely good. It is not exemplary.

      Falcon's life is not ideal. Living with her immature and irresponsible mother and taking care of her baby brother almost on her own, she has to navigate daily through an existence of the usual kid woes. Falcon's parents divorced years ago and since then she's not seen much of her father. She has a fairly strong base of family friends, of course. There's Ardene, an adult who lives upstairs and is always happy to have Falcon over for tea. And there's Aunt Emily who has lived for an incredibly long time but is still close to her eleven-year-old great-niece. But when Falcon finds hot red egg nestled in the long grasses of Central Park, she knows she's on to something big. Soon the egg becomes a large part of Falcon's life. She tells her friends about it and soon everyone watches entranced as the scarlet sphere reveals a small equally scarlet dragon. Falcon grows deeply attached to her little ward, but a time soon comes when she must accept that Egg (as she has christened the beast) must live its own life someday.

      I was initially a little shocked at the incompetence of Falcon's mother at the start. A flighty children's book illustrator, she rivals only Saffy's mum in, "Saffy's Angel" for most-negligent-but-idly-interested-mother-in-a-work-of-fiction award. Missy (as Falcon calls her) is prone to completely ignoring her children when she gets paid work, constantly giving them money to purchase take-out food and letting them wander hither and thither through dark dangerous New York. Falcon, fortunately, is a capable human being but prone to utter self-hatred when she forgets to watch her little brother for even a second. Missy feels no such guilt. She's a kind of adolescent herself who takes a lot more interest in playing dress up with her children than asking Falcon how she feels or how her day went at school. There's not much of a resolution to this storyline by the end of the book either. This struck me as honest, but odd.

      As for the character of Falcon herself, she's fine. A loner who isn't particularly good at making friends with people her own age, Falcon (understandably) creates an unhealthy bond with her little Egg. It's only when the dragon makes it perfectly clear that it is not a pet or a dear companion that Falcon is able to let go of her discovery. Falcon is most sympathetic when she's dealing with her simpering mother. She's less likable when she starts making unreasonable dragon-related demands. But this is a believable reaction on her own part. And through it all you feel sorry for her. You feel sorry for the choices she's had to make. And you fell kind of bad that not much has been resolved by the end of the book. I would have thought author Luli Gray would have given us some kind of awakening or understanding at the story's close. No such understanding is forthcoming.

      Just the same, for any kid who has ever dreamed of someday finding something extraordinary in an ordinary place, this book's perfect. In plot it bears some passing resemblance to the now remarkably popular, "Eragon" by Christopher Paolini, but is meant for a younger reading group. For pure wish-fulfillment, "Falcon's Egg" delivers. It's not the most satisfying fantasy out there for kids, but it's definitely interesting enough and well-written enough to garner a fair amount of attention. Recommended with slight reservations.

      4 out of 5 stars Fantasy and Adventure!.......2003-01-26

      This book is about a girl named Falcon who finds an egg in Central Park. She brings it to her neighbour, Arlene Taylor, who takes care of the egg. Falcon's Aunt Emily finnds out soon enough and tells her friend, an ornithologist, to find out what is inside.They form a secret society, "The Friends of Egg." When the egg hatches, the creature inside is a dragon! Is it hard to keep a dragon without your mother discovering it?
      Read "Falcon's Egg" to find out!

      5 out of 5 stars Awesome.......2002-12-04

      Falcons Egg was great.It was a fantastic book. Even though it was easy. the book took place in England.Ive always liked England personally. I reccomend this book to you because this book is a adventure story. And I think other kids should read this book too.

      3 out of 5 stars Falcons Egg.......2002-11-19

      I really didn't like the book that much because. For one it went slow the writer didnt give a good discription because I couldint really see the character in my head. Some of the chapters were really long it didn't give any breaks at all. So next time im not going to pick a book called the Falcons Egg.
      The worst part in the book was in the biggining. They didn't discribe any really good details of where they were at I didn't know if they were outside. Or inside. The only time I really knew they were outside is when they were talking about were they got the egg. That's the only time I knew through most of the book.
      The thing the author did really good was when they were discribing the setting. Just this once, It was in the forest. They were tring to the egg back to the mother. And the conflict, the writer did a pretty good job on that. It was funny when they were fighting. About people that wanted to keep the egg and the other people that wanted to give it back so it wouldn't die.

      5 out of 5 stars Falcon finds a mysterious egg and wants to keep it........1998-06-29

      This is a great story about a girl who finds an egg in Central Park and takes it to a friend's house and keeps it hoping it will hatch. When it does hatch it turns out to be a DRAGON!!! She wants to keep the dragon but it turns out to be very difficult to keep a pet dragon. I am 9 years old and my brother is 11 and we both liked the book a lot.

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