My Catholic friend tilted her teacup like a fortune-teller. "You know," she said, "I think people who don't have God in their lives are like people...
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Excellent story for middle-reader horse lovers. The author also wrote HOBBY HORSE HILL, DONKEY DETECTIVES and others. Line illustrations throughout by well-known equine illustrator Paul Brown. This book is generally more expensive - a good opportunity to pick it up for a reasonable price!
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(4 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
Oh how I wish this book were still in print. Grab it while you can! It's among my all-time favorite titles and I don't know how many people I have recommended it to. FLANAGAN'S RUN takes place during the US depression and involves a likeable flim flam man who comes up with the idea of holding a Trans-America foot race with a big cash prize. It attracts tens of thousands to the starting line in California . . . everyone from the desperate and unprepared to a Scots runner and Powderhill champion sent by his out-of-work companions in a coal mine, a dancer from Minskys, a little runner representing his village in the hills of Mexico, a strong and silent widower on the run as a result of accidentally killing a man in a boxing bout, and an old veteran of the 7-day races and marathons who sells patent medicine on the side. There are also US and German national teams who sometimes use less than legal methods to remain at the top. The chapters are peppered with real people of that time whose names you'll recognize and some hilarious towns. Without going into detail and spoiling things, I'll mention that one event involves a Scottish Highland games competition and another a cross-country relay race against a trotter. Flanagan and his runners are forced into one fundraising event after another when the US Olympic committee objects to the participation of amateur athletes (whose amateur status would be nullified, making them ineligible to compete in the Olympics) and tries to sabotage it in any way possible. The author is able to bring authenticity to the book because at one time he coached runners for the British Olympic team and was also an advisor for the film, CHARIOTS OF FIRE. Extremely well written and plotted. You'll be carried along and constantly wondering what else can possibly happen to these runners. I first read it while on a hiking trip in Canada about 20 years ago. My companion on the trip, who is not much of a book reader, picked it up after I had finished with it and couldn't put it down. And it is 444 pages long! That's an extremely strong testimonial to its charm.
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(11 of 13 readers found this comment helpful)
Many of author Paul Gallico's books have been in print for years and a few have been made into movies. It's a crying shame that this one remains scarce (currently out of print again) and nearly inaccessible. Its original title when published in England in 1950 was JENNIE. THE ABANDONED is the US title. Because the book is all about the world of cats, it is not at all dated. Anyone who likes the Warriors series by Erin Hunter should pick this title up; you'll love it. A young English boy who loves cats is not allowed to have one but is constantly bringing them home, only to have the housekeeper throw them out into the street. One day, he follows a particularly charming kitten into the street and is struck by a passing truck. The story that follows takes place during the time he is in a coma and dreams that he awakens, having been turned into a white cat. His housekeeper cannot understand his cries for help and tosses him into the street like a stray. After wandering, lost, terrified and cold and battered by a neighborhood tom, he is rescued by a sensible feral tabby, Jenny Baldrin, who (after she accepts that he is really a little boy and not a kitten pretending to be a little boy) teaches him how to be a cat. Their adventures take them on board ships, through neighborhoods of cats, and to Glasgow. The climax is unforgettable. The book is a perfect blend of realism, fantasy, sweetness and bittersweetness. I highly recommend it to readers of all ages.
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(6 of 11 readers found this comment helpful)
The less you know about the plot before opening this exceptional book the more you'll enjoy its unusual premise, twists and turns, surprising alliances and the way in which the author ties things together, particularly at the climax, where it reaches an almost transcendent plateau. It's that good. Both kids and adults will enjoy the characters and the story. Unfortunately I can't say the same of other books by this author; he hasn't yet written another one in the same league. A classic.
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(14 of 20 readers found this comment helpful)
There's not much I can add to the superlative description provided in the item description for this book. It's all true. If you are seriously interested in breeding dogs of quality, understanding genetics, mentoring, families and the interplay of pedigrees and personalities, this is the book to invest in. It includes not only author Pat Craige's (of Vin Melca Elkhounds fame) wisdom and experience but the accumulated contributions of her mentors and many other master breeders. I've purchased and given this book to many friends and have quoted it often. It's a gem and delves far deeper into the world of purebred dog breeding and exhibiting than anything other than specialist texts on a single aspect of dogdom (such as Rachel Page Elliott's DOGSTEPS, Lyon's THE DOG IN ACTION or Gilbert and Brown's K9 STRUCTURE & TERMINOLOGY). Simply excellent.
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(4 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
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Michael Taylor has commented on (17) products.
Michael Taylor, December 16, 2007
Excellent story for middle-reader horse lovers. The author also wrote HOBBY HORSE HILL, DONKEY DETECTIVES and others. Line illustrations throughout by well-known equine illustrator Paul Brown. This book is generally more expensive - a good opportunity to pick it up for a reasonable price!(4 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
Flanagan's Run
Michael Taylor, December 11, 2007
Oh how I wish this book were still in print. Grab it while you can! It's among my all-time favorite titles and I don't know how many people I have recommended it to. FLANAGAN'S RUN takes place during the US depression and involves a likeable flim flam man who comes up with the idea of holding a Trans-America foot race with a big cash prize. It attracts tens of thousands to the starting line in California . . . everyone from the desperate and unprepared to a Scots runner and Powderhill champion sent by his out-of-work companions in a coal mine, a dancer from Minskys, a little runner representing his village in the hills of Mexico, a strong and silent widower on the run as a result of accidentally killing a man in a boxing bout, and an old veteran of the 7-day races and marathons who sells patent medicine on the side. There are also US and German national teams who sometimes use less than legal methods to remain at the top. The chapters are peppered with real people of that time whose names you'll recognize and some hilarious towns. Without going into detail and spoiling things, I'll mention that one event involves a Scottish Highland games competition and another a cross-country relay race against a trotter. Flanagan and his runners are forced into one fundraising event after another when the US Olympic committee objects to the participation of amateur athletes (whose amateur status would be nullified, making them ineligible to compete in the Olympics) and tries to sabotage it in any way possible. The author is able to bring authenticity to the book because at one time he coached runners for the British Olympic team and was also an advisor for the film, CHARIOTS OF FIRE. Extremely well written and plotted. You'll be carried along and constantly wondering what else can possibly happen to these runners. I first read it while on a hiking trip in Canada about 20 years ago. My companion on the trip, who is not much of a book reader, picked it up after I had finished with it and couldn't put it down. And it is 444 pages long! That's an extremely strong testimonial to its charm.(11 of 13 readers found this comment helpful)
Abandoned
Michael Taylor, December 11, 2007
Many of author Paul Gallico's books have been in print for years and a few have been made into movies. It's a crying shame that this one remains scarce (currently out of print again) and nearly inaccessible. Its original title when published in England in 1950 was JENNIE. THE ABANDONED is the US title. Because the book is all about the world of cats, it is not at all dated. Anyone who likes the Warriors series by Erin Hunter should pick this title up; you'll love it. A young English boy who loves cats is not allowed to have one but is constantly bringing them home, only to have the housekeeper throw them out into the street. One day, he follows a particularly charming kitten into the street and is struck by a passing truck. The story that follows takes place during the time he is in a coma and dreams that he awakens, having been turned into a white cat. His housekeeper cannot understand his cries for help and tosses him into the street like a stray. After wandering, lost, terrified and cold and battered by a neighborhood tom, he is rescued by a sensible feral tabby, Jenny Baldrin, who (after she accepts that he is really a little boy and not a kitten pretending to be a little boy) teaches him how to be a cat. Their adventures take them on board ships, through neighborhoods of cats, and to Glasgow. The climax is unforgettable. The book is a perfect blend of realism, fantasy, sweetness and bittersweetness. I highly recommend it to readers of all ages.(6 of 11 readers found this comment helpful)
Holes by Louis Sachar
Michael Taylor, December 11, 2007
The less you know about the plot before opening this exceptional book the more you'll enjoy its unusual premise, twists and turns, surprising alliances and the way in which the author ties things together, particularly at the climax, where it reaches an almost transcendent plateau. It's that good. Both kids and adults will enjoy the characters and the story. Unfortunately I can't say the same of other books by this author; he hasn't yet written another one in the same league. A classic.(14 of 20 readers found this comment helpful)
Born to Win
Michael Taylor, December 4, 2007
There's not much I can add to the superlative description provided in the item description for this book. It's all true. If you are seriously interested in breeding dogs of quality, understanding genetics, mentoring, families and the interplay of pedigrees and personalities, this is the book to invest in. It includes not only author Pat Craige's (of Vin Melca Elkhounds fame) wisdom and experience but the accumulated contributions of her mentors and many other master breeders. I've purchased and given this book to many friends and have quoted it often. It's a gem and delves far deeper into the world of purebred dog breeding and exhibiting than anything other than specialist texts on a single aspect of dogdom (such as Rachel Page Elliott's DOGSTEPS, Lyon's THE DOG IN ACTION or Gilbert and Brown's K9 STRUCTURE & TERMINOLOGY). Simply excellent.(4 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
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