Lonely Planet USA Phrasebook: English, Native American Languages & Hawaiian (Lonely Planet : Language Survival Kit)

Book Description

Sticky is a beat-around-the-head foster kid with nowhere to call home but the street, and an outer shell so tough that no one will take him in. He started out life so far behind the pack that the finish line seems nearly unreachable. He’s a white boy living and playing in a world where he doesn’t seem to belong.

But Sticky can ball. And basketball might just be his ticket out . . . if he can only realize that he doesn’t have to be the person everyone else expects him to be.

A breakout urban masterpiece by newcomer Matt de la Peña, Ball Don’t Lie takes place where the street and the court meet and where a boy can be anything if he puts his mind to it.

Customer Reviews:

Ball Don't Lie.......2006-09-16

I liked his book because it was about basketball and I have played basketball for the last nine years. I felt like I understood the book because I know a lot about basketball. It also told of a story about a boy growing up in the foster carte system.
Sticky was the main character of this book. It starts out when he is 16 years old waiting for a chance to play a pick up game at the recreation center. All the guys from the neighborhood like to hang out there. He is the only white player on the court. The other players make fun of his name. It was a nickname his mother gave him so he likes it and gets angry because they wanted him to say his real name or change it.
The book flips back and forth from his rough childhood with his single mother, to his multiple foster parents, to current time. It took him through rough and good experiences with friends and foes.
He meets a girl from high school who he likes and they start dating. They want to go to the same college so Sticky has to try really hard to get a basketball scholarship.
He learned life lessons throughout the book. Most of his lessons were learned on the court at the recreation center. There were lots of fights, laughter, and yelling, homeless people, young and old people.
I give this book a 5 star rating and you should for sure buy Ball don't lie if you don't you'll be missing out.

Ball Don't Lie.......2006-08-15

I loved the book. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened to the main character, "Sticky." It's not the kind of book you have to use a dictionary all the time. It's written in plain simple language.
The only draw back was the lines that were repeated. Other than that, it was an excelent story. I even got motivated to dig the old basketball out of the closet. Good show!

West Coast Baller Shows Heart.......2006-07-09

I'm not usually a big book guy, but I knew I had to read my boy "Cali's" first book. We play ball together at the Prospect YMCA. So I went and bought a copy to show my support. Then I didn;t read it for about six months. Well I just finished it last night. I couldn't believe how good it was. This dude can really write. And I love the story. It's sad, but in the end you feel like the main character is going to be alright. Speaking of the main character. He's from the west coast which usually means he'd be soft, but this kid has got some heart. so get get a copy of this book and support my boy Cali. You'll be happy you did.

This book is the truth!.......2006-07-08

This book starts out really slow and boring because you are blinded by all of the basketball details. So you think "here's another boring sports book" and by chapter 3 it is already unraveling into a book you just can't put down. Sticky is a ghetto and rough-around-the-edges white guy that has grown up on the streets, moving from foster pad to foster pad, eventually making it to an area where he is daily playing ball with the regular crew down at Lincoln Rec. He knows that he has to have something special to get out of this life he doesn't want to be stuck with forever. It really does suck you in and has you going through every trial with Sticky from past to present making you feel as if it were you telling the story of Sticky's crazy and hectic life.

Venice Don't Lie.......2006-07-01

It is a shame that this novel hasn't gotten more recognition in the literary world. True it has appeared on a couple very notable best-of lists, but it deserves more. No reviews in any major newspapers, no evaluation in the major literary journals, and no pub in the pedestrian sports books like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. That's a disgrace. It merits prominent attention from the tastemakers. Sports fans consistently beg for prose and films that are faithful and sincere depictions of the world they revere with unbridled, rampant passion. Literary folks, in turn, constantly, and quietly, whisper on college campuses, at book readings and within intellectual circles about the pathos of modern fiction. Yet, here sits on the shelves of Amazon a debut, which should be considered groundbreaking and ingenuous to these two separate sets that could not be on further ends of the flavor spectrum.

A reader can feel simultaneously honored and stupefied by the prose of de la peña. Honored because a stranger is ushered comfortably into a world of truth and stupefied because this same candid world can feel so foreign to our "normal" emotional barometer. Venice, CA is a magical place to anyone who has stepped off the well-treaded boardwalk and into the tangled vines of class, dreams and race on its narrow, overgrown streets. de la peña not only steps, he stomps into these neighborhoods, pulling no punches as he acts as a literary translator to the hieroglyph of Venice culture on the papyrus of constricted beach walk-thrus, unrecognized sandy ghettos and voiceless orators of working-class ethos. This author is a troublemaker.

Venice has always been an eccentric enclave by the sea that attracts and rears troublemakers. Usually these so-called troublemakers are castaways from the mainstream. Aging hippies, counter-culture punk-rock surfers, gangsters, skaters, and visionary "deadbeats" historically have made Venice their home. These folks had no place in Outback Steakhouse Americana, so they found their way to a milieu where they could safely and loudly challenge the status quo. After all, Venice had the first major pocket of African-American owned land in Los Angeles (Ghost Town) and Dogtown essentially birthed the X-Games lifestyle here. Folks come to Venice to find themselves and then let the world know that they are here in the most unique and idiosyncratic of voices.

Sticky is a hoarse foster kid that needs to be heard. On the surface, he is a typical Venice knucklehead, looking to throw down with society because that is what is expected of a troublemaker who's been dealt a foldable hand. But dig deeper with de la peña and find a wounded soul in need of a venue to squeeze out some kind of meaningful expression. Like most Venice residents, he burns to take on the median with defying, counter-culture articulation. To do something meaningful, this kid with literally nothing needs magic and, luckily for him, he resides on the streets of a magical enclave.

Basketball, and more specifically the sports' necessary skills honed on the streets, has long been a barometer of heart. Many have stepped on asphalt or hardwood with sick talent only to find that their heart shrank to the size of a pea when the crowds unnerved them. Fear pumps through blood streams at half-court and great talents evaporate on this hallowed proving ground when bodies surround it. You see one can't hide from a crowd. Crowds are an exposure of truth: You either got it or you don't. Venice is known for its crowds as much as it is for its magic.

Sticky finds magic in the soft touch of worn synthetic leather. Between the fading lines of a rundown court filled with Venice troublemakers, he waves a wand made of magical fingertips and stands out from a crowd of dreaming hoop players. In a world of fast-paced, kinetic movement, Sticky is able to curb a debilitating obsessive-compulsive disorder because he sees a playground game in refined slow motion. He thrives on court vision and instinct. And instinct is the main artery of navigation, just like Lincoln Blvd, that runs the width of Venice. A kid with instinct can survive out here. A kid with instinct can throw it all back in the face of the proverbial man. Alva did it on his skateboard, Dennis Hopper did it on his camera, and Sticky will do it with a beat-up basketball stolen from a group home. The question is, as it was with Alva and Hopper, can he simultaneously do it with meaning and go unscathed.

de la peña deconstructs race and class in this book with a hand gentler than Morrison or Wright. Racism and classism can be cruel and there is a sense of the tragically absurd in the cruel life that is Sticky. Humor eases him into questionable mentoring and pushes him into painful rites of passage. That's always been the genius of special works. Hit us with humor and twist the knife in the gut of our protagonist. Denis Johnson does it, Spike Lee does it, and Joe Strummer did it.

Sticky is a lonely ship navigating the treacherous Venice canals without supervision or necessary guidance. His advice comes at the bottom of a forty proof guttural throat or from the high-pitched nasal whine of an overbearing liberal do-gooder. But, like all of us in this life, advice is only that, advice, and Sticky must make his own way with just the truthful eloquence of a honed skill set to drive him. In this case, that skill set is on a basketball court.

de la peña has put together a powerful memo that puts the powers-that-be on notice: The voiceless will not sit back without voice any longer. There is something daring to this work. It is tangible and magical. Ball Don't Lie will not leave you apathetic.

de la peña should be considered an innovative auteur. He has exposed the ironies of the daily morality, politics and race in this country with a slight of hand that would make the thief in his lead character proud.

Ball Don't Lie is homage to the power of a writer's observation and recollection of environment. It ranks alongside The Bluest Eye as a genuinely groundbreaking first novel. We should all hope that this extraordinary work is the first installation in a powerful chorus of prose to come. It should be a notable book in the New York Times review. It should be mentioned in Sports Illustrated. People are sleeping on this important piece of fiction, but that should be expected. After all, it is about Venice: The land of counter-culture and in-your-face expression. Ball Don't Lie may be overlooked, but it cannot go ignored.

Spies and Lies (Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys Super Mysteries #13)

Average customer rating:

Best One EVER!!!
I failed to suspend my disbelief...
spies and lies....
WOW- Suprise Ending!
FBI thats the place where where ND & HB are undercover

Spies and Lies (Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys Super Mysteries #13)
Carolyn Keene
Manufacturer: Simon Pulse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Mysteries | Teens | Subjects | Books

Hardy Boys | Series | Teens | Subjects | Books

Nancy Drew | Series | Teens | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Teen Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0671731254

Customer Reviews:

Best One EVER!!!.......2005-06-23

This is the best book! in the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys uper Mystery. Although it does have some questions such as how did Nancy get in the FBI? I don't know. If you put that all aside, its and action packed aventure. Betrayl, adventure, and..... murder are all in this one book. This is a must read! (if you have read this already, read Evil in Amsterdam. That's the second best Nancy Drew and Hardy boys Super Mystery. ALMOST came in first but Spies and Lies pulled through!)

I failed to suspend my disbelief..........2003-08-31

To enjoy a work of fiction, you have to be able to suspend your disbelief. That is, the author has to give you a setting that you think could be plausible in this or some other world.

But, really, people, do you think that Nancy Drew, age 18, can pass herself off in FBI spy school as having not only completed college, but also having a master's degree in French?

And Frank and Joe, posing as college graduates and computer whizzes, are once again working for the mysterious Network, who apparently doesn't have any high school graduates who are capable of doing anything.

The guilty characters are... well, let's just say that was beyond belief as well. Not surprising, exactly, but still beyond belief.

While it's definitely action-packed (which boys will like, whereas I believe they'll hate most of the books in this series), and the FBI school setting is interesting, I think this might have been the worst book qua book in the Supermystery series.

spies and lies...........2002-12-15

i really liked this nancy drew and hardy boys super mystery. it was intriuging and suspenseful. i especially liked the ending of it because it was hard to guess who the culprit of the crime was. joe and frank's mystery was not as good as nancy's in the story though. which is okay because a lot of times their mystery is a lot more suspenseful. as for the romance aspect a different guy other then frank liked nancy and i really want nancy and frank to hook up so i was disappointed but overall it was a smashing book.

WOW- Suprise Ending!.......2002-02-28

When Nancy Drew goes undercover at the FBI Academy to protect a trainee, she has no idea that Frank and Joe Hardy are there as well. Nancy has been asked to be a 'guardian angel' for Judy Noll, the senator's daughter. An unknown assasin has already tried to kill Judy once, and the FBI needs some help. Soon after she arrives, Nancy meets Frank and Joe, who are also posing as trainees. They are working 'to expose a corrupt FBI agent in an industrial espionage scheme.' All is normal at first. Then Judy's roomate, Erin, is found murdered on a jogging trail. The hypothesis is that the killer mistaked her for Judy. Nancy decides that the only way she can save Judy is to pretend to be Judy. Set herself up as the target. Both girls look alike. Then Nancy stumbles upon a dark secret which changes the whole situation. The question isn't "Who wants Judy murdered?" but it's "Who wants Erin killed?"

Meanwhile, Frank and Joe are on their own assignment. Though I personally think Nancy's part is the more exciting one, F and J have big parts in the book as well. A good mystery for anyone, with a special twist at the end. I loved Spies and Lies! It's one of my favorite Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys books!

FBI thats the place where where ND & HB are undercover.......1998-08-24

This is an excellent book which happens to be the first one of the series which I read.It led to my reading each and every book of that series.Nancy Drew & Frank and Joe are undercover there.Nancy- hired by special agent Burr,to act as a bodyguard to Judy Noll but ends up solving the case as you guess.Frank & Joe-undercover too hired by the Network to solve the case of the watchdog which they do. The book's great.It's super thrilling all right.There's murder,there's suspence and everything a good book needs.Though it needs some romance

Average customer rating:

New Life for an Old Formula
Adults can appreciate it too!
Sleeping Freshman Never Lie
Funniest Book Ever!
An Entertaining Read

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie
David Lubar
Manufacturer: Full Cast Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

Humorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

School | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Personal Transformation | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1933322527

Book Description

From the author of Dunk comes this sparkling new novel that covers a year in the life of high school freshmen Scott Hudson, who is sideswiped by the unexpected news that his mother is about to have another baby.In a hilarious and touching journal addressed to the unborn intruder, Scott bares his soul as he copes with the trials and tribulations of a life that is changing faster than he wants it to. Filled with Lubar’s trademark wit, enlivened by unexpected twists and turns of plot, Sleeping Freshman is widely considered as one of the best YA novels of 2005.

Customer Reviews:

New Life for an Old Formula.......2007-10-04

You've seen it before: boy goes to high school; boy faces upper classman bullies; boy yearns for cute girl; cute girl ignores boy; boy gets buried by inordinate work demands. And yada yada, high school without end, amen.

Nevertheless, David Lubar goes where angels fear to tread, breathing new life into an old formula. And he pulls it off with minimal plot to carry his narrative, instead counting on a winsome protagonist named Scott Hudson who writes diary (though he loathes the word) entries to his as-yet unborn baby brother (yes, his mom has shocked the household by announcing she is pregnant for the first time since Scott himself was born).

Characterization and humor carry the day in this book. Scott's voice is beguilingly frank and funny. He writes lists that roll off the pages like David Letterman "Top Ten" lists. He refers to his embryonic brother as "smelly" and "stomach virus." He takes a run at running for school office, winning a part in the school play, and writing Pulitzer dispatches for the school newspaper's sports section (trying not to insult the football team's 0-for-Forever pigskin player/goons).

The book has its serious undercurrents, too. A suicide attempt by a fellow classmate gives Scott pause over his own behavior toward the desperate student. A girl with more hardware (studs, pins, and assorted other alloys) on her face than True Value's tool aisle burrows her way into his conscience as he continues his quest for the princess-from-afar character, Julia. Old friends (Kyle, Patrick) are lost, and new friends (Wesley the Terror of J.P. Zenger High) emerge from unexpected quarters.

Best of all, for my money, is the wordplay and educational tour de force provided by a series of scenes in Scott's English class with Mr. Franka. Allusions are abundant to great books, engaging poems, and all manner of word play (euphemisms, Tom Swifties, oxymorons, etc.). You'll feel like you're going to school again (or, if you're already there, like you're sitting in a GOOD teacher's class for once). School -- and a terrific little book -- is in session! Recommended, this book has appeal to boys and girls alike from Grades 7 on up.

Adults can appreciate it too!.......2007-08-03

It's been decades since my freshman year in high school (and, yes, the cliche "where did the time go?" applies), so a book about that fated year in student life doesn't generally flip my "must read" switch. But my niece, who will be frosh in a matter of weeks, convinced me, via a glowing telephone review, not to pass up David Lubar's SLEEPING FRESHMEN NEVER LIE.

This novel about Scott Hudson's first year in high school features a kid with a blessedly even keel, a refreshing openness to acquiring learning, and the ability to pile on after-school activities without clobbering his grades. For Scott, Spanish turns out to be his most incomprehensible class because a series of teachers with heavy accents from countries like France and Australia teach it. But English is his favorite class, as his teacher, Mr. Franka, introduces word play "Tom Swifties" and tosses out an enigmatic hint about a poem about vampires. Franka deepens Scott's already present love of language; at one point Scott declares, "Words were too important to be used like blobs of paint. I mean, when someone can come up with stuff as amazing as 'caverns measureless to man,' people have no excuse for spouting gibberish and calling it art." Bravo, Scott.

Lubar winningly incorporates many nuggets to entice young readers to read other works. Scott is enthusiastic about THE PRINCESS BRIDE, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, and ENDER'S GAME, not to mention that mysterious vampire poem that Scott tracks down. And the author turns SLEEPING FRESHMEN into a lively demonstration of various writing styles as Scott, in his lists, journal, and articles, puts into practice many of the things Mr. Franka teaches. People (young and not so young) who read this book will, it's hoped, also catch some of the joyful verve of the written word. I think I'll check out THE PRINCESS BRIDE, the one of the three above I haven't read yet.

But SLEEPING FRESHMEN is more than a promoter of love for language. It is also a guide of sorts for those making their way through that crucial, formative year of high school. Although this novel doesn't tackle the harsh realities that students in some high schools face; it provides sensible, solid values. Values which Scott basically works out for himself. He begins the year with a certain group of friends and with a crush on one girl, but as he progresses, he realizes that being tugged toward other people isn't the downer he feared at all. He also faces change in his own home with a sense of wry humor and increasing acuity of "vision."

SLEEPING FRESHMEN NEVER LIE isn't pat or superficial. It certainly isn't unbearably weighty or tragic. It's a gallop through Scott's freshman year, and it's witty, light on its feet, and just a pleasure to read. If you are about to embark on the freshman adventure or if you've been there and done that, this book has something for you.

Sleeping Freshman Never Lie.......2007-06-01

This book was pretty shaky at first reading it because I thought it was going to be really boring, but by page 80 it started heating up. Scott is basically an average kid with a small group of friends who call themselves the 4 musketeers. His group breaks up and Scott is lost in the world of high school. Later he finds Wesley who used to beat up on him and Lee who eventually he becomes good acquaintances with. The reason I gave this book 3 stars was because I wasn't on the edge of my seat while reading it. From my perspective Scott was really a weird kid who is on his own and which makes him a lot different than the other kids in a bad way. This book was decent and I will recommend it to anyone who has a lot of free time.

Funniest Book Ever!.......2007-04-30

I loved this book. It made me cry, laugh, and think about my future high school years. I would recommend it to anyone who just wants to have a good time. I couldn't set it down until I finished the very last page!

An Entertaining Read.......2007-01-03

One rather lazy summer day, I went to the library. On a lark I picked up this book from a display shelf, opened it when I got home, and read the entire thing. I've checked it out 3 times since then. This novel is filled with wry, subtle humor which is an unusual find in a young adult book, whose preoccupations usually don't stretch farther than skinny girls in bikinis and getting drunk. The very character is very amusing and I laughed quite a bit, and smiled at every sentence. I also shared with him a love of reading and English class. I even made up some of my own "Tom Swifties"(you'll have to read the book) because that's just the kind of weird person that I am. But I digress, anyone who enjoys wry humor(me) and love to writes or just loves English(guess who) you will definitely enjoy this novel.

The Spy That Never Lies (Hardy Boys No. 163)

Average customer rating:

It was'nt excellent but I recommend It!

The Spy That Never Lies (Hardy Boys No. 163)
Franklin W. Dixon
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0671047604
Release Date: 2000-08-29

Book Description

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING --
BUT SOMETIMES CAMERAS DON'T
TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH!

College student Jake Martins is in trouble, and the Hardys volunteer to help out. Securitech, the firm where Jake works, is wiring the city to catch wrongdoers. But to pass one of his courses, Jake may have to reveal some secret information, and now he's in a bind.

When security cameras keep going off-line and more criminal activity gets city officials up in arms, Jake is the main suspect. Someone's cracking the codes in the system -- and it's up to the Hardys to get the criminals in focus!

Customer Reviews:

It was'nt excellent but I recommend It!.......2000-12-09

This book was'nt really that good! Personally I prefer the other Hardy Boys books( you know the ones with the blackish cover.) Anyways in this book the Hardy's friend Jamal is worried about another friend of his who's been acting weird. The brother's are suspicious and look into whats bothering this other guy. Asusual they end up uncovering a mystery and eventually solving it. Read the book to find out what happens.

Average customer rating:

The Lies Boys Tell: A Novel
Lamar Herrin
Manufacturer: Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0060975067

10 Titles Sweet Valley High Series (50-59) : 50. Out of Reach 51. Against the Odds 52. White Lies 53. Second Chance 54. Two-Boy Weekend 55. Perfect Shot 56. Lost at Sea 57. Teacher Crush 58. Brokenhearted 59. In Love Again

Average customer rating:

10 Titles Sweet Valley High Series (50-59) : 50. Out of Reach 51. Against the Odds 52. White Lies 53. Second Chance 54. Two-Boy Weekend 55. Perfect Shot 56. Lost at Sea 57. Teacher Crush 58. Brokenhearted 59. In Love Again
Francine Pascal , Kate William , and Kate Williams
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000W72C5C

Product Description

multiple books ship as one item. save on shipping/handling charges.

4 Books - 1) - The Final Days: The Last, Desperate Abuses of Power by Clinton White House / 2) - Boy Clinton / 3- No One Left to Lie To: The Triangulations of William Jefferson Clinton / 4- Death of Outrage: Bill Clinton & Assault on American Ideals (Unboxed Set of Books)

Average customer rating:

4 Books - 1) - The Final Days: The Last, Desperate Abuses of Power by Clinton White House / 2) - Boy Clinton / 3- No One Left to Lie To: The Triangulations of William Jefferson Clinton / 4- Death of Outrage: Bill Clinton & Assault on American Ideals (Unboxed Set of Books)
Christopher Hitchens , Christopher Hutchens , Barbara Olson , William J. Bennett , and R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr.
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WHUW36

Product Description

4 Books - 1) - The Final Days: The Last, Desperate Abuses of Power by Clinton White House / 2) - Boy Clinton / 3- No One Left to Lie To: The Triangulations of William Jefferson Clinton / 4- Death of Outrage: Bill Clinton & Assault on American Ideals (Unboxed Set of Books), in either Hard or Softcover, (See Seller Condition Comments), Shipped in one package to save on shipping costs.

Average customer rating:

ADD and ADHD - The Big Lie
The Editors
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VKQD5K

Product Description

For any parent who has been dismayed by their decision to have their child put on Ridalin or any prescription drug to control ADD or ADHD, this fabulous book will put your lives back in perspective with the prospect that both of these diseases have been constructed wholly by the medical community as vehicles to line their pockets with billions of dollars each year by keeping the children of our country drugged. Do yourself a favor and buy or borrow this book.

Babysitters Club Set #71-80 Claudia & Perfect Boy, Dawn & We Love Kids, MaryAnne & Miss Priss, Kristy & Copycat, Jessis Horrible Prank, Staceys Lie, Dawn & Whitney FriendsForever, Claudia & CrazyPeaches, MaryAnne Breaks Rules, Mallory Pike #1 Fan (Babysitters Club)

Average customer rating:

Babysitters Club Set #71-80 Claudia & Perfect Boy, Dawn & We Love Kids, MaryAnne & Miss Priss, Kristy & Copycat, Jessis Horrible Prank, Staceys Lie, Dawn & Whitney FriendsForever, Claudia & CrazyPeaches, MaryAnne Breaks Rules, Mallory Pike #1 Fan (Babysitters Club)
Ann M. Martin
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VDCC16

Product Description

Unboxed 10-book set; Includes books #71 - #80

Average customer rating:

Beggar Boy (Here Lies Creepers)
Edgar J. Hyde
Manufacturer: Children's Choice Publications Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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