|
| Simon's Saga for the SAT I Verbal | 
 enlarge | Author: Philip Geer
Publisher: Barron''s Educational Series
Category: Book
List Price: $12.95
Buy Used: $0.19
You Save: $12.76 (99%)
New (8) Used (45) from $0.19
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 345511
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 488
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 0764122002
Dewey Decimal Number: 378.1662
EAN: 9780764122002
ASIN: 0764122002
Publication Date: September 1, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Cover wear and may contain some marks or writing. Keen Northwest ships in 2 business days or less. Refunds for any reason if item returned within 30 days of shipment.
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Accessories:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Simon, who is the narrator of this book, lets test-takers know that he's a cool college dude who's ready to help everybody get an incredibly fantastic score when they take the new, revised verbal skills section of the SAT. Simon tells students that college time is party time, but first, kids need to do some serious work. That includes expanding their vocabulary so they'll be able to cope with college-level reading assignments. He tells them, for instance: "Well, it's time for you to get to work. You'd better get this pedestrian stuff out of the way, pronto, so we can get to know each other better. Hey, I know the thing looks a little daunting, but I think the meanings are quite explicit." Certain words in that passagefor instance, pedestrian, daunting, and explicitare set in boldface type. That is the students' signal to look up the word, understand what it means, and comprehend how it's being used in the sentence. Students who read all of Simon's commentaries and understand all boldface words are guaranteed to excel on the new SAT I Verbal. As Simon helps students expand their word power, he finds something to say about most topics that interest college kidsfrom girls and parties to coping with term papers and doing library research. A short quiz follows each episode. Here's a unique, refreshing approach to vocabulary building for high school students preparing for the all-important college entrance test.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Weirdest book I have ever read May 20, 2008
Simon's saga is an okay tool to study for the SAT. I know, I used it myself. Some words are helpful but others are painfully simplistic.
SPOILER ALERT:
The story gets really weird later on in the book. Nothing I've found mentions the weird 'twist' the story has.
Basically, the world is infested by aliens and Simon has to murder 'the controller.' It's really, really odd. For a book about the SAT, it doesn't really make sense to have such a weird plot. It's not a novel, it's a freaking study guide! Besides, it advertises itself as a story about college life and mentions nothing about cracking open heads on sidewalks.
END SPOILERS.
Frankly, the tone of the author got annoying to me, fast. Simon's banter and Axel's stereotypical nerdiness just turned me off.
I guess the book is okay if you're fine with dealing with a terrible story. It's not bad at first, but later it gets really odd.
very good April 5, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
fun to read easy to read
easy to remember
very good
Simon's Saga October 31, 2004
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
My son is a high school senior and needed to raise his SAT verbal score by 20 points to get into the college of his choice. After buying countless expensive SAT study guides I came across Simon's Saga and thought it was a unique, interesting way of writing a study guide. I purchased it, and it was the first SAT book that my son actually read and used. After using this book my son raised his verbal SAT's by 60 points and has been accepted to his first choice college. Thank you, Phillip Geer, for finally writing a worthwhile, affordable study guide!
an engaging read for students and non-native speakers alike September 12, 2004
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book offers an engaging way for students as well as proficient, but non-native speakers of English to grasp the subtle meaning of new words by putting them into context. It is a big plus for the non-native speaker or 8-12 year old if they can read along with an adult or native-speaker so they do not always have to refer to the dictionary. A very good teaching resource for parents and teachers alike.
Highly Recommended For Students And Teachers September 5, 2004
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Obviously written by a talented educator who knows how to maximize students' potential, this book truly deserves five stars - it's original, educational, and very effective as an SAT vocabulary-building tool. The approach is unusual, to say the least. On one level it's a fun story, but on another level it's a hilarious spoof on some interesting topics such as boy-girl relationships, the arts, creative writing, and education. Simon, the narrator, draws students in with his easy and open tone and students enjoy the witty repartee between the characters. Before they know it, they're thinking about political and other issues from new perspectives. A book that does this and boosts word power? Yes, indeed.
Simon's Saga engenders lively class discussions on important topics that today's intelligent students are thinking about -America's role in the world, the effects of globalization, the role of the media, stereotyping of people, changing values, and cultural identity. This is the type of thinking students need to do to get a good score on the critical reading section of the new SAT.
The book is packed with first-rate exercises that educate as they reinforce the SAT words. Cleverly, the author has made the exercises part of the story. My students look forward to answering the questions for Simply Simon and Axel Speaks that come at the end of each funny episode. I strongly recommend this book for all high school students preparing for the SAT and for classroom use by high school English teachers. Thank you, Philip Geer, for this creative learning tool!
|
|
|
---- | |
