Simon's Saga for the SAT I Verbal

Rating:
Summary: Great for enhacing vocabulary
Review: English is a second-language for me. Obviously, if the verbal standarized test section is difficult for native speakers, it is even worse for international students whose primary languge is not English.
I find this book to be very user-friendly, it is not a list of words with definitions that a student must memorize as in Princeton's or Barron's verbal SAT review. Simon's Saga uses those difficult words in everyday context so that the reader slowly incorporates those words to his/her vocabulary and to understand the context in which they can be used. Standarized test do not test if you remember the definition of a word, rather it tests your ability to play with the words. This book, therefore, is suited for that purpose.

Rating:
Summary: You wont get a better book than this for a Standardized Test
Review: I used to fear the long list of words which are given in any other books for Standardized Test. Then I came around this Simon's Saga and I was amazed to see the way it presented the long list of words by some enjoying episodes. With this book its really fun to study the long list of words and memorizing it is not a difficulty. Moreover it contains only those words which appear more frequently in the Standardized Tests. I recommend everybody preparing for Standardized test to buy this book and enjoy memorizing the most frequent words for Standardized Tests with some really funny episodes. The excersises in this book are also really helpfull for practise

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: It's fun! It is an entrancingly entertaining yet amazingly effective way to fix words inside your mind. Each episode is small enough for a novice reader like me to finish and is followed by reasonable exercises to inculcate new words.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: It's fun! It is an entrancingly entertaining yet amazingly effective way to fix words inside your mind. Each episode is small enough for a novice reader like me to finish and is followed by reasonable exercises to inculcate new words.

Rating:
Summary: Simon's Saga
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEESY' --si son extranjeros no compren esto
Review: No doubt this book is great for improving your vocabulary, but i have never read a cheesier plot with cheesier characters. I feel that if i ever have the chance to meet Axel, Simon and his imbecile girlfriend-that-pretends-like-she-is-some-great-intellectual-but-puts-up-with-her-primitive-boyfriend-that-thinks-hes-cassanova IT WOULD BE TO PUNCH THEM IN THE FACE! The language (though the words are necessary) is out of place in a story that seems like it was cut out from a girls magazine and mixed together with a couple of big words. The result is conversation that is unreal. The characters are incredibly shallow -especially Simon who looks like a girls worst nightmare- and talk in ways that make you think theyre trying really hard to impress you with their vocabulary. I realize this is fiction, but I cant stand such unlikeable characters! I have read plenty of books that are great for picking up new words, and in which the vocabulary fits quite naturally with the plot and general feeling of the story, but I sincerely could care less whether they find a girlfriend for Axel or not, or how many girls Simon can succesfully flirt with in a day. And Simons girlfriend is your typical feminist girl that would love everyone to think shes a new-age-woman but puts up with the kind of boyfriend that has space in his brain for little but girls. There is nothing substancial in anything Simon says, except the "big words" he constantly uses; every character is supossed to be insanely smart, though their definition of a smart person seems to be the one who has the most facts and impeccable definitions crammed into his brain. All in all I found it insipid and I dont think I will finish it.

Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended For Students And Teachers
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: A great verbal booster
Review: This book is a great way to increase your SAT verbal score. The book is divided in to 37 chapters. Each chapter is about 4 pages long and has around 20 vocab words that are in bold. At the end of every chapter is a list of the vocab words contained in the chapter. After that is a review consisting of fill-in-the-bank, matching, True/False, and mutiple choice questions involving the 20 vocab words. I found learning the words in context easier than memorizing word lists. The exercises also helped me remember more words. The story isn't half-bad either, until about three-quarters of the way in. Then it got a little boring, but overall I enjoyed using this book as a tool to improve my verbal score.

Rating:
Summary: A great verbal booster
Review: This book is a great way to increase your SAT verbal score. The book is divided in to 37 chapters. Each chapter is about 4 pages long and has around 20 vocab words that are in bold. At the end of every chapter is a list of the vocab words contained in the chapter. After that is a review consisting of fill-in-the-bank, matching, True/False, and mutiple choice questions involving the 20 vocab words. I found learning the words in context easier than memorizing word lists. The exercises also helped me remember more words. The story isn't half-bad either, until about three-quarters of the way in. Then it got a little boring, but overall I enjoyed using this book as a tool to improve my verbal score.

Rating:
Summary: an engaging read for students and non-native speakers alike
Review: 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.