I was homeschooled, and when I was young (back in the last millennium), we didn’t have a TV, so my parents read to us kids hours every day. This really helped pass the time because we lived in the middle of a cornfield, and there was nothing else to do but . . . watch corn grow! Later in my teens, I started writing myself. This has continued until today. Writing is a good way to explore the world of ideas. All of the books on this list have influenced my writing.
After a science experiment in the kitchen goes very wrong, Archer and Zowie are surprised to find that the microwave oven: Can order sandwiches from the deli, can squash the entire universe to the size of a bean in less than a second, and wants to kill them.
Over the course of the day, Archer and Zowie will encounter deep space, angry babysitters, teleporting microwave ovens, big penguin aliens, and even the author of this book. They can only expect the unexpected.
I can (and have) read Calvin and Hobbes all day. Perfect on many levels. This is a good book in the series. But they are all good.
The strip is all about exploring with friends. I like how the strip avoids revealing what is real and what is imaginary. The story, art, and dialog work together and show just enough to constantly excite my imagination.
Also, each time a storyline recurs, it always tops the last time it was there. The interaction of the characters is second to none. The art is unexpected in its detail and emotion. Watterson took his work seriously.
Calvin and Hobbes are at it again, and this time, our irrepressible friends are taking a walk on the wild side.
Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat chronicles another segment of the multifarious adventures of this wild child and his faithful, but skeptical, friend. If the best cartoons compel readers to identify themselves within the funny frames, then all who enjoy Calvin and Hobbes are creative, imaginative, and ... bad, bad, bad!
Calvin, the irascible little boy with the stuffed tiger who comes to life are a pair bound for trouble. Boring school lessons become occasions for death-defying alien air battles, speeding…
This world magically unfolds. The stuff about the wood between worlds really got my kid imagination going.
The thought of there being many pools and Digory and Polly only jumping into a couple, leaving the rest unexplored, makes my brain go: “Ahhhhhhhh! One day, I'll go there and explore some pools for myself."
Of all the Chronicles of Narnia, I liked this one the best.
A beautiful paperback edition of The Magician's Nephew, book one in the classic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia. This edition is complete with cover and interior art by the original illustrator, Pauline Baynes.
On a daring quest to save a life, two friends are hurled into another world, where an evil sorceress seeks to enslave them. But then the lion Aslan's song weaves itself into the fabric of a new land, a land that will be known as Narnia. And in Narnia, all things are possible.
The Magician's Nephew is the first book in C. S. Lewis's classic fantasy…
This is a story about a whole sibling group that causes a lot of trouble. But in a way, they are the only ray of light in an otherwise dull town.
I get the idea that the townsfolk enjoy the drama more than they let on. What I really liked about this book is the writing style. It is very engaging and conversational. I was always waiting for the next punchline/payoff. Very funny.
I listened to the audiobook. It is read by Elaine Stritch. She has the best voice. I could listen to her talk all day long.
This year’s pageant is definitely like no other, but maybe that’s exactly what makes it so special.
Laughs abound in this bestselling Christmas classic by Barbara Robinson! The Best Christmas Pageant Ever follows the outrageous shenanigans of the Herdman siblings, or “the worst kids in the history of the world.”
The siblings take over the annual Christmas pageant in a hilarious yet heartwarming tale involving the Three Wise Men, a ham, scared shepherds, and six rowdy kids. You and your family will laugh along with this funny story, perfect for independent reading or read-aloud sharing.
I liked how Ramona is a feisty 9-year-old dealing with real-world kid problems. Everything in Beverly Cleary's novels is real life.
I listened to the audiobook on this one, too. It's read by Stockard Channing. Another golden voice that pops with character.
This book is also home to the best opening line of any book in English literature: "Ramona Quimby was 9 years old. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and no cavities."
Newbery Medal–winning author Beverly Cleary's final book in the Ramona series has all of the warmth, realism, and humor of its predecessors.
Ramona Quimby can't wait to start fourth grade. With a new baby sister to brag about, new calluses to show off, and a new best friend to get to know, everything's going to be great!
Or is it? When Ramona's spelling is atrocious, her teacher, Mrs. Meacham, is firm about her needing to improve. Then a scary incident at a friend's house leaves Ramona feeling at fault. Who knew growing up could be filled with such complicated situations?…
My mom read this to us many, many years ago. It's a powerful little story about frontier toughness. It will make a kid's hair start growing where it wasn't previously.
I like the writing in this book. It's clear and straightforward. The characters are real to life. They are put into a bad situation and don't have the stuff they need to deal with it. They gotta make do.
In 1756, New York State was still a British colony, and the French and the Indians were constant threats to Edward and his family. When his father was called away to watch for a raid from the north, only Edward was left to protect Mama and little Trudy. His father had shown him how to use the huge matchlock gun, an old Spanish gun that was twice as long as he was, but would Edward be able to handle it if trouble actually came? This classic, first published in 1941, has an updated, kid-friendly format that…
I have published over 50 books, including award-winning and bestselling titles. I am also a publishing executive and editor with 20+ years of professional experience. My latest The Twins of Auschwitz: The Inspiring True Story of Young Girl Surviving Mengele’s Hell, with Eva Kor, got a stellar review by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and is an international bestseller. As well as spearheading four publishing startups, I have run my own business, Editorial Services of L.A. I was Editorial/Publishing Director for Golden Books, Price Stern Sloan, Intervisual Books, Hooked on Phonics, and more. I am also the Publisher & Editor in Chief of NY Journal Of Books, the premier online-only book review site.
This is the Inspiring true story of a young girl surviving Mengele’s hell. This is an incisive, harrowing, and touching memoir of Eva Mozes Kor and her twin sister Miriam, who are sent to Auschwitz only to be torn from their parents and given to Josef Mengele, "The Angel of Death," for his evil and damaging experiments on human subjects.
In the voice of the ten-year-old Eva, we learn about what life was like in the death camps and how a child survives when food, water, comfort, and care are absent. At times heartbreaking and at other times a triumph of the will of a child to survive, this is a memoir that is not easily forgotten.
The Nazis spared their lives because they were twins.
In the summer of 1944, Eva Mozes Kor and her family arrived at Auschwitz.
Within thirty minutes, they were separated. Her parents and two older sisters were taken to the gas chambers, while Eva and her twin, Miriam, were herded into the care of the man who became known as the Angel of Death: Dr. Josef Mengele. They were 10 years old.
While twins at Auschwitz were granted the 'privileges' of keeping their own clothes and hair, they were also subjected to Mengele's sadistic medical experiments. They…
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