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"Never have so many suffered so much so so few could
be so happy." -Major Frank Burns

* A Wrinkle in Time (and the others in that series, and the others in series that are tangents of it, etc.) by Madeleine L'Engle

* Where the Red Fern Grows and Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls

* The Red Pony by John Steinbeck

* The Pigman, The Pigman's Legacy, The Doomstone, When a Darkness Falls, and any of about a hundred other books by Paul Zindel

* anything ever written by Roald Dahl. Including his adult stuff (though the nonfiction works, especially the war stuff, can drag for a kid).

* Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by, um, ah, Scott O'Dell maybe? Or was he the Island of the Blue Dolphins chap?

* The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (yes, I mean it, I first read this when I was in fourth grade and was thoroughly captivated)

* Anything by William Sleator, but I think the first one that really grabbed me was Stairs

That's all I can think of at the moment.

R

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31 December 2000... The Holy Door opens
http://www.geocities.com/xterminalx/holydoor.html

I loved Matilda - Miss Trunchbull just reminded me of my teacher at the time! The Animals of Farthing Wood by Colin Dann (and the sequels) is really nice, and I was always Enid Blyton nuts.

I loved the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis, and when I got a bit older the Point Horror series.

There's always Harry Potter - the cause of mass hysteria in this school library (and adults looking down on me because I've never read one)!

*Maniac Magee

*My Side of the Mountain

*Boxcar Children Book Series

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IndianPainter

bellchoir87@aol.com

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (Harpercollins Juvenile Books)
She has a precocious 3-year-old sister who tends to leave wet nappies at the foot of her bed, an insane cat who is prone to leg-shredding "Call of the Wild" episodes, and embarrassing parents who make her want to escape to Stonehenge and dance with the Druids.

The Adventures of Blue Avenger, by Norma Howe (Henry Holt & Company, Inc.)
Irony, silliness, and the deepest questions of the human soul blend together delightfully in this funny, original novel by Norma Howe. The day David Schumacher turns 16, he decides to ease the pain of his father's death by legally changing his name to "Blue Avenger," after a comic book hero.

My Life As a Girl, by Elizabeth Mosier (Random House)
Jaime has just finished her life in Phoenix, her life with boyfriend Buddy, and her life as a girl. Now she's ready for a new beginning as a woman at a sophisticated Eastern college where she can forget about the girl she used to be--the girl whose father gambled away her college fund and is now...

Extreme Elvin, by Chris Lynch (Harpercollins Juvenile Books)
Look out world, Elvin Bishop is back, and he's better--if a little less bigger--than ever. Author Chris Lynch's overweight antihero has slimmed down a bit since his debut in Slot Machine, and has moved from the frying pan of sports camp into the fires of high school.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky (Pocket Books)
What is most notable about this funny, touching, memorable first novel from Stephen Chbosky is the resounding accuracy with which the author captures the voice of a boy teetering on the brink of adulthood. Charlie is a freshman. And while's he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means...

How I Spent My Last Night on Earth, by Todd Strasser (Simon & Schuster)
What would you do if you were told you only had 24 hours before an asteroid obliterated the planet? The teens at Time Zone High are struggling with that very question (along with figuring out who's sleeping with whom and whether or not to attend physics class). Is the asteroid real?

The Revelation of Saint Bruce, by Tres Seymour, Deborah Lanino (Illustrator) (Orchard Books)
Squeal. Snitch. Rat. Whatever you call it, teens have always regarded the betrayal of peers--by giving incriminating information to the authorities--as the ultimate moral crime. Even dedicated nonconformists like cynical Ellis, sharp and witty Jack, brilliant Carrie, and wannabe Teresa are shocked...

Cecil in Space, by Sid Hite (Henry Holt & Company, Inc.)
The cynicism of Holden Caulfield (of Catcher in the Rye) meets the hilarity of Adrian Mole (of The Adrian Mole Diaries) in this lighthearted, smart tale of one young man's coming of age in the archetypical small town of Bricksburg, Virginia. Cecil Scott Rowe, 17, doesn't have many positive things to...

The Raging Quiet, by Sherryl Jordan (Simon & Schuster (Juv)
New Zealand author Sherryl Jordan has crafted a riveting story, reminiscent of the work of Thomas Hardy, that's shimmering with the romanticism of a fairy tale but told with the vivid detail and suspense of a modern novel.

[This message has been edited by JoJo2 (edited 07-24-2000).]

Marguerite Henry's books are wonderful for children, she wrote very good tales about horses and young people, including Misty of Chincoteague, King of the Wind, Born to Trot.

"Into the A, B, Sea" (Preschool to age 6)
by Deborah Lee Rose, illustrated by Steve Jenkins
"Swim the ocean waves with me / and dive into the A, B, Sea / where Anemones sting, and Barnacles cling / where Crabs crawl in / and Dolphins spin." This engaging alphabet book makes you want to linger where manatees lumber and narwhals slumber, and your favorite future marine biologist will, too. Illustrator Steve Jenkins uses paper collage to great effect--capturing textures and colors of marine animals and plants with astonishing skill.

"The Color of My Words" (Ages 10 and older) by Lynn Joseph
What 12-year-old Ana Rosa Hernandez wants more than anything is a notepad of her very own. Writing is her passion, but in the Republica Dominicana, "silence was self-defense." When the chilling news arrives that the government wants to buy all the land in the village to build hotels and generate more tourism, people learn what it means to break their silence. Young readers will be inspired by Ana Rosa's drive and talent, warmed by vivid stories of her close-knit family, and moved by those who fight for what's right at the greatest possible cost. This lovely, lyrical book dances the merengue, glimmers with sunshine, and sways with island breezes.

"Wizzil" (Ages 4 to 8)
by William Steig, illustrated by Quentin Blake Wizzil the horrible hag is bored stiff until her parrot not-so-sweetly suggests that she amuse herself by making somebody suffer, specifically the Frimps. Taking the bird's advice, she transmogrifies into a common housefly and zizzes over to Frimp Farm, where Wizzil proceeds to wreak havoc in a wacky sequence of plot twists. British illustrator Quentin Blake's scratchy yet fluid pictures--loaded with as many knee-slapping details as the story--are the perfect accompaniment to "Wizzil," William Steig's silly, romantic tale of the power of love to vaporize mean-spiritedness.

"There's a Zoo in Room 22" (Ages 6 to 10)
by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Barney Saltzberg
Miss Darling of room 22 is a very special teacher indeed. When her students ask her if they can have "a truly awesome classroom pet," Miss Darling replies, "Yes! Or better yet, / Let's choose a whole pet alphabet." So, from Amanda Anaconda to the zorilla, room 22 becomes a menagerie of some rather unusual creatures. Judy Sierra, the playful poet behind "Antarctic Antics" and "Counting Crocodiles," strikes gold again. Warning: students everywhere will soon be begging their teachers for pet fleas, vultures, and jaguarundi!

"So You Want to Be President" (Ages 8 and older)
by Judith St. George, illustrated by David Small
What's good about being the president of the United States? You have a swimming pool and you never have to take out the garbage. What's bad about it? You always have to be dressed up, people frequently get mad at you, and there's lots of homework. Judith St. George's book about the presidency is lively and witty, yet her underlying purpose is a serious one: to remind kids that the American presidents have been a motley group of individuals, not a row of marble busts. Executive hobbies, sports, virtues, and vices all get a tongue-in-cheek airing, perfectly matched by Caldecott Honor artist David Small's caricatures.

These books are all available at Amazon.com

"The Amber Spyglass" (Ages 11 and older) by Philip Pullman
"The Amber Spyglass"--due to be published on October 10--brings the intrigue of "The Golden Compass" and "The Subtle Knife" to a stunning resolution in the last volume of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials fantasy trilogy. Along with the return of Lyra, Will, Mrs. Coulter, Lord Asriel, Dr. Mary Malone, and Iorek Byrnison the armored bear comes a host of new characters and startling revelations. All the while, war rages with the Kingdom of Heaven, a brutal battle that will finally uncover the secret of Dust.

"My First Learning Library" (boxed set) (Baby to Preschool) by Dorling Kindersley
With this trio of sturdy, pint-size board books--"My First ABC Book," "My First Number Book," and "My First Word Book"--young scholars can begin toddling down the grand path of knowledge. In each edition, photographs of familiar objects such as balls, ladybugs, teapots, cows, and swimsuits illustrate learning concepts. With this perfect little package, even the tiniest tots can begin to expand their vocabulary and learn to count.

They must have been really good, they were both recently made into movies, but there's nothing like reading them for yourself. I think if you read it to them, even children as young as 3 could handle a few chapters a night before bed

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COOL SIG OF THE DAY: (http://www.coolsig.com)
640 Kilobytes of computer memory ought to be enough for
anybody.
- Bill Gates, 1981

Other books I would recommend are The Diddakoi by Rumer Godden, Totto-Chan: The Little Girl At The Window by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi(it's translated into English) and The Absolutely Essential Eloise by Kay Thompson!

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•I assume full responsibility for my actions, except the ones that are someone else's fault.
•In some cultures, what I do would be considered normal.
•To have a successful relationship, I must learn to make it look like I'm giving as much as I'm getting.
•When someone hurts me, I know that forgiveness is cheaper than a lawsuit, but not nearly as gratifying.
•I am grateful that I am not as judgmental as all those censorious, self-righteous people around me.

*Where The Red Fern Grows
*My Side Of The Mountain

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IndianPainter
Love Is Something Too Many People Look For Instead Of Giving

I liked them both!

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You can tell the quality of a person by how they treat people they don't need.