Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

I read this book, the longest volume in the series, in a single night and consider it one of my greatest achievements. I got the book as soon as it was released at midnight and was home by 12:30. I read from 12:30 until 8am. Took a nap from 8am until 10am, then read until about 4:30 pm, at which point I was done. Around noon, my mother came into my bedroom and told me I needed to eat something. So, I went out...

Harry Potter and the Prince of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

For years, until the publication of “Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix,” this third book in Rowling’s fantasy series was my favorite of the bunch. What makes this book unique is that dark wizard Lord Voldemort is not the antagonist but, instead, it is Sirius Black, a wizard who has recently escaped from the wizard prison Azkaban. Before being incarcerated, Black was a known follower of Lord...

The Borning Room by Paul Fleischman

It never ceases to amaze me what time does to our perspective. I was about 10 when I read Paul Fleischman’s “The Boring Room” for the first time and I remember always feeling like it was an incredibly long book. So much time passes between the pages, starting with Georgina’s birth in her family’s borning room, a small room off of the kitchen where life cycled in and out as babies were born while...

The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base

Horace the Elephant has decided to throw a party for his 11th birthday and has invited ten of his friends (making 11 guests total) to join him and play 11 games and share in a feast at 11 o’clock. However, when it comes time for their meal they discover that someone has already eaten all of the food. It is up to the reader to figure out the identity of the culprit, using clues left by author and illustrator Graeme...

The Sneetches & Other Stories by Dr. Seuss

While Dr. Seuss seems like an odd choice as a go-to author for teaching your children moral lessons, you would be mistaken, for in “The Sneetches & Other Stories” that is exactly what he does. As indicated by the title, this book is actually a collection of shorter stories, four in total, each with its own lesson to be learned (although, some are a little more obvious than others). It is the title story that...