My little guy hardly looks like a “sensitive outsider” in this picture, and he’s not really. He’s as cheeky as they come.

So I suppose this book could really be for anyone who has ever felt they have something to offer, but no one around them seems to appreciate or understand.

Frederick, by Leo Lionni, is the story of a mouse who is a bit out of place in his family, but finds transcendence through words and imagination when he and his family face hunger during a long winter.

The other day, my three-year-old found it, and when I read it to him, I couldn’t stop crying. It’s one of those books where the words are very simple, very straightforward. And yet, as you read it, you know the story is speaking volumes between its pages. It resonates, and you believe that somehow, it will leave you better off for having read it.

What books resonate for you like that?

Here’s a chance for your kids to help you comment!

What have you read this summer so far?

What have been your favorite books? Which ones would you have rather left at the library?

On September 1, I will have a drawing for a $25 gift card to Borders. Starting today, every time you or your child reads a book, come to the comments section of this post, and tell us what book it was and how you liked it.

Then, on September 1, we’ll see who the winner is.

The more you read, the greater your chances will be, so have fun, and get reading!!!!

Here’s a book my mom and I found last year while browsing through Borders in Plymouth, Massachusetts (going to a book store with my mom, without kids, is probably my most favorite thing in the whole world).

My son wants to be a writer when he grows up, but before I hand this book off to him, I have been holding on to it myself to bask in all its good advice. Gail Carson Levine (author of Ella Enchanted, The Two Princesses of Bamarre, Fairest) takes young writers on a straight forward path to writing their first stories. The guidance it gives, however, is so pertinent that even we old gals trying to write would be wise to sit down for an hour or two and read it through. She makes writing sound fun and achievable, which, of course, it is.

My favorite chapter is called “Suffer,” in which Levine explains how we must, as writers, be vicious to our main characters.  It’s a wall I am trying to climb up in my own writing right now, but the chapter is so simple, so to-the-point, I can get up from the book, sit down at my computer, and make my characters’ lives cruel with much more ease than I could before.

Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly is encouraging, funny, and an absolute must for anyone trying to write a novel.

Here’s a little interview I did with my son after we went out and bought him The Last Olympian, the fifth and final book in the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan.

sm: How did you first find out about the Percy Jackson series?

srr: Last year, I won a reading contest at school and got a $50 Barnes and Noble card as a prize.  With the money, I bought books 1, 2, and 4.  I bought the rest later.

sm: Tell us about the books.

srr:  There are 5 books in total, written by Rick Riordan (pronounced “ry-er-don”).  They’re about a kid who is half Greek god, half mortal.  He goes on different quests in each book.

sm:  How did you like them?

srr:  They’re the best books ever!

sm:  Even better than Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia?

srr:  (nods his head with his thumbs up)

Read the rest of this entry »

I am very sorry to say that after four daring attempts, I have been unsuccessful at developing a recipe for pomegranate Turkish Delight.  I was going to have this big Narnia celebration, and we were all going to be so happy.

Forgive me, Connie!   And thank you to my good friend Marcia who toiled with me in my kitchen on attempt #3.

Well, today is the release of Prince Caspian.  I bought the Three-Disc Collector’s Edition this morning.  I used to say that if I were a teenager, I would have a crush on Peter.  Who was I kidding?  I have a crush on King Peter.

For all of you who are smart enough to just buy Turkish Delight, I did find Loukoumi, the New Zealand company that made the candy Edmond ate in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  They have a bunch of flavors, including pomegranate.  Click here to go to their American distributer.