logo

October 2010

Hi folks!

I hope you have all gotten back into the swing of school. My kids began playing soccer for the first time, and I find myself consumed with shuttling them to practices and games. I truly believe that youth soccer is part of an evil plot by Capri-Sun and other juice box companies to control the minds of our nation’s youth. 

Have you been reading some great books lately? Write me, and tell me about them. A lot of you write and ask me why I do not recommend comic books on this site. While I have not reviewed any comic books, I have included graphic novels before. I HIGHLY encourage you to read as many comic books, magazines and newspapers as you’d like, though, as all will produce much better readers. I’ve actually been reading some comics lately to ease my mind, as I have attempted to re-read The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. As much as I love the movies, the books can be daunting. You have to concentrate all the time!

Anyhow, enjoy this month’s book selections below. I hope you are all reading some wonderful books. Make sure to tell me all about them. If you're an author or a publisher and would like to send me review copies of your book(s), please send them to the address listed for authors and publishers.

I hope you are reading some wonderful books. Make sure to tell me about them by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Have a wonderful October, and enjoy your books!

Danny ;-)
Mommy Knows Worst: Highlights from the Golden Age of Bad Parenting Advice

Mommy Knows Worst: Highlights from the Golden Age of Bad Parenting Advice

By James Lileks 176 pages Adult

Danny Says

Subtitled “Highlights from the Golden Age of Parenting Advice,” this hilarious book features wisdom from the “good ole days” that is guaranteed to draw smiles from any parents that feel like they are failing. Grab a copy of this book and read real ads that featured “delicious” baby laxatives or advice like this gem: “The nursing mother should cleanse her nipples before and after each feeding with boric acid solution.” This book is a perfect coffee table conversation piece.
Buy on Amazon
Washed Up: The Curious Journeys of Flotsam and Jetsam by Skye Moody (30-Sep-2006) Paperback

Washed Up: The Curious Journeys of Flotsam and Jetsam by Skye Moody (30-Sep-2006) Paperback

By Skye Moody 240 pages Adult

Danny Says

Part travelogue, part beachcombers’ guide. Moody provides accounts of her run-ins with flotsam and jetsam that can be at times funny and fascinating. Where does the stuff that reaches our shores come from? This book sparked my curiosity about debris that litters our oceans. Any book that sparks a curiosity is worth the read.
Buy on Amazon
The Curse of the Capable: The Hidden Challenges to a Balanced, Healthy, High-Achieving Life

The Curse of the Capable: The Hidden Challenges to a Balanced, Healthy, High-Achieving Life

By Arthur P. Ciaramicoli 200 pages Adult

Danny Says

Alright, so it’s a little over 250 pages. The print is big, and the reading is easy. A great airplane self-help read, as I enjoyed how Ciaramicoli, a clinical psychologist, provides clear steps for achieving greater balance in one’s life and not being obsessed with others’ approval. I think it is worth recommending to middle and high school students, too.
Buy on Amazon
A Step from Heaven

A Step from Heaven

By An Na 160 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

One of the best immigrant stories I have ever read with my students. Na introduces us to Korean immigrant Young Ju and her family, and while there are the usual struggles that are apparent in many immigrant stories, what sets this book apart is how the narrative matures as Young Ju matures into a young woman. Beautiful writing.
Buy on Amazon
10,000 Days of Thunder: A History of the Vietnam War

10,000 Days of Thunder: A History of the Vietnam War

By Philip Caputo 128 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

What I like most about Caputo’s “History of the Vietnam War” is that it reveals different perspectives of Vietnam, from soldiers to student protestors. I would love candidates seeking office this November to watch students as they argue various sides of an issue without being disrespectful of one another. 
Buy on Amazon
Vampire High

Vampire High

By Douglas Rees 240 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Finally a vampire story that I can sink my teeth into (ugh – I cannot believe I wrote that sentence). This is the first vampire story I have read with students that gets them laughing, as it follows the misadventures of Cody Elliot, who flunked-out of one public high school only to enroll in a private school that he soon discovers is populated by student vampires. Especially great for boys who despise girls going ga-ga over the Twilight series.
Buy on Amazon
Stuck in Neutral

Stuck in Neutral

By Terry Trueman 144 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Talk about a wonderful book to discuss with students! Shawn McDaniel is a 14-year-old with severe cerebral palsy who cannot communicate his gift: he remembers everything he has ever heard (my wife also has this gift). Seriously, what I enjoyed most about this book was the relationship between Shawn and his father, who struggles with whether to euthanize his son.
Buy on Amazon
Pick a Pumpkin, Mrs. Millie

Pick a Pumpkin, Mrs. Millie

By Judy Cox 32 pages Children

Danny Says

Judy Cox has created a wonderful series of wordplay books featuring the silly Mrs. Millie, whose students always have to correct her gaffes, from looking for orange “pumas” (instead of pumpkins) to carving “gecko’”-lanterns (instead of jack-o’-lanterns). Great book for involving students in the story.
Buy on Amazon
By the Light of the Halloween Moon

By the Light of the Halloween Moon

By Caroline Stutson 32 pages Children

Danny Says

Fun poem in the spirit of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Beautiful illustrations by Kevin Hawkes, and some good vocabulary for the kiddies. 
Buy on Amazon
Frankie Stein Starts School

Frankie Stein Starts School

By Lola M. Schaefer 32 pages Children

Danny Says

My own kids love this story about Mr. and Mrs. Frankenstein’s new son, Frankie, who just happens to be…cute! Their repeated efforts to make him scary fail until Frankie appears as his own cute self, making him the scariest Stein of all to the Steins. Great illustrations by Kevan Atteberry, and a read aloud that scores laughs on almost every page.
Buy on Amazon

Explore

Act

About

Connect With Us

Join Now