Medusa Jones by Ross Collins

What if Medusa's granddaughter, the Minotaur and the Centaur were great friends, what if they went to school with Perseus and Theseus, and what if Medusa and friends were picked on because they were different? That's just the story of Medusa Jones by Ross Collins. The story is a good, funny read, with great illustrations and both Abraham and Maria enjoyed it. Abe especially liked Medusa's attempt to re-style her hair (how do you give a new hairdo to a head of snakes?) and Maria enjoyed the exciting camping trip/adventure on the dreaded Mount Olympus which leads to the climax of the book.

The Furious Flycycle by Jan Wahl

The Furious Flycycle was a really fun book about a boy inventor who desperately wanted to build a bike that would fly. He tried all kind of great ideas and all the while was very interested in a new neighbor, a world famous inventor, who really wanted to keep to himself. However, the boy met him and soon figured out how to make all of his inventions work just the way he wanted! Maria really liked it when the bike actually flew and Abraham enjoyed the descriptions of all the wacky inventions that were invented.

The book is out of print however I found mine for 95 cents at a local used bookstore.

The Witches by Roald Dahl

We started The Witches this week and tried for two nights to read it, but unfortunately it was just too scary for us. For a 6 year old, 7 year old and 37 year old, it was just too dark. Maybe next year!

How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

Last night we finished How to Eat Fried Worms, a book I remember reading over two decades ago myself, and it made me just as queasy as it did back then. But Abe and Maria both really enjoyed it. Maria's favorite part was when Billy's mother made him a Whizbang Worm Ice Cream Sundae and Abe's favorite part was the minibike at the end. All in all a gross story but we did have a nice discussion about competition and what happens when you take competition too far.

Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith

Last night we completed Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith. We seem to be following a theme with our last two books. Chocolate Fever is a great book about a boy who always gets what he wants when he wants it, mainly chocolate. The book goes by really fast with lots of adventure and opened the door for discussions on bullying and prejudice. Abraham's favorite part was on the last page when Henry, the main character, decided chocolate wasn't the best thing in the world after all, and found something to replace it with...which led us to believe there may be a sequel on its way.

The Chocolate Touch

We just finished reading the Chocolate Touch and really enjoyed it! The Chocolate Touch is a great modern take on King Midas' golden touch and has a great lesson about being selfish and how getting exactly what you want may not be the best thing in the world. From ruining his first trumpet solo to destroying his best friend's birthday party to causing significant issues with his family, the Chocolate Touch is a great read.

Captain Underpants

Abraham and I have started re-reading the first Captain Underpants book. We have read all the books in the series and after a short hiatus, we have decided to re-read them. My son loves the Captain Underpants books. He laughs out loud. The two kids in the books get into trouble, pull pranks, and turn their principal into an underwear-clad superhero. It's great fun.

The author of Captain Underpants has come out with a new series which is supposed to be the comics that the boys in the book create. My son isn't reading comics yet so we have skipped them, but maybe in a year or two we'll pick those up as well.

We are both ready for a Captain Underpants movie. Definitely.