Stories And Imaginings For The Reading Spot
A Collection of Short Stories For Adults ~be entertained and amused from Anne and Romanoff’s naughty pack, Stephanie finds trouble with a wounded cat and a remorseful landscaper; and the beach cottage that brings Cheney’s nightmares of the Sci Fi warrior into focus in Stories & Imaginings For The Reading Spot~

I also discovered the Bill and Pete books by Tomie DePaola. Now, I grew up on Tomie DePaola, and LOVE him and his books. But somehow I had never read Bill and Pete until recently. Speaking of charmingly weird! I think you have to have a very particular sense of humor to enjoy these, but if you do, you really do. Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile is the middle book and, in my opinion, by far the best. But all three are remarkable for their matter of fact presentation of outlandish facts and the relationship between the text and the illustrations. (The picture of the little crocodiles going up the side of the pyramid gets me every time.)

A fun middle grade from Eva Ibbotson. I’ve mostly read her adult/YA (depending on packaging) novels, although in the far distant past I did read The Secret of Platform 13. Which Witch? is lots of fun and reminded me of Diana Wynne Jones in some ways. Also, it’s one of those middle grade books where it makes no sense that this is middle grade–it’s about adults, and a wicked wizard getting married, for goodness sake!–but it just IS middle grade, and I defy anyone to say otherwise.

A lovely early reader about a snake who is adopted by a little boy and named Sneaker. Sneaker promptly proves to be a civic-minded snake, foiling crime and being rewarded by the mayor. This one has a kind of gentle humor and a timeless appeal that I really enjoyed.