A Good Book Guide

I have always been an avid reader. That's why when I read the Windsor Star article The best book you read this summer article, I was a little bummed that I had only read one book that made the list. It’s probably because my summer as a camp counsellor restricted my potential reads to books that appealed to nine year olds. So how did I cope? I did what any first time counsellor would do, I collected all the books I enjoyed as a kid, and read them to my campers. And so, with inspiration from the Star’s article, I will now share with you my very own “Top 3 Books that I Read this summer” list.

Note: Keeping in mind the topic of my blog, the below named books were written and/or popular in the 90’s, for children
Another Note: The below named books contain some spoilers, but I will attempt to keep these to a minimum

Night of the Living Dummy – from the Goosebumps Series by R.L. Stine. (1993) A crowd favourite amongst my 11 year olds boys, who listened in awe as the twin sister protagonists find themselves in awe as their dummy, Mr. Wood, seems to come to life. He wreaks havoc at home, in the neighbourhood, and at school (even threatening to kill their dog Barky!) and it is not until the girls receive a lucky blessing that they finally rid themselves of his evilness.

Witches Don’t Do Backflips – from the Bailey School Kids Series by Marcia Thornton Jones and Debbie Dadey. (1994)My 12 year old girls grew just as suspicious as the quartet of main characters, Eddie, Howie, Liza and Melody who suspect their new gym teacher “Mrs. Brewbaker” to be a witch. Her black tights, shoes and hat, and her tendency to speak in rhyme lead them to believe she is able to cast spells. Is she really magical or will it remain a mystery?

Holes – by Louis Sachar (1998)Probably the most well known amid my campers because of the popular Blockbuster hit, Holes follows the story of Stanley Yelnats, a teen who has been wrongfully sent to a correctional camp for ‘stealing’ a pair of sneakers. At camp, Stanley and the others are forced to spend their days digging holes, where coincidentally they begin to find some pretty neat stuff.

I would like to note that during my last week of camp, I tried reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to my 13 year old girls. I have confidence that this book would have made this list, but because it was co-ed week, my girls found little interest in Harry’s dashing green eyes and sense of bravery, and more interest in the real boys in cabin 3. *sigh*, Maybe next year.

My list also leaves out other great series of the 90’s. (ie – Babysitter’s Club, Sweet Valley High). If you feel I have neglected to mention your favourite childhood series, let me know and I’d be happy to explore!