One sunny morning Agatha popped up in my mailbox. Yup, brilliant red hair, over-sized clomping boots, star-studded shirt and all.
Although it was a sunny morning at my house, it was NOT sunny for Agatha. "It was a dark and stormy night on Odd Street."
These details are not odd at all for a young heroine who lives on Odd Street, where all of the houses have (of course) odd numbers.
She lives in number five which has (of course) a red door.
As soon as I began reading, I knew (of course) that Agatha and I were going to be great friends.

It didn't take me long to realize that I am absolutely, totally and completely enchanted with this book because:

• It is the perfect size. It fits nicely in my hands. This book feels like it was made precisely for my small hands and fingers.
• Agatha's unique voice is so fun. It's a book which is even better when read aloud. If you can keep from laughing as you read. Good luck with that.
• Within the pages you'll find a mystery, a ghost, Fish Popz breakfast cereal, a vice principal who hands out leaflets teaching HOW TO SIT ON A CHAIR, and some exciting after-dark escapades.
• It's a series! There will be more Agatha Parrot adventures.

Cinnamon Apple Pie
Inspired by The Good-Pie Party by Liz Garton Scanlon illustrated by Kady Macdonald Denton.
I discovered this recipe years ago in the local newspaper. Instead of ground cinnamon, it is flavored with cinnamon oil.
Tastes like a cinnamon candy apple.

Cherries in the Snow
recipe is found in The Truth About Twinkie Pie by Kat Yeh.
Kat's book is chock full of fun recipes. Here is the dessert named after a lipstick color. I opted for individual serving goblets instead of the suggested large bowl. This made a visually stunning and refreshing ending to a meal.

Watermelon Limeade Float recipe is located in A Clatter of Jars by Lisa Graff
Similar to the original cake recipes she included in A Tangle of Knots, Graff offers a variety of beverages in her latest magical middle grade book which features frogs, friendship bracelets, and of course, jars.
Next I want to try making the Camp Atropos Sunset Punch.

Warm Gingerbread
There is nothing quite like squares of warm gingerbread, fresh from the oven. I like to top mine with fruit and whipped cream. (I like peaches, my husband prefers pears. Both are good.)
​It's the perfect accompaniment to Gingerbread for Liberty written by Mara Rockliff and illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch.
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Freezer Strawberry Jam
This is a family tradition. Every year I mix up quantities of strawberries and sugar and then store jars of this fresh summer-tasting jam iin our freezer.
Just like Russell Hoban and Lillian Hoban's Bread and Jam for Frances, you'll want more of this.
The easy recipe can be found on a box of Sure Jell Fruit Pectin.

Apple Tart
I had never made an apple tart in my life. But after reading Sarah Moore Fitzgerald's The Apple Tart of Hope I had to try. I used Ina Garten's recipe for French Apple Tart. It was so easy - even the pastry was a breeze. Although there is no cinnamon in this recipe and Fitzgerald's book is replete with references to cinnamon, it is an excellent dessert.
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Caramel Corn
My friend from New Jersey shared with me this recipe from her mother in Michigan. Now my family in Texas makes it every year and sends to relatives out of state. Caramel Corn reminds me of Frank Asch's Popcorn, an all-time favorite read aloud.
Children never tire of reading this classic. Like the caramel corn, it is always a hit.

Homemade Ice Cream Drumsticks
I finally figured out how to make my own ice cream drumsticks and they are so so good.
I use a variety of chocolate: milk, dark, or bittersweet to match the flavor of ice cream that I use: from homemade vanilla to pistachio. I love to compliment the flavors with a variety of nuts and crushed candy toppings. The
Ice Cream Summer described by Peter Sis never has to end.
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Party Cupcakes
Sara Varon includes lots of yummy recipes in her graphic novel Bake Sale. Be sure to check them out.
I use easy white and chocolate cake cupcake recipes from Southern Living when I make cupcakes for a crowd, Its fun to mix/match frosting and toppings for variety.

Molasses Sugar Cookies
This is my mother's recipe. Soft and chewy, they are perfect with a glass of milk.
It's difficult for anyone to eat just one. I'm certain that the Mouse featured in  If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond would definitely be going back for a seconds.

​Just when I think that Ben Hatke has reached the apex of his storytelling skills, along comes a goblin to prove me wrong.

Meet the most endearing little goblin ever and Skeleton, his Very Best Friend.  (He reminds me of the skeleton that Zita the Spacegirl encounters.)
The two are thrust into an adventure, beginning  deep inside the dungeon and taking them out into the world.
Is it true that Nobody Likes a Goblin?

​The illustrations are pure delight. In addition to a motley collection of goblins, readers meet assorted villagers and adventurers. (I spent a great deal of time pouring over the images of these sword-wielding, magic-staff-bearing marauders. So many details to discover.)
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The dungeon, home to Goblin and the resident bat colony, feels cozy and welcoming.  Judicious use of lighted areas on the dark pages gives Goblin's home a warm glow. 

​Schools and libraries will find this a welcome addition to their collections. The story arc follows a natural rise and fall with prose that begs to be read aloud.  The storytelling voice rings true.

This picture book is destined to become a classic. Youngsters sitting on a lap will request repeated readings. It will become a storytime favorite.  For many young readers, this is a tale which will be learned "by heart". 
Adventure awaits!

How does Paul Griffin do it?
He takes the most depressing things that could happen in a young life: violent home environment, school bully, death of a parent, cancer, chemotherapy, and homelessness. He bundles them all into an uplifing middle grade novel about a boy named Ben Coffin. (Yes his last name is Coffin, a double entendre for coping with death and battling to breathe.)
​Somehow in a way that I cannot fully comprehend, as I read When Friendship Followed Me Home I am filled with a warmth that is better than the gooey center of a molten chocolate lava cake.
This story offers a huge helping of hope. Through tears, I am fully satisfied with the richness of the story, the tender way he explores the pain living inside young Ben and the constant fear haunting his one true friend Halley.
These characters: I love them, I cheer for them and my heart breaks for them.
In spite of disappointment and despair, hope remains.
​Always hope.
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 Can we talk for a minute about dogs? The fascinating relationship which characters have with dogs is another of things that I love about Paul Griffin books. Dogs are dogs, not humanized characters. They are truly dogs.
Let's start with his incredible Stay with Me. I lost track of the number of times I reread the dog scenes in that book. Over and over and over again I marveled at the way that Mack could work with dogs.
Ben has a similar gift.
Ben's understanding of dogs brings out the best in his dog Flip, in himself, and in those who are a part of his world.
"Rarely have I seen such genuine trust between a man and a dog. I expect this exceptional dog and his equally exceptional handler will go on to mend many hearts. The world is about to become a lovelier place."
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Griffin's use of language is precisely right.
The characters of Leo and Tess are revealed with the nickname each choses for Ben. There is a reason that Leo calls Ben "Champ". Each time Leo uses that name, its biting irony grates upon my senses.
Contrast that with the name given to him by his mother. "Traveler" is a description full of faith and hope. This loving appellation also becomes prophetic of Ben and his life journey.
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