Childrens Bookclub

Why Do Old Men in Their Fifties Like the Trixie Belden Books?

Even I Don't Re-Read the Trixie Belden Books......

One of my neighborhood bookstores is closing soon; I went in to check out the remaining inventory and see what would be available and was pleasantly surprised to see two entire shelves of the Trixie Belden mystery series.

The Trixie Belden books, which were published first in 1948 and resurrected in the 1970’s, were fairly popular at the time of their publication and seemed to be modeled after the Nancy Drew series. None of the books were as controversial as Judy Blume’s books, but all of the books had a bit of a romantic interest that centered around Trixie and her neighbor, Jim.

I was an addict at the age of eight and nine and breezed through the entire series. (That’s the first and last time that anyone has ever called me a nerd.) But because of my interest in the series, I asked the bookstore owner who else was interested in the Trixie Belden books. I expected her to say that most of the people who were interested in the Trixie Belden books were women my age who were nostalgic for their old favorite books.

I was wrong.

The bookstore owner told me that the Trixie Belden books were popular among in her store seemed to be popular amongst guys in their fifties, which I thought was just plain wrong.

Who were these middle-aged men interested in Trixie Belden books? Were they “collectors” trolling for women my age or did they really have an interest in the Trixie Belden collection? Not that there is an official collection per se, but the store did have quite a few Trixie Belden books on the shelves. Read more about Why Do Old Men in Their Fifties Like the Trixie Belden Books?

I Want to be Like You, Lord

by Betty Steele Everett

I Want to be Like You, Lord is a Bible devotional book for girls. It was written by Betty Steele Everett and belongs to the Young Readers series of books. It is important for girls to understand that life is not always easy. Even more important than that is that the girls know what to do when certain situations arise.

Although this book is a bit on the older side (which just means that you can get it for a penny on sites like Amazon or Abe Books), it is filled with timeless information. I have two daughters, so these are the types of books I seek out.
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Ramona Forever by Beverly Cleary

Ramona Forever is a book I read in grade school and decided to purchase for my own daughter when she got old enough to read the text. It was written by Beverly Cleary in 1984, and was suppose to be the last book in the Ramona series. Another book did follow, however, in 1999.

The book has grown in popularity over the years, and was the basis for the movie Ramona and Beezus starring Selena Gomez and Joey King. This film was released in 2010.

Ramona Quimby is a fun-loving third grader who is excited for her friend Howie who has a rich uncle that is coming to visit. Her parents and older sister Beezus don’t seem to be as thrilled, however. Strangely, Ramona’s Aunt Bea is intrigued and the conversation continues about Howie, his uncle, and his family.
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The Story of Jonah

The Story of Jonah is an Alice in Bibleland Storybook that was written by Alice Joyce Davidson and illustrated by Victoria Marshall. My daughter received this book as a little girl. The book doesn’t just go into the famous Bible story of Jonah like most of the other books published for kids. It is a story about Jonah that is told through a little girl named Alice.
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The Super Duper Activity Book

The Super Duper Activity Book was written by Lynn Gordon and illustrated by Karen Johnson and Susan Synarski. This book contains an amazing 120 games, activities, and craft projects for kids. My daughter received this book as a gift. We make it a point to try to utilize at least two of the ideas within the book each week.
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The Quest by Anna Bodine

The Quest was written by my daughter, Anna Bodine, just as she turned 12 years old. She participated in the NaNoWriMo’s Young Writer’s Program this past November, which is set-up to motivate young writers to complete an entire book in 30 days. The Quest is the fruit of her labor.

In the book, The Quest, three best friends get together for a sleepover that they will never forget. Created for children ages 8 to 12, The Quest follows Marie, Abigail, and Nicolette as they journey to the land of Quest Brooke through a portal door that magically appears just outside of Marie’s clubhouse.
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Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head

Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head is a book written by Nancy Viau. Nancy taught a writer’s workshop for kids for several weeks at my local library. My daughter attended the workshop, and I was extremely impressed with how much she learned. In fact, this past month my daughter completed her first book. Nancy was fun, captured the attention of the children, and really developed the kids’ love of writing.
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Barney says, “Please and Thank You”

"In this story, Baby Bop organizes a birthday party for her stuffed bear."

Todays kids lack in the department of manners. While Barney may irritate older children, he has the right idea with the book Barney says, “Please and Thank You.” I am all for any book that increases my daughter’s moral character, and this book does just that.

The book is published by Scholastic, and is designated for children ages 4 and up, however, I would use it children as young as 1. It can’t hurt to start teaching children who are capable of speaking how to say “Please” and “Thank You.” This particular Barney book was authored by Stephen White.
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Mensa Science Experiments

If your kids love doing science experiments, or are required to do them for a science fair, you will love Mensa Science Experiments. I must admit upfront that I am a little biased about this book since my father, Dan Keen, and his friend, Bob Bonnet, wrote it. They have published dozens of science project books over the years. You probably even have a few at your local library.
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Best Children's Books of the '90s

A magical mystery tour.

I like to think of my 90’s childhood as marking a renaissance in the realm of children’s books. I’m sure it’s just nostalgia, but some of the titles that we were offered seem like they were a lot better than the smiley-and-glittery titles offered to kids and teens today. I can certainly say that the books that we were reading were more whimsical, perhaps a bit more magical, and were definitely spiked with more adult themes than we’re letting our kids read today. Unless, of course, those themes are sexy times, themes that they are certainly getting and we thankfully did not.

Here is a list of some of my favorite childhood book titles: Read more about Best Children's Books of the '90s