The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker

Youth fiction - 3 stars

Megan and I just read this for our Mother/Daughter book club, and Megan absolutely loved it. Because of her opinion of the book, I'll refrain from giving my true opinion and just say it was mildly entertaining. A very easy read, this is a conglomeration of many other classical fairy tales thrown into the frog prince story to give it a twist. It is a somewhat visual book, and I can see why Disnay made their most recent animated film based on this book. However, it was also filled with the silliness that so often ruins Disney movies for me (Lilo & Stitch is a perfect example). Susan hit it right on the nose when she said this the perfect summer beach read for the 10-13 year-old crowd.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Fiction - 4.5 stars

Just finished this on my Nook (started in February, so that's not a bad timeframe for me) as part of my pact to alternate between classics and modern. I am so glad I read this as I have only read The Hound of the Baskervilles, and that was written long after these stories. I loved them, and I really came to see Holmes and Watson in a different light.  These stories also give a glimpse of Victorian England as it really was, the similarities to and differences from modern society were definitely intriguing. I am hooked!

Score!!!

Megan, Danny and I went to the used book sale at the kids' school, and I happened upon a collection of Agatha Christie novels that someone had cleaned off of her bookshelf. I was so excited I bought all of them. That, with 9 kids' books, and a historical look at the time of Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's own investigations of European murder cases) was only $15. What a deal! Earlier in the day, Megan had picked up a cookbook for me, so overall it was an awesome day! I know what I'll be reading this summer...

I Double Dog Dare you!

Don't know how many of you know about this, but Borders summer reading program has begun! You can download the form here. My kids have started their reading lists, and they can't wait to get the first freebie! I'm pretty excited myself.